#it tastes perfect and the little blueberry bits they put in there?? wow now That's a real gift hfhshb

[keeps-ache]

heart cake !!! i have a little pink heart cake :DD

[asexual-hugger]

*The small cottage kitchen is alive with the aromas of cooking breakfast as Rapunzel sings and prances around, her long golden hair swirled around her feet. She wears the thin white slip she’d worn to bed the previous night, the thigh-length skirt hugging her figure in all the right places. Three frying pans sit on the stove, and she somehow cooks everything to perfection with the burners turned on. She is starting to show a small baby bump*

Rapunzel: *as a gentle pair of hands rests on her shoulders* Morning.

Eugene: *placing his chin on her left shoulder to observe* Hi. How are you feeling? I see you stopped shivering.

Rapunzel: Hi. Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better, now that it’s daytime. Sun energy, you know? Sleeping in your arms really helped. *she turns and kisses him* Breakfast is almost ready.

Eugene: I am so glad to hear that. *Looks at all the food cooking on the stove* Everything looks and smells delicious. What are we having?

Rapunzel: ‘We’ are not having anything. YOU are having eggs, potatoes and sausage. Your favorite.

Eugene: Me? What about you?

Rapunzel: I am having my latest pregnancy craving.

Eugene: Which is?

Rapunzel: Hold your horses. I’ve gotta plate this. *She turns the burners off and perfectly places the three breakfast foods onto a white dinner plate, looking pleased with her work* Ta-da! Breakfast is served!

Eugene: Wow! That looks amazing!

Rapunzel: I know, right? I spent years perfecting my craft in that tower, so it had better be good!

Eugene: *picking up the plate carefully to take it to the table* Where’s yours?

*Rapunzel quickly moves through the kitchen, taking out random items from the fridge and tossing them in a heap on her own plate. Eugene watches her with curiosity and some confusion. He hasn’t moved to the table*

Rapunzel: *mumbling* And some watermelon, and some carrots…and done! Oh, and a bit more berries. There! *She turns around, grinning, and finds Eugene staring with shock at her overflowing plate* You’re still in the kitchen? I thought you’d be scarfing down your food by now.

Eugene: I was waiting for you. *He nods at her plate* What in the name of Corona is all that?

Rapunzel: What? This? As I said, my pregnancy cravings. Baby Fitzherbert is making mommy adventurous. I can’t help liking what I like.

Eugene: I guess I’ll never understand pregnancy foods. Please, do enlighten me on what you have. I want to know Baby Fitzherbert’s preferences.

Rapunzel: Well, let’s go sit down and I’ll tell you. *Eugene follows her to the small wooden table and they sit across from each other. Rapunzel takes a moment to look around the space* I’m really glad we got this little cottage. It’s right on the edge of the town square, so we can visit the villagers and even travel to the palace whenever we want. Sure, living in the palace is great, but it’s even nicer to have a little place for just the two of us, soon to be three of us. It’s also much quieter and more private. Especially with the woods in the back.

Eugene: I one hundred percent agree. When you told your parents that you had an idea that the two of us get a cottage in the woods, I didn’t think you meant it literally, but after they practically bought it for us as a honeymoon gift, I found myself waiting in anticipation to move in. I'm glad it was finally ready for living in. And I know our child is going to love it, too. *He focuses back on her heaping plate of random* So. You gonna tell me what you’re craving?

Rapunzel: Yeah. Over here, I have apple pie and tomatoes, over here I have celery and blueberries, over here are carrots and mayo, and a bit of salty ramen noodles on top. Bon appetit. *She lifts her fork* Your food isn’t gonna eat itself. Dig in before it gets cold.

Eugene: Dang, girl. *He digs into his very normal breakfast, but he can’t help watching her as she spears a piece of apple pie and places a piece of tomato on top before shoving it into her mouth* Well? How does it taste?

Rapunzel: *shrugging* It’s good.

Eugene: *putting his fork down and looking under the table at her small bump* Good, huh? What did you do to your mom, huh, Baby Fitzherbert? You got her eating apple pie and tomatoes now. You altering her taste buds again? *He straightens back up and faces Rapunzel* I bet that little one is gonna be a scoundrel. Who knew apple pie and tomatoes with ramen noodles would even be a thing?

Rapunzel: Right? *She looks down at her bump* You aren’t even fully formed yet, you little devil. What are you gonna ask for tomorrow, hm? I'm eating stuff I would never normally eat if I wasn’t pregnant. But hey, a girl’s gotta eat what the baby wants her to eat. Go big or go home, amirite, little Fitzherbert? *She tenderly runs a hand over the bulge with a smile on her face*

Eugene: That reminds me, we should probably go back in and see that doctor you saw before Christmas. This might be a good time to check on things and see how we’re doing.

Rapunzel: Yeah. That crossed my mind. I can make the appointment. It was with Dr. Starsky. I'm not sure when she’ll be in next week, though, but I can try. I’ll tell her I’m bringing my husband this time. She’ll probably want to meet the famous Prince Eugene Fitzherbert.

Eugene: Famous? Have you been spilling my secrets to your doc, wifey?

Rapunzel: Maybe. I haven’t actually been silent about you, as you probably know. She knows about you from our wedding, which was all over town. Royal life isn’t exactly private information.

Eugene: I know, I know. I'm just not going to get used to this new life. After years and years of thieving and mostly being alone, now I suddenly have the girl of my dreams, a new royal title, and a future kid on the way. Who knew I would get so lucky?

Rapunzel: I’m lucky. I have the man of my dreams sitting with me at the breakfast table. And a baby growing in my belly. His baby. Tito Del Tagglia can spew about fate and destiny all he wants, but this right here? This, with you and Baby Fitzherbert? THIS is fate. THIS is destiny. You are my destiny, Eugene. You. Not the Prince of the Night and Shadows. You.

Eugene: *tightening his grip on his fork, his knuckles turning white* You’d better believe it, Rapunzel. Destiny brought me to you, and I am not giving that up. Tito Del Tagglia can stay in his shadowed den and fantasize. In fact, I would prefer it if he did. I met you, I climbed your tower, and I fell in love with you. He didn’t. End of story!

[anon-rebel-writes]

Utterly In Love

I have no idea how this idea came to me. I got a bit of second-hand embarrassment writing this XD

Although this story is a bit strange, I hope you all enjoy it!

The story begins under the cut! Ao3 Link

Luka doesn’t regret this job. He’s doing this for Juleka’s birthday. He doesn’t feel embarrassed about this job! Why would Luka ever feel bad about this job? He needs the extra money for a gift, so he has no reason to complain.

Although Luka tried to tell himself that things could always be worse, he couldn’t help the feeling of regret that was bubbling inside his gut.

It seemed normal when he interviewed. The position listing was vague, but how bad could a job at an ice cream shop be? While he’d probably have to deal with the occasional upset customer, it didn’t seem like a job he couldn’t do. But then he got there on his first day and the owner handed him a costume.

A cow costume. A cow costume with pink spots. While that was bad enough, the cow was also supposedly ‘modest’, because it also wore a blue frilly apron with the shop logo on the front.

Luka had no regrets. He needed the extra money for Juleka’s gift. He was doing this for his sister, so he couldn’t be upset. Honestly, he had no one to blame but himself. He should’ve asked more questions about the job a little more during the interview.

Any shame he had could easily be hidden under the cow’s head, so he could suck it up for three hours a day. As long as he couldn’t be recognized, he had no reason to hold regret. The job wasn’t even bad! Although the heat of the sun was cooking him alive inside the pink cow of death, all he had to do was pass out samples. That wasn’t bad! That was easy!

At least that’s what he thought, until a certain blonde girl’s scream pierced his ears.

“OH MY GOSH! I LOVE YOUR COSTUME!” Rose quickly ran up to him and looked him over. She lunged herself into his arms, nearly knocking over the samples, and gave him a crushing hug.

“You’re so pretty! I love the pink on your fur! And your apron! You’re beautiful!”

Luka took a couple of deep breaths, trying to regain his composure. All he could do was nod at Rose. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out he was under the costume. Because with Rose finding out, that meant Juleka would find out. If Juleka found out, then she’d ask why he got a job dressing up like a cow.

The gift idea would be ruined and he would have to live through the embarrassment of Juleka teasing him daily. Which may or may not lead to a certain lady who had completely stolen his heart finding out. Which also may or may not lead to him dying of mortification.

So him keeping his mouth shut could save him from any of those scenarios.

“Rose! Please don’t harass the worker!” Then he heard that voice, that sweet, melodic voice that could only belong to one person.

Regret. Now Luka Couffaine could only feel regret.

Marinette, Juleka, and Alya finally caught up to Rose. “We’re so sorry about her! She just gets a little excited when she sees anything pink and cute.” ‘Oh my god, she just called me cute,’ the boy-cow thought.

After a bit of pulling and yanking, they finally managed to pry the pink girl off of the costume. But suddenly, Luka felt a lot more exposed. He tried to use the tray of samples to hide himself as he turned his gaze away from the pink girl who just got ripped from him. His eyes unconsciously wandered over to Marinette, who wore a simple pink dress with matching sandals. Her set of pigtails were now being held up with a matching pink ribbon. She looked so effortlessly put together.

If the heat of the sun and embarrassment didn’t kill him, seeing the girl of his dreams dressed so nicely surely will.

“Oh are these samples?” Luka finally managed to tear his gaze away from Marinette to look at Alya. She pointed right to the tray in his hands. He was about to answer before remembering what he was wearing. Instead, he held out the tray to silently offer it to the group.

Each girl took a cup and took a bite. He watched as each girl quietly hummed in content. But Marinette’s eyes shot up and she looked straight into the cow’s eyes. “Wow! This is delicious! It tastes just like blueberries!”

Alya and Juleka exchanged sly looks as they watched Marinette hurry to finish her cup. Alya stealthily put an arm around the girl’s shoulders and leaned into her. “Well, we all know how you feel about blueberries,” she teased.

Marinette lifted an eyebrow up at her and looked at the other girls in the group. Rose was squealing and bouncing in place while Juleka rolled her visible eye. “Gross. You haven’t seen him in a day and you’re already thinking about Luka again?”

While Marinette began to quickly defend herself, Luka’s brain felt like it shut off. Maybe he had been boiled inside the suit. He must be dead. This couldn’t actually be happening. His mouth was completely slack and his eyes were about as large as the cow’s.

“W-what?! No! Me and Luka? I mean- Luka and I? Never! He’s cool and interesting and dreamy and amazing and kind- I MEAN! Even if he is sweet and selfless and attractive- NOT ATTRACTIVE! I-”

Alya howled with laughter and clutched her stomach, interrupting Marinette’s rambling. Juleka let out a soft chuckle while Rose joined with her screams of joy. “Girl! You are SO into him.” Luka was barely listening now. His own heartbeat was ringing in his ears, beating abnormally fast, and Rose’s high pitched screaming didn’t help his focus.

His face was definitely flushed, at least this costume helped him hide it. He happened to glance at Marinette again. She had moved from under Alya’s arm and was now beet red. She looked at the ground wringing out her hands, but she had a slight smile on her face.

‘Wait. She’s not denying it. Oh my god. I did die, didn’t I?!’

“Oh! I have an idea!” Marinette met Rose’s eyes through her bangs while Alya and Juleka managed to stop laughing enough to face the pink girl. “You could ask Luka out! Ask him to come here with you! That way you don’t have to hunt down Andre’s cart and still share ice cream together! Plus they have a blueberry flavor! It’s so romantic!”

Juleka and Alya turned to Marinette with excitement painted across their faces. But Marinette could only pout and shake her head. “No, I think I already missed my chance with him. I didn’t return his feelings the first time; I doubt he’d give me a second chance now.”

The girls all let out a defeated sigh before it was interrupted. “You should ask him.”

Suddenly all four sets of eyes were staring at him. ‘Wait, did I say that? Why did I say that?!’ He turned his head to face Marinette. Her cheeks weren’t as red as before, but her mouth was agape as she looked back at him.

“What I meant was- Well, maybe he really wants to ask you out, but he also wanted to go at your own pace?” Suddenly the identity beneath the cow was clear and all the girls widened their eyes.

“Y-you’re-”

Before she could begin her over-thinking, Luka held up a hoof to stop her. “I have like, ten more minutes before I can de-cow. Do you think you’d wanna hang out afterwards? If everyone else is okay with it?”

Marinette whipped her head around to look at the other girls. Rose was clinging onto Juleka’s arm bouncing around with an ecstatic look on her face. Juleka shared a similar look, although it was a lot more reserved. Alya quickly waved her hands to let Marinette know it was okay.

With their approval, she turned back to the cow with a timid smile on her face. “That sounds perfect-” Rose let out another shriek and quickly pulled Marinette into the shop. Alya and Juleka shared a quick fist bump and then the former followed the other two inside.

Juleka looked at Luka before rolling her visible eye at him. “We’re talking about this when you get home,” she mumbled before also making her way inside.

Luka didn’t regret his job. Maybe he has a bit of disdain for the pink cow, but in the end he had no reason to feel negative about it anymore. After all, he had a date with a very cute girl afterwards thanks to the cow. So really, he was very pleased with his new job. It seemed like things were looking up. He didn’t even seem to mind the mild embarrassment he was feeling due to the costume.

Until Juleka came back outside and took pictures of him in said costume, for future blackmail.

[simp-for-spencer-reid]

Sugar with a Side of Coffee- Ch. 2: A Name to the Face

Chapter 2: A Name to the Face Series Masterlist

Spencer strolled into the BAU later than his usual ten minute early arrival. His coffee was still hot. The label on the disposable cup gave away his being late to the rest of the unit. 

“None for the rest of us?” Derek raised his eyebrows. “You come in late and don’t even bring the rest of us coffees?” He leans back on Spencer’s desk. “Tsk Tsk, Pretty Boy.” Derek crossed his arms.

“Actually, the cart was almost robbed.” Spencer looks up at Derek from his chair. “I had to chase after a kid for the barista’s tip jar.” He takes a sip from his heavily sweetened coffee, directing his attention to the stack of files to go through.

“Well, let’s get you a key to the city, Superman.” Derek quips.

Cate scrambled bringing the cart back into The Empty Mug. She dropped the tip jar off at the counter with Marta and was already ripping off her apron.

“What’s the matter with you?” Marta raises an eyebrow.

“Some kid tried to steal the tip jar this morning. Lucky for me, it just so happened that an actual real-life FBI agent was waiting in line and caught the kid.” Cate was bitter about how the day went, and so not looking forward to going out tonight.

“No way!” Marta flipped the sign on the front door to ‘Closed’ and followed Cate into the backroom. “What was he like? Intimidating? Super buff?” 

“Firstly, wipe the drool off your chin.” Cate teased her friend. “Secondly, he wouldn’t be my first pick in a lineup of FBI agents. He was young,” Cate thought back to the events of the day. “And skinny. He had chicken legs.” Cate giggled with her friend, picturing the agent she now knew to be SR. The girls put the coffee cart away, and went their separate ways home. 

The next morning, Cate and Shrimp went about their usual routine, filling his bowl, and Cate having a small breakfast before heading out the door. She awoke in a much better mood today, just about skipping down the three flights of stairs to the ground floor. With her work bag situated upon her shoulder and one headphone in her ear, she almost danced her way to the Empty Mug.

Marta had already opened up the shop, which was easy because her family lived just upstairs. She was washing the chalk off the menu and rewriting some items. The lights were still off, the only thing lighting up the room was the sun coming in from the windows. Miranda and Marcus, Marta’s parents and owners of the shop came down the stairs.

“We’re heading to go to try some new coffee beans. Oh! Good morning, Cate! Always nice to see you” Marcus nodded to Cate with a smile. Cate and Marta looked between each other, giving each other a did you tell them look. But, Miranda quickly picked up the conversation before the topic of the almost robbery could be brought up. 

“Marta, did you eat yet? Don’t you even think of working before you eat.” Miranda gave Marta a pointed look. “You too, Cate. You girls can whip up some fresh muffins before you get the cart on the street. And please, eat one.” Miranda was always treating Cate like her own ever since Cate met Marta at their college orientation. Despite having two different majors, they hit it off and were inseparable ever since. 

“Yes ma’am,” Cate smiled at Miranda. “I just saw a recipe for a raspberry white chocolate muffin that I’ve been dying to try.” Cate started on her way to the back to retrieve her ingredients. 

“I’ll make some blueberry bread!” Marta’s excitement sent her practically sprinting to the back. 

“See you girls later!” Marcus shouted and he and Miranda were off to their new coffee beans. 

In the back, the girls’ had their arms full of flour and brown sugar and other ingredients. They grabbed bowls and spoons until they couldn’t carry any more. Marta was the first to go back to the storefront, her arms full of bread making goods. Cate realized she hadn’t any raspberries in the back, or in the store at all for that matter. She’ll have to run to the store after her shift so she can bake after hours.

“We can get the cart running a little late.” Marta assured. “These mini breads are gonna take roughly an hour, so we can send you out then.” Cate nodded, grabbing a few sticks of butter from their mini fridge and putting them on the counter to help Marta with the breads. Cate was glad that working together had never interfered with their friendship. They made a good team and knew when to take the lead from each other and when to follow.

Cate flipped the sign to signal their shop was open and took the counter while Marta baked. Customers shortly filed in after, and filed out when they got their coffees and sometimes baked goods. Cate had missed working the shop, but the cart allowed for her to get some fresh air, which she was grateful for because she certainly didn’t miss the occasional burnt coffee smell. 

The girls seemed to have lost track of time, it was almost 9 before either had looked at a clock. Cate and Marta had been so wrapped up in manning the shop together again, they had glanced at each other, before Marta took over the counter and Cate went to grab the cart. 

On her way back from her shift, she hadn’t seen SR or the blonde that had ordered for him before. She was looking forward to talking to him again. There was something about him that was so enticing, and Cate couldn’t just chalk it up to being an FBI agent. When she pushed the cart back into the shop, Cate’s feet were killing her from standing all day. Once the cart was settled in the back, Cate came back out to the storefront with Marta. 

“Once it slows down a bit, I’m gonna head to that organic food store and pick up the raspberries for those muffins. I shouldn’t be too long.” Cate re-tied her apron, ready to finish up the day and get baking. 

As promised, Cate had gone and come back from the store carrying raspberries, along with other snacks and drinks for Cate and Marta to have. Marta had already started baking while Cate was at the store. They connected the speakers in the shop to Marta’s phone and played some upbeat, fun music to dance while they made muffins and some more bread for the next day. Cate was shaking her hips while she bent down to grab milk from the mini fridge while lightly singing to the tune streaming through the shop. 

“Are you closed?” a voice rang from the other side of the counter. Cate stood up, nearly dropping the milk. It was SR. She glanced around for Marta, but didn’t see her.

“Um technically yeah, but it's alright. What can I get for you?” Cate smiled, placing the milk by her baking goods. “The usual?” SR smiled at her.

“That would be perfect.” he reached into his pocket for his wallet.

“Oh, we’re off the clock, don’t worry.” Cate smiled. The agent smiled again, and pulled his wallet out anyway to put a bill in the jar by the register. He walked down the counter to the stools and set his leather satchel down on the counter, resting his arms on the counter. “I’m also making some muffins and such for tomorrow if you wanna be my taste tester?” Cate offered.

“Oh, uh sure. I’d love to.” he clasped his hands together on the counter top. He took a minute to glance around the shop. There were a few older leather couches and a classic black and white tile floor. Some armchairs were scattered by the windows, small side tables next to them. Cate was putting together the coffee and came over with a tall mug and placed it down on the counter in front of the agent. When he went to put it to his mouth, he caught sight of the contents of the mug. Filled halfway with what he assumed to be sugar, and from just over the rim, he spotted Cate smiling proudly to herself. “Very funny.” He smiled at her and Cate could’ve sworn her heart swelled. She placed down the mug containing actual coffee. 

“You can use that sugar to tame your sweet tooth.” Before Cate could ask him his name, her timer for the oven chimed, calling her attention. She pulled on an oven mitt, and grasped the tray from the oven and onto the stove top. She placed a muffin onto a small plate and brought over a fork for the agent. “Here I present my twist on a recipe for a raspberry white chocolate muffin.” Cate watched intently as he lifted the fork and broke off a piece. It was still hot, so he had to wait for it to cool. 

“Oh my god,” his eyes widened as he swallowed it down. “This is incredible. What did you do?” Cate smiled proudly.

“I skip the eggs and replace it with greek yogurt.” She shrugged, blushing lightly. To distract herself, she scampered to the back of the shop to get her bag. When she came through the door,  a figure made her shout of fright. “Marta!” she clutched her chest. “Why are you hiding back here?” 

“I’m not hiding, I’m just observing.” Cate rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m observing you flirt with that guy. You know no mortal man can resist your baking!” Marta tried to sneak another look at the man from the window in the door. 

“You’ve lost your mind.” Cate shook her head at her friend. She grabbed more butters from the large fridge and went back out to the counter. The agent was almost finished his muffin and his coffee. 

“Are you sure you’re allowed to be open this late?” he questioned, not wanting to be a bother. 

“Oh, please,” Cate waved him off. “You’re an honorary guest. Saved our tip jar.” Cate smiled. Then, she was overcome with a sense of bravery. “I never caught your name, Mr. Agent.”

“Doctor Agent. Well, actually it’s just Doctor. Doctor Spencer Reid.” He gulped as Cate leaned over from the counter.

“Doctor like a hospital?” Cate asked, plopping a new tray of goods in the oven. 

“Not a medical doctor. I have three phDs.” he explained. 

“Wow, congratulations. You’re so young. I barely have my bachelors.” Cate let out a small laugh. She liked that he was cute and smart. Cate pushed that feeling out of her mind. She had just met him. 

The pair spent an hour chatting and enjoying the fresh baked muffins and bread that Cate made. Spencer was no longer a mysterious agent. While Cate and Spencer were in the storefront, Marta had snuck upstairs to her own room, waiting for Cate to close up shop. 

When Spencer finally left, Cate spent some time dancing and cleaning up her mess. She had hung up her apron and padded up the stairs to Marta. Marta insisted that Cate tell her everything, even going as far to call her while on her walk home to finish the story. Cate left out her butterflies she felt for Spencer. Afterall, he was just a new friend. When Cate made it up the stairs to the door of her apartment, she opened it to find Shrimp, mewing at her and walking between her legs while she walked inside to finally call it a day. 

[simsadventures]

Better Like This: Chapter 3: Tactics

Chapter Summary: You try to get closer to Bucky via his friends. What happens when your plan works out all too well?

Warnings: jealous Bucky (maybe, what do I know), a/b/o dynamics, Alpha!Bucky, Omega!Reader, swearing, Sam being a smart-ass, slow-burn fic, fist fight, blood, hurt Omega

Word Count: 3229

A/N: Once again, thank you so much for the feedback on the previous chapter, you guys are amazing. This story is kinda slow-burn, so I hope all of you are ok with that. Again, if you would like to see this story take a certain direction, let me know and I’ll see what I can do with it xx

Series Masterlist __ Masterlist

< Previous Chapter

It’s been almost two weeks since your first day at the unit. After trying a few more times to actually get Bucky to talk to you (unsuccessfully, of course, his growling would get the room quiet every time) you decided to ease off. You weren’t about to give up on your true mate. Not even close. His scent was intoxicating, and you loved spending your time in the office just so you could catch some lingering smell left after him. 

You decided to give him space and to let him come to you when he would feel like it. And you knew he would eventually have to feel like it, he couldn’t be immune, for christ’s sake. 

Meanwhile, you tried to get to know the team better. You and Scott became almost inseparable during those days, you’d spent a few nights at his house, dining there and getting to know Hope. She was the most intelligent person you’ve probably ever met and her beauty? Wow! You would always tell Scott how lucky he was to get a mate like her. He knew it, of course, but his ego grew whenever people saw his amazing mate by his side, always looking up to him proudly and lovingly. 

You even went for a beer with Tony, Bruce, and Natasha, having one hell of a good time. Tony and Bruce were so cute, you thought your teeth might rot from all the fluff around you. You were happy for them; definitely, it was just that you wanted what they had, and were kinda jealous. But only a little bit. 

You loved to bake and so every time you baked some cookies or muffins, you brought them to work, to make your colleagues happy and giddy like little kids. The first time you brought something with you, they all hugged you so tightly and pronounced love so loudly that you could just laugh and with the same breath promise them that you’d bake more. 

The only reserved people were Bucky, Sam, and your Captain. You knew they were all friends and shit, but you couldn’t understand why they didn’t talk to you when it wasn’t necessary. You got that Steve was your captain and that you probably shouldn’t be too familiar with him, but Sam? That was another story. And you had plans for that also. 

The case you were working on went cold after about a week, as there were no new leads, no witnesses and worst of all, the victim died during a surgery. You were still trying to figure some stuff out, but without sufficient evidence, there wasn’t much you could do. 

You were sitting at your table, discussing possible motives for the Omega’s murder with Scott, your baked goods on the table with only a few chocolate chip cookies left. You could see Sam entering the door, without Bucky, and you took your chance. 

You stood up quickly, grabbed the plate and marched towards Sam, with something as a piece offering cookies. “Hey, I saved you some, I didn’t know if you liked chocolate chips, but I took my chance. I swear I’m not trying to poison you, Sam,” you giggled and stretched your hand with the plate on it towards Sam. He smirked and shook his head but took one cookie nevertheless. Win! “Well, I must try some, Stark wouldn’t shut up about your blueberry muffin, so I guess you’re real good at this, huh?” And he is making small talk, you thought, yes! 

“They almost tore my arm from my body just to get to those muffins quicker, they are monsters, I’m telling you.” 

Sam laughed a little and then moaned. Kinda. “Oh my God, Y/L/N, these are perfect, I mean, they taste like heaven! What the… I’m one of the monsters now! You got me addicted!” 

“Uhm, thank you, I guess,” you giggled at the look in front of you. Sam was stuffing his mouth with your cookies with one hand, while the other was trying to pick as many crumbs, he could reach, to have a little more taste. 

“So chocolate chip ok with you, Wilson?” “Hell, anything’s good with me as long as it comes from those heavenly hands. And by the way, who doesn’t like chocolate chip, huh?” You’d laugh with him, but a vicious growl stopped you.

“Me,” Bucky said, chest heaving, jaw set and eyes almost glowing. With anger? Who knew, but you weren’t about to speak up, he looked like he’d kill you if you even took a breath. You didn’t know if Sam was oblivious to his partner’s posture and look, or if he actually wanted to sport a black eye, but he didn’t shut up.

“C’mon, Buck. If you tried Y/N’s cookies, you would’ ve-“ he was interrupted by another low growl. “I don’t need to try anything to see that it just doesn’t suit me. That I wouldn’t like it, even if I’ve never tried it. But I’m telling you, Sam, back off.” 

Never tried? Who has never tried a freaking chocolate chip cookie? Is he some gluten-free, sugar-free raw freak? (no offense here, guys) What the hell? You looked at him dumbfounded not really understanding what he was talking about.

There was probably going on a silent conversation between Bucky and Sam because they were staring each other down, you somehow in the middle of them, still looking at Bucky questionably. 

What you didn’t know was that the previous weekend, Steve and Sam ambushed Bucky at his apartment, with some cold beers and a take out. They desperately needed to find out what was really happening (or not happening, in this case) between the two of you, and because they are such nosy little shits, they needed to know it like yesterday.

Bucky was desperately trying to throw them out, really wasn’t in the mood to sit with tow assholes, no matter that they were his best friends. He knew what kind of questions would come up, and he was doing everything in his power to not succumb. 

Needless to say, he didn’t succeed. 

“SHE IS YOUR WHAT?” Sam yelled in the most high-pitched voice Bucky’s ever heard. “She is your fucking mate- no, no, no, she is your fucking TRUE mate, and you just what, ignore her? Growl at her? Have you lost your goddamn mind, Barnes?”

While Sam was having his little, although very loud meltdown, Steve was just shaking his head. He nudged Sam, who looked at him mid-sentence and immediately shut up when he saw Steve’s face. 

“So, you are telling us, that you were so lucky to have found your true mate, the one person who was literally made to be with you, made FOR you, and you decided not to act on it? That’s what you’re telling us, Buck?” 

Bucky stared into his best friend’s eyes, trying to get him to understand without actually having to talk about it. Steve felt it, he always did, but he wasn’t willing to let go. Not this time.

“I know you’ve been hurt and stuff, but, why do you think Y/N must necessarily be the same as-“ 

“Don’t even say her name. Why do I need to explain myself to you two? I’m a grown-ass Alpha, who decided to forever live a bachelor life and you should understand that. Or don’t, I don’t give a shit, just don’t tell me what to do or what not to do.” 

“Sure thing, buddy. Just one question, doesn’t her smell like, drives you nuts?” Sam asked him incredulously. “Her smell? Pff, no way, don’t even know what she smells like, told ya, not interested.” Everyone in the room knew it wasn’t true, and Bucky knew they knew. He was just glad they didn’t press him even more.

The truth was, he knew precisely what she smelt like, and if he closed his eyes, he could even feel you on the tip of his tongue. She smelt like freshly cut grass, with a hint of vanilla and coconut- the perfect mix of fresh and sweet at the same time. But he couldn’t think about it about you! 

Sam wanted to push his buttons a little more“So, you cool working with your true mate, not being able to touch her? Seeing other Alphas being all over her?” Bucky growled involuntarily. His Alpha side wanted to jump out of his skin, find you, and claim you so that no other Alpha would even lay their eyes on you. His logical side shook all those thoughts away. Nothing good ever came from an Omega, he reminded himself, trying to chase images of you with another man from his mind.

“Pf, you’re totally cool and not interested, my man.” This earned Sam a punch into a shoulder, which Sam knew would bruise, as it did many times before. He really admired his own shoulder for never giving up on him and actually not shattering after so many years of these hard-ass punches by his partner.

Steve was watching them with a smirk. All he wanted was for his best friend to be happy, to let his walls down and let you in. He knew at that moment he would not let Bucky ruin his own life. Not on Steve’s watch. 

So when you came towards Sam with those damn-good cookies, he knew he wanted to push Bucky to some action. Sam saw in Bucky’s eyes, damn, his whole posture, that he wasn’t having fun. Sam just couldn’t see if it was Bucky’s anger that Sam was actually bringing it up again, or if he was jealous. 

Your plan was simple: get Sam to like so that Bucky could see that you get along with one of his best friends and would get through his thick skull that he could get along with you too. The first part of the plan worked out all too well. Sam loved those cookies, and you two were having fun, well, until Mr Growling-All-the-Time came. 

Sam’s voice got you back to reality. “Well, if you aren’t willing to try, then trust me, someone will. For a start, I think these smell delicious and the taste? Wow, even better, ain’t it true, Y/N? What do you put in ‘em.”

You frowned but answered him nevertheless. “Uhm, sure, I guess, it’s my grandma’s recipe, the secret-not-so-secret ingredient is vanilla.”

“Aaah, vanilla, that’s it. I love me some vanilla, let me tell you, girl!” 

You were looking at Sam, not really getting where he was going, so what you couldn’t quite see was Bucky’s whole body going rigid, before he lunged at Sam from across the room. 

What Bucky didn’t seem to realize, was the closeness between you and Sam, so when he jumped at Sam, he inevitably had to go through you. He didn’t even seem to see you, the venom in his eyes was blinding him momentarily. And because you didn’t see him coming, you couldn’t duck, you couldn’t step away, nothing. You had only time to turn your head to see Bucky being almost on you and brace yourself for the impact.

The crush of three bodies was stronger than you would’ve anticipated. Bucky’s body collided mainly with yours, only his hands grabbing Sam and pulling him closer to him so he could get a good punch. Sam was as shocked as you were. He knew he was getting under Bucky’s skin, but didn’t think it would have such effect.

You fell down like a sack of potatoes. You tried to stop the fall by extending your arms (which must’ve looked great, like a little bird learning to fly but failing miserably) but failed mainly because your left arm caught the corner of one of the tables and you could only feel the searing pain shooting through your lower arm. 

You landed with a thud, accompanied by a louder thud, that when your head hit the ground after your body. You laid there, splayed like a starfish, all of your limbs facing different directions. You tried to blink away the black dots, but the more you tried to blink, the more dots you saw. You couldn’t hear any voices, the high-pitched ringing in your ears preventing you from hearing the whole team running towards you and the guys, who didn’t realize what was happening until Steve and Tony separated them.

They were both able to throw about two good punches, knowing they would both be sporting matching black eyes. “Enough!” Steve’s voice boomed through the room. “Are you two so childish you have to fight at the unit? Can’t you take it to the ring after the shift, huh? Not only are you disrupting the piece of the team and the work being actually done, but you also hurt one of our own too.”

With that, both men’s eyes shifted towards where you were standing before the fight occurred, but could only see Scott, Bruce, and Natasha being crouched above someone on the ground.

Bucky nudged Tony to his ribs so that he could get away from him and closer to you. He jumped to your side and tried to touch you, but someone’s hand stopped him in his movement. He looked up and saw it was Scott, with a threatening look in his eyes, holding him back. 

“Haven’t you done enough? You don’t need to pretend that you care about her well-being when we both know that you don’t.” 

Bucky growled. Again. “Get your hands off of me, Lang.” Scott wanted to say something else, but you groaned audibly from underneath them.

The ringing in your ears stopped, and the black dots weren’t occupying your whole vision, so you tried to blink the rest of them away, only to see Bucky and Scott above your head, Scott gripping tightly on Bucky’s hand, preventing him from touching you.

At one hand, you were super thankful to Scott, he knew how much you were hurting, and when you admitted that Bucky was indeed your true mate, you had your hands full with stopping Scott from marching into Bucky’s apartment and kicking him into his shin.

On the other hand, you wanted to feel what Bucky’s touch was like. You wanted to engulf yourself in his smell and just stay in that safe cocoon. 

You realized soon enough that Bucky wasn’t your safe place because he never once allowed you to come close to you and the side thankful to Scott was suddenly stronger. 

“Ouch, my head! And why does my arm hurt so fucking much?” you rasped, avoiding Bucky’s searching eyes. Everyone’s heads turned toward your arm, and a hiss escaped Bruce’s mouth. “Well, that’s a nasty gash, Y/N. I think you’ll need some stitches.”

You groaned again, now totally annoyed. “Awesome, that’s just… perfect, really, thanks, guys. What was that even about, Barnes? Jumping at us like that, because of what, goddamn cookies?” Your annoyance transformed itself into being totally pissed. You tried to sit up and suddenly felt a tingling sensation on your back from someone’s touch. Bucky. 

You really wanted to let him do anything to you as long as he was not growling and actually being there with you, but, at the same time, you were on the ground, bleeding and possibly with a concussion because of him.

You smacked his hand away. “Don’t,” was the only thing you said to him. “C’mon, Omega, let me-“ 

Now it was your time to growl. “Omega? Really? So suddenly, I’m an Omega to you? Till about 30 seconds ago, you didn’t want to see me, let alone speak to me and god forbid that I would try to touch you. You said you never wanted an Omega, so how about you let me alone here, with people who actually give a shit about me? Let’s not pretend like you’re one of them.”

You knew your words were laced with venom, but the two frustrating weeks, trying to catch his scent, trying to catch a glimpse of him, those two weeks took a toll on you. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were deeply hurt by Bucky’s behaviour. And you weren’t about to be a good submissive Omega. You didn’t want to be one of those girls who are being hurt continuously but are still fishing for attention, and when they get, they get all cuddly and wet. 

Nope. You wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

He looked hurt, but you tried to ignore him, as Scott and Bruce helped you sit on the nearest chair. What you, therefore, couldn’t see, was Bucky’s face contorting into a pained expression, when you preferred another Alpha touching you, helping you. Bucky knew he had no right to be jealous, and if he were in his right mind, he wouldn’t even try to touch you, let alone call you an Omega. 

That was one of the most intimate or insulting ways to address a person one could imagine, depending on the person uttering those words. He knew he had no right for the level of intimacy it required and he definitely didn’t mean to insult you at that moment, it just slipped. 

Those two weeks, he tried to do everything in his power to stay away from you, but seeing you helpless and hurt on the ground? Hurt by him? That clouded his judgment, and he didn’t really care about anything but your safety and well-being at the moment. He didn’t get a grip on himself. He wasn’t about to let you hurt him the way Amber did.

He swore once that he would never let anyone that close and he truly wanted to keep his own promise to himself. The only problem was that you were starting to get under his skin, despite him preventing you in every possible way he could think of.

He was sure he wouldn’t survive another heartbreak, not from his true mate anyway. But he was drawn to you in ways he never thought possible. His heart secretly cherished every second he could spend somewhere near you and your intoxicating smell and your adorable laugh. Ugh, he was growing soft! 

His heart jumped when he heard you hiss because Bruce began the work of stitching up your arm and his head snapped towards the Omega helping you to get better, actually thinking he could stop Bruce from getting you into more pain.

He was stopped mid-way by Steve’s voice. “Wilson, Barnes, my office, NOW!” Shit, Steve was pissed, and he knew there was no way he would talk his way out of this one. 

Scott was holding your other hand, letting you squeeze the life out of it because the stitching was not as painless as you hoped it would be. He leaned in and whispered to your ear: “Well, he didn’t have to hurt you and he’s so up for some ass-kicking but one thing we know for sure, he’s not immune to you, and we have to use it against him.” You looked over at Scott, who was now smirking devilishly and had to laugh a little, before Bruce’s needle went through your skin again, followed by a very silent “sorry” by Bruce.

“So, what do you propose I do, Scott?”

/ Next Chapter >

Tags: @kneel-begyourpardon @starkrobb @crazybutconfidentaf @waiting4inspiration @carlya65 @boxofteenageideas @hiken-no-stark @get0verit @taylorsmakingfuckingmacandcheese  @mywinterwolf @cat-of-your-eye @iheartsebastianstan @slender--spirit @this-is-serenaa @henderwhore4life @owlyannah @rohaintahquil @libbymouse @chubby-dumplin @dumblani @laughsandlivia @kiki5283 @rippedpiece  @barbar126  @atomicfandombomb  @p8tn0lish @marvellover1819

If you’d like to be tagged comment/message/send an ask. Or if you’d like to be removed from the tags because you don’t like where the story’s headed, message me ;) 

If you like the story, please reblog :) any comments are appreciated, even the critical ones. Always a space to get better, so let me know what you guys think. xx 

[autistic-girl-academic]

Cookie Run OCs

gdi apparently one of the cookies in cr kingdom is named licorice cookie so screw it i’m biting the bullet and posting my half-baked (ha) oc ideas now even if some of them have already been taken anyway. sorry there’s no art bc i’m terrible with digital stuff and can’t access a scanner to upload my drawings. there are almost certainly going to be more to come later because this game refuses to leave my brain.

Black Licorice Cookie: The powerfully astringent flavor of black licorice certainly isn’t to everyone’s taste - and that’s just the way Black Licorice Cookie likes it! This daredevil of a Cookie loves nothing more than testing her limits, so she’s always on the lookout for something to get her adrenaline pumping. That doesn’t mean she isn’t without her sweet side, however, which comes out most strongly when protecting her precious little sister. Get between them at your own risk!

Red Licorice Cookie (Sibling): Don’t mess with my little sis if you know what’s good for you!

Mustard Cookie (Trust): Nobody else gets me like Mustard Cookie does!

Kiwi Cookie (Friendly): Hey, I’ve got an idea for some cool bike tricks!

Roll Cake Cookie (Friendly): Going for a ride in that road roller and smashing things is such a rush! WHOO!

Initially I had the mental image of her as a Cookie with a web design and a spider pet, but then Truffle Cookie came out, so now I pretty much picture her skill being that she runs a Ninja-Warrior-style obstacle course or something. Maybe her pet could be a black cat instead?

Red Licorice Cookie: Between the fruity fragrance of her signature red hair and her sweet, outgoing personality, it’s no surprise that this Cookie is so popular! Red Licorice Cookie is a champion at gymnastics with plenty of fans, and performing with the ribbon is where she shines the most. She and her older twin sister might be as different as night and day, but their bond is as strong as a thousand strands of licorice twisted together!

Black Licorice Cookie (Sibling): I’ve got the coolest big sis in the world!

Cheerleader Cookie (Trust): Cheerleader Cooke is my BFF!

Yoga Cookie (Friendly): She’s helped me train to be much more flexible for my routines.

Skating Queen Cookie (Admiration): I can’t believe I actually got her autograph!

At first I imagined her as being a sort of epic version of Cheerleader Cookie, performing double dutch with a few friends much like the cheer team. Her pet would be a charm bracelet.

Oatmeal Cookie: Every day at the crack of dawn, this dutiful cowgirl is already hard at work, keeping a watchful eye over her herd with the help of her trusty steed, Raisin. If even a single cow goes missing, Oatmeal Cookie won’t rest until she’s got them home safe and sound. The tricks she can perform with a lasso will certainly knock your socks off! And when the sun starts to set, you can hear the sound of her yodeling from far across the plains.

Peanut Butter Cookie (Family): I’m the luckiest Cookie alive to have such a beautiful gal as you...

Knight Cookie (Friendly): You sure know how to burn the breeze!

Adventurer Cookie (Friendly): Nice hat ya got there, pardner!

Space Doughnut (Tension): Hey, stop spookin’ my herd!

Her skill would probably involve dodging obstacles on her horse while catching some runaway cows, and her pet would be a cowbell.

Peanut Butter Cookie: There’s nothing better for a boost of energy than some delicious, nutritious peanut butter! And forest ranger Peanut Butter Cookie definitely needs that energy, as she spends every day traversing the woods to keep them safe. Whether she’s helping Cookies who have gotten lost find their way home or rescuing woodland critters from danger, you can always depend on Peanut Butter Cookie. She’s especially fond of younger Cookies and enjoys teaching them wilderness survival skills.

Oatmeal Cookie (Family): She and I pack each others’ lunches every day.

Pancake Cookie (Friendly): Be careful climbing trees for those Acorn Jellies, dear!

Cream Puff Cookie (Friendly): I’m sure you’ll get that spell right next time, hun.

Fig Cookie (Trust): They’re always eager for me to tell them stories.

Fire Spirit Cookie (Tension): You keep those flames away from the forest, you hear?

You can probably tell by now that I’ve put like 0 thought into any of my Cookie OC’s skills. Anyway, her pet would be a bear that she helped when it was a cub, who shows up to help her by smashing obstacles.

Coconut Cookie: The Tropical Soda Archipelago has a long history of telling stories through traditional dance. Coconut Cookie comes from a long line of those dancers, and Cookies will flock from every island to watch her perform. Crowned with a garland of bright yellow coconut blossoms, she moves with the utmost rhythm and grace. It’s said that she practices every day so that she can bring peace and good fortune to the islands.

Mango Cookie (Trust): My best friend since we were little - I remember his very first boat!

Ananas Dragon Cookie (Admiration): The Dragon honored my ancestors by praising their dances.

Soda Cookie (Friendly): Going for a ride on the waves is the best, isn’t it?

Squid Ink Cookie (Friendly): Poor little thing, there’s no need to be shy.

My first thought was for her to make a sort of bubble shield out of coconut oil, like Lemonade Cookie but without the magnetic effect (maybe slower energy drain instead?) - I’m still undecided about it though. Her pet would be a bunch of coconuts who make coconut milk potions. Also, I picture her being related to Artichoke Cookie, but he’s not in Ovenbreak...YET? (pls devsis)

Honeycomb Cookie: Out in a charming little cottage atop a hill lives Honeycomb Cookie - and her many hives of Jelly Bees. Years upon years of working with the bees has allowed her to understand them so well, it’s almost as if she talks to them! If you happen to arrive on her doorstep, you can be sure that she’ll treat you to some delicious tea sweetened with honey and send you on your way with a basket of homemade treats.

Herb Cookie (Family): My cute little grandson certainly inherited the family green thumb.

Spinach Cookie (Trust): Oh, how sweet of you to bring me a basket of vegetables, dearie!

Fairy Cookie (Friendly): Ah, you’re so small I mistook you for another bee.

Matcha Cookie (Friendly): A bit of a strange one, but it’s nice to have some laughter over tea.

Not sure what her skill would be, but I think her pet would be a queen Jelly Bee that grows from a baby to an adult as you collect more jellies.

Souffle Cookie: A chef famous for turning simple Jellies into extravagant and delicious meals. Though he can come off as strict and a bit intimidating, he truly does care about creating good food for every Cookie who comes to his restaurant. Souffle Cookie is quite the perfectionist, so if a recipe doesn’t come out as planned, he tends to sulk so badly that even his fluffy chef’s hat deflates! But it never lasts long before he throws himself back into his work with renewed passion.

Sparkling Cookie (Trust): My cooking and your juice is the ultimate combination!

Sandwich Cookie (Admiration): To create such simple but delicious meals...C’est magnifique!

Mala Sauce Cookie (Friendly): Just watch, I’ll create a meal more than spicy enough to satisfy you!

Dr. Wasabi Cookie (Tension): I am NEVER using your syrup as a ‘secret ingredient’ EVER again!

Again, not sure what his skill would be, but maybe his pet could be a spoon. Sous-chef Spoon?

Rainbow Sugar Cookie: Sugar Cookie was always painfully shy and never considered herself all that important. However, everything changed when she met Rainbow Puff, a creature who begged for her help in protecting the happiness of Cookies everywhere from the wicked Dark Puffs. Bestowed with a magical wand, she becomes Rainbow Sugar Cookie, chasing away darkness with prisms of joyous light! RAINBOW...BEAM!

Pink Choco Cookie (Trust): The two of us would make a perfect team!

Wind Archer Cookie (Admiration): Wow...what an amazing warrior...

Sandwich Cookie (Friendly): She makes the best toast as a snack on the way to school!

Dark Enchantress Cookie (Rival): I won’t let a villain like you make other Cookies suffer!

Pomegranate Cookie (Tension): Why are you helping the Darkness?

Originally her name was Glitter Cookie, but then Shining Glitter Cookie got announced. In any case, she’d pretty much be an epic version of Wind Archer Cookie, fighting a big ‘boss’ monster once enough little ones were defeated with her magic.

Jack-o-Lantern Cookie: Trick or treat! Wait, is it Halloween already? The answer doesn’t really matter to this young Cookie, who loves trick-or-treating so much that they never take their costume off! If you don’t have Jellies to give, then get ready for a mischievous trick! But if there’s one thing they love more than getting treats, it’s sharing them with friends, so don’t be shy and join in the fun!

Candy Corn Cookie (Trust): My bestest trick-or-treating buddy!

Devil Cookie (Admiration): WOW! What a great costume!

Apple Cookie (Friendly): Here, candy apples!

Onion Cookie (Friendly): Trick o- um, please don’t cry...

Vampire Cookie (Tension): Hey, don’t fall asleep when I’m trying to trick you!

I thought I was in the clear with this OC when we got Truffle Cookie for Halloween...but then Pumpkin Cookie was an NPC later, lol. At least the name was an easy change. Their skill would basically be like a slower version of Chestnut’s, where you go up to houses and trick-or-treat.

Candy Corn Cookie: This Cookie used to be a scarecrow who stood in the middle of a big field of candy corn. However, they wanted to travel the world, so one night they wished upon a star...and miraculously, their wish was granted! Bursting with curiosity, Candy Corn Cookie is full of questions about everything they see. They still have a habit of chasing birds wherever they go, though.

Jack-o-Lantern Cookie (Trust): This ‘trick-or-treat’ thing is really fun!

Alchemist Cookie (Admiration): Wow, this Cookie knows lots of things!

Blueberry Pie Cookie (Friendly): Ooh, what’s in all these ‘book’ things?

Mocha Ray Cookie (Friendly): Cookies can really live under the sea? WOW!

Carrot Cookie (Tension): Aw, I don’t wanna go back to the farm yet!

Candy corn apparently used to be called ‘chicken feed’, so their pet would probably be a chicken. Again, not sure about the skill.

[yominestore]

TOP 10 ZERO CALORIE FOODS FIT GIRLS SWEAR BY

So what’s a zero calorie food? Well these are foods that are supposed to help you burn as much calories as the food itself contains. Now there has been no studies to confirm this, but there has been plenty of research done that shows these foods do help you burn a ton of calories. Hopefully one day a study is done to prove it!

Some people go as far as to say these foods are actually negative calories. Which means you actually burn MORE calories when you eat these foods. My bet is that these foods really do what the zero calorie theorist claim… Or maybe I’m just hopeful! But I’m not on board with the negative calorie thing. Sorry. I wish though! What do you think?

But either way these foods are AMAZING! Add these into your diet and sprinkle in a little exercise and BAM… sexy body! Here are the Top 10 Zero Calorie Foods Fit Girls Swear By!

1. WATERMELON

Did you know that a watermelon is made up of 90% water? That means it’s one of the best fruits to eat when you are trying to shed some extra pounds. Watermelon contains a high amount of arginine which is an amino acid that helps you to burn fat at a rapid rate.

At just under 50 calories for a one cup serving, it’s hard to find a better food. Eating watermelon in between meals will leave you feeling full and super hydrated!

2. LEMONS

The average American drink around 21% of their daily calories. And the average calories we consume a day is around 3600, up from 2880 back in the 60’s. That’s a lot of unnecessary calories! It’s no wonder so many people are obese these days.

So lets do the math… 21% of 3600 = 756. Wow! That’s how many calories the average person drinks a day! We need to do better for real. Switching out soda, shakes, sugar filled coffees, etc. will help you lose weight dramatically. And replacing those drinks with lemon water is super amazing for your health and weight loss goals.

Just adding a couple slices to your glass of water (you should be getting about 64 oz. a day) is perfect. Besides helping you reduce your calories, lemons also vamp up your metabolism and make you feel full.

3. APPLES

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. We’ve all heard it. But did you know it can also keep the pounds away too? This fruit is packed with fiber to leave you feeling full, so you aren’t tempted to eat junk.

If you avoid apples on the go because you don’t want to hurt your gums or you don’t feel like cutting them up when you’re out, try cutting up some slices and putting it into an air tight container in the morning. Pack it in a cooler and take it with you for a snack when you start to feel just a bit hungry.

4. GRAPEFRUIT

One of my favorites! I eat half a grapefruit every morning. Several studies have shown that people who ate grapefruit before meals lost more weight than people who did not. Grapefruits contain more water than any other fruit… yes even more than watermelons.

A lot of people are actually thirsty when they think they are hungry. So eating your water is a great way to feel full since it helps to keep us from getting dehydrated.

5. BERRIES

Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are amazing for everything! Weight loss of course, but also for our skin and even helps protect against cancer! And in this day in age, cancer is a serious threat. The best prevention is watching what you put into your body. Our bodies are meant to thrive on natural foods, not precessed ones.

Blueberries in particular have been shown to change the way we metabolize fat and sugar. That means blueberries actually help reduce body fat. Along with a healthy diet of course. Eating a handful of berries a day and eating bad the rest of the day won’t help you in the weight loss department.

6.CUCUMBER

Cucumbers are 96% water so they are amazing for keeping you hydrated and also they are a great low calorie snack that will help speed up your metabolism.  There is a high content of potassium, vitamin A and C which will help flush toxins out of your body. Which will help to get rid of some of that stubborn belly fat. Try dipping cucumber slices in hummus for a low calorie treat!

Something else I like to do is to make fruit/veggie infused ice cubes. I hate when my produce goes bad so this is the perfect way to avoid that. I chop up a cucumber and some lemons and put them in ice cube tray. Fill it up with water and let it freeze. Perfect addition to your water!

7. ZUCCHINI

Zucchini has the power to improve digestion AND slow the process of aging… all the while helping us lose weight! And it actually tastes really good too. Need more energy to get in those workouts? Zucchini has you covered there too. Since it’s loaded with B vitamins, you get more energy and an improved mood. Perfect combo to help push you closer to your weight loss goals!

I really like using zucchini in place of my pasta. You’ve probably heard of it. I did for a while but thought it’d be too different and pasta is super amazing so how could zucchini compare, right? Well I went to a restaurant one day and they had a picture of a zucchini pasta on the menu. It looked good so I tried it… and now I’m hooked!

Get a good spiralizer like this one and making your own zucchini pasta is a breeze!

8. BROCCOLI

I consider myself blessed… my 4 year old loves broccoli. Broccoli is too healthy for us to skip on. Green vegetables is where it’s at for real. It’s great for skin, eyes, preventing cancer, bone health, and yes weight loss.

Broccoli is rich in fiber and is a good carb so it helps to prevent you from overeating. It also contains protein to help build those muscles. You skinny body is not necessarily a sexy body, but a toned one is.

9. CAULIFLOWER

There is only 25 calories per cup so you can eat A LOT of cauliflower and you don’t have to worry about it making you fat. Ever heard of the cauliflower soup diet? I don’t recommend it because you miss out on so many other nutrients, but it does help people to lose a ton of weight because you can eat as much as you want of it. So…bottom line is add cauliflower into your diet and start seeing the results!

I like to cut my cauliflower up into fairly big pieces, season with salt and pepper, and stick it in the oven on 400 for about 20-25 minutes. Amazing! And so easy to make.

10. CARROTS

Who doesn’t love carrots? I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that didn’t like them. Some people are picky on preparation, but they still like them all the same. Carrots are packed with vitamins and lots of vitamin A. Our bodies convert vitamin A from food into retinoids. Long story short… these retinoids interact positively with our fat cells and help to reduce belly fat.

[phobidawg]

TLC Holiday Lunar Bake Off- Christmas Caking

Episode 2 of The Holiday Lunar Bake-Off, where the crew starts baking. Their first challenge, Christmas cakes! As expected, this leads to many funny mishaps and mistakes. 

(Yes I promised to post these every week but I got lazy I’m sorry!) 

Like the first, my apologizes for typos and grammar mistakes, I wrote this two years ago, and some of them I just didn’t bother to correct for “comedic effect” in my cringy young mind. I figured that this would provide some amusement in quarantine, and it does get funnier in later chapters (as my comedic understand develops.) Enjoy!

Iko: Welcome to Episode 2 of the Holiday Baking Championship, Christmas Caking! Contestants you may enter!

*there is some shouting backstage, a voice calls “No. I refuse to wear it.” and after a struggle, another voice saying “I don’t want to be here all day so get in single file or I swear on all the stars I will shoot you!”*

Kinney: Should I alert the Captain of the Guard? Maybe they should go deal with that… *he looks hopeful*

Iko: Aren’t you the Captain of the Guard?

Kinney: Yep.

Iko: *scowls at Kinney’s tactics, but there’s something adoring about it*

*Group files out of doors perfectly in order, with Scarlet in back, a hand on her waistband*

Iko: *looking super excited* OH MY STARS YOU GUYS LOOK SO CUTE!!! *squealing as she sees everyone wearing matching pink flowered aprons*

*kinney skillfully zooms in on Thorne wearing his pink apron, snickering*

Iko: *gushing* You all look wonderful! Oms! *fails to notice how badly the apron fits Wolf, or how awkward and broodingly mad at situation Jacin looks. Cress and Winter look at their aprons adoringly, whereas Cinder rolls her eyes at the pink. Scarlet is still wearing her red hoodie, so she’s fine, Thorne wears his proudly, and Kai keeps giving Cinder a nervous glance, hoping she doesn’t judge him.*

Iko: *getting over her love of the outfits* Our first challenge today is cake! Each person will have to make a cake including and starring a secret ingredient, and favorite among the holidays… *Tressa pushes a cart with a decorative cloth and a silver platter a top it*

Tressa: *quietly* Do you like the aprons?! I sewed them myself, and forced them into wearing it. *winks at Iko*

Iko: They’re perfect Tressa, as always! *secretive smile is shared*

Tressa: *lets go of tray in front of Iko before waving at camera* Hi Liam!

Kinney: *camera shakes violently as he waves back*

Tressa + Iko: Watch the camera!

Kinney: *muttering* a guy can’t get a break around here.

Tressa + Iko: *simultaneously again* shh!

Cinder: Iko, as you were saying before?

Iko: Oh yeah! Tressa could you do the honors?

Tressa: Really?! *super excited*

Iko: Oh course! *super dramatically* and the mystery ingredient is…

Tressa: *slowly and equally dramatically lifts top* Apples!

Iko: Yay! Thank you Tressa for your marvelous performance! *starts to applaud*

Wolf: *growls at apples threateningly*

Cinder and Scarlet: *give Wolf a glance before sharing a knowing look*

Winter: I love apples!

Jacin: *looking slightly worried* After Levana’s stunt I’m still wary about apples petites and apples in general…

Thorne: Oh, don’t be such a worrywort. *claps Jacin’s shoulder* There’s nothing wrong with the candy! That was one time! Apples themselves may be a bit questionable, but I eat the candy all the time and there’s nothin’ wrong with me. Ever since Winter introduced me, and Cress found a store in the middle of Utah that sold some, I’ve been eating non-stop, and I’m fine! Great even! *flexes arm* Ain’t that right Cress?

Cress: *blushing profusely*

Cinder: Which part? The candy or the part about you being fine? Because I think I know which one you’re correct about, and it’s not the one that involves you flexing shirtless in front of the Rampion mirrors every morning.

Thorne: *shrugs* What can I say? I have a great bod.

Cress: *blushing even redder*

Wolf: Cress are you okay? You look like you’re about to turn into a tomato!

Kai: You mean like that movie where the girl turns into a blueberry and gets to be rolled out of the factory?

Cinder: *surprised* You’ve watched Charlie and the Chocolate factory?

Kai: What! Being an only child in a huge palace can get boring.

Scarlet: You mean the one where the kid wins a ticket in a chocolate bar? I used to love that movie!

Winter: *singing* who can take a sunrise?

  Sprinkle it in dew?

  Cover it in chocolate,

  And a miracle or two?

Scarlet, Winter, Cress, and Kai: The candyman,

    The Candyman Can.

    The Candyman can

‘cause he mixes it  

with love and makes

the world taste good.

Cinder + Jacin: stooooooop

Cinder: You guys do realize that song is like literally 100+ years old? Talk about not being on top of pop culture.

Jacin: Hear, hear.

Cress: Um, you do realize I was stuck in a satellite for the last few years? I didn’t even learn how to use a microwave until yesterday.

Thorne: *looking proud*  I showed her.

Cress: *giving him a look* Wait a moment. As I was saying, being on top of pop culture is the least of my worries. And I like this song!

Winter: What’s a microwave?

Wolf: Stole the words right out of my mouth.

Scarlet: Horrible devices that are ruining good home cooking.

Cinder: Oof. My life is a lie.

Wolf: Ew. Also Scar, could you teach me that song you were singing later? You sound beautiful when you sing it.

Scarlet: *smiling* Oh, we’re totally watching Willy Wonka later.

Cress: Slumber party with 2nd Era movies anyone?!

Iko: Count me in!

Cinder: *sighs* I guess I’m coming to then, I’ll dragged there whether I want to or not.

Winter: Yay! Dear Selene your going to love it. Can we watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarves from Disney as well?

Cress: I love Disney! Especially Tangled. I can totally relate relate to her hair struggles ;)

Thorne: I got the popcorn and candy!

Winter: Jacin?

Jacin: No way in spades am I watching a movie about a bunch of kids eating chocolate and singing.

Winter: *pretty pleading eyes* Pretty please? With a bow and sour apples petites on top?

Jacin: *averting eyes carefully* fiiiiine.

Kinney: This is fun and all, but aren’t we tapping a show? I sacrificed my netdramas to keep this thing plugged in all night!

Iko: Oh yeah! Anyway, what were we talking about?

Cinder: Apples.

Thorne: Huh?

Cinder: *annoyed* Apples!

Thorne: Is your battery running low again? Because I have no intention of opening your control panel ever again *shivers squeamishly*

Cinder: No! That’s the last thing we were talking about you dolt!

Thorne: Oh, that makes more sense. Thank goodness.

CInder: *rolls her eyes*

Thorne: *throws an arm around Cinder shoulders buddy-like* Oh, you know you love me. *rubs his knuckles in her hair*

Cinder: *groans* Get off me you oaf. *shoves his arm off and pulls now even messier ponytail higher*

Iko: Okay! So on three, everyone grab a bag of apples and… GO!

*Everyone except Wolf and Winter, who are still standing where they were*

Winter: Oh, are we starting? *giggles and twirls over to grab some apples*

Wolf: *angry* I refuse!

Scarlet: *coming over with her bag* Come on, it’s just a competition…

Wolf: No! I refuse to insult tomatoes in such a way! These upstart apples, what do they think they are… *glares at Scarlet’s bag angrily*

Scarlet: Calm down, it’s not that big a deal…

Wolf: *getting worked up* Not a big deal? Not a big deal! Apples are taking over! Everywhere you look, there’s apples! Apples pie, apple muffins, apple waffles… not tomatoes, never tomato pie, or tomato muffins!

Scarlet: *placing a hand on his shoulder* It’s okay, I’m sure you can work with apples this once…

Wolf: Work with the apples! Of course not! You know what, I’ll show them, I refuse to use the tomatoes.  I absolutely won’t  bend to the norm of today’s world! Tomatoes will always be #1, no matter what anyone else thinks. SO you know what? *not waiting for a response* I’m going to use tomatoes instead! See how they take that! *purposefully marches toward pantry*

Cinder: *coming over to meet Scarlet* What just happened?

Scarlet: *rolling her eyes, but there’s something loving about it* Stars only know! Now, we need to get started.

*the two walk over to their stations*

*screen follows Iko as she walks over to Kai, who is gathering supplies, his brow furrowed in concentration*

Iko: Watcha doin’ Kai?

Kai: *jumps, dropping supplies* Oh, um, *bending down to pick up dropped stuff*I was thinking of making apple crumble, something that I used to make with my mom when we were little.

Iko: Aw! Have you ever made these yourself before?

Kai: Uh, no? But I’m confident in my abilities. *puts on a fake confident smile*

Iko: You don’t seem confident. But that sounds amazing! Good luck, I have my money bet on you winning! *smiles flirtatiously*

Kai: *smiles gratefully, completely not noticing Iko’s flirting* Thanks Iko!

*camera follows Iko as she walks over to Cress*

Iko: Hey Cress! What are you working on?

Cress: Hi Iko! I’m working on apple cinnamon cookies with honey drizzle.

Iko: *surprised* Wow! That sounds really advanced!

Cress: I’ve never made it before, but I would watch baking shows in the satellite and read up on different pastries in my free time.

Iko: That sounds like a smart strategy. Well played Cress!

Cress: Well, I didn’t exactly know I was going to be on a baking show in the future, but thanks. Also, best of all, I’m going to be able to use my newfound microwave abilities!

Iko: Awesome! Good luck Cress!

*camera floats over to Thorne who’s next to Cress*

Thorne: Um, Cress?! I’m supposed to put 22 cups of flour in here, right? Or was it just 2… ?

Cress: *peeks over from her own cookie supplies, where she sees Thorne with a huge bowl of flour, flour spilling all over the edges. He is covered head-to-toe in white flour, and he looks like a ghost.* Oh, Captain. *she Smiles, pecks his flour-covered cheek, and starts to wipe of his face.*

Iko: *swooning, one hand on her heart, the other at her side* awww!!!

Kinney: Are we going to interview him or not?

Iko: Stars no! I’m not getting flour on my new dress! More importantly, I’m not interrupting my ship in action!

Kinney: *groans*

Iko: What if you take the camera around while I stay over here and fangirl?

Kinney: *grumbling but the camera slowly starts to move around room*

*zooms in on Jacin and Winter, who are working side by side*

Winter: I love Christmas!!! *throws green and red glitter in air, covering both her and Jacin*

Jacin: *ducking and covering head with arms* Ah! Cut that out! *smiling to himself, but trying to hide it*

Winter: Aw, come on, have a little fun! *smiles micheviously, and throws more glitter on Jacin, who now resembles a sparkly christmas tree ornament than a person*

Jacin: *scowling* uuuugh. *scowls down at his pink apron and the glitter, cringing majorly.* I have no words to describe how bad this is.

Winter: You look like Christmas dear Jacin. *humming to herself, she starts to pour sugar and flour into a bowl, but some sugar spills out* Oops! *giggles*

Jacin: *sighs affectionately* You really are nothing but Trouble.

Winter: Thank you. *starts to clean up sugar* This apple petite cake is going to be yummier than Scar’s macaroons!

Scarlet: *looking up from her work. Playfully competitive* Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that. My apples macaroons are going to blow everyone else’s desserts out of this galaxy.

Winter: What about you Jacin? How is your dessert going to compare?

Jacin: I don’t know, they haven’t been judged yet.

*camera leaves and travels over to Wolf, who has a workplace ahead of him filled with nothing but tomatoes*

Wolf: *has five plates for all of the judges ahead of him. On each of the plates, there is one chopped tomato, one smashed tomato, and a plain tomato.*

Wolf: Perfect. Yum. *reaches to each a little bit of smashed tomato, but stops himself* No, it’s for the judges. ;(

Wolf: *goes over to blender with tomato in hand*

Kinney: Ewww *moves away to Cinder’s station*

Cinder: *tries to wipe a bit of apple of her cheek, but only spreads it more* Kai, pass me the vanilla extract.

Kai: What’s the magic word?

Cinder: *groaning* pleeeaase.

Kai: *tosses her a small bottle, and notices the apple on her face with a small smile, before turning back to his stuff*

Cinder: Hey Kinney.

Kinney: SHh! I’m not here… *waggles fingers in Cinder’s face mock mysteriously*

Cinder: *smirking* Hello Not Here.

Kinney: Just no. *leaves Cinder’s station to stick camera in Kai’s face*

Kai: *leans back a bit* Um hello?

Kinney: *no response, put finger to his lips*

Kai: *nods* Okay. *turns back to his work*

*camera zooms in on the bowl with sugar covered caramelized apples*

Kinney: *camera shakes a bit as he nods, impressed*

*suddenly, camera slips and falls into bowl of apples*

Kai: *off-screen* AH NOT MY APPLES!

Iko: *off-screen* AAH KINNEY NOT THE CAMERA!

Kinney: *off-screen* oops.

*everything comes back into view as Kinney picks up camera, but everything in blurry because of the carmel sauce on the lens*

Iko: *coming really close the screen to inspect it* Ugh. It’s going to need a new lens. Kinney!!!!!!

Iko: *over her shoulders* FIFTEEN MINUTES BAKERS! *to camera* Okay, so we’re going to get a new lens, so until next time, Happy Holidays, and please like, repost, share, and stay tuned for next time, where we’ll see who wins Challenge One, Christmas Caking! Love you! <3 ;P

[mor-beck-more-problems]

Melon-cholia || Morgan & Remmy

They really should put a warning sign in front of that watermelon stand at the farmer’s market.

@whatsin-yourhead

After Remmy had gone over to Deirdre’s (and Morgan’s??) for the second time, the two of them had decided Remmy needed some new, fresh ingredients. And with a rather dramatic declaration, Morgan had agreed to take Remmy to the Farmer’s Market. Remmy hadn’t had the will to fight it, so here they were now, at the Farmer’s Market, perusing the stands. Remmy had only been to one other market like this, and it wasn’t in America. There were lots of cool fresh fruit stands and Remmy, of course, had to stop at all of them and examine them. They were already putting together a fun recipe in their mind that they could do with all these local squash and berries, which were the only crops really in bloom right now, especially with the current conditions. When they reached the next gourd stand, Remmy tugged on Morgan’s sleeve. “Lookit the baby spaghetti squash!” they said, running up and grabbing one, like a kid in a candy shop. This was a candy shop to them. If only they could still taste it all. “Not good for baking, but hey-- this stuff is so good. It makes really good pasta, actually. I’m not the best at doing it, but if you should definitely try it if you haven’t!” 

Morgan was excited to be out of the house with Remmy, especially to somewhere that made both of them so excited. With Miriam still out there and so many near-death experiences in her wake, having a semi-indestructible friend added a certain level of ease. She strolled with her friend, a picnic basket dangling from each hand. She beamed as Remmy ran off, more excited than she’d seen them the last couple of times. She’d have thought that a normal movie night or two would have brightened their day, but there was something hanging over her friend. But maybe she just hadn’t hit the right button. “We should get some! I think squash has less iron than your regular pasta anyways. Maybe it’ll spice up pasta night.” She waved at the vendor and handed them exact change before sticking a couple into her basket. “How do you know so much about food? I could’ve sworn you were living like a college kid when you first rolled into town. Ooh, and what kind of pie were you thinking of? I sense some kind of flavor adventure on your mind.”

“Oh, um, I always really liked cooking,” Remmy explained as they picked out the best ones, setting them in Morgan’s basket. “My mom was a professional baker, she like, had her own place, I guess. I mean, I never got to see it or anything, since, you know…” they trailed off a little, before moving on quickly, “but I guess I picked up that from her. The um...cooking food thing. It’s like, my way of destressing. You just get to like, put stuff together and make something and it’s like...following recipes and stuff is easy. I think I’m better at baking than regular cooking cause of that.” They headed over to the next stand, an organically grown local fruit stand, and started picking through the berries. “Oh, um...I’m thinking some sort of wildberry or mixed berry rhubarb. They’re about the only kinds growing right now and it’s always an easy flavor to make good.” Not that they would know anymore. They were practically salivating at the idea of this pie. Maybe they’d make a second one with brains, so they could enjoy some, too. “Do you think that’d be good?” 

“Oh, Rem--” Morgan said softly. “Of course, yeah. Um,” she felt weird and sheepish contributing, when Remmy knew so little about their own mother, when all this had started as a way to soothe that void. “My mom liked to say that cooking was the most accessible magic in the world. Cooking and baking was one of the times we mostly got along. Later, anyway, when I was better at it. She taught me all the good tricks, including how to make burgers the way Nora likes.” They moved on from the stand and closer towards the fruit vendors. “Rhubarb is amazing! And it’ll be out of season soon. The berries will balance it out, I think. The hardest part is always getting the rhubarb texture just right. And then we’ll maybe do the top crust in the shape of animals and bones? Or flowers and bones? I don’t know, but practicing shapes the last time I tried was really fun, and it’ll come out way less lumpy with you to make them since you’re an actual artist.” She searched the rows, trying not to get too distracted by the first bushel of blueberries. “Hey,” she said. “Is that...a watermelon stand?”

“I’ve never really cooked with anyone else,” Remmy commented off hand, picking up a bushel of raspberries that looked nice and fresh. The set it in their little basket before moving on to the blackberries. “I think it sounds good, too! I love rhubarb. Hopefully the sweetness of the berries will cut the sourness of it like strawberries do, but they’re not in season yet.” They smiled up at her. “We can definitely do little shapes. I think flowers and bones would be fun. But like-- I’m not really an artist. I’m sure yours were fine, anyway.” They put another bushel in their basket before pausing. “Watermelon? But...they’re not in season…” They wandered a bit closer. It was a whole patch of them, still on the vine, sitting in a makeshift plot with dirt. As they got closer they even noticed that these melons were larger than normal, too. “Wow, I didn’t think you could get these two grow way up here this early,” they said nonchalantly to the guy tilling the dirt beside them. He didn’t speak. Remmy looked back at Morgan. “Should we get a water--” they started, but in the next second, something was biting down on the hand they had extended towards the fruit with a loud CRUNCH! noise.

Morgan wasn’t sure what to make of the watermelon patch out of nowhere. It wasn’t the right season for them, not even close. And yet, they did look strangely ripe, so fat and green Morgan could already taste the juice in her mouth. And she’d never tried to make anything with watermelon before. They were always perfect sliced and scooped just as they were. But maybe a nice loaf, or some cookies… Morgan wandered into the patch while she thought, considering the possibilities. She was in too deep by the time she heard a wet, crunching sound next to her. Morgan turned, startled, and saw Remmy lift a bloody, handless arm from a watermelon with two perfect rows of sharp, dripping teeth. The two of them screamed. Morgan backed away, gasping with disbelief. She only made it a few feet before a vine snapped behind her ankle and she was on her back, staring at four more hungry mouths like the one that had snapped at her friend. “Remmy!” She shrieked. 

Remmy was quiet for a long time, just staring at the spot where their hand was inside a watermelon’s mouth. A watermelon. Had their hand. In its mouth. A watermelon. Finally, it let go and Remmy pulled their arm back, now a stump. They looked at Morgan. They both screamed, Remmy more so about the watermelon with a mouth than their handless stump. It had already started regrowing, anyway. Stumbling back, Remmy turned to try and leap out of the patch, but Morgan called out their name and they swerved, tripping over vines and lumps of watermelon. Four of them were descending on Morgan. Remmy’s body stiffened and a sudden feeling came over them. They remembered the feeling down at the beach, punching through lobsters to keep them away from their friends. They remembered being in the ring, the crowd cheering them on excitedly. Show them what it means to be a monster, Felix had said. Make them feel it. Remmy leapt up quickly, then, senses honing. They pulled a fist back before letting it punch straight through one of the melons. The next one got a swift kick. The third got the back end of their heel, watermelon guts? Splashing everywhere. Remmy swerved on the fourth, clasped their hands-- one made only of bone-- and slammed them down on top of it, smashing it as if it’d fallen from a twenty foot roof. “Go!” they shouted, turning to Morgan, trying to lift her up, tearing at the vine. “C’mon, let’s go!”

Morgan was scrambling on her back, too frightened to use her hands for alchemy, too frightened to find the coordination to get to her feet. She felt one on her leg, snapping down and smacked it with her fist, denting the shell. She pushed herself, panting with fear all the while, and funneled energy out of her cuff to turn the fruit into a wave of water. It vanished with a splash as Remmy pulled on her. Morgan took their arm and clung on tight, kicking her feet up and running off with them, the tiny, pointy fangs, still lodged in her calf. “What was that! What was that? Did you see that? And how did you--” Morgan cried out again and pulled away. “Shit, your--your hand--shit--doesn’t that hurt? Shit, Remmy, it got you and you just--shit.”

There were sounds of screaming as Remmy yanked Morgan out and away and towards safety, practically carrying her. A man was shouting after tham, people were scattering, but Remmy could deal with that later. Right now, they just needed to get Morgan away from this. Away from the danger. Protect her. Save her. Hands-- well, hand-- covered in watermelon juice and dirt, the other slowly growing its way back, sinew and muscle wrapping around the exposed bone. Finally, Morgan’ yanked away and Remmy was thrown back into the present, rather suddenly. Their head spun a moment, and they blinked. Everything finally came back to real time. Noise came back full rush and Remmy shook their head, straightening out their vision. “I--” they looked down at their hand, “it’s fine. Doesn’t hurt.” Looked back up at Morgan, still finding it difficult to concentrate. They smelled blood, eyes dropping to her leg. “You’re hurt. We-- we have to get back to the car. You have a first aid kit in the car, right? Deirdre’s gonna be so mad I let you get hurt,” they said, words tumbling from their mouth, trying to fill the spaces between Morgan’s questions so that they wouldn’t have to answer them. 

“I’m hurt? Are you--” Morgan checked herself. She was half soaked on one side and--oh. The teeth. She hadn’t been accounting for the teeth, and they were lodged, in two perfect, red streaked smiles, down her leg. Not too deep, she was sure she’d feel it worse if they were, but thin streaks of blood were already running down her skin. Morgan sighed. “You know, if this is just going to keep happening the rest of the year, maybe you can bottle me the trick to your regrowable skin. I would love to, you know, just once, not feel like the kids working at Rite-Aid are judging me when I roll in again.” She braced herself against Remmy looking very determinedly away from the sinew of their regrowing muscle. It made her stomach turn to linger on, it didn’t seem like a part of them at all, it looked wrong. “She’ll freak out and want to be my personal escort the next time I--well, at this point, do anything. But if it wasn’t for you I might be on a gurney back to Nurse Denise and not regrowing my extremities!” Morgan took a minute to reign in her breathing. She was hot, she was throbbing in her ears, “If we can just...um...sit somewhere with less teeth? That would be great…”

“It’s not magic, it’s because I’m dead,” Remmy said flatly, before shaking off the angry thought that was bubbling in their stomach. They shook their head, helped Morgan over somewhere to sit and kneeled in front of her. “Lemme see it,” they said, reaching out to start plucking the teeth that had stuck in her skin. Remmy looked around for something to help staunch the blood and clean it up, but all they had was an old napkin they’d stuffed into their pocket. They dabbed at the blood, trying not to look up at Morgan, to let her see the sudden rise of anxiety and fear creeping onto their face. “It’s...it’s not too bad. Doesn’t look too deep. Here…hold this, I’m gonna try and pull the rest of the um, teeth out.”

“I didn’t mean—” Morgan began, but Remmy looked more upset than any explanation could cover. When she was sitting on one of the benches laid out for the event she bent down to try and look at them. “I’m sorry, Remmy,” she said solemnly. “I wasn’t thinking like...like that. I’m sorry.” Remmy was very focused, however, and she didn’t know how to reach through their concentration. It didn’t help that she really did need those teeth out. Morgan took hold of the napkin and squeezed it tight in her fist as Remmy plucked away at each one. She clenched her jaw and did her best to hold still, to swallow her whimpers of pain. She was getting better at it, with all the practice her curse had been giving her, but a strangled sound still burst from her mouth as Remmy worked at one that was proving a little tricky. She flushed, embarrassed, and tried to think of something to say. “Thank you,” she said lamely. 

“It’s fine,” Remmy said after a long time, prying the last tooth out of Morgan’s leg as best they could and tossing it into the grass. The screaming from down at the market had seemed to stop and Remmy cast a glance down that way to double check. Nothing to see. “I know.” They stood up, holding their hand out to her. “We should, um, get you home. So that we can like, properly take care of that. Clean it out, make sure there’s no like, debris in it.” Their hand that had gotten snacked on was now fully back, and they flexed the fingers, making sure to offer Morgan the one that hadn’t just regrown. Blanche always got sick about it, so they wanted to make sure Morgan didn’t get upset, either. It was still something they were getting used to themself, but they didn’t really have the ability to dwell on it like others. It was a part of them, now. A part of being undead. “You don’t have to thank me. I was just, you know...doing what any friend would. Should. Um...protecting you.”

Morgan took Remmy’s hand and stood-- “--Shit!” And sagged against them as her leg lit up with pain. Without the teeth, without the threat of losing her extremities as Remmy had, the rest of her body came alive, exhausted and hurting. “I’m fine,” she said quicky. “It’s not serious.I just...might need you a little after all. And there is, um, first aid in the Subaru. Starting to learn my lesson there a little there. Be prepared!” She adjusted an arm around Remmy’s shoulders, supporting herself against their weight as she limped along. “I know you did it because you’re a good friend, but I can still appreciate you, Rem. And now that we’re not in danger--are you okay?” They seemed...off, half closed. The Remmy that Morgan was most familiar with didn’t have so many barriers, certainly not ones that seemed so...firm, even cold.”You can tell me the truth, Remmy,” she said.

Remmy caught Morgan as she sagged, her entire weight nothing more to them than a sack of potatoes. They put an arm around her waist to help her walk, leading them slowly back towards the car, a little disappointed they’d lost all the fresh fruit, but ultimately relieved they’d gotten away almost scott-free. Their hand wasn’t a loss, but Morgan’s wounded leg hung heavy on Remmy’s conscience. One hesitation and this was the cost. It had been easier, this time, because they had been watermelons. They weren’t really alive. Maybe brought to life by magic. But the thought of having to do that against someone still rattled in Remmy’s chest like marbles. They knew they couldn’t keep walking this line of not acting or only sometimes acting. The Ring could help with that. It was helping with that. But that wasn’t important right now. Remmy didn’t answer until they got to the car. “I just did what any friend would do,” they said quietly, opening the car door and setting Morgan inside on the seat. “I’m fine. I was never really in any danger, you know.” Held up their hand. “My limbs grow back, remember?” They paused, looked around. “Where’s the kit?” 

“No,” Morgan said quietly. “Rem, you--you matter.” What was it with the people in her life not getting that? First Deirdre, sometimes Skylar, sometimes Blanche, and now Remmy. She took the kit herself out of the glovebox and tried to get to work, clumsy with pain and frustration. She passed it to her friend, then held it back, carefully raising her gaze to meet theirs. “Stop being closed off and weird. You don’t have to tell me, I know I’m still earning back your trust, but don’t be like that. Please.” 

Remmy looked at Morgan, kneeling in front of her again. They were tired of arguing with people that they didn’t. They really didn’t. They weren’t supposed to even be alive, so how could they possibly even matter? But they didn’t need to dump that on Morgan. “Okay,” they said quietly, reaching for the kit when Morgan pulled it back. Ruffled their brow. “I’m not,” they insisted, “I’m not being weird. That’s not-- it’s not about that. About you...I trust you. You don’t have to earn that back. It was never gone.”

Morgan slowly handed Remmy the first aid kit to patch her up. Their hands were a lot steadier and they knew what they were doing a little better than she did. “Fine,” she mumbled. She was quiet for a moment, letting them work in silence. What was it then? What was wrong. “You are, though,” she said. “Normally you’d be telling me things. Something with a girl, or with hunters, or Blanche or you other supernatural friends. I don’t know what it is, what’s bad enough that you can’t talk about it, but I want you to be okay. If I can do anything to help get you there, I want you to at least feel like you can tell me. Okay?”

Remmy took the kit and set to patching up Morgan’s leg. Luckily she wouldn’t need stitches, but it would be sore for a few days. They pulled open an alcohol pad and looked up at her. “This might um, sting a little?” Then dabbed at her leg with the swab, trying to be gentle as she flinched. “I’m not,” they insisted quietly again, but they knew that was a lie. “I mean...there’s just nothing to tell. My life isn’t as exciting as yours, you know? It’s just been...baking and work and making sure Blanche is okay. We um-- got a new pet. Something called a Baku? It eats nightmares, so that’s cool. Well, it’s Blanche’s pet, not mine. She named her Amy Bakiago. We call her Iago for short,” they went on, pulling out some gauze and bandages to finish patching her up. “I’m glad the sun is back. That’s neat. Do you know how it happened? Was it beach lobsters again?”

Morgan had to look away to keep from squirming. In her sudden wave of injuries and accidents, she had learned that if she just looked away, she could almost convince herself she wasn’t hurting. She was somewhere else, some other version of herself else who didn’t have to get the hang of spur of the moment first aid or swallowing every whine her body wanted to make when something pressed past its low pain threshold. She hated that Remmy was avoiding her, hated to let them off the hook when something wasn’t right, but her leg was burning, and she wanted them to be able to enjoy the rest of their day together. “Nightmares, huh?” She asked. “That’s pretty wild. Is she doing okay? I mean, I guess it’s not surprising she needs sleep after all she’s been through lately, but still.” She smirked at the name. “Who’s idea was Amy Bakiago? Did you help vote on that?” She let out a slow exhale as Remmy taped the gauze in place. “Not a clue about the sun. But the sky stopped being red on its own too, didn’t it? Maybe White Crest was just...having a weird mini season.” She turned her head up to catch the glare of sunlight against streaked clouds. “Definitely wasn’t the beach. Deirdre and I went to watch the sunrise, and for once, finally, I was able to walk away without a fresh curse in my pocket.”

“I think she’s doing better,” Remmy said, “now that she has something to like...concentrate on. She even switched her major, and she’s been reading a bunch of books on like, supernatural stuff and ancient languages. My vote was for Jake Bakuralta, but Amy Bakiago is a good name, too.” They gave a weak smile. “All patched up,” they said, tapping her lightly on the knee before standing up. “Well, guess we should just count ourselves lucky that we didn’t have to deal with anything crazy for it to come back. I still wonder what happened, though…” They looked up at the sky in tandem with Morgan, squinting a little. “Must just be the weird weather, right? I missed the sunsets.”

“Me too,” Morgan said, hugging herself. She watched the sky with Remmy, as if she might absorb the bright, crisp blue into her and keep it on tap for when she couldn’t find any light of her own. It was the kind of blue she remembered from the Disney movies of her childhood, the kind you would look for in a crayon box for a picture of happiness and never find. It was the sun, she thought, the golden stain over the thin clouds. Morgan strained her eyes staring at it. How simple, how stupid, the things that could give you hope.”I guess we still need to pick up something, if you still want to make stuff together,” she said at last. 

Remmy stayed quiet while Morgan did, curious as to what she might be thinking about while she searched the sunlit sky. The clouds passed between the sun and the sky, blocking it momentarily, and Remmy’s eyes fell back to the farmer’s market. People were already milling back in, as if the watermelons hadn’t just sprung to life and tried to eat people, but the man whose stand they’d been at was suddenly not there anymore. Frowning, Remmy looked back over at Morgan. “Sure, yeah,” they said, picking up the kit and setting it back in the car, “but maybe we can just go to the grocery store?”

“This is why we’re friends, Remmy. Even when you’re being weird, you still have the best ideas.” Morgan said. She hauled her legs into the Subaru and buckled herself in and took one more look at the blue sky, the bright sun, the shadow streaked clouds in the distance. “But maybe we should get you a license one of these days, huh?” She teased, brow arched. “But I could get over it if you do all the grocery lifting for me.”

[avengerscompound]

Mixology - The Morning After

Mixology - A Captain America Fanfic

Series Masterlist Previous //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count:  2952

Series Warnings:  Angst, Character death, Breaking up and making up, past trauma, pregnancy, talk of abortion, smut (vaginal sex, fingering, other things)

Synopsis:   Steve Rogers comes into your bar and after a night of flirting you take him home.  When he leaves the next day you never expect to see him again.

A/N:  This fic was written pre-Infinity War.  So while it follows canon for a while, it then veers off wildly at the end.

The Morning After

You wake up engulfed from behind by large arms.  The room is filled with light and you open your eyes glancing at your clock.  10.30.  Decent sleep in, in the end.  Steve stirs beside you.  His grip tightens around your body, pulling you against him.  He nuzzles his face into your hair and presses his hips against you.  He’s hard and his erection pushes against your ass.

“Good morning.”  You say.  You run your fingers down his forearms, tracing your fingertips over the prominent veins that lead down to his hands.

He hums and his hands start roaming over your body.  You don’t want him to stop, but your stupid bladder has other ideas.

He rolls away from you suddenly and sits up.  “I better call work.  Tell them I’m not coming in.”  

He picks his phone off the bedside table.  It’s one of those Stark Tech ones and he swipes his finger around the screen for a second before holding it to his ear.  

“Good morning.  It’s Captain Rogers.  I won’t be able to make it in today …  I injured myself on my morning workout … No, I don’t need medical attention … I am aware of that.”  He holds his phone out in front of him then looks back at you.  “Battery went flat.  That’s a shame.”  He carefully places the phone back on the bedside table and rolls back over, pinning you to the bed.

“Now,”  He says, kissing that spot just below your ear, “I think we should take a shower together.”

You wriggle out from underneath him.  “Okay, but I need to pee first.”  You squeak and dash into the bathroom.

After you’re done, you brush your teeth and let Steve use the bathroom too.  When you hear the shower start up you go back in to join him.  He’s already naked and standing under the water so you strip off and climb in with him.  When he turns to you, you nearly audibly gasp. You actually bite the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from making a sound.

He is literally the most perfect example of a human being you’ve ever seen.  Every single muscle on his body is huge and well defined.  His cock though.  His cock is a dildo creator's wet dream.  It is thick and long, and just perfect.  Veined without being too veined.  Totally straight.  You try and remember if you’ve ever seen cock as big as his before.  Not in person, that’s definitely true.  In porn?  Maybe.  It’s a little intimidating if you’re honest with yourself.

You wonder if you should compliment him.  Do guys like that?  Fuck it, you’re doing it anyway.  “Nice package you’re sporting there, pal.”  You grin at him like the idiot you currently feel like and mentally curse yourself.

He starts laughing.  “Thank you?”  He says.  

You shake your head and start giggling.  “I’m sorry.  I’m an idiot.”

He takes your hand and pulls you towards him.  He guides your fingers to his cock and moves them up and down his length.  He stiffens under your palm and you wrap your fingers around it.  As you pump your fist up and down his shaft he starts kissing you.  He spins you both so you’re under the water and pushes you against the wall.  His mouth moves down your neck to your chest.  Each kiss is accompanied by the graze of teeth on your skin.  

When he reaches your breast he teases your nipple with his teeth and the point of his tongue.  When your nipple hardens he moves to the other breast and repeats the process.  After what feels like a tortuously long time he sucks one nipple into his mouth.  It sends a jolt through you and you groan.  Your head falls back, pressed against the shower wall and you lift your leg and wrap it around Steve’s waist, pulling him against you.

“Steve,”  You breathe, “Let me …”

He pulls away from you and you drop to your knees.  You run your tongue up his length, tracing it over the veins and ridges.  You take him into your mouth, sucking on the head.  His hips move forward and you allow him to push his cock further into you, opening your throat for him. It feels like the amount you can take isn’t as much as what you can’t though.  So you use your hands on his shaft and stroke him as you suck and lick and roll your tongue over his dick.

Steve places his hands on the bathroom wall and leans against it as you bring him to orgasm with your mouth.  

“Y/N, I’m gonna…”  He pants a warning.  You increase your speed, sucking harder, forcing as much of him down your throat as you can.  You want him to come in your mouth.  You want to taste him.  Swallow what he can give you.

He comes with a jerk and you drink him down.   He pulls you to your feet and crouches in front of you.  His tongue slips between your folds and as he runs it up towards your clit you put your leg over his shoulder.  He presses his tongue down on your clit.  You gasp and he grabs your other leg and lifts you from the floor.  You lean back against the wall and grip the shower head to stop you from falling.  Steve laps and sucks at your pussy.  It’s like he’s paying close attention to every move and sound you make because he goes from moving his mouth around your folds to focused directly on that little mound of nerves that set you off coming into his mouth.  

He adjusts you so that you slide down his front, setting you onto your feet.  “Wow.  That was crazy.”  You say.

Steve laughs.  “Thanks for trusting me.”  He says and kisses you on the top of your head.  He grabs your shower puff and squirts some of your blueberry shower gel into it.  Slowly and tenderly he washes you.  It makes your scalp prickle as he lathers up your body.

“I don’t think I’ve even had an actual boyfriend who did anything like that before.”  You breathe.

“I’m sorry to hear that.  You deserve to be looked after.”  Steve says.  

You both finish up the shower.  You put on a robe and Steve just stays with his towel wrapped around his waist.

“You hungry?”  You ask.

“Starving.”

You put on some coffee and start mixing pancakes.  It takes a while because Steve won’t keep his hands off you.  He stays close behind you, running his hands over your ass, gripping your waist.  He’ll kiss and nuzzle at your neck and randomly spin you to face him so you can kiss as he grinds into you.  Finally, you get the mixture ready and you turn on your griddle.

“I can add something to these if you want.  I have choc-chips and blueberries.”  You offer.

“I should say the blueberries shouldn’t I?”  Steve asks.  

You shrug.   “It’s already fat, sugar and carbs.  I think you can do whatever you want at this point.”

“Choc-chips.”  

As you cook Steve starts looking around your apartment.  “You like bartending?”  He asks.

“Not always. The job I have now is good.  I’ve just been using it as a way to see the world.  Means I can see a place for longer.”  You reply.

“How long have you been traveling for?”  

You pause and think, serving up a pancake and sliding it over your breakfast bar to him.  You pour him a coffee and put the creamer on the counter for him to add himself.  “About three years I guess.  I liked going around Europe a lot.  My visa ran out though, so now I’m just seeing as much of the states as I can. You must have seen a bit of Europe too.”

Steve laughs, but it’s slightly uncomfortable.  “It was a little different when I saw it.”

“Shit.  Sorry.  Of course.  That must have been horrible.  I couldn’t imagine having to live when you’ve been part of that.”  You say.  Your words seem to have made it worst though.  He darkens.  “Sorry.  Why am I bringing shit like this up?  I’m the worst one-night stand ever.”

Steve walks around the bar into the kitchen.  He turns you to face him and wraps his arms around you, pulling you into an embrace.  “Don’t talk about yourself like that.  You aren’t a one night stand.”

You shake your head.  “That’s not what this is?”

“It might be what this is.  It isn’t what you are.”  He says.  Why do his words both hurt and feel amazing?  You don’t feel bad about having casual sex but it’s like he sees you.  You aren’t just a hole he can stick his dick into.  He sees the person you are.  “The things I do…  My past…”  He pauses and shakes his head.

“You don’t have to…”  

“Sometimes the right thing to do isn’t the easiest to live with.  You live with it because you have to.”  He finishes.  He reaches past you, picks up the spatula and flips the pancake on the griddle.  “Now I didn’t take off work to dwell on bad things.  Happy talk from now on.”  His hands go to your face and you kiss. You never want it to end.  If you died right now, it would be happy.  

He lets you go and you serve up the pancake and make yourself a coffee.  You go sit down on the couch and Steve joins you.  

“What made you want to travel?”  He asks, taking a bite of pancake.

“The world is big, and my life experience was small.  I didn’t really have anything to keep me tied down, so why not?”  You explain.  “It’s been good.  You never wanted to travel?”

“I guess it would be good to see the world as a civilian.”  He says.  He opens his mouth like he’s going to say more and then closes it again.

“I spent some time in Australia.  I met these people and we went into the bush.  That’s what they call the forest there.  Did you know that?”  You say. Steve shakes his head. “It’s funny, isn’t it.  Going into the bush.  Anyway… we found this pond I guess you’d call it.  They said it was a billabong. Australian’s are weird.  We decided to skinny dip.  When we got out, some animal had taken half our clothes.  That was a fun return trip.”

Steve starts laughing and you move your feet so they are pressed up against his leg.  “What did you do?”

“Well we shared what was still there between us, and we hid behind trees a lot.”  You hook your toes into his towel and pull it so it falls loose around him.  He smirks at you.  “You ever go skinny dipping?”

“Me?  No, never.”  Steve says.  He puts his plate onto the coffee table.  He pushes your legs apart and starts kissing up your calves.  Each kiss ends with a soft bite.  Each bite gets harder the further up he travels.

“Maybe you should.”  You say.  “Live dangerously.”

He looks up at you.  “You don’t think my life has enough danger in it?”  

You stab a piece of pancake onto your fork and offer it to him.  He takes a bite and you put your plate down next to his.  “See that’s different.  You go out and do what you do.  Save the world. You risk your life sure.  Maybe you’ll get injured, maybe you die.  You’re still seen as Captain America.  You go out and get caught skinny dipping with some friends.  Or maybe some lovers even.  You can’t physically get hurt. But if you get caught, well then people get to see Steve, don’t they?  Maybe they don’t like what they see?”

“I’m not sure that Steve is the kind of guy who goes skinny dipping though.”   He says.  He runs his face up the inside of your thigh.  With his morning stubble, it scratches and you squirm a little.

“Steve?”  He looks up at you and smiles.  “They say you can’t get sick, is that true?”

“Yes.  One of the things the serum did for me.”  

You bite your lip and run your fingers down his jaw.  “Well, I’m on birth control.  If you want to forego any other protection.  I’m okay with it.  It’s up to you.”

“You’re trusting me with a lot.”

“You’re not trustworthy?”  You ask.

“I like to think I am.  But you don’t really know me.”  He pulls the tie on your robe and pushes it open.  

“You don’t know me either.  I could be lying about the birth control.  I’m not.  I think you’re trustworthy.  Now it’s in your court to decide if I am.  I won’t be offended if you decide I’m not.”  

Steve gets up.  He picks you up bridal style and carries you to the bed, placing you gently on the mattress.  You look him over again and feel real trepidation over what you’re about to do. What if he doesn’t fit?  What if trying to force him to really hurts?

He climbs between your legs again resuming the little kissing expedition up your legs that he’d started on the couch.  Each kiss is, lips followed by the graze of teeth.  They make your skin tingle all over, and when he reaches your pussy the last kiss on your thigh is not kiss at all.  He bites you, pulling at your flesh with his teeth.  You moan and heat floods your cunt.  

He runs his nose up between your folds.  Its point briefly touches on your clit and you hiss, the muscles in your legs tightening.  His tongue flicks over that swollen bundle of nerves sending wave after wave of pleasure through you.  Two of his fingers are inserted into your cunt.  He curls them stroking them over your internal walls.  Teasing over your g-spot.  He moves them like he’s trying to coax an orgasm out of you.  Beckoning it to him.

You start to writhe and moan under him.  Your orgasm builds and you grip the sheets squeezing your eyes closed as you focus on it.  “Steve, of fuck!  Oh god!”  You cry.

“Not yet.”  He growls.  

You open your eyes and look down at him startled.  He is watching you now.  He removes his fingers from your cunt only to quickly return them with a third.  He strokes them inside you and twists his hand so his knuckles grind against your g-spot.  You cry out arching your back.

“Do you like that?”  He asks.  

“Oh god yes.  Please.”  You moan.

He spreads his fingers inside you, increasing the pleasantly full sensation inside you.  “You feel that?”  He asks.

“Yes.  Please, Steve.  Please.”  You plead with him.

“I’m no bigger than that.”  He said.  “You don’t need to be worried.  I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Okay.”  You whimper.  He curls his fingers and returns his mouth to your clit, nibbling on it.  His fingers press down on your g-spot and you come, clenching around his fingers.  

He removes his hand and crawls up your body, placing kisses at random intervals as he approaches your mouth.  When his body is aligned with yours you grab his hair and pull him into a kiss.  Your tongue exploring his mouth.

He pulls away from you and you chase him, sucking his bottom lip.  He smiles at you and takes your hand guiding it to his cock.  He wraps your fingers around his girth.  

“You’re in control.”  He says, looking deep into your eyes.  “Guide me to where it’s comfortable.”

You line his cock up with your entrance and he slowly pushes in.  You sigh as he fills you, paying close attention to how his cock feels inside of you.  Your head tilts back slightly, your lips parted and he places small kisses along your jaw.  

His cock hits a spot where there is a slight sting and your grip tightens around him.  He stops pushing and he tilts your face back to his.  “There?”  he asks.

You let your body adjust and you shake your head.  “More.”  You breathe.

He pushes in further.  You feel him reach that limit where pleasure becomes pain and you stop him.  You let his cock go wrapping your arms around the back of his neck.  He allows you a moment to adjust to him and he begins to thrust.

It’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced before.  He alternates between a gentle, pleasant rhythm allowing you to feel his cock run along the ridges of your cunt, to just pounding into you so you can’t even catch your breath.  You feel like you’re about to come undone.  Just when you think this is it, nothing can possibly feel any better than Steve Rogers’ dick inside of you, he brings his arm between your bodies and his fingers find your clit.  

You come.  Explosively.  Clinging to him as if he’s somehow stopping you from falling into an abyss.  You yell his name, and he bites down on your shoulder, grunting as he spills inside of you.  

He slips out of you and collapses down beside you.  You link your fingers with his and just lie on your back beside him panting.

“I think you just ruined me for all men, Steve.”  You say.  “I have to switch teams now.  Or maybe just give up sex forever.  Because that was it.  That was the best sex I’m ever going to have.” Steve starts laughing and he pulls you into his arms.  “Don’t say that.  We still have most of the afternoon available to us.”

// NEXT

[icecoldflames]

The Pinnae Flower Chapter 2, Part 2

Masterlist

“Hufflepuff. Favourite character?”

“They’re all so good, I don’t think I could ever choose. You?” Roman asked.

“Luna Lovegood.”

Roman assumed this was what Logan and Jo felt like earlier, bouncing off each other and speaking so quick there was barely a breath of silence between their conversation. “I love Luna Lovegood. She’s amazing.” He commented.

“She’s so cool and I just kind of relate to her in a weird way.” Penny gushed, lifting up the banker’s box and shoving it back under her desk with her foot.

“I think every person on the planet can relate to at least one of the characters in Harry Potter. And not just because there’s so many.” Roman explained.

Then, noticing Logan looking eager to leave, he decided to quickly say goodbye to Penny before Logan made it awkward.

“Well, I guess Logan and I should be heading out,” Roman smiled brightly. “It’s been really nice talking to you!”

Penny nodded enthusiastically, leaning against the table. “Of course! Come back if you need anything! I can’t say I’ll have a lot of free time though. This is one of the rare days when I get some time off.”

“Okay. Thank you again!” Roman exclaimed waving at Penny before walking out of the door with Logan a couple steps ahead.

As soon as they were out of earshot Logan began talking. “So it’s not Penny. Our next suspect is Cherry.”

“Why does everyone seem to be regulars at Patton-ly Perfect?” Roman muttered to himself as they made their way out of the hospital.

The next morning, they exited their hotel room and immediately went to Patton-ly Perfect. It was early in the morning and Virgil was at his regular table, nursing a cup of coffee while staring intently at the fake flower in the pot in front of him. He seemed unblinking and unmoving.

Other than Patton and Virgil, the cafe was empty. No Cherry with her Harry Potter glasses.

As soon as they walked in, Patton’s eyes brightened. “Ah! Roman and Logan! Welcome back!”

“Hello Patton!” Roman smiled, just as brightly.

Logan just nodded his head. He was feeling slightly tired this morning and under the weather. While he was definitely not a superstitious man, he wondered if it was karma for trying to find Raz Keeran.

Roman then turned to Virgil. “Good morning Virgil!”

Virgil didn’t respond at first. Logan guessed a full five seconds passed before he seemed to come back to the present with a shudder. He blinked rapidly and his body seemed to vibrate. His head snapped in Roman’s direction, his face slightly pink from embarrassment. “Uh, sorry. Did you say something...I was...just thinking…” Virgil muttered, getting quieter and quieter as he continued. “Sorry,” he said again.

Roman just smiled even brighter and repeated himself. “All I said was good morning!”

Virgil seemed to look slightly surprised at Roman’s words. “Oh! Uh, thanks! I definitely hope I do. Good morning to you too.”

Roman just kept on smiling and made his way up to the counter, Logan following like a lost dog behind him. “Hmmm, what should I have for breakfast? What would you suggest?” He asked Patton.

“Well, I’m about to cook some chocolate chip pancakes in the back just for myself and Virgil. But it wouldn’t be any trouble to make more for the two of you.” Patton said, his voice low and quiet as if he’s shared a massive secret.

Logan began to shake his head. “Oh no. That’s not necessary—”

But Roman cut him off eagerly. “—That sounds great. Actually,” he grinned mischievously and Logan was slightly afraid of what he would say, “Logan here makes incredible blueberry pancakes!”

Logan felt his brain shut down and his arms unconsciously crossing themselves. What was Roman planning? He only ever made pancakes in the comfort of his own home. Cooking was not his strong point. Patton owned a cafe for goodness sakes. He probably made pancakes with his eyes closed!

Patton didn’t seem to notice or feel Logan radiating distress. “Well! You’re in luck, Logan! I have some fresh blueberries sitting in my fridge just waiting for someone to cook with them!”

“Uh, Pat?” Virgil’s voice seemed miles away. “How about all four of us make some pancakes? I can make some raspberry pancakes. I’ve got some in my fridge at home.”

Logan instantly felt himself relax. “Yes. That sounds like a great idea.”

“What other berries do you have Patton?” Roman asked, leaning against the counter. Logan didn’t miss his glance over to Virgil.

“I don’t think I have any more berries but I do have some bananas.” Patton said, fixing his glasses just slightly.

Which is how, fifteen minutes later, all four of them were crowded in the medium sized kitchen with two stoves.

“Virgil and Roman can go to that stove over there,” Patton said, pointing to the stove furthest from the door. “And Logan and I can use this one here.”

Patton already had some chocolate chip mix in a bowl, the flour and all the ingredients already scattering the rectangular island.

“Okay!” Patton exclaimed excitedly, walking over to the fridge and pulling out some fresh blueberries and sliding them over to Logan. From a bowl in a corner he lifted a bunch of bananas and passed them over to Roman.

Virgil, who had quickly made a trip home, already had a package of raspberries in his hands.

Roman grabbed a frying pan and lifted both of his hands above his head like a champion with a trophy. “Let’s do this!”

“I’m going to be having pancakes for days,” Patton murmured as they all leaned on the island, a massive plate of pancakes in the middle.

“I can take some home with me.” Virgil said, opening up a cupboard and a drawer and pulled out four plates, forks and knives.

Patton grabbed the maple syrup. “It smells great in here.” He commented. “We should do this more often.”

“Perhaps after all the other pancakes are gone. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” Virgil said, a small smile playing at his lips as he passed out the plates.

Then, they were all digging in. It was complete silence as the four of them bit into their first pancake.

“Ughmuf,” Roman said, seemingly melting and having to pull himself back up to a standing position. “These raspberry ones are delicious. Like...like it’s so sweet yet tart and—“ he made another sound of delight.

Logan saw as the tips of Virgil’s ears turned red and his eyes flashed downwards. “Uh, thanks. It was my grandmother’s secret recipe.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

Logan stabbed a piece of the raspberry pancake and popped it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

An explosion of taste met his taste buds and for a split second it was like his brain short circuited.

He didn’t have the words to describe such a feeling. Roman probably had the words but not him.

“Wow,” was all Logan could say as his brain turned on again. “It is delicious.”

“I remember when she made that pancake-cake for your birthday!” Patton exclaimed. “It had, like, 25 pancakes on top of each other with cream in between each layer.”

Logan swore he saw a little bit of drool coming out of the side of Roman’s mouth.

Virgil smiled and stared down at the table. “Yeah, it was delicious.”

Of course, Roman was the first to ask the question. It had been on the tip of Logan’s tongue but he had enough common sense to bite it. “What happened to your grandmother?”

“She died three years ago.” Virgil mumbled quietly.

Roman went pink. “Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that.”

The room was thrown into a thick blanket of silence. Whereas earlier it was light-hearted and filled with mouth-watering smells now it felt as though the smells were too sweet and suffocated them.

They were all brought out of their stupor as a phone went off.

Virgil jumped out of his chair in surprise and Logan’s hand twitched at the sudden sound.

Virgil pulled out his purple cased phone out of his pocket and flicked it on, his eyes scanning the text quickly. He instantly pulled away from the table and stood up. “Um, I gotta go guys.” He looked apologetic, his eyes flashing over Patton, Roman, and Logan. “My sister calls.” Virgil chuckled awkwardly before making his way out of the kitchen. However, halfway through the doorway he turned back around and glanced at Patton. “I’ll be back to get some of the leftover pancakes.” He waved and then he was gone.

Logan had to admit, Virgil was a mysterious guy. But he seemed nice enough. A little weird but, weren’t they all?

“Did I do something wrong?” Roman blurted as soon as Patton began cleaning up their dishes. “Should I not have asked about his grandmother?”

“Probably not.” Logan said, putting the last bit of blueberry pancake in his mouth and beginning to clear away the island.

“Well,” Patton pursed his lips, “it is a touchy subject for him. I don’t want to say too much because it isn’t my story to tell but Virgil and his grandmother were super close. Like Harry Potter-Sirius Black close. Tony Stark-Peter Parker close. And when she died...well…” he shrugged. “It was a pretty big hit.”

A part of Logan wanted to know how she died. Maybe it was the Sherlock Holmes inside of him or purely his own curiosity. But even he knew boundaries.

“Is there anything I can do to make it up to him?” Roman asked, putting Saran Wrap over the uneaten pancakes. “I feel kind of bad…”

Patton thought for a moment. “Well, Virgil collects—“ he paused. “Do you guys read the Pinnae series?”

Logan groaned and rolled his eyes. “Oh no.”

Roman’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree in the dead of night. “Oh my gosh, yes! It’s my absolute favourite book series ever! I’ve read them like eight times over!” The words bubbled out of him like a little kid.

Patton grinned. “Well, at the bookstore here they sell these cheap collectable rocks with engravings on them? You know the ones? In the mystery packs?”

Roman nodded. Logan nodded too. They came out a couple days before they left and he knew Roman was intent on getting all 50 of them. Yep, that’s right. 50. Five zero.

“Yeah.” Roman said, his eyes wide and giving Patton his utmost attention. “When I get back home I’m planning to get them all.”

“Well, Virgil has 40 of them already.” Patton said. He pulled out a folded slip of paper out of his jeans pocket and passed it over to Roman. “Here’s a checklist of all of them and all the ones Virgil has and doesn’t.”

“How does he already have 40?” Roman exclaimed, unfolding the checklist. His eyes scanned the list. “They literally came out three days before we got here!”

Patton shrugged. “He’s a big fan.”

“Where’s the bookstore?” Roman asked.

“Just down the road from here, across the gas station.” Patton said.

Roman quickly took a picture of list and gave it back to Patton. “Thanks. I’ll see if I can get one of them.”

Fifteen minutes later, once all the pancakes and ingredients were put away, Roman and Logan were off to the bookstore.

Logan looked over at Roman, the sun’s rays making the rocks glitter below his feet. He repeated Roman’s words from yesterday. “What was that? I thought we were trying to find Raz’s identity! Not chat up some guy we meet!”

Roman scowled. “Listen, it’s summer vacation too. Besides, I like Virgil. And I feel bad.”

Logan pursed his lips. “You like Virgil? Or you have romantic feelings for Virgil?”

“I...I don’t know yet.”

“If you don’t know then you probably do.” Logan stated.

Roman huffed. “Why do you have to be so blunt about it?”

“There’s no point in trying to hide or hold back feelings. That normally doesn’t end well. Unless they’re rude and ignorant. Then you shouldn’t say anything at all.” Logan pushed up his glasses.

[loca-over-luca]

coup de grâce

lucas taps his foot nervously as he looks at the clock on the kitchen wall. eliott will be home any minute now and lucas has to make sure that everything is set up by the time he arrives. and it has to be perfect.

he rests his head on his arms as he watches the seconds tick by slowly. he'd gotten off work late last night, needing to drop by the grocery store first for that black food coloring he forgot to buy a few days ago which resulted in him coming home at an even later time and then he started to prepare for what he had planned the next day. lucas set the alarm for 4am, even though it would mean just getting a couple of hours of sleep, to get an early start. he had worked tirelessly since then, determined to make the best birthday surprise for his boyfriend.

--

he had the bright idea one morning to make a cake for eliott. but not just an ordinary cake, mind you. that just won't do. lucas decided to make a fondant cake for his boyfriend, complete with fondant decorations on top. oh, and the fondant will be made from scratch.

“wouldn't that be so cute?” he gushed after telling manon his idea. manon looked at him incredulously for a few minutes and after determining that lucas was, indeed, serious about his grand plans for eliott's birthday surprise, a look of concern flashed across her face.

“uhm lucas? why don't you just buy pre-made fondant? it will be much easier and that way, you can concentrate on the actual cake itself and make sure it's actually edible?” she suggested.

“have you no faith in me, mademoiselle demissy? i don't have to worry about the cake itself because i'm sure it is going to be absolutely delicious. with you giving me the recipe and all, right?” lucas said, widening his bright blue eyes comically, in an attempt to wheedle his way into manon's soft heart as well as her closely-guarded recipe book that she refused to let anyone see. 'these are recipes from my grandmother and i refuse to have them besmirched by your so-called attempts at baking', she once said.

“don't look at me like that. those cute puppy dog eyes might work on everyone else but not me. i won't give you my grandmother's recipe for her famous blueberry shortcake,” manon scoffed, avoiding eye contact. lucas widened his eyes some more - he hasn't blinked in more than a minute already and his eyes are most definitely getting drier by the second but hey, he's determined - and even thew in a pout for good measure.

“please?” he whispered softly, a last ditch effort to completely melt manon's already weak defenses.

“fine! i will give you a recipe but it's gonna be one of mine, not my grandmother's. i still don't trust you after you butchered her pot roast the last time you invited us to  dinner.”

lucas hugged her gratefully, ignoring the jibe about his previous cooking attempt, while manon rolled her eyes at his antics.

“okay but seriously, lucas. i think it would be best to just buy the fondant.”

“pre-made fondant tastes like shit. if i do the homemade one, out of marshmallows, it's going to taste so much better. how hard can it be anyway? it’s just sugar,” lucas answered confidently. he proceeded to tell manon about his design plans for the cake, grabbing his notebook and drew what he has in mind, all the while muttering ‘this is going to be so cute’ and ‘eliott’s gonna die when he sees them’.

“there! see? did i mention how cute it’s going to be? oh, he's gonna be so surprised alright. am i the best boyfriend or what?” lucas exclaimed happily, showing her his indecipherable drawing and manon can't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

“whatever you say, lucas.”

fast forward a couple of weeks later and lucas was half-dying and wished he listened to manon.

'why didn’t i just buy a cake from the bakery down the street? they have cute cakes right? why did i think i can do this all by myself?' he thought miserably as he looked at the sticky goop on the countertop.

lucas successfully baked the cake. that was the easy part. he just followed the detailed instructions manon wrote  - along with very specific notes to him like 'lucas, turn off your phone right the fuck now or else the eggs might get overbeaten' and 'don't forget to sift the powdered ingredients, lucas. and by sift i mean "put (a fine, loose, or powdery substance) through a sieve so as to remove lumps or large particles." ' he was very grateful for her help but he couldn't help but scoff at that particular note. 'i am not a child, manon. i know what sift means,' he thought as he googled what a sieve looked like. lucas panicked a little when he saw what it is, unsure if he has one. thankfully, manon also added 'yes you have one, it's in the 2nd drawer to the left of the oven'. really, if he doesn't think of manon as his sister and if he was, you know, not gay, then he would've married her in an instant.

as he closed the oven door and set the timer, the smell of blueberries and vanilla wafting through the air, he set to the task of making the icing on his cake. well, not literally since the frosting he did buy from the store (what? he likes the taste and he knows eliott likes it too based on ...past experiences with it).

lucas followed the instructions he saw online as religiously as he did manon's cake recipe. he melted the marshmallows bit by bit in the microwave until it's a smooth white goo. he added all the powdered sugar he measured earlier to the mixing bowl along with the shortening - ‘not butter!’ - and the melted marshmallows.

he'd been alternating between adding more shortening (if the mixture was becoming too clumpy) and more sugar (when it appeared to be too soft) for the past half an hour already, powdered sugar all over the kitchen and himself but his fondant is still not cooperating. lucas was this close to punching something so he decided that if he needed to vent out his frustrations, might as well do it while being productive.

he sprinkled more powdered sugar on the countertop, greased his hands and poured the marshmallow mixture onto the counter. he proceeded to knead the still-too soft fondant, making sure to incorporate as much sugar as he can with each turn. after another half-hour of wrestling the fondant, he finally tempered it to the right texture and consistency he wanted.

lucas clapped excitedly, coughing as he inhaled a bit as powdered sugar as a result. finally, the fun part can begin. he'd been most excited to making the raccoon and hedgehog pieces he'll put on top of the cake, looking forward to the way eliott will react upon seeing them. knowing his boyfriend, lucas can already see him melting into a puddle of goo at the cuteness.

after a couple of hours of concentrating on making the cake toppers, lucas was beat. his hands were cramped, his neck stiff and his shirt was sticking to his sweaty back. but lucas was happy. he just had to have the eyes of the raccoon just right that’s why it took him longer than necessary in making it, and he was proud to say that it was indeed cute and looked even a little bit like eliott.

lucas smiled as he looked at the works of art he made, satisfied at the way they look. 'they fit together, just like eliott and me,' he thought. 'god, when did i turn into such a sap?'

lucas looked at the time and his smile was immediately wiped off his face. 'it can't be that late already?!'

“fuuuuuck,” lucas muttered in panic as he hastily worked to put the whole cake together - from frosting the whole thing to covering it with the fondant, pasting each letter of 'happy birthday eliott' around the sides up to the final step of placing the raccoon and hedgehog pieces on top. it might not look as perfect as the cakes he saw online but, whatever, it's the thought and the love that lucas put into it that counts anyway.

lucas took a few pictures with his phone, sending one to manon and getting a response immediately.

'holy shit, you actually did it. that looks good lucas! not bad for a first timer <3'

'do you still doubt me, demissy?'

'never again, lallemant. seriously though, great job. :)'

lucas set his phone down and put the cake in the living room table for safekeeping while he cleaned up the kitchen. by the time he was done, lucas had about 20 minutes left before eliott normally arrives home.

"time management skills are on point today," he cheered tiredly, trudging towards the living room to get the cake. he planned to place it on the countertop where eliott can immediately see it upon entering their apartment. just as he did that, a fondant letter fell down to the floor. lucas looked absently at the letter ‘H’ by his foot, the full realization not sinking until a few seconds later. he at his creation and his heart dropped to his feet. the remaining letters of the birthday greeting he painstakingly pasted letter by letter were sliding down and the fondant he covered the cake with looked like it was melting right off. lucas looked at the living room where he left it and saw that there was still a bit of sunlight streaming from the window and with the summer coming in, he did not take into consideration how the temperature in paris right now would affect his cake.

he looked around frantically, trying to find what he can do or use to remedy the situation. his eyes fell on the refrigerator, humming innocently by his left. lucas knew that he was not supposed to place a fully covered fondant cake in the fridge, that much he knew thank you very much, but he doesn’t have any other choice. 

‘just a couple of minutes. just to firm it up a bit,’ he decided. lucas carefully placed the cake inside, breathing a sigh of relief as he diverted yet another crisis.

he slumped onto a kitchen stool, the exhaustion finally catching up to him. lucas looked at the clock again and saw that it's nearly 4pm. he’d been working nonstop for 12 hours straight. ‘wow, i didn’t even do that while i was in uni,’ lucas thought. he pictured eliott walking down their street, humming along with whatever music he's listening to, no idea of the surprise waiting for him at home - and that alone made it all worth it. lucas rested his head on his arms tiredly, watching the seconds tick by slowly. 

‘just a couple of minutes and then i’ll take it out again.’

---

“lucas?”

lucas jolts awake at the sound of his name being called, almost falling off the stool in his surprise. he looks at the clock and saw that 15 minutes had already passed by. 

he runs towards the refrigerator and quickly pulls the cake out.

‘please, please, please don't fall apart. at least let eliott see you first okay?’ lucas pleads as he places it on the counter.

“lucas?” eliott calls for him again while entering the kitchen.

“surprise!”

eliott looks at him, then at the cake and back to lucas again, mouth hanging open in shock.

“is this why you haven't been answering my texts the whole day?” eliott asks, walking slowly towards lucas.

“yeah, i worked on it the whole day. all by myself, i might add,” lucas announces proudly. he turns back towards the cake and sees the letter 'E' slowly sliding off. he casually places himself in front of it and discreetly puts it back in place behind his back.

“you did that for me?” eliott looks at the raccoon and hedgehog on top of the cake and a fond smile graces his lips.

lucas nods as eliott shifts his gaze to him. “i really appreciate what you did, don’t get me wrong, baby. the raccoon and hedgehog on top? they should definitely be placed in the louvre. but lucas, you didn't have to do all this. we could have just bought a cake and you wouldn't have had to tire yourself out the whole day.”

“i wanted to,” lucas replies firmly. he knows eliott what is not saying. ‘you didn’t have to do this for me. i don’t deserve this.’  after all this time, eliott still thinks that he doesn't deserve anything, that he doesn't deserve what they have and lucas has taken it upon himself to always, always, prove eliott wrong on that account. 

“i wanted to do something special for your birthday and what could be more special than a one-of-a-kind lucas lallemant creation?”

eliott laughs delightedly at his response, which is what lucas was hoping for. he laughed with his boyfriend, throwing his arms over eliott's shoulders and hugging him as closely as he could.

“i love you, baby. happy birthday,” he whispers in eliott's ear.

[ahomeganeyatsu]

Ran Off in the Night (Part 6)

His brows were furrowed. Deep blue eyes staring intently at the device in his hand. A series of numbers stared back at Lucas and the teen contemplated if he should go ahead with it or not.

He had silently hoped that 24—it was either that or Crunchy Choco, and Lucas wasn’t going to call him the latter—would show up in his balcony. He had felt the guy watching him in his own room before. Lucas assumed it wouldn’t be far from being unlikely if he somehow finds him standing in a corner, still as a shadow and looking like a better, hotter version of Edward Cullen. Or for him to materialize like a ghost right in the middle of the disarray that happened to be Lucas’ room.

Fucking ninja, he muttered in his head.

(Lucas mused if he should have called him Stormshadow instead what with the eye color and how he had been shadowing him the past week. It also fit with the ninja thing. 

He shook his head.

The jerk didn’t deserve a badass name, so 24 will just have to do.)

He hadn’t bothered covering up the disappointment when he discovered 24 wasn’t waiting in his room. Or that he wasn’t planning on making any more appearances for Lucas that night. He was sure. He hadn’t been able to sleep until four in the morning.

Which brought him to his current predicament.

Lucas wasn’t sure when 24 was going to come find him. He had resolved yesterday that he wasn’t going to sit around and wait. He figured the past hours had been ample time for the guy to come to Lucas and start explaining. There was no guarantee that 24 would even come back. If he really will tell Lucas anything.

It didn’t matter if Lucas had seen the promise in those eyes. When he kept running away and leaving Lucas just like that, he couldn’t give him the barest amount of trust.

So yes, Lucas was going to find him.

So two mugs of coffee, a blueberry muffin, half a plate of Carbonara, and several hours later, Lucas had pulled up one of his contacts on his screen. It was a number he never used. And yet, he never thought of deleting it. He was glad he hadn’t. You never really did know when things like these came in handy. He was still pondering on his next step when a notification pops up at the top of his phone.

He tapped it and froze. It was a friend request. A friend request from none other than Chloe. Thoughts of finding 24 came to a standstill. Blue eyes regarded the screen unseeingly. Lucas began to chew over how he should proceed. Does he accept? Or does he leave it there? It wasn’t like Chloe knew he saw the request. She was already following him on Instagram. She already messaged him there and asked why he left in such a hurry. He nearly replied, to escape from you! But he wasn’t that much of an asshole. His maman taught him otherwise and he was doing his damnest not to imitate his dad.

He wasn’t sure why Chloe was so bent on connecting with him. He hasn’t expressed any desire to pick up things between them from last Saturday. Lucas was fully on board letting things remain where they had left it, which was back in the party last Saturday, in the past. Did he miss something in the heterosexual’s guide to hooking-up? Was there a signal? A gesture? That flew completely over his head which told Chloe Lucas was interested in more?

Or maybe Lucas was reading too much into this? Maybe Chloe really does want to be just friends? That this friend request was simply the digital equivalent of extending a hand in friendship like it was meant to?

His finger hovered for a beat over the “accept” button. He blinked, looked at the request once again and finally tapped “accept”.

“Lucas,” Mika’s voice interrupted him.

“Mika,” he returned with the same inflection.

It seemed he had to put his hunt on hold.

  He texted his dad about the transfer again.

He received no reply.

  24 was absent the whole Saturday. Not a peep. Or a shadow of him.

Sunday brought the same.

On his phone, a message was opened up.

From Q

Wow. Good to hear you’re still alive mon loulou.

And of course, the shop is always open for you! Come down whenever.

Lucas exited from the messaging app. He closed his eyes and breathed. Phone clasped in his hands and pressed against his forehead. He’ll find him. He’ll catch him. Lucas was going to make sure of it.

  It was dark.

He was walking down a narrow street. There was a prickling feeling on the back of his neck that told him to stop and turn around.

It was eerily quiet.

No barking dogs. No yowling cats. Only the sole of his shoes scraping on the asphalt. The wind barely a whisper in his ear. The buzzing of the lampposts urging his feet to move faster. The distance between the lampposts veritable dark voids, and that didn’t sit well with him.

Suddenly, there was another pair of footsteps. He stopped right at the lamppost, right into the light. Standing in the middle of a spotlight like an actor ready to deliver his heart-wrenching soliloquy. There was person, standing just right outside of the light’s radius. Their eyes glowing in the darkness.

He wanted to run but his feet refused to budge. He was rooted to the floor. He didn’t understand why. The gaze held him in place, chains slithering around his body and binding him to the spot. He watched as the figure stepped into the light. It was a man. Maybe in their early twenties, sandy-blonde hair cropped short, handsome and dangerous. He was dressed in a coat jacket which topped his V-neck white shirt that exposed his collar bones and part of his chest, and he noted how pale he was. It couldn’t have been healthy. The man was smiling at him. The closer he got, the more he felt his grip on himself loosen.

“Mind if I have a taste little one?” the man asked and he cupped his chin. His fingers were cold against his skin. He could only shiver. He tipped it up, exposing his neck. He saw the man’s nostrils flare as he breathed him in. He could scent something metallic in the air. Something familiar.

“Please,” he heard himself plead breathlessly.

“Perfect.” The hand on his chin migrated to the back of his head, fingers grasping at his hair. Another snaked around his waist and pressed him close to the man. His head was cocked to the side, the vulnerable column of his neck displayed. From his peripheral, he saw something glint in the light. “Bon appétit.”

He gasped and his body quaked, pleasure shooting down his spine. He tried scrambling free but bit by bit, he gets drunk in the feeling until the point he questions himself why he was even fighting this. Why he wants to get away. It was too good. This is good. He wants to stay like this forever.

He closed his eyes.

 Lucas woke up shivering in cold sweat. His sleep shirt clung to his body like a second skin and it disgusted him but he can’t move. Not yet. He’s curled up on his side, knees pushed up and touching his chest, hand clutching the side of his neck where he could feel fangs sink in, the ghost of lips and tongue cold and wet against the skin there. His heart jumping in his chest like a rabbit on caffeine.

It was dream. Just a dream. But it felt too real. Too fresh. His body knew it, it was crawling from the encounter and he couldn’t stop shaking. Tears stung his eyes and he didn’t want to close them, too afraid to be greeted by that face.

He had seen it before.

The night Mika had found him sitting on the streets, fucked out of his mind and crying. Too shaken from his maman’s latest episode, ashamed he couldn’t do anything for her, lonely because he couldn’t tell anyone about it. And he had seen him watching him, caught his eyes but quickly looked away. He didn’t pay him another glance. Dismissed him as one of the curious humans. Besides, Mika, who he still didn’t know then, had kneeled in front of him and was asking him if he was alright, if he needed him to call someone. Lucas was shaking his head, words too garbled from sobbing and he had forgotten about the man.

But the man hadn’t forgotten him.

He wondered if this has happened before. If it had happened more than one time. That maybe he had just forgotten about it. His mind burying it deep into the unconscious because he wasn’t ready to deal with it. Was this why he wore scarves with increasing frequency? Why he suddenly decided to let his hair grow out? Too afraid to expose his neck? For what? There weren’t any marks. No, evidence that it happened.

But it did, didn’t it?

It happened.

His dreams weren’t just dreams. This latest one. It really happened. He wouldn’t be reacting like this if it hadn’t.

Was this why 24 said they had a lot to talk about? Because Lucas’ has been what— vampire snack for gods-know-how-long and forgetting all about it?

And gods, 24. He wanted him so badly to be here right now. Despite how annoying it felt to have him tailing him around, Lucas had quickly grown used to his presence. Having him keeping an eye on Lucas, the teen had been glad for that. It made him feel safe even if he’ll never admit it to the jerk’s face.

24 wasn’t here right now. He hasn’t been in the past days. Although, he did have something close enough to him.

Lucas took a shuddering breath and uncurled from his position. He crawled to his desk, where a small box was perched right at the edge. He grabbed for it and took out the black hoodie. He was sweaty and disgusting. It was four in the morning and he knew he wouldn’t be getting any more sleep.

He took his towel and a clean pair of boxers. He stepped out of his room and quietly made his way to the bathroom.

[simp-for-spencer-reid]

Sugar with a Side of Coffee- Ch. 2.5- Chicken Legs

Chapter 2.5: Chicken Legs A/N: I really wasn’t liking how Ch.3 felt, so I wrote this to replace it :) Enjoy!

Spencer strolled into the BAU later than his usual ten minute early arrival. His coffee was still hot. The label on the disposable cup gave away his being late to the rest of the unit. 

“None for the rest of us?” Derek raised his eyebrows. “You come in late and don’t even bring the rest of us coffees?” He leans back on Spencer’s desk. “Tsk Tsk, Pretty Boy.” Derek crossed his arms.

“Actually, the cart was almost robbed.” Spencer looks up at Derek from his chair. “I had to chase after a kid for the barista’s tip jar.” He takes a sip from his heavily sweetened coffee, directing his attention to the stack of files to go through.

“Well, let’s get you a key to the city, Superman.” Derek quips.

Cate scrambled bringing the cart back into The Empty Mug. She dropped the tip jar off at the counter with Marta and was already ripping off her apron.

“What’s the matter with you?” Marta raises an eyebrow.

“Some kid tried to steal the tip jar this morning. Lucky for me, it just so happened that an actual real-life FBI agent was waiting in line and caught the kid.” Cate was bitter about how the day went, and so not looking forward to going out tonight.

“No way!” Marta flipped the sign on the front door to ‘Closed’ and followed Cate into the backroom. “What was he like? Intimidating? Super buff?” 

“Firstly, wipe the drool off your chin.” Cate teased her friend. “Secondly, he wouldn’t be my first pick in a lineup of FBI agents. He was young,” Cate thought back to the events of the day. “And skinny. He had chicken legs.” Cate giggled with her friend, picturing the agent she now knew to be SR. The girls put the coffee cart away, and went their separate ways home. 

The next morning, Cate and Shrimp went about their usual routine, filling his bowl, and Cate having a small breakfast before heading out the door. She awoke in a much better mood today, just about skipping down the three flights of stairs to the ground floor. With her work bag situated upon her shoulder and one headphone in her ear, she almost danced her way to the Empty Mug.

Marta had already opened up the shop, which was easy because her family lived just upstairs. She was washing the chalk off the menu and rewriting some items. The lights were still off, the only thing lighting up the room was the sun coming in from the windows. Miranda and Marcus, Marta’s parents and owners of the shop came down the stairs.

“We’re heading to go to try some new coffee beans. Oh! Good morning, Cate! Always nice to see you” Marcus nodded to Cate with a smile. Cate and Marta looked between each other, giving each other a did you tell them look. But, Miranda quickly picked up the conversation before the topic of the almost robbery could be brought up. 

“Marta, did you eat yet? Don’t you even think of working before you eat.” Miranda gave Marta a pointed look. “You too, Cate. You girls can whip up some fresh muffins before you get the cart on the street. And please, eat one.” Miranda was always treating Cate like her own ever since Cate met Marta at their college orientation. Despite having two different majors, they hit it off and were inseparable ever since. 

“Yes ma’am,” Cate smiled at Miranda. “I just saw a recipe for a raspberry white chocolate muffin that I’ve been dying to try.” Cate started on her way to the back to retrieve her ingredients. 

“I’ll make some blueberry bread!” Marta’s excitement sent her practically sprinting to the back. 

“See you girls later!” Marcus shouted and he and Miranda were off to their new coffee beans. 

In the back, the girls’ had their arms full of flour and brown sugar and other ingredients. They grabbed bowls and spoons until they couldn’t carry any more. Marta was the first to go back to the storefront, her arms full of bread making goods. Cate realized she hadn’t any raspberries in the back, or in the store at all for that matter. She’ll have to run to the store after her shift so she can bake after hours.

“We can get the cart running a little late.” Marta assured. “These mini breads are gonna take roughly an hour, so we can send you out then.” Cate nodded, grabbing a few sticks of butter from their mini fridge and putting them on the counter to help Marta with the breads. Cate was glad that working together had never interfered with their friendship. They made a good team and knew when to take the lead from each other and when to follow.

Cate flipped the sign to signal their shop was open and took the counter while Marta baked. Customers shortly filed in after, and filed out when they got their coffees and sometimes baked goods. Cate had missed working the shop, but the cart allowed for her to get some fresh air, which she was grateful for because she certainly didn’t miss the occasional burnt coffee smell. 

The girls seemed to have lost track of time, it was almost 9 before either had looked at a clock. Cate and Marta had been so wrapped up in manning the shop together again, they had glanced at each other, before Marta took over the counter and Cate went to grab the cart. 

On her way back from her shift, she hadn’t seen SR or the blonde that had ordered for him before. She was looking forward to talking to him again. There was something about him that was so enticing, and Cate couldn’t just chalk it up to being an FBI agent. When she pushed the cart back into the shop, Cate’s feet were killing her from standing all day. Once the cart was settled in the back, Cate came back out to the storefront with Marta. 

“Once it slows down a bit, I’m gonna head to that organic food store and pick up the raspberries for those muffins. I shouldn’t be too long.” Cate re-tied her apron, ready to finish up the day and get baking. 

As promised, Cate had gone and come back from the store carrying raspberries, along with other snacks and drinks for Cate and Marta to have. Marta had already started baking while Cate was at the store. They connected the speakers in the shop to Marta’s phone and played some upbeat, fun music to dance while they made muffins and some more bread for the next day. Cate was shaking her hips while she bent down to grab milk from the mini fridge while lightly singing to the tune streaming through the shop. 

“Are you closed?” a voice rang from the other side of the counter. Cate stood up, nearly dropping the milk. It was SR. She glanced around for Marta, but didn’t see her.

“Um technically yeah, but it's alright. What can I get for you?” Cate smiled, placing the milk by her baking goods. “The usual?” SR smiled at her.

“That would be perfect.” he reached into his pocket for his wallet.

“Oh, we’re off the clock, don’t worry.” Cate smiled. The agent smiled again, and pulled his wallet out anyway to put a bill in the jar by the register. He walked down the counter to the stools and set his leather satchel down on the counter, resting his arms on the counter. “I’m also making some muffins and such for tomorrow if you wanna be my taste tester?” Cate offered.

“Oh, uh sure. I’d love to.” he clasped his hands together on the counter top. He took a minute to glance around the shop. There were a few older leather couches and a classic black and white tile floor. Some armchairs were scattered by the windows, small side tables next to them. Cate was putting together the coffee and came over with a tall mug and placed it down on the counter in front of the agent. When he went to put it to his mouth, he caught sight of the contents of the mug. Filled halfway with what he assumed to be sugar, and from just over the rim, he spotted Cate smiling proudly to herself. “Very funny.” He smiled at her and Cate could’ve sworn her heart swelled. She placed down the mug containing actual coffee. 

“You can use that sugar to tame your sweet tooth.” Before Cate could ask him his name, her timer for the oven chimed, calling her attention. She pulled on an oven mitt, and grasped the tray from the oven and onto the stove top. She placed a muffin onto a small plate and brought over a fork for the agent. “Here I present my twist on a recipe for a raspberry white chocolate muffin.” Cate watched intently as he lifted the fork and broke off a piece. It was still hot, so he had to wait for it to cool. 

“Oh my god,” his eyes widened as he swallowed it down. “This is incredible. What did you do?” Cate smiled proudly.

“I skip the eggs and replace it with greek yogurt.” She shrugged, blushing lightly. To distract herself, she scampered to the back of the shop to get her bag. When she came through the door,  a figure made her shout of fright. “Marta!” she clutched her chest. “Why are you hiding back here?” 

“I’m not hiding, I’m just observing.” Cate rolled her eyes at her friend. “I’m observing you flirt with that guy. You know no mortal man can resist your baking!” Marta tried to sneak another look at the man from the window in the door. 

“You’ve lost your mind.” Cate shook her head at her friend. She grabbed more butters from the large fridge and went back out to the counter. The agent was almost finished his muffin and his coffee. 

“Are you sure you’re allowed to be open this late?” he questioned, not wanting to be a bother. 

“Oh, please,” Cate waved him off. “You’re an honorary guest. Saved our tip jar.” Cate smiled. Then, she was overcome with a sense of bravery. “I never caught your name, Mr. Agent.”

“Doctor Agent. Well, actually it’s just Doctor. Doctor Spencer Reid.” He gulped as Cate leaned over from the counter.

“Doctor like a hospital?” Cate asked, plopping a new tray of goods in the oven. 

“Not a medical doctor. I have three phDs.” he explained. 

“Wow, congratulations. You’re so young. I barely have my bachelors.” Cate let out a small laugh. She liked that he was cute and smart. Cate pushed that feeling out of her mind. She had just met him. 

The pair spent an hour chatting and enjoying the fresh baked muffins and bread that Cate made. Spencer was no longer a mysterious agent. While Cate and Spencer were in the storefront, Marta had snuck upstairs to her own room, waiting for Cate to close up shop. 

When Spencer finally left, Cate spent some time dancing and cleaning up her mess. She had hung up her apron and padded up the stairs to Marta. Marta insisted that Cate tell her everything, even going as far to call her while on her walk home to finish the story. Cate left out her butterflies she felt for Spencer. Afterall, he was just a new friend. When Cate made it up the stairs to the door of her apartment, she opened it to find Shrimp, mewing at her and walking between her legs while she walked inside to finally call it a day.

[sovonight]

i wanted to try compiling opinions on my gravity falls tea blends, if just for personal reference!

the blends i’ve made are dipper, mabel, stan, ford, the author, the mystery shack, and ford (alt). looking at it now i’m like, wow i made three separate ford blends isn’t that overkill, but y’know what it’s fine

people’s reviews:

there are customer reviews on the listings themselves, just click through to specific blends!

mabel, dipper, stan, ford, the author, the mystery shack, and ford (alt)

stan

ford (alt)

i might be missing some in posts/replies/tags on tumblr, but can’t find em rn

and here are my own reviews/opinions. i don’t do much with steeping times (3-7 minutes or whenever i finally remember i’ve been steeping tea) and sometimes i leave the tea leaves in the cup ‘till the end of time, so it’s whatever. i always add sugar though, and occasionally add milk if the tea’s strong enough for it

mabel

my original review post

my review on the listing says, “it reminds me so much of bubblegum that i almost want to rename it that [...] while i already tend to let loose leaf teas steep in the cup forever i'd actually go out of my way to recommend it for this one; it lets the fruit come through a little better. and ofc, bubblegum is nothing without sugar, so please add sugar.”

my impression since then: adding sugar is correct. also this blend originally had sprinkles, and while i still support that decision, i removed it because sprinkles leave a bit of oil (?) in the tea when they melt-- not the best look for a light tea like this

dipper

my tiny review answer

i remember this one being a nice light fruit tea, but i’m reordering it for an updated opinion! if you don’t like slightly-sour fruit teas, though, you won’t like this one. also, steep it forever, the flavor is pretty light otherwise, and personally both dipper and mabel’s blends taste better iced

update, turns out it’s even better with sugar and milk! i just never had milk on hand when i last tried it so i couldn’t confirm until now. with milk it turns into a nice, warm, vaguely fruity tea that i’m a big fan of

the mystery shack

my tiny review answer

i remember this one as a “whenever” tea that wasn’t too light or too heavy, but i’m reordering it for an updated opinion. no milk, just sugar

stan

my original review post (my impressions of dipper and ford there are obsolete, i redid those blends since that post)

my impression since then: he’s still perfect

make sure to add sugar. and optionally milk. and blow a kiss at that mug, why not

ford

i’m ordering it again to give an updated opinion! from what i remember, the lapsang souchong was a Little much for me, even after editing it down. which is like... very fitting. secretly i call this the portal ford blend, especially with an extra-smoky spoonful of tea leaves, but i cannot let myself get into eras.

i wonder what high school/college ford’s blend would be like though

ford (alt)

my review on the listing says, “Now this is the sweet Ford tea I've been looking for. I steeped it for 4-5 minutes, drank it hot with cream and sugar, then drank it iced with cream and sugar, and it's about as delicious as Ford looks.”

i’m gonna level with you, i just wanted to say the phrase “as delicious as ford looks”. like it’s true i like the tea but i also wanted specifically to say it

i drank it again today (with milk and sugar, of course) and yep, i still like it. i would’ve done the whole plain tea -> tea with sugar -> tea with sugar and milk progression taste-test, but i did that thing where i microwave a bit of milk in a mug, pour the tea leaves in, and fill the rest of the mug with hot water and let it all steep. so. pretty creamy though.

the author

my original review post (my impressions of dipper and ford there are obsolete, i redid those blends since that post) 

my impression since then: while i wasn’t impressed with it initially, the more i drank of it the more i came to like it?? almost similar to how i felt abt researcher ford himself

when i brewed this in college i liked to dump the loose leaves into a mug, pour in hot water, wait ~5 min, and add in sugar and milk. i’d drink some while waiting for the shuttle, then put the rest in the fridge (i know it was still hot when i put it in the fridge and that i’m Not supposed to do that, but my fridge was basically empty in college so it’s Fine) and dash out to go to class

i’d come back from class and bam, i’ve got iced tea that’s been steeping for 4-5 hours! the flavors really settle in with the milk, the tea leaves really settle in to the bottom... perfect. drink that chilled delight up in a sweltering hot room and stay awake for the next 12 hours because i put the most coffee-ish tea into the author blend that i could find

it’s pretty much a caffeine boost, making it more like a tea that ford would drink (if for whatever reason he ran out of coffee), and less a tea that represents him

i don’t consider it an everyday tea for me because it feels a tad more dry than other teas (i attribute that to the blood orange) and that’s why i always made sure to add milk, but, drinking tea often already tends to dry me out. how do regular tea-drinking people do it

and here’s my reasoning for the teas in case you’re like “i don’t get you sovo how could these possibly fit these characters”:

dipper

passionfruit: the boy’s dedicated to solvin’ those mysteries

sour apple: dipper is sometimes a sour apple and that’s Okay

lemon grass: i can’t really explain this one except that you know how there’s that like, lemony plant stalk you’d sometimes see kids chewing in elementary school, and it’s kind of a childhood thing for me?? also it goes with the other sour tastes in this blend

blueberry: it’s in his color palette

fruit tea aspect: to match with his twin!

mabel

watermelon cooler: watermelon’s just such a fresh, pink, summery fruit! also, that mabel sweater that one time

wild strawberry: the description on the site gave off a sugary sweet dessert vibe and those are Definitely mabel vibes

spearmint: i wanted something with a brightness and glow about it-- also once in taiwan i had tea with a minty cooling effect to it and i loved that, it was perfect for hot summer weather. i’ve been searching for it forever because i remember nothing about what it looked like, just the flavor

rose petals: summer romance aesthetic

strawberry pieces: i wanted more pink, more color, and i think that’s something mabel would appreciate. also i love eating those little re-hydrated fruit pieces in tea

fruit tea aspect: to match with her twin! 

stan

rooibos caramel: stan’s heart is like a block of caramel... kinda tough when you start out, but as it warms up it gets sticky sweet and tends to wanna stick to you. i heard from the reviews on the caramel teas that the rooibos version is slightly sweeter than the black tea version, and i wanted the sweetest caramel so i went with rooibos

mambo: i heard smoky, savory, succulent, and rich and slammed that “add to blend” button

lapsang souchong: oh “smoky aroma”? oh “sweet pine flavor”? oh “sometimes gets a bad rep for being brashly smoky”? come on into this blend please

ginger: it’s kinda sharp, a little dividing, and a little too much for some people

lapsang souchong & ginger: to match with his twin!

ford

assam melody: “deep, burgundy-red”? “solid, ‘friendly’”? come be a base in this blend please

pu erh hazelberry: i knew i wanted pu erh for the earthiness, i just wasn’t sure which; i went with this one because it’s the most appealing dessert-like one of the ones i looked at, and You Know ford’s got a sweet tooth

lapsang souchong: partly to match with stan on the whole smoky pine aspect, and partly because ford shaves with fire and in fact, regularly plays with fire

cocoa nibs: it kinda complements the hazelberry & he needs a touch more than stan

ginger: similar to my reason for stan’s

lapsang souchong & ginger: to match with his twin!

the author

assam melody: provides the same character base as ford’s blend

toasted mate: i hear this is the closest you can get to coffee-levels of caffeine in a tea, and i needed that bc this is researcher ford we’re talking about

blood orange: blood splatter in the journal, anyone? splish splash

cinnamon: a dash of cinnamon goes into the cure for zombies, and also into this tea

ford (alt)

earl grey bravo: it’s a black tea base so i don’t stray too far from the original blend, a dash of grey, and a classic that always gave me a “refined” kinda vibe. i never used to think much of earl grey and took some time to come around, which is in line w my experience w ford. the citrus is almost a tie to the author blend,, blood orange becoming just orange

rooibos caramel: i needed to feed my sweet tooth and i'm pretty sure ford would support this decision

gunpowder: because gunpowder, but also because it adds a hint of smokiness that provides a similar-but-different alternative to the previous lapsang souchong. toned down and a little mellowed out, if you will.

cocoa nibs: a tie to the original blend that now complements the caramel

ginger: the ginger-and-caramel is what he shares with stan now, and i love that

the mystery shack

green rooibos key west: just west of weird, amiright??? also it’s got a bunch of summer-y fruit flavors, and the shack probably gets the majority of its business in the summer

earl grey moonlight: i was thinking about stargazing on the roof of the mystery shack and the moon turning into bill's eye, and stan working on the portal in the cover of night

pu erh dante: oh “soft earthy flavor”? “woodsy tones”?? “clean, damp forest aroma, dried mushrooms, leather and earth”??? yes thank you

orange peels: one thing i super associate w the mystery shack is all that arrow-shaped signage and all those yellow-orange question marks. so... yellow-orange bits of orange peel, acting as pops of color to guide your money outta your wallet

[bendywackyadventures]

To the Studio We Go Chap. 3

Sooo....

Its been a while since I last updated this fanfic, and I thought by this chapter I would finish this, but I was wrong. But I got it updated!!! Hope you enjoy!

Dakota and Blaire belong to @cozylittleartblog

Joey was in the kitchen boiling the pasta and checking up on the meatballs and sauce. Alice was setting the table and Bendy was going to reach for the plates, “you need help?” Alice asked.

“I got it angel, don’t worry.” Bendy replied as he continued to reach for the plates. Due to his small size he couldn’t reach for anything on the high shelf without assistance. Alice sighed rolling her eyes. Bendy fingertips just touched the side of the plate. Just as he was about to reach it he almost dropped one of the plates.

Luckily, Dakota was there and grabbed the plates before they can shatter. Alice and Bendy sighed in relief seeing nothing shattered. Dakota chuckled, “you must be more careful Bendy.” Dakota set the plates on the table and smiled at the table set up. “Perfect.” She said with a smile.

Joey came by and smiled at the table set up. “Nice job, Dakota.” Joey commented. Dakota smiled seeing the head of the studio check back on the spaghetti being cooked. Joey smiled seeing Boris and Blaire “How’s the spaghetti, Boris?”

Boris smiled, “its looking good, Joey!” He replied. Joey smiled before leaving the wolf alone to continue cooking.

“I didn’t know you could cook?” Blaire asked.

“I can’t in my cartoons, but Ms. Campbell and Papa Drew taught me. I learned how to put toast in the toaster after 3 weeks of failing!” The wolf beamed over his accomplishment.

Blaire blinked, confused how making toast in the toaster took him that long.  “Why did it take you three weeks?” She asked.

“Because no one likes well done toast like me.” He replied as his ears droop down.  “Its good when it’s dark and black has delicious flavor! Though Papa Drew hates black toast, I gave him one and he was coughing non-stop. We thought he was gone for, but he’s okay!” Boris recounted.

Blaire felt sorry she asked that question, now feeling uneasy of eating food a toon that almost killed his own father with burnt toast. Though it was three weeks ago their time, so she wondered if everything will be fine.

Once dinner was completed everyone sat down to enjoy the spaghetti and meatballs the toons made together. Bendy and the toons made Joey, Dakota and Blaire eat first so they made sure it’s humanly safe. Blaire gulped remembering Boris’s story she was told when they were cooking, and it got her nervous of trying the food. But, she didn’t want to be rude to the toons.

Joey was the same way he still has that burnt taste from his mouth from the toast Boris made for him. Though the past few times the toons cooked, except Bendy’s cooking everything turned out okay. Joey didn’t want to hurt his kids feelings, he knew how easily sensitive they were.

Dakota quickly took a forkful of spaghetti and ate it in one big bite. Blaire stared at her girlfriend in shock and surprise. Her girlfriend was willing to eat the spaghetti. The watermelon girl slurped the noodles and swallowed. “Its not bad!” She commented.

Blaire and Joey looked at each other for a few seconds before trying the dish themselves. Blaire smiled enjoying the dish, “it isn’t bad! Its good!” Blaire commented.

Joey tried the dish and smiled. “It is good, but…” he paused when he started to feel hot. “Spicy.”

Bendy rubbed the back of his head; “I might have used too much pepper on the sauce.” Bendy nervously chuckled. Joey quickly got a glass of water before drinking it all in one gulp. He got himself a second cup of cold water just to make sure his mouth was cool.

“How much pepper did you put in?” Joey asked once his mouth stopped burning.

“About 4, maybe 13 shake of pepper.” Bendy estimated.

Alice sighed. “I told you, only a pinch of pepper.” She replied.

“I don’t know how much a pinch is?” Alice sighed face palming. Joey finally came back breathing heavily. Alice looked up at her father hoping he was okay, “you okay dad?” Alice asked.

Joey nodded, “I’m fine. I promise.” He replied. The angel wasn’t convinced, and walked up to her father massaging his back. Joey looked up and smiled, “thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Alice replied. Once the angel saw her father was getting better, she went back to her seat and continued eating their dinner.

After eating, Joey and Boris came out with bowls of strawberry ice cream with a piece of cookie. It made Bendy feel a bit better from earlier, the demon even got rubbed between his horns to show he was forgiven.

The little demon smiled at his father and gave him a hug as a thank you. After ice cream, Joey and Blaire did the dishes, while the toons and Dakota went into the living room to set up Blaire and Dakota’s resting place for the night. Alice and Bendy put down a few sleeping bags.

Blaire finally came back from doing the dishes and saw the toons setting up the couple’s sleeping place. “So this is where we’ll be sleeping?” She asked. Bendy nodded.

“Yep, with us!” The demon exclaimed.

“Don’t you guys have your own room?” Blaire asked.

“It’s a small apartment.” Bendy replied.

“Plus.” Boris added. He yawned before curling up like a dog, “its comfortable.” Soon the wolf was asleep. The toons and the girls giggled seeing the wolf being all cozy and asleep. Soon it was Alice’s turn to fall asleep on the reclining couch where Joey would always sit.

“Night Bendy. Night girls!” Alice said before falling asleep on the couch.

Now it was the demon’s turn to fall asleep he went next to his pal Boris. He pulled a blanket close to him and his wolf pal before falling asleep. Dakota and Blaire looked at each other before the former decided to give a shrug before lying down on their sleeping bags.

“Well.” Blaire yawned. “We better get some rest.” She got herself cozy and comfortable. Dakota decided to sleep next to her girlfriend rather then using the other sleeping bag. “You know this is a small sleeping bag, right?” Blaire asked.

“I know.” Dakota sighed snuggling up to Blaire. The later smiled and hugged Dakota as the two slept together.

By morning, Dakota and Blaire were still asleep snuggled up to one another. The toons were already up, smiling and awing over the cute couple. Alice giggled as she saw Dakota nuzzled into the hug.

“Their so cute together.” Alice whispered.

“I may hate mushy love, but I have to agree angel. They do look happy together.” Bendy replied.

Joey came out and saw his kids watching the couple asleep together. He smiled and walked up to his kids. “I see they got a good night sleep.” He replied.

Boris nodded. “They sure did.” Soon someone’s tummy started to rumble and everyone turned to face Boris. The wolf chuckled. “Sorry. Getting kind of hungry.” Joey and the toons chuckled. It was time for breakfast anyways.

Joey was in the kitchen cooking up one of his delicious pancakes; Alice was getting the table set up, while Bendy and Boris sat down waiting on their pancakes. This was one of their favorite foods Joey cooked for them.

“Morning.” Dakota yawned. The toons turned to see the watermelon colored haired girl and her girlfriend walked into the kitchen.

Alice smiled seeing the two awake. “Morning you two, how did you sleep?” The angel asked while putting the plates down on the table.

Dakota stretched before sitting down. “I slept great!” She yelled.

Blaire groaned slamming her head on the table. “My girlfriend kept snuggling me like there’s no tomorrow. Plus with how small the sleeping bag was, she kept moving towards me.” Blaire sighed giving a small smile, “but I slept well.” Dakota smiled back giving her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. Blaire chuckled and kissed her girlfriend back. Dakota blushed giggled in reply.

Joey walked in with a platter of buttermilk and blueberry pancakes. “Alright! Who is hungry?” Joey announced.

“Me!” The toon yelled before rushing to their seats to get their pancakes. Joey chuckled as he put four pancakes on the toons plate. When he walked over to the girls he asked them which pancakes they want. “Buttermilk or blueberry?” He asked.

“I’ll take buttermilk!” Dakota exclaimed.

“Blueberry and buttermilk for me!” Blaire confirmed.

Joey smiled and put the pancakes on the girls’ plates. Dakota was excited to try the pancakes. She took her fork and cut a piece of pancake before putting it in her mouth. Dakota smiled enjoying the taste of the pancakes.

“Oh wow! These are good!” Dakota beamed. Joey smiled as she enjoyed the pancakes he made. Blaire looked at the pancakes before trying one herself. She smiled and enjoyed the pancakes as well.

“You’re right, these are good!” Blaire beamed as well. Joey smiled and put some pancakes on his plate, and then he sat down and enjoyed breakfast with his family and their friends.

After breakfast everyone put his or her plates in the sink. “I’ll go wash the dishes, and you guys can go play.” Joey said.

Bendy nodded. “Alright!” He grabbed Dakota’s hand. “Come on! Let’s go!” He yelled. Dakota and Blaire followed the toons to hang around the studio. To the girls surprise there was no one inside.

“Where is everyone?” Blaire asked.

“Its Sunday!” Boris replied. “Everyone is off doing their own things.”

“So its just us?” Blaire asked again. The toons nodded in reply.