#meal prepping for busy moms

[365momme]

Meal Planning for Busy Families: A Step-by-Step Guide

In the hustle and bustle of family life, finding time to prepare healthy meals can often feel like an impossible task. Between work, school, extracurricular activities, and everything in between, it’s no wonder that many families resort to takeout or quick, unhealthy meals. However, with a little organization and foresight, meal planning can transform your dinnertime routine, making it both…

[evadingreallife]

We're having kebabs tonight so grandma will too, i wonder what she'll think lol

[what-even-is-sleep]

Trying to get ahead of an unsustainability cycle that might be starting up this week,,, (I start work).

[coachreneelove]

Easy Meal Prep Hacks for Busy Moms: Streamline Your Kitchen, Save Time, and Eat Healthier

As a busy single mom, the last thing I wanted to think about after a long day of work in social services, completing my classwork, and helping my kiddos with theirs was what to cook for dinner. Finding time to cook nutritious meals can feel impossible between work, family, and endless to-do lists. But with a bit of planning and smart meal prep hacks, you can simplify dinnertime and ensure your…

[not-really-a-writer]

lets all join hands and normalize the fact that you can in fact make really delicious, simple food that’s not made from scratch? Like, rice noodles, chopped up chicken or tofu, bean sprouts, bok choy and some bottled peanut sauce from the store makes some good eating. And its not “less than” bc its not made from scratch.

[neutralaffiliate]

Weekly Meal Planner: Track And Plan Your Weekly Meals

This planner will help you save time and money whether you're a busy professional or a stay-at-home mom by ensuring that you have everything you need for the week ahead.

Get your copy here >>

[art-sciencedesigns]

Recipes and Meal Planning Ideas for Busy Families

[trendingarticles]

A Beautiful Meal Planning for Busy & Working Moms

Meal Planning For Busy Moms with Best Practical Tips I understand that being a busy mom can be challenging, especially when it comes to meal planning. That’s why I’m here to help! In this blog post, you’ll find best practical tips designed to make your everyday meal planning easier and more efficient. These tips will not only save you time and energy but also help you create delicious and…

[lavandamichelle]

Quick and Easy Tips for Cooking for Five: A Busy Mom's Guide

As a wife and mother of three, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to cook for a family of five. Between work, school, and extracurricular activities, finding the time and energy to prepare a healthy and delicious meal can feel like a daunting task. But fear not, because I’ve gathered some quick and easy tips that will make cooking for your family a breeze. These tips have saved me time…

[asmalltownmama]

Easy egg bake for breakfast or freeze for later: Recipe

As a mama of two very young children, (3 1/2 year old and 6month old) I’m usually the last person who gets to eat. And since my son is extremely picky, I usually just make him what he will eat. That means we don’t normally eat the same thing, or I am busy feeding my baby girl her milk and only have time (and arm strength) to make his food while holding her. So today I decided to do a simple egg…

[slytherinshua]

BOY DAD INTAK

genre. fluff. headcanons. non-idol au but music-related/piwon related stuff is still mentioned!! warnings. pregnancy/parent/baby stuff. sooo messy i'm very sorry abt that. not proofread. pairing. husband!intak x fem!reader. wc. 1.1k. request. for @blue-jisungs <33 a/n. i wanted to finish this quickly esp with everything going on just so maybe u have smth to distract urself axe ☹️☹️☹️ i love u so much <33 net. @kstrucknet

When he finds out you’re pregnant he’s honestly so shocked

But a good shocked of course

Safe to say it wasn’t entirely planned sjdksjs 

You’re both still very young but even though it was unexpected Intak is ready to be a dad and super excited for it :( 

He’s the best at taking care of you during your pregnancy 

He always was when you were dating but he takes extra steps to make sure all your needs are met

He will always make sure you have whatever food you’re craving 

Plus he’s down to try the weird combinations as well

More often than not they taste terrible to him while you’re chowing down 

But he finds it endearing 

He’ll watch you eat from across the table with his head rested on his fist and a smile on his face

He keeps track of what meds you should be taking and reminds you when you forget

Although his work can keep him busy sometimes, he’d drop everything for you if you needed it 

He will always always make it to your appointments 

Just because he’s not the one growing the baby doesn’t mean he can skip out on any of the steps— it’s his child as well after all

And he makes sure to always answer his phone and check his texts even if you’re updating him about your day he’ll take the time to text you back 

He doesn’t announce that you’re pregnant to the other members until you’re well along in your second trimester 

But it’s met with excitement from everyone 

Probably a look from Keeho and a throwaway “aren’t y’all still young?”

But he’s over the moon excited to be an uncle trust he’s going to be present in the baby’s life

Theo would gift you all the practical things you could need like diapers, monitors, and bottles 

Once the baby arrives Jiung will probably meal prep some food for both of you (which you are forever grateful for) 

Soul finds the most interesting baby toys on the market but despite Intak’s slight judgemental look when he receives them, you think they’re all great

Jongseob is fully composing lullaby and nursery rhymes, except you’re a little unsure of how easy they are to follow once he throws in complicated rap rhythms 

Keeho’s proud of Intak and excited for you— he knows you’ll be the best parents

But as the leader, he’s also more than eager to help out wherever you need it, especially with cleaning or just little things to help you destress when you need it, mainly during postpartum :’)

Intak is extra clingy while you’re pregnant, especially when your bump starts to show

Even if it’s only been a few days since it was visible, he is all over you

You probably receive a million kisses a day, and trust his arms are always wrapped around your waist, feeling your bump with that proud dad smile on his face

Always says his son is gonna have the coolest dad ever, and you can’t even argue with him because you do think Intak is gonna be the coolest dad ever

And when your son arrives, Intak couldn’t be prouder

Definitely cries holding him for the first time, and is probably very emotional the first couple of days

But he is also your biggest support

He’s doing absolutely everything he can to make sure you can rest after delivery; seriously won’t let you lift even a finger

He shows you off even more than before, he just thinks you’re so incredible and amazing for everything you’re capable of, and how good of a mom you are

He’s more in love with you than ever

Each milestone your son reaches is so important to Intak, from his first smile, to his first word (which he’s proud to say was “dada”), to his first steps and first day of school

Intak is one of those dads who is constantly giving all his friends and family updates about your little ones and sharing cute moments of his son with him

He’s so close with his son, and you’re always happy to see them spending time together

Of course, he’s gonna raise his son right!!

From an early age, he’s always talking to his son about doing things for mom; whether it be cleaning the house cause you had a long day, planning a surprise date cause it’s been a while, or buying you flowers because it’s mother’s day

Doesn’t matter if your son can’t even talk yet, Intak will still be talking about every occasion that is important to you

And they plan all the special things together <3

Dressed up in matching suits for your first mother’s day, and your heart melted :(

Intak includes your son in everything, and they just make the best duo, you couldn’t be happier to have them in your life

Date nights with Intak used to be a super regular thing in your early marriage, but it becomes pretty tricky with a kid to manage

You rely on Intak’s friends to babysit a lot, especially Keeho and Theo who are more than happy to compete for best uncle award

You can usually sneak in at least 3 dates per month amidst your busy schedule <3

Intak is the best person ever to comfort his son and also to give the best advice

He’ll always wipe his tears and assure him whenever he stumbles, especially as a toddler/little kid around 2-6

He’s always telling his son how proud he is of him and how he can do anything he ever wants to and be backed by his dad

As your son grows older, Intak gets a bit more emotional about it

Because he’s not as small and dependent as he used to be :(

Especially at around age 5-6, he’s really getting out of his shell, and Intak feels bittersweet about it

Of course, he’s beyond proud of his son for making new friends and trying out new things by himself with the introduction of school

But he also misses those more quiet days when it was just you two and your baby doing everything together :(

Your son starts to develop some of Intak’s habits, and you find it so cute how he’s becoming a little carbon copy of his dad

They share the same interests and can always be found playing together

Definitely starts enjoying music with his son really early on and is always dancing and singing/rapping with his kiddo <3

And also loves to get into sports with his son and compete (although he’ll almost always let his son win)

You find it incredible how they can stay entertained together for hours

Of course, Intak doesn’t have endless energy like his son does, but he still somehow keeps up just running off of love and pride for his kid

Best boy dad you could ever ask for !!!

↳ p1harmony taglist (bolded could not be tagged): @eternalgyu,, @kangtaehyunzzz,, @amara-mars,, @nyukyusnz,, @blossominghunnie,,

@wccycc,, @seunghancore,, @sobun1est,, @bananabubble,, @talkingsaxy,,

@cupidslovearrows,, @50-husbands,, @hursheys,, @mjupis,, @stannwjnss,,

@gong-fourz,, @forever-atiny

[bunnisari]

if you are taking ideas/requests whenever you are can you write reader going to see plug!connie in jail and they talk on the phone and it’s just so cute and ughh

WARNINGS ✩ — (i don’t know how visitations work so bare with me), suggestive language, eh nothing just cute, connie is written as dominican

You follow the security guard into a cold concrete room. You’ve been here plenty of times before so you know exactly where you are going. You keep your face straight and mean mug every security guard who looks you up and down. You make sure to listen to Connie’s orders everytime.

“Make sure you look mean as fuck when you come up in here. You too pretty to be inna place like this”

You sit at the booth, waiting for Connie to come out. You were slightly chilly sitting at the cold metal. Your pink longsleeve shirt wasn’t enough to keep you warm. You brushed your palms on your true religion jeans. Connie always made you nervous no matter how long you’ve been around him.

You look up when you hear the door open, slight chatter in the background from other booths.

You see your gorgeous husband boyfriend, his arms covered in tats. He had on a short sleeve white tee, His jumpsuit resting around his waist.

You immediately break out into a smile as he sits down, grabbing the phone off the wall.

“Hi babyyy” Connie feels his heart beat faster as your sweet voice greets him. “Hey princess. You look so pretty.” His voice slightly cracked in the middle of his sentence. He wanted to touch you so so bad. But soon he’d be able to.

“Thank youuu. Do you like my nails? I got ur favorite color.” You hold your hand up to show him the pink charmed nails.

Connie shook his head and smiled. I’m pretty sure that’s you’re favorite color.”Yeah baby they look good.”

“How was your week?” Connie just wanted to hear you talk, hear your voice. In these moments you kept him sane. These little fifteen minutes highlighting his entire month.

“Ummm it was okay. I went over Mika’s for a bit and I actually meal prepped this whole week which surprised me because I never make it through the whole week,” You talked with your head down.

“Look at me I wanna see your pretty face” Connie demanded. You swallowed your nerves at looked him in the eye.

“What did you eat?”

“Just simple chicken and rice and then I just seasoned mixed vegetables. It was good though.”

Connie groaned and threw his head back, “Baby that would hit so good right nowww”

You laughed, “Don’t worry. When you come home i’ll cook you all of your favorite foods and you can eat it all by yourself”

“I think I just wanna eat one thing.” Your eyebrows furrow before you look at Connie’s expression, seeing him look at you with low eyes scanning your body up and down.

You gasped, covering your mouth, “Baby you’re so nastyyyyy”

“Girl y’know you want me to.” His teeth tug on his bottom lip before he smiles.

You fight the urge to scream, kick your feet, and giggle.

You roll your eyes playfully while smiling.

“You went shopping like I asked you too?” You nodded your head, “Mhmm. I got some more shoes and some random stuff from Bath and Body Works” Connie nodded his head. “That’s good”

“I checked up on your mom too like you asked me” You add.

“Good girl” His smooth voice rings through your ear. You always complied with him. You were such a one in a lifetime girl and he would kill just to not fuck it up. You were holding him down while he was locked up, he couldn’t ask for more. You made sure his business still resumed, running drops yourself even when Connie asks you not to. You just have Jean come with you to be safe.

“I miss you so much” You pout. “I miss you more princess. Just three more months ight?”

“Yeah” Your voice trailed off. You haven’t touched your boyfriend in over a year. You were touch and sex deprived but you would wait on Connie. Even if it took decades.

You were interrupted out of your thoughts when you heard the security guard from behind you.

“Time is up”

Connie laughed as he watched you look over your shoulder at the guard, rolling your eyes before flipping your hair over your shoulder. “I hate that big neck ass block head guard” You smacked your teeth.

“I love you so much princesa. You take care of yourself good kay ma?”

“Okayy. I love you more” You fight away that burning feeling in your throat, not wanting to leave your man but you had no choice.

You blew a kiss at Connie before following the guard.

Connie made sure to take a look at your ass, licking his lips. “No way her ass got fatter…”

[foodffs]

Impress your dinner guests with this simple and flavorful creamy Tuscan chicken dish. With just a few ingredients and minimal prep time, it’s the perfect meal for busy weeknights yet elegant enough for company. This quick and easy family dish is perfect for the novice cook or busy Mom. 

https://www.smalltownwoman.com/one-skillet-creamy-tuscan-chicken/

[buzzcutlip]

congrats on 100 maggie that’s amazing!! 🎉🫶🏻

could I request carmy with a single!mom reader and they’re still kinda fresh in their relationship and with both of their busy schedules it’s hard to have any alone time and whenever they’re trying to have privacy for adult fun time it keeps being interrupted by reader’s little one bc reader’s daughter loves carmy and they’re both going crazy but also love becoming a new lil family. I just keep thinking about how carmy would be with a little kid and how he’d take over the role of a stepdad-dad 😩

Thank you! :)

I would like to say that I love kids and I worked in childcare for years. However, I'm not much into kid fics - rarely read them and never wrote one! Your prompt got me thinking so I'm sharing my head canons about stepdad!Carmy (explicit stuff behind the cut!)

You're so scared to tell Carmy you're a mom because you've started having real feelings; it's not just fooling around anymore. When you finally share that you've got a little girl, you're sick to your stomach with nerves, worried about the possibility of being rejected or ridiculed. But Carmy surprises you—pleasantly—by not freaking out at all. He nods and asks a couple of basic questions: "How old is she? Who's looking after her when you two are together? What's her favorite Disney movie?"

Carmy does freak out—once he's at home. He barely sleeps that night, thinking of all the ways the "wrong" in him or with him could rub off on the little girl once they meet. Because he's a messed-up grown-up who has no clue how to behave.

You can't keep putting off Carmen meeting your daughter after four months of dating. You can't, and you don't want to. It takes a bit of effort before Carmen opens up about his difficult childhood and messed-up family. You assure him that it's not going to affect your daughter and promise him that you absolutely believe he's a good person.

Your little one is almost four, and she's independent, sassy, and loving, so she probably understands Carmy's hesitation and worries better than you do—without Carmen ever needing to say a word. She knows he's a chef—a cook—so she takes his hand and shows him her own wooden kids' kitchen. Carmy's eyes are huge and glassy when he looks up at you, and you hold back your own tears.

The first time you witness Carmy and your daughter cooking together (not in the kids' kitchen), your heart almost stops. You know how sacred the kitchen—any kitchen—is for him, as well as the whole process of meal prepping. They're just baking cookies, from what you can see over Carmy's broad back, flour everywhere, and he uses the softest voice on her: "You make a ball from the dough, that's right. Well done, chef," and "You got it, darling," and "Good job, good girl," followed by a high-five, your daughter giggling, clearly proud of herself.

That night, you ask Carmy to stay - the first time while your daugher is at home too - and he agrees, with a soft smile and a chaste kiss to your temple. You're a bit apprehensive about having sex, anxious about your little one overhearing something or waking up in the middle of it, but at the end it's you who asks Carmen for it. You beg him with your eyes, your hands and mouth, and who's he to say 'no'? The day had been emotional and the remaints of it hang between you as he fucks you on your back, staring into your soul, reaching there with his cock too. You're kinda trying to hurry up, Carmy thrusting into you with sharp movements that make you gasp out puffs of air between the two of you. He leans in to whisper into your ear "You're taking it so well, you would take my load so well, would you want another baby, hm?" His words surprise you and make you so hot that you come with a startle the next second.

Fuck, Carmy Berzzato wants a kid with you?

[gingernut1314]

Pleasure Doing Business With You ch. 5

Toji Fushiguro x F!Reader

Summary: You convince Toji to take a shower with the promise of lunch and sweet treats.

Warnings: pre-star plasma vessel, reader is the cousin of Mamaugro, reader is Tsumiki's mom, Tsumiki and Magumi are cousins, gendered terms, grief/mourning, misuse of alcohol

Word Count: 3.1K

Tag list: @sordidmusings @lostfirefly @needsleep3000 @onebatch--twobatch

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The store wasn’t too far of a walk, but a walk it had to be seeing as you had yet to locate Megumi’s car seat--if he had one. You had stopped by your car, grabbed out the light pink baby wrap carrier you had thankfully kept after Tsumiki had grown out of it, strapped Megumi to your chest, and went about doing your shopping. 

You had bought Tsumiki a tamago sando to munch as you shopped to keep her from exploding from hunger. You bought all essential cleaning supplies, things you would need to make quick meals, and a wagon so that you wouldn’t have to lung all the groceries back.

 It took you about an hour to get all your shopping done, Tsumiki now passed out in the wagon as you pulled it back towards the filthy townhome. Megumi had also fallen asleep, his usually grumpy face all soft and peaceful. You did a quick stop back at your car to load as much as you could into the wagon without crushing your daughter before finally making it back.

You went about bringing everything into the home, putting it by the door so that it wouldn’t be in the way of your cleaning. 

Toji was nowhere in sight and definitely not in the shower as you had asked him. It pissed you off but gave you room to set up a little play area for Megumi and Tsumiki in the living room without worrying about the man. 

You set rules with your daughter about playing with the baby before starting on cleaning. 

It was bad. 

So much worse than you had originally thought. 

You wanted to vomit at all the sights and smells that were bombarding your senses, but you pressed on after opening all the windows in the downstairs area. 

You took a pause to feed Megumi and gave Tsumiki a snack before going back at it. 

You tackled the fridge next only to find it was as bad as you had imagined and the freezer did in fact hold pouches of breastmilk, expiration dates marked in black Sharpie. Marked in handwriting you recognized instantly to be your cousins. 

You debated for a long time whether you would keep it. It would be good for Megumi…the best for him but--but the idea of you going about the process of prepping it made a painfully hollow feeling fill your chest.

It was thrown into one of the large trash bags to be forgotten about. 

It took you an hour--almost two to clean the whole kitchen. There were still dishes that needed to get run through the dishwasher, but other than that everything sparkled. You went about putting away all the groceries you had bought before putting Megumi and Tsumiki down for a nap.

As you came back down the stairs, you found Toji trudging through the door. He looked--

“Are you--tell me you aren’t drunk.” You came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs to watch him wander over, Toji rubbing his face as if he was exhausted. 

“I’m not.” He sounded annoyed, like your concern wasn’t valid. You watched in disbelief as he pulled his hands from his flushed face and smirked down at you as he came to a pause before you. 

God, why was he so tall? It only made you more mad.

“Maybe I am.” You huffed, crossing your arms tightly over your chest. “Hey,” He elongated the word as he pulled closer to you. You felt your ankles hit the bottom step when you tried to back up, remembering what had happened the last time he was drunk and this close. “You said you wouldn’t get me beer. I had to take matters into my own hands.” He gave a huff of his own, leaning down so that he could look directly into your eyes. 

You felt your heart begin to beat rapidly in your chest, your grip around yourself growing near bruising. 

“I didn’t because of this.” Your words came out weaker than you should have allowed. “What if I had gotten beer? Hum?” Toji’s hazy eyes gleaned in humor. 

“Well then, I would be inclined to do a trick for you. I am a good boy after all.” His voice grew deeper, nearly shaking through your rib cage. Those damn eyes of his scanned you over like he was picking out the best place to grab hold of you. And his smell--it was too strange, too dark, too wild. It almost possessed your body with its allure.

“Stop.” You snapped, your arms tightening further. You wanted to curl in on yourself, but you kept tall. 

Green eyes fluttered back up to your own eyes, that damn smirk still on his lips. He found this funny. He found all this so funny and it made you want to slap him to get rid of that damn smirk. 

“Will you take a shower?” 

“Will I get lunch?” You gave him a simple nod. He nodded back, moving past you as he shuffled up the stairs to disappear into the bathroom just at the top of them. As you watched him go, your hand ran up your arm and collarbone to find rest over your mouth to muffle the shaky breath you had been keeping back.

What the fuck were you going to do about him? 

He couldn’t keep coming back slobby drunk. 

He couldn’t keep--his eyes. They needed to keep off you. He needed to stay away from you. 

You tried to shove all thoughts of the man out of your mind as you went about making everyone lunch. You had decided to make the sandwich the lady who you had once lived across the hall from taught you to make. They were tasty and dirt cheap. A win, win in your books. They soon become you and Tsumiki’s favorite meal. 

You wondered if Toji would enjoy them…but then you assumed he probably liked anything he could get his hands on. 

You wrapped a sandwich up for Tsumiki to eat when she woke up, placing it in the freshly cleaned fridge before making you and Toji’s food. You had just finished plating the sandwich and orange slices when you heard the bathroom door open and a half-naked Toji climbed down the stairs. 

“Shit--that smells good.” He mumbled, making his into the kitchen to peek at the food. 

“It’s just--it’s just chicken and some--” You tried to explain what was within the sandwich but you couldn’t keep focused. Not when his smokey scent was so close again, now dampened by whatever soap he had used. He smelled fresh and like--cinnamon?  

You’re eyes wandered and your focus was as good as lost.

Toji was muscle. Just pure muscle. 

And good muscle too. Muscle you could tell he had worked on and the muscle he used. It wasn’t fake muscle like those bodybuilders you would see in magazines. His skin looked soft and smooth and was only interrupted here and there by faint scars.

Scars. 

Why did he have so many scars? 

Your eyes found a small scar on his abdomen and your eyes left said scar to find his prominent Apollos belt--hard lines that disappeared beneath the white towel he had wrapped around his waist. Hard lined that made your face feel like you had shoved it into a pot of boiling water.

Maybe--just maybe you might see why your cousin would have been interested in a guy like him. 

Maybe.

Toji reached for one of the plates growing even closer to you. His closeness made you feel even hotter, but you snapped out of your damning daze and pulled the plate out of his reach before he could take it. 

Sharp, green eyes snapped down onto you not at all pleased.  

“I was a good dog wasn’t I?” A deep frown pulled on his lips which usually stayed all too smug. “I took a shower like you asked. You promised lunch as my reward.” 

“You need to change.” His eyes only narrowed further. 

“Why?” 

“Why?” You repeated with a huffing laugh. “Because it’s unhygienic to walk around buck-ass naked.” Toji rolled his eyes oh so dramatically like it was truly such a hassle to change.

“I’m wearing a towel.” 

“No. Get changed. Into something clean.” You pulled the plate further away when he tried for it again. “Do you have clean clothes?” Toji shoved a thumb towards the living room turned makeshift bedroom. You noticed the pile of clothes on the other armchair closest to the tv and huffed. “There is no way those are all clean.”

“I’ll change.” He didn’t seem to understand he was still very much in your personal bubble and still very much making you burn alive. “If you give me some of those.” He redirected his hand to point toward the top of the fridge. You looked to find him pointing to the box of kinoko no yama’s you had hidden up there to keep out of sight from Tsumiki. 

“I bought those for myself.” Toji shrugged, that goodman smirk pulling at the corner of his lips again.

“I’ll change if you give me some with my lunch.” His eyes shined with mischief as he leaned in even closer. “Otherwise I’m a-okay to stay like this. It’s freeing, ya know?” Your lips pressed together thinly as you tried not to let your eyes slip from his own. To try and forget he was naked and little droplets of water still clung to his pale skin.

“Fine .” Toji chuckled, pulling away from you finally. 

“A pleasure doing business with you.” Toji winked before heading for his pile of clothes. You huffed, all but storming over to grab the box of snacks you had been looking forward to. “Make it a good handful, yeah.” 

“You’ll get what you get.” You grumbled as you opened the box. 

“Damn, you’re a hardballer huh?” 

“Just get changed.” The box made a muffled bang when you all but slammed it down on the countertop. Toji only continued to smirk at your frustration as he passed you once more. 

“These clean enough for ya?” He outstretched his hand to show you the clump of clothes he held. “Don’t think I’ve worn these yet.” He mused, scratching the side of his head like he was truly trying to think about it. 

“I’m sure it's fine.” Toji didn’t seem satisfied with this answer cause he came all too close again. All too close and you could smell his spiced, smoky scent again. A scent that made your frustration deepen in a warming way. 

“Ah, come on. Give ‘em a little whiff.” Toji wiggled them before your face. “What if they smell like shit 'cause I’ve been livin’ in a…what did you call it? Yeah, a landfill? Wouldn’t want to smell that bad.”

“I’m not going to smell the clothes you’ve been keeping in a goddamn pile.” You bit, swatting his hand away from you. 

Your breath hitched involuntarily at the feel of his skin against yours. 

Warm. 

And solid. 

Like stone. 

Stone that had been left out to bake in the sun only to be wrapped in pale, silky sheets to horde that warmth.

Soft stone you wanted to hold against your cheek and--

“Get changed.” You grit through the fluttering drop of your stomach. Toji only chuckled, finally backing off. 

“Yes ma’am.” And off he went into the downstairs bathroom. Once you heard the door shut with a soft click you gave a groan that sounded more like a growl as you roughly scrubbed your hands over your face. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

What the fuck did he think he was doing? Making you--you--

What was he doing? Giving you a damn headache that was for sure. 

…did he know what he was doing? Was he doing it on purpose? Was he trying to stress you out so much it killed you? 

Probably.

The door opened again before you could try to work through your thoughts. Out walked Toji fully clothed this time, though you noticed that his shaggy hair was still a bit too wet like he hadn’t bothered to fully dry off. You let it go because you could only handle so much from the man.

“Is this up to your standards?” You glanced over the outfit he was wearing; a gray crewneck and matching sweatpants. He was barefoot but you assumed he’d be wearing those ratty slides in a bit. “Can I eat now?” 

You said nothing as you slid his plate along the counter towards him. His green eyes sparkled in excitement as he all but hunched over and began wolfing down the sandwich like it was his last meal. You couldn’t help the small wrinkle of your nose at the sight, picking up a slice of orange and popping it into your mouth. 

“Can we talk like adults for a second?” You asked after a few moments of silence as you two ate. Toji glances your way, cheeks full of sandwich. 

“Depends on what ya want to talk about.” He spoke around the food in his mouth, only making your wrinkled nose crease further. 

“I want to talk about our situation here.” Fire flashed in those green eyes of his. 

“No.” You didn’t even give him the stratification of a sigh because you were determined to at least talk over a few things. So, you simply grabbed the box of kinoko no yama and fished out a small handful. You leaned forward and added them to the slowly disappearing pile already on his plate. 

“It’ll be quick. Just a few things and then we can be done.” Toji eyed you, then the added kinoko no yama, then to the box in your hands. He jutted his head towards the box, demanding more. You gave him more without complaint. “Do you have a job?” You watched Toji swallow the mouthful of the sandwich. 

“Did.” And then he was chowing down on another bite of sandwich.

“Okay…you did. Were you fired?” He shook his head. “You quit?” A nod. “So you could take care of--” He leveled you with a glare so hard and bloody it made your body lock up. Made your heart race and your mind scream at you to run, run, run . “Okay…okay. That’s fine.” You spoke carefully--calm and softly. 

He was hurting. 

Even though he was an asshole, he still lost someone who you knew he cared for deeply. So deeply it was turning him into a complete and utter mess with her gone. 

“I’m assuming you rent this townhome. Meaning rent is going to be due.” You continued, picking at the cardboard of the box of snacks in your hands. “I only have so much saved away. I’ve already started looking around for jobs and I think you need to find one too.” Toji’s eyes flickered over your features as he chewed his latest bite, taking you carefully in as you spoke.

 “I can help you if you need it, but you need a job. We have two small children to feed and clothe and house. It was a struggle to do that for Tsumiki all by myself and adding another one on--” You shook your head, feeling your fingertips begin to grow cold and vision narrow the slightest bit at the thought of it all.

“I can’t do that all by myself. If you could pay for rent and utilities, I would pay for food and the kids. I feel that is more than fair.” You kept that soft and calm tone praying he would agree without complaint. Praying your cousin was right. Praying that he was a good man deep, deep down.

“If I say no?” 

Of course. 

Of course . 

“I don’t think no is really an option. The kids cost a lot. Food, clothes, school, daycare, doctor visits . Keep in mind I am paying for your child, not just mine.” You could feel your sensitive tone slipping away the longer you spoke. Slipping away with no chance of gaining it back. “I don’t care where you work as long as you are paying your part off.” 

“You might regret that.” Toji simply said. Simply said and took another bite of the sandwich, finishing it off. “The where I mean.” 

You didn’t quite understand what he meant by that but he wasn’t saying no to finding a job and that is all you cared about.

“I know I won’t as long as we have a roof over our heads, running water, and lights,” Toji’s eyes shifted. Shifted to that dark look you had seen only a few times since meeting him. A look that reminded you of a predator. A look that made you want to run upstairs, grab your kids, and leave. 

“Whatever you say, boss.” Toji shrugged, shoving a few of the mushroom-looking snacks into his mouth.

You let the air grow silent once more as you tried to keep yourself grounded. Tried to keep back the fearful burning building in your eyes. 

You were scared of him. 

Whatever the hell he was alluding to scared the shit out of you. 

Dangerous. He was dangerous…

“Maybe he is in a gang. Maybe he made her join.” You’re aunt’s words echoed through your mind. Thoughts she had spoken huddled around in the kitchen with the other female members of your family as they worked on crafting dinner for everyone. Words you had scoffed at but--

Maybe he was in a gang. Maybe he seemed dangerous because he really was. It would explain the scars. The dark look in his eyes. 

Maybe…maybe he had killed people before. 

Maybe you were forcing him back into such bloody work and that's why you would regret it. 

Whatever the reason, you were terrified. 

“...you going to let me cut your hair?” You suddenly asked.

Brush your feelings aside. It’s what you always had done in the face of danger--of evil. 

Ignore it. 

Cover your eyes and ears and ignore it. 

Toji rose a brow at you as he popped more of the sweet snacks into his mouth. You turned from him as you grabbed your sandwich. “You might act like a dog, but you don’t need to actually look the part.” You took a bite from your food as Toji laughed. A rich thing that helped you further forget the danger until it bore its fangs at you again.

 “I’ll only do so many tricks in one day, warden.” His newest nickname for you made you roll your eyes as you swallowed. “Get me some beer and you can cut it tomorrow. Gotta look my best for work, right?” His words surprised you. You didn’t think he would have actually agreed but…

“Fine. Deal.” Again that richly deep laugh poured from his scarred lips once more.

“Always a pleasure doing business with ya.”

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[miley1442111]

hii would love smth with sydney adamu x reader if ur still taking requests!! like literally anything just need more syd content haha

omg thank u for requesting sydney, there's like nowhere near enough stuff for her? like guys... she's amazing. anyways, I hope you enjoy, it's kind of short, so sorry about that :)

no-show

a/n: lowkey spoilers for season 2, episode 3- sundae, also I didn't really think of male! or fem! reader while writing so just imagine what you want :)

summary: sydney asks if you want to join her and carmen on some food tasting, how could you say no?

pairing: sydneyadamu x reader

warnings: general fluff, talk of parents dying, brief mention of lupus, brief mention of cancer, mention of crushes.

She was pretty. But… she was also technically your new boss. You, a new person on the waitstaff at The Bear, had been hired a month ago. For the past 4 days, you had been building the tables and chairs along with your new co-workers, they’re fine, all pretty normal people- nothing to write home about. But Sydney, your boss, she was amazing. She had been the one to orient you in the restaurant. She showed you where everything is and how everything works, but you were sure you’d forgotten all of it. You were too busy watching her.. You pushed those thoughts out of your head, for now, you just had to keep your head down, get to opening night. All anyone is focusing on is opening night. So, you keep working and finish the last table, when you notice Sydney standing and talking with Carmen. Carmen Berzatto was strange, in your opinion. He barely talked to her, yet she was his ‘business partner’? He refused to even send her a text when he basically told you all to start taking down walls more than a week ago, and she was rightfully upset. He walks away from her with a nod and you get up from under the table. She comes up behind you as you stretch your aching back. 

“Do you want to come with us? We’re just- our pallets are fucked and-” she starts to explain.

“Yes,” you say, probably too eagerly. 

“O-ok. Cool,” she smiles. “I’ll grab my stuff.”

You smile and follow her to the lockers. “So, where do you plan on going?”

“Just some places around, I know some people, Carm knows some people,” she shrugs and the nickname she has for him irks you slightly. There can’t be anything going on between them, right? 

“Will we wait for him?” You ask, pulling your jacket on.

“He’ll catch up,” she decides, leading out the back door and into the cold Chicago air. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A train ride, a short 10 minute walk, and a conversation with a waiter later, you sit across from Sydney, conversation flowing freely. You feel… comfortable with her. She’s awkward in an endearing way, kind in a way that's foreign to you, and so deeply interesting that you feel like you could talk to her forever. The food arrives, and it’s the best thing you’ve tasted in a while. Considering you’ve been living off of the same meal for the past three days (meal prepping is the only way you eat), this is like actual gold dust. Clearly your reaction doesn’t stay in your head, your eyes closing in satisfaction.

“Good right?” Sydney grins from across the table. 

All you can do is nod. And internally kick yourself for being so embarrassing. 

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carmen has been long forgotten. He was supposed to show, he didn’t, boo hoo. You don’t care. Sydney doesn’t care. Your day with Sydney has been nothing short of perfect. Good food, good company, and now, good ideas- on Sydney’s part, you were basically just here for the food and her. 

“So, what’s your favourite food?” Sydney asks, just on the walk back to The Bear. 

“Can I be honest?” You chuckle, a warm feeling within you shielding you from the cold. 

“Of course!” 

“When I was a kid, my mom made these nachos with like-just random cheeses on them, and then we’d dip them in this spicy sauce until our tongues would go numb,” you recounted fondly. “I forgot to ask for the recipe before she died.” Sydney’s face falls, and you can’t help but feel that you’ve ruined the moment, the day too, maybe. “S-sorry, I didn’t- it just slipped out-”

“It’s ok. My mom died too,” she explains slowly. “Lupus.”

“Cancer.”

“I’m sorry,” she smiles softly as you both stop just outside the restaurant. 

“I was like 10, it happened a while ago-”

“I’m sorry,” she repeats. 

“I’m sorry too,” you smile, the sound of blood rushing filling your ears. You want to kiss her. You want to kiss her so bad. So, you do.

You reach and hand out and cup her cheek, pulling her in to kiss you. She gasps at the sudden contact, but kisses back all the same. She tastes like the mint the last restaurant gave you both. Her arms wrap around your neck, a smile on her lips against yours. You pull away, opening your eyes. 

She looks beautiful, a smile on her perfect lips. The lips you just kissed. 

“Thank you for today,” you smile. 

“Thank you.” 

“For what?” you chuckle.

She rolls her eyes and kisses you again.

Wow. What a good day.