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redroomreflections · 6 months ago

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All Play, No Work

Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Not Easily Broken Universe

Masterlist | General Masterlist Summary: Reader walks in on their son yelling at Natasha

Natasha thought it was a simple request. One she’s asked him plenty of times before. It’s time for dinner and she needs him to put his toys and video game away. The mountain of toys and blankets around him signals he’s had his fun. Video games weren’t even allowed on school nights but she let him have it this time.

“Toys away please,” Natasha requests. “Say goodnight to your friends. You’ll see them tomorrow at school.” Ryan nods his head mindlessly the first time. His hands never leave the buttons on his controller. If anything, his fingers move even faster. He understands what she’s asking but he’s too into this round of Fortnite to actually do it. Just ten more minutes. All he needed was ten more minutes. Natasha wasn’t going to press him. He usually listens. Though these days he’s been testing his limits more and more. With a sigh, she goes back into the kitchen to finish prepping for dinner. It’s the first family dinner the four of you have had in a while. You and Emma stepped out to the store only an hour ago to pick up rolls. Emma’s favorites.

Natasha is finally putting the finishing touches on her baked salmon before she can put it into the oven. All of those cooking classes you two took years ago finally paid off. Her lack of cooking skills was her only weakness and you both joked about it constantly. Now, she was insanely good. Her need to perfect the craft-making her even more willing to try new recipes. And she wanted to be able to feed her children healthy meals. Natasha opens the oven with one hand while shoving the glass casserole dish onto one of the racks. She closes the door and walks over to begin chopping cucumbers for the salad. She loses track of time lost in her own world as she prepares the rest of dinner.

A scream from Ryan pulls her from her thoughts. Natasha sets her knife down. Hadn’t she told him minutes ago to put it away?

“Come on, go faster,” Ryan yells from his seat on the couch. Natasha walks with measured steps into the living room. She stands in his line of vision so that he can see her.

“I asked you to put it away, Ryan.” She interrupts his talking. He pretends to ignore her only sending her a glance.

“In a minute,” He hyper focuses on the screen in front of him. He’s having too much fun to finish now.

“Did you finish your homework?” Natasha asks. He’s seven. Of course, he didn’t. Even after she asked him to bring it to her to check.

“I can do it before the bus comes,” Ryan says.

“No, that’s not an option, especially when you don’t even like waking up early enough to finish the homework,” Natasha did not want to deal with a tired kid dragging his feet over addition and subtraction. “Off, now.” Natasha holds out her hand to take the controller from him. She waits, with a sliver of patience, for him to hand it to her.

Ryan smacks his lips. He makes a sound akin to a growl as he presses a few buttons to quickly turn the game off.

“This isn’t fair, AJ’s mom lets him play for however long he wants,” Ryan frowns.

“I’m not AJ’s mom,” Natasha replies. “I gave you more than enough time to play and to pick up your toys. Your mom and Emma will be back any minute and we’re eating dinner as a family.”

“Well, I wish she was my mom. She’s fun,” Ryan mutters. “I don’t want any stupid dinner.” He adds as an afterthought.

Natasha frowns. His anger is far and infrequent since you’ve been around more but he’s definitely still testing his boundaries.

“You don’t have to eat but you do have to put your things away,” Natasha says. She’s not going to argue with him on why he should. She’s not one of those parents that are controlling every aspect of their child’s life but she’s also not a pushover.

“I don’t have to do what you say!” Ryan stands from the couch. He’s barely taller than Natasha’s shoulders but he’s challenging her.

“Ryan Matthew Romanoff,” Natasha begins. “I’m not going to ask you again. Toys away. Video games on my dresser. If you’re going to act like this I’m not going to let you play on a school night anymore.” This seems to set Ryan off and he does something without thinking. A bad something.

You manage to catch the tail end of the conversation as you and Emma enter through the front door. He yells “I hate you,” while tossing the controller at Natasha’s head with full force. Neither of you was expecting this show of anger and you gasped when it collided with her forehead. Natasha’s quick reflexes aren’t quick enough as she stands in shock. For a second, Ryan does too. He looks up at Natasha with wide eyes and a look of fear on his face.

“Ooo,” Emma’s teasing, and surprised tone doesn’t help the situation at all. You pass her the grocery bag before walking over to them.

“Hey, that is completely unacceptable,” You shake your head. Your voice is a little louder than necessary. Just on the edge of yelling as Ryan jumps at your words. For a second he wonders if this is grounds for a spanking. You would never. Right?

“I didn’t mean-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” You shake your head. “What’s going on?” You turn to Natasha to inspect her forehead. An angry red bruise quickly formed just above her eyebrow.

“I asked him to put his toys away,” Natasha’s hushed tone and the tears in her eyes set you off more.

“And this is how you react? Throwing things at your Mama?” You turn back to Ryan. He doesn’t respond only dropping his head to the floor. “No, don’t do that. Pick your head up. You pick these toys up like she asked and you go to your room. Leave the video game on the bedroom dresser.” It’s an instruction just like Natasha gave. He doesn't question you or say anything this time. He moves quicker gathering his toys to put in the bin in a corner of the living room. You can see Emma teasing in the corner of your eye. “Unless you want to be in trouble too I suggest you go find a seat in the kitchen or in your room.” Emma scurries away hoping not to find out what trouble means. “We’ll be back in here in a few minutes and everything better be off this floor.” You grab Natasha’s hand to pull her down the hallway into the half bath. You tap the counter to instruct her to sit on it and she does.

“Has he done that before?” You ask and it’s Natasha’s turn to avoid your gaze. “He has?” Natasha nods slightly. “I know you said he’s been getting into trouble at school but this? He’s hit you before?” Natasha nods again. You remember the phase both kids had when they were younger. As toddlers learn to express their emotions and anger. You taught them better than that. At least you thought you did.

“He gets little bursts of anger,” Natasha shakes her head. “I can’t…I don’t know what to do with that.” She admits. “Kerry says she spanks Miles when he tried it but I can’t. I can’t do that.” Natasha bites her bottom lip nervously. “He’s going through a tough time and -” She doesn’t want to resort to corporal punishment. Her own childhood was riddled with exactly that and more. She won’t put her kids through that. Not even with their less-than-good behaviors.

“That doesn’t excuse it, Natasha.” You say firmly. You bring your hand up to caress her cheek and inspect the bruise on her head. “Jesus, Nat.” You breathe. “I didn’t know it was this bad.” You know you have to nip this behavior right in the bud. Now. It was unacceptable. “Are you okay?” You ask.

“I’m fine,” She lies straight through her teeth. You won’t push it. Twice now both kids have said they’ve hated her. A concept even you find upsetting. They’re directing their anger at her when it should be directed at you. Natasha doesn’t deserve it. She doesn’t.

“I’m going to go and talk to him.” You say. “Take your time in here and I’ll check on dinner.” Natasha’s eyes flutter closed at the kiss you place on her head. You look her over one more time before exiting the bathroom. The first stop is the kitchen. This is where you find Emma coloring at the dinner table. She’s humming to herself and swinging her feet under the table.

“Mommy, is Ryan going to get in trouble?” Emma asks. ��Because he said he hated Mama and he threw his controller at her. That’s a no-no.”

“Don’t worry about Ryan’s punishment,” You tell her. “Worry about Emma’s punishment. She told me you said that to her too.” You close the oven after checking it to come and kneel beside her. “What’s with that?”

“I was just mad,” Emma shrugs.

“I understand that,” You tell her. “But that’s not something I ever want to hear you say about or to her. Do you think that makes her feel good when you say that?” Emma’s feet stop swinging as she thinks about it. “Would that make you feel good if someone said that to you?”

“No,” She shakes her head.

“Well, I’d suggest we find better ways of expressing ourselves, right, Baby girl?” You give her a small smile at her look of deep thought. “We’ve gone over better methods than this. You feel angry you talk. You go to your room and take deep breaths. You try again later.” Emma nods. She understands. “Now finish your coloring while I go talk to your brother.”

“I’m going to make a picture for Mama,” Emma decides. Her little legs continue to swing as she pulls one of her crayons from the box. Maybe that will make Mama feel better.

You stand to your full height and take a deep breath. Talking to Ryan may not be as easy. You go to the living room first to find it cleaner than before. All toys put away, tv off, video game missing. He’s done as told. You walk next up the stairs to his bedroom. He’s lying on his bed, arms folded while looking up at the ceiling. He quickly sits up at the sight of you. You try to cool off as you sit next to his legs.

“You want to tell me your version?” You give him a chance. You’re not here to be angry with him. Even if the scene before made you upset.

“I just wanted to play some more,” Ryan shrugs. “She told me to put it away. I didn't want to.” He summarizes.

“You didn't want to,” You repeat. “And how long had you been playing?”

“I don’t know. A long time.”

“Even though it’s a school night and she already allowed you to play in the first place,” You deduce. “And instead of listening and doing as told you decided that you would hit your Mama with an object that could have seriously hurt her. Am I getting that right?”

“Yes,” Ryan mumbles with a look of guilt. He drops his head again and you shake your head.

“Hey, look at me,” You gently prod. “This isn’t the first time you’ve done that. Hit her. Or said you hate her.” You question. “You’re getting into fights at school too? You’re in the second grade. What could you be fighting about?”

“Nothing,” Ryan dismisses a little too quickly.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” You place a hand on his leg. “ Did someone say something to you?”

Ryan pauses. “ Michael said Mama was the reason that you left. Because she’s the Black Widow and she’s a killer and that she did bad things. He said his dad told him that. I told him he was a liar. I don’t believe him. Mama’s not a bad person. She’s a good person. She’s an Avenger.” Ah. That’s where his conflicted emotions come from. While he's been protective of Natasha when it comes to you, he’s also battling feeling like she’s the reason why you left.

Left.

“I’m glad you told me that,” You thank him for his honesty. “I know how confusing it must be for you to hear that about your Mama.”

“But is it true?” Ryan asks. You don’t know which part he’s referring to. “That you left because of her?”

“No,” You sigh. “Ryan I left because I had my own things going on. Nothing to do with your Mama. We hit a rough patch. It’s. It’s not easy to explain but I felt that you would be much better off without me. All three of you. I didn’t want to hurt her anymore. Your Mama didn’t make me leave.”

“Oh,” Ryan’s bottom lip trembled. “I’m always so mad. I didn't mean to hit her. I didn’t. I don’t want to hurt her.”

“Whether you meant to or not you did.” You lightly scold him. “You know better than to hit people. I won’t have it. Especially not with your Mama or Emma. The same goes for her.”

Ryan bursts into tears emotions too big for him to express himself properly.

“I don’t want her to leave, too.” Ryan cries. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He buries his face into your neck clinging to you as he sobs. You raise a hand to cradle him in your arms. “I’m sorry. I won’t hit Mama again. I won’t yell at her. I don’t want her to leave.”

“I know,” You whisper into his ear. You feel like complete and utter shit. Truly. You allow him to cry in your arms for a bit longer. Finally, you pull back to look into his eyes. “No one is leaving. Not me. Not Mama.”

“B-but you did leave,” Ryan pouts.

“I know and it was the biggest mistake of my life,” You admit. “Just like I said in the diner I’m working to make that up to you.” Ryan sniffles. “That also means we have to work together as a family to make sure we’re all treating each other fairly. Which means no more of those temper tantrums or outbursts.” Ryan nods.

“Can I go say sorry to Mama?” Ryan questions. You sigh again.

“Ryan, are you hearing me?” You wipe the tears from his face. “Just because you apologize doesn’t mean it’s okay if you’re just going to do it again.” Words you should live by you know.

“I hear you,” He whispers. “I’m not going to do it again. I swear.”

“I’m taking your word for it,” You said.

“Is Mama going to hate me now?” He voices his fear. “Since I did something bad?”

“No, Mama could never hate you,” You say. “Go and talk to her.” Ryan scrambles from your lap to run downstairs in search of Natasha. You stay behind to take a breather. Family therapy may not be so bad.

Ryan finds Natasha in the kitchen marveling over the picture Emma has drawn for her. Before she has time to react he’s hugging her side and apologizing profusely. Natasha removes her arm from being squished between them to wrap them around his middle.

“I’m sorry, Mama, I won’t do that again.” His words are muffled as he pushes his face into her shoulder. “I’m really sorry. I promise.”

“Okay, okay,” Natasha leans back to look into his worried brown eyes. “I accept your apology, Ryan.” He looks up at her forehead before frowning.

“I’m sorry, Mama.” He repeats.

“I know,” Natasha says. “How about we finish dinner together? Hmm. Then we can talk about your punishment.”

“No game for two weeks?” He guesses and Natasha laughs.

“Three.” She smiles at his groan.

“I guess that’s fine,” Ryan still clings to her. “I can help with cooking.” He moves back to stand just as you reach the kitchen. You’re content to watch in the background as she works around them.

No more tantrums. For today at least.

fun question - how would you have handled this ?

#natasha romanoff #black reader #natasha x reader #black widow x reader #black widow x female reader #natasha romanov #natasha x you

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wol-fica · 1 year ago

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-𝕎𝕠𝕖 𝕀𝕤 𝕄𝕖?- ℙ𝕋𝟜

pairings - wenclair x daughter!reader

summary - closer comes with apologies to your mothers, but will that peace last?

warnings - none

an - you can read this while you wait for the new smut fic

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Humans are creatures of prescribed non-perfection.

No matter how hard one tries, they will never be the best version of themselves. They will never fit the puzzle piece of a perfect society member, and they will always have at least one thing wrong with them.

With you, your imperfections came at an alarming rate and were exceedingly wrong in most people’s eyes. Instead of playing with barbie’s as a kid, you played with knives and ouija boards. Instead of running around at the playground with Luka, you chose to snatch kids and drag them into the woods while they screamed and cried for their mommies. While every other “normal” child grew up to do normal things, you stuck with the abnormal side of the world.

In simple terms, you were just weird.

“I don’t understand.” Luka said, eyeing you carefully while you ate your salad, “You told mom and mama that you didn’t love them anymore?”

“Contrary, I just told them I wish they weren’t my parents.” You replied, chewing on a cucumber while you read your book.

“Basically the same thing.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Ehhh it sounds the same.”

“Luka.” You said, setting your fork down and turning to him, “Stop pestering me about it.”

“But-.” He started before trailing off when he saw the look you were giving him, “Okay.”

You nodded, reaching over to give his shoulder a gentle pat. He smiled at you, then turned back to his own lunch; raw cow thigh. It was still parents weekend, but the rest of your family wouldn’t be joining you until later for the carnival hangout.

You weren’t nervous, that’s not the word you would use, but you definitely were feeling uneasy about being around your parents. You knew how your mothers temper could get, especially if your mom was upset about something. You’ve never been in the line of fire with her temper, but you have witnessed the twins getting the heat on their necks from time to time.

To say it’s scary is an understatement, the way she yelled at them was a terrifying sight to see. Your mother was one of the very few things you were afraid of, hence why you steered clear of getting into trouble with her when she was angry.

Unfortunately, now you were the center of her frustration due to your honest comments about how you felt neglected, which ultimately leads to her being salty with you all of the carnival day. At the moment, Luka was dragging you around to each and every game he could find, your brothers are your heels while your parents trailed behind.

“Oooh, Y/N look! You could totally beat that one!” Louis said, pushing you towards an archery game.

You scowled, shrugging his hands off of you to turn to face the game clerk. He held his hand out for money to play, and Luka slapped five dollars into his hand with a smile.

“Our sister is gonna dominate this game.” Louis yelled, sneering at the game clerk.

“And she will make sure none beat her name.” Leo added on, a devious smile on his face.

“Ten for ten?” Luka asked from your right, watching as you picked up the cheap bow, “Should I bet on you?”

Your lips quirked into a small smirk, your eyes flickering to him, “If you do, you’ll definitely be rich.”

You drew back the first arrow, staring into your brother's icy blue eyes, and let go. The arrow flew forward, and pierced right through the center of the first target. Your brothers cheered, clearly happy with how your first shot went. To your left, you could just barely pick up on your mom lightly clapping, while your mother brooded next to her.

“Yeah, you will be rich.” You mumbled to Luka before hitting the next nine shots perfectly.

“That’s why you’re my favorite sister.” He chuckled, taking the large teddy bear from the now butthurt game clerk.

“I’m your only sister.”

“Exactly!”

You rolled your eyes, taking your bag from him and slinging it over your shoulder. Louis and Leo hurried past you and looped their arms into Luka’s, dragging him away towards an ongoing hotdog eating contest. You turned, just in time to see Wednesday hurry past you to follow them. Soon you were left alone with your mom, an awkward silence between the two of you.

“Your archery has gotten better.” Enid said, walking closer until she stood beside you, “Have you been practicing with Xavier’s daughter?”

“Yes, Mika has been giving me tips.” You replied, eyes trained on Luka stuffing his face with four hotdogs.

Another pregnant pause, one that made a bubbly feeling of anxiety rise in your throat. Your hands started to feel clammy, but before you could say anything, your mom beat you to it.

“I know you didn’t mean what you said.” She murmured, staring at you with warm eyes, “At least I hope you didn’t.”

You nodded, silently agreeing with her words. She smiled, and moved closer to bump her shoulder against yours in a playful way.

“Wednesday is upset,” She began, reaching out to brush a lock of hair behind your ear, “But I’m positive she would be happy if you apologized.”

You nodded again, sniffling softly as tears made their way to your eyes. Your mom picked up on that, and was quick to pull you into a hug. Your arms immediately went around her body, nuzzling your face into her chest for comfort as you tried to suppress your sobs.

“It’s okay.” Enid said, her lips pressing to your temple, “You are always allowed to cry.”

At her words you broke, letting the tears fall down your face and into her sweater as you hiccuped and cried into her chest. She rubbed your back, whispering words of comfort into your ear while she held you.

“I’m sorry.” You whimpered, tightening your hold on her, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean any of it.”

“I know, I know.” Your mom cooed, softly cradling your head, “It’s okay, I forgive you baby.”

You cried quietly, your sobs soon shrinking down to sniffles against her colorful sweater. She held you close, gently swaying from side to side to help calm you down. You vaguely heard footsteps approaching, but your senses were overwhelmed with tears and your mom that you couldn’t comprehend who they belonged to.

“Hey Y/N/N.” Enid whispered, giving you a small squeeze, “Wednesday is here.”

You sucked in a breath, leaning back to look up to your mother, meeting her black eyes. Her gaze was softer than usual, yet still held its brooding demeanor. You gulped, choosing to stare at the ground instead of her.

“I’m sorry…for saying what I said.” You mumbled, playing with your hands, “I didn’t mean it, and I never will.”

Enid had her hand on your back, gently caressing up and down to help calm you. You stood in silence, expecting your mother to rain hellfire down on you, but nothing came.

Instead, she moved forward and pulled you into her arms, giving you a tight hug. You stiffened, unsure of what to do since your mother almost NEVER gave hugs. She held you, pulling your body close to hers.

“I forgive you.” Wednesday said, pulling back to look at you, “Thank you for apologizing.”

You nodded, feeling a bit awkward just standing there. Enid came up next to you, leaning over to whisper something in your mothers ear. She smiled and nodded, but before you could even question anything, Luka comes barreling out of nowhere with a trophy in his hand and mustard all over his face.

“I WON!” He screamed, almost tackling you to the ground, “158 HOTDOGS!”

“Amazing.” You said sarcastically, pushing him off of you, “You smell like mustard, get away from me.”

He gave you a cheesy grin and turned to your mom, showing her the trophy in which she squealed to. The twins ran up with their own miniature trophies, and soon the four werewolves were jumping up and down in pure joy. You scowled at the sight, glancing at your mother who wore the same exact look, and let out a little laugh.

“What’s so funny.” She asked, turning to you.

“None of your business.” You shot back.

“It is my business if you’re laughing at me.”

“Who said I was laughing at you? Is everything about you?”

Wednesday snorted, pulling you into a side hug with a kiss to the top of your head. You hummed, leaning your head on her shoulder while your arm went around her.

“Thank you for forgiving me.” You said, looking up at your mother.

“Of course, I’ll always forgive you.” She replied, a small smile at the sight of her family in front of her.

“I…I love you mama.” You mumbled, tucking yourself closer into her side.

Wednesday froze up, and looked down at you, taking in the fact you said that before smiling warmly.

“I love you too, bonita niña.”

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taglist: @cartierdreamx@tundra1029@red1culous@vorsdany@andsoigotabutterfly@theafterofnevermore@yomomisgay@house-of-lovin@slvt4lanadelrey@thenextdawn@nepobaby08@dunohilly@somekindofpoet@alexkolax@cinffy23@pedrosprincess@amberfreemansburntface@myfturn

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eyeofnewtblog · 2 years ago

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Things that happen at home:

So, when I first met my SO, he was very clear that American Thanksgiving was his mom’s favorite holiday and going to her place was non negotiable. Every other holiday is up for grabs, but this is the one time a year his mom wants all of her kids around. My family doesn’t care: whoever shows up is welcome, grab a plate, do presents in private unless you’re under the age of ten, etc.

So, some highlights of spending time with my very redneck in-laws:

My brother in law, after a game of Yahtzee, in the most tipsy tired voice imaginable: I sure wish you could count without talking.

My mother in law and sister in law, repeatedly: IF YOU AREN’T HELPING THEN GET OUT. OUT!!!. (To be fair, it’s a pretty small kitchen so if you have two people cooking and one person washing the dishes it’s great but if someone comes in to chat or drop a dirty dish…dude, you chose to walk into the mine field.)

Me, having been given a giant Tupperware and told to make a lightly tossed salad with only tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and lettuce: *gets everything shredded and quartered into the giant Tupperware, snaps the lid on, clutches the entire container to my chest, and starts jumping up and down*

Husbo, sister in law, mother in law, brother in law (who at the time were all arguing over the proper making of brown gravy): *turn to look at me, bust out laughing*

Me: *still jumping up and down with a giant Tupperware of salad) You said you wanted it tossed and then didn’t give me any way to do that besides a lid and shaking! My arms are not strong!

My sister in law, trying very hard to not die laughing at me: At least it gets the job done!

Much later and a also lot of alcohol later:

Me: *consistently calls my brother in law’s fiancé the wrong name - Mattie instead of Meggy is honestly a perfect example without using real names*

The whole family: *corrects me first gently and then progressively more sarcastic like as the drunken misnaming continues*

Me, each and every time: Fuck, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. That’s genuinely my bad.

My totally chill future sister in law who is also a kindergarten teacher that parties hardy OFF of any social media: Nah, don’t worry about it, my students are worse, and at least you apologized for the mistakes.

Things that happen on Black Friday:

Husbo takes all of his siblings out for breakfast at the local greasy spoon…

Me, to my sister in law’s fiancé: so what do you think about the newest black panther movie and black Adam?

*proceed very interesting discussion on how celebrities effect/affect political demographics and why medical and mechanical insurance can and cannot be more similar *

#humans are space orcs #family is important #actually being able to bond #that’s a thing #you need funny anecdotes sure #but family is built on trust and that’s never going to change

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xinnamonbun · 3 months ago

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...YOU KNOW WHAT- F IT!

SHIP KIDS!

I'm not going to do anything with them but they have been rotting away in my drawing app for months, they deserve to breathe (also because they've been in there for months these drawings are old and as such I HATE them; burn the old art with fire)

Napoleon Ice Cream (Berry/Vanilla/Coco): Bot/Goo

The youngest; would be adopted YEARS after the second youngest is born; yes this means test tube and fan would be grandparents

I remember I loved these three so much, but looking back it's something about them doesn't look right- and also very original personalities were just so one dimensional (shy/happy/silly; from left to right) I still think that the idea of them being an object version of conjoined triplets is fun though.

Candy Apple: Marshmallow/Apple

Second youngest; was raised in the mansion; got bow from Aunt Bow as a birthday gift

Genuinely was a character that I think had potential if i was to do anything with them. They were just kind of silly and they were fun to imagine shenanigans with. I also had this thing where everyone else would think of her as "the crazy homeschooled until 3rd grade ghost believer"

Hurling Ball: Baseball/Nickel

3rd youngest; definitely a bit on the rude side but more in like the older brother way (like he'll pick on his friends and other ship kids but if you make fun of them he will destroy you mentally and physically; their best friend is Hot Air Balloon (more on that later)

I honestly thought he was boring before but weirdly I think he would have been one of the more interesting ship kids, weird how time changes people's perspective. Also some fun peace of trivia they were originally going to be a steel Ball but because I was obsessed with originality after I found out someone else already did that I tried to find another ball and hurling Ball looked good enough (tbh I don't even remember what sport his ball is from)

Paprika: Salt/Pepper

4th youngest; just like her moms; considered pretty

She's just a Blue's Clues reference. She is the most boring one on here.

Golden Cup: Trophy/Cheesey

5th youngest; loves pranks; would be a part of the mean girls.... that I never fleshed out-

The second most boring. It's unfortunate that her design ended up being the most simple because this was the FIRST one I did. Originally she was going to be a yellow cab but she was going to be a mug specifically so I could have a pun on there for cheesy but it ended up looking too clunky so I ended up going up this instead (I should have gone with the pun mug)

Hot Air Balloon (Balloon Jr.): Suitcase/Balloon

5th oldest; shy; despite the previous trait EXTRAORDINARILY protective of his friends; best friends with Hurling Ball

For this genuinely being my favorite ship surprisingly I didn't think of much for him. SIKE I MADE A WHOLE ARC OF HIM NOT WANTING TO BE BABIED BY HIS PARENTS. Kind of made him have a hole rebellious teen arc in which part of it is because of influence from Torch- oh right I scraped them because of my originality rule. So now they're arc doesn't make sense because I never even designed their love interest that causes half of the arc...great

Lamp: Lightbulb/Paintbrush

4th oldest; likes bossing other kids; has temper issues (geez wonder where those came from)

her whole thing is that she genuinely loves the world around her and constantly wants to explore it but because of the fact of if she gets too angry her light bulb explodes (and causing her to pass out and if not treated die) she's constantly pushed away from pursuing what they want to do in life which ironically has the opposite effect and ends up with them slowly bottling everything in (at least trying to) until it explodes in their face (literally IN their face)

Cucumber Salad: Taco/Cucumber (OC)

3rd oldest; has trust issues; has lived with her her whole life yet knows nothing about her mom

I've explained the absolute TEA that is the Taco drama when it comes to cucumber salad and I don't want to explain it again so if you want to know that whole story go here. She has no idea who her father is until much later in the story and as such Taco is her single mother. As for cucumber salad herself her trust issues are immaculate and what that basically means is that you cannot have a normal conversation with her without her demonizing you in her mind. Her one and only friend is Edge (we'll get to that in a little bit). Originally her and Ed were written into be love interests but WAY later for drama reasons I decided I wanted pickle and cucumber to be brothers... WHICH MADE THE SHIP REALLY BAD SO I SCRAPPED IT. I'm still in the fence about pickling cucumber being Brothers but I don't want to risk it so yeah the crush thing is scrapped. Unfortunately I realizing I didn't have a lot of her personality planned out cuz I was so distracted by tacos drama. Most scenarios I thought of with her was her realizing everything her mom has done in the past and/or the fact that she was a mistake-

Straight Edge Paring Knife: Knife/Pickle

2nd oldest; therapist friend; is it dumb in the smartest way possible

His entire personality was basically being the therapist friend and being smarter than he gave himself credit for. Like with more logic focus stuff he's terrible but when it comes to pretty much anything mentally he's as smart as a wise old man that's already lived life. A little bit of this comes from knife but a lot of it doesn't both pickle and knife are very confused on how they're son is so emotionally intelligent. He considers cucumber salad a friend but not a best friend unlike her (ouch)

Candelabra: Silver/Candle

Oldest; well at least she would be if she wasn't the only scrapped character that I've drawn

I forget what her personality was going to be before the most part she was pretty much just this elegant refined person. She was scrapped because I kid you not literally a couple HOURS after I drew her I came across an ask blog that also had a candelabra in it. Don't get me wrong I'm very appreciative is that I found it and it's one of my favorite Tumblr blogs to date (and is also run by one of my mutuals) However again I had a huge "all of the ship kids I make must be original objects with no exceptions!" thing so because of this I scrapped her immediately.

Closing thoughts:

This was a nice trip down memory lane, but if I was ever to actually make a ship kids thing then they would be redesigned, rewritten, and in certain cases replaced. Some of these designs are horrendous to look at looking back and/or are just boring. I'd want to rewrite a lot of their personalities and stories at the very least to make them feel more dimensional. And for certain characters I don't know if I'd want them to exist at all (mainly golden cup)

#inanimate insanity #ship kids #ship child #and for some reason I decided to do the season 2 styles for the limbs #even though season 3 already existed-#Now...#BURN THEM WITH FIRE

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marcholasmoth · 2 years ago

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OSRR: 3198

today i slept in and i ended up showing my mom the dresses i got yesterday. she likes the lace one better than the off the shoulder one, which i fully expected. but honestly my favorite is the pink sundress that i didn't even try on yesterday - the girl at the register was pretty and tall and called me "friend" and i might've panicked a little bit but i looked at it and found a 3x and said "this one" and lo and behold it's perfect. it just doesn't have pockets.

i word the pink one today.

i stopped for gas and paid less than $3 a gallon and then i got orange juice on my skirt which i rinsed out with a bottle of water that i'd left in the car for a few days, which worked really well. and it dried before i even got to joel's because it got up to 78° today, and i drove around with the windows down because it was nice. i stopped at dunks on the way over for a coolatta and some donuts. good life choice.

d&d today was good - i even got to pay attention a little bit despite not taking my meds. we planned for and made it back to the abyss so we could find red's sister who we lost when we were down here originally to save helm. after a day and a half of shifting terrain and whipping sand, we found her! she had a half-snake companion with her and was a tad bit mad so before taking a long rest to regain my only 7th level spell slot to planeshift, i got rid of the madness and the snake lady mouthed "thank you" to me because she was getting SO fed up with the sister's antics. so we got spring (the sister) and made it to the river styx where the snake lady got in and floated downriver to her own level of the abyss where she needed to get back to so she could reclaim her rightful place on the throne after being wrongfully imprisoned. when it was out chance to make it across the river, we all had to pay a ferryman to get on his boat to go to the next place, which was to save our original ship's navigator from when we went there in the first place. thankfully neither of them were down as far as we went the first time, so it's a lot easier to get there. that's where the session ended.

after game, we decided on dinner and i went and grabbed it (we got diner food because it's what i wanted), and we enjoyed different things for which i realized i was very grateful. i love restaurants and stuff because they have so many different things prepared to cook and if you do that at home you make a bunch of one thing and everybody eats the same thing but i could have an omelette and some potatoes and joel could have eggs and french toast and john could get meatloaf and it was all good. i love the concept of restaurants and not having to eat the same thing as everyone else. not everyone likes the same things as i do so it's less painful to say "yes let me get this thing i know i like" as opposed to "i still don't like meatballs, i don't like that kind of salad, i still can't eat cucumbers, and bananas make my tongue itchy." i can worry about my diet without impacting what other people eat. it's helpful.

and when i had eaten my dinner and hugged joel, i headed home. but i stopped at dairy queen first for a chocolate cone and a root beer.

once home i just sat with my mom and i helped her by getting some things and i squished her feet and grabbed her new damp cloths so she would be a little comfier and i adjusted her seat so she could sleep as best she could. she still feels awful. i'm sad she doesn't feel good :c i hope she feels better for wednesday :(

and now i'm in bed and i am happy i was able to fully charge my devices today and i'm happy it's bedtime because i am very tired. good news is my shoulders hurt less. so that's good.

that's all. i'm probably gonna go see joel tomorrow at some point. got a lot of shit to do tomorrow. bleh.

#molly rambles #operation srr #osrr #3000s #3100s #sunshine boy #d&d adventures

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stephenfries · 4 years ago

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Cinco de Mayo: Vibrant flavors make for a zesty celebration

Hot and Smoky Shrimp Tacos

Recipes from Salsas and Tacos by The Santa Fe Cooking School, photographs by Natalie Dicks, reprinted with permission.

Tacos, chips and salsa, Margaritas, Tequila, and guacamole will be center-stage tomorrow at home parties and at many restaurants providing the backdrop with music, decorations and Mexican-inspired fare. Why? It is the celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The day is a double celebration for me since it also is my birthday.

Many think it is the celebration of Mexico’s independence, which it is not. It is the day in 1862 when the Mexican Army surprisingly defeated the French in the Battle of Puebla. What I find interesting is that Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States than Mexico, although it is a big celebration in Puebla, where the day is celebrated with parades and reenactments of the 1862 battle.

Perusing the bookstore shelves, “Salsas and Tacos” by Susan Curtis and the Santa Fe School of Cooking (2019, Gibbs-Smith, $14.99) stood out; a hot little book with big taste to spice up your Cinco de Mayo. It was exciting to find this book because I met Susan many years ago when we were taking a “train-the-trainer” class in teambuilding using culinary arts in New York City. I have since taken a class at her school over a decade ago, and will see her soon in Santa Fe where she is an ambassador for the upcoming International Association of Culinary Professionals annual convention. I know I will be returning with products from her store and some recipes, too.

New Mexican cuisine is a melting pot of Mexican, Spanish, Native American and America Cowboy cooking techniques and flavors. The book provides bold recipes from the chefs from the Santa Fe School of Cooking. I found the “heat rating” for the salsa recipes and the techniques of roasting and toasting of chiles helpful. From the basic salsa fresca, roasted corn and Anasazi Bean salsa to grapefruit-orange salsa, to Jicama-Watermelon Salsa, and the recipes below for mango salsa and lemon-cucumber salsa, the vibrancy of the colors will enhance your tacos. The author writes, “It wouldn’t be fair to provide you with recipes for such amazing salsas and then leave you without any taco recipes. Hold on to your shoes because these taco fillings will knock your socks off!”

Taco recipes included go beyond a taco filled with ground beef, lettuce, tomato and cheese. If you are planning a gathering on Sunday, an assortment of taco fillings and salsas and homemade tortillas will make your Cinco de Mayo party the hottest around. Adobo Pork Tacos with Grilled Pineapple; Potato, Poblano Chile, and Spinach Tacos with Cream; Steak and Mushroom Tacos with Green Chiles; and these recipes for Hot and Smoky Shrimp Tacos and Apple Pie Tacos are among the recipes you will find.

Mango Salsa

The headnote says, “This is a wonderful garnish for grilled tuna or salmon, or any fish taco. It can also be used as a base for an excellent fish salad by mixing about 1 pound of grilled tuna or salmon into the salsa.” Rating medium.

2 large ripe mangoes

1 medium hothouse cucumber* cut into quarter-inch dice

2 medium red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into quarter-inch dice

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into quarter-inch dice

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

2 to 3 serrano chiles, minced

Fresh lime juice, to taste

Salt, to taste

*Regular cucumbers may be substituted, but peel and remove the seeds.

Peel the mangoes with a small sharp knife. Cut the flesh away from the large flat pit in two pieces then cut it from the narrow edges of the pit. Cut these pieces into quarter-inch dice.

In a medium bowl, combine the diced mango, cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, cilantro, chiles, lime juice, and salt. Toss gently but thoroughly.

Let the salsa stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Makes 3 cups.

Lemon Cucumber Salsa

The headnote says, “Serve as an easy way to dress up a simple piece of fish or as a refreshing side salad.” Rating medium.

2 cups lemon cucumber* unpeeled, cubed

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 teaspoons crushed red chile (chile caribe)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (a combination of chives, mint, tarragon, and/ or cilantro is good)

Salt, to taste

Combine all the ingredients and stir. Let stand for 20 minutes, taste, and adjust seasoning. Makes about 2 cups.

*Tip: Lemon cucumbers are named for their shape and color, which resemble lemons. If you cannot find lemon cucumbers, peeled and seeded cucumbers may be substituted.

Hot and Smoky Shrimp Tacos

The headnote says, “The flavor and the spiciness of chipotle chiles, which are smoked red jalapenos, make a perfect foil for the garlicky shrimp. This dish was meant to be hot, but you can vary the intensity of heat by reducing the quantity of chiles. If you like, the shrimp may also be prepared using an outdoor grill; make the sauce without the shrimp then brush some on the shrimp before grilling. Toss shrimp with the remaining sauce after they are cooked.”

Taco Filling

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

8 cloves garlic, sliced

11/2 pounds medium shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined

11/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/8 to 1/4 cup pureed chipotle chiles in adobo

1/2 cup roasted tomato puree or canned tomato sauce

2 tablespoons cold water

Juice of 1/2 orange

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (about ½ large bunch)

Corn tortillas (store bought or use recipe on pg. 107 in the book which is found at https://bit.ly/2Prv3nI)

Preheat a heavy skillet or saute pan to medium hot (325 degrees); add olive oil and butter and continue heating until oil begins to smoke (400 degrees). Immediately add garlic, shrimp, and salt, stirring or tossing vigorously. Oil tends to splatter at this temperature, so be careful. When shrimp begin to turn opaque, stir in the chipotle chile puree and saute about 15 seconds to completely coat shrimp. Add tomato puree, water, and orange and lime juices. Reduce heat slightly and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve in corn tortillas, 2 or 3 shrimp per taco.

Serving suggestion: Garnish tacos with shredded romaine lettuce, Salsa Verde (recipe on page 24 in book), sliced avocados, radishes, lime wedges, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with white rice and black beans.

Makes 20 to 25 tacos

Apple Pie Tacos

The headnote says, “Dessert tacos aren’t a traditional Mexican dish; however, we wanted to include one of our favorite creations. We decided on the simple approach in keeping with the easygoing and casual nature of tacos. Easy to prepare, these look like tacos and have the universally satisfying flavor of Mom’s apple pie.”

Taco Filling

4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut in quarter-inch-thick slices

Dash of salt

1/4cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons ground Mexican canela or cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup apple juice

1/8 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon ground Mexican canela or cinnamon

Preheat a heavy skillet or saucepan to medium (300 to 325 degrees). Toss sliced apples with salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar then with flour and cornstarch. Place butter in pan; when it sizzles, add apple slices. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until flour mixture combines with butter. Add canela and allspice then apple juice and remaining sugar. Bring to a slow boil and cook for 5 minutes, until apple slices are soft and sauce is smooth and thick. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Tacos

This recipe is from pg. 108 from the book:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

3/4 cup hot water (145 degrees or more)

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Cut in the shortening until mix is the consistency of course cornmeal. Add water and mix to form a soft but not too sticky dough. Knead about 15 times to form a smooth dough. Form into 8 to 10 equal-size balls. Cover and let stand for 20-30 minutes. Flatten dough, rolling away from you with a small wooden dowel or rolling pin, turning dough 1/8 turn after each roll. Tortillas should be about 5 inches in diameter and of a uniform thickness. Cook tortillas on a preheated 350-degree comal, griddle or skillet for 15-20 seconds on the first side; flip over, and cook 20 seconds more while pressing down with a spatula. Keep warm in a cloth towel until ready to serve.

To serve: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling on each tortilla and fold in half. Melt some of the butter on a preheated comal, nonstick skillet, or griddle; place a filled tortilla in the butter. Cook about 11/2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Repeat for remaining tacos. Caution: If the temperature is too high, the tortillas will brown before filling is heated through. Dust tacos with powdered sugar and canela or cinnamon.

Note: These may be prepared ahead of time and reheated in a 325-degree oven.

Makes 8 tacos

Serving suggestion: Accompany tacos with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, fruit sorbet, or whipped cream.

#cinco de mayo #mexican food #salsas and tacos

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moonguilt · 5 years ago

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random klance and adashi headcanons? 🥺🤲

i have been meaning to put some grocery shopping headcanons out there… so here u go (plenty more beneath the cut as well):

-when keith and lance are falling in love and in their honeymoon phase with each other, they jump at the opportunity to go grocery shopping together because a) they wanna spend every moment with each other, and b) it’s domestic af and it makes them feel like they Have Something

-once they’ve been together a while, the novelty wears off and the laziness kicks in and they both try to find increasingly ridiculous ways to get the other person to go shopping without them

-keith usually goes for willful/feigned ignorance: “what kind of toothpaste did you say you wanted?” like 4 separate times, and then “idk they all look the same to me, i usually just grab whatever” and when lance inevitably goes on a tirade about the importance of his Very Specific brand and flavor, keith concludes with a “maybe you should buy it in person if you want to be sure you get the right one”

-lance’s tactic neglects logos and instead relies on pathos: “keeeith i am so tired” “keeeith my toes are still so cold from the walk home” “i promise i’ll go next time keith pleeeaase kosmo is in my lap and he’s so comfy look at him keith look. we are having a bonding moment keith dont interrupt us”

-when lance REALLY wants something Very Specific and is genuinely worried that keith will mess it up, he will give in to keith’s strategy and just go shopping himself, but 90% of the time keith is a Weak man and lance always gives him a big toothy grin and a kiss whenever he agrees so honestly you can’t blame him

-also it gives him a chance to restock his emergency midnight snack lunchables stash without lance giving him the “you are a grown man and my mamá gave me so many good recipes for us to try out and yet you choose to bring this under our roof” lecture (even though keith is sure that he bought 5 packs last time and only ate 3 of them but now their pantry is mysteriously devoid of lunchables, which means somebody in this house is lying about their disdain for lunchables)

-but ANYWAY sometimes they still actually do go to the store together just like old times and when they do:

-taking turns doing the thing where you run and put your weight on the back of the shopping cart and let it glide-(getting caught doing exactly that by an employee and being told off for it after they nearly knock over a chef boyardee can display)

-choosing an item on the list that they have no idea where to find & racing each other to see who can find it first

-“do you see this toothpaste keith. do you see this? can you see the name? can you read the flavor? you see how it says ‘for sensitive teeth’? do you see it?”-“considering you are practically shoving it down my throat, yes.”-“well then maybe your esophagus will be able to remember it for you next time you go shopping”

-keith grabbing the last pack of rainbow gold fish bc they are his favorite-toddler wanted those goldfish & starts crying-”ah shit fuck hey hey hey uhhh” cue keith turning a desperate look toward lance bc he Does Not Know how tf to handle small crying child-lance is like “dude, baby, sweetheart, my man, just give him the goldfish we can get the regular ones”-but keiths like?? bitch?? i got these first?? also im gay and these are my pride fish?? dont be homophobic-lance is about to argue with him abt it but then the kid’s mom gets involved and is like “how could you make my baby cry he’s just a kid let him have his goldfish dont be selfish”-you’ve activated Protective Lance mode-“um okay first of all, rude, keith got them first. second of all, this isnt even healthy for your kid. THIRD of all these are rainbow colored and keith is gay so maybe dont be homophobic??”-things escalate and keith and lance nearly throw down with karen and little jimmy in the snack aisle-they savor every last one of those fucking rainbow goldfish later that night, just out of pure gay spite

-lance spending several minutes inspecting individual broccoli stalks meticulously to make sure they buy only the very best-he narrows it down to two but keeps debating between them until keith comes up behind him and slumps against his back, wrapping his arms around lance’s waist and muttering something about how cold the produce aisle is-lance makes a snarky comment about keith being a whiny baby & keith retaliates by slipping his freezing fingers under lance’s shirt, prompting a startled yelp and giving keith the opportunity to pluck a broccoli stalk from lance’s hand and put it in the cart

-“okay, while we’re here, let’s grab a cucumber for the salad”-“gotcha, one cucumber coming right up–.. hey.. hey, keith, this one kinda looks like a–hehehe–hey keith, do you think i could–hnnkeehehe–do you think i could fit this one up–”-“oh my god”-“what do you say keith–you, me, this cucumber, a bottle of wine–”-“alright im getting on line.”-“wait wait babe im kidding come back let me put the cucumber in the cart”-“NO go get a different one, i am NOT letting that one anywhere near our salad”

-selfies with the local Stop & Shop robot. lance thinks it’s kind of creepy but keith thinks it’s cute and lance thinks that’s cute, so

-“lance we left the reusable bags in the car”-“quiznak. well that’s okay, we can just use plastic bags this one time and i’ll make sure we put them to good use at home so it’s not wastefu–”-“no. we paid money for our bags. we have to use them. i’ll be right back”-“keith we parked way down on the other side of the–oh my god KEITH WATCH OUT FOR THAT OLD LADY holy shit SLOW DOWN oh my god man”

-keith tries to sneak those storebought sugar cookies, you know the clear-boxed ones that they always put out front with holiday-colored frosting and sprinkles, into their cart-“keith what is with your obsession with processed food”-“it was all had to eat when i was living alone in the desert”---“baby that is very sad and you know i empathize with your tragic anime backstory but put those godawful abominations back or so help me”

-only, keith isn’t the only one who likes processed food

-yeah, another reason keith is so used to it is because even after he started living with shiro, he kept eating that junk because that’s all shiro ever ate too

-shiro is a slut for kraft mac & cheese

-this presents a problem for him and adam, because adam loves spicy food and loves to make spicy food for shiro to eat

-but shiro is a big baby, and due to his inability to cook and his subsequent reliance on kraft & campbell’s & top ramen, he basically has white people taste buds

-adam is scandalized when he learns this the hard way after finding shiro nearly in tears over his half-eaten serving of dum aloo

-adam promptly declares that shiro needs a culinary intervention and they have been working towards the recovery of his palate ever since

-shiro is a creature of habit though, and he will try to convince adam to let them buy kraft mac & cheese whenever they go to the store together (which is often because unlike keith and lance, they never got tired of it and they still consider it a romantic domestic activity to this day. they’re just gay like that)

-when keith and shiro have their “broganights” together they indulge in all their crappy processed comfort food, much to the consternation of lance and adam, who bond over their shared exasperation and begrudging affection for their respective partners

#klance #adashi #thank u for the ask i had fun with this hehe #sorry the klance ones are more extensive... i have a bit of a bias in case u havent noticed #headcanon #domestic #lavender letters #ask

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sfarticles · 4 years ago

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Cinco de Mayo: Vibrant flavors make for a zesty celebration

Hot and Smoky Shrimp Tacos

Recipes from Salsas and Tacos by The Santa Fe Cooking School, photographs by Natalie Dicks, reprinted with permission.

Mango Salsa

2 large ripe mangoes

1 medium hothouse cucumber* cut into quarter-inch dice

2 medium red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into quarter-inch dice

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into quarter-inch dice

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

2 to 3 serrano chiles, minced

Fresh lime juice, to taste

Salt, to taste

*Regular cucumbers may be substituted, but peel and remove the seeds.

Peel the mangoes with a small sharp knife. Cut the flesh away from the large flat pit in two pieces then cut it from the narrow edges of the pit. Cut these pieces into quarter-inch dice.

In a medium bowl, combine the diced mango, cucumber, bell peppers, red onion, cilantro, chiles, lime juice, and salt. Toss gently but thoroughly.

Let the salsa stand at room temperature for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Makes 3 cups.

Lemon Cucumber Salsa

The headnote says, “Serve as an easy way to dress up a simple piece of fish or as a refreshing side salad.” Rating medium.

2 cups lemon cucumber* unpeeled, cubed

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal

2 teaspoons crushed red chile (chile caribe)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (a combination of chives, mint, tarragon, and/ or cilantro is good)

Salt, to taste

Combine all the ingredients and stir. Let stand for 20 minutes, taste, and adjust seasoning. Makes about 2 cups.

*Tip: Lemon cucumbers are named for their shape and color, which resemble lemons. If you cannot find lemon cucumbers, peeled and seeded cucumbers may be substituted.

Hot and Smoky Shrimp Tacos

Taco Filling

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

8 cloves garlic, sliced

11/2 pounds medium shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined

11/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/8 to 1/4 cup pureed chipotle chiles in adobo

1/2 cup roasted tomato puree or canned tomato sauce

2 tablespoons cold water

Juice of 1/2 orange

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (about ½ large bunch)

Corn tortillas (store bought or use recipe on pg. 107 in the book which is found at https://bit.ly/2Prv3nI)

Makes 20 to 25 tacos

Apple Pie Tacos

Taco Filling

4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut in quarter-inch-thick slices

Dash of salt

1/4cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons ground Mexican canela or cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 cup apple juice

1/8 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon ground Mexican canela or cinnamon

Tacos

This recipe is from pg. 108 from the book:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

11/2 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons vegetable shortening

3/4 cup hot water (145 degrees or more)

Note: These may be prepared ahead of time and reheated in a 325-degree oven.

Makes 8 tacos

Serving suggestion: Accompany tacos with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream, fruit sorbet, or whipped cream.

#cinco de mayo #salsas and tacos #mexican food

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eddiesasspbrak · 5 years ago

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When I’m With You Ch. 7

Eddie can’t stand the barista at his favorite coffee shop. Richie has fallen in love with the man he sees twice a week. Stan is dating someone but won’t let his friends meet them. Ben is in love with Beverly, but is so afraid of scaring her away he’s not moving forward. Chaotic friends navigating college together.

Ch. 1

Ch. 8

Read on AO3

3k+ words

When Saturday rolled around, Eddie could no longer put off going to the grocery store. He rarely ate at home thanks to the money coming in from his mom. Where she got it, he didn’t care as long as it kept him fed and she wasn’t putting herself in danger. Still, he needed to keep some food in his house for when eating healthier actually mattered to him or he had the rare urge to cook. He dragged himself to the shower, still groggy from napping the day before and then hardly sleeping through the night again. Once clean and dressed, a winter hat pulled down over his still drying hair, he was ready to make the trek in the cold to the small grocery store a few blocks away.

He was about to step into the hall, checking for his keys, phone and wallet, when he hesitated. There were voices out in the hall and the realization that it could be Richie was horrifying. He hadn’t seen him yet since he’d bailed from the laser tag place on Thursday. He’d spent the last two nights thinking about him and his face and his lips and hating himself because of it. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking either. He hadn’t sent a single text or dumb meme since the kiss happened, and he’d been sending those constantly since he’d gotten Eddie’s number.

Looking out through the peephole, he couldn’t see anyone. Richie’s apartment was too far away to see, even if he pressed his cheek to the door and looked as far to the left as he could. Very carefully, he opened his door just enough to poke his head out and look. Sure enough, down the hall he saw Richie outside his door, phone pressed between his ear and shoulder and arms full of bags. He’d dropped his keys and was trying to pick them up without dropping anything else. Eddie watched, hoping he wouldn’t turn his head that way and see him spying on him. And he definitely wasn’t looking at his butt as he bent down to get his keys.

“I already told you that I would meet you tonight, why do you keep asking?” He was saying into the phone, sounding frustrated.

Eddie obviously couldn’t hear what the other person was saying, but he didn’t figure it would be any of their friends based on his tone of voice. He’d never seen him angry. Sure, he’d gotten into some kind of argument with Bill the other day, but he’d just seemed slightly annoyed, not angry.

“Can’t we just talk about this later when I see you?” He sighed, trying to fit his key into the lock without dropping his bags. He finally succeeded and disappeared into the apartment, pulling his keys from the door and shutting it behind him.

Eddie waited for another minute to make sure he wasn’t heading back out before rushing to lock his door and practically sprinting to the stairwell. He didn’t want to risk waiting for the elevator and having Richie come back out into the hall. Stairs weren’t so bad either. When going down at least. Hopefully he could take the elevator when he got back with groceries. It was still cold out, but the snow had started to melt a bit on the sidewalks, splashing up onto his shoes and pants leg with each step. He walked faster than he intended to, leaving him slightly winded by the time he got to the grocery store. He just wanted to put as much distance between him and the building as possible as quickly as he could.

Grabbing a hand basket, he ventured into the aisles to grab a few things to tide him over for at least a week. One day he’d remember to make a shopping list to make sure he didn’t forget anything he actually needed. Today was not that day. Weaving his way through the aisles, he grabbed soymilk, eggs, a loaf of bread, some lunch meat and cheese, a mix of greens for salad and some cucumber and tomato. He was perusing the jars of tomato sauce when his phone began to ring. It was Bev’s name on the screen along with a picture of the two of them with their faces squished together.

“Hey.” He said, pressing the phone to his ear.

“Good morning, sunshine.” She said with a yawn. “What are you up to?”

“Grocery shopping.”

“On a Saturday? Wow, you’re really a wild one, huh?”

“Hey, it gets crazy here on Saturday morning with all the middle-aged women and their coupons.”

Bev laughed into the phone. “So…have you talked to Ben?”

“Not since Thursday. Why?”

“Oh…no reason. I was just wondering if he told you the good news.”

Eddie’s attention was officially off the jars of pasta sauce. “What good news?”

“It’s nothing really. He made sure I got home safe on Thursday night and then we maybe made out on my couch for a while.”

“For real?” Eddie was smiling.

“Yep! He slept on my couch and the next morning he brought me pain killers and water for my hangover, and we talked about us and…”

“And?”

“We might be kind of dating now?” He could hear the smile in her voice and the excitement she seemed to be holding back.

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me after all the times I had to listen to him talk about you.”

“I thought he would have told you by now. We’re going out to dinner tonight and I want you to come.”

“Why? Isn’t it a date?”

“No, it was planned after you left on Thursday. I meant to text you about it yesterday, but I was a little…distracted.”

“Understandable. Yea, I’ll come if it’s really not a date.”

“Awesome! I think we’re going to walk so maybe we can just meet at yours? The diner isn’t far from there.”

“Sure.”

“Also, Richie is coming.”

“Oh.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. It’s…no, it’s fine.”

“K. See you tonight. Kisses!”

Eddie said his goodbyes and hung up. Well, that was all his friends then. He was the only single one. Aside from Richie. Though, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure if Richie actually was single. He’d never talked about having a partner but that didn’t mean he didn’t have one. His mind drifted back to the half of a conversation he heard in the hall. It could have easily been a girlfriend or boyfriend he was talking to. Would he have kissed him if he had a partner? Eddie still didn’t know if it was just a part of the Romeo and Juliet bit or if he’d meant anything by it. Now he had to see him and have dinner with him with the kiss in his thoughts and the conversation he’d accidentally eavesdropped on.

Pushing that from his mind, he grabbed a jar of pasta sauce and a box of spaghetti noodles and headed to the register.

When Ben and Bev arrived at his door, Eddie had been expecting to see Richie with them as well. He felt the anxious nerves dissipate and a feeling of disappointment settle in. He immediately felt stupid because his apartment was closer to the elevator, so they’d probably all go to Richie’s door next. He also felt stupid for being disappointed. He didn’t really want to see him anyway. He already had his things, and when he turned from locking his door, he saw them walking back toward the elevator.

“What about Richie?” He asked, looking down the hall in the opposite direction.

“He said he had something to do so he’s meeting us there.” Bev said, pushing the down button beside the doors.

The feeling of disappointment only grew as they boarded the elevator and rode it down to the first floor. He didn’t even know what he’d say to him when he actually saw him. It was better this way. Avoiding the awkward walk to the diner with him. By the time he arrived they’d be settled in and could avoid the conversation. Walking behind Bev and Ben as they held hands made Eddie feel like a third wheel. Even though they’d assured him it wasn’t a date, at the moment that’s what it felt like and he was the lonely single friend invading their time together. By the time they arrived at the diner, he felt ridiculous. When they walked to the counter, an older woman in an apron approached with a smile.

“Table for two?” She asked, looking at the obvious couple.

“Three actually.” Ben said, looking back at Eddie. “Can we get a booth actually?”

Her smile faltered as she nodded and grabbed three menus from the little slot on the side of the counter. They followed her to the table and Eddie slid into one side by himself while they took the other. The longer he sat there with them, the more he felt like he shouldn’t be there. They’d only been together for roughly two days and they were clearly already in their honeymoon stage. Both had pined over the other for so long, it was like they were ready to go all in already. It was disgusting and beautiful and Eddie hated them. If there were others with them, he would feel less awkward. Or, he thought anyway. When Bill, Mike and Stan walked in and greeted them, Eddie felt relief of a second before realizing he was now stuck with two couples. Their arrival effectively made him the sixth wheel, which until recently, he didn’t even know was possible.

“Hey, sorry we’re late.” Mike said.

“Wait, you invited them?” Eddie asked. “I thought it was just supposed to be four of us.”

“Good to see you too Eddie.” Stan quipped.

“I didn’t mean it that way and you know it.”

“I texted them after I talked to you. Sorry, forgot to mention it.” Bev said.

Eddie stood from his seat and slid in next to Beverly instead so the three could sit together on the other side. This was pathetic and miserable and where the fuck was Richie?

“Where the fuck is Richie?” Eddie asked.

“I don’t know. Let me check.” Bev pulled out her phone and presumably sent him a text.

Their waitress came over and took drink orders, bringing three more menus to them. Eddie kept glancing at Bev’s phone, which she’d set on the table. He listened to the conversations around him, but they were talking about how Ben and Bev had gotten together and just generally being couple-y so he zoned out instead. Ben and Beverly hadn’t let go of the others hand since they’d left the apartment. Stan was actually leaning against Bill very obviously while Mike had his arm draped around the both of them. God, his arms were long. The longer he sat there with no stupid Trashmouth to distract him, the more bitter he became. Fuck couples and their nerve to be cute in front of their single and lonely friends.

It was when Ben tenderly kissed Bev beside him and the other three let out a chorus of “aww” that Eddie had had enough. He knew that Richie still hadn’t texted her back and whatever he was doing must have been more important than saving Eddie from being a sixth wheel. Part of him worried that Richie was avoiding him since the kiss on Thursday and how dare he if he was. It was Eddie that was supposed to be avoiding him. Still, since he’d decided not to grace them with his presence, he thought it best to just go.

“Alright, I’m leaving.” Eddie said, standing and sliding his coat back over his arms.

“What? Why?” Ben asked, looking up at him.

“Why? Richie clearly isn’t going to show, and I don’t want to be the only single person here. It’s weird.”

“It’s not weird. You’re our friend.” Bev said.

“You’re a jealous bitch.” Stan chimed in.

“Go fuck yourself, Stanley.” Eddie said, flipping him off.

“He’s r-right. It would be awkward to be the only single p-p-person hanging out with couples.” Bill said, pushing Stan’s hand down when he returned the gesture.

“Look, I love you guys but I’m just not feeling it tonight, ok?” Eddie said, zipping his coat and tying his scarf around his neck. “Also, I hate you all.” With that he left them, heading out into the cold night air waiting for him.

Hopefully Mike and Bill wouldn’t take him too seriously and if they did, the other three would probably let them know he didn’t mean to offend. Bill already seemed to think that him and Stan going at each other was something to worry about when they’d been like that since high school. They’d be insulting each other one second and cuddled up reading comics the next. It was just the way they interacted, a testament to how close they were. Who else could you insult and flip off and have them know you weren’t serious? Surely he’d understand since he seemed to be the same way with Richie.

Eddie now had to walk home in the cold all alone and figure out what he was going to do for dinner. Being single when all your friends were dating really sucked. He paused just outside the diner, in front of the building beside it, and pulled out his phone. Fingers already going numb from the cold, he began typing out a message to Richie.

Eddie: Just so we’re clear, you suck for not showing up and leaving me with the couples. I’m bailing. Again, you suck.

He hit send and pocketed his phone, starting up the street toward home. His mind drifted to what could have held Richie up. The café was closed this time of night and wouldn’t be open Sunday, so he wouldn’t be there working. As far as he knew, all his friends were back at the diner. The conversation he’d overheard that morning came back to him then.

“I already told you I’d meet you tonight.” He’d said. So, it was a person he was with. Eddie missed his chance to ask the others if Richie was seeing anyone. For all he knew, he was with a boyfriend or girlfriend not even thinking about Eddie. If he thought about Eddie at all. Realizing he had developed feelings for Richie was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

“Eddie!” He wasn’t far from the diner yet, walking slowly on icy pavement, when he heard his name being called. Figuring it was one of his friends trying to lure him back, he turned and instead saw Richie, carefully speed walking toward him. When he caught up to him, he stopped briefly to catch his breath, each puff a visible cloud of fog in front of him.

“I’m glad I caught you. I just got your text.” He said, smiling.

“Oh, so you know that you suck then?”

“I know. I’m sorry. I got caught up doing something and I…I’m here now. Want to head back in?”

“No. I already made a scene when I left. I can’t go back.”

“What kind of scene?”

“I told Stan to fuck himself and said I hated them all. I may have called them disgusting too but that might have been in my head.”

Richie’s smile grew as he chuckled softly. “Well, shit, I guess we better run before they come out with pitch forks.”

Despite his best efforts, Eddie smiled. “I’ll push you down and leave you while I make my get away.”

“Cruel, but I’m taller than you. I don’t think you’ll win that one.”

“The taller they are, the harder they fall.”

Richie laughed again, the noise like bells to Eddie’s ears. When did that change? He used to think his laugh was irritating and at his expense. Now he loved it.

“I’d like to see you try.”

“I’m not actually going to push you down in the middle of the street.” Eddie rolled his eyes.

“Right. Because you can’t.”

“I can.”

“Then do it.”

“You really want to be on your ass in the ice and snow, don’t you?”

“I’m not worried about it.”

Eddie felt a flutter go through his chest when he saw Richie’s smirk and realized exactly what they were doing. This was flirting. Stupid, ridiculous flirting but also perfect. They were both smiling, and Eddie wanted to chase that feeling before it slipped away. Pressing his hands against Richie’s chest, he began to push. Richie planted his feet, leaning against Eddie’s hands and lightly grabbing his arms with his large hands.

“That’s cheating.” Eddie grunted with effort.

“You never gave any rules.”

“Fall you giant motherfucker.” Eddie laughed.

Eddie felt giddy and lightheaded, happy for the first time in a long time. He joked with his friends, laughed with them and played around. But this was different. The knowledge that they had kissed just two days before was in their heads as they laughed and bantered. In that moment Eddie didn’t think anything could go wrong…until it did.

“Richie! What the fuck!” The voice cut through their laughter and caused Richie to tense up, looking back over his shoulder.

Eddie stopped pushing, letting his hands drop, only held up by Richie’s gentle hold on his arms. There was a woman walking toward them with purpose. She looked angry as her eyes drifted from Richie to Eddie, sizing him up.

“What are you doing here?” Richie asked, his voice no longer joking.

“You left before we were done talking.” She said, finally reaching them.

“I told you I didn’t have anything left to say to you.”

“I’ve said I was sorry like a thousand times. Can’t you just get over it?”

Eddie suddenly felt like he shouldn’t be hearing this, but Richie was still holding his arms and didn’t seem to want to let go. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but he had a hunch that this girl was his ex.

“You broke up with me months ago for someone else. I got over you and I’ve moved on. I don’t know how many more ways I can explain that to you.”

“I made a mistake and I’m sorry, Richie.”

“Maybe I should…go…” Eddie said, twisting his wrist and trying to gently pry free from his hold.

“No, you stay. She can leave.”

“Why won’t you at least consider it?” She asked, ignoring them both.

“I told you. I’ve moved on.”

“With who?”

Richie dropped one of Eddie’s arms and held the other one up in the air. “Who do you think?” He asked.

She looked Eddie up and down again like she had when she’d first approached. “Him?”

Eddie felt like a switch was just flipped, shutting off his brain as he no longer understood anything. He and Richie were practically holding hands at this point, but he didn’t notice. Didn’t seem to be able to hear anything they were saying. Was this confirmation that Richie felt the same way Eddie did? He found himself looking up as Richie argued with this girl about something. About him maybe. He wasn’t sure. His eyes were on his mouth, remembering the way it felt against his. The warmth of his hand, their fingers now laced, radiated through his whole body.

“Fuck you!” The girl yelled, turning and marching away.

Eddie snapped out of it and turned to watch her go. Richie sighed loudly next to him and let go of his hand to run both his hands over his face, pushing his glasses up to his hairline. Eddie could feel how warm his cheeks were despite the cold and figured he must be blushing, and he hated that. Richie had just had a very public argument with his ex and all Eddie could focus on was that he’d been flirting and held his hand.

“Sorry about that.” Richie said, looking back at Eddie with a forced smile.

“You ok?” Eddie asked.

“Yea, I’m good. She called me because she wanted to get back together but I’m over that. Thanks for not denying it, by the way. If she thinks I’m with someone else she should leave me alone.”

“Oh…yea. No problem.” And Eddie felt stupid again. He spoke quickly, before his face gave him away. “If you hadn’t been holding onto me, I would have booked it out of here the second she showed up.”

Richie chuckled. “If we’re not going back to the others where should we go?”

“I was just going to go home.”

Had he asked before his ex showed up, he would have suggested going somewhere else and eating together. All the thoughts of avoiding him had vanished as soon as she showed up, but they were back again, and all Eddie wanted was to be alone. He couldn’t imagine sitting across from him, remembering kissing him and the feel of his chest beneath his hands. All while knowing he’d just used him to get rid of his ex and didn’t seem to actually like him.

“Oh…well, mind if I walk with you then? We’re going to the same place after all.” Richie said with that same forced smile.

“Sure.” Eddie wanted to say no, but, how could he?

They were silent as they walked. It wasn’t far to their building from there, the walk going a bit slower since the temperatures had dropped, and the previously melted snow had refrozen. They shuffled carefully, trying not to slip on the ice. The last thing Eddie needed now was to embarrass himself in front of Richie. As it was, he had this annoying urge to cry that he was fighting against.

When their building came into view, Richie rushed forward a bit to open the main door for Eddie. He mumbled a thanks and thought for a second about taking the stairs so he wouldn’t be trapped in the elevator for him. He hesitated a moment too long and was stuck when Richie pushed the up button and the door slid open. If he took the stairs now, it would be too obvious that he was trying to get away from him. They didn’t live that far up so it was a short ride at least. Eddie pulled his keys out of his pocket as the door slid open again on their floor.

“Thanks again for saving me back there.” Richie said as they reached Eddie’s door.

“Like I said, if you hadn’t been holding my arm, I would have run for it.”

Richie gave a smile, a real one this time. “Well, thanks anyway. I’ll see you later.”

Eddie had his key in the lock, his other hand on the doorknob as he turned to say goodbye. Before he could get the words out, Richie’s lips were on his. It wasn’t the same as the first but was just as effective at taking Eddie’s breath away. Before he could even think of reciprocating, it was over, and Richie was heading down the hall to his own apartment. Eddie pushed the door open and stumbled in, letting it close behind him and leaning his back against it. Every time he thought he had their relationship figured out, something would happen that would throw him off completely. The simplest way to find out what was going on was to ask Richie, but he couldn’t muster up the courage to do it. The only logical thing to do was to wait for Richie to come to him, right?

#Reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #benverly #it (2017)#it (2019)#Ro writes

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thefirelordandtheambassador · 4 years ago

Text

close your eyes and i’ll close mine

Zutara Week 2020 Submission (“reunion”)

Rating: T for Teens

Length: 3,186 words @zutaraweek Cross-posted on AO3 under one work titled “all that i hoped would change within me stayed (god only knows which of them i'll become)” “Get off my shit, rabbit-squirrel-brains!” Toph hollers, and Katara whips around, away from the rapidly approaching horizon, away from the lure of the sea. She watches, non-plussed, as Toph dive-bombs a young soldier, who has tried to move some luggage to a more convenient spot on the boat. Ember Island, well, it doesn’t loom, but it approaches like a nervous servant--Katara will never get used to the servants that seem to appear like mist or ghosts, at the Earth Kingdom Palace, at General Iroh’s apartments in Ba Sing Se, at Toph’s parents’ house when she visited last year with her-- “for moral support and elbow-holding.”

“I’m sorry, miss! I just have to move things!” Katara bites at her lips, trying desperately to hide a snicker. Toph is wrestling him to the deck, clearly attempting to keep him away from her bag.

“I see you, mocking that poor boy,” jibes a soft, smoky voice to her side. She looks up--it’s Zuko.

“Not going play referee?” asks Sokka, following up behind him.

“Mmm, not today,” Katara muses, tossing her hair into the breeze. It is nice to be back on the ocean. She’s spent the last six months in a border town of the Si Wong Desert, negotiating with the sand-benders. Before that, she was in Ba Sing Se on official ambassadorial duties for the Southern Water Tribe for about a year, and then before that, she’d been providing aid for some of the rural interior Earth Kingdom towns for something like eighteen months. Most eighteen-year-olds she knows are either in school, or married with a kid on the way, but she’s single and doing the heavy diplomatic and charitable work of a woman twice her age.

“Oh, look, she’s going easy on him,” Zuko notes drily, as Toph shoves the poor kid into a door. “He’ll get off with just a concussion, instead of a broken arm like the last guy.”

The past few years have been good to Zuko--it’s been almost three years since she’s had a chance to visit. He’ll be twenty tomorrow, and he’s grown. Really grown. He’s easily over six feet tall, and his hair is so long now that what isn’t caught up in his topknot rolls over his shoulder. He has one of those formal shoulder pieces on that Katara desperately hopes will go out of style soon, but it doesn’t do much to the chest that has already grown broader and more muscular. And he was no lanky twig like Sokka during the war, either, she muses.

“Well, someone’s gotta get those boys in shape--she’s taken to teaching a little too well, in her old age,” Katara snarks back, smiling. Zuko smiles back, golden eyes softening. His face has thinned out too, cheekbones standing out elegantly, even under the scar. He looks real good.

“Well, at least you got out of being such a turbulent sixteen-year-old; can’t say I wasn’t beating people up at her age. So, uh, how are you and Aang, ah, doing these days?” There’s the awkward turtle-duck, out and about for a toddle around the pond.

Sokka barks a laugh, walks away, throws an arm around Toph.

She smiles ruefully, “You know, we’re taking a break. I think we both need it; we’re apart so often, you know? He’s flying here from the Western Air Temple and will meet us at the summer house. It’ll be good to see him again. It’s good to see all of you again, really. Ambassadorial life is pretty lonely.”

“Meanwhile, I feel like I can never get a moment alone these days. Always papers to sign, emissaries to greet, Fire Sages up my ass about everything. I’m glad you all could come to celebrate. I thought a little reunion would be nice. I’m just missing Uncle,” he says with a sigh. They turn, and lean against the railing.

“He misses you too--I stayed at his apartments in Ba Sing Se over the New Year. It was good to see a familiar face,” she says. The breeze whips around them, and Katara’s nose is overwhelmed with the smell of amber musk, something roast-y, and rich sandalwood. “Are...are you wearing cologne?!”

Zuko pinks.

“The Earth Kingdom ambassador got it for me for a birthday gift! She said it was indispensable for any young nobleman! Is it too much?” She softens. It is good to be back with friends--with him.

“No, no,” she says, and sticks her nose onto his sleeve, “I like it. It smells nice on you.” Underneath the cologne, she gets that warm man-smell. She misses that smell, from time to time, if she’s being honest with herself.

“Oh good. He said to go easy on it. Um, Katara?”

“Oh, sorry!” She’s lingered too long. But looking up into his eyes, they are still molten and soft. It’s her turn to pink, and she looks back to the sea. They are close to the docks. “I guess I’m just a little tired. I am so ready for this mini-vacation.”

“You deserve it. Uncle says you do the work of a woman twice your age.”

The beach house is just as she remembers it, but somehow, fuller, livelier. Zuko’s stocked it with paintings of the whole team, plants with bright summer blooms heavy with scent, curios from his travels. There’s only two servants, blessedly, a cook and a maid who greet them at the door.

“It looks nice in here! So bright and happy!” cheers Suki. “It was kinda sad when we stayed here last time.”

“Thanks. Uncle’s sent me enough tea and teapots to fill a whole bookshelf,” Zuko shrugs, “but I wanted it to be fun again, so Kiyi and Mom can come and enjoy themselves, you know? Get rid of the sad nostalgia, make room for new memories. Maybe we could have regular reunions here.”

“Heck yeah!” chimes Toph, hefting her bag. “I am so ready for some vacation time!” Things are dropped in rooms, and Katara is convinced to join the group at the beach, even though the things that sound the best right now are to sink into the fluffy white covers of the bed she’s been given and have a deep, sun-soaked nap, dreaming away the afternoon for the first time in years.

She pads out, yawning, in her swimsuit, and looks around, trying to remember where the towels were stored last time. She turns too quickly, and runs into something soft, clean, cottony-- a stack of towels?

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry, Rina...” Katara stammers, but it’s not the maid. It’s Zuko, who is shirtless and ready for the beach. Her heart thumps a few times and her blood seems to rush a little faster in her veins, because his trunks sling low on his sharp hipbones, and thank Tui and La that she managed to that chest scar to fade to something more dashing. A trail of hair follows his bellybutton down into those trunks...and she’s just gonna stop that thought-canoe and turn it right back upriver.

“Oh, Rina’s packing us some rice balls for snacks, do you have any requests? I know you like pickled ocean kumquats...” He trails off too, sticking a hand behind his head sheepishly. His mane of hair is knotted messily on the back of his head.

“Any flavor is fine!” she squeaks. “Let’s go! I can’t wait for dip! It’s so lovely out today!”

“It is,” he agrees, and scoops up the towels, flinging them over his shoulder. His hand brushes hers lightly as they take the path down to the black sand beach.

Aang arrives just in time for dinner. Rina brings out a sumptuous feast of all their favorites: hippo-cow braised in soy sauce and ginger, rooster-pig spare ribs deep fried and dusted with lime zest and chilis ground to a fine powder, crispy garlic arctic whale-shrimp, a sweet and sour sprouted bean curd, and a miraculous leg of caribou that is roasted and covered in a pearly sauce that is delicately scented and made Sokka cry when it was set down in front of him.

“I tried to make sure we all got something we liked,” Zuko admits, seated comfortably at the head of the table. He’s placed Katara on his right, Toph on his left, and Katara doesn’t mind this. The maid has served what seems like a hundred side dishes, which keeps her plenty occupied, instead of having to make awkward eye contact with Aang. Katara picks up spicy fermented cucumber-melon, braised potatoes and peppers, sautéed pea shoots, and takes a little bit of all the main dishes. “And, my father left one gift: that quite amazing selection of wines and spirits.”

Katara and Suki have been enjoying the plum wine, and Sokka and Toph have turned drinking shots of soju into some kind of game, and are easily drinking Aang under the table already. She hasn’t enjoyed herself, been so relaxed and at ease, in a long time.

“Here, Katara, have you ever had these? They’re a specialty of Ember Island,” Zuko says softly. She turns to him, his chopsticks clutching some noodles like glass threads, mixed with tomato-carrots and green onions. She shakes her head no, and he offers her a bite, guiding the chopsticks to her mouth. They slip in, yummy, and she slurps the last few over her lips.

“Sorry, country manners,” she says, covering her face and blushing.

“No, no, it’s...it’s cute,” he says. “I don’t mind!” He thinks that’s cute? She decides to take it, and tries to shift the subject, to side-step Zuko turning into the awkward turtle-duck.

“What’s your favorite side dish? We’ve never gotten to eat such a nice meal together so close to each other!” In fact, the last time Katara was at a dinner with Zuko, it was a very formal affair, she was seated halfway down the table from him, between two lords and across from Aang, and it was a plated meal, with a different servant bringing her soup, her salad, her braised pork that was truthfully far too spicy, and she nearly cried when yet another servant brought her some pineapple-lime shaved ice to finish with.

“Hmm,” he murmurs, and his mouth bunches and pouts to one side, “This one.” He proffers long ribbons of carrot in sticky red sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds. She slurps those off his chopsticks too.

“Ahh! So spicy! But good, really good!” She gulps some more plum wine, feeling warm all over. “Pick another you like.” She wants to know all his favorites tonight. Before dinner, he’d ditched his formal clothes, and has relaxed in a red silk shirt that leaves much of his chest open for her eyes to roam. Nice abs, she notes, for someone who claims to do paperwork all day long.

The wine is getting to her.

“Rina, don’t worry about us, please, head to bed. We’ll probably drink some more, talk, and definitely sleep in in the morning. Plenty of time for you and Lien to do dishes in the morning,” Zuko says to the maid, who is clearly yawning. She bows, murmurs a thank you, and heads off up the stairs. Katara loves how nice Zuko and Iroh are to their employees; the Earth King has several ministers who treat the servants like dirt. She’s brought it up to Kuei, but he only frowns and polishes his glasses.

“Alright! Now we can break out the good stuff!” Toph shouts, and punches the air. She is gone and back again in a flash.

“Good stuff? There’s so much good stuff here already!” Aang’s words come out a little soupy--he’s lost the soju drinking game. He takes a hearty spoonful of fruit tart. “This is so good, Zuko. I love fruit tarts!”

“I didn’t want to sailors to get ahold of this stuff; I confiscated it from one of my students. Ha!” Toph says, dropping back down on her cushion. She holds a long pipe in hand and pouch.

“So that’s why you were beating that poor guy up on the boat?” asks Sokka. Suki has migrated to mostly-in-Sokka’s-lap, but who is Katara to judge, because she is leaning full-body on Zuko--it’s certainly not the wine, she thinks, it’s the biceps for sure.

“Well, hell yeah, this stuff is wild!” crows Toph, dumping some clumps of dried green leaves on the table. She crumbles and stuffs, crumbles and stuff, and passes the pipe to Zuko. “Gimme a light, Master Sparky-pants? First puff is yours, host with the most!”

“What is it?” he asks, flicking two fingers and summoning a small flame. He lights the little leaves in the pipe bowl.

“Green dragon-weed!” Toph crows. “It’ll blow your mind!” Zuko tentatively puffs, coughs, and passes the pipe.

“That’s foul, Toph. Why?” Katara also passes, but Aang tries and Sokka tries, and Toph is clearly an expert, because she blows out perfect smoke rings.

Soon, they are a group of giggling kids again, lying on the floor, cackling at Sokka’s bad jokes as Suki regales stories of their stories, as she and Sokka work as prisoner escorts mostly these days. Aang and Toph keep passing that pipe back and forth, but Katara’s cup of plum wine never seems to empty, mostly because Zuko keeps giving her sips out of his--first a fiery ginger whiskey, next a herby, clear soju with lots of something citrusy squeezed in it, then a sweet melon liquor. He will nudge to offer, and every time, they make electric eye contact, and all the blood in her vein rushes down to the center of her hips.

“These are all really good,” she mumbles, feeling so relaxed and happy, warm against Zuko’s arm, full of food and drink, surrounded by friends.

“Good, I’m glad you’re having a good time,” he says lightly, nuzzling his nose to her ear. More of that, please, she thinks, his breath hot on her cheek, and she steals a look at the others. Sokka and Suki are halfway out the door to their room, Toph is half-asleep, and Aang lays on the floor, blowing smoke into creatures for Momo to chase after, mostly out of sight.

She turns, and steels herself. “Can I...?”

His eyebrow knits. “Whatever you like?” What a good host.

She cranes her neck a little, and sneaks a peck on his lips, firm and spicy. There’s a little jolt, like electricity, and he presses back, firm, maybe even a little desperate. He shifts angles, captures her more surely. She melts a little, but pulls back. Toph and Aang are still sprawled on the floor, blissfully unaware.

“Aang, I am just beat, aren’t you? Toph? I think we should all drink a glass of water and go to bed,” she says gently.

“Huh? Mmm, yeah, I am pooped!” Aang slurs, and tries to get up, loses his balance, slips. “Monkeyfeathers!”

Toph snores on. Zuko, who still has his bearings, swiftly helps Aang to his feet, and scoops Toph up in a cradle hold. Katara settles the completely toasted Avatar into bed, takes off his shoes and shirt, and forces a glass of water in him. She leaves another on the table, but he’s asleep before she slides the door shut.

“She is out cold!” Zuko says, sliding the door shut. The house is quiet, so quiet that Katara can hear her heart racing. He pads back over. The tie of his shirt has come undone over the course of the evening, and she decides to take yet another chance. She closes the gap between them in the hall, pressing her hand to his chest and reaching up for another kiss.

It’s almost like he knows, and his hands tangle in her hair before their lips meet again. She clutches at the sides of his shirt, thrilled to touch and feel and smell him. One of his hands drops from her hair, and his thumb traces deliciously down her neck, to cup her waist and pull her closer. She sighs as she relaxes into the touch of his lips, the tip of his tongue pushing experimentally. He breaks for a moment.

“C’mon, let’s...get more comfortable,” he rasps, and pulls her down the hall, sliding open the red paper door at the end of the hall. He flicks his hand, lighting many lamps softly, and the room glows a rich red. He pulls her to the bed, and she flops down. The bed cradles her, and she suddenly loses all desire to move.

“I want you to know that I want this, but I’m so tired, Zuko. Rain check?” she murmurs.

“I understand. Can I...can I help you get ready for bed?” he asks, almost shy. Her heart skips. She cranes her neck up, and presses her lips to his heatedly.

“Sure.”

He slips off the bed and shucks his silk shirt to a stool. Next, the gold sash and black trousers. She chuckles lightly, because the style of underwear Fire Nation men wear is so weird-looking, so tight-fitting and trim, but his is black and she’s not surprised by that.

He kneels, and pushes up the skirts of her summer dress. It’s light blue silk with a white surcoat so gossamer it might be made of cobwebs, a gift from the Earth King for her last birthday, and in this heat, she’s glad it’s sleeveless. His hot hands press into her thighs, and he leans in, takes a breath, trails kisses down her inner thighs, over her knees.

He tenderly unwraps the ties from her slippers--they lace up her legs with ribbons--and presses a kiss on her calf. Fingers trail down the back of her calves, over her heels as he tugs the slippers off, stashing them on the floor.

Shoes off, he unties the waistband of the surcoat, lays it on the stool. He takes issue with the buttons on the side of the dress, but gets them undone, and he tugs it over her head until it floats back to join the surcoat. He flips her over, gripping her hips, and pulls the tie of the petticoat, tugs that down too. Hot kisses feather up her spine, and she can’t help but let a noise that is half moan, half sigh.

“Feels so good, Zuko, but I am so ready for some sleep,” she drawls, eyes drooping.

Gently, he presses a heated kiss to her neck, and wow, Katara didn’t know she could sparkle internally. His hands trail to her waist and back up.

“Can I offer you a place to rest here?” he asks, a joke in his voice.

“Seems like just the right place to be,” she yawns. He pulls back the sheets, cool and crisp, and she settles in. He snuggles close to her, and she drifts off, hoping that every reunion can be like this.

#mine #zutara week 2020 #i love writing about food #sorry not sorry #i feel like every good couple 'takes a break' when necessary #so maybe canon-compliant?#reunion

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taeken-my-heart · 6 years ago

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Moirai - Chapter 3

A/N: Bear with me if the formatting is choppy and weird. Tumblr has been doing some weird things recently so I’m still trying to figure it out.

Summary: On your 18th birthday a name appears on your wrist. The name of your soulmate. It’s a momentous day that everyone looks forward to, but you’ve always brushed aside; refusing to believe in a fickle mistress called destiny. But what happens when on the morning of your 18th birthday you wake to find the name of your mortal enemy? Jeon Jungkook.

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Soulmates au/ Enemies to lovers au. Angst, fluff, bickering, romance, eventual smut.

Word Count: 5106

*Side note: I put a read more option on all my stories so if it doesn’t show up, I’m sorry :( It’s the Tumblr app and there isn’t anything I can do about it. I hope it doesn’t ruin your experience!

The next morning you woke to the sound of birds chirping. It was half way through September so the days of scorching summer heat were coming to a close and birds were finally taking to the trees again…at least until it got too cold.

You could hear your mother downstairs preparing for the day. She was humming along to the radio and the smell of pancakes had made its way under your door and was currently flooding your senses. Your stomach grumbled in protest and you stretched lazily before standing up, scratching your back and making your way to the bathroom.

You could see your dad in the backyard chopping fire wood to get ready for your barbecue and you washed your face quickly so that you could go down stairs and eat before helping him set up. He usually left a few pieces of wood for you to have a go at, even though your mother was often squawking in the background about how dangerous it was. It’s not like you were swinging the ax at your body, for crying out loud.

“Good morning!” Your mother chirped excitedly once you’d made your way into the kitchen.

“Morning, mom.” You smiled as she motioned for you to sit down and placed a plate of pancakes in front of you.

“So did Lucas say he can make it?”

“Yeah, he said he wants to come over early to help dad grill. Do you think dad would be OK with that?”

“I’m sure he would! Oh honey, I’m so happy, you know how much I like that boy. He’s always so respectful.”

“I like him too,” you blushed, taking a bite of your pancakes after soaking them in (probably too much) syrup. “What time are the Jeon’s coming over?”

“Actually, Jungkook’s already out back with your dad helping him to cut some of the fire wood.”

“What?!” You balked and your mother shushed you, rolling her eyes animatedly.

“Calm down, your father said he’d save you a few pieces,” at your smile she frowned, wiping her hands on her apron. “I wish you wouldn’t do that, you know. Chopping wood is dangerous, just let the men do it.”

“1950 called, they want their antiquated ideas back.”

“Oh hush,” your mother chuckled, swatting at you across the island, “you know what I mean.”

“It’s not like I’m putting my hand on the chopping block.” You replied smartly as you polished off one pancake. “What about his parents?”

“They’ll be over later.” Your mother replied, turning back to the stove and pouring more batter onto the skillet.

After finishing your food and washing your plate, you grabbed your hoodie from the hook by the door, pulling it over your head and hurrying outside into the backyard. “Lemme at it!” You called eagerly, rushing towards your father as he grinned and held the ax out to you.

“Here, I’ll be right back, gotta go grab some of the chairs from the garage. Don’t start chopping until I get back.” You nodded, watching as your dad walked into the garage before you turned back to the firewood, grabbing a piece and standing it up straight and then pulling the ax into the air.

“Your dad said to wait.” Jungkook called lazily, walking up beside you and you turned your gaze to glare at him.

“Mind your own business, Jungkook.” You hissed, pulling the ax a little higher before Jungkook put his hand on the wooden handle, pushing it down a little.

“It wouldn’t be very responsible of me to just let you go at it.” He insisted and you rolled your eyes, lowering the ax to the ground and turning to face him.

“You’re not my boss, Jeon, so how ‘bout you back off?”

Before you could even lift the ax above your waist Jungkook was behind you, wrapping his arms around your middle and gripping the handle of the ax firmly. “At least let me help you.”

“Get off me, plebeian. I’ve been chopping wood since I was 10 years old, I’ve got this.” You wrestled around in his arms, trying to get him to loosen his grip, but he only held firmer.

“Stop messing around.” Jungkook scolded, “Hasn’t anyone ever told you an ax is dangerous. You’re wielding this thing like a maniac.”

“You sound like my mother.” You griped, “get.off.”

“OK!” Your father called, stepping back out of the garage, four fold up chairs in his hands and Jungkook instantly let you go, stepping away and you sent a glare over your shoulder at him, but he was already making his way to your father’s side and offering assistance.

“Suck up.” You scoffed under your breath.

“OK, baby girl,” your dad called, jogging towards you, “you ready to chop some wood?”

“Born ready!” You smiled.

30 minutes later Lucas arrived and you smiled as he walked towards you, pulling you into a hug and linking your fingers together. Jungkook looked at you, frowning, before your dad came over to greet the new addition.

“Lucas! So good to see you. How long are you in town for?”

“Not long, unfortunately. My university follows a quarter system so I’ll only be here for about two weeks.”

“That sucks.” Jungkook commented noncommittally and you flicked your gaze at him in irritation as he kept his eyes trained on the fence to your right.

“You’ll just have to make it worth your while, then. A barbecue is definitely one way to enjoy your time!”

“Especially since the season is coming to a close,” Lucas remarked, “This will probably be one of my last barbecues.”

“Well why don’t you and Y/N go inside and relax, I can finish preparations by myself.” Your dad smiled, clapping Lucas on the shoulder.

“No can do, sir.” Lucas shook his head, “my mom raised me to get my hands dirty and that’s what I’m here to do. Put me to work.”

“Good man.” Your dad grinned.

“Me too!” Jungkook said loudly, and you threw a raised eyebrow his way, but he didn’t spare you a glance, “Whatever you need. Heavy lifting? Cooking? Cleaning? I’ve got you, sir.”

“Excellent. Good to see your parents are raising you right. Y/N, honey, why don’t you go inside and relax?”

“That’s ok, dad, I don’t mind helping.”

“It’s cool, we’ve got this covered.” Jungkook insisted and you turned to frown at him. Was his chest puffed a little higher?

Before you could comment on him being more obnoxious than normal, your sister was calling for you out the backdoor and you sighed, retreating to the sanctuary of the house.

“Mom wants us to work on the pie and the salad. I’ll rock paper scissors you for the salad.”

“You’re on!” You smirked.

You shouldn’t have been so confident, you thought, frowning down at the lattice work you were doing on the top of the strawberry rhubarb pie. Your mother always insisted your pies were the best, but they were so time consuming and you’d just much rather switch off your brain and chop vegetables.

You could see your dad, Lucas, Jungkook, and Jungkook’s dad in the backyard setting up the grill and you watched as Jungkook took the lighter and hid it so Lucas couldn’t start the fire. What a petty loser. Lucas looked around cutely for a moment before shrugging and rummaging in his pocket, pulling out a packet of matches and you grinned. He had been in scouts, like Jungkook was now, and you knew he’d always taken the always be prepared motto seriously. Jungkook sulked in the background before his father called him over and he walked out of view.

“So how’d you manage to snag Lucas?” Ella asked obnoxiously and you turned to face her, rolling your eyes.

“Green’s a terrible shade on you.” You replied, finishing off the final lattice to your pie and smiling contentedly.

“I’m just saying.” She shrugged, “he’s in college now, looking for bigger and better things, has a soulmate tattoo, kind of seems like dating a high school girl is a step backwards, don’t you think?”

“He doesn’t believe in the whole “soulmates” thing.” You said, walking your pie to the oven and putting it on the center rack. You stepped back to set the timer and dusted your hands off on your apron.

“Well aren’t the two of you just a pair.” Ella replied, taking a bite of a piece of chopped cucumber. Just then all the men returned from the back and Ella turned to smile radiantly at them.

“Everything’s all set to go.” Your dad smiled, sniffing and walking to the kitchen sink to wash his hands. “Ella, go grab your mom and your aunty so we can get this party started.”

Lucas washed his hands and came to stand beside you, wrapping his arm around your waist and you smiled up at him, curling into the warmth of his shoulder. Your mother, Mrs. Jeon, and Ella returned from the living room and the two women started giving orders for everyone to grab paper plates and help take things outside to the back to get started grilling.

“Come with me.” You smiled, grabbing Lucas’ hand and pulling him back into the backyard with you. "First we eat and just talk. Once we're done eating we clean up our plates and then go to the living room to play games. We leave the food out in case anyone wants to do some grazing."

"Sounds reasonable," Lucas smiled, "what kind of games?"

"Anything," you shrugged, "we play card games, games with dice, twister, whatever. As long as we've got the stuff for it, we can play it."

"Oh, twister! I haven't played that since I was a kid. I'm definitely down for that."

"You like Twister?" Ella grinned from behind you, "that was my favorite game from when I was a little kid. It helped me get really flexible."

"Ew." You griped, wrinkling your nose and Ella blushed.

"I didn't mean it like that you weirdo."

Lucas chuckled and smiled down at her, "it's cool that you're flexible. I can barely even touch my toes. Are you gonna try out for cheer leading?"

Ella shook her head, "No, actually, I'm in gymnastics."

"When's your next competition?" Jungkook asked from behind Ella, shoveling a large heap of chili into a bowl, "my mom was wondering and I think it would be cool to come and see one."

"Really?" Ella blushed, "you want to come to one of my gymnastics competitions?"

"Sure," Jungkook nodded, "why not?"

"Gymnastics is different from cheer leading, Jungkook, they won't be wearing miniskirts." You smirked and he rolled his eyes down at you.

"I know the difference, thanks."

You finished filling your plate and went to sit in one of the chairs underneath the big oak tree in your back garden and waited for Lucas to come and sit back beside you. After the four of you had settled into your seats and your parents nearby, you all began eating, chatting lightly as the morning bled into the early afternoon.

After eating you returned to the house, throwing your plates away and walked to the living room, taking a seat on the couch. Games would start soon, but you had a good ten minutes of bickering to endure before the game was picked so you pulled Lucas down beside you.

"So what do you want to study anyway? Lillian said that you were thinking about some kind of technology something."

"Yeah, maybe," Lucas nodded, pulling your hand into his lap, "I was looking at doing something like engineering, specifically robotic. I'm interested in animatronics."

"Wow, that's cool! Like A.I?"

"I mean, who knows, opportunity is limitless, you know? I was thinking maybe stuff like at Disney, for now. Or other kind of theme parks that use animatronics in their rides."

"Wow, honestly, that's amazing. I've never met someone who wants to do that sort of thing."

Lucas laughed, laying his head back against the top of the couch. "You're not the only one. It seems like most people forget that's something you can actually study."

"It's really cool, Lucas. Will you take me to see some of your robots when they're in the parks?" You grinned, wiggling your eyebrows at him, tongue trapped between your teeth.

"I'll take you anywhere." He smiled softly.

You blushed, burying your head in his shoulder and he chuckled. "Wow, you appreciate cheesy. I love it. I've got dad jokes for days so I hope you're prepared for that."

"Oh no!" You groaned, shaking your head. "I'd like to rescind my acceptance of your dating proposal..." You mused and Lucas laughed, smacking your leg.

"Hey now, you're stuck with me. No getting out of it now, missy." You smiled, leaning your head against his shoulder and he brushed some hair from your cheek. "So what do you want to study when you go to college?"

"That is a great question," you sighed, "I know I want to do something in the medical field. I'm thinking maybe labor and delivery. It would be really cool to be a part of a moment that literally changes people's lives."

"You mean like a labor and delivery doctor or nurse?" He pondered.

"Yeah, maybe," you shrugged, "I'm thinking I'll work towards medical school and once I'm there I'll kind of try out some different things in rotations and figure out what I like."

"My girlfriends gonna be a doctor." Lucas grinned and you chuckled.

"No need to look so smug about it, who knows, maybe I'll flunk out of the program."

Your mother called everyone's attention suddenly, clapping her hands in excitement. "OK, as per usual, we're gonna play some games, let the food settle and then go back for desserts. What game do we want to play first?"

Ella started shouting something out about playing the board game life, your father was insisting he had a score to settle with Jungkook's dad over a poker match and you reclined in your spot to watch in amusement.

"This is how it always goes," you whispered to Lucas, "they argue for 5 minutes and then we end up playing Rummy first because no one can make up their mind."

"Rummy?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, it's a card game. It's meant to be played with everyone as a single player, but we play it in teams to up the stakes. I'll explain as we go."

"Cool."

Jungkook suddenly wiggled himself right in between the two of you and you looked at him, eyebrows furrowed. "What are you doing?"

He looked at you, face the picture of innocence. "We're playing Rummy. Your mom told me to be on your team so here I am."

"And you couldn't sit in an open chair?"

"I prefer the middle." He said casually, leaning back against the couch.

"Since when?" You griped, looking over Jungkook's head to Lucas who looked just as bewildered as you felt, squished up against the side of the couch. "Well, whatever, Lucas and I were sitting together. You can't just shove your way between us."

Jungkook looked at the both of you before shrugging, "you guys have been together all day; I think you can handle being apart for an hour. Besides, your mom is looking this way."

You glanced over at your mom who smiled at you, sending you a thumbs up and you sighed, leaning back into the couch. "Whatever." You grumbled.

Jungkook's leg was too warm against your own and you watched as Lucas tried to engage him in conversation while Jungkook answered in short sentences and stiff replies.

What was his problem? Why sit in between the two of you if he didn't even want to have a conversation? You could see Ella eyeing Jungkook and pouting from the other side of the room as your dad finished setting up the game and then pushed the tables together so they could all sit around.

Why was she so obvious? It was starting to get embarrassing. Jungkook shifted and the smell of his cologne assaulted your senses. He always smelled so good, just another thing to add to the list of what you hated about him.

"OK!" Your dad clapped loudly, bringing you back to the conversation, "what should the winner’s prize be? We already agreed that the loser gets no pie but what's a good prize for a winner?"

"What if we let the winner choose their prize?" Your mom suggested.

"It has to be reasonable, though!" You cried, "The winner can't just want to have all the pie and then they get it, you know?"

"I don't know why you're so worried," Jungkook smiled "you wouldn't get pie either way since you're going to lose."

"You're on Jeon!" You screeched and your parents laughed.

"You're on the same team!" Your mother tittered and you frowned, slumping in your seat. You'd forgotten that little tidbit.

"Fine," you sniffed, "I'm just saying, anyway. The prize should be fair."

"OK," Mr. Jeon smiled, "I think everyone agrees, the winners can choose their prize but it needs to be within reason."

"Let's start, let's start!" Mrs. Jeon grinned, leaning forward across the table and grabbing the cards. "I'll deal."

"Fine," your mom agreed, "but this time cut them fairly. No cheating Jieun!"

Mrs. Jeon laughed, shuffling the cards and beginning to set the table up to play. "Cross my heart." She winked.

No one was shocked when Mrs. Jeon's team won, and your mom, despite her best friend’s vehement insistence that she didn't, was convinced she'd rigged the game.

You laughed until your stomach hurt, watching the two bicker like only friends of 30 odd years could. Jungkook was still sat between you and Lucas, playing a game of piano tiles on his phone and just generally being in the way.

"So, Jungkook," Lucas said, clearing his throat, "what are you thinking of doing when you get to college?"

Jungkook shrugged, never removing his eyes from the screen of the phone, "was thinking maybe law." He mumbled absentmindedly. You shot Lucas a look over Jungkook's shoulder, sighing.

"Are you gonna join in the conversation or just continue being a massive road block who's ignoring our existence."

"It depends," Jungkook said, huffing in irritation when he hit a few wrong notes, "you guys actually talking about anything interesting?"

"Well, we're trying but you're literally right in the middle of us." You sneered and Jungkook smirked.

"Sucks to suck." He chuckled, cursing when he missed a few more notes.

"Fine, we'll just go somewhere else." You huffed, standing and grabbing Lucas's hand to pull him away. "Let's go sit on the love seat over there."

After you and Lucas had moved to the other side of the room, Ella took her chance, swooping in to Jungkook's side and trying to distract him from his game. She was at least successful in garnering his attention and you were surprised to see him put away his phone and turn to engage her.

"He's such a weirdo." You muttered and Lucas chuckled.

"Don't think about him. He probably has a crush on you or something."

"Ew," you gagged, eyebrows shrinking in on themselves. "I doubt it. I know boys pull hair when they like a girl, but he's passed the point of cute teasing. He's just a flat out bully."

“I’ve gotta go soon, promised my sister we’d hang out for a bit today.” He reminded and you turned to pout at him.

“How soon is soon?” “In about 10 minutes.” He chuckled, pinching your cheek and you swatted his hand away.

“Well, I guess it’s only fair that I share you with your family.” You sighed dramatically.

“How magnanimous of you.”

“Wow, that’s a big word. College has changed you.” You teased and Lucas laughed.

“Hey, walk me to the door?”

“OK.” You pouted, standing and leading him towards the front door. He linked his arms around your waist, staring down at your face and smiled.

"If you're interested, I kind of thought it might be fun to drive out in my truck later and look at the stars. I mean, I know it's getting kind of cold but I've got blankets and I can bring hot chocolate or something." He said, scratching the back of his neck and you smiled.

"Yeah, that sounds really nice!"

"Really? Cool! I kind of thought you’d say no,” he chuckled, “Can I come by again at 7?"

"That sounds great!" You grinned.

After seeing Lucas off in his beat up Toyota pickup, you returned to the house to help your mom clean. Jungkook, his dad, and your dad were cleaning up the furniture and your mom, sister, and Jungkook's mom were all putting away the food and washing off the tables. You snagged a cookie from the tray, bitter about the fact you couldn’t have any pie and glared at the winning team, Ms. Jeon’s smile too wicked for your liking. She probably had rigged the game.

"Honey, can you grab the left over stuff from the back yard?" Your mom called and you nodded, making your way out the back door. There was a lot of stuff still out there, but you were determined to only do it in one trip.

You pushed all the food into a pile before beginning to stack them all together. It was gonna be pretty precarious, if you were honest, but you'd already come this far and you were no quitter.

"That's gonna fall."

You turned to glare as Jungkook rested his hip against the table beside you. "Don't you have a couch to move?"

"Your dad asked me to grab the chairs from out here."

"Then grab." You huffed, placing the last of the hot dog bun packs on top of your stack and wiggling your arms around the load. Jungkook didn't budge, content to watch you fail and he didn't have to watch long.

You flailed spectacularly as the packs of buns and chips came apart and fell to the ground. Grunting in irritation, you bent down to begin picking them up, the sound of Jungkook's laughter grating on your last damn nerve.

"Here," he said, once he finally finished laughing, "Let me help you carry some of that in."

"I'm not a charity case, Jungkook." You snapped and he grinned, squatting down beside you and grabbing some of the towering bags from your hands.

"I know you're not. I just want to help."

"You? Help?" You mocked and Jungkook rolled his eyes, chuckling.

"Man, you really think I suck, huh?"

"Kind of." You shrugged, relinquishing some of the bread to him despite yourself. If he really wanted to help then fine, you'd prefer to lighten your load anyway.

"How can I change that?" He mused, following you into the house.

You glanced around the room, making sure your mother wasn't in close proximity.

"By not being a douche." You said flippantly and Jungkook laughed loudly.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, stop pulling my hair and kicking my chair. Honestly, what are you, 5?" You said, dropping the bags of food onto the counter and turning to face him.

He dropped the other bags beside you before settling in front of you, a little too close if you were being honest. "OK, done."

"Really?" You frowned, eyebrow rising. "What's the catch?"

"No catch," Jungkook shrugged, "just over the whole childhood feud thing." He smiled, tweaking your nose and you slapped his hand away.

"Stop touching me." You hissed, just as Jungkook's dad rounded the corner.

"Hey bud, did you finish with the chairs?"

Jungkook shook his head, "Not yet, was helping Y/N get the food. I'll do it now." He quickly spun around, making his way back to the backyard and you rubbed at your nose before leaving the kitchen and heading up the stairs to your room.

You had a few hours before Lucas would come back to pick you up and you intended to spend every one of those minutes in your pajamas. Pulling the longest, fluffiest socks you had out of your drawer, you shimmied out of your jeans and into a pair of shorts and an old baggy t-shirt before pulling the long socks up your legs and flailing on your bed with your phone.

A sudden knock at your door roused your attention and you looked over just as your dad peaked his head in. "We're gonna watch a movie together, come down please."

"I just got comfortable!" You whined and he smiled.

"Come get comfortable downstairs. You've got 5 minutes."

The door closed, stealing your chance at a witty remark and you buried your face in your pillow, huffing. It would probably be too much to ask if somehow the Jeon's had magically gone home.

You could hear Jungkook's mother laughing from the living room and you sighed. Not that you didn't like her, of course, because you did...but Jungkook was acting weird and you didn't have the energy for it.

Grabbing your phone from the covers, you trudged your way back down stairs and squished yourself beside your sister on the love seat. She looked at you, huffing her lips into a pout and you frowned.

"Do I stink or something?" You frowned.

"No, I was just hoping Jungkook would take the spot." She sighed and you chuckled.

"Of course he wouldn't. You're forgetting he has a girlfriend, Ella."

"Nothing is permanent." She sniffed and you laughed.

"True." You nodded. "So are we watching the usual?"

"I don't even ask anymore," she sighed, "it's just a fact of life by now."

“Well they better hurry up,” you said, “Lucas is coming back at 7 and we’re going out so I haven’t got a lot of time to kill.”

“What are you guys gonna do?” Ella asked, flicking through her Instagram absentmindedly.

“Gonna do some star gazing.”

“How 90’s romcom of you.” She smarted and you smirked.

“I’ll see that jealousy and raise you a lifelong crush as a boyfriend. Let me live my 90’s fantasy, you Grinch.”

Ella scoffed, but her smile betrayed her and before you could say anything your parents were shushing you and dimming the lights.

Not long after the movie had finished and you’d snacked on some of the leftover food for dinner, Lucas was knocking on the front door and you were jumping back into your jeans and rushing from the house with quick goodbyes to your family and racing into the cab of Lucas’ truck. You talked animatedly the whole drive and Lucas told you funny stories about his roommate that had you nearly wetting your pants.

“Here we are.” He said, pulling off a dirt lane and out to a small patch of grass. It was mostly removed from the lights of the city so the stars were relatively easy to see. Lucas grabbed the blankets from beside him and made his way to the bed of the truck, laying them out before grabbing a thermos of hot chocolate and two plastic cups.

“Let me help you.” He said, standing by the back of the taillight and wrapping his hands around your hips, lifting you up. You crawled further into the back, kicking off your shoes and burrowing under the mountain of blankets he’d brought to keep you warm.

He climbed up next to you, placing the hot chocolate off to the side before climbing under the blankets with you and you nuzzled your face into his neck, staring up at the sky. “This is nice.” You said softly. “The stars are beautiful.”

“They are.” He replied, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you closer into his side. “Thank you again for inviting me over to the barbecue. It was really fun. Felt like nothings really changed since I graduated and went off to college.”

“And that’s a good thing?” You asked, raising your eyebrow at him and he chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s a comfort zone. Feels good to come back to the familiar. I mean, things changed, obviously, but so many things were the same that I didn’t feel out of place.”

“Mm,” you hummed. “I hope that when I go off to college everything changes. I want more from life, I want to move up in the world. I want my parents to stop babying my, my sister to stop being a pest, and Jungkook to fade into nothing more than a rotten memory.”

Lucas laughed, his chest rumbling under your cheek and you grinned up at him. “What about me and Lil and Noelle? You wanna keep us around?”

“Of course!” You said, clinging tighter to his waist, “I hope you guys are in my life forever. It feels like this is the beginning of something really great, you know?” You mumbled shyly. You weren’t even sure Lucas’ feelings were that deep, but you decided to put yourself out there a little and test the waters.

“Yeah, I do.” He nodded, “We’ve got a lot of potential. Limitless, you know?”

“Yeah.” You breathed, and he looked down at you, smiling.

"You look really beautiful." Lucas whispered.

You snuggled closer to him, head tipped up to look at his face. "Really?" You murmured, "Even with my messy hair and ripped jeans?"

"Especially with your messy hair and ripped jeans." Lucas chuckled. You smiled, blissful. His shaggy blonde hair had fallen into his eyes and he looked so handsome. Like every one of your childhood dreams come true.

“Can you kiss me?” You whispered.

“Now?” He mumbled and you nodded, watching as he smiled, lowering his face closer to yours before you closed your eyes and moved your face up to greet his, noses grazing slightly as his lips settled over yours.

He was warm and soft and felt like butter melting into every dip of your mouth, kiss languid in its perusal of your taste. Perfection. It was too quick, just a mere taste before he was pulling back, forehead resting against yours and a smile on his lips.

“Thank you for coming out with me tonight.” He whispered.

“Thank you for inviting me out.” You smiled, “…but I think you promised hot chocolate.”

Lucas laughed, chest rumbling against your own and sat up to retrieve the thermos and cups. “Here, let me fix that real quick.”

You stayed up laughing and talking, hot chocolate in hand until it was gone and was too cold outside to stay any longer before Lucas dropped you off back at your house with the promise of tomorrow. This was the start of something big. You just knew it.

Thank you so much for being patient with me while I wrote this chapter! The contract for my job is winding down and it’s been a very busy last few months. I’ve got 2 weeks left and then my mom is coming to visit me in Korea for 2 weeks so I won’t be able to start writing for chapter 4 until the end of March. Bear with me while I get over this new hurdle. Thank you loves. I hope you enjoyed!

Chapter 2

Chapter 4

#jungkook scenario #jungkook x reader #kpoptrashtag #jungkook smut #jungkook angst #jungkook enemies to lovers #jungkook soulmates

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megan-flynn · 5 years ago

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Blog 7:My Exciting Quarantine Day

Hi everyone! Today was one of the most fun days I have had in awhile! For the first time in quarantine, I never felt bored once throughout the day. I was always doing something surprisingly.

My day started off at noon because I like to sleep in when I can. I woke up and had Cheerios with strawberries and pineapple. Once I finished up my breakfast, I decided to go for a bike ride. It was so nice out today, so I decided to bike for quite awhile. It was nice to be out in fresh air for awhile. After about 3 miles, I decided to start heading back home.

When I arrived home, my mom asked me if I wanted to go pick up the donuts for tomorrow. We drove to Orland Bakery and then dropped some off at my aunts house. We talked with my aunt for about an hour. At that time, it was about 3 o’clock.

It was time for lunch, so I made myself a caesar salad. On the side of my salad I had some cucumbers with ranch.

Following lunch, I played some basketball and soccer for about an hour. The. my dad wanted to take me driving for the first time. Since I had never driven before, I drove in a parking lot. Shockingly, I was pretty good especially with the fact that there was not a single car in the parking lot, besides mine. After about 15 minutes another person decided to come to the same parking lot to practice driving, and my dad figured it was not a good idea that two people practice driving right next to each other, so we went home.

When we got home it was time for dinner. For dinner we had cheeseburgers and hotdogs. Once we finished I did the dishes. When I realized it was Easter tomorrow, and we will not be able to see our grandma, I decided to make a poster to drop off at her house tomorrow. To end my day I took a shower.I am super happy to celebrate my favorite holiday tomorrow!

#life2020

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journeexo · 5 years ago

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Meet The Wards

INVOLVED: Savannah Ward, Theodore Ward, Ava Ward, and Journee Ashton TIME FRAME: Friday, March 13th, 2020 LOCATION: Ward Home; Atlanta, Georgia SUMMARY: Journee meets Savannah’s parents for the first time.

Savannah smiled softly as they pulled up to her parents’ home and she looked over at Journee, her eyes shining as she bubbled from the inside out. She was so excited for Journee to meet her parents. She hoped that Journee loved them. They were good people. Putting the car in park, Savannah reached over and took Journee’s hand into her own. “Are you nervous? Excited? Tell me,” she said sweetly.

Journee sat beside Savannah calmly, she hated this whole phase because she really didn’t like meeting people, but this was her family. It was different. She looked to her and said “not nervous” with a shrug “maybe a little excited” she smiled “it’s your parents, it’ll be fine” she told her.

Nodding slowly, Savannah said, “it'll be perfectly fine,” reiterating Journee’s words as she slid from the car. She adjusted her jeans on her hips a bit, pulling them up in the back as she closed the door and rounded the car. She slid the keys into the pocket of the jacket she was sporting as she moved to Journee with a bright smile. “You’re going to love them,” she said sweetly before she reminded Journee, “my dad was in the army for several years and is now retired and my mom is still a working choreographer.”

Journee moved to get out of the car with Savannah as she moved to her. She nodded her head gently. “Right” she told her trying to remember that once more as she asked her “how do I look?” wanting to know seriously. All she had on was a fancy top, jeans, and heels but she didn’t want to look slutty to them.

Savannah looked Journee over at the question and she said, “you look great.” She gently played with Journee’s hair a bit as she looked her over more. “Perfect baby,” she said as she bounced up in her sandals to give Journee a kiss. “Ready?” she asked, holding her hand out to Journee lovingly.

Journee looked down at herself and nodded her head gently “okay” she said trusting her. “I am” she said softly as she held Savannah’s hands in hers. They were parents, those were easy, she had no worries.

Savannah smiled brightly, pulling Journee along as she began marching up the walkway towards the door. She stepped up the three little steps before she rang the doorbell swiftly. She squeezed Journee’s hand as they waited.

Theodore stood from his spot in his home office, where he was resting in a chair reading a book as he heard the doorbell. His wife was in the kitchen preparing lunch and he didn’t want her to stop so he quickly said, “I got the door honey,” as he sat his book down and moved into the hallway. He walked down the corridor, looking at the TV on the wall that showed him the various camera outputs and he smiled seeing his daughter. Unlocking the door, he opened it and said, “Savannah,” with a chuckle as he greeted her with a warm hug. He rubbed her back before he pulled away, looking at Journee with a grin.

Ava stood at the counter, cutting the crust off the sandwiches she had prepared as an appetizer to their lunch when she heard the door. She smiled at her husband's words, but she cleaned her hands anyway and moved for the door, wanting to greet Savannah and her new girlfriend immediately as well. She walked up behind her husband as he broke his embrace with Savannah and she smiled, “hi sweetheart,” she said as she pulled Savannah into a hug as well.

Journee stood behind Savannah and she watched as the door opened and she took in the older man. She smiled at him and then at whom she assumed was her mother as they both hugged on the woman.

Savannah hugged her father tight, a smile on her face as she did. She then hugged her mother, rubbing her back some. “Hi mom, hi dad,” she said greeting them properly as she pulled away from her mother. She looked between both of her parents before she said, “Mom, dad this is Journee, my partner,” she introduced. “Journee this is my father, Theodore, and my mother, Ava,” she said with a smile.

Theodore stepped back, letting his wife hug Savannah before he smiled as Savannah introduced them and he looked at Journee offering her his hand. “Nice to meet you Journee,” he said easily. “I’ve heard great things,” he said with a smile before he released her hand.

Ava hugged her daughter tight before letting go and she looked to Journee as Savannah introduced her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you sweetheart,” she said as she stepped around, pulling Journee into a hug. She rubbed Journee’s back in a motherly, nurturing way before she pulled back and said, “come in, come in,” stepping back with her husband to let the women into the house and off the porch.

Journee looked to Savannah with a smile and then to her parents as they were all introduced. “Nice meeting you” she said cutely to her dad and as her mother approached with a hug, she hugged her back and said “nice meeting you as well” easily. As she was asked to come in, she moved into the house.

Savannah stood there smiling giddily as her parents embraced Journee openly. It had been an adjustment when she first came out to her parents but over the many years, they had come to terms with it and honestly, welcomed her partners. Stepping into the house at her mother’s insistence, she said, “mm, smells good,” as she shrugged her jacket off, hanging it on the rack.

Theodore moved back into the home a bit as Ava let the women in and he suggested, “let’s gather in the living room before we eat,” wanting to really talk with and get to know Journee.

Ava smiled at Savannah. “I’m making my homemade butternut squash soup with a side salad,” she informed Savannah as he nodded at her husband's suggestion. “You all go on, I’ll be in, in a moment,” she told them before she moved back to the kitchen to finish the sandwiches.

Journee nodded her head as she moved with the family into the living room with them smiling as the woman mentioned what was for lunch. They ate healthy like their daughter she assumed. “Sounds good” she said not sure how much she’d like it, but did she have a choice now?

Savannah nodded at her father and began making way towards the living room behind him. “Mm, my favorite,” she said to her mother. As they entered the living room, she sat down on the couch and looked at Journee with a smile on her face, her nose scrunching cutely.

Theodore sat in a chair across from Journee and Savannah and he rested his hands in his lap as he looked between the happy couple before he asked, “so Journee, I hear you’re a paralegal like Bailey,” he said already knowing that she worked with Bailey, having heard through the grapevine.

Journee sat down and she smiled at the usual giddy Savannah, she looked to her father and she nodded her head. “Yes, we work together” she told her easily. “That’s kind of how we met” she said, looking at Savannah with a chuckle.

Savannah couldn’t help but to giggle as her father spoke and she dropped her head to Journee’s shoulder, blushing a little. “Bailey introduced us,” she told her father the basics, “and the rest kind of just fell into place,” she said sweetly.

Theodore nodded his head chuckling at the smiling couple. “That’s lovely,” he said as he shifted in his chair. “What made you get into the legal field?” he asked Journee curiously.

Ava moved into the living room with a tray of cucumber sandwiches and she sat down in the chair beside her husband as she rested the tray on the coffee table, with a smile. “Help yourself,” she said sweetly.

Journee smiled down at Savannah with a chuckle, she was so cute when she got all excited and shy. At her father’s question she sighed “if I can be honest” she told him “it’s good money sir, and during that phase of my life I wanted to be able to provide for my family. I am used to going without and I honestly didn’t want to see my mother working for little to nothing for the rest of her life” she spoke. “I don’t have a genuine passion for it, but it pays the bills. And it made me comfortable, lifestyle wise…”

Savannah nuzzled Journee a bit, her arms wrapping around Journee’s midsection as she cuddled into her on the couch, listening as she explained to her parents why she chose her line of work.

Theodore nodded slowly as Journee spoke and he took in what she had to say. He honestly couldn’t be mad at that. “I understand,” he said nodding. “I went into the army to provide for my family,” he said truthfully. “I admire that you did what you needed to do and make a living out of it,” he said with a hum as he looked to his wife, leaning down to grab a sandwich.

Ava listened to Journee with a smile and she said, “like my husband said, that’s very admirable.” She picked up a sandwich herself, taking a bite and swallowing down before she asked, “does your mother still work?” curiously.

Journee looked to the platter opting out of getting a sandwich in her head, but she also told herself it would be rude not to try. So, she grabbed one and she bit into it, regretting that instantly. She hated cucumbers, what was she thinking? She however swallowed it and smiled “thank you” she said as she looked at the bodies across from her. She chuckled “sadly, yes. But my mother has always been a go-getter. She raised me and my brother as a single mother, working is all she knows” she told them.

Savannah watched as Journee grabbed a sandwich and she winced; she knew that Journee didn’t like cucumbers. Gently, Savannah took the sandwich out of Journee’s hand after she took that first painstaking bite and she bit into it next, giving her an out of finishing the sandwich.

Theodore bit into his sandwich hungrily, swallowing it down with ease. “A single mother,” he said with a nod, “yeah, I know she’s a fighter,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s what single mothers do,” he said knowingly. “Must be where you get you drive from,” he complimented.

Ava bit into her own sandwich, finishing it in a few bites before she dusted her hands off as she nodded. “Oh, you have a brother?” she said softly with a smile. “How old is your brother?” she asked. “You know we’ve got three spoiled girls,” she said chuckling. “Always wanted a boy though,” she admitted with a chuckle.

Journee looked to Savannah and she thanked her through eye contact, she was trying to not die off the one general bite she took of the sandwich, she squeezed her hip lovingly. She had to repay her with something for helping her out. She looked to her “yes sir” she said with a chuckle “she set the bar and I had to climb it” she said jokingly. “She worked multiple jobs at a time sometime, I don’t know how she did” she said with a head shake though she did know, because slyly she was going the same thing. “Yes” she told her mother “he’s 23 years old” she told the woman with a head nod “full time student at Clark Atlanta where I graduated” she told them.

Savannah ate the sandwich quickly, brushing her hands off on her jeans after she finished it. Listening quietly as her parents spoke with Journee and she nodded along here and there, a smile on her face as she continued to lean into Journee.

Theodore chuckled. “I can see that,” he said with a hum. So far, he liked Journee. However, he was not done questioning her. Savannah was his baby girl and she had been through so much; this everyone knew now. He wanted to make sure Journee was really the one for his daughter, now after everything. “So, what future do you see between Savannah and yourself?” he asked.

Ava smiled brightly. “I could only imagine,” she said shaking of Journee’s mother and her strength to work multiple jobs while raising two kids. “Oh! You went to an HBCU, that’s amazing,” she said lovingly. “I had wanted to attend one, but life just didn’t work out that way for me,” she said truthfully. “I have no regrets though,” she added before she stood up, “excuse me,” she said as she moved for the kitchen to check on the soup.

Journee nodded her head at the older woman “yes ma’am I did” she said with a bright smile. “There’s always time to” she added to the woman, a firm believer in chasing your dreams no matter what. Her mother had managed to go back and get one, she knew anyone could, rather she helped to pay for it or not. It was her pleasure. At the man’s question she licked her lips, oh goodness he wanted to quiz her and was using sweet little questions to lead into the harder ones. That’s what parents did. “I have been married previously” she said aloud, shockingly. “And within that marriage. I didn’t have security. I didn’t picture death parting us and I wasn’t emotionally drawn, I thought I was, but I was lying to myself” she told him. “With Savannah” she said pausing as she stopped shaking her head with a wide lovestruck grin on her face, she was in awe now thinking about it. “I want all the things I didn’t think people actually got in life” she chuckled. “I want marriage, kids, the dogs, picnics at the park” she chuckled. “I want to make her happy” she said looking down at the woman. “I can only imagine death parting us… I know what that feels like now” she breathed lovingly as she squeezed her to her side. “I want everything you have here Mr. Ward” she said looking around his house. “Picture perfect love story….”

Savannah bit her lip at her father’s question, and she shot him a look that said daddy, why. However, it was already out there now. She buried her face in Journee’s arm, shaking her head as she grinned widely. Slowly, she lifted her head, her smile from ear to ear as she blushed deeply, and she swatted at Journee playfully. “You’re too sweet,” she whispered, leaning into peck Journee’s lips lovingly.

Theodore listened to Journee carefully, his eyebrows rising to his hairline to hear that Journee had been married before. “Wow,” he said honestly as he sat back in his chair, crossing his ankle over his knee. He let out a breath as he said, “I’m glad to hear it and I can just see the love coming off the two of you,” he admitted. “I appreciate you for loving my daughter Journee,” he said easily. “When Savannah first came out to us back in middle school, we had to get used to it, but we’ve grown accustomed to it and we’re just happy that Savannah has found love again in someone so wonderful,” he said to her. “Ryan was never good for her,” he said knowingly. “But I do think that you’re meant for my daughter,” he told Journee.

At Savannah’s words she pecked her lips back lovingly then she looked to the man nodding her head as he spoke. “I am just trying to fix all the wrong Ryan did sir” Journee said seriously as she sighed. “Savannah is a very special beginning; she deserves the world” she breathed out softly to him.

Savannah’s face turned red hot and she looked at her father, then back to Journee before she dropped her head, her hair framing her face. She hated all the doubt Ryan had filled her with, but with every kiss and caress and loving word from Journee, they were all washing away.

Theodore cleared his throat, nodding his head. “It takes a special kind of person to be willing to do that,” he told Journee honestly. “So, I thank you,” he said with a smile.

Ava moved back towards the living room and she said, “you all can get washed up, lunch is ready,” as she wiped her hands on her apron.

Journee smiled at the man “no thank you” she said easily as her mother resurfaced and she nodded her head at her. “Babe you have to show me to the bathroom” she said with a smile patting her hip.

Savannah was a blushing emotional mess and she tried to hold her tears back as her father and Journee talked. As her mother reappeared, she nodded and stood up, taking Journee’s hand. “Yes, it’s over here,” she said sweetly as she led the way down the hallway filled with various pictures of the family, some individual photos, some family photos. As they entered the bathroom, Savannah flicked on the light.

Journee followed Savannah hand and hand towards the bathroom, she looked at the pictures on the wall as they passed it. As they made it to the restroom, she moved to wash her hands fully and she turned drying them off with the towel in place to do so. Once she did, she looked at Savannah and said “so... I did good right?” she asked her curiously.

Savannah allowed Journee to wash her hands first before she stepped up doing the same. “You did wonderful baby,” she said sweetly as she moved to dry her hands. “They love you,” she said lovingly as she pecked Journee’s lips.

Journee kissed the girl back and she smiled at her “I tried, baby I almost died after I bit that sandwich my stomach churned the entire time after that. Why did I do that?” she asked her with a hardy chuckle. “Thank you so much, for taking it from me” she stressed.

Snoring softly, Savannah said, “I could not believe you went for it,” she said honestly. “Baby, my mom would not have cared,” she said with a giggle. “You’re welcome however,” she said sweetly, as she took Ellie’s hand, leading her back down the hallway.

“I didn’t want to not try,” Journee said, chuckling “I thought it would be rude not to,” she told her with a headshake. “Anyway, I owe you” she told her before she shifted to leave the bathroom. “I didn’t know where your dad was going to go with the Bailey thing. Do they know the full story?” she asked, moving out the bathroom.

Giggling, Savannah shook her head. “No, baby, I owe you for trying to make such a good impression,” she said lovingly. As they moved for the dining room Savannah shook her head. “I had no idea where he was going with that either,” she admitted. “I’m sure they don’t,” she said, “my mother would have brought it up if she did,” she said knowingly.

Journee nodded her head, her hands resting on Savannah’s back as she moved with her in whatever direction she was leading them. Her nails clicked as she walked across the floor “well that’s a good thing” she said to her with a small chuckle “that would have been awkward…”

Savannah looked back at Journee with wide eyes. “It would not have gone over well,” she said knowingly. Entering the dining room, Savannah inhaled deeply as the smell of her favorite soup filled the air. She pulled out a chair for Journee with a smile before she sat herself, looking across the table at her parents with a smile. She reached across the table taking her mother’s hand and Journee’s hand as she bowed her head. She was non-religious, but her parents were Christians, and she respected the tradition of prayer before eating.

Theodore sat at the table with his freshly washed hands and he looked at his wife as she sat the large bowls of soup and salad before them. He looked over at Savannah and Journee as they sat and he said, “hope you’re hungry,” to Journee. “This butternut squash soup is amazing,” he told her.

Ava beamed as she sat down at the table, looking at Savannah and Journee and she placed her hand in Savannah’s. “Journee, it's an acquired taste, don’t mind my husband,” she said with a chuckle. “You might not like it,” she said knowingly as she took her husband’s hand into her own.

Journee looked to her, offering her a knowing look and when they arrived at the table, she took in the aroma around them. It didn’t smell half bad, no, would she like it? She wasn't sure. She chuckled at the couple and nodded her head “I am not very judgmental” she told them as they all held hands to pray, she assumed. She didn’t practice her religion as often as she should, she was a Baptist woman born and raised however in her older years she bounced around churches and customs.

Savannah smirked softly at Journee’s response to her parents. She squeezed Journee’s hand sweetly as she continued to bow her head.

Theodore smiled at his wife, bowing his head as he took Journee’s hand and his wife’s hand. He said a quick prayer over the food and everyone at the table before he said, “amen.” Lifting his head, he squeezed Journee and his wife’s hand before he released. “Mmm,” he said as he inhaled deeply. He picked up his bowl and began to ladle some soup into it. “So, why didn’t your previous marriage work out?” he asked, “if I may,” he added.

Ava dropped her head, listening to her husband’s prayer. “Amen,” she said quietly as she released hands and began to place some salad onto her small plate. She looked over at Journee and Savannah at her husband’s question and she shook her head. “Theo,” she hissed softly.

Journee looked at the meal before her and she contemplated how much or how little of the stuff she was going to get. She looked at Theodore and she swallowed hard, quick stepping and saying “irreconcilable difference” she said lying through her teeth. “Along with some other things” she said sighing “he was a tad bit… abusive” she said not wanting to go into too much detail. “We should have never been together to be honest, I was young, and he was not my soulmate” she said.

Savannah looked over at her father at his question and she bit her lip. “Daddy,” she said to him harshly. She couldn’t believe he had asked that. Looking over at Journee as she began to answer, she rubbed her leg under the table, mumbling, “sorry,” to her before she picked up Journee’s plate and placed a decent helping of salad on it. Sitting the plate down, she picked up Journee’s bowl and scooped half a ladle full into it, knowingly. Sitting the bowl before Journee she began to make her own plate before she said to her father. “Journee and I just hadn’t found each other yet, so we bided time with other people, searching for each other’s souls in the meantime.” She pulled her bowl with soup and added a bit of salad to her plate before she picked up her fork and began to eat.

Theodore looked to his wife and daughter before he looked at Journee apologetically as she began to answer. “I’m sorry,” he said before he quietly slurped some of his soup. He listened to her before he nodded a bit and grew quiet as Savannah spoke. He chuckled a bit and said, “well I’m truly happy that you’ve got each other now,” trying to save his ass for his own question.

Ava nodded at Journee and Savannah’s words and changed the subject as she ate some of her soup. “Journee, I believe I heard you mention kids and marriage,” she said sweetly. “How would you go about children?” she asked curiously. She knew the options same sex couples had but she was curious to know what they had talked about.

Journee nodded her head “it is quite alright Mr. Ward; I understand your curiosity. I am trying to actively date and build a life with your daughter” she said to him before she looked to Savannah patting her thigh. “I hate talking about it, but I do believe I am one of the lucky ones that has dealt with abuse… many women can’t do so” she said to them. As Savannah fixed her plate, she told her “thank you” graciously, she didn’t have to. At her mother’s question she smirked widely at her before she dipped her spoon in her soup having a taste. “We actually haven’t spoken on that just yet” she said to her with a chuckle. “But there are a lot of options. That I know. I have been researching” she revealed to them.

Savannah ate her salad quietly as Journee spoke to her parents. She hated the fact that Journee had been abused by her husband. It made her mad. However, she knew for a fact that Ryan having cheated on her and toyed with her emotions made Journee mad as well. It was a part of the love they shared. At her mother’s question Savannah choked slightly, on the piece of salad she was eating, and she rubbed her chest a little before she looked over at Journee as she answered. She took a quick sip of her water before she asked Journee, “you’ve looked into it?” A blush rose on her cheeks and she looked down at her plate bashfully.

Theodore ate his food diligently, looking at his wife at her question before he looked back to the couple before him, wanting to know as well.

Ava nodded slowly as Journee answered and she said, “Oh, I’m sorry.” She pursed her lips slightly. “I didn’t mean to rush the process or anything, just curious,” she said before she chuckled. “You know with three daughters we figured we’d have at least one grandchild by now,” she mused sweetly.

Journee chuckled at her mother’s response before she looked to Savannah and said “yes I have” easily. “I understand Mrs. Ward, my mother has been putting a mental counter on for a while now. I have to cash in a check soon or I don’t know what she’s going to do” she joked lightly. “I know it seems a bit much when you rush things. So, I have taken the approach of weighing the waters” she told her parents. “The second Savannah let’s; me I am going to marry her and the very second she decides she’s ready. We are going to have a child together” she said confidently.

Savannah looked at her mother, squinting slightly. She knew she wasn’t getting a child out of Alexandria. That just wasn’t going to happen. Her sister was a free spirit, but she was also very careful, and a child would put a big damper on her lifestyle. Bailey was next in line, but she was too goal driven and focused on work to settle down. Plus, she was always in someone else's business instead of tending to her own. If she slowed down a little and focused on herself, she might have a man. Then there was her. The lesbian. Yes, she was the only one that had ever been married out of her sisters but look how that turned out. She wanted kids so badly but with Ryan it would have never happened, and she honestly thought her life was over after they separated until she met Journee. Now the possibilities were endless. Slowly she looked at Journee as she spoke, and her eyes began to fill with tears. “Baby,” she said sweetly as she turned to her in her chair. “Of course, I want to marry you,” she gushed lovingly. “I want to have children with you,” she said as well. She hated that this was happening in front of her parents, but it was happening, and she was ecstatic as she beamed at Journee, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Theodore nodded slowly, moving to his salad a bit now. As Journee and Savannah spoke, his eyes grew wide and he looked at his wife in shock.

Ava nodded slowly, chuckling a bit. “I completely understand your mother’s plight,” she said sweetly. However, as Savannah turned to Journee her eyes grew wide as well and she placed one hand on her husband’s arm, the other hand under her chin as she smiled widely.

Journee looked to Savannah resting her fork down against her plate as the woman turned to her. She shifted lightly, crossing one leg over the other nodding her head and she said “I thought you knew this by now babe” she said to her with bright eyes. “Or had I not done my job to show you that?” she asked her sweetly as she pecked her forehead. “When you are ready” she said gripping her hand in hers lightly before she kissed the back of her hand tenderly. She turned to the table seeing her parents’ expressions and she smiled a bit, confused, why were they in such shock? She picked her fork backup and dipped into the salad.

Savannah beamed sweetly as she nodded and she said, “no you have, you have, it’s just this is the first time you’ve talked about it in this way,” she said biting her lip as she wiped her tear. She let out a loving sigh as she turned back to her plate, looking at her parents with an arched eyebrow and she said, “we’re not getting married right this second,” playfully.

Theodore listened to the couple before he let out a hum. It was not a proposal. Okay. We went back to his food hungrily. “Wow,” he finally breathed out. “Well, I guess I should say it,” he chuckled. “Journee, you do have my permission for my daughter’s hand in marriage,” he said as he looked between the two. He had never given it to Ryan but the two had run off madly in love and gotten married anyway. He truly hoped what he saw radiating between the two women was real.

Ava sat back slowly, chuckling at her daughter’s words. “I got excited,” she admitted before she said, “but no rush, no rush,” as she went back to her food. Looking to her husband, she nodded with a smile. “I approve of this relationship as well,” she added.

Journee looked to Savannah again “aw baby” she said gently pecking her forehead sweetly. “Don’t cry” she told her before she looked at Theodore and she lit up “really?” she said softly, she had planned to ask the man before they left but she guessed she didn’t need to now. “Thank you, you beat me to the punch,” she said softly, chuckling as she stuck another forkful of food into her mouth. “Thank you, guys, not everyone approves of me, so your blessing is appreciated” she said letting slip and she did she swallowed hard. Damn.

Savannah looked to her parents and more tears rolled at their blessings. Looking at Journee, she chuckled softly, wiping more of her tears. “They’re happy tears,” she said lovingly. At Journee’s words, she placed her hand on her thigh under the table, rubbing it gently. Her mother was for sure going to question that.

Theodore chuckled and said, “why wait when it’s obvious that you two truly love each other.” However, at Journee’s words his eyebrow arched a bit and he looked between the two confused.

Ava smiled before she said, “honey why wouldn’t anyone approve of you? You’re wonderful.” she said sweetly.

Journee looked to Savannah and she rested her hand on top of hers lacing their fingers. She swallowed hard she couldn’t through her sister under the bus, that wouldn’t be right. She didn’t know what to say otherwise, clearly, she couldn’t tap dance her way out of this one. “Um” she said, chuckling lightly.

Savannah looked at Journee and she pierced her lips slowly before she spoke up. “Bailey, for whatever reason, took it upon herself, to try and interject herself within my relationship with Journee,” she began to explain. “Bailey is not fond of Journee for some reason,” she said with an honest shrug. “However, she’s clearly alone in that regard,” she gestured around the table. “I don’t know why Bailey took it upon herself to be the villain,” she said, shaking her head. “But that’s what Journee is referring too.”

Theodore looked to Savannah as she began to speak and he nodded slowly, shaking his head. “Bailey is always sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong,” he said knowingly before he looked at Journee. “I apologize on behalf of my daughter.”

Ava shook her head herself. “That damn Bailey,” she fussed. “I don’t know where she gets it from,” she admitted. “So snobby and stuck up,” she said shamefully. Though she knew her daughter got it from her. She’d calmed down over the years, but she was very uppity once upon a time.

Journee looked at Savannah as she explained, nodding her head at the girl as she explained the story in full to her parents. She still hadn’t forgiven Bailey; she spoke to her at work only when she had to and didn’t stretch it past that point. They didn’t speak on it; Journee didn’t press Savannah and Savannah didn’t press Journee. It just was what it was right now, she assumed. Licking her lips, she looked to her parents and said “it’s alright, everyone won’t like you” she said truthfully.

Savannah leaned in, eating more of her soup now. Almost done with it to be honest. “I love my sister dearly but her treating me like the fragile baby of the family and trying to butt into my life just isn’t okay, so outside of her helping me with the divorce, we haven’t spoken much,” she admitted, looking at her parents.

Theodore was shocked to hear that Savannah and Bailey weren’t talking. All three of the girls were always close and it saddened him to know that they weren’t anymore. “It’s alright Savannah no one is going to fault you for keeping your distance now,” he said. “You dealt with something really traumatic and just needed support not interference and Bailey well... You know how Bailey is. I know she meant well but you’re not wrong for what you’re doing,” he said to her.

Ava nodded along to her husband's words and she decided to change the subject. “Have you met Journee’s parents yet Savannah?” she asked.

Journee finished off her salad before moving back to the dread soup, she had to finish it all and take one for the team dammit. It was for love she told her. Dipping her spoon in and out she didn’t but in as they all spoke to each other and at her mother’s question she nodded her head to the woman dipping again.

Savannah looked to her father with a sigh and a nod as she finished her soup and salad. She grabbed her napkin, gently wiping her mouth as she said, “I have, one time,” sweetly. “It was on accident, I believe,” she said with a chuckle. “I uh, I went over to Journee’s and ended up cooking for her and her mother,” she admitted. “She’s a wonderful woman,” she said looking to Journee with a smile as she rested her napkin down.

Looking to his wife, Theodore nodded along.

Ava listened to Savannah and she chuckled. “Just like you to make a good impression cooking,” she said sweetly before she looked at Journee. “We would love to meet your mother,” she said lovingly. “You know since we’ll all be family,” she said hopeful.

Journee chuckled at Savannah “my mother moves like a thief in the night” she joked. “Like I said she still works, our schedules conflict and we always seem to be too busy for each other. Which I want to change” she said to them. “Hopefully I can get her over to the house more often,” she said. At Ava’s question she nodded her head at her “sure, of course. We can all go out to eat sometime when it all works for us”, she told them.

Savannah chuckled softly remembering how Journee’s mother ran off before dessert when she had met her. “I would love that too,” she said sweetly. “Maybe with the whole family,” she said thinking it over. She still needed to meet Journee’s brother, maybe them all getting together would be the opportune time to do it.

Journee nodded her head at the girl’s words “easy” she said to her with a smile as she finished the soup and pushed the bowl aside wiping her mouth clean of any residue.

Savannah beamed and she leaned over, kissing Journee’s cheek lovingly. “I can’t wait,” she said sweetly.

#thread: meet the wards #thread #thread: savannah ward

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thecollinhartman-blog · 5 years ago

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Collin’s Coronavirus Thoughts

Corona Diaries

I know what you are thinking. It is Day 4 of the Quarantine and Social Distancing and Collin has gone so crazy without all the busy-ness of life that he is writing a blog post. And you would be absolutely correct. Like every other millennial twenty-something, I have a lot of really great ideas that haven’t quite come to fruition. By now I thought I would be operating a volleyball facility, or traveling the US in a VW van driving for Uber, or pursuing a PhD program in England while playing volleyball, or coaching a small college team in Southern California.

All this to say I’m a big-time dreamer and a mostly incredibly poor “executer”. I often mistake my busy-ness for full-ness. I have seven unread books on my night stand, I haven’t been grocery shopping in weeks, I never got around to painting the trim in the bathroom my dad and I remodeled, my phone hasn’t been at full charge since November, and there has been an overflow of recycling sitting outside my house from the garbage disposal and mattress I got for Christmas… and now it’s March. Welcome to it, friends.

Let’s start here: I stopped by my parents’ house this week to print something – which I often do because I have a lot of printing needs but haven’t ever purchased a printer. It’s nice because I can print some papers I need AND I can always count on cool ranch Doritos and a Mango Orange Crystal Lite…. that I’ll likely take one sip of, leave on the counter, and finish when I’m there 4 days later.

Anyway, here I am printing in my dad’s office and running late for a meeting (all because I napped for too long). I rush out the door of the house, accidentally leaving one document on the printer, pens and paper everywhere, and a cupboard desk drawer open. A few minutes later, my dad sends me a picture of his office, which was without a doubt entirely put together five minutes prior to me being there. The tone of his text is sarcastic but loving but semi-annoyed which I can handle. I spend six seconds feeling bad about my reckless and disorganized self until Hillsong’s Highlands comes on the radio and I turn it up. I don’t spend time reflecting on things that would make me sad, I’m a 7.

In the midst of my frantic printing and meeting prep, my dad told me he was going to call me “F-5”as my new nickname. By the look on my face, he could tell I was confused as to why. He begins to tell me that tornados are classified in F-0 through F-5 categories, with an F-5 tornado being the wildest in nature. My quick google search defines an F-5 tornado as the most “violent damage, homes lifted off foundation and carried considerable distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters.” I think what my dad was trying to say is that my general way of life is to rampage my way through different spaces, groups, situations… often times in an assertive, proactive, somewhat wild, chaotic way and then just… leave (I think this how I drive too). Stop go stop go stop go. I go from this thing right on to the next without pause. I show up, jump out of my car, race to wherever I’m supposed to go, be (mostly) present there until BOOM, it’s a Monday evening and I’m in the Eagle gym, shutting off all the lights, gathering volleyballs, turning on the alarm, leaving for Young Life – all in an attempt to get there three minutes before it starts so I can prep items for the game I’m leading ALLLLL before being interrupted in the parking lot by a mom of a U11 kid who is reminding me (probably for the 3rd time) about the t-shirt they ordered and are waiting on. Following? Me neither.

In short – my life actually is like an F-5 tornado. I run run run from one thing to the next, filling my world to the brim with as much as I possibly can all until I arrive back at my house at 10:30 pm, gas light on, eat whatever I can find in the fridge before my head hits the pillow 4 minutes later, only to set my alarm and do it again.

I’ve been living my life like this for a really long time until…. well until Sunday when we got the news that school is cancelled, which means volleyball activities are all cancelled too, and Young Life gatherings paused and suddenly my wild Monday is WIDE OPEN.

This blog post / journal / diary is my attempt to articulate from my squirrel brain some things I’ve learned about myself in the last 48 hours since this craziness called coronavirus officially stopped my (and probably your) collective world right in their F-5 tornado tracks.

First, let me tell you about my day today paint a picture of how my world feels just a bit (LITERALLY ENTIRELY) different…..

1) I didn’t set an alarm and I woke up at 8:30 am.

2) Shortly after, I went on a quick walk to the nearest coffee shop and ordered a Misto: I am on my journey to black coffee and I just graduated from a latte to this half coffee half milk concoction (with caramel) and I feel accomplished.

3) I stopped by my neighbor friend’s house to say hello.

4) I got home, cleaned a couple things around the house, washed a couple plates in my sink, and went on a bike ride to downtown Boise where I enjoyed a takeout lunch from Whole Foods. I would like to tell you that I rode my bike home, but a friend happened to see me and my girlfriend (she is working remotely from Utah and visiting right now) saw us and somehow realized the journey completely uphill from downtown to my house on the bench might not be all that fun so we piled our bikes in her car and she took us home.

5) I took a 20 minute snoozer.

6) I got up and did some yard work outside, gathering pine needles from underneath my big backyard tree and finally broke down those big boxes that have been sitting outside my house for months and was able to fit them all inside my recycling can.

7) It started to drizzle so I came inside, crawled under a big blanket and read the first couple chapters of Prodigal God by Timothy Keller.

8) Kinslie and I then stopped by the store to pick up some things for dinner and I grilled some steaks and shared a giant salad and some grilled asparagus.

9) After a few girl scout cookies (they stopped by yesterday), we watched the last half of Ellen’s Game of Games and picked a movie on Netflix.

10) Now I’m lying in my (perfectly made) bed (because I had the time to make it) writing all my thoughts down in a word document wondering if I’ll actually post this or if there is really anything of worth that I’m typing. I think there is but not sure yet.

Well, friends of the interwebs, you might be wondering why you just read a detailed list of my day from start to finish. Here’s what I want you to know.

1) Upon arriving at the coffee shop, I had a cheerful silly conversation with the barista about what drink I should order as we laughed about me wanting to eventually enjoy drip coffee. We engaged in authentic dialogue for a few minutes and on the way out I thanked her for the drink recommendation.

2) Before leaving for our bike ride, my tires were flat so we walked them to the gas station and filled up with six quarters before we went on our merry way. I empathized with the Chevron employee as we talked about coronavirus and how it might impact our lives. I wished him well and went on my way.

3) While bikeriding downtown I noticed there are five…. FIVE… different types of massage or spa places between my house and Curtis, which is the next main stop light.

4) At Whole Foods, I asked the clerk their favorite pasta salad as she walked over and told me all about the 2 for $6 deal. I noticed the different textures of the floor and the neatly stacked chairs and how the vegetables were perfectly arranged in their place.

5) While doing yardwork, I stopped and looked at Kinslie as she was raking leaves into a pile. I went over and looked, I mean REALLY LOOKED into her eyes and noticed how the Irish green edges melt into a light sky-ish blue before meeting her pupil. I noticed the way she parted her wavy blonde hair and the way it fell just barely over the sweatshirt she was borrowing of mine. I noticed how thankful I was I had someone to share this day with and even more thankful for her idea to do this yardwork that surely wouldn’t have been started for maybe forever.

6) While reading, I noticed the way the soft sunshine pressed through my semi-open blinds onto my page and made the black ink pop off the page. I contemplated Keller’s words of Pharisees and tax collectors and a story of two sons on their journey of deeper understanding of God’s steadfast love and grace in the midst of their own struggles.

7) While making dinner I couldn’t help but take just a little extra time to delicately cut each cucumber and carrot slice with care as I heard sounds of clattering branches from my cracked window as dusk began to settle in.

8) And while writing this blog post, I can’t help but notice all the things I noticed in my own world for perhaps the first time.

While I can’t be sure what life will look like in a few short days, weeks, or even months, and while I’m not positive what my income will be, and what daily routines or rituals will be impacted, or how our schools and communities will be changed – I can be sure of this: I hope in the midst of my crazy F-5 tornado life that surely will be back in busy routine before I know it – I hope for a couple things.

I hope I can continue notice the little things. To notice the wildly interconnected, perfectly-timed, awe strikingly beautiful, crazy detailed, little details of this world like the way I noticed the lines on the fresh steaks as I pulled them off my garage sale grill.

I hope to breathe deep and see, I mean REALLY see the world around me, to engage in relationship in more authentic and honest ways, to stop for a moment wherever I am to truly connect with the people around me.

I hope to take my time through a home cooked meal, and to not be so filled with anxiousness and fear of the future and unknown that I my eyes are blinded to see the way God is working in and through my (and our) world, possibly even through something like the freaking COVID-19.

While I’m sure there will be more lessons to be learned in the next little while, I challenge you to take a couple moments to really press in and reflect upon the way this Zombie apocalyptic ish tirade is impacting your world. I truly hope in the midst of empty toilet paper shelves and hand sanitizer hoarders there is something beautiful in your world that you’ve noticed, too.

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mksc77 · 5 years ago

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Kate: Sharon’s sister

Maggie: Sharon’s niece

Emmett: Emily’s husband

Carter: Sharon’s nephew’s son (~20 months old)

Claire: Sharon’s niece’s daughter (~4)

Lauren: Sharon’s niece

A little 4th of July ficlet. Just a reminder, you can blacklist the tag #mikuscfanfic (or just unfollow me) if you don’t like my writing. There’s no need to send me rude anonymous asks telling me how much I suck—I’m well aware that a lot of you don’t like my writing, but there are some who seem to enjoy it, so this is for them 😀❤️

Sharon felt a tiny hand tugging at the hem of her t-shirt. She knew without looking down that it was Marie. “Hold on, baby girl, let Gammy finish this pasta salad.” Sharon added Italian dressing and parmesan cheese to the large bowl of angel hair pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and green peppers in front of her and tossed it until the ingredients were well-mixed. After doing the same to the smaller bowl beside it, minus the onions and peppers for Rusty, Ricky, and a couple of her nieces, she put both bowls in the refrigerator and picked Marie up. The ten-month-old was adorable in her red, white, and blue striped swimsuit, and the scent of sunscreen was evident from her soft skin.

Emily held her arms out for the baby. “I’ll take her, Mom. Go get dressed.”

Sharon handed the baby over and went to her and Andy’s room to put on her own swimsuit. Andy was already dressed and was rubbing sunscreen into his face. He handed her the tube of sunscreen when he saw her coming in. “Mind getting my back?”

“Sure.” Sharon squeezed some of the lotion into her palm and softly ran her hands over his back. She changed into her swimsuit as Andy put a t-shirt on and added a couple of clean beach towels to their bag. Once she’d applied as much sunscreen as she could by herself, Andy took the tube from her to put it on her back. He moved her hair to one side and rubbed the lotion into her skin between her neck and the top of her swimsuit. With that taken care of, she pulled her cover-up over her head and slipped into a pair of sandals. “It would’ve been fine for you to go play golf with the others, you know.”

Andy shrugged. “I heard some damsels in distress needed a captain.”

Sharon gave him a disbelieving look. “Yeah. I’ll remember that when we come back, and I have to dock the boat for you.”

“I can do it...You just, uh, do it faster,” Andy mumbled.

Sharon snorted. “Uh-huh. There’s some chipped paint on the side of the boat that suggests otherwise.”

A little while later, they were cruising down the lake. It wasn’t even eighty degrees yet, and the warm sunshine felt wonderful. The pleasant warmth and low hum of the boat was about to put Sharon to sleep, and she looked down at Marie in her lap and saw that it had already done the same to her.

“Here, Mom, I’ll go sit in the back with her in the shade,” Emily said.

Andy held his arms out for her. “You can give her to me.”

Sharon gently transferred Marie to Andy’s arms and moved back toward the front of the boat.

By lunchtime, Claire and Carter were getting restless, and Marie had just woken up and wasn’t too happy, either, so they went back to the house. As they neared the dock, Andy got up so Sharon could sit down. “This is so embarrassing,” Andy muttered.

“Hey. You have good aim where it counts,” Sharon whispered into his ear before she sat down. She didn’t have to look over at him to know he had a shit-eating grin on his face.

After a quick lunch, they went back down to the dock and got on floats in the lake. Sharon wondered what Marie would think of the cold water, but she splashed around in her little float and didn’t start getting fussy until it was time for a nap. Emily lazily reached over to the dock to tap her phone and see what time it was. “I’m going to take her up to the house and put her down—“

“Wait, I’ll take her,” Sharon and Andy volunteered at the same time. Sharon had been about to doze off on her float, herself, but she scrambled up the ladder on the side of the dock before Andy could react.

Emily gave Marie a look. “Sounds like Gammy and Papa are looking for excuses to take a nap.” She got Marie out of her float and lifted her up to Sharon. “Either way, Mommy’s not complaining...Hey, Mom, will you hand me a beer?”

“Make that two, please,” Maggie added from her float.

“Ugh, I hate you guys,” Lauren moaned, as she was five months pregnant.

Sharon tossed each of them a bottle and wrapped a towel around Marie. Andy got out of the water and placed Sharon’s cover-up in her bag. “I’ll bring your things.”

Sharon shook her head. “I’m coming right back when Marie wakes up, I’ll just leave them here.”

“Oh, well, I’ll just, uh, come help you with her,” Andy sputtered, fooling no one.

“Awww, night-night, Andy,” Maggie called from the water.

“Sweet dreams,” Emily added.

When they got up to the house, Sharon gave Marie to Andy. “Mind running her a bath while I shower off and change? Just put some soap in with the running water and rinse the lake water off of her.”

“Sure.” Barely a few seconds had passed before Andy felt sudden warmth against him in contrast to the cold water from the baby’s swimsuit. “Ewww, I think she just peed on me! How is that possible?”

Sharon giggled. “It’s those swim diapers, they don’t really hold pee.”

Andy looked down at Marie. “You couldn’t have done that just a few seconds ago when Gammy had you? I think you planned that.”

Sharon shrugged. “I’ve taught her well.”

Several minutes later, Sharon was showered off and had changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt. Andy came in with Marie, wearing just a diaper and rubbing her eyes. Sharon held her hands out to her. “Come here, sweet girl.” She took her from Andy, switched on the fan beside their bed, and climbed under the covers, tired herself from the sunshine and being in the lake. Not to mention from her brother finding it necessary to run the vacuum at 6:00 that morning. She tucked the baby in beside her and patted her back until she started to drift off.

Andy stepped out of his swimsuit and draped it over the rack in their bathroom. “I’m going to take a quick shower, and I’m right behind you.”

In the five minutes it took for Andy to take a shower and put on a clean pair of boxers, Sharon and Marie were both passed out. Sharon usually at least stirred a little bit if she hadn’t been sleeping long when the mattress dipped from Andy getting in bed, but she didn’t move. The whirring of the fan and the baby curled into her side had put her in a coma, and he wasn’t far from it, either.

Sharon woke up when Marie started cooing and moving around beside her. She looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that they’d been sleeping for almost two hours. “Well, hey, precious. Somebody took a long nap!” Marie grinned and pointed at Andy. He was snoring, and his mouth was hanging open. “We’ll let Papa sleep for a few more minutes. You know he has to have his beauty rest, and I know Mimi has plenty of popsicles in the freezer.” Sharon got up and lifted Marie into her arms.

Andy had started to come to when Sharon and Marie were waking up, and by the time they were out of bed, he was completely awake. He put on a dry swimsuit and t-shirt and found them in the kitchen.

With Andy watching the baby, Sharon changed into another swimsuit and got a swim diaper and dry swimsuit for Marie. She hated having to reapply sunscreen, but she hated the thought of being sunburned or having lake water and sunscreen in her bed even more. Once they were ready again, Sharon and Andy took Marie back down to the dock. Marie bounced against Andy’s hip and pointed at the water, wanting to get back in, so Andy put her back in her float and lowered her into the water as Emily maneuvered her float closer to the dock to get her. Rusty was approaching the dock on the jet ski, and the first thing Sharon noticed was that he was missing a necessary object over his t-shirt. “Russell Thomas Beck, where is your life vest?” She demanded.

“Relax, Mom, I didn’t even get out of the cove without it. My t-shirt made me forget about it, but I realized I wasn’t wearing one and came back.”

Sharon gave him a disapproving look as she tossed him a life vest from a chest on the dock. “Do not let it happen again, young man.” Once he’d driven off, she poked through the cooler for one of the peach-flavored beers Emmett had introduced her to. Most flavored beers were too sweet, but this kind was perfect for her taste.

Sharon left her opened beer on the dock long enough to dive into the lake and get situated on a float. Andy played music from Sharon’s phone before jumping in, himself. He wasn’t a huge fan of the cold water, but it was too clear and beautiful to resist on a sunny day. He couldn’t sit still for very long, either. He swam around for a few minutes before holding on to the back of Sharon’s float as they drifted around the water. Sharon sipped her beer, enjoying the warm sunshine and singing along to the music.

“You’re sweet as a honeybee,

But like a honeybee stings,

You’ve gone and left my heart in pain

All you left is our favorite song,

The one we danced to all night long

It used to bring sweet memories

Of a tender love that used to be

Now it’s the same old song,

But with a different meaning

Since you’ve been gone...”

A couple of hours later, it was almost dinnertime, so Sharon and Andy pulled themselves out of the water to go back to the house for showers and to help get dinner ready. In the true fashion of twenty/thirty-something year old children, the others were staying in the water until “the grown-ups” had dinner ready.

Once everyone had eaten and the kitchen was clean, the entire group went down to the dock and climbed the stairs to the upper deck. The fireworks still wouldn’t start for another hour, but the weather was too pleasant not to sit outside as the sun started its descent behind the mountains and enjoy the twilight. The fireworks would take place not far from the dock, and boats of people who had to venture from their houses to see them were already starting to come out. Sharon and Andy hadn’t been lying in the hammock for two seconds before a song playing from the speaker had Andy standing up and pulling her out of the hammock to dance.

When you snap your finger, or wink your eye,

I come runnin’ to you

I’m tied to your apron strings

And there’s nothin’ that I can do

Sugar pie honey bunch

I’m weaker than a man should be

I can’t help myself

I’m a fool in love, you see

Kate wrinkled her nose. “Are they always that nauseating?”

Rusty rolled his eyes. “Try living with them. They’ll test your gag reflex on a daily basis...Mine still works, in case anyone was wondering.”

The fireworks started a little while later, and Sharon nestled into Andy’s shoulder in the hammock as the colorful lights illuminated the sky. Carter was screaming, and it was the first year that Claire wasn’t screaming. Marie didn’t know what to think, alternating from clapping and laughing to crying to just looking bewildered. Fireworks were loud enough, but the mountains made them echo even more loudly, and trying to put the kids to bed would’ve been pointless.

“Andy, stop,” Sharon hissed when he started kissing her. “My dad is right there!”

“Sharon, please. You have two kids, and you’re over sixty. I think he’s accepted the fact that you kiss your husband. No one’s even paying attention to us.”

“I’d still rather not do it right in front of him—hmmm.” Andy had found the sensitive spot on her neck that never failed to shut her right up before moving back to her lips. This went on intermittently until the fireworks were over, and neither noticed that the noise and lights had stopped until someone, Ricky or Rusty, if they had to guess, heaved a disgusted sigh and dropped a blanket on top of them, enclosing them in darkness. The distraction of the fireworks and the darkness of nightfall had provided a sense of false security. Sharon felt a brief pang of...guilt, or something, hell, she didn’t know. But she also knew they’d get the hell over it. Who could blame her for not being able to keep her hands off of Andy, anyway?

#major crimes #major crimes fanfiction #shandy #mikuscfanfic #shandygrandparenting

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