#many batches of miso soup

[chantalstacys]

weekend vibes 🧸🗞

[staycalmandhugaclone]

The bad batch, Gregor, Howzer, Rex, Wolffe, and Cody all go to a Hibachi place. Who gets Hibachi, who gets sushi, who gets noodle bowls, who sings every time someone in the restaurant has happy birthday sung to them, and who gets miso soup? (Obviously they can all choose multiple things.)

So... many... That poor restaurant...

Let's go down the list!

Wrecker: He'd sing, he'd get Hibachi, and sushi, and noodle bowls and miso soup, and the wait staff love him too much to even mind the mess he makes, and love him even more when he helps clean up after (he may be messy at home, but dude knows not to do that shit in someone elses' place)

Tech: Miso Soup (it actually has been found to have several health benefits), and Hibachi, that way he can ensure everything is cooked correctly - plus he secretly really likes the show. He does not sing. Unless you get him drunk.

Crosshair: Noodle Bowl - it's quick and simple, and has all the nutrients and calories he needs without a ton of fuss. He'll throw utensils at anyone who sings and he'll make eye contact while he does it (except Omega of course)

Echo: He'd get the miso, too, but, depending on how good it is, might not finish if it's too salty. I think he'd initially go for the noodle bowl, but, if he's in a good mood, he'll do Hibachi just for the fun. The singing though? ... yeah, not likely to happen

Hunter: Sushi - the flavors are more subtle, but still incredible, and he'd rather stand a bit back during the Hibachi shenanigans - just a bit too much going on for him to relax during it. He doesn't sing initially, but them Omega gives him a look and reluctantly joins in

Omega: She get Hibachi because that's so COOL, but wants to try all of the things, so ends of just snacking off of everyone's plates. And oh yes. She sings. And when she learned what the song means, she then insists and "figuring out" everyone's birthdays so they can start celebrating them for each other, too!

Gregor: Oh Hibachi all the way! And he steals a nibble from the plates of whoever's around him when they're not looking, but he can't not giggle while he does it so always gets caught. And proceeds to finish putting the stolen food in his mouth anyway with a big grin. He sings loud and off-key and makes everyone smile so damn brightly because of it

Howzer: Yes to Miso - it's healthy and a good appetizer. He'd get the noodle bowl, but he'd also get a few bits of sashimi - nothing too crazy. He doesn't sing initially but, like Hunter, yields beneath Omega's insistence.

Rex: Another one for Hibachi - he can't help but think how much Fives would have loved it, and maybe the quiet evening could do with just a pinch of controlled chaos. He does not sing. Guys. Really. Come on, we came here to relax, not announce our presence to the whole damn restaurant.

Wolffe: He'll get some sushi as an appetizer and the Hibachi for his main course. It's rare he gets to indulge, so he's going to take advantage, but like hell is he going to let on how much he's actually enjoying the food. Until the kriffing singing starts... He gives Gregor the meanest glare before yielding with a disappointed eye-roll and getting back to his food.

Cody: This man has learned to appreciate the finer things in life, so he's going for pure sushi. He'll even get the weird stuff no one can pronounce so he can recommend them to Obi later. And yes. He sings. Much to everyone's shock and Gregor's absolute delight. His voice isn't loud and boisterous, but he lends a subtle undertone to it and unabashedly meets the eyes of anyone gawking at him (Obi taught him)

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[andswarwrites]

Day 26

When N- was a baby I briefly kept a blog called The Hollow Leg, where I chronicled my journey as a new mom trying to keep my hungry, hungry infant satisfied.  Well she's almost thirteen and that appetite is still just as voracious, so maybe I should dig up the blog and continue the tale.  The main issue was that I was told to wait until my baby was six months old to feed her solid food, and as a new mother I did not question what I was told.  A family friend visited us when N- was four months, and she told me "Stacey, that baby is hungry."

She was an experienced mother, herself, so I trusted her judgment.  I started N- on solid food and that helped at first.  Her pediatrician was concerned about her weight so she told me to start N- on an animal protein, such as chicken.  I tried it once; N- had such difficulty digesting the chicken, she was in agony.  So in order to give her a protein that would be gentler on her system, I would puree a whole boiled egg with fresh green peas.  N- loved that dish, as well as avocado.  Those were her two favorites.

As she grew up, N-'s appetite was noticed by friends and family.  It was extremely rare for N- to reject food, and she absolutely loved beans, just not beans with maple syrup.  In fact, don't add sweet flavor to her savory food, as far as she's concerned, they do not mix.  I mean, not even relish.  Her favorite flavor for a while was mustard, but I think she overdosed on that.  Too much of even a good thing.  She didn't like pickles as a small child, but they are a favorite now.  And she began to enjoy olives on her pizza a few years ago, and has since accepted them in other dishes too.

She's almost a teen and she's already always hungry.  The thing is she isn't hungry for three square meals a day; she likes small meals, with lots of snacks in between.  In fact, if she eats a lot in one sitting, she doesn't feel well.  So she's peckish.  We have a few food-related rules, most notably: N- is allowed to open the fridge and if she sees a container with a lime green lid in there, she is allowed to take it without asking for permission. I usually fill those containers with leftovers from dinner, or when I make a big batch of a dish such as chili, I put a few scoops into a container with a green lid.

One of our friends explained to N- that when she's hungry, a warm dish, such as soup, will help her to feel full.  And it's true, it works; usually when we have soup for dinner, N- is satisfied after one bowl.  I only recently figured out how to make soup that actually tastes good; they'd either be too watery or the spices would take over.  My mom is a genius with soup.  She looks in the fridge, takes out the leftovers from certain meals, combines them, and adds certain ingredients to make a soup that tastes delicious every time.

I'd try making soups the way my mom does, but I don't have the knack for it.  I like making gazpacho, warm tomato soup, split green pea soup, yellow pea soup, and black bean soup.  Notice what they all have in common?  They're thick, and loaded with vegetables, or with legumes.  I also enjoy making miso soup, with finely sliced green onion and diced silken tofu.  Between soups, sandwiches, stews, wraps, and stir fries, I always want to make simple meals that are easily prepared with few ingredients. 

The only meal I am willing to spend hours of effort preparing is sushi.  And I haven't made sushi in a long time.  S- specializes in salmon and potato-based dishes.  He loves baking.  I do not.  S- will make bread pudding, muffins, and cookies from scratch.  N- has begun to show an interest in cooking and baking as well.  She likes to make dishes with eggs, melted cheese, and popcorn.  Soon there will be too many cooks in our tiny little kitchen.

That's something I miss about our previous homes: there was enough counter space for two or three cooks to work at different tasks.  I enjoy cooking with my husband, with my daughter, or as a family of three.  When I visit my parents, one of us works on a salad, another prepares the dressing, and someone else prepares the main dish.  N- loves how her grandparents make the dressing: olive oil, crushed garlic and lemon juice.  Lemon has replaced mustard as her favorite flavor.

We spend so much time in the kitchen: putting away the groceries, preparing meals, cleaning up afterwards.  It's like the hub of daily living in the home.  I'm so glad I actually enjoy all this food-related work.  Even doing the dishes.  My mind wanders as I scrub and rinse.  I once saw a quote from Agatha Christie, who said she got some of her best ideas while washing the dishes, and I believe it.  And S- and I have had some pretty good conversations while one of us washed and one of us dried.

My dad makes this dish every time we visit: chicken, green peas, a homemade white sauce with penne.  N- cannot get enough of it.  Her grandparents on my husband's side of the family are excellent cooks as well.  N- has grown up tasting food of all sorts, and she loves it all.  When I would pack her lunches for school, I would put a lot of thought into what would keep her full throughout the afternoon, and I would decorate her napkin with colorful characters and loving messages.  She would bring those napkins home, usually unused, and she has them in a heart-shaped box in her room. 

[extravaguk]

#JeonJungkookIsOverParty 01

pairing: jungkook x reader

summery: in which Jungkook is in deep shit

wordcount: 3k

genre: fake dating!au, college!au

rated: PG for now, fluff, (eventual) smut

warnings: just cursing and jungkook being a dumb bitch

author's note: a john tucker must die trope? but like the other way around?? me?? writing a mini series?? i said a few days ago i needed a jungkook that was so jason mendoza-like bc he's a legend and we love himbos so here's my poor attempt. the chapters won't be too long tho so bare with me mis amores!!

01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06

There's a few reasons why Jungkook is not into social media.

For starters, Jungkook hates conversations via text. There's something about answering instant messages right away that awakens this weird sensation of anxiety deep in his gut.

Jungkook is an ignorant. Meaning, he likes to ignore stuff. It's in his dna. It's his speciality; like ignoring projects which deadlines are in twenty four hours or ignoring advice from people who probably have his best interest at heart and, particuarly, ignoring his phone's notifications that most likely will provoke a terrible discomfort from his head to his toes. Jungkook has been guilty of many things in his life: eating the entire batch of cookies his mom would bake and then blaming it on his neighbor's dog, popping a boner in the middle of class and excusing himself for 'not feeling very well' just so he could go home and jack off to tentacle porn, borrowing PC games from friends that still remain on his dorm's shelf... But ghosting and leaving people on read definitely takes the cake.

The second reason that causes that strange animosity against social media is the unrealistic beauty standarts the internet has perpetuated in his generation. Jungkook loves women of all shapes, colors and sizes: he likes them thick, he likes them petite; he likes big boobs, small boobs, saggy boobs; slender legs, thunder thighs, cellulite, stretch marks... Jungkook lives for women. What Jungkook doesn't live for, though, is the amount of low fat, low carb salads he's so used to hearing women order at restaurants. He hates the fact that complete strangers hiding behind a phone or a computer have such control over women to make them insecure and change their pyshique to try to resemble that idea of perfection.

But it there is one thing Jungkook truly despises and loathes about social media. Something that makes Jungkook's blood boil in anger. Something that has Jungkook clenching his jaw so tight, and the veins in his neck about to pop at any second. Something he thought he would never be a victim of.

Rumors. And people eating those rumors up.

That's why he can't look away from his laptop's screen. Reading over and over again the amount of shit spread over the net about him.

The account in question, 'jjkexposed', was created barely two days ago. Two days in which Jungkook has gone on with his day to day tasks, oblivious as to what was happening around him. Just living his ordinary life, being late to class as usual, being the first one to disappear amongst the crowd and ignoring, in typical Jeon Jungkook fashion the incessant vibration of his phone inside his jeans pocket.

That was, until Jimin decides to rush inside of Jungkook's dorm after nearly punching the door down.

"Bro, you have to see what's being said about you."

Bullshit, is what's being said. And the more Jungkook reads, the more infuriated he becomes.

"Dude, what the fuck? I've never in my life murdered a puppy! I love puppies!" he paces around the room, hair flying in every direction. "And I've never said a racial slur! 'Guk' is short for my name! I am korean! Also, misogonistic?"

"Misogynistic." Jimin corrects.

"I don't hate miso soup! It's my favourite soup, like, ever!" he finally stops his movements, his body coming down until he's sitting on his mattress, arms resting on his thighs. He sighs. "This is crazy."

"Bro, it doesn't mean you hate miso soup. It means you hate women." Jimin's standing before him, propped on Jungkook's desk with his arms crossed. Jungkook's brows almost disappear into his hairline, his eyes wide as he stares at his friend.

"That's even crazier, dude! I was just watching porn this morning thinking about how much I love women!"

"That's not- nevermind." it's Jimin's turn to mess his own hair with his fingers. "Listen, I don't know who's behind this, but you obviously have a nemesis that's doing everything in their power to see your downfall. This," his finger points to Jungkook's laptop. "is spreading fast, Jungkook. It's all people are talking about right now."

Now, Jungkook is a lucky guy that's always managed to stay popular and relevant throughout anything. Ever since his kindergarden years, he's never had to try too hard to gain his teachers', friends' or even family members' favouritism. Jungkook was born with a magnetic glow, a halo of some sort that could charm anyone present and that it has only become bigger and bigger as Jungkook became older.

Jungkook is a golden boy. He's respected, loved and praised by everyone. He's the captain of the soccer football team, the greatest goaler in his university's history. His charisma is a talent, or so he thinks. The mere gesture of smiling to get away with anything has worked every single time, without fail.

But apparently, the day that talent stops working in his favour, is today.

It's only been one week and Jungkook is already thinking of getting rid of his phone for good. Maybe changing his name and moving to Mexico. Or to a secluded cabin where he can only eat leaves and hunt mosquitoes for a living, completely removed from society. Maybe he'll build his own tree house, he's always wanted one anyway. He's been watching Youtube tutorials on how to make your own loincloth, so he's sure it can't be that diffic-

"Why am I doing this?"

"I'm trying to go unnoticed."

"So why do we have to wear sunglasses and a hoodie inside the library? Why are we even in the library?"

"I'm trying to study."

Jimin raises his brows at Jungkook and then eyes the book between his hands. "That's a Harry Potter book, and it's upside down."

"Okay, fine. This is the only place people don't look at me."

"Well, people are gonna start noticing you if keep wearing stuff that makes you look like you're on your lunch break from shoplifting." Jimin is trying so hard to keep his voice down, but his friend has been driving him nuts lately.

Jungkook finally closes the book he most definitely wasn't reading. "I just don't know what to do. Seokjin told me I had to fix this immediately. Apparently, having a problematic player on the team is not his cup of tea."

"I mean, can you blame him? People are still talking and you're still quiet. That's like basically confirming their assumptions. Why haven't you tried to shut down the rumors?"

"They're saying I practice satanic rituals with animals' blood to look this good, bro. Which, in a way, is kinda super dope, I'm not gonna lie." Jungkook chuckles but Jimin does not. "But it doesn't matter if I make a public statement denying everything or not. People believe what they want to believe."

Jimin takes a deep breath before releasing it slowly. "You'll eventually come up with something, dude. Just... Stop looking suspicious. Seriously, sto- See? You're doing it again! Looking around under those sunglasses like you're trying to hide something!"

"I'm not acting like I'm hiding something, I'm watching myself for a possible terrorist attack!"

Jimin rises from his seat. "Whatever. Just don't be late for practice again. Seokjin threatened to stick the goal net up your ass."

"Tell Jin he's too kinky for my taste!" he shouts after Jimin as he walks away, which earns him dirty looks from every student in the room. "Sorry." he whispers in response before deflating in his seat in embarrassment. It's only then when he allows himself to eye his surroundings. He'd been feeling paranoid for the past few days and even scared to make eye contact with anyone.

Which fucking sucks because that's not Jungkook at all. Jungkook is confident, always walking with his head held up high and a cocky smirk on his face. And now he can't even do that without being met with people's facial expressions of disgust and disappointment.

But right then, in his process of scanning his environment, Jungkook sees you.

It's not the first time he's seen you, of course. He constantly sees you around campus despite your ability to blend in and not attract other people's attention. Right now, Jungkook guesses you've caught his attention.

He doesn't know much about you, but he knows a few things. He knows you spend too much of your time at the library, mostly because you work here. You sit behind that desk, with your glasses on and always with a book in your hands, answering students' questions and checking their books in and out. He knows because he's only had one single interaction with you that resulted in you, rudely scolding him and almost whisper-yelling at him for missing the due date before dismissing him. He shivers at the thought. That was one of the most terrifying experiences in Jungkook's life.

He adusts his sweatshirt's hood on while his gaze studies you over his shades.

You're definitely pretty, but definitely not Jungkook's type. Sure, he can't help but admit that the librarian look you got going on causes something to stir inside Jungkook's pants, but as dumb as people think he is, he is not that dumb. You're way smarter than him, and you don't look at him the same way others do. It's like you don't care about who he is and feel no need to kiss the ground he walks on.

You're one of those 'woke' girls that contributes to campaigns against racism, who cares about saving the bees and using metallic straws, who is an active member inside the LGBTQ+ community, who goes on rallys and protest marchs defending women's rights and-

Wait a minute.

A lightbulb going off inside Jungkook's brain, his brows coming together in concentration, his mouth slightly parting as the gears in his head start working.

He must've looked creepy, with his shades on and most of his face covered by the fabric of his hoodie. Specially when a smirk starts pulling the corners of his mouth upwards. And you must've noticed, because suddenly you're lifting your head from your book, looking for the source of your unexpected discomfort. When you find it, when you find him, your eyes slowly narrow as you assess him for a while from a distance. And then you're rising your hand and flipping him off.

Which only causes Jungkook's smile to grow even bigger.

"I need your help."

You look up from the computer screen, blinking at him momentarily. You recognize him immediately despite the shades and the hoodie. It only takes one glance at him for you to go back to work.

"No."

"You haven't even-"

"You left with a Game Of Thrones book almost two months ago and you still haven't returned it yet, despite the four warnings." Jungkook doesn't like the way you don't even look at him. He doesn't like the tone of your voice either, like you just started talking to him and you're already bored.

"It's super long and it's all words! I was expecting at least a few drawings of dragons but there's no-"

"Then just watch the HBO show." you say through gritted teeth.

"_____-"

You ignore the fact that he knows your name. "When you read it, which I doubt, and when you return it, which I doubt even more, I might listen to you. Now, if you excuse me, there's a queue of people behind you and I have work to do."

Jungkook shifts to look behind him at the five or six people looking at him with disdain. Tugging at the strings of his hoodie, he turns back to you.

"I'll be back tomorrow."

You don't expect him to be back the next day, but Jeon Jungkook is apparently very persistent.

You guess it has everything to do with him not being used to hearing 'no' for an answer. You might not know Jungkook on a personal level, but you know guys like him. There's something about privilaged boys who get everything they want by just snapping their fingers that irritates you to no end and makes you clench your fists so hard your nails dig into your skin.

So, yeah, you're surprised when A Song of Ice and Fire lands on your desk.

"What's with the sunglasses and the hoodie again?"

"Will you listen to me now?" his hands are gripping the edge of the desk and you allow yourself to sneak a glance to the ink adorning his skin.

"No."

"What?!" there's a lot of things Jungkook doesn't have under control right now, and his voice pitch is one of them.

There's a collective 'Shhhh' in the room that makes you sigh. "Jungkook, I'm at work right now and I-"

"Please." there's a tone of desperation laced in his voice, almost as if his throat is constricting the words from coming out. But it's the look in his eyes when he takes the shades off, and the obvious dark bags under them that makes you feel pity for the boy in front of you.

You consider him for a moment, already regretting your next words. "5:30 at the cafeteria and you're paying."

"Again, what's with the sunglasses and why are you looking around like you're waiting for the cops to blast through the door at any second?"

"Because that's exactly what might happen!" regardless of him choosing a secluded space in the whole cafeteria, Jungkook can still feel every person's judgmental eyes on him. Or maybe it's the paranoia. Whatever it is, Jungkook only knows he hasn't been able to sleep well for the last week or so and that he's so terribly tired he would do anything to make it stop.

"What are you talking about?" the expression of your face doesn't match everyone else's and, even if you're looking at him like he's insane right now, at least you're not looking at him like he's a bad person. And for that, Jungkook is grateful.

"The account, is what I'm talking about!"

"What account?" you're genuinely confused as you sip your coffee.

"The dead puppies? The vore fetish? The herpes story? The misogonistic claims?"

"First of all, it's misogynistic, secondly... what?"

Now it's Jungkook who looks confused. "It's all over social media!"

You simply shrug your shoulders. "I'm not really into social media."

He stays quiet for a moment. Merely two days ago, he was thinking about how you were definitely not his type. Now he thinks you might be just it. "So you really haven't heard anything?"

The grunt of exasperation you release speaks for itself. "About what, Jungkook?"

He looks from side to side, looking for God knows what, slowly sipping on his strawberry milkshake before turning his attention back to you, lowering his voice. "There's this instagram account called 'jjkexposed' and whoever runs it started posting a ridiculous amount of bullshit about me and now everybody and their mama believe I'm this terrible monster with an STD who likes crushing baby animals with his feet. "

You blink a few times, slowly letting the information sink in. Bringing your cup again to your lips, you size him up, narrowing your eyes. "And...?"

"And!" he takes his shades off again, leaning forward on the table, and you recognize the beginning of the same smirk you caught just a few days ago in the library. "You would be the perfect girlfriend for me."

There's a beat of silence between you two, your eyes trying to find in his what the gag is. Then you break the quietness by standing up and gathering your things. "Okay, it was nice meeting you Jeon Jungkook. Good bye."

"No, no, no, wait!" he hurriedly stills your movements by wrapping his hand around your wrist. You immediately try to ignore the warmth that spreads up to your elbow. "Please, sit down and let me explain." It's the doe eyes again that make you snatch your hand from his and return to your seat, defeated. You cross your arms and wait for him to elaborate. "It's not like that! You would be my fake girlfriend."

You pinch the bridge of your nose. "Why?"

"Because, would a smart and intellectual girl like you who dreams about saving the planet and the people living in it ever date an 'allegedly'-" he air quotes with both hands.

"When you use air quotes with the word allegedly, it defeats the whole purpose of-"

"Fine, let me start over: would a smart and intellectual girl like you ever date an allegedly sociopathic jerk like me?"

"No." you deadpan.

"Exactl- wow, you didn't have to say it like that, damn." with an upset look, he brings a hand to his chest while the other grabs his milkshake. "But that's the point. If you agreed to fake dating me, people would realize that I'm not a bad person."

"Jungkook, I don't even know you and I wouldn't get anything out of this."

He nods his head as he looks around, his tongue poking his cheek. "You wanna know what was the first thing I did this morning?"

"I'm afraid you're gonna tell me anyway."

"I opened my eyes, and the first words that flew out of my mouth were 'Alexa, play Welcome to the Black Parade by My Chemical Romance.'"

You wince. "That's... rough."

"Rough? Rough is my dad's stuble after a week of not shaving. What's happening to me right now is bloody atrocious."

You ignore the poorly executed british accent at the end of his sentence and settle instead on breathing deeply. There's a part of you that's trying so hard to avoid his eyes so you don't agree with his scheme right away. "Just... Just let me think about it, okay?"

Your mom would always say you were an empath. She could tell right away, from the day you cried at five when you realized you could kill ants just by walking without realizing it, to the day you read your first book about gender equality. 'Your purpose in life is to fight for those who need it', she would say. 'Your purpose in life is to do the right thing.'

"Did you see him today?" it's a whisper, but the library is quiet enough and the girl's voice isn't.

"He barely goes to class anymore and when he does, he's wearing those stupid shades and alternates between the same three hoodies."

You're not used to eavesdropping. You think it's rude and an invasion of people's privacy, and you don't like violating anyone like that. You usually mind your own business unless the situation calls for you to act.

"The fact that we gained so many followers in a week is just so... iconic."

But at that, you stop placing books on the shelf. Your body reacts on its own, carefully leaning towards the shelf until your ear is close enough to the gaps between the tomes.

"Ryujin created a burner account and started the hashtag 'Jeon Jungkook is over party'. It was trending topic in a matter of minutes. Even people from different colleges are hopping on the bandwagon."

It's the giggles for you.

After having your mouth ajar for a few seconds, it closes on its own, your jaw aching painfully. Your grip on the book is so tight that you're sure Bécquer is turning in his grave.

You don't think you've ever stepped inside the soccer team's locker room before, and thankfully so because the smell of sweat and testosterone is already making you want to throw up. But you're a determined individual. One who doesn't easily back down from any challenges.

"Excuse me, miss, but you cannot be here." you don't know who the guy with the preppy hair is, but judging by the whistle around his neck, you deduce it's Kim Seokjin.

"I'm looking for Jeon Jungkook." you cross your arms over your chest. The height difference between you and the team's coach doesn't really bother you at all.

"That son of a..." you relate to him massaging his temples. "Jungkook! Come here! What the fuck have you done now?!"

Not too long passes before you hear and see bare feet stumbling around the corner. It shouldn't be a surprise that the man summoned would appear with just a towel around his waist. "Oh, God, not the beginning of a young adult novel, please..." you murmur under your breath.

"Huh?" Seokjin frowns at you and you plainly wave your hand in front of you.

"_____? What are you doing here?" when you return your attention back to Jungkook, he's decided to cover his nipples with his hands. You had to admit the dumfounded look on his face is pretty comical and straight out of a sitcom.

"I'm sorry, now I'm lost." Seokjin faces you. "I thought you were here to yell at him, wish him hell or whatever. JK," and now he faces him. "Who's this?"

Jungkook clears his throat and gulps. "She's uh-"

"His girlfriend." you intervene. That results in both males' eyes to almost burst out of their sockets.

"His... girlfriend?" Jin repeats.

"My girlfriend!" you don't hear his feet nearing you, but you feel him slipping an arm around your waist and it's enough to make your whole body stiff. You're suddenly aware of too much warm and tattoed skin against yours even through your clothes.

Seokjin looks like you're speaking a different language, but when you look up to the boy beside you, with his wet hair framing his face and his doe eyes looking down at you with something that you could only describe as relief and gratitute, and a smile that tells you you're saving his day, you can't help the small smile tugs at your lips.

[butternutsquashoil]

Bakugo being a father Pt.2:

Telling Mom and Dad

Genera: Fluffy

Pairing: Bakugo x fem reader

I hope you like it! Also, Bakugo and his girlfriend are both in their mid twenties (here’s part one)

You where in your first trimester of your pregnancy and Bakugo had been very, well, overwhelmingly caring. Not to say he wasn’t caring before! He himself just doesn’t know what to do because one, he wasn’t planning on being a father, and two, all he knows about parenting is what he learned from his parents!

You try to tell him that it’s alright and you can take care of yourself, but he insists on doing anything that is physically difficult for you. Like the other day, you had tried to climb up on a chair to reach a bowl from the top shelf of your cupboard and he picked you up off the chair and lectured you on how it was dangerous.

“I’m just saying that if you fell, that you could’ve hurt yourself and the baby!” He practically yells at you, his voice raising an octave high while doing so.

“I wasn’t going to fall Katsuki! I’ve done this a million times!” You retaliate.

“You don’t know that!” He points a finger at you before crossing his arm with a pout on his face. You pull him into a hug while apologizing for making him worry (Which he absolutely denies that he was).

Katsuki also over prepares once he know what he need to get for you and for when the baby is born. He has already selected a room for the nursery and looked over the room designs you drew. He got a few of the things for the room like the paint and crib.

There are many times when you would catch him looking through some baby clothes catalogs and circling his favorites.

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks before you two sit down for diner one night and pop him an interesting question.

“Hey Kat, when should we tell your parents?” That question stopped him in his tracks. You kept eating your Miso soup that he had made for dinner, occasionally glancing at his to see he reaction.

“What” His face is contorting with the realization that he was going to tell his parents.

“Well, we’re gonna have to tell them at some point!” You say with a slight chuckle while placing a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him through his emotions.

“Oh, why don’t we tell your parents first?” He says, trying to doge telling his parents for now.

“Uh uh” You say while shaking your head. “They would kill me! They always say that I would have to ‘wait for marriage’ to have kids. And last time I checked, we’re not married”

“Oh. Right.” He just stares into his soup for a few minutes before looking back at you. “Uh, how about we invite them over for dessert? We could do that and tell them tonight”

“Sounds good to me Katsuki” you plant a kiss on the top of his head before going to the kitchen to put your empty bowl in the sink. “So, what do we want for dessert?”

After that, you two ended up making a quick batch of brownies and put a pot of coffee on. You both get a bit more presentable after calling Mitsuki and inviting her and Masaru over for dessert.

About 20 minutes later you hear the door bell ring and you let the couple in.

“Hi Guys! Thanks for coming over on such short notice!” You great them with a smile. Mitsuki gives you a hug and Masaru give you a smile.

“Of course! Now, this isn’t about my shit son right? He hasn’t been treating you bad as he?” She asks, wanting to make sure that her angry child hasn’t taken those issues out on you.

“Nope! Surprisingly, he’s a big softy when it come to me” you feel Katsuki wrap his arms around your waist and place his head on top of yours “isn’t that right Kat?”

“Don’t go telling that shit to the old hag, she already has to many ideas” he grumbles. You and Masaru both let out a chuckle when Mitsuki slaps Katsuki on the back of the head.

“Well, let’s go have some dessert! Katsuki and I made brownies” you say as you slip out of your boyfriend’s grasp, mush to his dismay. “Oh, would either of you like coffee?”

After everyone gets coffee and brownies you chat for a while about work and life in general, until Mitsuki brings up the question most parents ask their adult children.

“So, when am I gonna get some grandbabies!” The two of you fall silent. You can tell the pieces in Masaru’s head click as he looks at Mitsuki.

“Well uh, that’s why we invited you over” you take a deep breath while Katsuki gives your hand three quick squeezes to say ‘I love you’ for reassurance. “I’m two months pregnant”

Mitsuki looks between you and her son for a minute before responding.

“Well I guess I won’t be waiting to long to be a grandma then” she chuckles before getting up and giving you a hug. “Congratulations sweetheart”

“Thank you!” She then turns to Katsuki.

“You better not be an absent father or I’m going to track your ass down and make All Mights last fight look like a fucking tea party.” She then ruffles his hair and gives him a hug.

The four of you then keep talking until they eventually go home. You are now laying in your bed and on your stomach, waiting for Katsuki to finish brushing his teeth and to come to bed.

“Oi y/n, are you laying on your stomach” he asks while walking over to his side of the bed.

“Yeah, why?” He the rolls you over onto your back while he lays down next to you on his side. You then roll so that you’re facing him and cuddle into him.

“You’re gonna fucking crush the damn brat before their born if you do that.” He says with a scowl on his face, although it melts away when you give him a kiss.

“Ok then McBoomBoomBoi” you kiss his nose and forehead before closing your eyes. You feel him wrap his arms around you as you drift off into sleep.

“I love you y/n” is the last thing you heard as you go unconscious.

Sorry this took a while, I wrote like one sentence then didn’t write anything for a week because I was super unmotivated lol

Tagging: @speedmetalqueen @a-aizawa

Here’s a link back to my master list, and here’s a link for part one!

[kakashiswilloffire]

hiiiii. congratulations on 200 followers! you deserve so many more and i can’t wait to see your blog grow & grow & grow.

If it’s still available, i’d love to see perfect for you with kakashi.

thank you so much & congratulations again! 💕

thank you so much!! this was so much fun to write and i hope you love it!!

perfect for you

ao3 & song

words: 1.2k

warnings: marijuana use

It was not often you could convince Kakashi to get high. Though he would never confirm it, you were at least a hundred and ten percent certain that he was in ANBU, and ninety-eight percent sure he was the operative called Hound. If he wasn't, you'd have one more missed opportunity to blame on Hiruzen. Because of how often he needed to be on call and mission-ready, he rarely consumed sake, let alone recreational drugs. But there comes a point in every shinobi's career that sparked mixed opinions: mandatory paid time off.

You were firmly pro time off, especially for your workaholic boyfriend who took every mission he was physically qualified and available to take. He was always gone on one A rank or another, and several that you suspected were actually S rank. In fairness, you were also frequently out of the village on your own missions. But you had saved your time off until Kakashi had been forced to take his, and you now had a full week together at an onsen outside of the Leaf, and had made it clear you were not to be contacted.

You both laid on a mound of pillows, your head on his chest as you basked in the after-dinner glow. The miso soup followed by a selection of sushi was exactly what you needed. The luxury and comfort of your solitude and privacy together, in a room with no windows on an upper floor, meant that Kakashi was able to eat in front of you without rushing to replace his mask. A few kisses had kept him out of it. Then there was the small pipe you had packed and lit and were passing off to him.

You reminded him quickly how to pull, making sure he covered the small hole with his thumb, and had him take a couple of shallow, experimental breaths. He got his short coughing fit out of the way, then began smoking with you in earnest.

It didn't take long for him to feel the effects, melting into the blanket beneath him and cracking a lazy grin. You made sure to limit yourself, prepared to babysit him if necessary, relishing his fall into relaxation.

He started with scrunching his fist over and over, the grin growing as he felt the spark and glow spread across his body. He rolled over, propping himself up on his elbows and reached out to you, ghosting his fingers across your jaw, thumb hovering over your lips. You popped your mouth open just enough to lick the tip of it, causing him to jerk back and giggle. God, if his giggle was the last sound you heard, you’d die happy.

You both continued like this for a few minutes, letting him explore his modified senses as he settled in to the high.

“Konoha’s shinobi structure is shit.”

You paused, confused what prompted Kakashi to offer that recognition so suddenly.

“Hiruzen is borderline incompetent sometimes. And, the pollution in the Nara river is at an all time high, and I’m not sure what Danzo is doing with the Foundation, he approached me about it last year and I shut him down, remember? The newest batch of academy students have all the major clan heads and right now they’re not showing any promise. Also, there’s so much litter? Like all over the village?”

You chuckled hesitantly, not sure why he had chosen now to start analyzing flaws in the Hidden Leaf. “Kakashi, that’s true, and I hear you, but—”

He rolled over again, sitting up and grabbing you by one shoulder. “I’m trying to tell you I love you.”

What?

It had been almost eight months since you had gotten together, and you had both made it clear that there was no pressure to say “love”. Sure, there had been some hope that the romantic atmosphere of this trip away might lead to the right moment for you both to confess some feelings, but like this?

Before you could say anything else, your boyfriend continued his tirade.

“We’re still dealing with the fallout of the Third Great Ninja War, and there’s always rumors of the Fourth. Then the kyuubi attack, and Minato-sensei, Kushina-sensei, all the civilians lost— and the fucking environment! Did you know this summer was the hottest on record Konoha’s ever had?”

You took the hand Kakashi was gesturing with and held it between both of yours, lowering your head slightly to give him a firm look. “This is one fucked up seduction, ‘Kashi.”

He shook his head, twisting his hand around to hold yours.

“I’m just one person and it doesn’t matter how many missions I take, I can’t save the world by myself. The more I travel, the more issues I see, and there’s already so many problems at home. The whole planet is kind of fucked. But, I know that there’s still hope, because this disaster of an existence managed to give me you.”

He hooked a hand around your ear, his thumb brushing your cheek as he continued and his warm palm holding lightly to your jaw.

“Babe, I could be perfect for you. I mean, I know I come off as lazy and don’t have many friends, not the way Asuma does, but Gai tries, and you try, God, you try so hard to bring me out of my head—” He paused, a cough catching him off guard. “And I’m a bit of a stoner,” he grinned, gesturing at the pipe you had brought along, and you giggled together, rolling your eyes at him.

Kakashi took a breath, focusing in on you with deadly seriousness. “Despite all my faults, I’ll make myself perfect for you, if nothing else. I mean, you’ve done more for me than I could ever dream of asking anyone. You eat my tempura and you order extra miso for me, just to start.”

You shook your head, letting a warm laugh spill from your lips. “You’re something else, Kakashi. I’m just a shinobi, just like you. Not nearly as brave as you are.”

He squeezed your hand in his, bringing you into his reality. “Fuck that. You’re incredible. You’re so creative in how you strategize, and you’re so kind and smart and strong. My dad would love you.” You took the compliments, swallowing down the urge to downplay yourself.

“I can’t fix what’s fucked up. But I know that you’re not, and that we’re not. Everything else in the world can turn to shit tomorrow, but I know that we’d still be here, we’d still be okay. I love you, babe.” He leaned forward, wrapping you in a firm embrace, though still a bit clumsy. You kissed him, trying to pack as much love in between you as you could in the short span.

“I can be perfect for you, too, Kakashi,” you finally whispered when you pulled back, pressing your forehead to his.

He grinned, running his hand through your hair and down your spine, settling around your waist. “Let’s be perfect together, okay?”

[ofherlionheart]

ok important question: what do you like to put in your miso? I've also been making it a lot recently too and it's been fun experimenting with different ingredients but I'm always interested to see how other people like to make it. I feel like even though it's a simple dish, there are so many variations to it! my go to is dashi + awase miso, daikon, mushroom, tofu and green onion..its so comforting. also just the ritual of slowly dissolving the paste in the soup is oddly satisfying

ooooh for context anon. im always terrified of embarking on a new japanese dish b/c i just know it won't taste like my mom's :( so i've started w/ a v basic low-effort version of miso! i also only make one cup at a time b/c i shudder at the thought of making a batch of miso and then reheating it later

for a scant 1 cup of water i dissolve 1/4 tsp of hondashi (yes the super salty kind. ik it's not good for me but it TASTES good or me) + 1 tbsp of aka miso (solely b/c the mapo tofu recipe i made 2 weeks ago called for aka, not awase). and i have a vegetarian wakame mix from a supermarket in chinatown, so i rehydrate some of that, drain, and toss that in! yum yum. if i remember i also add some fresh green onion but it's usually in the morning before my coffee so i don't often remember lol. all of this said this is far from my ideal miso, i would love to have more fresh stuff w/o having to prep every time

ANYWAY your miso sounds DELICIOUS omg do u have any tips for like. how to use only part of a tofu block at a time w/o the rest of it going bad. b/c that's the only thing stopping me from adding fresh tofu + enoki to my miso 😢

[another-dr-another]

good morning !

Monokuma - Good Morning. It is 8 AM.

Maeda, narrating - ...Zzz…….

Maeda - ....Mm... announcement's so curt....

Maeda - Anyways though, good morning!

Maeda - No weird dreams... Maeda - I... think I'm all good to start the day!

Maeda - Uh... just gonna try and ignore what happened yesterday, until I can see a therapist.

//Maeda’s gotten dressed, and in perfect time- there's a knocking at his door.

Tsurugi - Hiya, Maeda!

Maeda - Good morning, Tsurugi! Nice to see you walking first thing in the morning, instead of laying on the ground.

Tsurugi - Nice to not be bleeding out on the floor!

Tsurugi - You'll be seeing Tomori tomorrow though, we're gonna start trading off who we wake up.

Tsurugi - Anyways, do you plan on attending today's meeting?

Maeda - Yeah, I'm not really tired.

Tsurugi - Oh hooray! That works really well then... ah... unless there's not an equal amount of people... but...

Tsurugi - I'll look forward to seeing you there!

Maeda - ...Huh?

Tsurugi - Don't worry about it!

Tsurugi - Bye bye for now Maeda!

//Tsurugi wanders off.

Maeda, narrating - Tsurugi probably needs to see a physical therapist.

Maeda - Not surprised that he's walking with the spine injury, though!

Maeda - Just gonna grab my E-handbook- hey look! No body in the hallway this time! Nice.

~*~

Taira - Rice, miso soup, tamagoyaki, and I baked some pastries this morning.

Mekaru - Ah! Thank you for all you do, Taira!

Ōtori - ...

Kobashikawa - Ōtori, shall I cook for you?

Ōtori - No! Hell demon, terrible cook, don't you dare!

Kobashikawa - I can cook!

Hatano - I sense a story here?

Kobashikawa - ...Told Ōtori some stories from cooking in hotel rooms as a pilot. He wasn't entertained.

Ōtori - It was horrific!

Ōtori - ...Kinda want melon bread... I'll make some later.

Hatano - Oh! Um… enough for the whole class? Please?

Ōtori - Mhm, I'll be sure I make a few batches, so there’s some for everyone.

Hatano - Great! Thank you!

Hatano - Iranami, do you like melonpan? Or other sweets?

Iranami - I don't think I've really had it much before... Hatano, you don't really eat the way I'd expect an athlete too...

Iranami - Wait! Sorry, I-I don't mean anything by that!

Hatano - Huh? It's okay, I trust you to be nice... and yeah, I don't! Mostly just have what makes me happy...

Mekaru - Is that alright to do?

Hatano - Mhm! Besides, I'm the one here with the athletic talent, right?

Hatano - At least, from this conversation, It’s me who got here from being the best in the world at something physically taxing, isn’t it?

Hatano - So whatever I’m doing with nutrition, it’s working fine for me, I don’t see a need to change it.

Mekaru - Th-that's true!

Uehara - ...Bit off topic, but I’ve been craving comfort food, nostalgic stuff recently...

Uehara - Taira?

Taira - Ah… I can try to cook things you’re craving, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be too accurate without a recipe-

Uehara - Oh! Dude, no, I’m not gonna order you around, just wanted to know if you’d mind me taking over a meal here and there.

Tsurugi - Hooray! Food stuff is worked out!

Tsurugi - And is everyone feeling alright, awake, and ready for the day?

Maki - No.

Tsurugi - ...At normal levels of not functioning in a way that is expected of teenagers, while factoring in what we're dealing with?

Maki - Yeah, that’s better.

Tsurugi - Woo!

Tsurugi - Then, is everyone up for a game?

Higa - Oh boy, who's gonna die this time?

Tsurugi - H-huh?!

Higa - I mean, we all know what happened last time you planned something.

Uehara - Dude! What the hell?

Higa - Did we not decide that Inori killed Kurokawa because of the opportunity provided by our meet-up? Which Tsurugi planned?

Tsurugi - H-huh?!

Tomori - We did not decide that- Inori killed because of the motive, and Kurokawas reaction to it.

Tomori - Tsurugi, please go ahead.

Tsurugi - Waaa... thank you, Tomori!

Tsurugi - So! Last night, I couldn't sleep, so in-between my two naps, I went exploring!

Tsurugi - ...I know... that I should've stayed in bed... but anyways!

Tsurugi - The gates in front of the stairs opened!

Kobashikawa - Really?

Iranami - It did look like the gates weren't soldered into place; it was just that we couldn't move them...

Uehara - Is it safe for us to go look?

Tsurugi - Mhm! Asked Monokuma about it, he said it's considered part of campus!

Uehara - Ah... you're just going to listen to him?

Tsurugi - He hasn't really lied to us before when it comes to rules...

Tsurugi - Besides! I went around up there earlier, twice, and I'm fine!

Maki - The hell did you do up there?

Tsurugi - Investigated the first time... didn't find anything much to help us get out, but I found lots to make our stay here more fun!

Higa - Talking like this is some sort of hotel...

Tsurugi - Aaanyways, second time, I set up our game!

Iranami - …A game?

Tsurugi - …Kinda! It’s a scavenger hunt!

Tsurugi - There’s some new rooms, and I figure, why not help encourage everyone to look at everything with a game?

Tsurugi - I hid bracelets all over the second floor, there’s nine total, whoever get’s back with all of them first wins!

Tsurugi - I say we start at 9, everyone regroups here at 12?

Tsurugi - Then we can have lunch together and talk about what we found!

Yamaguchi - It’s a group thing, right? How are we gonna pair up?

Tsurugi - Sticks! I have 13 sticks, one of them doesn't have a color, the other twelve are marked with a color on the end!

Tsurugi - Everyone will come up and grab one, I'll be covering the color, and don't look until everyone's drawn sticks!

Tsurugi - I want everyone to find out at the same time, and not switch, and if you don't like who you're with, then try your best to befriend them!

Tsurugi - You don't have to love and adore all your classmates, and boundaries are perfectly healthy to have!

Tsurugi - But I want everyone to at least be on speaking terms, since we're here with no contacting anyone else.

Ōtori - I mean, we won’t be spending much time with our partner, right? There’s a bracelet in every room, and I can’t imagine there’s too many rooms.

Tsurugi - I think I hid them pretty well!

Tomori - Didn’t you say you didn’t sleep well? How did you have time to make everything and hide the bracelets?

Tomori - I know you slept for almost two hours, at least…

Tsurugi - Spent from 9:30ish to 12ish making bracelets because I couldn’t sleep, spent 12ish to 1:30ish in your room, napping with you,

Tsurugi - Then I woke up, made a few more bracelets, got bored, and left my room while making bracelets still, explored for a bit, grabbed my materials from my room, sat in one of the rooms by myself to make bracelets,

Tsurugi - Finished making bracelets, hid them in the rooms, by then it was a bit before seven, I wasn’t tired, I got ready for the day, I pestered Uehara until I figured I should start waking people up.

Uehara - You need more rest, Tsu…

Tsurugi - You were kind enough to let me lay down in your bed as you got ready! Even if I didn’t sleep, it was cozy and helped me feel better!

//Tsurugi reaches into one of his sweater pockets and grabs a handful of sticks- covering the bottoms as he grips them, so they can’t be distinguished from each other.

Tsurugi - Who’s first? I’ll just take whatever stick is left at the end!

Tomori - I’ll go, but didn’t you say one stick is colorless? What’s with that?

Tsurugi - Oh! There’s 13 of us, so we can’t do even duos, so instead, someone’ll either choose to trade sticks with me, and I’ll sit out since I know where everything is, or they can choose who they go with!

Tomori - Got it!

//Tomori grabs a stick from Tsurugi and covers the color before Maeda can see it.

Tsurugi - Perfect! Thank you, Tomori!

Tsurugi - Now, who’s next?

~*~

Maeda, narrating - How's Tsurugi still awake...

Maeda - I'm glad I slept well at least.

Maeda - Anyways, I wonder who I’ll be paired with.

[Grab a Stick]

{Hang back and Wait}

[bunn1efacebaby]

we have so many groceries we need to eat up today and tomorrow so I'm gonna make aubergine miso soup and kimchi buchimgae for lunch; dinner will be corn croquettes, carrot soup, and stir fry; I'll press and fry the rest of the tofu to put in my lunch box for tomorrow, to eat with some leftover roast veggies; and then dinner tomorrow will be baigan choka and naan. also I'm gonna cut up the granny smith apples and the grapefruits we have and make a tiny batch of preserves with each

[moonlightjinko-kun]

Chocolates [vday fic]

Characters: Nakajima Atsushi, Izumi Kyouka, Tanizaki Naomi

Pairing: Izumi Kyouka/Nakajima Atsushi (Atsukyou)

Tags: Fluff, Crush, Valentine’s Day, Chocolates, Tanizaki relationship (implied), headcanon

Rating: Teens and up

Word Count: 2.2k+

Read it on AO3!

Summary:  For her first Valentine's Day, Kyouka makes chocolates for Atsushi (with help and guidance from Naomi).

A/N 1: Heavily implied that Kyouka has a crush on Atsushi, please scroll past if you’re not comfortable. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Since it’s a short piece, I’m also posting this in full here. 

Feb 14, 1.08am

Kyouka listens to the soft, steady breathing from behind the closed door of the wardrobe. Satisfied that he’s sound asleep, she slips out of their apartment and pulls the door close with a soft click. Guided only by the thin strip of moonlight, Kyouka makes her way to Haruno’s house, where Naomi is waiting. Excitement thrums through her veins and she hurries, eager to start. Kyouka knocks, two soft taps that resounded in the dead quiet of the night. The door opens, and she’s pulled into the house by Naomi.

“You’re so late! I had to start or we wouldn’t have enough time to finish. Here, here, Haruno-san left this for you.” Naomi slips a light pink apron over her, tightens it around her waist, then pulls her along while babbling “So, I’ve already prepared the chocolate. All you have to do now is to shape them!”

Kyouka nods, earning a beaming grin from Naomi. Naomi drags her to a table, its top crowded with chocolate making ingredients and tools. Kyouka’s eyes widen slightly as Naomi points out each item to her.

“Pick a mould and then you can get started too.” Naomi says, a cheerful lilt in her tone.

Kyouka casts a quick glance at the moulds, searching for the one she has bought. She finally finds it at the bottom of the stack and eases it out gently.

Naomi peeks over her shoulder and giggles. “That’s perfect for Atsushi-san! Here, just pour the mixture into the mould and if there’s anything you want to add, like sprinkles or nuts, just sprinkle them.”

Kyouka follows Naomi’s instructions and fills up the mould. Excitement flows through her as she adds chopped nuts in half of the cavities and rainbow sprinkles in the rest, while thinking of the smile he would make when he receives the chocolates. She thinks of his bright smile that always sends a rush of warmth through her, a spark of happiness igniting in her. She couldn’t wait to give them to him as she eyes her finished mould, while waiting for Naomi.

“All done?” Naomi asks, minutes later. Kyouka nods and Naomi picks up her mould in response and places it into the fridge, next to hers. A vague worry of the chocolate turning out bad flutters across her mind, pulling her lips down in a slight frown.

“Kyouka-chan, what’s wrong?”

“The chocolate, I’m worried.”

“Ah, don’t worry, they look fine to me. I’m sure they’ll turn out perfect!” Naomi turns her smile on her.

“Mm, I hope so too.” Kyouka mumbles.

A short laugh pops out of Naomi and she teases, “Don’t worry too much, he’ll like the chocolates no matter what, since it’s you who made them.”

A flush creeps across her face at Naomi’s teasing. “Mm.” She agrees, her voice soft, barely a whisper as Naomi’s eyes twinkle.

“Have you thought about how you’ll give them to him?”

A small shake of her head.

“That won’t do! You have to have a plan for this, what are you going to do and say? And when are you going to give them?” The questions and advice firing out of Naomi stuns Kyouka. She has never given much thought to this. Judging from Naomi’s babble, this step seems as important as making the chocolates. Kyouka’s eyebrows crease in thought.

A moment of silence draws her gaze back to Naomi, whose eyes spoke of only encouragement.

“Take some time to think about it first. I have some craft paper in my bag too, if you feel like making a card. I’ll start on the cookies first, so join me when you’re done, okay?”

“Okay, thank you.”

Naomi nods and heads off to her side of the table, starting on the mix for the cookies.

Kyouka sorts through the different scenarios swirling through her mind, before settling on the best plan - breakfast, chocolates, speech. A hum from Naomi drifts toward her, as she works out the details. Chazuke, his favourite for birthday. Give it in a casual manner. Wish him. Thank him, but so many things to thank him for, where to start? Thank you for everything?  A small sigh escasps her. Thank you for saving me?   Kyouka shakes her head, worried about the pressure it would give him. Thank you for being by my side? A flush heats her cheeks. She puts her head in her hands, her cheeks growing hotter. That wouldn’t work. Thank you for being my friend? Thank you for being my friend. That would work and it wouldn't be a pressure on him. Kyouka lifts her head up and meets Naomi’s gaze. A knowing smile plays around Naomi's lips.

Kyouka returns a quick smile before she pulls a baking tray to herself to start on the cookies. They hurry through this, shaping the cookies as fast as they could and 30 minutes later, the first batch is in the oven.

The exhaustion that has been creeping up on her finally overwhelms her, pulling her down to a seat. Naomi sinks into a seat next to her, her face lined with tiredness. Silence stretches between them, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. She keeps her eye on the clock, watching the minute hand tick closer to 2.55am. She sneaks a glance at Naomi who has slipped into a light nap, wishing she could take a nap but the excitement swirling in her keeps her up. Ten minutes… Five minutes… One minute… 2.55am and the ding from the oven chimes, waking Naomi up. Closer, Naomi takes the trays of cookies out of the oven and places them on the table. The fragrance of the freshly baked cookies permeates the air. The cookies are baked to perfection, its brown surface cracked like dry earth in the hottest summer. She feels her hunger sneaking up on her, encouraged by the smell and the looks of the cookies. Before she could decide if she should take one cookie to try, Naomi has pulled her into a hug.

“They look so good, we did it, Kyouka-chan!” Naomi exclaims. “While I’m putting in the next batch, can you help to take out the chocolate? It’s been an hour already, I think.”

Kyouka nods. She places the chocolates on the table and waits for Naomi, who comes over a minute later.

“Wow, they’re done! Kyouka-chan, yours look so cute! I still can’t believe you manage to find this paw print mould.” Naomi squeezes her in another hug. A shy smile crosses Kyouka’s face at the compliment and she lets Naomi hugs her for another minute. When Naomi lets go of her, she removes the chocolate from its mould. After checking the pieces, she puts them in the bag that she has prepared and seals it with a red ribbon. A surge of unexpected satisfaction warms through her.

A giggle bursts out of Naomi. “Are you going for a white tiger theme this year, Kyouka-chan? Even the bag, I can’t believe you managed to find this! How hard did you search for this?”

“I actually bought it months ago.”

Naomi’s eyes widen, and another bout of giggle ensues. “You’re pretty excited for this, aren’t you?” Naomi teases again.

Kyouka gives a shy smile. “It’s fun.” She pauses. “But I wonder if he will like them.”

“Don’t worry, he will! No matter what happens, just give them to him. You put in so much effort, he’ll definitely like - no, he’ll love them!”

Naomi’s confidence brings a smile to her face and she thanks Naomi with a small hug. The small pat on her head sends a small wave of encouragement and reassurance through her.

Another ding from the oven. Naomi lets go of her to take the trays out. “Kyouka-chan, let’s finish this quickly so we can have some rest!”

Kyouka hurries over to her side and packs the cookies into small pink bags, tying them up with ribbons. She counts the bags, making sure that there are ten before putting them away.

By the time they’ve finished cleaning up the kitchen, it’s already after four. They hurriedly make their way back to the dormitories. Naomi gives her a quick hug in front of her door before slipping through a small crack she has opened. Kyouka crosses the short distance back to their small apartment with quick, hurried steps. Once through the door, she takes the bag of chocolate out from her bag and hides them in the fridge behind some jars. She snuggles into her futon and within seconds, sleep pulls her under.

                                                                                   ***********

Feb 14, 6.14am

Clang clink-

Her hand instinctively reaches for the sword she has hidden under her futon. She bolts up, pausing to listen.

-cluuuuuuunk

The sound dies down after a few seconds. An exasperated sigh reaches her, its familiarity draining away the tension in her. She tucks her sword up her sleeve and steps into the kitchen.

“Good morning.”

Her voice, though only a whisper, manages to shock him, and the metal bowl that he has just picked up crashes to the floor again with another loud clang. He spins around with widened eyes and an opened mouth.

“Kyou-kyou-kyouka-chan!”

Her gaze drops to the bowl. “What are you preparing?” She points at the bowl, drawing his gaze to it.

A sheepish smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Nothing much, just an egg roll and miso soup.” He glances away, his fingers ruffling through his hair absentmindedly.

“Do you need some help?” Her gaze flits across the kitchen, and lands on the counter top with various ingredients scattered atop it.

“Ah, no. I can manage.” A smile fleets across his face before he hurriedly says, “Why don’t you go take a bath first? Breakfast will be ready by then!”

He fidgets under her long stare.

“Go on, go on!” He insists, while giving her a small shove.

Kyouka relents and heads to the bathroom. The silence in the bathroom quiets the buzz of surprise in her, giving her time to think. The fridge door was open just now so the plan to bring the chocolates to him during breakfast might not work if he sees the bag, she reasons. A new plan is needed; she has to get the bag of chocolates out. She plays out various scenarios but couldn’t shake off the feeling that he has found out. A sigh slips out of her. Maybe she should have just stayed awake, it would have been easier.

“Kyouka-chan, is the water warm enough?”

The warmth in his voice fizzes through her, and she decides that there would be no plan good enough. Naomi’s advice from a few hours ago resurfaces in her mind, “Just give them to him!” She takes a deep breath, clearing the uncertainties in her. No plan needed, she just has to give it to him.

“Kyouka-chan? Is everything okay?” A tint of concern colours his tone.

Kyouka pulls open the door and crosses the short distance back into the kitchen.

“Eh? Kyouka-chan?” She gives him a quick glance before crossing over to the fridge. Atsushi follows her and asks, “Is something wrong?”

Kyouka shakes her head while she pushes the jars away to reach the small bag of chocolates she has tucked away. She pulls it out and turns to see Atsushi, his face just inches from hers. A flush warms her cheeks and she backs a few steps to the fridge before standing up.

“What’s that?” Atsushi asks, his eyes alight with curiosity.

Kyouka holds it out for him, her gaze meeting his. “It’s for you, a Valentine’s Day gift.”

His eyes blink a couple of times before widening. He points at himself, as a bewildered “me?” slips out of him.

Kyouka nods. She feels a slight quiver running through her as she waits. His hand stretches towards her before stopping just within reach of the bag.

“Is this … is this really for me?”

Kyouka nods again and pushes the bag into his hand. His fingers close over the bag and lift it from her hands. Her gaze drops to the ground.

“Thank you, Kyouka-chan. I… I’ve nev- ah, I…” He pauses. “Thank you, Kyouka-chan.”

She looks up at him at the crack of his voice, his eyes brimming with tears. He sniffles and smiles a small, shy smile at her. Her gaze shifts away from his face again, as her heart drums to a faster beat against her chest. “Thank you for everything in the past year.” Kyouka manages to choke out before her flush forces her to look away. She mentally scolds herself for not sticking to her script, but her mouth clamps shut, unable to correct herself.

A sniffle draws her gaze back to him. He hugs the small bag of chocolate close to his chest, his hand swiping at the tears that are leaking out of his eyes. Her heart constricts with joy at the wide smile brightening his face, the tiredness draining out of her.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Her voice comes out in a whisper. Their gazes lock. She feels her cheeks heat up, sure a blush has appeared in her cheeks

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kyouka-chan.” He says, a smile in his voice as a blush rises to his face.

A/N 2:  Thank you for reading this! I've never posted an Atsukyou fic set in canon but alas, this is the piece and I'm happy with how it turned out. I hope you’ve enjoyed this too! Please reblog or like this if you like it, and I’m always open to comments! :) 

[raendown]

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 4254 Chapter: 6/? Summary: Not all wars are fought on the battlefield. Some are fought at the conference table, with whispers in the shadows, or even in the bedroom.

In a world where the Senju and Uchiha traditional lands were too far apart to have ever made them enemies, Butsuma and Tajima are the ones who come together and sign a treaty of peace. Madara isn’t happy to have his life signed away for him in a political marriage to strengthen the bond between their clans. He is even less happy to have Tobirama make assumptions of him from their very first night together. What follows from there is a journey of healing, of learning, and finding the places to belong in the places least expected.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Chapter 6

Some mornings Madara wondered why he even bothered getting out of bed, days when every little thing seemed to go wrong for him no matter what he tried to do until eventually he began to wonder if maybe some god had taken a disliking to him and decided this was to be his fate, eternal frustration over things that made him feel ridiculous for getting frustrated about it. Catching his foot in the blanket on his way out of bed wouldn’t have been anywhere near as big a deal if he hadn’t also tripped and cracked his nose on the bedroom floor. Dropping a bit of eggshell in to his omelet was already awful but of course he also had to knock over the salt shaker and spill half the contents over his would-be breakfast. Missing a throw to the waste bin wasn’t always terrible; it was when he was trying to toss out rotten food gone moldy.

Things continued like that all the way out of the house and across town to the administration tower, bad luck following him right in to the office he shared with Hashirama. Publicly the reason they shared an office was to show that even unmarried people between the two clans could get along and work together but privately they both knew it was because the building could only be so big before it got ridiculous and so many different bodies needed to work inside each day that it simply wasn’t practical to give every single person their own four walls.

Within five minutes of sitting down at his desk Madara had already knocked over his pencil cup, signed his name on the wrong paper without reading it, and dropped two different folders on the floor that scattered their contents absolutely everywhere. At that point it was only Hashirama’s presence that kept him from immolating the entire room.

“Rough start to the day?” his friend asked him. Madara snorted.

“A rough start to the day would mean I accidentally slept in or maybe burned the eggs a little. This was an absolute shit start to a day that promises to only get shittier.”

Kicking out halfheartedly at one leg of his desk, Madara was honestly and truly surprised it didn’t snap under the blow and send all of his possessions cascading sideways. With the way his morning had gone so far that sort of thing would just fit right in. He grumpily began to pick everything up and sort the mess of papers back in to the right folders until Hashirama came around to his side of the room with a small box held out between both hands.

“Would a cookie make you feel better?” he asked, giving Madara pause as he peered curiously in to the small tin like he’d been handed a ray of hope.

“If you ever offer me a cookie and I say no then take my temperature because I’m probably sick.” They looked like gingerbread, one of his absolute favorite cookies, so he made sure to select the biggest one he could see. The moment he bit in to it his eyes fluttered closed. “Oh sweet gods above us. When you get home tell Mito I will give her whatever she wants if she’ll make me a batch of these for my own.”

“Oh Mito didn’t make them. Tobi did!” Hashirama beamed and picked out another cookie, leaving it on the corner of the desk before trotting back to his own.

Madara stopped chewing to look at the snack between his fingers with light disgust. “Ah. I didn’t realize these were forged in the fires of hell. And since when does he bake? I’ve never even seen him cook so much as miso soup.”

“You’ll never see him do anything if the two of you don’t ever spend any time together,” Hashirama said. His eyebrows were in a judgmental expression that Madara really should have expected.

“Drop it,” he growled.

His friend did as he asked with a heavy sigh and an exaggerated shrug, enough to tell Madara that he might be dropping it for now but in no way was this the end of the conversation. Now scowling deeply at having his tiny ray of hope extinguished by the unnecessary mention of his unwanted husband, Madara scowled as he forced himself to concentrate on his work. The cookie in his hand felt tainted now that he knew where it had come from. He did still eat it though, as well as the other one Hashirama had left for him; they were good cookies and he wasn’t about to let that go to waste just because they were baked by a total jerk.

It did seem a pity though. If this talent for baking had been gifted to someone friendlier then maybe that person would have had more people to share their goodies with than just one brother.

Grumpy about being tricked in to enjoying the devil’s cookies, Madara refused to be the one to start up a conversation for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately this firm stance backfired on him when it became clear that today was one of the rare days Hashirama actually focused on his work instead of looking for any and all distractions to put it off. The two of them spent several hours in silence, papers rustling and drawers rattling as they both worked their way through the never ending piles of useless forms and proposals that no one was ever going to do more than skim through. It wasn’t very exciting but it was worlds above the constant tripping and knocking things over that had plagued his first hour or two.

Just before noon Madara gathered an armload of files and tapped them in to a neat pile as he stood from his chair. Hashirama looked up at him with an understanding expression.

“Daily delivery?” he asked. Madara sighed.

“I’d rather get this part of out the way before lunch; if he’s a dick about things then at least I’ll have time to calm down before I have to get back at this shit.”

Hashirama looked down at his own papers and shrugged. “I find it easier to just wait till the end of the day. Then I have Mito to go home to and she always makes me feel better!”

With a roll of his eyes Madara turned away with answering. If that was another attempt to get him talking about his own failure of a marriage then he was absolutely not biting. He would much rather hurry up to the top floor where his father and Senju Butsuma both had private offices on opposite sides of the main council room. Every day he made the trek up here to pass off the most important reports or whatever projects had been recently finished, usually ending their meeting with a lecture of some sort or a demand that Madara spend more time training for the duties he would someday take over as clan Head. As if he didn’t already drown himself in that stuff to keep busy in an empty home.

Tajima was sitting stiffly upright with his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose when Madara let himself in. Clearly the man was confident that his son was alone since he usually kept the reading glasses well out of sight for fear that someone else might see them and think him weakened in any way. Not many outside of the Uchiha clan were aware of just how badly use of the Sharingan affected them.

His father said nothing at first when he set the armful of parchment and scrolls down in the usual spot, leaving Madara with nothing to do but look around at the sparse décor of the office. One wall displayed only two ceremonial swords crossed and hung right behind the man’s head, probably an intimidation tactic for any visitors, but it was offset by the portrait of Tajima and his family that had been commissioned only a month before his first child fell in battle. Madara had studied the image so many times he could recreate it down to the last detail even without use of the perfect recall his dōjutsu granted him. Today his attention went to the woman holding a week old baby Izuna and standing as proudly as any happy matriarch ever had. It was only after her death that Tajima had begun to close himself off from the sons she left behind, living reminders, his grief a testament to the deep love they had shared.

“Why did you agree to this marriage?” The words slipped out before he even had a chance to consider them and Madara barely held in a cringe when he felt Tajima’s gaze lock on to him. Since the question was already out there he swallowed to give himself a moment before clarifying, “Mine, I mean. I was too angry to ask at the time and then it hardly seemed to matter since we had already signed the treaty but…why? I didn’t love him, father. I didn’t even know him.”

“Is it not obvious?” Tajima judged him with a single eyebrow raised in disappointment but Madara held firm in the face of a look he’d been under more and more over the past decade.

“Not to me. Could we not have found a way to bind the clans together without this farce? I mean – our traditions! You had to know that chaining me to that…him would deny me the chance to ever fall in love or find a person I truly wanted to be with.”

Tajima reached up slowly to pluck the slim frames off his nose without moving his expression. “It was necessary.”

“What? That’s it?” Madara stared at his father with lead heavy in his chest and felt like all the air in the room had been sucked away from him. “It was necessary?”

“Yes. I considered the needs of one less important than the needs of many. We all must make sacrifices in our lives and I made the decision that this one was worth the gain. Our people are safe and happy, our injury rates are at an all-time low, and what have you suffered for that? A husband who is worthy of your station and strength. You may not have chosen him but mark my words boy I expect you to see this through or I will concentrate on an heir with the intelligence to follow my orders properly.”

Never in his life had Madara fully understood the word betrayal until that moment. He had seen people betray their partners, seen comrades betray their friends, soldiers turning their backs on the clan that raised them, but it had never hurt him personally when until now he had never had a reason to feel the sting in his own heart, sharp and swift.

But this was his father. His very flesh and blood who had tossed him aside like so much trash as easily as saying ‘for the greater good’. It didn’t just sting, it burned deep down in a part of himself that he hadn’t even been aware of until it turned to ash inside his chest. Watching the absolute lack of empathy on his father’s face set his stomach to churning and he realized he felt physically ill to the point where he worried he might upset the contents of his meager breakfast all over the floor beneath him. Something hot and dangerous rose up inside of him until he clenched his fists and determinedly told himself that he would not show weakness here in front of a man who had finally proved once and for all he no longer cared about his sons in any way.

“Thank you for answering my question,” he ground out. “If you will excuse me, I have nothing to report that is not already covered in the files.”

No further prompting was needed for Tajima to return all his attention to whatever he’d been working on before being interrupted. Madara watched him for a split second, unsure why he was bothering to imprint that image in the back of his mind except maybe to torture himself just a little more with the reminder that he had lost his father as surely as he had lost his mother. Then he turned on his heel and left the office with as little fanfare as possible.

With this much rage and emotion filling him, more than even a good Uchiha should be expected to handle, Madara was terribly grateful to have his lunchbreak as an excuse to flee the office. There were very few people he knew might be able to withstand the force of his breakdown who he also trusted to help him stand back up again afterwards. Most of those people were right here in this same building he so desperately needed to escape but there was one to whom he knew he could always turn, someone who had been there for him since he was little more than a toddler learning to hold his very first kunai, and it had been much too long since he last visited her anyway.

Avoiding anyone else who looked even a little bit like they wanted him to stop for a moment, he exited the tower only a couple minutes later and set a quick pace for the Uchiha district. The thundering blood in his veins played double time with his steps until he finally gave in to impatience and took to the rooftops like an undignified boor in a hurry. Usually he had better manners than to clog up the pathways most tried to keep open for the security teams to get around quickly.

The small private market place within their clan grounds was quiet at the moment, just before the lunch hour rush hit the streets, and Madara was glad to see absolutely no one in the building when he stormed in to his favorite bakery, flipping the sign behind himself to declare that the shop was closed. From behind the counter there came the sound of a wooden spoon clattering against a pot but Madara only huffed as strongly as he thought wouldn’t make him vomit.

“I am not in the mood for a scolding, sensei.” His footsteps were loud on the creaky wooden floors as he stomped around the counter to confront the tiny old lady behind.

“What’s got crumbs in your butter, little one?”

He continued to scowl and yet with just a single question already the roiling in his stomach was beginning to settle. Not the hot ball of betrayal in his chest, that refused to shift so much as an inch, but at least he wasn’t in danger of contaminating anything in the bakery.

“Why did he stop loving us?” Madara demanded. Lowering her spoon, Susumu-sensei looked back at him with a bitter kind of understanding dawning on her face. “I am his son! His oldest child! Don’t I deserve to be loved just like everyone else? Don’t I deserve to be happy? How can he take that away from me and not care?”

“Ah. This is about–?”

“Of course it’s about my bloody marriage! What else does anyone ever want to talk about lately? Ow! You bitch!” Madara cradled the elbow she had just delivered a sharp crack to with her current weapon of choice.

Shaking it under his nose, Susumu-sensei delivered him a fierce glare. “Don’t you be yelling at me for something that stale piece of mold did to you. I won’t stand for the shit he pulls but you know damn well I won’t stand for any disrespect either!”

“Can I not be upset without getting smacked!?”

“I thought you wanted to be happy?” She raised her eyebrows and Madara paused.

At least she didn’t swat him again for rolling his eyes. “Why did I come here?”

“Because you know that I hate him as much as you used to love him. I always have. He loved your mother, there is no one who will deny that, but he was never as open-minded as he would have his children believe. You aren’t the first one he’s tried to sweep under the rug and forget about.”

Madara nodded, letting his eyes flick down the tiny body before him. He knew his teacher’s story well. She hadn’t hesitated to share it when he first asked, just a young lad but already standing taller than her. Barely more than three feet tall, Susumu was born with a type of dwarfism the medics called Hypochondroplasia. She called it ‘my head’s too big and my arms can’t reach’. One of Tajima’s first decrees when he took his place as clan head had been to try and remove her from the field, citing her need to enhance her movement with chakra just to function like any other shinobi as a fatal weakness. Susumu’s revenge had been to befriend the man’s wife and get herself appointed as sensei for his eldest son, going on to raise the strongest fighter their clan had ever seen.

It was a fairly good revenge, actually. Effective in all the right ways. Madara couldn’t remember when it happened but he knew that his affection for Susumu as a parental figure came long before the death of his own mother and the subsequent distance between himself and his father.

“Your marriage,” she murmured. “I can’t say I know what he was thinking when he made that decision. I agree with you that he should never have taken something so sacred from you but–”

“No, no buts!”

“But that is the way of things now. It isn’t ideal. You will still have to make the best of the things you have.”

“I just want the same chance to be happy that everyone else gets!” Madara looked around his feet for something to kick but everything close to him was breakable or needed to stay clean and he wasn’t looking to get smacked with that damn spoon again.

Susumu gave him a pointed look when he finally met her gaze again and gestured openly to her own body. “Do you think I have the same chance of finding love as everyone else? I’m not saying there aren’t a few open minded people out there I might be compatible with but there certainly aren’t as many as I’d like. We all have our difficulties in life, little one. You do indeed have the same chance as everyone to fall in love still, if you think about it. What sets you apart is that you will then be faced with a choice. Do you break your marriage vows, betray the peace between us and the only clan with the power to harm us? Or do you put your own needs and desires aside because duty is heavy but we have all agreed to carry our share of it.”

“Why is my share so much heavier than other peoples’?” He demanded. “Why is yours? It isn’t fair!”

“Tell me something, what do you know of the Senju clan’s marriage practices?”

Honestly he should have smelled the trap coming a mile away but Madara was upset and indignant and too caught up in himself to notice anything. He sneered as he recalled his conversation with Hashirama a couple of weeks ago. “I know that they expect to have their marriage arranged for them and that they’re allowed to sleep around with whoever they want until then but after they get married they’re expected to remain faithful. As if that erases their indiscretions beforehand!”

“Mm, I see. And tell me something else, what do you know of their divorce rates?”

“Divorce?” Madara stared at his old sensei in bewilderment. “I honestly didn’t know they could get divorced.” He scowled when she shook her head in disappointment.

“Then let me tell you something. When your father agreed to their unholy demands I was angry. Of course I was! My favorite little bumble pie being tossed aside so callously! So I looked in to the Senju and I asked about their traditions. Did you know that they are allowed to seek a divorce after five years if the couple are irreparably unhappy? Even more interesting, did you know that most of them don’t? The divorce rates among the Senju clan are so low I had to ask my source to repeat the number three times.”

Flustered, Madara blurted out, “So what?”

“So! That means that they are happy. Our traditions tell us that happiness is found and then kept. Their traditions tell them that happiness is built and maintained. It’s crazy and it’s different but it works for them. Don’t you think it’s possible that if you gave this a proper try there is even a miniscule chance it might work for you too?”

The hot ball in Madara’s chest expanded and his first primal instinct was to scream in her face that she had betrayed him too. Luckily for his continued survival he chose not to go with his first instinct. Susumu-sensei loved him deeply but she had never hesitated to beat some sense in to him with physical force when she thought it was necessary. So instead he settled for turning away and glaring deeply at the neat little row of tins lined up on top of the counter, samples of her ingredients for customers to check the quality.

Her question was ridiculous, of course. Never in his life had he heard anything as stupid as the idiocy she was spouting. Even worse, she agreed with something Hashirama had said! She made the point even better than him and the Senju were Hashirama’s own clan! Madara glared at a tin marked ‘vanilla bean’ and hated the fact that he could finally see the point both of them had been trying to make.

But his own point still stood too! Madara didn’t see why he had to be the only one putting in a little effort! And he wasn’t about to let anyone else get away with thinking so.

“If the Senju are all about working on their marriage then where the hell is Tobirama? We don’t even speak; it’s like I live alone!” Behind him he could hear Susumu-sensei releasing a light sigh.

“He’s even younger than you are and it seems to me you’ve made your opinions on him quite clear. Have you considered that he doesn’t see the point in trying to convince someone as hard-headed as you to change your mind about something? Perhaps he too is making the best of what he has.” She appeared at his side, patting his elbow in a rare show of gentleness. “I know it will be hard but it looks like you might need to be the one who makes the first move. Whether or not the two of you find love it will make your lives much easier if you at least get along. I don’t enjoy seeing you this miserable, little one.”

“You know, some day you’ll see the irony in calling me that,” Madara deflected rather than answer her. He looked down at her when she snorted brashly.

“Hah! You think I don’t? Boy, there is no better insult than me calling you little!” His sensei cackled and Madara rolled his eyes but one corner of his lips twitched with the first hint of a smile. As much as he despised her advice he was still glad he had chosen to come here. Susumu-sensei had a way of bringing the world in to focus again when he lost himself to emotions and she never failed to make him feel better – even when he didn’t want to feel anything but rage and righteous indignation.

She had certainly given him some things to think about now. Madara wasn’t ready to admit that she might be right and he definitely wasn’t promising he was going to follow her advice but he knew he would at least give proper consideration to what she’d said.

For now, however, he had a limited amount of time left on his lunch break and he wanted to be calm by the time he went back to work.

“What’s the freshest you’ve got today?” he asked, ducking down to look through the glass in the counter at all the cakes and tarts and muffins on display, each more delicious than the last. Susumu-sensei opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the ding of an oven in the back.

“Rhubarb pie as of right now,” she announced. “You’ll take the whole thing of course. And you’ll eat it this time! Don’t think I didn’t hear about you giving away those lemon cookies I sent over last month!”

“I don’t even like lemon!”

“Pah, excuses! They’re no more sour than you are!”

Falling in to the pattern of bickering with his old sensei was the easiest thing in the world and just what he needed at the moment. Madara carefully shuffled his problems off to the side where they certainly weren’t going to be forgotten but he could at least function around them until he was ready to sit down and deal with it like a proper adult.

Which was clearly not now. Right now he wanted nothing more than to get lost in the calming ridiculousness Susumu always seemed to wear around her like a mysterious cape – if mysterious capes came smelling like delicious apple pies.

[lundsandbyerlys]

Vegetarian Ramen Noodle Soup

Hot, satisfying noodles, shiitake mushrooms, roasted tofu and vegetables in a savory, umami-rich broth. A delicious "everyday ramen" recipe from Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate.

When the weather is cool, not much is more comforting than a big bowl of soup. Especially a bowl of soup with long, slurpy noodles, right?

Ramen has been huge in the food scene for a while, and I’m finally hopping on the train. I see images of bowls full of noodles, vegetables and meat in rich broth in my Instagram feed daily, and it seems like there are constantly new noodle shops popping up around town. Now that I’ve had my share of ramen, I can understand why people love it so much!

Today I’m sharing a recipe for a Vegetarian Ramen Noodle Soup which is full of long ramen noodles, a semi-homemade broth, shiitake mushrooms and chewy roasted tofu.    

I wanted to create a broth that was really flavorful, but also didn’t want to include a bunch of crazy ingredients or have it take a ton of time. Not many people have the time or patience for a time-intense broth. That said, while this is not a 100% authentic ramen, it's a great “everyday ramen.”

So, let’s talk about what makes this ramen so good. The broth is a combination of onion, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and white miso paste. Not super basic but not completely over the top, either. A true authentic ramen would have you make your own broth, but I cheat a little with vegetable broth. No shame in that!

While you can definitely use the ramen noodles that come in the packages we all ate in college (just discard the seasoning packet), these days it’s pretty easy to find some good quality ramen noodles at the grocery store. I had no trouble finding authentic ramen noodles at my local Lunds & Byerlys.

Lastly, ramen can be customized to include whatever vegetables you like. I kept things fairly simple with shiitake mushrooms, roasted tofu, baby bok choy and a good amount of green onions. Other ideas are baby spinach, carrots, roasted sweet potatoes and radishes.

Of course, I couldn’t make ramen without that soft-boiled egg. I am definitely one of those people who prefers a soft-boiled egg over hard boiled, but you can cook your egg to whatever doneness you like. My husband thought it was kind of weird seeing an egg on top of soup, but once he tried it, he was a believer.

We ate our soup with a healthy drizzle of Sriracha, which you could also add to the broth if you like, but since I was also feeding this to our toddlers (who devoured it, by the way), I left it out of the big batch. If you’re a Sriracha fan, definitely give it a try.

And that’s it! After about an hour of work, you’ll have your own pot of hot, slurpy ramen noodle soup. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Ramen Noodle Soup 4 servings Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook time: 55 minutes

Ingredients 4 large eggs 14 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into cubes 4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ white onion, diced 8 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons white miso paste 6 cups vegetable broth 8 ounces ramen noodles 2 baby bok choy, halved 4 green onions, chopped Sesame seeds, for topping Chili garlic sauce (such as Sriracha)

Directions Boil the eggs:

Bring a pot of water to boil.  

Carefully add eggs and boil for 6 minutes for soft boiled. For hard boiled, boil closer to 9 minutes.

Remove from hot water and immediately place in ice water bath.  

Bake the tofu:

While water is heating up and eggs are cooking, you can prep the tofu. 

Heat oven to 400 F.  

Cut tofu into bite-sized cubes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and sesame oil; gently toss to combine.

Spread tofu cubes onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake tofu for 35-40 minutes until golden.

Make the broth and noodles: 

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.

Add onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook until they have softened, about 5-7 minutes.  

Add ginger and garlic; cook one more minute.

Add in rice wine vinegar, miso paste, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and broth. Bring to a boil.

Add ramen noodles and cook according to package directions, usually between 5-10 minutes.

For the last 2 minutes, add bok choy and green onions.  

Ladle soup into bowls. Top with soft boiled eggs, sesame seeds and as much Sriracha as you can handle!

[hale-of-stiles-heart]

starry-eyed surprise

A continuation of ‘falling for you like a meteor shower’! For the sentence starter: “You made me a pie!” (also on ao3!)

Kirishima was right about the meteor shower. Bakugo had never known that space dust could be so beautiful.

The dark night sky, black as ink and dotted with starry pinpricks, was streaked with ephemeral light from the meteors. They danced across the sky, bright and breathtaking and befitting of the misnomer of shooting stars.

Bakugo had never had any interest in stargazing before, viewing it as he did many things as a waste of time. Something that wouldn't help him achieve his goals and therefore irrelevant and stupid.

But he was starting to understand it now. If only because of Kirishima's reactions.

With his head on Kirishima's shoulder, Bakugo could hear each and every small sigh and gasp the redhead made while watching the sky. Kirishima was clearly entranced, pointing out every meteor with childlike glee.

Bakugo briefly wondered if Kirishima had done this with his mother. If they had sat up on their roof or laid out in the backyard and stargazed together, if that was when his mother had told him that she knew he would be a hero because of the constellation he had been born under.

But Bakugo didn't linger long on those thoughts considering another drifted to the forefront of his mind. One that he immediately voiced, startling Kirishima from his excited stargazing.

"When the fuck is your birthday?" He practically growled, tipping his head to the side to look up at Kirishima's face. Kirishima sent him a thoroughly confused look in response, frowning to himself.

"Uh, the sixteenth," Kirishima answered warily, brows drawing together. Bakugo raised a brow of his own, telling him to go on without saying a word. Kirishima sighed and reluctantly continued, "...Of October."

Kirishima's wariness was immediately validated when Bakugo sat up sharply and whipped around to glare at him. Arms crossed over his chest, out of both frustration and because it was fucking freezing, Bakugo snapped, "Your birthday was last week?! What the fuck?!"

Kirishima glanced around nervously, waving his hands around awkwardly. He desperately shushed Bakugo, frantically whispering, "Dude, be quiet! You'll wake someone up!"

"Don't fucking shush me, you asshole!" Bakugo hissed, swatting Kirishima's hand away. He didn't give a shit if he woke anyone up. He had more important things to worry about. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?! We could've done something! I don't know, we coulda celebrated!"

Granted, Bakugo had never really seen the point of making a big deal about birthdays, but he wasn't that shitty of a boyfriend to not want to celebrate Kirishima's birthday. Especially since the idiot deserved the best fucking birthday ever.

Every time there had been a birthday for someone else, Kirishima was adamant that they celebrate, something about not wanting anyone to feel left out. Even before they had been dating, Kirishima had made sure they had all celebrated Bakugo's birthday.

And Bakugo hadn't even known when his birthday was.

"We did do something for my birthday," Kirishima insisted, immediately freezing Bakugo in his tracks. At Bakugo's skeptical look, he explained, "Remember? We went to see that new movie and then you took me out to lunch."

Bakugo did remember. They had gotten Principal Nezu's approval to leave the school grounds to go see the new All Might movie that Bakugo had been wanting to see for weeks.

They had held hands in the dark theater throughout the movie, squeezing each other's hands during particularly intense action sequences. Bakugo had managed to ignore his usual misgivings about public displays of affection throughout the movie, running his thumb over Kirishima's callused knuckles.

After the movie, Bakugo had been in such a good mood that he had taken Kirishima to have lunch at a nearby fast food restaurant. Over vanilla milkshakes and French fries, they had ranted and raved about the movie between flirting with one another.

It had quickly turned into a genuine date without Bakugo even intending it. Not that he had been complaining.

Once they had returned to UA, they had spent the rest of the afternoon making out in Kirishima's room, ignoring Kaminari's invitation to play video games in the common room. They had only stopped in favor of squeezing in a bit of tutoring interspersed with brief breaks for more kissing and some snacks.

All in all, it had been a pretty good day. But now that Bakugo knew it had been Kirishima's birthday, he wished he could do it all over.

He wished he would have let Kirishima pick what movie they saw. He had seen Kirishima's eyes lingering on a poster for some indie road trip movie, he should have taken him to see that one instead.

He wished he hadn't brought Kirishima to some shitty McDonald's for lunch. There had been an actual restaurant only five blocks away where he could have brought Kirishima for a lunch worthy of a birthday meal.

He wouldn't change the enthusiastic makeout session once they had gotten back to school since he knew that Kirishima had been a thousand percent into it. But he never would have insisted that they actually study; Kirishima shouldn't have had to get tutored on his birthday.

Worst of all, Bakugo knew that he couldn't even say anything. He couldn't apologize or offer to make it up. Because he knew that Kirishima would insist that he'd had a great time, that it was the best birthday he'd ever had, just because he got to spend it with his boyfriend.

Sometimes Bakugo wished that Kirishima was just a little more selfish. But it didn't matter now. Because Bakugo was going to make it up to him.

He was going to give Kirishima the best fucking birthday ever. Even if it was a week late.

But for now, Bakugo just grumbled his assent and turned back around, leaning back against Kirishima's broad chest. Kirishima instantly curled his arms around Bakugo's waist, tugging him closer as they turned their attention back to the stars.

Bakugo had always been a good cook. Hell, he was a fucking great one.

He could trace it back to when he was a little kid, helping his dad in the kitchen while his mom was at work or her book club or whatever the hell it was his mom did all day. With a lack of anything else to do and the ravenous hunger of a little kid, it had been a win-win situation all around.

Especially for his dad. He had always had a love of cooking, having gone to culinary school for a few semesters before changing his major and going into fashion.

At home, the DVR and Netflix queue were both full of various cooking shows ranging from more competitive shows like Chopped and Iron Chef to educational programs like Good Eats. His dad was pretty much obsessed with Alton Brown.

Throughout his childhood, Bakugo had dutifully helped his dad cook dinner nearly every night after school. On the weekends, he would help his dad make huge breakfasts fit for a family of twelve, including everything from chocolate chip banana pancakes (his dad's favorite) to eggs Benedict (his mom's favorite).

Cooking had always been calming for Bakugo. The monotony and routine of it enough to refocus his energy on something less destructive than exploding everything in sight when he was upset.

The summer training camp (before it had gone to complete shit) had given him an opportunity to show off his culinary skills, delighting Kirishima to no end. The redhead had sung Bakugo's praises when he had made a simple beef stew, moaning into his bowl and practically begging for seconds.

So, Bakugo already knew Kirishima liked his cooking. Which set his plan in motion.

A few days after their little trip up to the roof to stargaze, Kirishima kissed Bakugo on the cheek before leaving dorms to train and then hang out with Tetsutetsu. The second he was gone, Bakugo immediately set to work cooking him the best birthday dinner ever.

Gyu kushi with a homemade Worcestershire dipping sauce, beef tataki with ponzu and wasabi on the side, a giant slab of flank steak marinated in soy sauce and Dijon mustard and served with white rice, and Wagyu korokke were all made with the intention of satisfying Kirishima's love of meat.

The rest of the veritable buffet of food consisted of miso soup made with yellow miso, onigiri with sha-ke and umeboshi fillings, yakisoba, and vegetable tempura. He even made some gyoza in case Kirishima wanted some pork, too.

Never one to half-ass anything, once he had finished the savory dishes, Bakugo turned his attention to dessert. He fried up a large batch of sata andagi with a side of chocolate side and grilled skewers of mitarashi dango.

It wasn't until he was finished mixing the sweet soy sauce glaze that he realized that he had completely forgotten the most important thing for a perfect birthday celebration: a cake.

Bakugo kicked himself for the oversight while growling at Kaminari to get away from the korokke, smacking his hand with a wooden spoon for good measure. Turning towards the common room, he called to Ashido who was decorating the common room at his behest. "Yo, Pinky! What kind of cake does Kirishima like?"

When Bakugo had started cooking Kirishima's birthday dinner, it had immediately drawn a crowd. The rest of the class had smelled food and rushed downstairs to circle the kitchen like a flock of vultures.

Growling at them all like a lion fending off his kill from a pack of mangy hyenas, Bakugo had explained that the food was for Kirishima, to celebrate his birthday. The others, none of whom had been aware that Kirishima's birthday had passed the prior week, had immediately volunteered to help.

While continuing to cook, Bakugo had barked out orders, directing people left and right. He would never admit it but having the others help set things up made everything a hell of a lot easier.

Now, held up by Tokoyami's Dark Shadow to hang red streamers from the ceiling with Uraraka who was floating beside her, Ashido turned to Bakugo. Pursing her lips, she tapped her chin and reported, "I think he likes chocolate! With chocolate buttercream!"

Bakugo nodded to himself. He could make the most chocolatey cake Kirishima had ever eaten, with a chocolate mousse filling and ganache topping. It would be amazing.

"Yeah, but he likes pie in the fall!" Sero added, taping up the large banner Yaoyorozu had made. Beside him, cradling his sore fingers, Kaminari nodded decisively.

"I don't know," Ashido hummed, gesturing for Dark Shadow to lift her a bit higher. "A birthday pie instead of a birthday cake?"

"He'd probably think it's manly!" Kaminari pointed out, picking up one of the red balloons Shoji had blown up. He released just the slightest bit of static electricity, handing it to Uraraka who stuck it to the ceiling.

In the courtyard, Todoroki was lighting a large bonfire while Iida rushed around setting the tables Sato and Midoriya had moved outside. The commotion outside briefly distracted Kaminari who trailed off while mumbling, "He said something about his mom's apple pie awhile ago. Maybe he'd like that..."

Frowning down at the kitchen counter, Bakugo swore to himself. Of course, Kirishima liked pie, that fall-loving fucker. He just had to like the one dessert Bakugo had never made before.

Swallowing his pride, reminding himself that it was for Kirishima, Bakugo tugged his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his contacts. When his dad answered, he solemnly asked, "How do you make a pie?"

Bakugo Masaru's apple pie recipe was the most well-guarded culinary secret in all of Musutafu, Japan.

As a child, Bakugo had never been allowed to so much as watch his dad make his famous pie. He was always exiled from the kitchen whenever his dad decided to bake it, stuck watching TV until his dad let him put it in the oven.

The pie was usually reserved for special occasions; holidays, birthdays, graduations, Bakugo's acceptance into UA, et cetera. Though there were times his dad simply made it because he was craving pie.

Bakugo had grown up eating his dad's delicious apple pie, could trace all of his fondest childhood memories back to the taste of apples baked in caramel sauce with a brown sugar crumb topping. It had always been his favorite dessert, the one sweet treat he let himself indulge in, in contrast to his usual affinity for spicy, savory foods.

He had always wanted to know the recipe but his dad never revealed it, keeping it a beloved secret. But two hours after Bakugo called him, there were three piping hot caramel apple pies cooling on the only part of the kitchen counter that wasn't occupied by other food dishes.

Bakugo had pulled out all the stops. There was a bowl of extra caramel sauce sitting in the microwave, ready to be warmed up at a moment's notice, and a tub of Kirishima's favorite brand of vanilla ice cream waiting in the freezer.

The tables outside were all set, the bonfire was blazing, and a mountain of presents had materialized on the coffee table after the rest of the class had rushed to the mall while the pies baked. They had somehow managed to drag Mr. Aizawa along so they could get permission to leave campus, bringing him back to the party with the promise of food.

Everything was ready. The only thing missing was the birthday boy himself and his metallic escort who had agreed to distract while Bakugo set up for the surprise party. Sometimes Bakugo's threats were rather effective.

"Yo, Tetsutetsu just texted!" Kaminari called from the common room as Bakugo washed his hands for the umpteenth time that day since he started cooking, scrubbing dried dough and brown sugar off his fingers. "He said they're almost here!"

In an instant, everyone (including Aizawa who was actually smiling) was ducking behind the common room couches or slipping out into the courtyard to hide. Bakugo dried his hands on a dish towel while crouching down behind the kitchen counter, waiting patiently for his boyfriend to arrive.

Everyone waited for the perfect moment as the front door swung open and Kirishima walked in, followed by Tetsutetsu. Bright smile in place, Kirishima animatedly claimed, "Yeah, man, the movie's awesome! Bakugo took me to see it last week."

On Bakugo's mark, a loud snap of his fingers, everyone stood, bursting out of their hiding places. At the top of their lungs everyone, even Koda as shy as he was, yelled, "Surprise!"

Kirishima was completely caught off guard, taking an instinctive step backwards and triggering his Quirk. He immediately raised his arms in an attempt to shield himself and Tetsutetsu, always a selfless hero.

A moment later, he registered the sound of party horns and people laughing, slowly dropping his arms to look around the room. He glanced around the common room, taking in the sight of the heavily decorated walls with a small gasp.

The room was transformed from a regular living room to a bright crimson tribute to Kirishima. Red streamers covered the ceiling and walls like scarlet spider webs brightening the drab beige walls to the same shade as his hair.

Red and black balloons covered both the floor and the ceiling, the light filtering through them from the overhead lamps casting red shadows throughout the room. Hanging from the ceiling in the center of the common room, a large banner drew his attention as it proclaimed, Happy Belated Birthday, Kirishima!

Around him, all of his friends were gathered with wide, happy smiles. They were all cheering and clapping and celebrating.

Kirishima continued looking around, spotting the tables covered in red tablecloths in the courtyard where even more balloons and streamers were set up around a roaring bonfire. Various shades of shiny wrapping paper drew his eye to the coffee table and the massive Jenga tower of presents that had amassed there.

He turned back to his friends who were all still cheering for him, his eyes wide and his jaw slack. Taking a tentative step further into the room, he softly asked, "You... You guys put this all together...? For me?"

"It was Kacchan's idea!" Midoriya excitedly announced, beaming at Kirishima. Gesturing around the room, indicating all of the various decorations and the buffet of food in the kitchen, he explained, "He put this all together!"

For once, Bakugo didn't even bother snapping at Midoriya. He didn't think Kirishima would particularly care for him yelling during his birthday celebration. He'd just kick Deku's ass some other time.

Rolling his eyes, Bakugo carefully balanced one of the pies in his hand and walked over to greet Kirishima. Holding out the pie so Kirishima could blow out the candles, he mumbled, "Happy birthday, shitty hair."

"Aww, babe...!" Kirishima cooed, eyes widening even more at the sight of the pie in Bakugo's hand. "You made me a pie!"

But instead of rewarding Bakugo with a smile, Kirishima started tearing up, his bottom lip wobbling. Sniffling a bit, he murmured, "You did all of this for me? Oh, Bakugo..."

Panicking a bit, Bakugo hastily handed the pie off to Sero and nodded towards the courtyard. Sero seemed to take the hint, motioning for everyone to follow him as he led them outside to the table of food, leaving Bakugo and Kirishima alone.

Bakugo curled his arms around Kirishima's waist as the redhead rested his forehead against Bakugo's collarbone, hiding his face in his boyfriend's chest. He tangled his fingers in the fabric of Bakugo's shirt, tugging him closer.

Not sure what else to do, Bakugo rubbed Kirishima's back with one hand, burying the other on Kirishima's hair to scratch his nails over his scalp. Swallowing heavily, he asked, "Hey, what's wrong? Did I do something?"

"No. No, it's just..." Kirishima started, voice muffled a bit. He cut himself off with another sniffle. Wiping his eyes, Kirishima lifted his head, giving a watery laugh. "I just can't believe you did all of this for me. Thank you."

"You deserve it," Bakugo said, pressing a kiss to Kirishima's temple, keeping his arms around him. Hugging Kirishima tight, he continued rubbing his back, hushing him gently.

"My dad let me use his secret apple pie recipe," Bakugo told him, earning another a small laugh. Smiling to himself, he quietly admitted, "There was just one condition."

"Yeah?" Kirishima hummed, reaching up to run his fingers through Bakugo's hair. Setting his chin on Bakugo's shoulder, he asked, "What's that?"

"He wants you to meet him and my mom," Bakugo hesitantly answered. "Think you're up for it?"

"Definitely," Kirishima agreed, raising his head to wipe his eyes and peck Bakugo on the lips. Grabbing his wrist, he started dragging Bakugo towards the courtyard. "I can't wait to get your mom to show me your baby pictures! Now c'mon, let's eat!"

Send me Kiribaku prompts!

[alldayieat]

Miso Marinated Black Cod is one of my favorite ways to not only eat miso, but also fish!  The miso marinade is sweet and salty and packs a ton of umami. (remember 1 ton = 1,000 pounds!)  If you can’t find black cod, your best bet is a fatty fish like Chilean seabass or other neutral tasting white fleshed fish. Fattier = better as the fat carries the flavors of the marinade straight to your mouth. Like a freight train of flavor, which is what we need to also transport that ton of umami. 🙂  Like many of my Japanese dishes, all you need is some rice, maybe some veggies, and miso soup!

Miso Marinated Black Cod | Gindara Misoyaki （銀鱈味噌焼き）

As with any ethnic cuisine, I realize ingredients can sometimes be difficult to source.

And sometimes that’s certainly a frustrating barrier for one who enjoys exploring the world with their mouth.

Like me. Nom. 🙂 Nom. 

This particular recipe however doesn’t have that barrier.

Because if you’ve ventured into any homemade Japanese cuisine recently, you’re like to have these ingredients already on hand!

In fact, you should be able to run freely in sunny grass filled fields.

Just like in the movies.

With your hands up in the air and wide open smile.

Don’t eat any bugs though.

Just this fish.

The 4 ingredients we need for the marinade should be readily available, at your local supermarket, if not on Amazon.

Sugar? Yes…

White miso? Yes…

Mirin? Yes….

Sake? Yes!! (via Prime now … if you haven’t tried Prime now for groceries, I highly recommend it!)

While there are many variations of the marinade and the steps to prepare, this misoyaki is one of my go to recipes.

I always make a big batch and freeze to eat over the next few weeks!

  Misoyaki variations 

As this is a popular preparation of fish, there are naturally many variations on how to make it.

One of which has to do with the marinade or misodoko(味噌床).

I have seen some recipes that cook the marinade in order to dissolve the sugar.

And that’s actually what I did the first time I ever made it many years ago.

However, after trying other recipes I found it wasn’t necessary.

Now, I just mix everything together and marinate without heating.

Here’s how the marinade looks just before mixing.

  Another variation has to do with handling the fish prior to marinating.

One of the important steps is to lightly salt your pieces to not only remove excess liquid, but also cut down on the fishy flavors/odors.

I usually do it for at least 30 minutes and no more than an hour.

Other recipes may omit this step, or use sake or mirin in place of or in addition to salt.

The end result is the same, better flavor! 

You can extend this technique to other fish recipes (outside of Japanese cuisine) as well.

It may very well make eating fish more pleasant!

Here’s how the black cod looks just after salting (I leave it out uncovered on the counter)

  The last variation isn’t so much a variation, rather, it has to do with your personal tastes and access to miso.

Did you know? The salt content varies between types and producers of miso.

Yes, it does!

That, plus your personal tastes in terms of how sweet or savory you like your fish, will affect how much you like this marinade.

I personally don’t like my meat and fish to be sweet, so I’m always conservative with the amount of sugar I use.

If your miso is on the saltier side or you just like things to be sweeter, you might need to adjust the sugar by a tablespoon or two.

As you may know, sometimes recipes can be used as a starting point and adjusted to your liking!

This is no exception.

    Misoyaki Marinade

I’d recommend marinating the fish for at least a day but not more than 2 since it will become salty after.

If it’s already at day 2 of the marinating step remove it, wipe off the excess and freeze. Airtight.

It’ll store well for a few weeks.

You can reuse the marinade for more fish or even meat like chicken or pork.

The flavor of the miso marinade complements each of those meats quite well.

But my favorite is still gindara, or black cod!

Short on time? Well… marinating the fish for at least 8 hours, will still give you tasty results. But being a little more patient, may make it even better. If you’re making a big batch you can experiment yourself and see how the flavor changes.

  fish with marinade after 1 day

prior to broiling

misoyaki right out of the oven

  Have you made misoyaki before? Let me know how you made it / how it turned out below?

  Join me in my live on Youtube @ 6pm PST!

Peace!

   [wpurp-searchable-recipe]Miso Marinated Black Cod | Gindara Misoyaki 🐟 – – black cod (cleaned and filleted), sugar, sake, mirin, white miso, To prepare the misoyaki marinade: Clean, and filet your fish. Cut into 2 inch pieces (width).; Sprinkle salt over both sides of the fish and set aside on a paper towel lined plate for at least 30 minutes to an hour.; Meanwhile prepare the marinade. ; Using a small bowl, mix the sugar into the sake and mirin and then add the miso paste.; Next once time has passed, wipe off excess salt and moisture from the fish with a fresh paper towel or two.; Spread the marinade evenly if using a container or drop into a thick ziplock bag and ensure the fish is evenly coated.; Marinate for 12 hours to 2 days max.; To cook the black cod: remove as much of the marinade as possible (it will burn) and place skin side up on a oven safe tray (rack if you have one).; Broil for 1-2 minutes. Once you see the skin boiling or starting to get dark, turn over and turn down the oven temp to 450 and allow to cook for another 4-5 minutes. (If not much skin just watch closely so the flesh doesn't burn); Watch closely so it doesn't burn, you'll notice once the flesh begins to turn a light caramel color or the bits of marinade turn dark, the fish will be ready.; Serve with a wedge of citrus, some white rice and miso soup. Enjoy! ; – – Main Dish – Japanese – Food – fish – japanese – miso[/wpurp-searchable-recipe]

Miso Marinated Black Cod | Gindara Misoyaki 🐟 Miso Marinated Black Cod is one of my favorite ways to not only eat miso, but also fish! 

[lagycart]

autumn in japan - day 1 - kaga onsen.

it seems to have becoming a thing where i am always in japan during autumn, but that’s completely fine because i love it! ehehe.. this short 5 days trip was awesome, reuniting and celebrating our wonderful friendship together again, hopefully we can do this every year~

my trip started off with an overnight flight from kl to tokyo, arrived at narita international airport in the morning, exchanged my jr pass from the ticket office and took narita express to meet my friends at tokyo station.

we then depart from tokyo station to kanazawa station via shinkansen, yay finally long distance bullet train ride, ehehe... and on the way there, the view is really nice with snow cap mountains, paddy fields, small townships, just so beautiful. also bought train bento on board, ehehe.. first time for everything. the bento comes with a proper good quality container which you can bring home, how cool is that...

anyway, i’m glad to be able to catch up among us during the train ride, it has been so many years since the four of us are together! girls time is indeed the best.

kanazawa station is huge and has lots of interesting stuff going on, but we didn’t look around much as we were catching a local train to kaga onsen, felt so excited on this journey. the sky is clear and so blue and just so beautiful and the air is crisp cool, just they way i love. at kaga onsen station, the hotel transport picked us up and finally we arrived at kaga yashio hotel 加賀八汐. this hot spring (onsen) hotel was booked by my lovely japanese friend, i was really happy to be able to stay at a traditional onsen ryokan for a night, onsen is one of my many favorite things about japan, lol...

the room is pretty spacious which can fit four futons comfortably and has a seating area too, there’s also an attached bathroom for convenience. they offer both indoor and outdoor onsen which is great. the hotel was occupied by locals mostly, which is a good thing, the staff are so friendly to us too.

after checking in, we went out again to katsusenshintoku 割鮮 しんとく. this is a local fresh seafood restaurant which has a fish stall at the ground floor and a restaurant on the first floor. you can pick the seafood you like from the fish stall and then they can cook it for you in whichever method you prefer. they even offer delivery service for all the fresh seafood within japan, it’s so cool.

we were really lucky that kobako crab (female snow crab) is in season, a kanazawa specialty. my friend ordered some to ship to her parents and they received it the next day! we also picked the live one for each of us, with squid, nodoguro (a local fish) and baigai (local plum shell fish) to be made into various dishes for dinner later.

we then head to kaga fruitland 加賀フルーツランド , wanting to visit the farms. we arrived around closing time which is too late to visit the farms, but the staff was very kind to offer us some freshly picked apples, which was super juicy, crispy and just so fragrant, definitely the best apples i have ever tasted i think.. and they also offer to sell us a huge bag (about 4 to 5kg worth) of freshly picked apples at only 500 yen, such a steal! we also managed to get lots of shiny maskat grapes which are super sweet and juicy at a steal too. that was apparently the last batch of grapes as the season has ended. i also bought some fruit jelly, which taste awesome, just like the real fruit, as souvenir, the package is just so pretty! and it’s very very reasonably priced. would definitely love to come back again during other fruits season.

after spending some time here and have a great chat with the people and enjoyed the freshly picked apples, we went back to the seafood restaurant for dinner as the sun sets. the view is so pretty from first floor as we are able to see the sea. my friend ordered some local sake for celebration, the taste was okay, i am not a big fan of sake but it’s definitely not bad. food arrived promptly, and there’s so much until our table is full. we had nodoguro sashimi, grilled baigai, baigai sashimi, kobako crab, squid sashimi, squid tempura, grilled squid, nodoguro miso soup and rice. there’s even two type of soy sauce which taste slightly different and brings out different flavors from each seafood. the whole meal was a great experience, definitely the best and the seafood were so fresh and so yummy. i love how the natural taste is preserved with simple cooking style. i enjoyed spending time discovering new seafood and talking to friends and the food is yummylicious.

after such a satisfying meal, we decided to take a short walk along the coast and head to the convenient store at the service station to pick up some snacks for our drinking and chatting session. the convenient store is big and there’s also a souvenir store attached to the service station which sells a lot of local delicacies and snacks. shopping for snacks is always fun and interesting, especially when everything looks good.

we then head back to the hotel by taxi and time for some relaxation! we went to the indoor onsen for a dip, felt so good in the hot mineral water, it just relives all the tiredness and soreness and i always felt refreshed and calm after going to onsen. at our room, we enjoyed all the snacks we bought with some homemade yumeshu from my lovely friend again, the best yumeshu ever, made with love. =) glad to be able to chit chat all night long, ehehe... i really missed the time we spent together, trying new snacks, talking about random stuff and just being close to each other.

such a wonderful first day with many new experiences, i went to bed and had a good rest, really love sleeping in futon during cold weather, the futon just traps all the body heat and it felt so comfortable and cozy.

more photos in my facebook album.

[kflemhealth]

Make yourself a batch of pea miso soup – your immune system will thank you

(Natural News) Miso is a traditional Japanese superfood that offers many health benefits, such as improving your digestive health and strengthening your immunity. To boost your immune system, follow the recipe below and make a batch of comforting pea miso soup. Miso: An immune-boosting superfood Miso is a thick paste made from soybeans fermented with...

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