#my posts are feeling like corn plate at this point | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

salty-accords · 3 months ago

Text

Post-Helene Update (Oct. 10th)

Since Helene rolled through the Southest United States, namely Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, a lot has happened.

I can’t speak for those in other states, as keeping up with the Western North Carolina news is, at this point, its own necessary chore, but here’s what we know about the devastation and the recovery in WNC.

According to official reports, across the six states that were hit by Helene and continue to face the devastation of it, over 200 people have been confirmed dead. Over half of those people were in North Carolina, where our rivers flooded and fast water has destroyed entire communities. K-9’s and cadaver dogs have been out searching for victims, regardless of life status, for over a week now. Hundreds are still missing, and there have been difficulties identifying some of the dead.

President Joe Biden has set over 1,500 active-duty soldiers in the NC National Guard to join in the recovering efforts in North Carolina. They’re helping to deliver supplies, food and water to isolated communities.

There was significant damage to the lower land of the historic Biltmore Estate, including their farm. Overall, the Estate is mostly fine—some wind damage to their forested area—and people who worked there should be able to return to their day-to-day relatively easily in that regard. My heart goes out to those in more affected employment—it’s a stressful time financially, and Buncombe County is far from rich, so I’m thankful to the Recovery and Aid funding my community has been receiving to help support our long-term survival.

I encourage everyone effected financially by this disaster to contact your utility and internet/phone providers—many people are getting grace periods from companies, and if you live in an effected area like WNC, you might be able to have one less thing on your plate this month.

Speaking of, the severe flooding in WNC has stirred up colonies of yellow jackets, a stinging insect that many people are allergic to. These little fuckers are important for the ecosystem, and they’re out of home like many of us are, but please, keep your EpiPens and Benadryl on hand, and know where your friends keep their allergy kits—stings are more likely right now, and NC health officials are stocking allergy treatment to help address the issue, but practice caution when walking about, especially near dryer ground and wooded areas. Do not kick logs, move trees, over stamp on the ground unnecessarily without some protective clothing or precautions in place. Even for someone who isn’t allergic, a swarm of angry yellow jackets can be brutal, especially if you don’t have the means to treat the stings.

(To remove stingers and thorns from your skin, mix a few tablespoons of corn starch with a little less cold water—clean water—until you’ve got a thick, wet paste. Dab the paste on the sting or thorn sight and let sit and dry for about 10-20 minutes. Carefully remove the dried paste—it’ll be the consistency of a strange, dry crumbly cookie—and the thorn/stinger should be brought out with it. Clean with soap and warm water at least, but an alcohol wipe or hydrogen peroxide is preferable. Cover the injury with a bandage or gauze and salve.)

If you need further medical care, Mission Hospital in Asheville was only about 20% over capacity last week, and well-staffed considering the circumstances, and they’re steadily returning to normal operations. They’ll treat anything from toothache to trauma to allergic reactions. There are several disaster relief medical teams in the area helping our care providers and medical staff to keep people healthy and whole, so don’t feel like you’re a burden if you’ve only got something minor—it’s their job to help you, it’s what they went to school for and what they’ve dedicated a good portion of their lives to. Be polite, have respect for them and their time, and treat people with dignity. Then you’re good to go.

For those with prescriptions, you may be able to make use of the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program (EPAP), which could enable you to request a 30-day supply of some prescription medication at EPAP-participating pharmacies. Your prescription could be renewed every 30 days while the EPAP is active, and the program also pays for certain types of medical equipment and supplies, such as mobility aids, blood sugar meters, and blood sugar test strips—some vaccinations might also be covered. This program is for those who are completely uninsured—Medicaid, Medicare, Children’s Health Insurance Plan, and any other insurance disqualify you from the EPAP. I’ll cover this more thoroughly when I can.

Madison High School at 5740 US-25 in Marshall; Boone Drug and Healthcare at 345 Deerfield Road in Boone; 535 Morris Road in Brevard; and 315 Bethal Church Road in Mocksville are all potential spots for you to get your prescription refilled. Please call and ask your pharmacy for more information specific to your situation.

More on supplies, the Mountain Mule Packer Ranch is sending pack animal trains into the area, delivering things like ice for insulin, food and water, to the Swannanoa region. Thank you funky little dudes so much—I never thought I’d be so thankful for mules, but here I am. Tractor Supply and Food Lion locations have also been working with the Packer Ranch and their teams of mules to load up supplies. These amazing animals and their riders can reach people separated by washed away mountain roads that folks on foot or wheels just can’t right now, and they’re truly doing amazing work. Please, if you’re one of those people who can’t be reached by usual means right now, and you need supplies, don’t shy from reaching out to the Ranch—they’re good folks, dedicated, and I’ll link their Facebook down below.

Now, to address some of the fuckery… FEMA is not the same as the Shelter and Services Program—the SSP is administered by FEMA, yes, but it is funded through U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as directed by Congress. The SSP gives financial support to non-federal entities to provide shelter and related services to migrants following their release from the Department of Homeland Security. FEMA works with this program, yes, but they do not have control over it—Border Protection, Congress, and Homeland Security are much more involved as far as funding and allocation goes.

There are also over two dozen dams in the Western North Carolina area. On Sunday night, October 29th, in the Asheville area, there was a government level hoax that one of the dams in the area was actively breaking—it was not. It was horrifying; my entire campus was shaken and frantic. I recommend familiarizing yourself with the Dam Hazard Potential Classification of your local dams—there is significant risk of loss of life in these areas and they may be prone to flooding. Research your local dams and those of your family/friends, and come up with a game plan as to whether or not it’s needed for you to evacuate the area early in case of large storms, like Helene, in the future.

There’s also been something pretty significant happening next door in Tennessee: the Bureau of Investigation, as well as OSHA, have opened investigations into Impact Plastics, an Erwin plastics factory where at least three people died and ten went missing due to flooding from Helene. According to surviving employees, and families, the company threatened to fire anyone who left early on Friday night, September 27th. Dozens of Impact Plastics workers were trapped in the building; the flood waters had already risen to cover the parking lot and roads by the time they got the call to leave. The company denied flood warnings and alerts were issued at the start of the workers’ shift, even though there were flood warnings up and down the region from Tuesday onward. According to the company, these allegations are false—it’s hard to believe with dozens of people affected by this tragedy saying the same thing, though. In pictures of the plant after the flooding receded, you can see clearly the amount of damage that was wrought—paneling on the sides torn up and half-off, debris all over, the roads and grounds washed out. Words mean little in a time like this, I know, but my heart goes out to the families and the victims of this.

---

Description:

It’s over a week post-Helene, and post-evacuation for me. I’m trying to do my part and compile some information for folks—please, if you can, relay this to folks who don’t have internet or cell service. A lot of people don’t have access to communications right now, and it’s important for information like this to be accessible. If anybody in your life has limited internet access, this video will be uploaded to my YouTube channel, and the transcript (and full copy of the description) to my Patreon, Ko-Fi, and Tumblr for free. This is a tragedy, full stop, and I refuse to put any of this information behind a paywall.

If you need resources, I’ve listed/linked some below.

Mountain Mule Packer Ranch - (910) 885-1402 - [email protected] - https://www.facebook.com/mountainmulepackersranch.

NBC News Live Updates from Initial Coverage Period - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/live-blog/hurricane-helene-live-updates-rcna173767.

Healthcare Info - https://www.wral.com/story/hurricane-helene-leaves-western-north-carolina-hospitals-overwhelmed-federal-relief-arrives/21663631/ - https://aspr.hhs.gov/epap/Pages/default.aspx.

How to Help - https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20240928/how-help-after-hurricane-helene.

Hospitals and Supplies -

Prescription refills:

Madison High School at 5740 US-25 in Marshall

Boone Drug and Healthcare at 345 Deerfield Road in Boone

535 Morris Road in Brevard

315 Bethel Church Road in Mocksville

Hospitals and Care Tents:

Cannon Memorial Hospital, Avery County, NC

Medical Support Center in Caldwell County, NC

Watauga Medical Center, Boone, NC

Boone Medical, Boone, NC

Avery Medical, Newland, NC

Boone Dental, Boone, NC

Mission Hospital, Asheville, NC

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, Spruce Pine, NC

Please, if you can, give to the Hurricane Relief Fund - https://gofund.me/8e1e9ae8.

---

This video was created using free resources from CapCut.

If you’re able, donating to my post-evac goal on my Ko-Fi would help me out a lot—I’ve gotta go back to school sooner or later, and I buy about all my own food (split with some friends), but we’re all out a lot of money because most of us work in the area. I’m gonna need groceries, and there isn’t much work to be had right now, given the time restraints. https://ko-fi.com/gemmasun/goal?g=0.

If you’re more interested in my services, I do editing and formatting, and give feedback on prose up to 5000 words, all through my Ko-Fi, so you can check that out. https://ko-fi.com/gemmasun/commissions.

My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/salty.unicorn.

#hurricane helene #southern queer #anxious autist (me)#western north carolina #north carolina #natural disaster #disaster relief #disaster rocovery #nc strong #western nc #asheville

0 notes

fluffansmut-old · 2 years ago

Text

I can tell

Summary: You’re getting sick but feel like you doesn’t have time to be, so you try to ignore it and hope that no one will notice. Except someone absolutely does..

Content warnings: Eddie Munson x Fem. reader hurt/comfort, sickfic, vomiting

Word count: 1860

•Fic is also posted on ao3 •

Masterlist

You woke up that morning with a pounding headache, a sore throat and you felt physically weak.

It was the classic telltale sign of you getting sick.

The problem was that you didn’t have time to be sick, your midterms were coming up and you had what felt like a million things on your to do list.

Besides, you were supposed to stay at Eddie’s over the weekend.

You tried not to, but somehow every time you became sick, you became whiny and clingy.

It became very clear to you that you were in fact sick, when you met up with Eddie and the rest of the hellfire club at lunch.

As you entered you saw that your usual spot next to Eddie was occupied by Gareth who was talking loudly about the plan for the gig corroded coffin had next week.

Something about it made you feel uneasy, the cafeteria was loud, which made your head pound even harder and just the thought of eating something made you want to vomit.

You wanted the little comfort you could get, and right now, Eddie was it.

You stood behind Gareth and hummed slightly, trying to get his attention, to get him to move over.

“Take my spot” Gareth said, slightly confused, when he noticed you.

If it had been a normal day you would have sat down in Gareth’s spot right away, not even trying to get him to move, but just today his spot at the table felt so incredibly far away from Eddie.

You let out a small whine, in reality you wanted to argue with him, with solid arguments, but all that came out was that whine, hoping no one had heard it, you quickly swallowed it and sat down in Gareth’s spot.

Eddie, of course, noticed the whine but decided to not say anything, though he kept a close eye on you.

You pushed your lunch around on your plate, not actually eating anything. You genuinely tried to, but the smell and the feeling of food in your mouth made you nauseous. You choked down 3 pieces of corn but then you gave up.

The other made conversation but it was like you couldn’t filter out the words from all the noise.

Your head pounded to the point where it pulsated in your ears, the lights of the cafeteria were too bright and you felt worse by the minute, so you closed in on yourself and hoped nobody would notice.

Except someone absolutely noticed.

Eddie wasn’t listening to Gareth anymore, now his sole focus was on you.

“Babe!” Eddie called out, which made you lift your head. “Can you come here for a sec?”

You nodded and rose from your spot, for a moment it felt like the entire cafeteria was spinning but thankfully it stopped.

You made your way over to Eddie and stood next to him, looking at him expectantly.

“Cmere sweetheart” he said, pulling you down in his lap. You let out a sigh of relief and some stray tears escaped, but you quickly wiped them away.

“How are you feeling today sweetheart?” Eddie asked.

“I’m okay,” you muttered.

“Are you sure?” He pushed, he glanced over at the abandoned tray of food. “You haven’t eaten much?”

“I’m not really hungry.”

Eddie knew you well, he knew that there were two possible explanations for the way you were acting. You either were anxious or sick, he just had to figure out which it was.

He placed a kiss to your forehead in order to check your temperature and to no surprise you felt hot.

“Are you getting sick?” He asked, as he reached to grab the drink from his own tray.

“No, I can’t afford to be sick,” you said.

“I’m sorry but it’s not really something that you can postpone. “ Eddie said, smiling at you affectionately.

“I’m gonna have to” you mumbled against his neck.

“Have a drink sweetheart” he said, holding out the bottle towards you, lid unscrewed.

You let out a low whine.

“I’m not thirsty,” you said.

Now if you had been at home then Eddie would have pushed it, holding the bottle to your lips, coaxing you to take a few sips, but this was at school and pretty much all of the hellfire club were watching the interaction, even though they tried to make it seem like they weren’t.

So he didn’t, he just held you and tried to think of a way to convince you to go home and get some rest.

The rest of lunch went by in a haze. Your only focus was on Eddie’s heartbeats and the vibrations in his chest as he spoke.

“I’m pulling you out, we’re going home” Eddie started when the rest of the hellfire club rose from their seats.

“I can't afford to miss anything” you mumbled into the crook of his neck.

“It isn’t up for discussion, you are falling asleep on me in the loudest cafeteria in America. You’re not feeling well”

Eddie carefully put your feet on the floor and supported you slightly as you stood.

He first walked you to registration and fought the lady sitting there, who wanted to call your parents.

He explained that they were out of state and that it was entirely unnecessary because he would take you home.

“But Mr.Munson, even if I can mark her as sick, which I definitely will.” She said, seeing how you were dozing off in a chair. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything to do about your absence.”

“Mark me as sick” he said, entirely done with the conversation.

“But you clearly aren’t, Mr Munson” she said.

“I have my tongue down her throat on the daily, so it’s only a matter of time, now isn’t it?” He said, then he put your bag over his shoulder, and helped you stand again.

“baby, we’re leaving now.”

You fought the drowsiness,really tried to stay awake, but whatever you were coming down with got the upper hand and you couldn’t remember much about the car ride.

Your eyes fluttered open when Eddie shook your shoulder.

“Let’s get you inside.” He said, then he placed a peck to your forehead.

“Mkay” you said, but didn’t make an effort to move at all.

Eddie gave you a moment, but when nothing happened, he reached over your abdomen and unbuckled the seatbelt.

”C’mon sweetheart” he mumbled as he helped you out of the van.

Everything spun when you put your feet to the ground and before you could take a step you threw up.

Eddie quickly jumped into action, rubbing you back with one hand, helping to support your weight with the other.

“I’m sorry” you whimpered and looked up at Eddie, tears running down your cheeks.

“Don't apologize sweetheart,” He said, bringing you into his embrace, “you're sick.”

“I guess I am,” you finally admitted.

“How about we get you inside and I’ll make you some soup?” Eddie suggested, chin resting on top of your head. The fact that you hadn’t eaten any lunch had stuck with him, and now that you on top of that had thrown up he was desperate to get some food in your system.

“Chicken noodle?” You asked, voice barely above a whisper.

“Whatever you want, baby,” he said and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

Inside the trailer you and Eddie first went to his bedroom, where your clothes were replaced with a band tee of Eddies and a pair of knitted socks that you left at the trailer some time ago.

“I´ll make your chicken noodle soup and you can just stay here and rest up,” he said and pulled back the covers of his bed.

You whimpered quietly, because you wanted him close, most of all you wanted him to just hold you. Right in that moment everything hurt, nothing felt right and only Eddie’s warm embrace and soft hushed words would make it feel even a tiny bit better.

But you didn’t want to seem clingy, or like a baby, so you did as you were told, and climbed into Eddie’s bed.

The sheets were cold, which made you shiver slightly.

“I know, sweetheart,” Eddie said and pulled the fluffy duvet up over you. “But with the body heat you have at the moment you’ll be warm soon enough.”

You tried your best to curl up under the duvet to get warm quicker, but you still felt absolutely miserable about the fact that Eddie wasn't there and he hadn’t even left yet.

“Imma put this here just in case” Eddie said and placed the trash-can next to the bed. “I’ll be back in a flash with soup and painkillers, kay?”

You nodded.

Eddie left and instantly your eyes welled up. You whined and tossed around in the cold bed, but not a single angle was comfortable.

You truly tried to bide the time until your boyfriend returned but it was taking too long and you got impatient.

You draped the duvet over your shoulders and padded through the hall to find Eddie by the stove boiling the soup.

You wrapped your arms around his waist and felt him jump a little at the surprise.

“Sweetheart, weren't you supposed to rest?”

“I missed you”you whined, as you pressed your forehead into his back, soaking in the coolness.

“cmere baby” he murmured and lifted his arm and you quickly snuggled into his side. “such a cuddle bug”

“I feel like shit, you make it better” you mumbled into his shoulder.

“Glad that I can do at least that sweetheart” he said and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

Once soup was eaten and some painkillers had gone down with it you were in bed with your cheek against Eddie’s chest.

“You really should get some rest baby” he said and swiped his thumb affectionately across your still sweaty forehead.

”I’m trying to, but it’s so hot” you whined kicking the duvet in frustration.

“You want me to get out of bed?” he genuinely asked, figuring that his body heat added to the warmth.

Your grip on him instinctively tightened.

“Stay…” you whimpered. “Please”

“I’m not planning on leaving sweetheart” he reassured and instantly felt you relax against him again.

With his free hand he grabbed the water bottle from his nightstand.

“This might help though, hrrm?” he said, unscrewing the lid.

“Mhm” you mumbled. Eddie brought the bottle to your lips.

He carefully watched as you drank about half of it.

“Good girl” he whispered softly against your forehead.

“I’m still warm though” You said, feelingslightly sleepier.

“Now this might help” Eddie said and flipped the duvet over, the cold side resting against your clammy body.

“Thank you Eddie” you mumbled and buried your face even deeper into his chest.

“No problem, baby” he replied. “I love you”

you didn’t reply, you were already dead to the world, snoring slightly, your grip on him still steady.

Eddie smiled affectionately at you, before he picked up a pen and a notebook from his nightstand, writing notes for next week’s campaign

#eddie munson #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #sickfic #hurt/comfort #stranger things #eddie munson x reader

873 notes · View notes

hesitate9 · 3 years ago

Text

Birthday Boy & Birthday Girl

A/N: For our Birthday boy who turned 28. Also I feel so disappointed that I couldn’t post this on his birthday.

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of child birth, early birth, swearing, Dad!h

Summary: You are 9 months pregnant waiting for your first baby a baby girl to arrive to the world little did you and Harry know it would be on the same day Harry was born.

*******************************************************************************************

I remember the time I told Harry I was pregnant. It was in May. I woke up 8 in the morning and gave Harry a sweet kiss on his cheek bone and went downstairs to make our breakfast. For Harry I made eggs, sausages, toast, tossed cherry tomatoes, corn, carrot, peas sautéed in butter, salt and bit Hot sauce along with tea. For me I made chicken sausages, chicken salami and with tossed corn, carrot, peas sautéed in butter and salt along with milk tea. I put mine and Harry’s food in a bed tray but before that I put a laminated picture beneath his tray. I took our food upstairs to see him cuddle with my cushion. I walked up to Harry and put the tray on the bedside table and crawled over him.

“Baby” I whispered in his ear

“Love wake up” I said kissing the area just below his ear

Harry turned around underneath me and looked up at me and smiled.

“Good Morning” Harry said in his raspy voice

“Good Morning Haz” I said

“How do you sleep my love?” Harry asked wrapping his arms around my waist

“Great” I said kissing him

“You?” I asked

“Excellent” He said

“Now come on get up I made breakfast” I said and got up from him

“What did you make?” Harry asked sitting up and resting against the headboard as I set the bed tray in front of us

“That’s yours” I pointed to the one on his side

“Yeah.. I figured” Giving me a ‘not cool’ look looking at my breakfast seeing no toast or eggs

“I don’t like eggs and there is no mayo. I couldn’t make a sandwich” I said and started eating my breakfast while Harry switched on the television and started sipping on his tea.

As soon as Harry picked his plate up to take a bite his eyes fell on paper

“What is this?” He asked picking it up

“You see that small blob” I tell him pointing at it and he nods

“Yeah.. That’s our baby” I said

“Wait you’re pregnant?” Harry asked and I nodded

“Oh my god! Hi baby! Daddy here. I love you so much... I promise I’m going to keep you safe.” Harry said putting his hands on my stomach.

He looked up to me and kissed me.

“Thank you” He said and I kissed him again.

9 months later

It was Harry’s 28th birthday today. It was around 2 pm and we were on our way to Anne’s house.

As we reached the door it flung open with Anne standing there with the biggest smile on her face.

“Were you waiting there for us?” Harry asked as Anne pulled me in for a hug

“How are you dear? How’s the baby?” Anne asked

“I’m great. The baby’s well it’s kicking my bladder like a football” I said

“Do you know what it is?” Anne asked again hoping we would’ve asked the doctor

“Nope, we’re waiting till he/she comes” I said

“Yeah... sure forget about your son on his birthday” Harry said sarcastically

“Oh hush” Anne said and pulled him in for a hug

“Happy Birthday my baby” Anne said

“Mum I’m 28 I’m not baby anymore” Harry groaned

“Well you’ll always be a baby for me” She said

“Only younger siblings are the babies. ALWAYS” Gemma said

“I concur” I agreed with Gemma

“How are you?” She asked me

“Great” I said

“Happy Birthday bro” Gemma said hugging Harry

“Thanks” He said

“Let’s go inside” Anne said as we walked inside and saw my parents

“How are you?” Mum asked

“I’m fine” I said

“Happy Birthday harry” Mom said

“Thanks Y/M/N” He said

“Happy Birthday son” Dad said

“Thank you Y/F/N” Harry said

We were all sitting and having fun when suddenly I felt pain shooting all through out my lower back and I felt something wet between my legs

“HARRY!” I yelped and he came running from the kitchen

“What’s wrong?” He asked

“I’m in labor” I said

“Oh my god!” Harry panicked

“Okay” He said and ran upstairs he got a pillow from his room and helped me get up

“What’s wrong?” Anne came in asking with our parents

“Labor” Harry said

“Oh god” He said

We went to the car and Gemma sat in the drivers seat while me and Harry sat in the back.

Harry called the hospital and told them to get a private room ready for me and our baby.

“AAH!!” I screamed

“Hey sh.. deep breaths it’s gonna be fine we will meet out baby soon” Harry said and I nodded

“How much longer?” Harry asked Gemma

“5 minutes” She said and 5 minutes later we did reach the hospital.

“My wife’s in labor” Harry screamed as we went inside the ER.

They took me to the private waiting room Harry and booked.

A doctor came in.

“How are you doing? I am Dr. Smith” The doctor said

“I’m fine” I said

“Okay let’s see how far you are?” He said and put on gloves he put his fingers inside me and then took them back out

“You are currently at 7cm only a few hours” She said and I nodded

“Maybe do some exercises to get the dilation going.” She said and left

Harry got me standing up from the bed and made me walk around the room

“AAH!!!” I screamed out as another contraction hit me

“It’s fine baby girl” Harry said running his hands through my back

The same thing happened two more times while walking and Harry called the doctor after sitting me on the bed.

“Okay mama. It’s time” The doctor said after checking that I had dilated 10cm.

She took me and Harry into the operation room.

“Okay when you feel like pushing. Push hard” She said and I nodded

A few minutes later I felt like pushing

“Erm... can I push?” I asked the doctor confirming and she nodded and sat in front of my open legs and I pushed

“AAAHHH!!!!!” I screamed

“Ssh.. it’s okay baby” Harry said soothing me

“Shut up!” I snarled

“Mama we need one more push and then the head would be out” The doctor said

I again felt like pushing and so I pushed

“I AM NEVER HAVING S*X WITH YOU AGAIN HARRY!!” I screamed as I squeezed his hand really tight

“Okay” He said

I looked up at him and his eyes were teary

“Hey what’s wrong?” I asked

“Nothing” Harry said

“You have tears in your eyes.” I pointed out and Harry just pointed towards my hand squeezing his hand almost white and I let go and the color in his hand came back.

“I’m sorry” I said

“Hey it’s fine” He said kissing my forehead

“Okay mama one push then the baby is out” The doctor said and I pushed really hard.

“HARRY YOU MOTHER FUCKER!!!!” I screamed and 2 seconds later we heard the shrill cry of a baby.

“Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Styles It’s a beautiful baby girl” The doctor said

“It’s a girl.” Harry whispered to me and I nodded with my watery eyes.

“Would you like to cut the umbilical cord dad?” The doctor asked and Harry gingerly went over and cut the spongy cord.

She gave the baby to Harry and he brought her over to me and I laid her in my arms

“Hey baby girl. I love you so much.” I said

“What do we name her?” Harry asked

“Diana Robin Styles” I said and Harry looked at me and nodded

A nurse came in and took Diana for her health check while I fell asleep.

I woke up to Harry signing to Diana

“ Sweet creature, sweet creature Wherever I go, you bring me home Sweet creature, sweet creature When I run out of road, you bring me home.”

“How’s she?” I asked sitting up

“She just woke up” Harry said and I opened my arms for her

“I have your birthday gift in my purse” I said

“Baby girl this is the best present you could ever give me.” Harry said

“Just go and take out an envelope” I said while looking down at Diana

“Hi my little baby. I love you so so so so much. I promise I will be the coolest mom. You can come to me with anything. You my girl aren’t even a day old yet I would do anything for you” I said

“Y/N what is this?” Harry asked

“The brightest star in the Aquarius constellation Beta Aquarii is now also called Harry. I named the brightest star in your zodiac sign after you and maybe on her 16th birthday I’ll do the same” I said

“Omg baby girl” Harry said with tears in his eyes.

“Hey can we come in?” Anne asked and I nodded

“How’s she?” Anne asked

“Sleepy” I said looking at the sleeping baby in my arms

“What’s her name?” Gemma asked

“Diana Robin Styles” I said and Anne looked at me with tears in her eyes

“She looks just like you.” Mum said and I smiled

“She has Harry’s eyes though” I said and they smiled

“What’s that?” Mom asked referring to the papers in Harry’s hands

“She named the brightest star in the Aquarius constellation after me.” Harry said and I smiled

“That’s his birthday gift” I said

A knock came on the door and we saw the lads along with CHASM standing

“Hey” I said

“Come in” Harry whispered

“How are you mama?” Zayn asked

“Sore” I said

“What’s the little beauty’s name?” Mitch asked

“Diana Robin Styles” I said

“That’s a beautiful name” Niall said and I smiled

“What are the papers?” Sarah asked

“I named the brightest star in the Aquarius constellation after Harry.” I said

“Lucky bastard” Louis said and Liam hit him on the head

“That’s wonderful” Liam said and we smiled

Suddenly Zayn started singing

[Intro: Zayn] Diana [Verse 1: Liam & Harry] The front pages are your pictures, they make you look so small How could someone not miss you at all? I never would mistreat you, oh I'm not a criminal I speak a different language, but I still hear your call [Chorus: All] Diana, let me be the one to Light a fire inside those eyes You've been lonely, you don't even know me But I can feel you crying Diana, let me be the one to Lift your heart up and save your life I don't think you even realize Baby, you'd be saving mine [Post-Chorus: Zayn] Diana [Verse 2: Niall & Louis] It's only been four months, but you've fallen down so far How could someone mislead you at all? I wanna reach out for ya, I wanna break these walls I speak a different language, but I still hear you call [Chorus: All] Diana, let me be the one to Light a fire inside those eyes You've been lonely, you don't even know me But I can feel you crying Diana, let me be the one to Lift your heart up and save your life I don't think you even realize Baby, you'd be saving mine [Bridge: Harry] We all need something This can't be over now If I could hold ya I swear I'd never put you down [Chorus: All] Diana, let me be the one to Light a fire inside those eyes You've been lonely, you don't even know me But I can feel you crying Diana, let me be the one to Lift your heart up and save your life I don't think you even realize Baby, you'd be saving mine [Post-Chorus: Zayn & Harry] Diana, Diana Baby, you'd be saving mine Diana, Diana Baby, you'd be saving mine

It’s been a few days since me and Diana have been in the hospital as Diana was just a few days early the doctors wanted to keep her under observation but Harry being paranoid made sure that I was there to because he thought that something could go wrong with me too. The doctors tried to explain to him that I am fine and that an extended stay at the hospital wasn’t gonna do anything but Harry was stubborn and didn’t budge. So, as a result of that I am still in the hospital room.

I was scrolling through my phone when I saw this article.

Harry Styles seen outside St. Thomas’ Hospital London

The ex-boy-bander Harry Styles who is a part of One Direction which is a British-Irish boyband and is currently on a hiatus was seen outside St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. Harry Styles tied knot with his wife Y/N Styles in 2013 when both of them were just 19. They have been seen coming in and out of the said hospital every month since the past 9 months and the couple has openly told the people about the pregnancy. A few days ago Harry and Y/N were seen rushing inside the hospital while Y/N looked in pain. We hope that there is nothing wrong and wish the Styles family good luck and many happy wishes. Hope their baby is happy and healthy.

“Well, this was bound to happen.” I said to myself

“What was bound to happen?” Harry asked coming inside the room and I showed him the article.

“We will tell the world. Just not right now she’s to small and young for this kind of exposure” Harry said

“You’re right” I agreed with him.

I opened my arms for him to cuddle with me and he avoided all the wires and lay on top of me.

“Good night baby” I said

“Good night, love” Harry whispered

“Good night baby girl” I said to Diana

“Good night, sweet angel” Harry said to Diana and we went to sleep with our baby sleeping peacefully in a cot in my hospital room nest to us. Safe.

#Harry Styles #Dadrry #baby #Diana #One Direction #Y/N #Harry x y/n #CHASM

29 notes · View notes

adhdanalogbrain · 4 years ago

Note

Do you have any tips for healthy eating with adhd? I've seen suggestions in the past for microwave meals, but I'm weird with the textures of those and often times the thought of cooking, especially if its just for me, sounds like too much effort

OP, i have been sitting on this ask for weeks because i wanted to give you a really really good all-encompassing answer (with photos etc) that would solve all your food problems....

...but that obviously isn't happening any time soon. so instead I've reblogged several other fooding-while-ADHD posts (and will continue to do so when I find good ones!). And I'm going to give you the short, short version of the beautiful answer that lives only in my head:

FROZEN VEGETABLES

QUICK-COOK GRAINS

EASY HEALTHY FOODS

Ok so let me explain. Microwave meals are vile because: 1) lots of different textured food cooked for the same amount of time creates bad textures, 2) ridiculous amounts of sodium and preservatives taste gross and hurt your stomach, 3) heckin' expensive, and 4) full of germs, don't look this fact up, you really dont want to know, just trust me on this.

HOWEVER! You can make your own easy, balanced microwave meals for super cheap by combining absolutely normal frozen vegetables, quick-cooking grains, and your own seasonings.

As a quick reminder, a well-balanced meal is comprised of:

50% non-starchy vegetables (aka, 1/2 of your plate)

25% carbs / starches (1/4 of your plate)

25% protein (1/4 of your plate)

1 serving of dairy

1 serving of good fats

Here's each of those categories broken down further (bold items are readily and cheaply available frozen):

Non-Starchy Vegetables: Artichoke, asparagus, baby corn, bamboo shoots, green beans, wax beans, bean sprouts, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, leafy greens, jicama, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, onions, peppers, radishes, rutabaga, tomato, turnips, water chestnuts, zucchini, summer squash.

Starchy Vegetables: Corn, hominy, parsnips, green peas, plantain, potato, pumpkin, winter squash, sweet potato.

Grains: Bagel, bread, pita, tortilla, barley, bulgur, oatmeal, kasha, millet, quinoa, rice, pasta, couscous, green peas, beans, lentils, black-eyed peas.

Proteins: Meat, eggs, fish, beans, black-eyed peas, edamame, falafel, hummus, lentils, nut butter, tofu, cheese, cottage cheese.

Dairy: Milk, soymilk, yogurt

Good Fats: Avocado, peanut butter, nuts, canola oil, olive oil, olives, margarine, mayo, corn/cottonseed/flaxseed/safflower/soybean/sunflower oil, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds.

FUN FACT ABOUT FATS: Many of the vitamins in vegetables are fat-soluble, which means your body can absorb them much better if they are eaten with fats. I hereby give you permission to add oil/butter/whatever to your meal, to eat your broccoli with ranch dressing, etc etc. (Also, eating good fats is good for your LDL cholesterol, and helps you feel full longer)

You'll notice that some items are on more than one list! That's because plant-based proteins also count as carbs/starches. Don't fret too much over this-- just know that if you've got beans in your microwave-safe bowl, you don't need to go hunting down a separate protein, you can just add more beans.

What to do with all the information i just dumped on you:

1. Grab a microwave-safe bowl and add 1/4 cup water

2. Add half a meal's worth of non-starchy veggies

3. Add your carb/starch (3/4 of your bowl is now full)

4. Add your protein (bowl is 100% filled)

5. Add oil of your choice

6. Add spices and seasonings -- spice mixes are your friend. ADD A DASH OF SALT. Salt helps dissolve flavors on your tongue, making your veggies extra delicious.

7. Cover and nuke until cooked.

VOILA!! A BALANCED MEAL IN 6 OR SO MINUTES!!

You're done at this point, but I'm going to add some extra info/ideas below:

Quick-cook grains such as oatmeal, couscous, quick rice, and quinoa can be added along with the frozen veggies and cooked until soft

Some veggies cook faster than others, so you may need to add the slower veggies first, nuke for 4 minutes alone, then add the rest of your meal and continue cooking

You can freeze your own veggies! 1) Wash, peel, and chop just about any cook-able vegetable, 2) place in microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and cover, 3) microwave until veggies are soft, but not full cooked, 4) drain, set aside to cool, 5) Place in plastic freezer bag and add to freezer. NOTE: Unlike storebought veggies (which are flash-frozen at -40° F), home-frozen vegetables are good for about a month, so write your own "best by:" date on the bag with a sharpie.

You can also do the above with any dried beans. Cook the beans per the instructions until almost fully cooked, then FULLY DRAIN and freeze. If you hate the texture of canned beans, this may be a good solution for you. Dried beans, when cooked, are much less mushy than canned beans.

ADD FROZEN VEGGIES TO LEFTOVERS TO STRETCH THEM OUT FURTHER. Especially leftovers with a sauce.

Add frozen veggies to canned soup to both stretch it out further and to make it 10x more delicious and satisfying.

Cook grains in bone broth for both protein and deliciousness

Frozen, pre-cooked meat and meat substitutes are also widely available and can be added to the mix.

You can pre-mix your meals (including the grains) and store them in individual plastic bags in the freezer at home or at work until you're hungry. DO NOT LET THEM THAW IN THE FRIDGE. Frozen foods do NOT go in the fridge, they go straight from freezer to microwave. The reason is germs.

Tofu and cheese cannot be frozen, sadly.

That's all i have at this time! Now I'm going to start eating my microwave bowl of leftover takeout + frozen peas.

#adhd #eating while adhd #food #food mention

101 notes · View notes

maeve-writes · 4 years ago

Text

The Significance of Fair Food

Pairings: Human!Castiel x Reader

Rating: General

Warnings: Fluff, bad decisions.

Summary: You talk the boys into making a stop during your travels and you show Castiel the joys of being human.

a/n: This was written for a SPN challenge years ago.

My three categories were: Fair, snow cone, getting sunburnt.

This is unbeta'd, please forgive any mistakes. This is also my first time writing Castiel, so forgive me if it’s a little... off.

Formally posted on the account @plaided-ani

When you asked the boy to make a pit stop, the last thing they expected was to end up pulling into a fairgrounds parking lot. The world was ending, again, you had demons and angels and everything in between after the four of you, but damned if it didn’t seem like a good idea. “Dude,” Dean reasoned with his brother, slapping him on his arm, “fair food.”

“Yes,” you chirped, popping your head between them from the backseat. You wrapped your hands around Sam’s shoulders, fingers digging into the tense muscle and you shook him like a maraca. “Yes!”

“What’s the significance of fair food,” Castiel inquired beside you, curious eyes watching Sam’s head snap to and fro from your jarring.

You rounded on him immediately, releasing Sam before you slid into the former angel’s personal space, slinging your arm around his shoulders. “Castiel,” your voice was quiet, intimate, “fair food is the most delicious nourishment that humans have to offer.” You reached up and ran a hand down his cheek and forced him to look you in the eye, “And all of it’s fried.”

He stared at you unblinkingly, puffy lips slightly parted in confusion. You were a hair’s length apart, close enough to be sharing the same lungs, and he nodded once causing his nose brush against yours.

“If you two are done making out,” Dean cleared his throat, arm perched over the back of his seat to glare at you. “I want a corndog.”

You immediately released Cas and then turned to scramble out of the car. You joined up with Dean, hooking your arm around his and the pair of you charged the fair’s main gate, Sam and Castiel trailing behind you.

The sun was out in full force and what little clouds floating in the sky provided no comfort from it’s heated rays. You turned your head up, eyes closed to bask in the warm as you four waited in line for the first vendor that Dean deemed acceptable.

“Fried butter,” Castiel droned behind you, “that doesn’t sound very healthy.”

“It doesn’t have to be healthy, Cas,” Dean replied, pulling you forward as the queue moved, “it’s fair food.”

Sam huffed in annoyance and shook his head, “That’s not an excuse to clog your arteries.”

“Yes, it is,” you and Dean replied simultaneously.

You righted your head and turned to glare up at the youngest Winchester, but you caught sight of Castiel clutching at his chest, his fingers clenching around the soft white shirt that Dean leant him. “Your heart’s gonna be fine, Cas,” you assure him, stumbling along as Dean pulled you forward yet again. “It takes years of eating bad crap to clog you up. If anyone is gonna die of a heart attack, it’s Dean!”

“And I would have no regrets,” came the proud sniff beside you.

“You two are idiots,” Sam sighed.

You opened your mouth to retort, but Dean yanked you one final time and you spun to order the biggest funnel cake they allotted, double sugar and strawberries on top. Dean, of course, got his three corndogs, Sam opted for cup-o-salad, but Cas was at a loss. “He’ll have a corn dog and fries,” you decided.

Dean stayed back to wait for the order and Sam lead the way to find a semi-clean table nearby. “I’ll admit, Y/N,” Cas confided in you, eyes darting to Sam’s back cautiously, “that this fair food does smell delicious.”

“Oh, Cas,” you cooed, once again slinging your arm around his arm and placed your head on his shoulder, “you’re in for a treat.” You take one side with Castiel, Sam opting to sit across from you. The sounds of the crowd washed over you as you baked in the afternoon sun, the shrills from fast rides and rigged games were the soundtrack of your best idea yet.

“Alright, heart attacks on a plate,” Dean cackled gleefully as he sat the tray down in the middle. He passed Castiel his basket and you snatched up your funnel cake with a loud smack of your lips. “You’re gonna give me some of that, Y/N, right?”

Your face twisted in aggression, your body curling around your plate as you claimed your territory. “Absolutely not,” you snarled. Cas shifted uneasily beside you which snapped you out of your daze, “But you can have some, Castiel.” Blue eyes met yours and his brow pinched with uncertainty.

“Oh, so you’ll give some to Cas and not me,” Dean growled, corndog shoved in his mouth and mustard dribbled down his chin.

“Yes,” you answered simply, cutting of a nice, big piece coated with the most sugar and biggest strawberry and held it up for Castiel to eat. The former angel frowned at you and looked to Dean before opening his mouth wide to let you choo-choo it in.

He chewed it slowly, considering its taste. Sugar outlined his mouth and a drip of syrup rested in the very center of his bottom lip. Without thinking, you swiped you thumb across it, shoving it into your mouth to lick off the excess. His eyes went wide, watching the finger disappear between your own sugared lips. “This is very good,” he said hoarsely when he finally managed to swallow.

You wiggled your eyebrows in victory and pointed to his meal, “Clog those arteries, Cas.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent queuing in lines, you and Dean hogging the cotton candy. You did share a bit with Castiel for educational purposes, but most of it was shoved shamelessly into your mouth.

“You two are going to throw up,” Sam grimaced as you headed closer to the Tilt-a-Whirl.

“That’s the fun of fairs,” you replied cheerfully, nudging Cas to make a mental note of it. “You stuff yourself full of bad food and then you get on all the rides so you can throw it up later!”

Cas shook his head, “That doesn’t sound like fun at all.”

“It is,” Dean winked, “you’ll love it.” Sam contradicted his brother with a silent shake of his head, but you were all ushered into your seats before the older brother could argue. And when the ride was over, you were hugging your stomach, looking a little paler and Dean shuffled slowly beside you.

“I told y-” Sam started but heated glares from the both of you had him holding his hands up and laughing.

Despite your aching stomachs, you and Dean drag the other two on the Teacups, the Falling Tower, even in the Haunted House. It was the Tunnel of Love that caught your eye, though, and not because you had anything romantic in mind, but it was a slow, easy ride that hid you from the harsh afternoon sun.

The boys fought over who would actually sit with you because it was the Tunnel of Love, after all, and you can’t go in with your brother without people raising eyebrows and they sure as hell didn’t want to ‘fall in love with Cas’. “You’re all idiots,” you exclaimed and pulled Cas into the small swan shaped boat.

“This ride doesn’t actually make humans fall in love, does it,” he asked you hesitantly.

You leaned back against the hard wooden frame, head tilted back as the tunnel’s cool air breezed over your sun kissed skin, “No, Cas. It’s an excuse for teenagers to make out in, though. Or older people to make out like teenagers.” There’s a deep rumble of thoughtfulness next you and you can feel Cas’s eyes on you. “You wanna make out with me,” you asked with one eye cracked open.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “That means kissing, right?”

“Yes,” you snorted.

His brow wrinkled and he nodded, “Yes.”

“Yes,” you repeated, surprised. You sat up and tilted your head, a smile split your face in two.

“Yes,” Cas said for the second time, “I’ve thought about kissing you before. I’ve watched you with the men that you’ve taken home from bars and…”

You held up a hand and blinked, “What do you mean you’ve watched me?”

“I was afraid that they might hurt you, so I kept watch,” Castiel explained, noting your sudden discomfort of the conversation. “I stopped watching when you… you know.”

“I am so glad you’re human now,” you groaned, bringing up your legs in the open bench seat and hid your face away. You felt a hand atop your knee and a gentle squeeze in timid comfort. “If you ever get your grace back, dude, please don’t ever watch me again,” you pleaded once you lifted your head.

Cas nodded, those deep blue eyes full of regret and understanding, “I promise.”

The ride finished without a makeout session, but you had forgiven Cas by the time you caught up with Sam and Dean. The sun was getting low and the fair’s lights slowly started to flicker on, the Ferris Wheel drawing everyone’s attention. “Last ride,” Sam warned you, so you tugged them along, waiting in the longest queue of the day.

“Snow Cones,” Dean whispered, pushing at your shoulder. “Wait here,” he instructed his brother and friend before dragging you over to the stand. While the ice did sound like a good idea in the warm summer evening, more sugar was going to make your veins explode.

“I dunno, Dean,” you patted your belly, “I don’t know if I can fit anymore.”

“Don’t be a wuss,” he egged you on and shoved you up to the counter. You order a small one, rainbow all the way and kicked Dean in the shin when you got your purchase and ran off to the safety of your friends.

“More sugar,” you told Cas, holding up the shaved ice settled in a paper cup. “Sweets for a sweetie,” you offer it to him, “just bite.” He looked from you to the colored ball of frost and scraped his teeth along to gather some with an approving hum. Dean soon joined you, tagging you on the back of your head when he returned and nearly had you spilling your treat. “Watch it!”

Cas frowned in disapproval at Dean, but the oldest Winchester smirked smugly and bite down hard on his snow. “For as much sugar as you consume, Dean, you can be sour,” he reprimanded, patting your shoulder and taking yet another bite of your snow cone.

“Are you really white knighting, Y/N, right now,” Dean snorted, the tip of his nose dyed blue from his flavoring.

“If that means I’m defending her, then yes,” Cas replied, his eyes, like yours and Sam’s, trained on the small spot of blue. “Dean,” he started, but you wrap a hand around his wrist and squeeze. How the three of you are holding a straight face, you’ll never know.

“What,” came the gruff reply accompanied by a frown.

“Nothing,” Cas replied casually, tearing his eyes away from his friend and back to you and the Snow Cone. You return the stare, both of you leaning in to take a bite and you tried not to choke on the flavored ice.

“What,” Dean asked pressingly.

“Line’s moved up,” Sam answered, pulling his brother along.

Dean eyed you all suspiciously, but he moved along with everyone else, digging back into his ice and coming out with an even bigger spot of blue. Sam’s jaw is clenched so hard you could hear his teeth starting to crack and you’re sure you’ve snorted some of your ice in an attempt to stop your laughter. But Castiel? He was standing there, smiling at the three of you, suddenly understanding what the significance of fair food was.

“Dammit,” Dean groaned the next day, waddling in from the bathroom, “Y/N!” Castiel looked up from the newspaper and tilted his head, his eyes shifting from Dean to you splayed out of the bed in nothing more than a thin cami and cotton shorts, looking just as uncomfortable as Dean with your cherry red skin.

“Shut up,” you spat, not able to move from your bed. It wasn’t fair, not really. All four of you were out in the sun all day and only you and Dean managed to get burned, even through all of your layers. “Your voice makes my skin hurt.”

“Your face makes my skin hurt,” Dan shot back, slowly climbing onto the bed next to you. The pair of you weakly slapped at each other from your prone positions and you felt the bed dip behind you.

“Sam said this might happen,” Castiel stated as he flipped open a cap of aloe. “He said I would need to rub this into your skin.”

Dean jerked his head up and immediately winced from the pain, “You’re not rubbing anything on me.”

“Shut up and enjoy it, jerk,” you hissed and twisted your head as much as you could to look at Castiel. “Rub it all over me, Cas, as deep as you can.”

The former angel flushed as bright as the pair of you, but set to work.

#castiel x reader #castiel x you #castiel x y/n #human!castiel #formally posted on @plaided-ani

48 notes · View notes

punkgrogg · 5 years ago

Text

Doorway Duo pt. 1

Pairing: Hybrid!Taehyung x Reader, Hybrid!Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Hybrid!BTS, Non idol AU, fluff

Warnings: Pregnancy

Summary: Y/n was abandoned by her long time boyfriend and moves back home to help prepare for the baby. She’s surprised to find two unfamiliar hybrids at her house.

Length: 3,902 words

Notes: This is my first Hybrid story. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. I have two more parts outlined and will update as soon as possible because this quarantine has done nothing but give me time to write.

Date Posted: 4/24/2020

My hands cradled the ever-growing bump I have for a stomach. I still can’t believe I’m pregnant. If you would have told me four months ago I was going to be pregnant and alone I would have never believed you. I was in a loving relationship with my high-school sweetheart and we were against the world.

Until I found him pressed in between the legs of some random girl from his accounting class. That was three months ago- exactly a week before I found out I was pregnant. I let him know immediately and he admonished me for thinking he was the father. Apparently, there was no way he could be the father- we had only had sex four times in the past year.

It only takes one time, I thought as I picked up the last of my bags. He had moved out of our apartment the week I found him cheating on me and I was more than capable of keeping the place myself but with a baby? No way. I knew nothing about being a mother and thankfully my parents insisted on me coming back home at the end of the semester so they could help me. I’d be finishing my degree online until I got more settled with the baby.

Until. This was only temporary until I got my life back on track.

This has been my mantra for the past few weeks. I’ve repeated it daily in hopes of quelling the anxiety of bringing in a new life. I repeat as I drive twenty minutes out of the city and back home. Parking in front of the house I grew up in, I can feel the dread knotting itself in my stomach. This made everything all the more real and I was scared. Scared to face my future. While I was battling my inner demons I never noticed Hoseok approaching the car until he pulled open my door.

“Y/n! You’re finally here!” he squealed as he awkwardly wrapped me up in a hug. My waist was pinned back against the seat with the seat-belt but he was pulling me out of the car. Hoseok was my adopted brother. He was a hybrid my parents saved when we were both young and he’s been my brother ever since but most people don’t agree with my family’s ideology.

“Hobi you’re hurting me.” I gasped and he instantly released me his fluffy black ears falling flat against his hair. I unbuckled before hopping out and wrapping him in the biggest hug possible. He welcomed the hug with a tightened grasp. I missed him.

“How’s the baby?” I hear my mother call from the porch and Hoseok releases me. He reached past me into the car to pop the trunk before going to unload. I turn towards my mother to see two men beside her as they all make their way down the driveway. Both of the men were taller than Hoseok and like Hoseok they were hybrids. They seemed to be total opposites as far as their fashion choices went. Monochromatic would be the only way to describe their appearance; one an entirely dark presence- his clothes were tight and black from top to bottom, the other was a soft entity- his clothes were light, ashy gray that matched his hair. They both walk past me and assist Hoseok without a glance towards me. My mother captures me in a warm hug.

“They’re doing fine and your baby is doing great too.” I finally answer, returning her hug. As we part, she lays her hand on my stomach with tears in her eyes.

“I swore Jinnie would give me my first grand-babies but here you are, breaking through every expectation once again.”

“I thought I would be an aunt before I was a mother too but I figured it’d be Joon. he was always the ladies’ man in high school.” I sighed exasperatedly. My other two older brothers were back in the city and have already started their careers. Seokjin was engaged and Namjoon was so focused on his career that I don’t think he’s been on a date since high school.

“Well, life has a funny way of making things happen. Have you found out the gender yet?”

“As I told you three days ago, they’re sitting weird and we can’t figure out what it is,” I said as we walked into the house. I could hear my dad in the kitchen, presumably cooking tacos from the smell of it. He was always the best cook in the house and insisted on cooking every meal. I followed the scent of cumin and sizzling beef as I could hear the pounding of feet up the stairs behind me.

“Baby girl, I’m making your favorite,” He says as he comes over for a quick side hug. As quick as he was here- he was gone. Back to tending to the tortillas and chopping the onions.

“I haven’t had tacos in forever, whenever I smelled any kind of beef I became nauseous,” I commented idly, my father’s face turning up in disgust and my mother’s showing sympathy.

“I couldn’t eat eggs for any of my pregnancies, especially during the first trimester.” she patted my shoulder gently and moved towards the fridge. I heard the stampeding feet once again and was quickly tugged into someone’s side.

“What’s my nephew’s name?” Hoseok asked loudly, his cheek pressed to the top of my head. I glanced quietly towards the doorway where the two men stood as still as a pair of statues while intently looking towards me.

“It might be a niece you’re getting.” I retorted while pulling myself away. I stepped towards the doorway duo with an outstretched hand. “Hi, I’m Y/n, sorry that no one else introduced us.”

The first one to shake my hand had broad shoulders and ashy gray hair. He had a long tail that reached the floor that was the same gray as his appearance but was accented by black spots. He held my hand gingerly and dipped his head towards me. “ I’m Taehyung, its nice to meet you.” His hand lingered as I turned to the next guy.

The second man had more muscles than I had ever seen on your average person. His face was jarring with the baby fat still clinging to his cheeks, he had short-cropped hair that accentuated his tall pointed ears. And unlike the first, he hesitated on taking my hand.

“Jungkook,” He said tersely before shaking my hand once and dropping it like it was hot coals.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” I said while stepping away once. Taehyung took a half step forward, his gaze still trapped on my face. Jungkook’s gaze was firmly focused on my stomach, an intense look that made my heart skip and subconsciously pull my hands forward to protect them.

“You’re not going to ask?” Taehyung asked, his face screwed up in confusion. I could feel Hoseok’s presence towering behind me- his hand reaching up to grasp my shoulder.

“Ask what?” My head cocked in confusion before realization dawned on me. “Oh, how rude of me. How was your day?” Hoseok chuckled from behind me before piping in.

“He meant asking what they were.” embarrassment made my face flush, how could I be so dense?

“Oh. Uh. Well, you can tell me if you want. I honestly don’t really care about that, I’m not too sure about what Hobi is.”

“Great Pyrenees. Goodness, you’d think after sixteen years you’d know that.”

“All I know is that you’re fluffy and a cuddle bug.”

“I’m a snow leopard hybrid.” Taehyung quickly interjected, his ears pointed up, they rose mere centimeters above his wild untamed curls. They were the same color as his ashy hair but had accents of black on the tips.

“Really? That’s so cool, I’ve never met a snow leopard hybrid before.” He mirrored my smile, his eyes crinkling into feline-esque slits. Faint patches of freckles were mapped across his cheekbones, curling up around his eyes.

“We’re as rare as our animal counterpart.” His eyes glanced quickly towards Jungkook meaningfully then flickered away just as fast. “Jungkook here is a German Shepherd hybrid.”

“Wow, that’s really cool.” Jungkook couldn’t meet my stare and quietly excused himself, high tailing his way back up the stairs. Taehyung ignored his retreating form and instead stepped into the kitchen, sitting at the counter. Hoseok followed after him relaxing into the second to last stool

“Sorry, he’s a bit apprehensive, Hoseok warned us about your pregnancy and that you might have crazy mood swings.” The gray man added conversationally, his eyes scanning over my face approvingly. He cracked a grin at the disbelief that spread across my face.

“Crazy what?” my father chuckled at my incredulous tone, “Hobi I will kill you.” I stepped towards him menacingly and he shot up off his perch.

“See Tae? It’s already happening. Mom, get your daughter.” he cried out as he circled around the counter towards mom.

He tried to duck behind her smirking form as I neared but he underestimated the drama mom lived for. “You only brought this on yourself, honey.” She flitted over to dad’s side and taste-tested the corn salsa.

“Who’s gonna save you now?” I smirked at him as I crept closer, my hands poised to pinch the ever-loving shit out of his cheeks.

“This isn’t fair, I can’t fight a pregnant woman,” Hobi whined as he resisted my efforts- his entire upper body leaning away from me.

“If either of you scoundrels hurt my grand-baby I will ground you both.” my dad intoned, halting both our figures. My hands cupping his face and his pushing against my shoulders lightly. Taehyung was laughing at us- he had melodic giggles.

“Taehyung dear, will you go tell Jungkook it’s time for dinner? Y/n and Hoseok go set the table.” Mom ordered and all three of us obeyed instantly. Hobi pulled a stack of plates out the cabinet and I rounded up the silverware. Taehyung was up the stairs by the time Hobi and left the kitchen and headed over to the dining room. I straightened out the red table mats and laid out a set of silverware while Hobi was a step behind me laying out his stack of plates.

“So, all jokes aside, how has it been?” he asked as we finished up, I leaned heavily against the chair in front of me. It sucks. I’m about to be responsible for a whole person. I’m scared and alone. Is what I thought but there was no way I could actually tell him that.

“Well, it’s not what I had planned but I’ll get through it. It’s weird being back here when I’ve been living in the city for the past three years.” A wry smile managed to take residence on my face.

“You’ll get used to it, and like you said you’ll get through it. Have you heard from him?” Hobi settled into the chair directly across from me. He started to fiddle with his spoon as I sunk down into my seat.

“No, and I don’t want to. He said he wasn’t the father and that he didn’t want to be.”

“Jin and I will still kick his ass if you want us to.” He was focused on the spoon in his hand, but I could tell that emotionally he was struggling. He was always the more empathetic of my brothers and showed to be more protective of our family at every turn. He was the first one I told when I found Henry was unfaithful and he was the first to know I was pregnant.

“No, it’s fine. We don’t need that loser anyway.” I smile at him, hoping to convey my appreciation to how he’s been so strong in supporting me. My eyes strayed up to the stairs, the question finally breaking through. “Uh, what’s with our two guests? Friends of yours from work?”

“No, the shelter caught on fire last week, and since mom and dad are certified for fostering they brought them in. Mom didn’t tell you?” Hoseok cocked his head to the side, his brows furrowed.

“She didn’t but that sucks about the shelter. When will it be fixed?” The shelter was where hybrids could stay and be safe. And, as unfair as it is, where they could find their next home. Hybrids had a terrible history and humans were horrible when it came to them. Many held no regard for their hybrids- considering them no better than an animal. Thankfully by adolescence hybrids usually find their place in life and the shelter typically only houses kids being adopted out. There were cases where a family who could no longer provide the care for their hybrid had to surrender them to the shelter. Cases presumably like Taehyung and Jungkook.

“Boss said a couple of months until the renovations are all finished.” Hoseok was a volunteer at the shelter, he has been since high school. Hybrids weren’t allowed to work without the permission of their family (something that outrages our family to no end) and most could only work in volunteer positions.

“Maybe they’ll finally fix the break room's window.” I teased, for as long as I can remember the window has been duct-taped together. No matter what- renovations or accidents being repaired- the window has remained duct-taped together.

“That window has been broken since Hoseok came into the family,” Dad chimed in as he swept into the room. He was carrying the frying pan full of steak in one hand and a table protector in the other. He laid it in the center of the table as Mom, Taehyung, and Jungkook followed behind with their arms full of the side dishes.

“There’s always hope.” Retorted Hobi, ever the optimist.

“I highly doubt it- it’ll probably be the only thing missed by the renovations.” Dad shook his head, having lost hope on that window years ago.

“What’s being missed?” Mom asks, situating the chopped tomatoes and the tower of tortillas.

“The shelter’s break room window.” I supplied, helping pull out the chair to my right for her to sit. Jungkook settled in the seat in between Hoseok and my dad; Taehyung claimed the seat on the right of my mother.

“Oh that thing has always been broken, I figured they’d fix it years ago. Anyway, Hoseok dear pass me the sour cream.” at that, we all settled into making our plates.

“Dad, this is sublime, I’ve been living off of pizza and ramen for the past few months.” The taco was by far the best thing I’ve eaten in months. The seasonings and fresh ingredients almost overwhelming my poor college student tastebuds. Dad smiled down the table at me.

“Is that healthy for the baby?” Hoseok asked making a face of concern directed to my stomach.

“You can worry about yourself- I already got an earful of complaints from mom about prenatal vitamins.” Jungkook snorted at the retort and smiled at me for the first time.

“Honestly what's the difference between prenatal vitamins and regular vitamins?” Taehyung asked, turning towards my mother and I. I shrugged and shoved another taco in my mouth. Mom said they were important and I believed her- plus my doctors said it was great when I had told him I was already taking the vitamins.

“They have more iron and other nutrients that pregnant women don’t get enough of.” Mom explained and Taehyung nodded thoughtfully.

“Pregnancy is so much work, I don't know how you did it three times mom.” Mom laughed at that- covering her face with a napkin.

“Raising you four was way more work, pregnancy was a breeze compare to four teenagers.” She looked at me with pointed eyes. Ah, yes, the dreaded teenage years I would soon face. I grimaced at the thought of hormone-fueled years. Hopefully, I’ll have a daughter, I knew how girls worked throughout puberty.

“Hey, Namjoon wasn’t nearly as bad as the other three.” Dad defended, he was always on the defense of his supposed angel child.

“Joonie almost slept with the entire highschool our junior year and I’m surprised he even got through college without a baby,” Hobi interjected loudly causing Taehyung to laugh.

“No really, Jin, and I thought he was going to catch something.” He continued, turning towards the gray hybrid. His eyebrows were raised and his eyes expressed the utmost of sincerity.

“Your brother did not.” Mom joined the defense, her and dad believing the facade Joon had put up throughout our childhood.

“That’s what you think, he was a sneaky little bastard.” I chimed in joining Hobi’s side. Jungkook and Taehyung were giggling to themselves watching us all bicker.

“Middle children always are,” Jungkook said joining the offensive.

“They’re nowhere near as spoiled as the youngest.” Hobi suddenly turned on me, the shock of betrayal apparent in my scoff.

“She’s the only girl, you guys never stood a chance.” The unexpected support form Taehyung had me smirking at my new enemy.

“It’s not my fault I’m the favorite,” I flipped my hair over my shoulder and leveled Hobi with a teasing glare.

“Seokjin might beat you there.” Mom rebuked, completely sideswiping me.

“Hey! Does your grandchild mean nothing to you?” I cried out in mock surprise, Jin was mom’s angel child.

“Honey, we promised not to tell them.”

“Honestly, high key offended but not surprised.” Hoseok shook his head as he continued on with his taco. The room dissolved into chatter as we finished dinner; I excused myself from the table to unpack.

I slowly made my way up the stairs while taking the time to look at all the photos of my brothers and me throughout the years. My room was the first room at the top of the stairs- Hoseok’s was directly across. Namjoon and Seokjin’s rooms were the other two rooms but both have now turned into guest bedrooms ever since they graduated college. My room used to be our parents’ when we were really young but soon after bringing Hobi into the family, they renovated the garage into the master bedroom of their dreams.

My room was still the ugly lime green color that I begged my dad into painting it when I was in middle school. The furniture was a yellowing white and had layers of neon colors splattered on it. Coming home really incited the cringe-worthy memories of my early teen years- swore it was cool at some point. My suitcases and duffel bags were resting on my bed. I decided to shuffle my music while unpacking the impossible amounts of clothes I managed to pack.

~~~~~~~~

“Now all your love is wasted, then who the hell was I?” I sang along, lost in the moment of hanging up all of my shirts. One bag remained after I finished my shirts- my underwear and socks. I was startled out of my peaceful reverie at the abrupt knock at my door. I whipped around to see Jungkook hesitating at my doorway with a shy smile.

“Your mom asked me to bring this up to you,” he answered my unasked question and held out a plate with chocolate cake. My mouth watered just looking at it.

“Thank you Jungkook, just set it down on that dresser and I’ll get it when I finish this up “I waved towards the surface closest to him with the hanger in hand while hooking on a sweater. I watched him from the corner of my eye as he slowly stepped into the room and laid the cake on the dresser.

He stood in place while looking around at my room his gaze finally settling on the pile of luggage on the floor at the foot of my bed. “Do you need any help?”

“No,” My answer was quick and he seemed to flinch at it. To soften the unintended blow I smiled awkwardly, “but you’re more than welcome to hang out in here.”He meandered over to edge of the bed as I hung up the last shirt from my bag. It was silent as I shoved the bag off the bed and onto the pile of other emptied ones and made my way over to my cake. I hopped up onto the dresser to sit so I could face Jungkook while I ate. He avoided looking at my face and instead looked at the posters hung on my wall that were of artists that never really charted on any kind of chart.

“What kind of music are you into?”He looked at me quizzically as I finally broke the awkward silence between us.

“Well, that’s a tough question. A little bit of everything I guess, mainly pop if I had to settle on a genre.” I finished my cake and set it to the side as I smiled at him wildly.

“Me too, I kind of go in phases though, like it’ll be pop and then I’ll really get into 70s indie rock for a couple of weeks.” He softly grinned at my enthusiasm before snickering.

“You sound like Tae when he gets into his movies, it’ll be a week-long showing of all marvel films and then two months of obscure Buster Keaton films.” His tone sounded as if he’s experienced this far too many times to count.

“Buster Keaton was the shit though,” my proclamation was met with the horror of a man too well versed in debating Buster Keaton.

“Oh god, not another one.” he groaned, flopping back onto my bed. I laughed a little until he sat up again, his smile sobering me up.

“So how long have you and Taehyung known each other?” Were they from the same home before being placed in the shelter? It wasn’t that often that people were able to bond so well when in the shelter with how short their stays typically were.

“We have been roommates at the shelter for, I guess, about a year now. He’s my best friend.” Jungkook’s smile was the complete opposite of what should accompany that sentence. A month was the maximum I had ever heard of someone staying in the shelter. I schooled my features to not show the shock I felt.

“Who me? It better be me or else I’m chopping heads off.” Taehyung entered the room in the most dramatic way possible. Unlike Jungkook he hadn’t waited for an invitation and instead strutted into the room while Jungkook rolled his eyes at the theatrics.

“I hear you’re a fellow Keaton aficionado.” My statement caused him to falter in his stride, he quickly recovered with a beaming smile directed towards me.

“On occasion, noir is where my heart is truly.” His hand clutched at the thick gray cardigan right above his heart.

“Your heart changes every other day.” Jungkook rebutted, his eyes rolling so far back he might lose them back there.

“She’s noncommittal okay, we don’t judge here.” Taehyung glared at his best friend and it made my heart swell at how cute they both were.

“I’m most definitely judging,” Jungkook muttered falling back on his elbows and staring up at the ceiling, feigning annoyance.

“Can you believe him Y/n?” The deep timbre of his voice negated any nasal squeak he might otherwise have from his whiny tone.

“He’s a real scoundrel, the worst of them all.”

583 notes · View notes

searchingwardrobes · 4 years ago

Text

The Christmas Wish: 1/4

Merry Christmas, @snowbellewells ! You have become such a sweet friend to me, so I wanted to gift you with something this holiday season. Since we were talking about Hallmark Christmas movies the other day, I thought the perfect gift would be writing you a Captain Swan version of one! I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful Christmas with your family.

Many thanks to @kmomof4 for being my beta when I know this week is busy with your family. Thank you so much, my dear friend!

This has four parts and one chapter will be posted each day this week, with the last one posting on Christmas Eve. It is loosely based on a Hallmark movie starring Jessie Schram, funny enough, called The Birthday Wish. This fic is set in 3b, but sticking to canon didn’t work at all with what I wanted to do, so it ended up being canon divergent. I think the only canon part that remains is Zelena. There’s no Rumple, no Neal, no cursed lips, no time travel. Yeah, I know, not much canon left, haha. Let’s just say this is more character driven . . . .

Summary: Emma leaned forward, closed her eyes, and a wish bubbled up unbidden from the depths of her heart. "I wish I could just have a simple, domestic life. Is that even in the cards for me?" Breath left her on an exhale just as the wish floated through her mind, and the candle blew out. The "answer" to her wish had to be some kind of trick, however. After all, it wasn’t as if anything in the vision she received could ever in a million years be real. It was ridiculous. Captain Hook, the father of three driving a minivan? Impossible.

Rated G for Hallmark movie levels of fluff and Christmas feels

Also on Ao3

Tagging the usuals: @teamhook @xhookswenchx @bethacaciakay @whimsicallyenchantedrose @welllpthisishappening @optomisticgirl @hookedonapirate @ilovemesomekillianjones @itsfabianadocarmo @spartanguard @let-it-raines @tiganasummertree @vvbooklady1256 @scientificapricot @superchocovian @sherlockianwhovian @ohmakemeahercules @hollyethecurious @ultraluckycatnd @jrob64 @wellhellotragic @winterbythesea @winterbaby89 @lfh1226-linda @carpedzem @thesschesthair @resident-of-storybrooke @cutieodonoghue @justbecauseyoubelievesomething @juliakaze @thisonesatellite @therealstartraveller776 @thislassishooked @profdanglaisstuff @killian-whump

Chapter One: The Vision

“Mom, come on! It’s already started!”

Emma hadn’t seen her son this excited since they left New York. Henry was standing in the open door of their room at Granny’s, shifting with nervous excitement from one foot to the other. Emma was on her hands and knees with her head halfway under the bed. Where the hell had her other boot gotten to? It couldn’t have just disappeared. Then again, this was Storybrooke . . .

“Everything alright, lass?”

The sound of Hook’s voice made Emma jerk backwards and smack her head against the bed frame. She scowled at the pirate who was now standing at Henry’s side as she sat up on her knees rubbing the lump that was rising on her head.

“Where’d you come from?” she muttered as she rose to her feet. A dust bunny tumbled from her messy hair, tickling her nose and making her sneeze.

“Sorry,” Hook apologized with a slight smirk that made her think he wasn’t all that sorry.

“I can’t find my damn boot,” Emma snapped at him, almost as if it were his fault.

“Want me to help you look, love?”

“Mo-om,” Henry whined.

“Actually,” Emma replied, pushing her hair out of her face with one hand so she could look at the pair in her doorway - one on the cusp of adolescence and the other looking far more handsome than he had a right to in those ridiculous pirate clothes. Anyone else would look like they were headed to a tacky Halloween party. “Could you take Henry down to the Christmas carnival?”

“I thought we were going together!” Henry exclaimed.

Mom guilt slammed into her at his crestfallen expression. Between figuring out this new curse and trying to stay one step ahead of this wicked witch (Wicked Witch of the West? Seriously?), Emma knew she had neglected time with Henry. It was so different from what he had been used to in the life they had built in New York, and she hated letting him down. Not to mention that at twelve, Henry wouldn’t be wanting to hang out with her for too much longer, and she was missing it.

“I’ll be right down. It’s gotta be around here somewhere.” She really needed to buy an extra pair of boots, but frugal habits born of so many years on the streets didn’t go away easily.

“I’ll guard him with my life if necessary,” Hook swore to her solemnly.

Henry rolled his eyes. “First off, I’m twelve, not two. Second, it’s a Christmas carnival. What’s going to happen? I get hit in the head with a candy cane?”

Hook just arched a brow at her, and she shook her head ruefully. Little did Henry know. Sometimes his lack of memories stabbed her with even more feelings of guilt. She waved him off.

“I know, I know. Just get down there and teach Killian how to overdose on Christmas sugar.”

“Will do,” he told her joyfully as he shot off towards the stairs, Killian hurrying after him.

Emma collapsed onto the bed for a minute once they were gone. She’d told her mom

that having a Christmas carnival on Main Street was a bad idea with the Wicked Witch still out there. On the other hand, she had yanked Henry out of school, dragged him away from his friends and the life he had known, and brought him to this bizarro town. Now he was having to celebrate Christmas here, too. They didn’t have a tree or the Christmas decorations they had bought together last year. They hadn’t made cookies and hot chocolate for their annual viewing of Home Alone. Of course, technically, it was only annual in memories that weren’t real, but that was beside the point. The point was she was now ruining her son’s Christmas too. Ever since he heard about the Christmas Carnival, he’d set aside his Nintendo DS and his cell phone for the longest span of time since they’d arrived here.

Emma got up and resumed her search for that elusive right boot. She finally found it wedged beside the TV, hidden by the window curtains. She yanked both boots on, then turned to glance at her reflection in the mirror. She frowned at her tangled hair and grabbed a brush. Once her golden hair was glistening and smooth, she grabbed her lipstick and reapplied it. It wasn’t until she was touching up her mascara that she scowled at herself in the mirror.

Who exactly are you primping for, Emma?

She refused to answer her own subconscious as she tossed the mascara angrily onto the vanity. It bounced and slid into the sink, but she just left it there and marched out the door.

The Christmas Carnival was literally on her doorstep, filling the street in both directions from Granny’s patio. A choir of children from the elementary school stood on a stage near the post office belting out Christmas carols, led by someone who looked a lot like Mary Poppins (she probably was Mary Poppins, Emma thought with a chuckle). Leroy and some of the other dwarves had gathered around a booth where you were supposed to toss as many bean bags as you could into the mouth of a giant wooden snowman. Merry Men cheered and laughed as they took turns trying to pop balloons in a dart game. There were plenty of other typical carnival games: ring tosses, coin drops, wheel spinners, and one of those “go fish” games where kids tossed a clothes pin at the end of a string over a blanket and one of the nuns from the convent attached a bag of Christmas candy. There were also merchants with booths selling all sorts of handmade Christmas gifts, and food booths offering everything from hot chocolate to corn dogs to cotton candy.

She found Killian and Henry fairly quickly. They had found David at the strong man game. She chuckled to see her father spitting on his hands and rubbing them together before lifting a mallet and slamming it down. A bell went flying up, ringing loudly and impressively as it almost reached the top of the strong man game. With a smirk, her father offered the mallet to Killian. Emma rolled her eyes but couldn’t look away as Killian took off his coat. He really needed to go without that long coat more often, she liked the figure he cut in those tight leather pants -

“Are you kidding me?”

Emma jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice. She turned to see Mary Margaret shaking her head as she watched the men.

“That is just unfair,” she continued. “I know your father is wary of Hook’s feelings towards you, but to challenge him to that game . . . “

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you know . . . “

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and leveled her mother with a scathing look. “Know what?”

“He, um . . . well, that is, he only . . . “

“Only has one hand?”

“Well yeah.”

Emma arched a brow and gave her mother a smug grin. “I think Killian can handle himself.”

Right on cue, Hook swung the mallet with his good arm, and the bell flew up. It didn’t make it as far as her father’s swing, but it was still damn good. Emma smiled as she watched her father slap Killian on the back.

“Killian is it?” her mother asked pointedly.

Emma turned to take in her mother’s curious stare. She tightened her arms further around herself. “Uh, yeah, that’s his name. It’s the name we use around Henry, so you know . . . “

“Okay,” her mother teased, a smirk of her own teasing her lips. She changed the subject, however, by lifting a plate holding a cupcake into Emma’s line of sight. “Happy Birthday!”

Emma cocked her head. “Birthday?”

Her mother sighed. “I know it was almost two months ago. Yet one more moment I missed. I wanted to make it up to you.”

“It’s okay, really.” Emma took the plate and looked at the cupcake. It was chocolate with white icing and blue sprinkles. “It’s not really Christmas-y. Where did you get it?”

“A cupcakery opened along with the new curse. Felicity’s.”

“Is that her real name?”

“It is.”

Emma snorted loudly. “Cute.”

Mary Margaret grinned. “I know.” She threaded her arm through Emma’s and steered her towards a group of picnic tables set up beneath some fairy lights. Emma let her mother pull her to the table and sat down with the cupcake between them. Mary Margaret pulled something out of her pocket with a proud smile. “Felicity even gave me a candle and some matches!”

“Really?” Emma asked with raised brows as her mother stuck the candle into the cupcake. It was sparkling blue with a star on top.

“Mhm,” her mother said, “I told her it was for you and how I missed your birthday, and she wanted it to be special. The cupcake is special too, she said. It’s her Sugar Plum Fairy cupcake, and she was almost sold out. This was the last one.”

Emma spun the cake around, eyeing it. She had obviously been in town way too long if she was suspicious of an innocuous cupcake. The woman owned a cupcakery, for heaven’s sake! She had to sell the damn things. And what better way to drum up business than to pay extra special attention to Snow White? Emma let out a breath as she told herself to just relax and enjoy the cupcake. The bright pink and glittery decorations may not be her style, but it was chocolate, and you couldn’t go wrong with chocolate in Emma’s opinion.

Her mother lit the candle, her eyes sparkling as she sang “Happy Birthday.” Emma squirmed, never comfortable with such attention, praying no one else heard the song.

“Make a wish!” her mother exclaimed.

Emma bit her bottom lip as she suddenly remembered the last time she had made a wish on a cupcake. She had wished that she didn’t have to be alone on her birthday, and seconds later, Henry had knocked on her door.

So Emma leaned forward, closed her eyes, and a wish bubbled up unbidden from the depths of her heart. I wish I could just have a simple, domestic life. Is that even in the cards for me? Breath left her on an exhale just as the wish floated through her mind, and the candle blew out.

“Hey, where’d you get the cupcake?”

Emma opened her eyes to see Henry standing beside her. Behind him were her dad and Hook. Even as her son eyed her cupcake jealously, he shoved a forkful of funnel cake into his mouth. She chuckled.

“I didn’t buy it at the carnival,” Mary Margaret explained. “I bought it at a bakery specially for your mom.”

“Why?”

Her mother, who had the world’s worst poker face, went slack jawed and stammered as she looked at her daughter. Emma calmly removed the candle, licked the icing off, then started to peel away the wrapper before she answered her son.

“Because I helped her set up her baby registry the other day, and after two hours of agonizing over strollers, high chairs, and onesies, she owed me.”

It was only half a lie. Emma had helped her mom register at Storybrooke’s only baby store. Named, naturally, The Stork’s Nest. And it was also true that the experience had been torturous enough to earn her dozens of cupcakes.

She still wished she didn’t have to lie to her son - even half lies.

*******************************************

When Emma awoke the next morning to blurred surroundings, she wasn’t alarmed at first. It always took her a minute to fully awake and adjust her eyes to the morning light. But when she couldn’t see well enough to even find her phone on the nightstand, worry gripped her. She sat up abruptly in bed, trying to blink the sleep away. She squinted, and still all she could see was a white blur that she assumed was the sun streaming through the window and around it only blurry gray. She groped in the general vicinity of the nightstand, knocking over the lamp. She swore loudly as it crashed to the floor.

“Mom!” Henry shouted as he burst through the door.

Emma turned towards his voice, assuming that the moving brown blur in front of her was her son. “I’m . . . fine,” she lied, not wanting to alarm him. “Just go downstairs and ask Granny’s help to go get your gr - I mean, David.”

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

She pressed her lips together and took a sharp breath in through her nose. “Just go, Henry, okay?”

She heard him grumble something under his breath about how he wasn’t a little kid anymore, but she heard the door to their rooms open and close anyway. While he was gone, she rubbed at her eyes, then opened them again, but still she couldn't’ see a damn thing.

“Swan?” Hook’s alarmed voice cried out as he burst into the room.

“Killian?” She squinted at the big black blur in her doorway that she assumed was the man in question.

“I know you said to get David,” came Henry’s voice as a smaller brown blur joined the larger black one, “but I ran into Killian in the hall, and I know him better, so . . . “

“It’s okay, Henry, just give me and Killian a minute.”

“I want to know what’s going on!”

“I know, kid,” she said, her voice softening, “and I’ll explain in just a minute, I promise.”

Henry made no reply, at least none she could tell. She heard the door to her bedroom shut and sensed Hook drawing closer.

“What is it, love?”

“I can’t see,” she confessed softly, reaching out a hand for him.

“What?”

She could clearly hear the strained concern in his voice. Her hand found his, and she used him as leverage to stand up from the bed. He was closer than she had anticipated, and she awkwardly bumped against his chest.

“I mean, except for a light blur over there, and a dark blur I assume is you, I. Can’t. See.”

Emma thought ironically of those black frames with the clear lenses she had worn for

merely fashion reasons back when she was a teenager. They seemed incredibly stupid now.

“How long has this been going on?” Killian must have bent his head closer to hers because his breath was hot against her cheek.

“How long? I just woke up this way!”

“This must be some kind of sorcery, love. You don’t just lose your sight overnight.”

Do you? Emma wondered. She vaguely remembered some movie she had seen once where a woman woke up suddenly blind. It was probably a Lifetime movie, though, and she wouldn’t call those medically accurate by any stretch of the imagination. Nevertheless, she gripped Hooks arms tighter and shook her head.

“Maybe it’s magic, maybe not. Either way, get my phone, call my Dad, and ask him to drive me to the doctor, okay?”

“That will waste too much time. Maybe I could -”

“You can’t drive, and I don't’ think this warrants a 911 call.”

Did Storybrooke even have 911? She should look into that.

“As you wish,” was all Killian said, his voice solemn. The words took her back to a hot jungle, his lips on hers, and his hand tangled in her hair. She swallowed thickly as she pulled her hands away from him. He reached around her, and then she heard the familiar beeping sounds as he opened up her phone. She was glad she had given him that cell phone crash course the first time he’d watched Henry for her.

“And Killian?”

“Yes?”

“Can you explain this to Henry for me? Without freaking him out?”

“Of course.”

Then he brushed a kiss across her brow and swept from the room, leaving her flustered. He’d done it so swiftly, without hesitation, as if it were something he did everytime he told her goodbye. Maybe it had been unintentional?

Needless to say, it had been a weird morning.

*********************************************

“Is your sight coming back?” her father asked, unable to hide the fear in his voice as he drove through the streets of Storybrooke.

Emma squinted out the window of her dad’s truck. “That really bright blue to my right is the ocean I’m guessing?”

“That’s a no, then.”

A strained silence fell between them, but what could Emma say? She hated to worry him, but there was no denying this was really, really bad.

“You sure we shouldn’t go straight to Regina?”

“Not yet,” Emma told him, “let’s rule out a physical cause first.”

“I don’t know if that’s any better than a spell.”

“Believe me,” she muttered, “I know.”

“Your mom Googled it already -”

“That’s never good.”

“- and people with green eyes are at higher risk for eye cancer and macular degeneration.”

“Not helping, Dad.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. “It is good to hear you call me Dad again, though.”

Emma’s eyes blurred even further with her sudden tears. “Sorry I can only seem to say it in crisis situations.”

“Hey, all in good time. When you’re ready.”

He released her hand, and Emma resisted the urge to grab it again. She was so thankful to have him with her. How many times had she fantasized about parents who would take care of her when she was sick? Though she would have preferred something less dramatic than sudden blindness. A cold and some chicken soup, maybe.

“I know I’m not the best judge of this at the moment, but aren’t we going the wrong way?”

“I’m not taking you to Storybrooke General. An optometrist arrived with this second curse, and I think I trust whoever it is with my daughter’s eyes more than I trust a possibly drunk Dr. Frankenstein.”

Emma chuckled at the wry sound of her father’s voice. “I bet mom wishes an obstetrician came with this curse too.”

“You have no idea.”

Her father slowed the truck and made a right turn. He assisted her out of the vehicle, and she slipped her arm through his as he guided her to the door of the clinic. She felt him freeze suddenly beside her once the door swung closed behind them.

“You!” he exclaimed in a suspicious voice. “I know you! What the hell is going on? I thought you were a baker!”

“No,” another voice calmly replied, “that’s my sister Felicity. I’m Avery, the receptionist for Dr. Liv Lachesis, the optometrist. Which I should also explain -”

“Welcome,” a third voice spoke up, “how can I help you today?”

“Triplets?!” David exclaimed.

One of the women - Emma couldn’t tell which one - chuckled lightly. “Yes, triplets. It always throws people.”

“Well,” her father sighed, “I have a twin, so I can relate. We’re here for a bit of an emergency, though. My daughter woke up this morning unable to see.”

“That is an emergency. Emma, why don’t you come with me?”

“How do you know my name?” Emma asked suspiciously as the doctor gently touched her elbow.

“Everyone knows the Savior.”

Dr. Lachesis’ words were gentle and soothing as she guided Emma into the exam room and helped her sit.

“Now just lean back Emma, and try to keep your eyes open. I’m going to put these drops in. It may sting a little, but it shouldn’t hurt. Okay?”

Emma nodded her head. Even though the optometrist had a soothing bedside manner, she still felt her stomach knotting with nerves. Dr. Lachesis gently held Emma’s right eye open, squirted two drops of liquid in, then repeated the procedure with her left eye. Emma blinked, hoping to see more clearly. She panicked when instead of blurry splotches of light and dark, before her eyes was nothing but inky darkness.

“It’s going to be okay,” the doctor soothed, as if reading her thoughts. “Lean forward and look into my phoropter.”

Emma had no idea what that was, but she leaned forward anyway. The doctor guided her face forward, and Emma felt cool metal pressed against the skin around her eyes.

“What do you see?”

“Nothing.”

Emma heard a click while the doctor adjusted the machine’s settings.

“Look again.”

Dr. Lachesis’ voice was almost hypnotic, and Emma blinked once again. The black nothing before her faded, and she could once again see fuzzy splotches of color. The fuzzy splotches then cleared, and objects took shape before her. She was outside, dressed in a sweater, boots, and all the normal winter outerwear. Snow crunched beneath her feet and the air was crisp and cold against her cheeks. She blinked again, and tilting her head up saw that she was standing in front of a beautiful blue Victorian home with a welcoming porch, and a turret with windows nestled on one side. It reminded Emma of a doll house she had admired in a store window one Christmas as a child.

Emma then realized there were voices and laughter behind her, and she turned to see a man standing in front of the sliding door of a black minivan. He was bending over, buckling a toddler into a car seat. He straightened and turned towards her, and Emma froze in shock.

“Look, Graham, Mama’s got your shoes.”

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, wondering even more what kind of crazy contraption a phoropter was to make her see what she was seeing right now, but when she opened her eyes the scene hadn’t changed. Captain Hook was buckling a toddler into a minivan. What the hell?

His eyes sparkled with mirth and he was smiling in a way she had yet to see. He gestured with his hook towards her.

“Swan? The shoes?”

She looked down to see that she did indeed have a tiny pair of brown boots dangling from the tips of her fingers. As bizarre as the whole scenario was, she shuffled forward and handed Hook the shoes. He narrowed his eyes and studied her for a beat before turning back to the child before him. He chatted amiably with the child, making him giggle as he slipped the shoes on his feet and tied them deftly with one hand. Emma stared at the little boy of about three, cataloguing his features. He had the same shade of eyes Emma had - a cool, pale green. He had a little dimple in his plump chin, much like her and Snow. His hair was thick and black, curling over ears that pointed in an almost elf-like way. Emma felt her jaw drop as she looked from the child to Killian and back again.

“Mama?” Emma startled when a little girl popped up from behind the little boy. “Mama did Daddy really almost burn down Granny’s when he got you a Christmas tree?”

The little girl looked so much like Emma, it was downright eerie. Except she had bright blue eyes. Eyes that looked really familiar . . . but it couldn’t be!

Killian chuckled as he scratched behind his ear. “Well, in my defense, I was new to the entire concept of electricity.”

Wait a second - did this girl just refer to them - she and Hook - as Mama and Daddy? Then Emma took in Killian for the first time. He was wearing dark skinny jeans and a motorcycle jacket instead of his pirate garb, yet that wasn’t what really surprised her. What surprised her was the charcoal wool beanie on his head. Captain Hook wearing a beanie? Surely this was some sort of hallucination. Emma then glanced down at herself.

“What the hell am I wearing?”

“Wowds, Mama!” the toddler - Graham? - laughed, kicking his little feet.

“Mama, you have to wear the tree shirt to go get the tree,” the little girl added. “It’s ta-dition.”

“That’s tradition, Hope, now buckle up so we can get going,” Killian instructed.

Suddenly, a golden blur rushed past Emma, and she let out a surprised shout as a golden retriever jumped into the van.

“Sorry,” Killian apologized, “the kids begged to bring Nana along. I didn’t think it was a problem since the tree farm is outside.” He paused and tilted his head as he studied her. “Are you okay, love? I can drive if you want. I know your morning sickness still bothers you some.”

Then the strangest thing of all occurred when Killian Jones - Captain Hook himself, put a hand to her belly then brushed a kiss to her lips. It was the kind of quick, familiar kiss a couple shares when they’ve been together a long time. Emma looked down where his hand rested, and sure enough, her belly was swollen beneath her sweater. Her hideous red sweater covered in a garish Christmas tree with pom pom balls for ornaments. She swayed on her feet.

“Emma!” Killian cried in alarm, his arms going tighter around her.

Everything went blurry, again, then dark. Emma blinked her eyes, and suddenly she was back in the optometrist office looking through a metal contraption that must have been the phoropter. She jerked away and leapt up, her gaze darting wildly about the room. Well, at least she could fully see again.

“What kind of crap was that?” she yelled at Dr. Lachesis. “What kind of spell did you put on me?”

“It was my sister who cast the spell. I merely completed it.

“Completion is my area of expertise, sis,” Avery spoke up from the doorway.

“Okay,” the doctor sighed with a roll of her eyes, “I showed you the middle. It’s what you wished for, after all.”

“Emma,” David cried out as he pushed his way into the room, “are you okay? What did they do?”

Emma shook her head, unsure of how to even describe what had happened. Not to mention her father’s reaction if she told him she’d just seen herself knocked up with her third child with Hook of all people.

“Nothing, Dad,” she muttered, “let’s just get out of here.”

After all, it wasn’t as if anything in that vision could ever in a million years be real. It was ridiculous. Captain Hook the father of three driving a minivan? Impossible.

#cs ff #captain swan ff #christmas fluff #a captain swan hallmark christmas movie #for snowbellewells

47 notes · View notes

pinktintedmonocle · 4 years ago

Text

Dedicated Followers of Fashion - A Cobra Kai Lawrusso Fanfic - Chapter 1

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “That jacket is certainly something. Where did you even get that?”

Johnny shrugged. “Can’t remember. Had it since the nineties.”

“Oh yeah? Thought you didn’t own any clothes bought after 1989?”

When Johnny wears his sleeveless denim jacket to sparring practice, long buried feelings begin to emerge between him and Daniel. As they try to deal with their emotions, a few iconic outfits from their past make a reappearance.

Set post season 3, so beware spoilers if you haven’t finished it yet.

1992

“John Lawrence, here for the modelling gig.”

The receptionist looked at Johnny over the top of her wire rimmed glasses, pursing her lips in disapproval.

“You’re late.”

“Yeah, I know. I ran outta juice half a mile from the nearest gas station and me and my friend Bobby had to push my Firebird – ”

“Just sign here”, said the woman, pushing a clipboard towards Johnny. “Then take a left down there to get to costume and make-up.”

She pointed towards a corridor with a blood red nail and Johnny squiggled his signature then set off, walking briskly. He knocked on the door and it was quickly opened by a harassed looking man in a brightly patterned shirt.

“Are you the model? You’re very late you know, we were expecting you almost an hour ago.”

“Yeah, I know”, said Johnny. “But my car -”

“I don’t care, just get in here”, said the man, dragging Johnny into the room and starting to unbutton his shirt.

“Right, we need to get your clothes off and the baby oil on. Miranda!”

A small woman with a measuring tape around her neck materialised out of seemingly nowhere, brandishing a bottle of oil. Together, Miranda and the man prepared Johnny for the shoot, styling his hair and oiling him up. They gave him a pair of low rise designer jeans to change into; he quickly took off his own very much not-designer jeans and pulled them on.

“Right!” said the man, clapping his hands together and surveying his handiwork. “I think you’re all good to go! Oh – apart from one thing -”

He handed Johnny a sleeveless denim jacket and Johnny shrugged it on over his bare chest before the man pushed him out of the room and Miranda led him to the set.

After the shoot, Johnny walked up to the photographer.

“Hey, look I was just wondering if there are any more jobs like this going. It’s just I could really use the money and -”

“Oh, there are plenty of jobs like this going. For people who show up on time”, said the photographer, glaring at Johnny before walking off.

Back in the dressing room, Johnny scrubbed the baby oil angrily off his chest. He tugged his own jeans and shirt back on before his eyes fell on the denim jacket, now draped over the back of a chair. He slung it over one arm and left the building, more than ready for a beer with Bobby.

2019

“Maybe our new logo could be an eagle eating a snake”, suggested Johnny, picking up a pencil and beginning a crude sketch.

“Needs to have a bonsai in it”, said Daniel, not looking up from his phone.

“Alright. How about an eagle sitting in a bonsai eating a snake?”

Daniel tutted. “An eagle can’t sit in a bonsai, Johnny. It’s too big, the bonsai would just topple over.”

Johnny dropped the pencil and huffed, crossing his arms.

“Yeah, well, why don’t you try and come up with some ideas, LaRusso, rather than just staring at crap on your phone? What are you looking at, anyway?”

“Your Facebook page”, Daniel answered without missing a beat. “And you’re right, it is crap. Why is there a photo of you pouting while standing in front of a mural of some angel wings?”

“Oh shit, thought I’d got rid of that one”, said Johnny, pulling a face. “Can you delete it for me while you’re there?”

Daniel sighed. “No, Johnny, I can’t delete it for you, that’s not how it works.” He was for silent for a moment, still scrolling, then smiled.

“This one of you and Miguel is nice, though. You at a concert or something?”

“Yeah, Dee Snider, the most badass rocker ever.” Johnny stuck his tongue out and raised his hand to his mouth, two middle fingers held down, mimicking the pose in the photo.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “That jacket is certainly something. Where did you even get that?”

Johnny shrugged. “Can’t remember. Had it since the nineties.”

“Oh yeah? Thought you didn’t own any clothes bought after 1989?”

Johnny threw the pencil at Daniel across the office they had set up in Miyagi-Do. The smaller man caught it easily and scowled, but Johnny just grinned.

“Maybe I’ll wear it for you sometime, LaRusso”, he said with a wink.

“Lucky me”, Daniel muttered, looking back down at his phone.

Johnny wasn’t sure if it was just a trick of the light, but it almost looked like there was a faint blush on Daniel’s cheeks.

**********************************************************************************

Johnny could tell before he even got out of bed that it was going to be a swelteringly hot day. He woke in the early hours of the morning and couldn’t get back to sleep, the sheets sticking uncomfortably to his skin.

Eventually he got up and munched on cereal while aimlessly scrolling through Facebook on his laptop. (He had recently learnt that the box which asked him ‘What’s on your mind?’ was not a space for private thought, and that anything written in there could be seen by anyone else on Facebook. He discovered this after typing ‘How to take down Kreese and also what is cotton candy made of’ and Daniel had replied thirty seconds later with ‘You’re an idiot, Johnny’.)

As the heat continued to build Johnny took a cold shower before selecting an outfit for the day’s training. He threw on shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt and was just about to walk out of the bedroom when the denim jacket caught his eye, crumpled up on the floor of his closet.

Maybe I’ll wear it for you sometime, LaRusso.

Johnny picked it up, and before he could change his mind he shoved it into his gym bag and headed out of his apartment.

**********************************************************************************

“Good work today everyone”, said Daniel, nodding approvingly as the students filtered out of Miyagi-Do, wiping sweat off their foreheads and glugging from water bottles.

“Yeah, getting badass”, agreed Johnny. “Barely any pussies among you now. Well, apart from maybe you.” He pointed at Demetri.

The pale boy looked offended. “Hey, what’s wrong with me? I thought I did pretty well today!”

“You did, Demetri”, Daniel said reassuringly, patting him on the back as he left and frowning at Johnny.

Johnny just smirked and glanced towards the house, thinking longingly of the ice cold Coors Banquet waiting for him in the newly installed refrigerator.

“Hey Sensei!”

Johnny turned to see Miguel standing in front of him.

“You wanna come over to mine for dinner tonight? My mom says you’re welcome to join us if you don’t have any other plans.”

“Not tonight, kid. I’m gonna stay here for a bit, work on some new moves with LaRusso. But another time, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course”, said Miguel with a smile. “See you later, Sensei.” He started to walk out of the dojo, waving goodbye to Daniel as he went before looping an arm around Sam’s shoulders.

When the kids had left, Daniel turned to Johnny.

“You hungry?”

Johnny shrugged. “I could eat.”

He followed Daniel into the house, allowing his eyes to trail down the other man’s petite form. It had been a while since Johnny had seen Daniel train in anything that wasn’t a tracksuit or a gi, but due to the temperature Daniel was dressed similarly to Johnny in shorts and a sleeveless workout top. Johnny watched as Daniel’s long legs carried him out of the yard and inside, a slight sheen of sweat glinting on the tanned skin. Johnny bit his lip and fetched his longed for beer from the refrigerator, taking a swig.

“You want a cold one, LaRusso?” he asked.

“Do you have any beer, or in fact any form of alcohol, that isn’t a Coors Banquet?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll stick with water”, Daniel said dryly. He turned around to start preparing the dinner and Johnny held up his middle finger behind his back.

As Daniel busied himself Johnny opened his gym bag, reaching inside and pulling out a towel to wipe the sweat off his brow. He paused when he saw the jacket, scrunched up in the corner of the bag along with a can of deodorant and a packet of corn nuts.

Maybe I’ll wear it for you sometime, LaRusso.

Lucky me.

He took it out of the bag and pulled it on, feeling the rough denim scratch against his skin, before strutting back into the yard and sitting on the deck. He sipped his beer as the early evening sun beat down, trying and failing to think of something that wasn’t Daniel LaRusso’s legs.

Daniel soon emerged from the house and strode over with two plates of food. When he caught sight of Johnny he stopped mid-stride, mouth opening and closing a few times before he settled on just shaking his head.

Johnny grinned. “What? Told you I’d wear it for you sometime, LaRusso.”

“You’re ridiculous, you know that Johnny?” said Daniel, joining Johnny on the deck and handing him a plate and cutlery.

“I’m ridiculous? You’re the one who has a dojo in an ornamental garden.”

“What, as opposed to a more sensible location for teaching children karate, like a public park or a seedy strip mall with faulty wiring?”

Johnny ignored the jibe and poked at his dinner with a fork, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “A salad?” He put the bowl down. “Think I’ll go and grab a burger.”

“Really, Johnny? You want something hot in this heat?”

“Maybe I do”, Johnny replied, making eye contact with the smaller man.

This time the blush that bloomed on Daniel’s cheeks was definitely not a trick of the light.

After a moment Daniel coughed and looked away. “Come on Johnny, eat your salad. It’s good, I swear.”

Johnny pulled a face again but still speared a carrot and a lettuce leaf with his fork and popped them in his mouth, munching nosily. As green stuff went it actually wasn’t too bad. Not that he would ever tell Daniel that.

**********************************************************************************

After dinner they discussed potential new moves they could teach their students for the tournament, Daniel diligently writing them all down while Johnny lounged on the deck, nursing another Coors Banquet. (“Why don’t you just teach them that move you used on Kreese, the one that made his arms go limp? Then we’d win no problem.” asked Johnny. Daniel had rolled his eyes. “Funnily enough, temporarily paralysing your opponent is considered an illegal move in a karate tournament for children.” “But you can at least teach me, LaRusso.” “I’m not doing that, Johnny. You’d use it on anybody who annoyed you, which would mean practically everyone in the valley would have numb limbs.”)

Eventually Daniel put the pen down and stood up, offering a hand out to Johnny.

“You wanna try putting some of these moves into action?”

Johnny nodded and clasped Daniel’s hand, letting the smaller man pull him up. As he did, Johnny let his thumb rub gently over the back of Daniel’s hand for just a moment, noting with interest the slight but noticeable hitch in Daniel’s breathing as he did so. He thought of the blush from earlier, the way the pink tinge had spread prettily across Daniel’s olive skin, and swallowed thickly. The sensible thing would be to ignore these feelings, to push them back into the distant corner of his mind where they had been dwelling for the past three decades.

But Johnny Lawrence was not good at doing the sensible thing.

Daniel started to warm up while Johnny did a few half-hearted stretches of his own. Then they got into position in the middle of the yard.

“You gonna be able to move properly in that, Johnny?” asked Daniel, eyes flicking up and down Johnny’s denim clad torso.

“I can move in anything, LaRusso. Don’t think you’ve got an advantage over me just because you’re wearing some fancy-ass designer workout gear and $300 sneakers.”

“Whatever, Johnny. You wanna start with the new set of kicks?”

They trained for about forty minutes, moving from the kicks to a new punching technique and then into some blocks (“Can’t we just keep punching?” Johnny had asked. “’Cause you know, the best type of defence is just more offence.” Daniel raised an eyebrow. “That’s the winning attitude that got us into this mess to begin with. Come on Johnny, let’s just try it my way, OK?”)

The sun was low in the sky but it was still baking hot, and Johnny could feel the sweat running down his chest, exacerbated by the heavyweight denim. It was worth it though. Johnny hadn’t really planned what would happen once he’d put the jacket on, but the first time Daniel’s bare skin had come into contact with the fabric he had let out a breathy little gasp. Johnny had then deliberately started to make sure his jacket touched Daniel whenever possible, and by the time they had worked through most of the new moves Daniel was looking dishevelled, hair unruly and falling into his eyes, skin slick with sweat, breath ragged. He lashed out with a front kick and Johnny blocked as planned, but rather than backing off he spun Daniel around and pulled him into an embrace so the smaller man’s back was flush against his chest before dragging his jacket slowly over Daniel’s damp skin. Daniel shuddered and let out a small whimper. He went to move away but Johnny grabbed his wrist and pulled him back in so that they were face to face. Johnny let go of Daniel’s wrist, moving his hand instead to the other man’s waist, letting his fingers rub over the slight swell of softness at Daniel’s middle.

“Johnny”, Daniel breathed, voice breaking, eyes wide, leaning in just ever so slightly.

Johnny gulped. This was dangerous territory; flirting was one thing, but they were now on the verge of something else entirely. An image of Carmen and Miguel flashed into his mind, happily chatting away at their family meal, and he felt a sudden rush of guilt. Daniel was still staring at him with those big doe eyes, and he suspected that if he went in for a kiss the smaller man wouldn’t resist him.

Instead he stepped back, arms dropping to his sides, almost tripping over a rock as he put some distance between him and Daniel (who designs a dojo with freaking great lumps of stone in it, anyway? And Daniel had the nerve to criticise him for being unsafe).

“Uh”, he said, throat dry, voice coming out low and scratchy. “That was good. I mean, good – uh – session. With the new moves.”

Daniel just stared at him for a moment before he seemed to come to his senses.

“Uh, yeah”, he said, clearing his throat. “Good, uh, good work Johnny.”

“Uh, yeah. You too”, said Johnny, gesturing vaguely in Daniel’s direction. They were both silent for a second and then they both spoke at once.

“It’s getting late, I should –”

“So I need to get back –”

They smiled tightly at each other.

“See you tomorrow, LaRusso”, Johnny said awkwardly.

“Yeah. Tomorrow.”

Johnny fetched his stuff from the house and left by the front door, slinging his bag into the back seat of his car. He pulled out of the driveway, glancing for a second in the rear view mirror. Daniel stood in the doorway, watching him, an unreadable expression on his face.

At home, Johnny peeled off the denim jacket and threw it back into the closet. He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and drank it in one before cracking open another and sitting down in front of the TV. He let a mindless action film wash over him until he felt his eyelids start to droop and he drifted off on the couch to dreams of long legs and big eyes and a soft New Jersey accent that just whispered Johnny, Johnny, Johnny over and over again.

#cobra kai #cobrakaifanfic #cobra kai fan fic #cobra kai fanfiction #Johnny Lawrence #Daniel LaRusso #lawrusso #clothing kink

39 notes · View notes

tansypoisoning · 4 years ago

Text

Tansy’s Spooky Challenge

Because the World is terrifying :D

To celebrate this milestone (1k followers :O) I’m starting a challenge which hopefully will give back to this community in terms of exposure of less known authors (or just authors that aren’t known by my followers) and in creating more stories. I’m so thankful for all the attention I’ve been given, and I hope to give you guys my attention as well.

I love writing challenges because they give authors motivation to write (sometimes even things out of their comfort zone), because they’re a great way for writer’s to promote themselves, and because it’s a great way for the person hosting it to find more stories and authors they could end up being big fans of :D I especially encourage people with less followers, or whose works I haven’t read to participate.

The main objective of this challenge is to write something that has an element of horror in it. It can range from a situation that seemed scary but is okay, to something that is a little eerie, to pure unadulterated terror. As for rules:

You DON’T have to be following me to participate.

You have to enter with a reader insert/OC fic. There doesn’t have to be any smut or shipping, and if there is, the relationship DOESN’T HAVE to be about dark!character or dark!reader.

I’ll read works for any fandom, but the ones I’m most familiar with are Marvel, Overwatch, Snowpiercer, Knives Out, Naruto, Avatar:The Legend of Aang

You can submit drabbles, one-shots, or an entry of a serialized story.

A single prompt CAN be used by more than a single person.

The fanfics can be of any length, but if they’re on the longer side, please try putting a ‘Read More’ in there somewhere to avoid making things difficult for people reading on phones.

Things that are not allowed in terms of content: underage sex, bestiality, graphic child abuse (allusions are ok) I don’t think anyone would submit an entry that I would have reservations reblogging, but if in doubt you can ask me for help. Give warnings for any sensitive topic you bring up.

Tag your fic with “TansySpookyChallenge2020”

Send me an ask or dm telling me you posted it, preferably a dm. Asks can get eaten by the inbox, and tagging doesn’t always work.

Deadline is November 24th. You can DM for extensions

PROMPTS BELOW

Choose one item from each list and work them into a story. I allow and encourage trying to game the system with multiple interpretations of a term, less literal readings, or wordplay.

List 1

Happiness

Jealousy

Nostalgia

Desperation

Fury

Triumph

Sadness

Acceptance

Fervor

Disgust

Awe

Confusion

Hope

Craving

Foreboding

Denial

Loss

Ennui

Adoration

Sympathy

Pain

Betrayal

Commiseration

Anxiety

Rancor

Determination

List 2

Sink or swim

Chokecherry

Crossroads

“Let me see what you have.” “A knife!”

French vanilla

Something forgotten long ago

The shore

The eye of the storm

Bathtub

Corn hell

Down by the river

Baby’s breath

A little fire

An old saloon

Unearthed bones

On the move

Before dawn

Dead men walking

By candlelight

Frankenstein

Prima Donna

A hill about a mile outta town

First dance

Ritual

Underground

A small request

These text prompts can be used however you want: whether you want to have them in your story in their entirety, use bits, write something around them, something inspired by them, or just something you think has a similar feel. Just let me know which you picked.

There is a Corvette parked in front of the building, just by the front door. You approach the vehicle as if compelled by an invisible force and look in through the closed window. There’s none inside, but you see, in the driver's seat, illuminated by the neon lights of the bar, a white cowboy hat with a golden band. This isn’t the first time you see this hat.

The hole is no more than eight feet long and three feet wide. You peer in deeper, but you can’t see the bottom. There’s a soft but grating sound coming from somewhere within, like sharp nails raking against a metal plate. You can’t see the bottom, but you think you can see movement inside.

You abandon the warmth of the laundromat for the biting cold of the outside world. To your right, the road extends for miles and miles into the night, as it does to your left. There’s no place for you to go, but you can’t go back inside.

The light of the neon sign proudly displaying “Rising Sun Motel” shines through your door. You had closed and locked it before taking your shower – you know you had, because you do it in every room you rent. You take a cursory glance of your surroundings. Nothing is out of place or missing. Must be a faulty lock. The night is windy and could have pushed the cheap door open. You go to lock it again, and when you turn around you see that the closet door is slightly ajar.

The land is flat as far as the eye can see and identical houses with identically manicured lawns sprout from it as far as the eye can see. You run up and then down the street (or is it down and then up?) but you can’t seem to find anything else. The people look so friendly when they smile and wave as they pass you by, but you don’t ask them for directions. You look at your phone. You have signal, but all you can get your internet to show you are advertising for washing machines and sites with recipes for awful things preserved in aspic. The date and hour on your home screen keep changing. You’re positive you’ve been in this place for hours, but the sun won’t set.

“B-but… I don’t understand...” “We have checked the security footage three times and found nothing. There are also no signs of forced entries. No fingerprints.” “-My phone! I took pictures, I know I took-!” “We found nothing on your phone, in the SD card, or in the Cloud. There’s nothing.” “That’s impossible!” “We searched as much as we could. I’m sorry, but… are you sure-” “I know what I saw! I know it! Look again!” You aren’t imagining things. It couldn't have been your mind. It couldn't, it couldn’t, it couldn't

What kind of convenience store has taxidermy heads for decoration? You ask yourself as you roam the aisles of the near empty shop. You peek from behind a row of shelves to one side and spot the clerk. He’s old and severe looking, and although his pupils are pointed in your direction, you get the distinct feeling he’s looking right through you. You move your head to the other side of the shelves and spot another one of those fucking deer heads. This one’s large, wet eyes are turned to a fixture in the ceiling, but you would swear it’s watching you.

Rain pelts you as you stand at the dock, waiting. You hope your boat will arrive soon. You look over your shoulder into the mist and see nothing that should give you pause, but your leg still won’t stop shaking. You touch your arm by reflex and wince when you brush your cut. You think your makeshift tourniquet is working, but it looks fragile, like it could get dismantled at any second. In this weather, you’re sure is just a matter of time. You look over your shoulder again. Still nothing, but you fear it won’t last. You hope your boat will arrive soon.

The living room is dark, but you don’t turn on the lights. You are still too close. You move to the kitchen, and there you feel safe enough to reach for the switch. The illuminated room, much larger than it needed to be, is a ghastly land of contrasts. The many counters and their many marble tops are covered in trash. The tile floors, formerly clean enough to eat out of, are now muddied, not a single spot spared. The eyes of the two stoves are covered by pans and pots boiling foul mixtures. Through the window you can see the sprawling lawn and walls of hedges. They will hide you, but for how long? There is something waiting for you in the hallway, something terrible. You have to address it before sunrise, but for now you’ll wait here. The kitchen isn’t half as bad as the rest of the house.

‘The Bystander Effect’ is the term used to describe the phenomenon in which people don’t intervene in emergency situations when in a group, and, the larger the group, the less likely they are to intervene. You know this to be true, even without doing any research, as you hobble your way through the maze of alleyways. Your cries for help had gone unanswered, bouncing off the concrete walls into a multitude of uncaring ears. It’s just how it is in the big city – every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost. So much for safety in numbers. The truth is, in this city, surrounded by all these people, you’re more alone than you’d ever been.

You take the first step with care, mindful of all the ice. The second is a little clumsier. On the third you almost slip. You skip the fourth and fall on the fifth, rolling down the stairs and landing face first in the snow. You scramble to get back to your feet and run to your car. You have to get home. You lock yourself in and don’t bother with the safety belt. You shove the key in the ignition and turn and turn but nothing happens. Did you leave it in the cold too long, or- There’s no time to think about it. You step out of the car and start running, into the freezing night. You have to get home, you have to get home now.

Cleanup time is always a hassle. You wish you didn’t have to do it, but it wouldn’t be fair to leave the mess all to your partner. You two near the open trunk of the car and load the heavy cargo into it. Your companion seems the most affected by the weight, and you offer an apologetic smile. Fair is fair though; it was your turn to carry the feet end.

Skinny dipping had seemed like a good idea when your friend suggested it earlier, under the sweltering sun. Now, standing in front of the pool in your bathing suit, all by your lonesome, you start to regret having agreed to her scheme. Wasn’t she supposed to have arrived forty minutes ago? She said she’d bring people too, because skinny dipping alone isn’t fun. Well, now you are all alone in the cold, and you suspect that is even less fun. Just as you make up your mind to leave, you see a car through the chain link fence. It pulls up just before the gate and the engine turns off. That must be them.

#TansySpookyChallenge2020

82 notes · View notes

atths--twice · 4 years ago

Text

Snowed In

Mulder and Scully find themselves snowed in after he refused to listen to her when she suggested they leave the area. Supplies are low and the temperature is continuing to drop

On Twitter last year, two pictures were posted from Darkness Falls, one of my favorite episodes, for the bottle episode feel to it. Added to the photos was - “What if they are upset with each other and get caught in a snowstorm? Does anyone want to write this fic?“ and my mind began to spin.

I adore Mulder and Scully stuck somewhere because of weather or some crazy situation they have found themselves in. It’s probably one of my favorite things. Hope you like it too.

Of course it was snowing. Of course it was.

After a flat tire had slowed them down, the planned two day trip into the woods had stretched into four days, and now it was snowing. The wind was whipping through the little cabin, causing the freezing air to chill the occupants inside.

Mulder paced back and forth as Scully watched him, annoyance and irritation pouring off of him in waves. The one lone light they had in the room glowed brightly, casting his shadow across the walls. His anger and constant motion was ratcheting up her own anger. When she could take no longer, she stood up and blocked his path.

“Just, sit down,” she said venomously, and he stared at her hard, before pushing past her and resuming his pacing. “Mulder …”

“Scully, stop. Just … stop,” he said, shaking his head, not looking at her, his hands moving to his hips.

“I told you that if we-”

“Spare me, Scully. I don’t need to hear this again. You’re like a broken record.”

“I’m like a broken record? Who the hell kept saying that coming up here would be a snap? Who said that we would be in and out before any major weather conditions caused a catastrophe? Not me — you. Despite the warnings from the sheriff and despite the fact that this time of year snow is not unheard of, you insisted that we press on. So don’t tell me that I’m the broken record, when that’s all you’ve been since I met you.” Her eyes flashed, and she was breathing hard when she finished speaking. He stared at her and walked closer, towering over her smaller frame.

“If it bothers you so much, then why don’t you leave? If my repeating things or my drive to pursue the truth is too much for you, why are you still here?”

“Oh, here it comes." She shook her head and crossed her arms. “It’s always someone else’s fault, right? Fox Mulder could never be wrong, so it must be someone else. Am I to blame this time, despite my own warnings to you that it was looking like it might snow? I was ready to leave here five hours ago, which would have put us past this storm and safely heading down this mountain. We have the car we found parked outside, but it’s likely buried by now. So instead of driving back into town, we are stuck in a blizzard. On top of it all, our food supply is low and we don’t have much gas left to support the generator.”

As he stared at her, his eyes flashing with anger, the radio in the corner sputtered to life. Static filled the room, and they both turned to look at it, before Mulder hurried over and she quickly followed. Turning the knobs, he tried to tune in the signal. Finally, something came through, a woman’s voice, and Mulder grabbed the hand microphone.

“This is Special Agent Fox Mulder, who is on this frequency?” The voice faded, and when he turned the knob again, the voice was once again clear.

“Agent Mulder, this is the National Park Service, what is your location, please? Over.”

He grabbed the map in front of him and they looked at it together. Both of them touched the spot where they were at the same time and he looked at it closer.

“Our location is Bison Pass, west of Falls Forest. We’re in a loggers cabin. Rations are low. Over,” he said, and Scully’s heart pounded, worrying about their food supply.

“Agent Mulder, we have your location. Sir, if it hasn’t reached you yet, you are in for a hell of a storm. Should blow in and dump quite a lot of snow your way. Do you have supplies? Over.”

“Enough for two days, maximum. Generator is running low on gas and if the snow piles up, we won’t be able to get to it. We need an evacuation plan. Over.” The radio rang with static again, the wind blowing hard against the cabin, and then it sputtered off.

Mulder threw the handset down and covered his face with his hands. “Well, that was a fucking mess.” He stood up and started to pace once more.

“She knows our location and about the storm. They will send someone.”

“Before we freeze to death? It could fall for days. She didn’t say how long it was going to snow." He stopped pacing and shook his head. The light flickered and they both looked at it, holding their breath as it dimmed and then glowed again brightly, allowing them to breathe.

“We should take stock of what supplies we have, in case the generator goes out, we’ll need candles and flashlights at least,” she said, staring at the light.

“Yeah,” he agreed, and she looked at him. He did not glance her way, but began to gather items and place them on the table.

Forty five minutes later, they had gathered everything at their disposal. Six long candles, two boxes of matches, three flashlights, and two packs of batteries. They had two cans each of soup, corn, peas, beef stew, refried, black, and kidney beans, a large bag of pasta, two bags of beef jerky, and three gallons of water. They looked at the supplies and then at one another, as the wind blew louder.

“I’m sorry, I should have listened,” he said quietly, reaching out and touching her hand.

“Yeah, you should’ve,” she said, as she pulled her hand away.

“Scully …”

“No, Mulder.” She cut across him and pointed to the table. “This is all we have for who knows how long. It might only snow for a night, but the roads could be impassable for days. Days. How are we going to survive on that amount of food for days? And water, Mulder. We need water.” She began pacing and shaking her head. “If the generator stops and that small heater turns off …” She finally looked at him, but his eyes were on the supplies.

“I know, Scully. Food we could do without, but I’m worried about the heat." Looking up at her, he shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t …”

“Listen,” she finished for him, her worry overtaking her anger. Sighing, she sat down at the table and put her face in her hands. Mulder sat beside her and clasped his hands together.

They were quiet for a while, each with their own thoughts and worries. Finally, he stood up and began to gather their sleeping bags and all the extra blankets in the room. He dropped everything down onto one cot, before unzipping each sleeping bag, and then rezipping then together.

“What are you doing?” Scully asked, although she knew the answer to the question. They would need to conserve body heat. Sleeping close together was the best idea, but the thought made her feel uncomfortable.

“It’s going to get very cold in here, Scully,” he said apologetically. “We’re going to need to stay warm.” She nodded, and he smiled slightly.

He moved the cots together, laid the large sleeping bag across them, and added the extra blankets on top. Scully picked up her backpack along with Mulder’s, looking through them and finding their gloves and extra clothes, especially socks. Laying them on the table, she set the backpacks back down onto the floor.

“You need to layer up,” she said, as Mulder walked up beside her. She handed him the long underwear from his pack and the socks. “Put them on over your other socks.” He nodded and headed to the bathroom.

While he was in the bathroom, she quickly undressed and added the layers under her own clothes, shivering in the chilly room with the loss of her warm clothes. Putting them back on, she added her extra pair of socks and picked up her gloves, as well as Mulder’s.

He came out of the bathroom and she handed him his gloves. He nodded as he took them, sighing as he did. She stood up, heading to the cots, unzipped the sleeping bag, and slid inside. She zipped it up again and shivered in the cold flannel, as she put on her gloves.

“Keep the light on?” he asked.

“Probably a good idea,” she said, turning onto her side. He stepped over to the cots and got in beside her. She felt him shiver and she knew they needed to be closer. “Mulder, move closer, back to front.”

He did as asked and then put his arms around her. The blankets were heavy, helping to take off the chill, but still she shivered. Mulder pulled her closer and sighed close to her ear.

“I am sorry, Scully. I wouldn’t choose to be way out here with a storm raging outside,” he whispered, his proximity causing her to shiver, but not solely from cold. He put his leg over hers, and she jumped. “Sorry.” He said again.

“No, we need to be as close as possible, it just startled me,” she said, shifting against him.

“I thought the best thing to fight off the cold, was to lay naked with someone else, preferably already inside a sleeping bag,” he deadpanned, and she sighed.

“Not always. And keep dreaming,” she shivered again, and he laughed quietly. The wind howled as they lay close together trying to keep warm and worrying about what was to come.

__________________

“Kidney beans?” he asked, and she made a face. “Well it’s that or black ones. So, dealers choice.” She pointed to the black ones, and he opened the can, not bothering with plates, they shared the can between them, plus some beef jerky.

The snow fell the entire night, to the top of the door. They had no tools to dig their way out and no chance of making it once they did. Staying in the cabin and waiting for rescuing was the only option. The generator stopped running mid morning and the room had steadily gotten colder throughout the day.

They had eaten the refried beans and some beef jerky for breakfast, skipped lunch, and now they were eating before they went to bed. The candles afforded light, but once they blew them out, they would be plunged into darkness.

“I will never complain about cold Chinese food again. Or cold anything for that matter,” he said, making a face as he ate a mouthful of black beans. She shook her head and closed her eyes, swallowing down a bite of beef jerky. “At least we have food, I shouldn’t complain.”

Opening her eyes, she looked at him and sighed. He gave her a half smile and she shook her head again. “You know, the snow will act as an insulator in a way, but it’s still going to be really cold until they find us. Let me see your hands.” She took off her gloves as he set the beans down and removed his own gloves, letting her check his fingers. They were warm and pink, no frostbite … yet. Squeezing his hands, she let them go and they put their gloves back on.

“You want more of this?” he asked, and she shook her head. He finished the can and set it down. “I’d suggest a game of cards, but I’m not sure we could hold them while wearing these gloves. Maybe strip poker?” She gave him a look and he smiled.

“They’ll be here soon, right?” she asked softly, and his smile faltered before he rubbed her arm and stood up, picking up the flashlights and turning one on and blowing out the candles.

“I really hope so, Scully,” he said in the near darkness. They both got in bed, turning the flashlight off and clinging to one another for warmth, the blankets pulled tight around them.

“When I was ten, my father and I went camping,” he said quietly, his limbs wrapped around her like an octopus. “It was spring and unseasonably warm during the day, but very cold at night. I thought it wasn’t possible to feel colder than I did those nights, but this … this is by far, the coldest I’ve ever been.”

She shivered against him, and he pulled her closer. His lips touched her ear and he breathed softly. “I’m so sorry, Scully. I know I’ve said it before, but I truly am.” She gripped his hand and nodded her head.

_______________

“Let me see your feet,” she said to him the next night, when she noticed he was grimacing as he paced slowly around the room. He looked at her and she raised her eyebrows. Sighing, he walked over to her and sat at the table. She knelt down, taking off her gloves, untied his shoe and took it off along with his socks, causing him to wince. “Oh, Mulder.”

His toes were red and cold to the touch. He winced again as she tenderly felt at the beginning stages of frostbite. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked and looked up at him. He met her eyes and shook his head. “Is it both feet?” He nodded and she sighed as she stood up. Going to her pack she took out some lotion and walked back to him. Sitting on the floor, she put his foot in her lap and warmed the lotion in her hands before softly rubbing his toes, causing him to hiss.

“I’m sorry,” she said, going slower and more carefully. “Why didn’t you say anything?” She asked again and he exhaled with a gasp.

“I thought it would be okay. It’s not so bad … oh, Scully,” he hissed again, and closed his eyes. “Maybe it is worse than I thought. I should have told you.”

“Hmmm,” she said, massaging his foot until it felt a bit warmer. Putting both pairs of socks back on and then his shoe, she left the laces loose, and then moved on to the next foot and did the same thing. His gasps of pain tugged at her heart, but she continued because it had to be done.

Both shoes back on, she wiped her hands, put her gloves back on, and stood up. She touched his face as he looked up at her. “Anywhere else hurting? Your ears? Cheeks?” Feeling them, he made no sounds or movements to suggest they were hurting, though they did appear a little red. She would keep her eye on them. Moving down, she held his hands and took off his gloves, examining his fingers. “They look okay.”

“Well, at least there’s that ray of sunshine,” he said sarcastically, and she stared at him.

“It’s not a joke, Mulder.”

“I know, Scully. I just … once the sense of humor goes, it’s time to pack it in, am I right?” He smiled and squeezed her fingers before putting his gloves back on. She stepped back and looked down, her own toes beginning to feel cold, but she would see how it was tomorrow before she raised any concern.

“We should get you under the covers. Let’s lay a blanket at the end of the bed, doubled up to keep our … your feet warm tonight.” He nodded and they headed to bed.

In the dark and quiet of the room, he sighed, his arms holding her tightly. She leaned back into him, feeling he had something to say. He sighed again, and she waited.

“I almost drown once, when I was eleven. This boy at the lake was bigger than me, and he was playing rougher than I was used to. He held me under the water, and I panicked, flailing around and kicking at him. I could hear him laughing above the water, and I seriously thought I was going to die, Scully,” he gave a shaky sigh. “I remember the feel of the water going into my lungs. I scratched him, hard enough to draw blood, and he let me go. I pulled myself up, coughing and retching, vomiting out the water I had swallowed. He was shouting about the cut I’d given him, and I was fighting for my life. I could hear my mother calling me, and she came running down just before he grabbed me again. She helped me out of the water and held me as I continued to throw up, telling that boy to get the hell away from me.”

Scully had tears in her eyes as she lay there, her own memories of near drowning experiences rising to the surface. She knew that feeling and how terrifying it was. Holding on to his hands, she waited for him to finish.

“I didn’t tell you about my toes, Scully, because cold toes are not as bad as nearly dying,” he whispered, and she turned over, finding his eyes and feeling his face in the black darkness.

“We aren’t going to die here, Mulder,” she said forcefully. “They know where we are, and they’ll be here soon. I know it.” He nodded against her hand, and she held his face in her hands. “We aren’t going to die here.” She repeated and he nodded again, pulling her close. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head in his neck, hoping the words she said were not empty ones.

________________

There was a pounding noise in her head and she moaned, seeking out the warmth she had lost in the night.

“Five minutes,” she heard Mulder grumble and she moaned again.

“Agent Mulder! Are you in there?! Agent Mulder!” More pounding and Scully slowly opened her eyes. Sunlight was streaming through the tops of the windows, the only light visible from the snow piled high, and she blinked her eyes against it. “Agent Mulder!!”

“Mulder!” she said, pulling away and sitting up, frantically trying to get out of the bed. “Mulder, they’re here! Wake up.” She got out of the bed and fell as she did, her toes like pins and needles.

“Scully?” he slurred. “You okay?”

She got up, hobbling to the door. “We’re here!! Please, help!” she called out, seeing many booted feet through the window. A face appeared as someone lay down in the snow.

“We’ll have you out soon ma’am,” he said and stood up again.

“Thank God,” she whispered, shaking her head. Limping to the bed, she looked at Mulder, who had finally sat up, his eyes wild. “We aren’t going to die here.” He smiled, and she sat next to him, reaching for his gloved hand.

______________

“Gin!” Mulder yelled, slamming down his cards, and she rolled her eyes.

“We’re playing Go Fish, remember?” She laughed and he made a face as he picked up his cards. “So, you got any 2’s?” She asked snidely, and he huffed as he gave them to her.

“Still think we should be playing strip poker,” he said, waggling his eyebrows. She threw a pretzel at him, and he laughed as he picked it up and popped it in his mouth.

They were in a hospital, both being treated for the beginning stages of frostbite. Nothing serious enough to warrant alarm, but enough to have kept them there for the past three days. Tomorrow they would be leaving and they were both feeling a bit punchy.

Mulder grabbed the deck of cards and begin to shuffle them.“When we get home, we should go out and celebrate being alive. How about a Mexican restaurant? We could get tacos … and a side of black beans.” Looking up at her, he grinned, before ducking as she threw a handful of pretzels at him. “Beef jerky then?”

The nurses outside the room must have wondered what was so funny, as they both laughed loudly and Mulder shouted, just before a dozen more pretzels hit the frosted glass doors.

#The X Files #XF Fanfic #Somewhat similar to Darkness Falls #Snowed in #Caught off #Cold #Anger #Sleeping Together #Sleeping Bags #Cuddling for Warmth #Sharing a Bed #Frostbite

65 notes · View notes

thecassadilla · 4 years ago

Text

Of All the Apples

Pairing: Kristanna

Word Count: 3,752/AO3

Summary: Though Kristoff is uncertain about his relationship with Anna, he agrees to go apple picking with her, where he is forced to confront his feelings.

Author’s Note: Though Kristoff is uncertain about his relationship with Anna, he agrees to go apple picking with her, where he is forced to confront his feelings.

Author’s Note: Okay, so there may be a teeny bit of projection here - I really wanted to go apple or pumpkin picking at some point during this month. I doubt it’ll happen, so I may as well just write about other people doing the things that I want to do, right? Anyways, for some strange reason this was *incredibly* difficult to write - I think I revised it 30 times. I still don’t know if I’m completely satisfied, to be honest. I don't even know if it makes any sense?? But I'm just going to post it anyway. Enjoy!!!

Hearing the doorbell ring had become a familiar and expected sound. Every single day, around the same time, Anna rang the bell and patiently stood on Kristoff’s doorstep. She waited to be invited inside, even though he had told her multiple times to just come inside when she felt like it. He left the door unlocked for a reason, after all.

“Come in!” he called. He heard the door open and close from where he was, and dainty footsteps made their way towards the living room. In no time at all, she had made it to the couch, quietly collapsing into the empty spot next to him. For some reason, it made him think back to the first time they had met.

He remembered it like it had happened yesterday instead of a year ago. He’d just moved into his new rental - the tiniest house on the street - which happened to be right next door to the grandiose mansion Anna and her sister had inherited from their deceased parents. Anna, still very much a stranger at this point, had shown up on his doorstep with a store bought box of chocolate cupcakes. After apologizing profusely for not baking them herself, oversharing about her lack of skills in the kitchen, and apologizing again for assuming he’d like chocolate, she handed him the box and welcomed him to the neighborhood. That very day, he fell in love with the girl who lived next door.

She walked into his life on her own volition and for some reason that he couldn’t understand, she kept coming back. Since their initial meeting, much had changed. Before he knew it, she was spending more time at his house than she was at her own, and they were sharing intimate conversations and passionate kisses. Their relationship evolved before his own eyes - from neighbors, to friends, to starting an incredibly fulfilling sexual relationship.

Despite the fact that he was completely and utterly in love with her, he spent nearly every waking hour convincing himself that she’d never want to be more than what they currently were; that every shared moment between them was some form of pageantry as opposed to something very, very real.

Instead of believing in the possibility that she could be as in love with him as he was with her, he attempted and failed to keep her at an arm's length; she was intoxicating and it was too difficult to stay away from her, no matter how much he knew that it would hurt when it ended and she moved on with someone else. So, he kept his feelings to himself and never defined their relationship.

But today, something was off. She wasn’t acting like her normal, perky self; she was quiet.

“What’s wrong?” he finally asked.

“Nothing is wrong per se,” she answered with a sigh. “But I have a question for you and I think that I already know what the answer is going to be.”

“Go for it,” he encouraged her.

“I know you hate going places, but I really want to go apple picking tomorrow, and I was hoping that you’d want to come along with me.” She gave him a hopeful smile, batting her eyelashes at him.

Though she always attempted to make plans with him outside of the house, they rarely went out in public together and when they did, it was only to the grocery store. He was too afraid to be seen with her because in his eyes, a guy like him didn’t deserve a girl like her. “Oh. I don’t really think I’ll be useful -”

“You’d be useful!” she insisted enthusiastically. “Because you’re so tall! And I would really love to go with you. Can you please come apple picking with me?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Somehow it was the best answer that he could come up with. He didn’t have a real reason to say no, but he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to say yes, either. He cleared his throat. “Elsa’s busy?”

She forced out a laugh. “Bold of you to assume that Elsa wants to spend her day off with me.”

“I’m sorry,” he frowned.

Any hope she had quickly melted away and her shoulders slumped in defeat. “It’s okay, I get it. I can go by myself, I guess.”

She moved to stand up, and acting on an impulse, he grabbed her hand, knowing that he may come to regret it. “Wait!”

She turned to face him. “What?”

“If it’s really that important to you, then I’ll go with you.”

She hardly gave him a chance to finish before she was throwing her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Kristoff!”

He awkwardly patted her back. “You’re welcome.”

She pulled away suddenly. “Oh crap, I forgot my phone charger at home! I’m just going to go grab it and I’ll be right back, okay?”

He nodded, and she smiled before rushing out of the house.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He wasn’t sure what time she had snuck out of his bed that morning, but she was gone when he woke up just after ten. She hardly ever woke up before him, and it was even more unusual for her to have left at all. He rubbed at his eyes a few times before reaching for his phone, and sure enough, she had sent him a text explaining her whereabouts. She was right next door, in her own house, getting ready for their excursion. He sighed, knowing that she must have been extremely excited to have gotten up so early when they weren’t even leaving for several more hours.

So, he climbed out of bed, aware of the fact that for the first Saturday in a long time, Anna wasn’t with him. He had grown used to their sleepy weekend mornings together, half-dressed and sitting at his kitchen table with plates of pancakes in front of them. Without her there, he followed his weekday routine; he ate, showered and got dressed, keeping it casual with jeans and a black t-shirt layered under a red flannel. And then, he waited.

When the time had finally come, he went out and stood by her car, hoping that she’d be out soon. His jaw nearly dropped when she finally did. Clad in a grey v-neck sweater and light wash skinny jeans, she paired the outfit with ankle boots. Her hair was half-up, half-down and softly curled.

“Hey,” she smiled when she saw him waiting. “You ready to go?”

“Born ready. You look great, by the way.”

“So do you, I really like that flannel. You should wear red more often.”

“Thanks,” he blushed, looking down at his shirt. “Aren’t you worried about getting dirty though? We’re going to be walking around in the dirt.”

She laughed. “I don’t plan on rolling around in the dirt.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to ruin your shoes or something.”

“It’ll be fine,” she assured him, before unlocking the car doors and tossing her purse in the backseat. “Climb in.”

He did as he was told, sliding into the passenger seat.

“This is kind of a rare occurrence, huh? Me driving you somewhere,” she observed aloud as she started the engine. She crossed the seatbelt over her lap and glanced over at him.

He shrugged. “I like driving.”

“Yeah, but you’re not my chauffeur. I should drive you around more,” she remarked. “Which would mean that we’d have to go out more.”

He shook his head. “I don’t...we shouldn’t -“

“Oh god, do you think I’m a bad driver?”

“What? No!”

“I swear, I’ve only gotten one speeding ticket in my entire life and I wasn’t even going that fast.”

“Anna, your driving is fine. I was just going to say that you don’t have to worry about driving me around because we shouldn’t really be going places together.”

“Okay then,” she responded, noticeably taken aback. “May I ask why you think that?”

“It just seems like a bad idea.”

“So going to dinner after this is out of the question?”

“We could order takeout,” he suggested. “Or I can cook for you.”

She muttered something inaudible and for a few miles they sat quietly, listening to the radio. He stared out the window and admired the fall foliage, hoping that the day would go by smoothly.

Anna finally spoke up when they were about a mile from the orchard. “So, I want to get enough apples to bake a pie -”

He snorted. “You? Bake a pie?”

“Yeah,” she answered confidently. “I know I’m not great in the kitchen but I’ve never made an apple pie before and I want to try. I could really use your help.”

He glared at her. “Do I look like I’ve made an apple pie before?”

“No, but you’re more competent in the kitchen than I am.”

“Cooking is straightforward. Baking is precise. You mis-measure one ingredient and the entire thing is ruined,” he explained. “That’s why whenever you mention wanting dessert, I always go to the store and buy it.”

“I know the grocery store sells pre-made pie crusts. We can stop there after the orchard, and then that’s one less thing to worry about.”

“I did a little research about the orchard that we’re going to and they sell pies in their store,” he pointed out. “You can save yourself the stress and just buy one.”

“But what’s the fun in that?”

“I guess that’s why we’re going to a farm to buy apples and not to the grocery store,” he remarked, rolling his eyes.

“This is what people do in October. Apple picking, pumpkin picking, corn mazes. It’s fun!”

“They do that stuff to get likes on the Internet, too.”

She didn’t answer, but simply pursed her lips.

He sighed. “Let me guess, you want me to take pictures of you for Instagram?”

“Maybe.”

“Why don’t you stop at a Starbucks and get a pumpkin spice latte to pose with while you’re at it?”

“Rude.”

“It’s what people do in October,” he said, mimicking her sentiment from moments ago.

“Stop criticizing fall, it’s my favorite season. And I’ve never had a pumpkin spice latte, so ha,” she said, before sticking her tongue out at him.

“I’m not criticizing fall. I’m criticizing what people do in fall.”

“As we’re pulling into the parking lot of an apple orchard, to pick apples.”

“Your idea, not mine,” he reminded her.

“You agreed to come, mister.”

“Because you need someone to grab the hard to reach apples for you. Remember?”

She shook her head, though a knowing smile spread across her face. “Can you at least try to have fun?”

“No promises,” he answered, a small smile of his own appearing.

The lot was packed with cars, but she was able to find an empty spot with ease. They climbed out of the car, and walked toward the picking area. The attendant at the entrance handed Anna a basket, provided some instructions for them to follow, and told them that the apples would be weighed for purchase when they finished their walk-through.

When they finally entered the picking area, Anna spoke up. “What should we do first? Apples or pictures?”

He shrugged. “Up to you.”

“Apples first, then.”

There were kids and families everywhere, running from tree to tree, snapping pictures, and chattering away. They walked side-by-side along the center path, trying to avoid bumping into the other people. After walking a few feet, her fingertips brushed against his and he bit down on his lip, trying as hard as he could to ignore it. She moved to take his hand in her own, but he gently pulled away and took a step to the side to create a bit of distance between them.

“Do you not want to hold my hand?” she laughed.

“Oh, um,” he started, looking down at his palm before offering it to her. “I do.”

She accepted with a smile, and laced her soft fingers through his. “This is really nice, we should do stuff like this more often.”

“Apple picking is a seasonal thing,” he remarked, trying to deflect.

“That’s not what I meant,” she giggled. “I meant we should go out more in general.”

“Hey, this tree has a lot of apples.” He pulled her toward it, hoping that it would distract her. He dropped her hand and motioned to the tree. “Pick away.”

“Why are you being weird?”

“I’m not.”

She handed him the basket, and reached for an apple that was hanging near her head. “Yeah, you are. Is something bothering you?”

“No,” he lied. She gently placed the apple in the basket before trying to take it back from him. “Only one apple?”

“This place is huge, we don’t have to get all of our apples from this one tree.”

“I’ll carry the basket for you,” he insisted, hoping that it would prevent her from noticing that they weren’t holding hands anymore. It didn’t work.

“Can you hold it in your other hand? Or should I just walk on the other side?”

“I’ll hold it in my other hand.” He transferred the basket and she immediately took his hand again.

They walked for a while, occasionally stopping at trees and picking a few apples before repeating the same routine. When they were approaching the last section of trees before the weighing station, Anna paused.

“Since we’re almost done and there aren’t that many people over here, we should stop for a few pictures now,” she said, dropping his hand and digging through her bag. “If you’re okay with that.”

“Yeah that’s fine.”

She dug out her phone and handed it to him, dropping her purse by his feet and taking a few steps towards the trees. He placed the basket down next to it before opening up the camera app on her phone.

There was no simple way to describe how beautiful she looked as she posed for the camera; between the sunlight that was bouncing off of her hair and the radiant smile that was spread across her face, she was absolutely ethereal. He was so entranced, that he hardly noticed that she was moving toward him and continued snapping pictures until she was much closer than before.

“Can I see how they came out?” she asked, holding her hand out. He placed the phone in her hand and she swiped through them. “They came out great! You’re a pretty good photographer.”

“I guess,” he shrugged.

She slid her phone into her back pocket and then held out her hand again. “Give me your phone, I’ll take a few pictures of you.”

“I don’t need any pictures of myself.”

“You can post it to your Instagram!”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ve only posted to Instagram, like, three times. I hardly use it.”

“It’s never too late. Don’t you want your friends to see what you were up to this weekend?”

“Not really. I don’t have a million friends to impress.”

“I don’t have a million friends and I’m not trying to impress anyone,” she scoffed. “I just think that it would be nice.”

“Which is why I took pictures of you for your Instagram. You don’t have to worry about me.”

She opened her mouth to argue back, but was interrupted when a woman approached them. “Hey, would you mind taking a few pictures of my boyfriend and I?”

“Of course!” Anna answered, accepting the phone from her.

The couple posed and Anna snapped a few photos before handing the phone back.

The woman looked through the pictures. “Thank you so much, they look really good. Do you want me to take a couple for you guys?”

Before he could say no, Anna was handing her phone to the woman. She grabbed his arm and dragged him back a few steps. Before he knew it, she was pressed into his side, her arm wrapped tightly around his lower back. He was unsure what to do with his own arms, and at the last minute, he draped his arm around her shoulders. He was positive that the pictures would perfectly encapsulate the tension he was feeling in his face, but he did his best to smile. After what felt like an eternity, the woman handed the phone back to Anna.

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate it,” she said to the woman, who smiled in return.

“Please don’t put those on the Internet,” he begged once the couple had wandered away.

“Why? You look great,” she said, holding the phone out to him. He took a quick look, and just as he expected, they looked way too couple-y for her to casually post it online.

“Just...don’t.”

“But we look so adorable! I want all of my friends to see it.”

“You’re probably better off just posting the pictures of you alone,” he insisted. “Your friends may get the wrong idea.”

“The wrong idea?”

“You know, they may make assumptions.”

She looked up from her phone, and stared directly into his eyes. “What assumptions do you think they’ll make?”

He didn’t answer, instead choosing to look away from her.

“I need a legitimate reason for not posting this picture,” she insisted. “Tell me, what assumptions do you think my friends will make?”

He hesitated, thinking of how to properly phrase the thoughts running through his mind. “I don’t want people to think we’re a couple when we’re not. It’s weird and embarrassing.”

“We’re not a couple?” she asked incredulously, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

He was suddenly questioning everything he was certain of a mere moment ago. “Are we?”

“I assumed we were! We’re always together, and you know all of my secrets, and not to be too candid in a public place but we have a physical relationship - oh god, have I been reading this wrong? Are we just friends with benefits? Is that why you didn’t want to hold my hand? Are you, like, embarrassed of me?” She blinked a few times, not taking her eyes off of his.

“No!” he exclaimed loudly, causing a few people to turn around and stare in their direction. Grotesquely aware of the fact that people were paying attention, he continued in a hushed voice, “I didn’t think you’d want to be my girlfriend.”

“Why on earth would you think that?” she squawked, raising a shaky hand to her chest.

He could feel his world crumbling around him. “I’m me and you’re...you. You’re amazing and gorgeous and funny and I’m a boring, grumpy homebody.”

“You’re so much more than that; you’re kind and caring and respectful.”

He took a breath, trying to hold it together. “I don’t think I’m as great as you think I am.”

“I’m in love with you, Kristoff,” she confessed suddenly, the words tumbling out of her mouth with little regard as to how they’d be received. “I wasn’t planning on telling you like this, but you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me and I need you to know that.”

Though the revelation had hit him like a ton of bricks, for the first time ever, he felt at ease with his own feelings. “I love you, too.”

“You do? You aren’t just saying that because I said it?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I mean it. I’ve felt this way for a long time but I’ve been too much of a coward to say anything, too busy convincing myself that you’d be better off with someone else.”

She was in his arms, then, squeezing as tightly as she could, her cheek smashed up against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin atop her head. “You silly, silly boy, we have got to work on this self-deprecating attitude of yours. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry,” he grimaced, biting down on his lip.

“And for the record, I don’t think that I’d be better off with anyone else.”

He nodded against her instead of answering.

“I would kiss you but people are staring at us,” she said, pulling back slightly so she could look up at him but still keeping her arms firmly around his waist. “We should get out of here.”

“Good idea.”

“Can I please take you out to dinner tonight? I know you don’t -”

The smile on his face was enough for her to stop speaking mid-sentence. “That would be great.”

She heaved a sigh of relief, finally letting go of him so she could grab her purse and the basket. They walked hand-in-hand to the weighing station, where she bagged and paid for the apples they’d picked before walking back to the parking lot.

“Thank you for convincing me to come today, Anna,” he said as they walked to the car. “I’m really glad that I came.”

“I’m really glad that you came, too. And I’m glad that we were able to clear up that misunderstanding.”

“I’m sorry for scaring you like that. I spent a long time convincing myself that there was no possible way that you’d want to be with me, and it became believable.”

“I wouldn’t spend every single day with you if I didn’t want to be with you,” she assured him. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Sure,” he nodded.

“I’ve lived on our street for my entire life, and tons of people have come and gone, obviously. I can faithfully say that I have only ever welcomed one person to the neighborhood, and that was you.”

“Really? Why?”

She smirked. “I needed an excuse to talk to the cute boy who was moving in next door.”

“Oh,” he chuckled, feeling his cheeks warm up.

“I haven’t stopped bothering you since,” she said, matter-of-factly.

They climbed back into her car, and buckled their seatbelts before she started the ignition.

“And by the way, you should check Instagram,” she remarked, as she started to back out of the spot.

He dug his phone out of his pocket and launched the app. He had a few notifications, but the most recent one led him to a post that he’d been tagged in. Anna had posted the picture of the two of them with the caption: “All the apples in the orchard, and I’d pick him every time.”

He smiled to himself before liking the picture. “Would you mind sending me the pictures we took? I want my friends to see them.”

#kristanna #kristanna fanfic #anna #kristoff bjorgman #frozen #frozen fic #my writing

34 notes · View notes