#so i brought mini cheese cakes for everyone

[wandering-aloneo-o]

today durring lunch i had an empty box, so what did i do?

i spent the entire lunch time with a box over my head, and my friends led me up and down stairs and hallways.

it was very entertaining lol

[roosterscockpit]

Friendsgiving | H.C |

click here to see the master list

Today’s double-post is an H.C 🫶🏼

Yet another H.C for you, Bradley, Leia, your friends, and the Dagger squad ❤️

Happy reading and enjoy! 💕 I love you all! 🫶🏼

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bradley volunteered to host Friendsgiving at his house

Invited the whole dagger squad and your friends.

Bradley and you decorated his house with fall-colored leaves, warm-colored balloons, and small pumpkins.

Dinner was going to be held in his backyard. He set up tables and draped them with cream-colored tables clothes. He added rustic orange runners to the center of the tables. 

You made centerpieces to apace out between the tables. The centerpieces consisted of mason jars filled with mini fairy lights, some twigs, and fake flowers. The flowers were an assortment of rustic orange, red, burgundy, cream, and yellow flowers. 

Bradley laid out candles all along the center of the tables. Along with some extra little pumpkins you had left over. 

Bradley laid out burnt orange circle placemats for everyone. On top of that was a nice big white dinner plate, burnt orange lap napkins folded with the gold cutlery neatly tucked inside of them, a mason jar for drinks, and little place cards that read everyone's names. 

You and Bradley decorated Bradley’s backyard bar. You draped a “Friendsgiving” sign across the front of it. Bradley placed a variety of drinks everyone could help themselves to on the top of the bar. He decorated it with fake candles, flowers, and pumpkins.

Bradley set up chairs all around the table. At the head of the table, he set up the Rooster seat. You looked at it funny. “Who is being punished, Bradley?” You pointed to the seat. “This chair is for Daddy Rooster.” He slapped his hands down on the back which was in the shape of the Rooster. “Best seat in the house. Daddy gets the best seat.” He laughed.

You and Bradley stringed fairy lights all around the backyard for the aesthetic. 

You set up an activity table. It consisted of disposable cameras so everyone can take pictures for you to develop later and place in a crab book. You also added a polaroid camera for quickly developing pictures. You added a bunch of wishbones on the activity table for everyone to pull with one another.

You and Bradley made a backdrop that was fall themed for pictures. You added a crate full of little nicknacks and hats to add some fun to the photos.

After decorating, You and Bradley worked hard in the kitchen. Bradley made the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, corn, and ham. You worked on the desserts. You made pumpkin, pecan, apple pie, cake pops that looked like turkeys, and cranberry crumble bars.

The three of you wore color-coordinating outfits. You and Bradley dressed Leia in a cream colored turtle neck long sleeve with a brown corduroy overall dress, and some black calf high Dr. Martens boots. You wore a cream strappy jumpsuit with a long brown cardigan and some platformed Dr. Martens. Bradley wore brown ankle-high dress pants, with a cream button-up short sleeve that was tight in all the right areas, and some 1461 Dr. Martens. 

You added a couple of gold rings to your fingers for the outfit and a dainty heart necklace that had the letter B on it. 

Bradley wore his gold rope chain and gold watch.

The dagger squad showed up all together. Your friends showed up altogether as well.

Bri and Billy brought a Mac and cheese casserole, Austin brought stuffing, Phoenix brought green bean casserole, Bob brought some deviled eggs, Coyote brought a sweet potato pie, Payback brought his famous cranberry sauce, Hangman brought his homemade artichoke dip and some chips, and Fanboy brought his appetite. 

Everyone set their dishes down on the dinner table and their desserts on the dessert table. 

Everyone mingled and had some wine while waiting for the rest of the dinner to come out of the oven. Everyone utilized the backdrop, polaroid, and disposable cameras as they waited. 

When all the food Bradley had made was ready, all the guys helped him bring it out and set it on the table.

Everyone saw the Rooster seat. “I knew it would grow on him.” Fanboy shook his head and laughed at the chair.

Bradley pulled yours and Leia’s chair out for you to sit. He pushed you both in and set your napkins in your laps before he kissed your heads and took a seat ahead of the table. You sat to the left of Bradley. Leia to the right. Next to you were Bri, Billy, Bob, and Payback. Next to Leia, Austin, Phoenix, Fanboy, and Coyote. At the other head of the table sat Hangman. 

You all joined hands and Bradley said a little thanks before dinner. 

“Thank you everyone for coming and joining together to have dinner together for an early Thanksgiving. I am truly thankful to have each and every one of you in my life. I am especially thankful for my girls. Without them, life wouldn’t feel as extraordinary. I’m grateful we are all happy and healthy. I hope everyone brought their appetites! Let’s have a great night!”

Everyone went around the table saying what they were thankful for. Bri was grateful for her love Billy, Billy was grateful for Bri, Bob was grateful for choosing to be in the navy to meet all of you, Payback was grateful to be a part of yours and Bradley’s life, Hangman was grateful to be Bradley’s right-hand man, Austin was grateful for the little lady he was sitting next to… or both, Phoenix was grateful for you finally loving Bradley, Coyote was grateful to be surrounded by his second family since he was away from his, and Fanboy was grateful that Bradley was using his chair and for the food.

Bradley raised his glass and you all followed. All together you cheered, “To family, health, and love.” 

You all stuffed yourselves into a food coma, But still had enough room for all the desserts.

Everyone helped themselves to the bar. Fanboy and Bob were white girl wasted. One of the disposable cameras was filled with photos of those two having the times of their lives.

Leia took pictures with everyone at the backdrop. Her favorite picture was of her and Hangman. He had a headband with a turkey on it and was holding Leia in a princess carry. He had Leia dipped down slightly, her feet higher than her head. Leia wrapped one arm around Hangman’s neck and the rest of her limbs spread out. She wore a flower crown croakily on her head. Hangman made a screaming face with his eyes wide and mouth wide open. Leia was smiling big and laughing.

Everyone made their way inside for games. The first game was Pie Face. Everyone took turns and whoever got whip cream to the face had to take a shot. Bob kept wanting to take over when anyone started to get close to getting the whipped cream to the face. He just wanted everyone's shots. 

“The innocent one doesn’t look like a drinker,” Bri whispered to you. You smiled, “Just with family.” 

Leia fell asleep on the couch. Bradley brought her up to his room so she could be away from the noise.

The next game was charades. Phoenix had to act out licking ice cream. She made the motion and movements. She looked around as everyone held their tongue. She threw her hands up and were pointing at people. 

Hangman covered his mouth and shook his head. “Sorry, Nix. No.” Payback laughed, “I think I might know, but I’d rather not say.” She pointed at drunken Bob, “You look like you’re-” You covered his mouth. Fanboy started to laugh loudly, “I was thinking the same thing Bob!” You covered his mouth too. She pointed at Austin, he was clearly buzzed. He looked around and bit his lip. “You look like my next girlfriend?” Bradley slapped him playfully on the chest and they laughed together. Phoenix blushed.

“SHE’S EATING ICE CREAM FOR GOD'S SAKE. SICK-Os!” Bradley huffed out obnoxiously laughing. 

After the games, Phoenix took care of Bob and Fanboy. Everyone else helped clean up the house and backyard. 

By the end of the night, Bri and Billy brought home drunk Austin.

Hangman, Coyote, and Payback left back to the barracks together.

You and Bradley offered Phoenix to stay at the house with Bob and Fanboy.

Bradley carried drunk Bob over his shoulder up the stairs to the spare bedroom. He then came and carried passed-out Fanboy to the same room. Bradley slept in the spare room in a sleeping bag with his boys.

You, Phoenix, and Leia stayed in Bradley’s room. 

“Best Friendsgiving ever, Y/n. Thank you for having us.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you all enjoyed it! I love you all so much! Happy Holidays! Be safe, always! *smooches smooches* 

My cute tags are in the comments! ❤️ 

[jessbakescakes]

@twwobsessed​ asked for either 89. I noticed or 90. you can tell me anything from this post..

I accidentally deleted the ask, sorry! 

This one spans across the series... it also got way longer than I anticipated. Oops?

“Want some chips?”

Donna looks to her left to find Josh holding out a bag of barbecue potato chips he insisted on getting from the store across the street before they loaded up the bus to South Carolina. “Thanks,” she says, taking a couple from the bag. 

“Take as many as you want. It’ll probably be a little bit before we can stop to get something to eat, and we didn’t get a chance to eat lunch.” He places the bag between them, but doesn’t so much as reach for the chips again.

~*~

“Pizza’s here!” CJ announces, dropping several pizza boxes on the table in the center of the room. 

Josh tosses his pen on his notepad. “What did you get? I’ll grab it for you.”

Donna looks up from her note cards. “Oh, no, I didn’t get anything.”

“What? Why?”

She thinks back to the intern who came around asking for everyone’s orders about an hour ago, and the excuse she gave him. The Massachusetts Democratic Party catered a lunch with a sandwich spread; she told the intern that she was still full from lunch, but Josh would see right through that. He sat right next to her while she ate half a turkey sub and a just-this-side-of-stale oatmeal raisin cookie before they were ready to head to their next meeting. 

The truth, of course, is that she’s made a pretty big dent in her already modest savings account since rejoining the campaign. Her parents, in an attempt to impart some financial wisdom upon her during her teen years, had declared that half of each paycheck from whatever after school or summer job she held at the time was to be deposited into a savings account. She managed to make it all this time without having to dip into it; selling her car and sleeping on the floor had made it easier to stretch her limited budget. But it won’t last forever.

Before she can answer, CJ interrupts, calling out everyone’s orders. “Looks like we have some breadsticks on top, here, and some wings… here’s a cheese pizza for Kevin McCallister over there,” CJ says, motioning toward Josh as she opens the box, places it beside the stack, then closes the lid. 

“Hey now, Donna and I are splitting this pizza, I wanted to make her feel at home,” Josh retorts, grabbing a plate and handing it to Donna before pulling two slices of pizza out of the box CJ just abandoned. 

Donna turns to Josh. “I’m fine, Josh, really.”

“Donna,” he says, grabbing her hand and pulling her up from her seat.

“I don’t want to eat your food.” Josh gives her a pointed look, and she lets out a sigh. “How much do I owe you?”

Josh laughs. “What’s mine is yours, Donnatella.” He places his hand at the small of her back and ushers her toward the pizza box. “Eat.”

~*~

They manage to find a 24 hour diner in Little Rock two weeks before the convention. When their server approaches, everyone’s either staring blankly at their menus or engaged in subdued conversation. They were already tired, but they were pulling hours even longer than normal due to what should have been a minor PR snafu turned media beast that just wouldn’t die. 

Josh had gotten Leo to agree to bring Donna on as a salaried member of the campaign once the Governor was no longer the presumptive nominee, but the official nominee; all Donna needed to do was make her last few dollars stretch as far as possible for just a little longer. Her stomach growls loudly as the server moves next to Josh.

“I’ll have the chicken and waffles,” Josh starts, handing the server his menu and sliding Donna’s toward him. “She’ll have an omelette with spinach and feta.”

By the time she opens her mouth to protest, the server’s gone and Josh is listening intently to whatever it is Sam is saying to his left.

~*~

“I’m just saying,” Josh starts, putting his half-eaten box of Chinese food on the table in the Mural Room, “if Thompson thinks Braun and Miller will pull out, we need to plan for that now.”

“You really think they’ll do that?” Toby asks. 

Josh nudges the container toward Donna. “I do. At least, that’s what Braun was hinting at earlier. I don’t know what the hell that guy’s up to; he’s harder to read than any woman I’ve ever dated.”

Donna reaches for the food and peeks inside, noticing that it’s honey garlic chicken - her favorite.

~*~

“I think you’re not giving theoretical physics enough of a chance,” Josh insists. “I think you have some weird, unfair bias against it.”

Donna holds out her hand and takes the wrapper to Josh’s chicken sandwich. “Well, considering physics was the only class I ever came close to failing, I think my biases are perfectly fair.”

Josh laughs. “Donna Moss almost failed a class?”

“I stayed every day after school for a month and pulled it up to an A minus. But for a little while there I was in the mid-C range.”

“Painfully average,” Josh teases. 

“Shut up and eat your salad,” Donna sighs.

“I’m full, you can have it.”

Donna rolls her eyes. “Josh, you ordered this salad. You said you wanted this salad, and I didn’t question you…”

“You’re about to go back to work, and I know you won’t have time to stop and grab something for another… seven, eight hours? Eat the damn salad.”

~*~

The Hawk and Dove is nearly empty; it’s just CJ, Sam, Donna, Charlie, and Josh in the late hours of the snowy evening. 

“Toby was mentioning that earlier,” CJ says. “I don’t buy it.”

Donna pulls Josh’s untouched tray of cheese fries toward her and begins to eat, expecting a grumble or a whine from him. It never comes.

~*~

She’s not invited to this particular State Dinner. She could have gone home an hour ago, but she decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity to catch up on some filing while Josh wasn’t around. 

Donna works through the last stack of files and returns to her desk to find two plates full of hors d'oeuvres.

~*~

Donna opens her eyes and stretches as much as the hospital bed will allow. Josh hears her stir and stands up from his chair. “Hey,” he says. “How are you feeling?”

“Been better,” she says, her voice a little hoarse. 

“They brought you some breakfast. Looks like you’ve got some fruit and eggs. They’re probably a little cold by now, though. You hungry?”

“A little, yeah.” 

Josh extends his hand and offers her a small package of mini muffins. “Don’t ask me how this works, but apparently there’s a vending machine down the hall that has some American snacks in it. I thought these would be chocolate chip, but… they’re blueberry.” 

She takes the package and notices that the word blueberry is written in bold, blue font across the front, directly underneath the logo. He hasn’t eaten any of them.

~*~

“If anyone asks, the Congressman won’t be commenting on the situation with Senator Stephens,” Lou says. “Donna, do your best to make sure they don’t ask.”

Donna nods. She walks back to her seat to find a small bag of chocolate covered pretzels sitting in the chair. She looks across the room at Josh, staring at an electoral map, eating a bag of the same pretzels. He turns to grab a marker and makes eye contact with her from across the room.

Donna’s stomach nearly ties itself in knots when he gives her a small smile before returning to the board.

~*~

Josh takes his seat next to Donna, leaning in for a kiss. “Hi.”

“Hey,” she says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

He nods. “Yeah. I was just getting the ‘don’t you dare hurt her’ talk from the President.”

“Which one?” Donna asks, taking a sip of champagne.

“Either. Both. They both like you better than me, anyway, does it really matter?” 

Donna laughs. “No, I guess it doesn’t.”

Josh looks down at his empty plate, then at Donna. “You ate my slice of cake?” He’s saying it in a tone of incredulity, but he’s grinning.

She shrugs. “You left it; I assumed you didn’t want it.”

“Donna,” Josh whines. “I was going to eat that.”

“There’s still plenty left,” Donna reassures him. “Don’t worry. You can get another slice.”

“Why, so you can eat that one, too?” Josh sighs. “At what point did you start stealing my food, anyway?”

Donna moves her arm to rest on Josh’s chair. “Probably around the time I noticed that even though I was on salary, you still continued to feed me. I don’t think I ever thanked you for that, by the way.”

Josh turns to face her. “Wait, you knew?”

“Of course I knew, Josh,” Donna says. “It was your way of taking care of me. It’s really thoughtful, actually. One of the many reasons I fell in love with you.” 

She looks at him for a moment, studying the smirk on his face. She’s still in awe that she gets to call this man her husband - this incredibly caring, ridiculously sweet, wonderful man married her. 

“I’m going to start putting my name on my leftovers,” Josh declares

“I’ll just eat them anyway,” Donna says, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Yeah. You will.”

[vickyvicarious]

Eliot sweet talking Nana into sharing her secret family recipes so he can get more vegetables into both Hardison and Parker.

I was just going to write a short headcanon post about this but then the first line popped into my mind along with a line about Eliot utilizing his retrieval skills, and then next thing I knew this was a fic. First in this fandom so go easy on me.

(AO3 link.)

.

The carrot cake was the final straw.

Eliot knew his partners had terrible diets, okay? It was impossible for anyone to miss that, the way Hardison would just fill up any empty space in any fridge with orange soda, or Parker would get more cereal than was physically possible to store in the cupboard until there was at least one box permanently sitting on the table. He was well aware, and he’d been taking steps for a while to deal with matters.

He bought Hardison a fridge of his own - a mini fridge - and just poured out any soda he found anywhere else. He impressed upon Parker that just this shelf was for cereal and solemnly swore to her that he would never let it get beyond half-empty before filling it again. In the meantime, he filled the rest of his kitchen with actual ingredients, and always had a bowl of fruit out so they would have something healthy as an easy-to-grab snack. He didn’t put anything Parker liked hidden on a high shelf, because she’d find that fun; just small decoy portions while he kept most of his chocolate inside an old Wheat Thins box at the back of the cracker shelf. Speaking of chips, if he opened the bag of a good brand, then Hardison would gravitate toward it once he’d finished his Cheetos instead of going out to buy more, so that was just a matter of letting him buy one bag and then watching the level and timing when to get the other stuff out.

They both ate meat well enough, though Hardison liked to put in requests for absolutely sacrilegious misuses of various cuts; when Eliot humored him and actually destroyed his fish or brisket or whatever else as requested, he actually did seem to enjoy it, which was... very wrong, and disappointing, but at least the food was still going in his body. Parker quite liked some types of pasta now, and she seemed to enjoy when he put effort into plating things up nicely, but she was still a work in progress on any actual mealtime like a family (or a date. Not that Eliot hadn’t had to eat on the run plenty of times before, but - he’d had to. You don’t walk in to a table set for multiple healthy, delicious, innovative courses he’d been cooking for hours and then just grab bites as you wander around the room! He’d had wine out! Norah Jones playing softly in the background! No candles because he wasn’t an idiot, but it was clearly a romantic meal! What the hell kind of untrained toddler behaviour-).

Breakfast was easy, since they both liked eggs and there were a lot of ways to go from there. Breakfast potatoes were a hit too, and bacon, and they’d even eat oatmeal if he smothered it in sugar so that was something. For lunch, Hardison at least appreciated a good sandwich. Granted, usually only a stolen one because he didn’t like to make any kind of food at all that didn’t come out of a plastic package with microwave instructions on the side (and that had been an argument for the ages, the microwave one. Frankly most things could be heated better on a pan or in an oven, and those that were meant for the microwave were usually mass-produced garbage Hardison really didn’t need in his diet, but he disagreed vehemently and in the end that was one battle Eliot had definitively lost), but once Eliot caught on, he just started making double whatever he ate. Parker scoffed at the idea of lunch, for some reason, claiming that a granola bar or a brownie would get her through till dinner, but if he packed a lunchbox to look interesting and then gave it to her, she’d usually eat it. He just stocked up on bento boxes and made various kinds of colorful and/or childish looking foods and they came back mostly empty so that was good enough.

(Hardison claimed to have gotten jealous about it. Eliot was pretty certain he was making fun of him, so obviously he said he’d be caught dead before packing a lunch for him. He was a grown man and could do it himself.

“She’s a grown woman!” he complained, pointing at Parker, who was sitting perched on the back of an armchair nibbling away at her kraken bento - black noodle limbs, gyoza face, and grabbing a little egg scuba diver. “Sh-she should have to - this is discrimination!”

“Stay away from my octopus,” she squinted menacingly. When Hardison just glared mulishly back, she hugged the food closer to her chest. “It’s not for you, this is my little dead man.”

She popped the egg into her mouth and chewed, never breaking eye contact.

He turned back to Eliot to complain some more, but apparently that was only an attempt to fake her out, because he tried to grab the gyoza barehanded and she screeched, flinging her chopsticks at his face before fleeing across the room. Noodles got everywhere, Hardison had two little round bruises on his cheek the next morning, and somehow Eliot wound up packing everyone lunches every morning after that, and putting notes on them to label who each one went to.

He did not put sappy notes instead the boxes. He wasn’t their parent, okay. The notes inside the lunch were only ever reminders they needed for the con, like Parker’s character’s peanut allergy and how she needed to have the attack exactly two minutes after the mark joined her at the break table, or for Hardison to lock Lucille II behind him because even if he could track down someone who took off in her, he really shouldn’t have to again.)

Anyway, Eliot had something of a system down at this point. It wasn’t perfect, but it was workable for the most part. The one exception was vegetables, which they both hated. He’d tried to hide them several times, but they often picked them out or he just couldn’t stand to puree broccoli into a little garnish/dip just because his girlfriend and boyfriend were both giant babies about actually eating them whole. He had to eat the food too, and he enjoyed himself some veggies like any sane person would. They ate the ones hidden in their lunches almost half of the time, and sometimes other varieties, so he tried not to focus on that too much. Baby steps, he thought. First regular meals at all, then vegetables later.

But the carrot cake.

That was just too much.

It was cake. It was covered in cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake wasn’t anything but decadent, at least not the way Eliot made it for Hardison’s birthday. It was sweet, had just the right texture from the roasted pecans, the perfect hint of cinnamon and ginger. Not a complicated dish by any means, but pretty well near perfect, in Eliot’s no goddamn need to be humble opinion.

Hardison scrunched up his nose.

“Oh,” he said, not accepting the large slice Eliot tried to give him. “Eliot, I’m hoping this is a joke and you have my Red Velvet in the fridge?”

Parker let him hand her the plate, ate a bite, spat it out, then just started eating straight frosting off all the sides.

Eliot could feel his hands twitching. He very carefully set down the knife.

“What’s wrong with my cake?” he asked. Gave them the benefit of the doubt, and tried a bite: delicious.

“I mean... it’s a carrot cake,” Hardison said delicately, as though Eliot had made some kind of mistake and he felt a little bad pointing it out to him.

“So?”

“Carrot, Eliot.”

“Cake, HARDISON.”

“I like the frosting,” Parker interjected, and Eliot glanced over to her. She’d moved on from her own plate and was just scraping fingerfuls of frosting directly off the top of the cake. His cake. His cake for Hardison’s birthday, his beautiful cake -

“Babe, we love you but you gotta know vegetables don’t have any place in a dessert, that’s just wrong. C’mon, you really didn’t make me something else? Really?”

“THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!” Eliot bellowed and stormed out of the apartment. He took the cake with him.

.

He brought it to Sophie and Nate, since they were in town and they weren’t insane like some people he knew.

“People you’ve, uh, chosen to dedicate the rest of your life to,” Nate pointed out around a mouthful. “I mean, you knew what they were like.”

“Oh, hush, Nate, don’t you get it? They’ve hurt Eliot’s feelings,” Sophie explained. She ate another bite, hummed approvingly, then waved her fork around to emphasize her words: “For Eliot, food is life. He wants them to lead long and healthy lives, he wants to live with them and show his love for them and keep them safe, and they just rejected that. It’s not all about the vegetables, y’know?”

Eliot was never sure whether he loved Sophie best or least of all.

“It’s definitely all about the vegetables,” he said, crossing his arms. The pair of them exchanged a look and then smiled at him warmly, like he’d just done something cute.

“Fine! Forget it,” he snarled, pushing himself roughly to his feet.

Behind him, Nate grunted the distinctive grunt of someone receiving a pointy elbow to the side, then cleared his throat.

“Okay, okay - wait! Wait, all right, I might have one idea.” When he turned back, Nate was rubbing thoughtfully at his chin. “You’ve tried featuring the veggies, right, and hiding them. I’m sure you’ve lectured them both to death about why they should be eating more vegetables, but that’s not going to work on them, is it, because there’s no connection there. Ad novitam is only going to get you so far, you need the, the personal touch, a little ad misericordiam if you will.”

“I am not telling them it makes me sad when they don’t eat their greens,” Eliot said firmly.

“But it does,” Sophie said lightly. She met his glare with a soft smile, and popped another bite of cake into her mouth.

“N- Well, no, obviously, but you’ve got to think it through, Eliot. Step away from the situation. How can you imbue the food itself with emotion? Not for you -” Nate spoke a little louder as Eliot started to answer, “you’re not our mark here. What kind of food, with vegetables, is going make them feel an emotional connection?”

Eliot subsided, frowning down at his own plate. That... was actually a pretty good point.

“Hm, my favorite is still that little restaurant in Paris, with the exquisite quiche. But, I suppose hard-scrambled eggs are a bit of a guilty pleasure,” Sophie mused. “Mum was never any good at cooking.”

“You too?” Nate turned to her. “Yeah, my dad could set water on fire. I remember eating from my meal plan at college - the cafeteria, mind you - thinking how good the food was in comparison.”

The solution clicked into place. (Of course it did, they’d practically hand-fed it to him.)

Eliot stood up and grabbed his coat.

“Oh, are you leaving, Eliot?” Sophie asked.

“Yeah,” he said, and turned back to smirk at them. “I’m gonna go steal Hardison’s childhood.”

.

Once upon a time, Eliot had been a retrieval specialist. You name it, he got it back. Sometimes it was actually a they or even a them, on occasion. He’d committed arson for a pair of scissors, had gathered up a scatted set of Fabergé eggs from seven different countries and two different mafias, had traveled more than once through airport security with a live frog in his pants. The business was a strange one, but he’d been the best at it. And in the years since he left, his life hadn’t exactly gotten less weird; Leverage saw to that.

Breaking into an old woman’s home and stealing a book of recipes would be easier than taking candy from a baby. Of course, Hardison made sure to keep his Nana safe, and from everything he’d heard she could certainly take care of herself, but still it wouldn’t be any great challenge for Eliot to just break in and take what he wanted. He could do it and leave without her ever knowing he’d even been there.

He rang the doorbell, and gave her his best smile when it swung open.

“Hello ma’am, I’m Eliot. Can I come in?”

(This was Hardison’s Nana, he’d never do wrong by her like that. Anyway, it wouldn’t even work. For this he needed her direct input.)

Nana was a short, soft-looking woman. Her hair was pushed back with a purple headband, and she wore loose comfortable pants and a clearly old t-shirt covered in child-sized paint handprints. She exuded a sort of maternal air that had Eliot relaxing into the visit almost despite himself. They’d only ever spoken on the phone, and he’d admittedly felt a little awkward about his plan due to that detail alone. He knew Hardison would love for them to meet her, but it just hadn’t happened yet - honestly, Eliot had been reluctant before, worried that she would find him wanting, and he’d always been relieved that no plans had crystallized into anything solid.

Certainly, despite welcoming him in and getting them all set up on the couch with home-made lemonades, it was clear she felt suspicious. A few minutes in, she dropped the small talk altogether to pin Eliot with a steely glare.

“I’m fairly certain Alec wanted to be here when we met so he could brag some more about how hot his partners are,” she said, making Eliot flush. “And I’m just as certain nothing has happened to him, or it wouldn’t be you here to tell me, so that just leaves me confused.”

She raised an eyebrow, letting him take his time responding.

He looked down at his lap. Ran a hand through his hair, feeling... not less confident that he’d get those recipes by the end of this visit, but certainly more bashful about it.

“Uh. Yes ma’am,” he said. Quickly corrected himself, remembering her insistence over the phone, “uh, Nana. See, he doesn’t actually... know I’m here...”

“I’d guessed as much,” she said wryly.

“Right. Um, I actually wanted to ask you something. There’s something I want to do for him - well, for them - but I need your help to do it right.”

She stared him down a moment longer. Then her eyes widened, and she sat back in her seat with a little gasp, hand over her heart.

“Oh, Eliot,” she said warmly, leaning forward again to grab his hand and hold it between hers, “Oh, sweet boy, of course he’ll say yes. You should hear the way he talks about you, Alec’s been head over heels for years. I may not have met Parker personally, but I’m sure she will too. You don’t have anything to worry about, trust me on that.”

“What?” he croaked. “I... w-what?”

His voice broke in his throat. He wanted to yank away but he felt frozen in place. He didn’t understand how she’d - okay, no, he could easily see how she would draw the wrong conclusions from this situation, but they were the wrong conclusions! He’d never even considered marriage since Aimee, let alone proposing to Parker and Hardison. It wasn’t like a three-way marriage was even legal, and even if it were he would never. It was too much - not too much commitment, he’d already promised the rest of his life to them both, but still too much, somehow. He’d never dare.

“I know Alec doesn’t think too much of the institution in general,” Nana said, waving a dismissive hand, “but if you do he’ll understand that. He might not need it but he won’t say no if you ask, hon. I can promise you that.”

Eliot meant to deny the very idea. Instead what came out of his mouth was a shaky:

“...Are you sure?”

.

Hardison’s Nana - his Nana too, she insisted, even after Eliot finally managed to clear up the misunderstanding - was truly a gem of a woman. He could see so much of who Hardison had turned out to be in her kindness, her cleverness, her sense of humor. She’d broken out the picture albums for him, and had even kindly let him keep one photo of a gaptoothed little Alec in a horrible bowl cut, grinning proudly and brandishing a blue ribbon next to his science project. To Eliot’s complete lack of surprise, he’d won every year with zero competition from his peers.

(He told her that he wanted the picture to make fun of Hardison with. It was true, but she still just patted him on the shoulder and told him to keep it. Didn’t say a word when he tucked it into his wallet with unnecessary care.)

They talked for a long time. She gave him a journal to copy directly from her personal recipe book, a lovely clothbound thing spattered with grease and burnt at one edge, smelling of spices and old paper; clearly well used. She told him it was passed down from her mother, who’d put in lots of her mother’s recipes. Eliot took notes as she talked him through every one. He had a good memory but he didn’t want to miss a thing, and her recipes as written were bare bones. He could cook a delicious meal from them easily enough, but it wouldn’t have her heart in it, not like what he wanted to make.

Just talking could only do so much, and eventually they found themselves in the kitchen, demonstrating techniques and favored spice blends. It was nice, just in and of itself. Eliot rarely got to talk shop with other cooks, and it had been a long time since he’d eaten anything home-made by someone else. Nana never went to school for this stuff, but clearly her long years of experience carried their own weight, because she knew what she was talking about. 

It was late in the night by the time Eliot left her house, feeling himself flush to his ears as she kissed him on the cheek before waving until he’d driven away. And this after wrapping him up in a tight, warm hug just inside the front door.

“Alec’s done well for himself,” she said, and winked. “Now, next time I want you to bring that young lady of yours as well, you hear me? Make that a promise.”

“I will,” he said.

.

It was nearly three AM by the time he got home. Parker crashed out of the dark the second he stepped inside, clinging to him as he caught her midair.

“You made Hardison sad on his birthday,” she told him sternly, and headbutted him hard on the temple. As he winced, she pressed her nose down against his shoulder and took a long sniff. “You smell like lemons.”

“You made me sad on Hardison’s birthday,” Eliot sighed. “I mean, mad.”

“Doesn’t matter, you made him sad so I’m not sorry,” she said, and snuggled close.

Eliot carried her through the apartment, avoiding bumping into any furniture through the ease of experience, and into the bedroom. Hardison was sprawled across the mattress, fast asleep with a frown.

Setting Parker down, Eliot got undressed and climbed into the bed. He scooted behind Hardison, leaning up on an elbow to swipe a gentle thumb over the furrow between his brows. It came back, so he wiped at it again, and kissed Alec’s shoulder when he huffed a little and his face relaxed. Eliot kissed him one more time, then lay down behind him with an arm draped over his side.

Rather than going around the bed to the free space on Hardison’s other side, Parker crammed herself onto the mattress right behind Eliot, pushing him further into Hardison and determinedly spooning him.

He craned his neck up to look at her in the dark. She met his gaze solemnly and squeezed tighter, slipping a leg between his.

Eliot fell asleep warm, entangled in the two loves of his life.

.

He woke stinking hot, still entangled but a lot less happy about it. This happened every time he slept in the middle; he didn’t know why he kept letting it happen. Every single time he’d wake abruptly, heart thrumming in an instinctive alert to something wrong... Only to realize that something was just Parker drooling on his ear, or Hardison’s morning breath in his face, and (every time) both their limbs all wrapped up around him and each other in a very sweet, sweaty, and constricting mess.

The first few times he’d suffered through it, unwilling to wake them. Still basking in the fact that he was here, that he got to be a part of this. But Hardison slept like the dead, and Parker had the ability to wake up and go back to sleep pretty much indefinitely, so Eliot had no compunctions about shoving them aside anymore. He also knew that the other two were night owls who would happily sleep in to eight or even ten if left undisturbed. Eliot woke habitually at five regardless of how late he’d been up, maybe six at the latest; morning snuggles just really weren’t practical.

He wriggled free, clambering over Parker and catching her when the bed dipped and she nearly fell to the floor. Her eyes shot open, clocked him, then dropped shut as she went right back to sleep. He left them there and went to go take a shower, then wandered into the kitchen, grabbing up his new cookbook from his jacket pocket on the way.

Eliot was operating on only a couple hours of sleep; Nana didn’t exactly live next door, and he was frankly lucky he’d got out the cake relatively early in the afternoon, to be able to catch her awake at all. It wasn’t like he’d ruined Hardison’s whole birthday, just that last part they’d set aside for the three of them. They had already hung out with Nate and Sophie in the morning, and Hardison had a long phone call with Nana even before that. Parker had even given Hardison her present: a little statuette originally from a museum in Delhi if Eliot wasn’t mistaken. It was some god or something, but bore a striking resemblance to an Ewok, a detail she’d correctly guessed Hardison would love. He’d been planning on giving his present after the cake, at which point they were going to, on Hardison’s specific request, have a very normal and boring date at home. There had been a lot of jobs lately, so that must have tied into his desire for domesticity - that and ‘birthday rights’ to force them to watch all his nerd movies and lose at various video games.

They hadn’t planned anything for today either, so it wasn’t like those plans couldn’t still happen... And in fact yesterday hadn’t even been Hardison’s real birthday, just the replacement day they’d agreed to celebrate on when a con ran through the actual day. But in the cold light of day he felt a lot more stupid about taking a vegetable-related risk on Hardison’s cake, and then reacting stupidly when they didn’t like it. To be fair, he hadn’t considered it a risk at all, hadn’t even been thinking of his ongoing quest to feed them better so much as the fact that carrot cakes were good and he knew Hardison liked cream cheese frosting - but still. Sophie may have hit the nail on the head, but it was still a stupid and immature nail to let get in the way like he’d done.

He had to at least try to make it up to him.

Accordingly, the breakfast casserole Eliot put together was about as far removed from a healthy meal as any non-dessert in Nana’s cookbook. A baked blueberry French toast creation with lots of sugar, it actually was more of a dessert than anything else. It also took hours in the fridge, but that was alright; not the first time Eliot getting up so much earlier came in handy.

He took the time that it spent in the fridge to clean the apartment. He got out his gift to Hardison, swept and mopped and watered all the plants. Did some laundry, meditated a bit. Pretty much just puttered around for hours, steadily feeling worse and worse about his outburst the day before. Parker had been accepting if not forgiving, and didn’t need an explanation; Hardison might not feel the same. Eliot didn’t expect him to; he was the one clearly in the wrong. He really couldn’t regret the outcome of meeting Nana and getting her recipes, but it should have been on any other day.

He managed to time the casserole just to when the other two got up; just as Eliot pulled it from the oven, Parker wandered into the room.

“Ooh!” she said, and approached with a clear intent to stick her fingers directly into the hot food. Eliot intercepted her with a glare and a whap with his oven-mitt. She retaliated with a vicious pinch to the back of his hand and grabbed a blueberry off the top, tossing it into her mouth and wincing as she burnt herself chewing it.

“Quit that, it’s Hardison’s,” he told her.

“Hardison!” Parker yelled in what appeared to be terror, because of course she would. “I need your help right now!”

He came tumbling into the room, still only half-dressed and clumsily wielding Parker’s taser at the couch. When he saw only the two of them calmly watching him, he attempted to hide it behind his back.

“Oh hey, what’s up everyone,” he said nonchalantly. “Breakfast? Awesome. Smells like something Nana used to make.”

Parker went over and kissed him as she stole the taser out of his hand. She held it up in front of his face.

“Mine,” she scolded.

“Hey, I was ready to defend your life,” Hardison said, mock-offended. “What, you want me to run into an ambush empty-handed? Come on, baby, look who you’re talking to.”

“If you’d let Eliot teach you MMA like me then -”

“Then what, you’d use it as an excuse to choke me out again? I know what you’re after, I recognize that look in your eyes -”

“Hey, come’n eat.” Eliot put two full plates of breakfast  casserole down on the island. He braced himself, ready for Hardison to keep giving him the silent treatment or outright call him out on his behavior.

It didn’t happen.

“Morning Eliot,” he said as he came over to grab a stool. He leaned across the island; when Eliot was too surprised to meet him halfway, he rolled his eyes and reached out a hand to grab his face and pull it close enough for a quick kiss. Then he plopped down into his seat, inhaling deeply at his food. “Oh man, this smells exactly like Nana’s Blueberry Thing, I loved that as a kid. How’d you know?”

Eliot slowly sank down from his tiptoes. His stomach hurt a little from being yanked up against the edge of the island, his lips still felt the impression of Hardison’s. He... really didn’t understand.

“Uh, Nana said you liked it best,” he replied a little too woodenly. Neither of his partners seemed to notice.

“You been talkin’ to her without me?” Hardison asked, before taking a bite and moaning. It wasn’t a sex moan - Eliot knew what those sounded like - but it was damn near. “Did you turn into her? What the hell, this is it, this is the Blueberry Thing!”

Parker was at her own plate the moment Eliot said Nana; she was always fascinated by any mention of the woman, and would probably taze him for meeting her first. Right now, she was digging into her own plate, eyes closed.

Eliot cut himself a serving too and sat down to eat with them. He felt tentative, somehow, embarrassed.

“Yeah,” he grunted. “Went to talk to her last night. Got some recipes.”

The food was good. Sweet, warm, filling; clearly a comfort meal. He dug in.

When he looked up, Parker and Hardison were both staring at him. She opened her mouth, paused, and then fell silent with a glance to Hardison. He was staring at Eliot, mouth open.

“What the hell, hon?”

Eliot clenched his jaw. He knew what he should say. He’d spent all morning prepping himself to say it.

“...You never opened my present,” he said instead.

Hardison squinted at him.

“Yeah, I wasn’t gonna without you there,” he said pointedly.

“Right, well, here,” Eliot said and shoved it his direction before going back to his food. He could feel them staring at him but didn’t lift his head, kept shoveling bite after bite into his mouth as he heard Hardison final tearing at the wrapping paper, grumbling incoherently to himself.

A moment later, the angry mumbles got louder when he opened the first box to reveal the second one.

By the time Hardison got down to the final layer, a small paper booklet six boxes in, Parker was snickering rudely and his muttering was about half swear-words. Eliot still didn’t look up, kept waiting until Hardison actually read the gift.

(He’d thought it would be funny, obviously. He’d thought it would be hilarious, to watch Hardison getting more and more irritated by the wrapping paper. And he knew the gift itself wasn’t anything much, but Eliot usually prided himself on being good at getting people things they didn’t know they wanted, or didn’t think they’d ever get. He knew it was childish and kind of stupid right from the jump, but money didn’t really mean too much to Hardison, and he was confident he’d love this.

After his behavior last night, he wasn’t so sure anymore. Immaturity took on a different tone right now.)

“‘Eliot Tickets,’“ he heard Hardison read off slowly, then - “no.”

He glanced up sharply, but it’d been a sound of delight. Hardison’s eyes were wide and he was flipping through the pages rapidly with an ever-widening grin.

“No nerd jokes for twenty-four hours, back massage, favorite food, favorite sex, get-out-of-scolding free, dessert for dinner, oh my god Comic-Con?! Get to play with your hair, get to pick your cover, computer lessons, videogames, sleeping in, what kind of goldmine is this -”

Parker leaned over his shoulder as he kept going, pointing out her favorites as they worked their way quickly through the rest of the little booklet. It wasn’t horrendously long, but long enough: one ticket for every year. Twenty-eight in all.

Twenty-nine, including the piece of paper Eliot had slipped in front of the last page at seven-thirty this morning, before carefully re-wrapping every box.

“‘One I’m sorry,’” Parker read out loud. She met Eliot’s eyes as she asked, “Are you gonna use it?”

Hardison hummed thoughtfully, then picked it up to reveal the last page.

“No, I’mma save this for just the right time,” he said, waving it in the air. He looked Eliot in the eye and smirked meaningfully. “You messed up, man, you didn’t put an expiration date on any of these.”

“Dammit,” Eliot grumbled, like he’d just realized.

(It hadn’t been a mistake.)

“Don’t need that right now anyway,” Hardison continued, tucking it back into the middle of the book. “This, on the other hand - this one I’m cashing in now.”

Eliot took the little piece of paper Hardison ripped free. He sighed.

“Really?”

“Hell yes, now get in here - and no complaining, them’s the rules you made your own self. You too, Parker, c’mere.”

Eliot stood up and rounded the island, halting with a sigh just before reaching Hardison, who stood to meet him. He ripped the coupon in half.

“All right, here goes.”

Tucking the pieces into his pocket, Eliot stepped forward into Hardison’s outstretched arms, tucking himself in close and hugging him back tightly. A moment later, he felt Parker collide with them both, one arm over his shoulders and a leg around his hips. He sighed again, this time into Hardison’s shoulder, and let himself sway when they did, a gentle rock back and forth.

He closed his eyes when they started to sting.

“Sorry,” he mumbled into Hardison’s shoulder after a long minute. “Shouldn’ta left.”

“That does not count, Eliot,” Hardison told him firmly, and didn’t let go. “I did not use my coupon, I still got my coupon, you aren’t getting out of anythin’ with that you hear me?”

Parker snickered behind him.

“Not getting out of anything at all,” she said, and squeezed tighter. “We’ve got you trapped.”

.

(The next time he fed them vegetables, it was a Nana recipe and Hardison ate without complaint. Parker ate because she wanted to know what it felt like to be a little Hardison, and proclaimed the experience ‘like one of my harnesses’ which was obviously a very positive review.

The next time he fed them vegetables and it wasn’t a Nana recipe, they exchanged a look and then each ate exactly half of their servings. The rest they snuck back onto Eliot’s plate one bite at a time like he wouldn’t notice. He let them get away with it and looked down at everyone’s empty plates afterward with a weird content feeling relaxing his shoulders.

The next time he saw Nana, her words on Hardison’s bragging proved embarrassingly correct. She and Parker got along like a house on fire, and if left alone too long would probably cause a house on fire, and Hardison just watched them with a giant grin like he didn’t see the danger. Nana asked Eliot if he’d considered what they talked about last time right in front of them both, proving beyond all doubt that she shared Hardison’s love of driving him goddamn crazy for fun.

The next carrot cake he made was for Sophie and Nate. He refused to call it a thank you, but she did and also asked him to make that little French quiche she’d talked about like she honestly expected “it had spinach, I think, something green anyway, it was very light, and some kind of unexpected spice too?” would be enough to go on. Nate was no help whatsoever.)

[bnhabadass]

Would you Like to Dance ~

Pairing: Momo x Reader Warnings: N/A Rating: E for Everyone Word Count: 1263 A/N: This is my piece for the May BNHArem server collab. Everyone worked super hard on their pieces so you should definitely check them all out. You can find the master list to this collab here. I also want to thank @pixxiesdust​ for beta reading this piece.In any case, hope you enjoy!

The too bright lights illuminated throughout the ballroom. Soft classical music echoed from the walls. You sat at a table, surrounded by your friends all smiling and laughing. You forced out a few breathy chuckles at what they were saying, but as you expected from this night, you found yourself distracted.

The annual Hero Gala was in full swing. A buffet table set up with mini cheese cubes, assorted fruit platters and even a chocolate fountain you could dip them in was the center of your attention. Not so much the food assortment itself but the people crowded around the table.

On one side was Earphone Jack, one of your closest friends from UA who you seem to have drifted apart from over the years. Next to her was Charge Bolt, who was stuffing his face with cubes of cheese, trying to fit as many in as possible. You couldn’t help but chuckle as you noticed him beginning to cough. Bits of grossly chewed up cheese began flying out of his mouth, and the purple haired girl next to him rolled her eyes while lovingly rubbing his back.

On the other side of the table, wearing a dark red ball gown and sparkly gold wedge sandals was Momo Yaoyorozu, the everything hero, Creati. Her long black hair was partially pinned up at the top, the rest of it cascading down her shoulders. The tint of lip gloss over her smile seemed to brighten the flash of white teeth she showed as she chuckled at Charge Bolt’s mishap.

“(H/n)! What’s wrong?” You looked over at Pinky, who had a concerned look on her face as she watched you stare off to the buffet table in the distance.

You smiled. “It’s nothing. I just hate these events is all. Too many reporters and formalities.”

--

The picnic blanket was spread out across the grass. Heavy crystals and a candelabra which illuminated the gems were placed on all four corners, weighing the blanket down. Everything was perfect. The food was ready to eat. You had even brought a large thermos full of her favorite kind of tea.

“Okay, what is this?” Momo had shown up early, a shocked smile was gracing her face. When she got your text saying that you had a surprise for her at the park by her penthouse, this was the last thing she was expecting.

Your eyes couldn’t help but widen at the sight of her. It has been so long since you’ve seen her out of her hero costume. As much as you love the revealing costume she wears when on patrol, seeing her fully clothed in a blouse and skirt was completely different. It was something you hadn’t seen in a long time. It made everything feel so real.

You smiled. “We haven’t spoken face to face since Deku’s birthday party. And even then we barely got a chance to catch up.” You patted the space on the blanket next to you. “Let’s just hang out and eat food and talk for a bit.”

Momo smiled. “This is so lovely!” She sat down and you poured her a cup of tea. Between the two of you, in front of the picnic basket, sat a small vase full of viscaria. The bright pink of the flower was highlighted by the candles. As you talked and drank tea and ate the cake you had prepared, Momo’s eyes kept wandering between you and the flowers.

“They’re pretty aren’t they.”

Momo nodded. “They grew in the courtyard of my childhood home, although I never knew what they were called.”

“Viscaria,” you said, pulling one of the stems out from the vase. “Most flowers have a one word meaning like ‘truth’ or ‘faithfulness’ but the meaning of this flower is actually a question.”

Momo tilted her head to the side. “What’s the question?”

You tucked the flower under a lock of her hair behind her ear. Standing up, you extended a hand out to her. “Would you like to dance?”

She looked flushed. Her eyes widened and a sheen glossy layer of what appeared to be tears coated them. “I,” her hand trembled. “I’m sorry.”

You watched as she stood up and ran off. Her arms clung to her sides in an attempt to comfort herself, to disappear entirely.

You watched her run over the grassy field and evaporate behind a large tree that inhabited nosy squirrels and chipmunks, all watching her flee.

You waited another twenty minutes before realizing that she wasn’t coming back. You packed everything up and left.

--

“Whatever you say,” Pinky said. She turned back over to the conversation she was having with Red Riot and Ground Zero.

You turned back to where Momo was and thought about that night. You weren’t sure what went wrong. Everything was perfect. You made her favorite cake, bought her favorite tea. The night had gone so well at first that you were even planning on giving her a good night kiss.

But things don’t always go as planned. You decided there was no use in reminiscing on the past, and you drank your champagne in silence while everyone else laughed and danced.

“(H/n),” a sweet voice rang from beside you. You turned around and saw that Momo, looking awkward and gripping her arm for safety, was standing beside you.

“Creati.” A soft blush formed its way across your face. You felt lightheaded.

“It’s been a while.”

“It has.”

There was an awkward tension tethered between the two of you and you searched for the right tools to cut it.

“I want to apologize for the way I acted the last time we saw each other.” She looked sincere. “You planned such a lovely night. I’m not sure what came over me. I got scared and I left and that isn’t fair to you.”

“I know,” you said, growing angry and fed up. You’re not sure why, there was no reason for you to be fed up, but here you were wishing she would leave you to drink and watch as the rest of your fellow friends and heroes had a wonderful time. You sighed and stood up. “Thank you, but I don’t think you should waste your breath, Yaoyorozu.”

She was hurt and you felt bad. Not only did you not use her hero alias, which you were required to for this event and other hero business, but after years of being on a first name basis with one another you had completely disregarded your history.

You stood up to walk away, but a firm hand grabbed your arm, stopping you.

Momo was shaking. She looked down at her feet as she spoke. “I don’t think you understand what I’m trying to say, (Y/n).”

That’s when you noticed that her other hand, the one not grabbing you, was clenched shut. As she lifted her fist and it vigorously shook with nerves, you couldn’t help but gasp. In her sweaty palm was a single viscaria flower.

“I think I owe you this much.” A sad and desperate tone was laced in her words. She tucked the flower behind your ear. “So, would you like to dance?”

Momo Yaoyorozu, the everything hero, Creati did not hate you. She didn’t run away because of something you did or said. You could feel yourself choking up as you realized that she felt the same way you had for so many years.

You took her soft hand in yours and pressed it closely to your lips. Fluttering your eyes open, you smiled. “I would love to.”

[iceiceminami]

Colorstorm

A Shouto Todoroki x UA student reader mini fic

Part 17/?

Word count: 455

TAGLIST: @yoonbbyboy @sugarandsoft @grapesauze @pronerdypanda @mocha-focha || dm or ask me to be added to the list :3

—

Everything was ready by noon. It was perfect timing for everyone helping set up as they’d worked up an appetite.

A few people had brought extra bed sheets to act as picnic blankets. They were spread across the grass of the courtyard, the edges ruffling up in the wind.

“Oh, ladies first,” Kirishima taunted, grinning ear-to-ear and bowing to Bakugou as they approached the table of food.

“Oi, I’m no lady!” Bakugou retorted. “Out of the way, extra,” he muttered as he pushed his past the other and grabbed a plate to serve himself.

“Manliest princess I’ve ever met,” Kirishima smirked. He leaned over to press a quick kiss onto Bakugou’s cheek, causing the blond to blush but still keep his angered expression.

Just the week before, Bakugou had turned sixteen and learned that Kirishima was his soulmate. He’d only shared the information because the red head wouldn’t leave him alone with all the asking who it was.

You suddenly felt a shove from someone behind you.

“Come on, y/n!” Mina cheered. “Birthday people go first.”

She pushed you towards the table of food so you could serve yourself. At the end of the line was a large red velvet cake, decorated with bright white cream cheese frosting and strawberries. Ochaco thought it would be fitting for the cake to be red velvet, as both your and Bakugou’s first color was red.

After everyone’s plates were filled, you all sat down on the sheets and enjoyed the food. You sat around the people you usually sat with for lunch, including Momo, Shouto, and Ochaco, but it was nice to be within earshot of all of your classmates so that you could talk together.

You were quite surprised by how good the food was, not that you’d doubted your fellow students’ capabilities. You were just surprised that four teenaged boys had done so well.

“Mina basically told us what to do,” Kaminari explained, his mouth full of food.

“Oh, come on. Give yourself some credit, man! We did all the work. She gave us the recipe,” Sero reminded him.

As you all ate, the wind continued to pick up, bringing clouds to stretch across the sky. You had some trouble keeping the blankets down on the ground, but once everyone spread out a bit, it was fine.

“The weather is supposed to be dry today,” Momo said, pursing her lips as she looked up at the incoming clouds.

You looked at her and could see the concern on her face.

“I think it’ll be alright,” Shouto assured you both. “Even if something happens, we’ve got a common room to move to.”

You nodded and smiled at his words. Of course he’d have something reassuring to say.

Part 18

[yourcoolfriendwithallthecandy]

Why So Jaded? Chapter 9

FFN, AO3, Enjoy. 

Why So Jaded

Chapter 9

Saturday morning Violet happily got dressed in a gorgeous floral dress that was tea length with a cardigan and beautiful comfortable sandals and did her hair and makeup to reflect a more- sweet, non threatening and likable look as she could, before she went to the florist to pick up the flower arrangements she had ordered for Beth, Tammy and Lisa and had ordered them to look like centerpieces because surely every woman enjoyed getting flowers and was happy when they came out looking and more importantly smelling- divine.

Then she went to the bakery, The Merry Cherry, to pick up the cake and the cupcakes, because Buddy and her had decided, especially since everyone was bringing their kids that they should make the cake tempting enough to encourage the kids to eat all of their dinner, so they got a galaxy cake and galaxy cupcakes which did look really awesome. Then she went to Chocolacier- a boutique chocolatier that was right around the corner from the Merry Cherry, to pick up her huge case of chocolate covered strawberries and four big cases of chocolates, one for each family to take home with them and the last one for Buddy and his guests to enjoy after dinner.

She had spent the night before with Jack who helped her get little gift bags together for all the kids at Party City, a party supply place which went with the galaxy theme because it was gender neutral and age appropriate for all the kids involved and Jack had been invaluable in making sure each child would receive something special, yet age appropriate and more importantly - super cool, before she made another stop across the street from Chocolacier, to Linster Rivera which was a very high end delicatessen and charcuterie bodega to get all the charcuterie elements because she was bound and determined to have a proper cheese and charcuterie board and even bought a huge authentic charcuterie board and a set of cheese knives because she had already gotten some cheeses and crackers at the liquor store’s market but she needed more to round everything out along with some last minute items before she drove into SEB to deliver everything.

Buddy frowned when he heard a thudding at his apartment door before he came and opened the door to see a pile of things so tall, he couldn’t see Violet’s head and knew she must have been “knocking” with the toe of her sandal but the flowers covering her head were breathtaking.

“Hi,” came Violet’s muffled greeting from behind the pile of things as her head had been nestled in the bouquet itself as everything else was precariously stacked within her arms, threatening to overflow them.

“Oh my goodness, here, let me help with that.” Buddy laughed as he took as much from her as he could manage but nearly dropped what he was carrying when he saw her. She was so beautiful. She was always beautiful but today, she was extra gorgeous and disarmingly bewitching that had him swooning, it was like seeing her for the first time all over again as the butterflies once again fluttered almost thunderously within his belly and his heart skipped a beat or two.

“Have you ever heard of taking two trips?” Buddy teased with a chuckle as he did his best to be as unaffected by her as he could and felt he was failing miserably.

“Well that’s the thing, I have another load down there, probably two or three.” Violet answered honestly as she organized what was left and avoided his gaze as she did her best to stamp down her own bashfulness as her cheeks flushed rose.

“Load of what?” Buddy asked as he tried to think of what else she could have possibly brought that he hadn’t prepared for.  

“Well, I got Jack off the bus yesterday and he asked about today and I told him about it and he suggested that we make gift bags for the kids and since we got a galaxy cake, we got galaxy themed gift bags and stuff because they’re age neutral and gender neutral and would be inclusive for everyone. And so we went to Party City and we kind of went a little nuts and then it snowballed from there. So I have gift bags for all the kids, and the baby.” Violet confessed because she had also drug Jack to Target to get together some things for Beth's baby- Roman, and Buddy’s heart melted that she was being so thoughtful and doubted Jack would really do such a thing and figured she was using her little brother as an excuse to do something nice and inclusive for the kids. Which was incredibly sweet.

“Aww, you didn’t have to, it’s just a dinner, not really a party. Very sweet of you to think of them though.” Buddy noted as he put his own stack on his kitchen island and started to unpack what she had gotten, impressed when he saw all the deli stuff as his stomach reminded him it was going to be lunch time soon.

“Yeah Jack, with his silver tongue, justified it as a mini SEB public relations stunt and I have extras just in case any of the kids end up bringing a friend or two.” Violet explained with a chuckle which got Buddy to grin, as he reconsidered his previous thought about Jack but also knew that Violet wasn’t one to be talked into something she didn’t want to do.

“So yeah, I have a big tub with gift bags in the back of my SUV.” Violet informed him bashfully and Buddy could tell she was nervous and anxious and obviously trying so hard to gain approval.

“Well let me help you unload the rest of it.” Buddy insisted as he slipped his own shoes on real quick as Buddy went with her to her SUV in the parking garage.

“How are the spider’s in here?” Buddy asked in a whisper as they walked side by side in tandem.

“Not nearly as bad, just watching, not listening.” Violet answered.

“Well let me know when their webs aren’t in the way.” Buddy said before Violet suddenly pulled them to be between huge SUV’s and Buddy didn’t even ask, he just pulled her into a tight hug and smiled sadly when she hugged him back just as tightly.

“Are you nervous?” Buddy murmured.

“I know I have no reason to be.” Violet answered with a defeated sigh.

“Do you by any chance feel the need to overcompensate?” Buddy guessed gently.

“I still feel like I’m intruding and I gotta make up for that.” Violet confessed.

“You’re not intruding. You’re just as invited as everyone else. They’re all cool with you coming. They were excited about it actually. Keith most of all, which is kinda creepy with how enthusiastic he was.” Buddy teased and smiled when he felt her smile into his chest.

“And even if they don’t like you, I can always get new friends.” Buddy offered which got Violet to snort a laugh.

“That’s ridiculous.” Violet murmured as she finally seemed to relax in his arms though as Buddy smiled happily when she finally did.

“Yeah but I like you better than I do them.” Buddy reassured her.

“You shouldn’t though.” Violet argued softly as Buddy felt her shoulder’s sag which got him to frown.

“Yeah, but I do, it’s too late to go back now, besides it’s going to be ok. It’s just a group of friends hanging out. That’s all it is and the moment they come into my place, you won’t have to be Ms. Parr for the rest of the day, all you need to be and should be is Violet. And that’s more than enough.” Buddy reassured her.

“Ok.” Violet finally caved as she nuzzled her face into the crux of his neck and shoulder before she got a call which caused them to part reluctantly.  

“Hey,” Violet answered when she saw the caller ID.

“Hey, what time is your thing today?” Violet’s mom Helen called.

“Uh, kind of an all day thing, but it technically starts at five, why? What do you need?” Violet asked.

“Could you get Jack, he spent the night at his friend Jaxon’s house and he was supposed to be spending the weekend with them and your Dad and I are already out of town on business and Dash is at Ashley's or Amy’s or I forget which girl he’s going out with now,  but Jaxon’s parents have plans tonight at someone else’s house and they don’t want to be rude to that host by having Jack tag along, so could you pick him up?” Helen asked hopefully as Violet scrunched up her face which Buddy thought was beyond adorable.

“Yup, I got him, I’ll give him a call.” Violet agreed.

“Thanks Honey, Jack will give you the address.” Helen answered.

“You’re welcome, have fun and be safe, bye Mom.” Violet bit her mom.

“You too Sweetie bye.” Helen thanked her.  

“Well, it seems Jack needs me to go get him. I’m sorry, I really wanted to stay and help out more.” Violet began to apologize.

“Well if it’s not too weird, Jack could just hang out with us, he’s more than welcome to and he can stay the rest of the day if he wanted to too, it’s not like he’s going to be the only kid around here.” Buddy generously offered.

“Really? You don’t mind?” Violet asked.

“Not one bit, as long as he’s ok with it.” Buddy answered before Violet reached up on her toes and kissed his cheek sweetly.

“Thank you.” Violet thanked him before she got back on her phone and called her brother.

“Hey Vi,” Jack greeted.

“Hey, so here’s the deal, Mom and Dad are already out of town, and Dash is still screwing his way through a model catalog…” Violet began before Buddy snorted a laugh before he quickly covered his mouth with his hand so he wouldn’t make any more noise as he and Violet shared a meaningful look.

“And I’m still here at work but I’m helping set up for the thing tonight, now my host has offered for you to just hang out with us…” Violet began.

“Yes! I’m ready now, you can pick me up now.” Jack eagerly insisted.

“Oh, ok then, text me the address. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Violet replied before she hung up.

“Hey, by any chance, did you ever have any other nicknames besides Buddy or Bud, because Bartholomew is a mouthful?” Violet asked Buddy thoughtfully.

“Yeah, why? Were you looking for one?” Buddy asked curiously.

“Yeah, because you have the distinction between Violet and Ms. Par and Invisigirl, I was hoping you had another distinction between Mr. Pine.” Violet explained as she self consciously put her hair behind her ears.

“Uh, well, Tali called me Tully, so that’s out.”  Buddy realized as his brain was spinning into a tizzy at the possible implications of what this could mean for them.

“Uh, otherwise, I’ve been called any number of things…” Buddy tried to think of something to give her but was coming up with a blank.  

“What about Barret?” Violet suggested hopefully and Buddy was ready to go down to the courthouse to change his legal name to that because the way she said it was making the butterflies flutter again, like they usually did whenever she was around but now they were about to become a hurricane in his stomach.  

“Barret totally works, honestly I could just answer to ‘hey you’ if you wanted.” Buddy answered as he tried not to giggle. Because Violet having her very own private nickname just for him? Sign him up.

“Well, cause I’ve been thinking about this since Wednesday, and it would be a nice way to cut through all the Ms. Parr, Mr. Pine stuff with, but wouldn’t set Phillip off, like a pet name but I guess, not a pet name?” Violet carefully worded as her cheeks flushed cherry and Buddy was about to squeal in delight. She wanted an intimate pet name for him without tipping off the sensors or anyone else. So she did feel the same way! Oh how sweet the vindication and validation.

“Yeah, Barret totally works, Barret and Violet, Violet and Barret. Winning combination.” Buddy blathered off, trying to keep his excitement to a reasonable level.

“Thank you. Will your friends look at me crazy if I call you that in front of them though?” Violet posed.  

“They shouldn’t care honestly.” Buddy shook his head no with a shrug.

“Ok, well help me with the tub and then I’ll go get Jack before he tries to portal here.” Violet urged before she turned and nearly ran into the SUV on the side of her which made them both erupt into laughter.

“Wow, so smooth.” Violet chided herself as she led the way to her SUV and popped the back hatch to reveal a big clear plastic tub full of gift bags, with all the kid’s names on the tags and yet even more things as she grabbed the big case of chocolate covered strawberries and put all she could on top of the tub's lid in Buddy's hands before she got the remaining flower arrangements before they walked back into the building as Violet made sure he was squared away in his ‘gilded cage’ before she left to go pick up Jack.

Violet was barely parked in front of the house before Jack came running out of the house and practically leapt into her SUV with his backpack.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Jack insisted.

“What is going on?” Violet asked as she waived to Jaxon’s mother before she pulled out of the driveway.

“We don’t have much time. Step on it.” Jack insisted.

“Much time for what?” Violet asked as she got back on the road.

“Are the spiders awake?” Jack asked.

“No, they’re sleeping.” Violet answered.

“Ok, so I was up really late last night and I think I have a breakthrough on Phillip. But I need a lab and hopefully Mr. Pine’s genius will do the rest.” Jack explained.

“You...Do you mean to tell me- that Jaxon’s parent’s really don’t have other plans that they couldn’t drag you along with? And that you literally called Mom and Dad to pick you up, knowing they were out of town and Dash is busy so that left me to get you so that I could watch you myself because you wanted to get one on one time with my asset?!” Violet demanded angrily.

“Yeah, look, you told me that you told him about Phillip’s powers and the fact that he picked up on the fact that Phillip has them, and he was cool about it and he’s been really awesome about everything. If he likes you as much as you make him sound like he does, that gives him- opportunity, motive and availability, the magic trio to work miracles. Because I have a really bad feeling we are running out of time. Like I want this done before you leave for Hong Kong, Tokyo at the latest.” Jack insisted.

“You...manipulator!” Violet growled as she threw her phone at him before he let it phase through him and her phone hit the passenger door.

“You said that he said that he’d do anything for you right? Let him prove it.” Jack pleaded as he got her phone and handed it back to her.

“God damn it Jack, I also told you I could be reading in between the lines and going out on a limb there.” Violet groaned.

“Yeah, I doubt it, come on, plus you know Phillip agreed that the moment anyone from your family is on SEB property that he’d promise to turn off all the cameras and listening devices. This way we get most of the day without Big Brother watching us and listening to us the whole time. Look Edna and I have been hitting our heads against a brick wall here and we’re out of ideas. And with the pictures that came up when you went to Vegas, Phillip isn’t making it hard for anyone to guess what his intentions with you are. And if we can’t find a way to stop him- you’ll be trapped as Mrs. Sebastian for life, however long or short that would be. You’re already miserable being his handler. I can’t imagine how awful you would feel being his wife.” Jack appealed.

“Jack this isn’t your problem to solve.” Violet answered.

“Well your way of handling it isn’t working, it’s just making it worse. If you told Mom and Dad half of what you’ve told me, then you know Dad would beat Phillip into a pulp but we both know Phillip would plant a suicide seed in his head before the first punch could be thrown. Same thing with Mom, that’s why you haven’t told anyone but me.” Jack explained and Violet couldn’t argue with that.

“But you said it yourself that whatever Buddy puts his hands on- he improves. Let him put his hands and his brain on this and the worst that can happen is he can’t come up with something. The best that can happen is he solves this. We just need to give him a starting point. Give him what we’ve come up with so far and have him do his genius thing. He's already been solving your medical stuff and you said you trusted him. So trust him, take the leap of faith Vi.” Jack pleaded.

“How am I going to explain to Phillip that you and Barret are working on a way to expose the very powers that he has killed -who knows how many- for even talking about?” Violet asked.

“Ooh, Barret, so he did go for the pet name that is so not a pet name .” Jack grinned cheekily.

“He did,” Violet confided.

“Well that and Barret is a good way to talk about him to Mom and Dad and get them to like him before they meet him face to face and freak out that you’re hot for the guy who tried to kill the family a decade ago.” Jack said with a shrug.

“Who said I’m ever going to let them meet?” Violet asked.

“As soon as you’re free from Phillip and you can hook up with him and go steady for a while.” Jack answered like it was the most obvious answer.

“Yeah, every day I’m little less and less certain that’s ever going to be a possibility and you’re almost making me regret ever telling you about any of this.” Violet confessed.

“You’ll be thanking me once this works, now call Phillip so he can turn off the cameras.” Jack prodded.

Violet begrudgingly called Phillip and told him that she needed to watch Jack and take him back to Mr. Pine’s floor because she was assisting Mr. Pine with the party which he agreed that the moment that Jack showed up on the cameras, they would all be shut off to protect Jack’s secrecy and privacy and they would remain that way until Jack went home. Even to the lab because he knew how Jack had a fondness for science equipment and Jack practically yelled into the phone that he had a science project that he wanted Mr. Pine’s assistance with which Phillip agreed to as well.  

“Perfect.” Jack beamed when Violet got off the phone.

“You’re lucky he still thinks he has to charm you.”

“And you’re lucky I’m immune so far.” Jack responded.

“It just sucks that Dash isn’t.” Violet grumbled.

“You really think he has a suicide seed planted in his head?” Jack asked worriedly.

“At this point, I assume everyone within a 500 foot radius has it, hell make it a thousand feet including and especially me, and especially Barret.” Violet confessed before Jack reached over and held her hand.

“Well then we have to find a way to find it.” Jack comforted her as she squeezed his hand back.

True to Phillip’s word, Violet could feel all the camera’s shut off and the listening devices get disabled as soon as Jack was seen by the cameras.

Meanwhile Buddy anxiously tried to get lunch prepared, he had to charm Jack. It was clear that Violet favored Jack and was especially close to him, more than anyone so if by a longshot, he could make a good impression with Jack, despite the history, maybe he stood a chance and just as he was getting things together, Jack burst into his apartment with a very irritated looking Violet behind him.

“Hey, Violet said I could call you Barret, you know I’m Jack, we got Phillip to put the spiders to sleep while I’m here, we need to get in the lab, we only got about six hours before your other company comes and we need your help.” Jack said quickly as he practically bounded up to Buddy eagerly.

“Help with what?” Buddy asked as he was completely but pleasantly surprised by this development.

“Help to expose Phillip as a Super, and save everyone who has to be around him, especially Violet.” Jack said as Buddy looked from Jack to Violet who seemed defeated and resigned as she leaned against the counter in the kitchen and looked apologetically from Jack to Buddy.

“Who else have you talked to about this?” Buddy asked them.

“Everyone else we can trust. Violet told me she trusts you. At least look at it.” Jack pleaded as he held up a case that had all the flashdrives of data in it.

“Please? Because I’m out of ideas and options and so is he and everyone else.” Violet finally spoke and the heartbreak in her voice was heart rendering.

“Violet? I really hate to do this to you, but, if you’ll finish cooking lunch, and follow this recipe, that’ll give me a head start on..” Buddy immediately decided.

“Let me clear your lab first.” Violet smiled in relief before the three of them went into Buddy’s lab and Violet pulled up the two computers side by side and started to put in two separate codes with each hand on two separate keyboards as she closed her eyes and focused on her finger movements, coordinating both hands to do separate things before she got two spare key cards and put them into the programmer and then went into The Agency’s database and brought up all the research she had been able to do in the last year and brought up everything every other agent had discovered in their post before the keycards finished programing before she handed one to Buddy and one to Jack.

“Ok, so the key cards are a shortcut to this project and they should disable all other eyes and ears when working on them and this way all three of us can work on this together and Jack I trust you’ll let Edna use yours when you’re not using it, all of this is encrypted, and if Phillip ever gets to see any of this, he’ll assume I’m working on someone named Dragon Eye who is actually a real guy in China who does have similar powers but he’s not nearly as dangerous as all this makes him to be, all the intel is on Phillip, but Phillip has clearance at The Agency and we had to make something he wouldn’t notice or suspect. Here’s how far I’ve gotten, Jack, your turn.” Violet offered before she left the lab and Jack immediately plugged in all the flash drives he kept for this into the computer as Buddy focused on reading all the could as quickly as he could.

“My sister really likes you.” Jack murmured to Buddy as he keyed in his own passwords to get to the contents of the drives.

“She shouldn’t.” Buddy blurted before he fully let what Jack said sunk into his consciousness. Holy shit, Violet really liked him?! Yes!

“But she does. Violet doesn’t trust people as far as she can kick them. She’s been doing the wrong kind of Super work for way too long and it’s changed her, but not for the better. She has no faith in people, much less humanity. She’s incredibly jaded and guarded. So for you to get through all that- says a lot about you.” Jack noted as he pulled up everything for Buddy to see.

“All I’ve been doing is just being myself.” Buddy muttered.

“And that’s all you needed to do. Violet has every reason to believe everyone she knows is in danger and can be used as leverage against her and despite everything that’s happened to her and everything else she’s done- she’s still a good person. And she will sacrifice herself to save others.”

“Even when those others aren’t worth saving.” Buddy finished as he carefully looked at everything.  

“If she deems someone worthy of being saved, then they’re lucky to have her view them as such. And it means that they should respond in kind.” Jack insisted.

“This is true.” Buddy had to admit.

“I like you.” Jack grinned at Buddy as he watched Buddy get to work.  

“Why? You don’t even know me.” Buddy frowned.

“Violet does, and that’s more than enough for anyone, even me. And don’t worry about everyone else, they’ll come around. Just keep having her back and do everything you can with helping us with this. It’ll work out, I got a good feeling about it.” Jack advised.

“There, now that’s everything.” Jack said once he was finished and once Buddy read over everything, his spark lit up like lightning again before he started to link things together, like taking two halves of a sweater and finally threading and knitting them together on both ends to make a whole and complete work as Jack simply sat back and watched on with proud excitement just as Violet came in several minutes later with two big bowls of chicken carbonara Buddy had started as she handed the first to Jack and then simply placed the second one into Buddy’s hands since he was preoccupied and already jumping down the rabbit hole.

“Thanks Vi.” Buddy answered a little bit distractedly as he blindly reached for the fork before he started to feed himself before Violet leaned over and kissed his cheek sweetly which did give him pause as his head skipped a beat or two.

“Thanks Barret.” Violet couldn’t help but coo before she left as Jack did his best to pretend he didn’t see it.

“You-you’re welcome.” Buddy replied before Violet retreated as she left and got her own lunch and before Buddy knew it he had already dived right in again with renewed vigor and enthusiasm and Violet was grateful Buddy had written down a ‘to do’ list on when to start what and already had all his recipes pulled up and Violet happily picked up where he left off while she happily danced away in the kitchen once she synced up her phone with the kitchen sound system so Buddy could focus on her own problem as Jack seemed to float back and forth between the two all afternoon.

“How’s he doing?” Violet asked Jack as she put two of the dishes into one of the ovens while the main course braised in the other.

“Oh he hasn’t barely come up for air, I’ve had to hand him- like two water bottles and a brain superfood bar so far. He’s dove in head first and he’s threading everything all together and making a proper spider web. It’s awesome. He’s even redesigning your suit. Because we’ve narrowed it down on which particular bandwidths that Phillip is “broadcasting” off. Like a radio tower. So the suit, as long as it can cover your head, can, in theory- protect you and he has already designed like a dozen more features that Edna would be drooling if she saw them and every other Super is going to want their own set of them. It’s working perfectly.” Jack informed her proudly as he got into the fridge to see what Buddy had in the way of afternoon snacks.  

“I can see what you see in him. For once you have really good taste in men.” Jack teased before Violet mused his hair.

“You keep that quiet.” Violet urged.

“He’s actually a really good guy though. And he clearly cares about you enough to take all this on with just a single ‘please’ from you and if I had to bet, he’s clearly way beyond head over heels for you. And I think you’re in just as much danger of being the future Mrs. Pine that you are being Mrs. Sebastian.” Jack hinted with a scheming grin.

“My love life is also not a problem to be solved, much less by you.” Violet tried to argue but the little excited grin that she immediately tried to swipe off her face was pretty telling to Jack especially.

“I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing. You’d two be a cute couple. Whereas in the other one you’d be a hostage.” Jack shrugged as he found a string cheese and started to eat that for a snack before dinner which Violet had been doing so well at following the directions Buddy had left for himself.

“That’s true.” Violet admitted- as she got a blackberry yogurt from Buddy’s fridge and ate that as a snack herself.

“And the moment you pop out a kid, and give Mom and Dad a legitimate grandbaby they will be all on board.” Jack reminded her.

“What about the two they already have?” Violet argued, referring to Dash’s kids.

“They’re from two different baby mama’s and he’s not even with either one of them right now and he’s probably on his way to making a third as we speak.” Jack retorted as Violet did nod in agreement to that as she did her best to hide her own guilty expression.

“Maybe after Barret solves this, he can tackle a way to put a permanent condom on Dash.” Violet muttered sarcastically.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea.” Jack offered.

“No it wouldn’t be.” Violet agreed as she wrapped her arm around Jack and gave him a side hug.

“Do you really think Barret can do it?” Violet asked softly.  

“I do. He’s working like over a dozen angles simultaneously and is using his entire lab to work on all of it. He really is a genius. Like a savant level of genius. Almost makes me wonder if he’s actually a Super himself.” Jack answered.

“He probably is a low grade one, but one that there isn’t a test for yet.” Violet mused. “Either that or one hell of a gifted normal.” Violet shrugged.

“Either way, good brother in law material.” Jack muttered.

“That’s if we can survive Phillip’s best efforts.” Violet murmured with a grimace before she could stop herself.  

“Well Barret gave Phillip the blueprint about how to come clean with you and how to move his relationship with you from asset and handler to genuine and legitimate and Phillip has yet to take him up on it or follow any of it. All Buddy is doing is following his own blueprint and it’s working out for him. That and your chemistry is pretty good if one kiss on the cheek from you sent him into a mini tizzy, I can’t imagine what he’d do if you actually kissed him- kissed him.” Jack teased and cackled when Violet smacked him upside the head.

“Get back in that lab before I hurt you.” Violet ordered.

“Ok, ok, I’m gone, one more string cheese and a Coke.” Jack said before he grabbed the can and another snack before he retreated into the lab again as Violet set everything up for the company and artfully arranged all the snacks on trays. Making not just a cheese and charcuterie board but also a tray for the remaining cheeses and fruits and nuts and of course the chocolate covered strawberries and even wrapped the cases of chocolates and made sure to fill the cards out for each of the families before putting the snack trays back into the fridge and even made an extra dish for the dinner because Buddy had the ingredients and did her best to keep her dress clean with the help of the apron but was all too happy and comfortable to be barefoot in the kitchen and out of her heeled sandals as she continued to dance around the kitchen, listening to her music and feeling right at home for some reason. Violet even had time to take a leisurely break and watch some TV as she waited for everything to finish cooking in the ovens before she set the ovens to be warm for most of the food so it wouldn’t overcook while the main course finished braising and arranged all the bottles of wine and beers before it was time for her to go greet her guests if they decided they would be coming early.

“Hey guys, we got about 25 minutes before our company should be coming. So try to wrap up what you can and just set things to process for a while.” Violet reminded them.

“Ok.” Jack agreed from his spot at one of the pieces of equipment from the other side of the lab.

“Yeah.” Buddy answered but Violet could tell by that tone that he was still super distracted with what he was working on before she simply shook her head and walked across the lab and purposefully sat in Buddy’s lap and placed her arm around his shoulders as the touch completely yanked him out of his hyper-focus.

“Wha- huh?” Buddy asked as he suddenly realized she was not only next to him but obviously in his lap and the serene but expectant look she gave him as she simply reached up and gently threaded her fingers through his hair and grinned when he seemed to melt at her touch.

“Did you hear what I just told you?” Violet asked sweetly but thoughtfully.

“Uh...something about the time?” Buddy asked before he noticed what time it was.

“Oh shit, the dinner…” Buddy realized.

“Nope, I took care of it. I just followed the to do list you left yourself and followed the recipes you had pulled up on the tablet in your kitchen. It’s all done, it’s all ready to go. The main course still has about thirty minutes left, but everything else is done. All the snacks and cold appetizers are in the fridge, already on the trays, all you have to do is pull them out of the fridge and set them on the breakfast bar. I’m just letting you know, you now have about 23 minutes before your guests arrive. So that gives you 15 minutes to wrap things up and set things to continue processing while we socialize. Can you handle that?” Violet reassured him in one of her more calming, soothing tones and Buddy was ready to propose to her in that instant as he readily held her steadily in his lap and was ready to break at least one chair if it meant she’d have nowhere to sit but his lap for the evening.  

“Yep, I can do that.”

“Good, give me your phone so I can set an alarm, just in case and then I’ll go down and see if anyone ends up being early. Ok?” Violet posed before Buddy freely handed her his phone as she put an alarm that would sound in 15 minutes.

“Thank you Barret, see you in a bit.” Violet thanked him and gave his temple a quick kiss she offered before she got up and sauntered away and left as Buddy was hopeless but to watch her leave. God was he falling hard and fast for her.

“Someone’s gonna be Mrs. Pine.” Jack teased in a sing-song tone from across the lab once the door was closed behind Violet.

“Shh! Don’t jinx it Man.” Buddy shushed him.

“Violet didn’t have any aversions to it when I said something about it to her earlier.” Jack added temptingly and nearly fell out of his chair laughing when Buddy reacted to that revelation.

“Wait what?” Buddy pressed as he nearly fell out of his chair as he leaned as far back as he could so he could see Jack clearly from across the lab.

“Look, with Phillip, she’s a hostage, with you she’s happy and more like her old self before she did so many missions as a spy. It’s just an observation.” Jack answered as he put his hands up in defeat.  

“Really? She’s happy with me?” Buddy pressed.

“You really need to ask that? I thought you were a genius?” Jack teased with a shit eating grin.

“Yeah with computers I am, to women and most social situations, not really no.” Buddy confessed.

“None of us can have it all Man.” Jack shrugged. “Come on, we only have like 12 minutes left.” Jack reminded him before they went back to work trying to get as many processes starting as they could before they ran out of time.

Meanwhile Violet waited anxiously at SEB’s entrance, having brought the tub of gifts down and set them up on a table on the other side of security so she could hand them to the kids once they came through the metal detectors before Greg and Tammy and their kids came in and Violet put on a bright, welcoming smile.

“Well hello guys! Welcome to SEB Industries. I’m Miss Violet Parr, acting head of security. And I’ll need all of you to come through the metal detector and then I just have some really quick paperwork for you.” Violet said sweetly as Greg’s little boy Alex, who was 4 smiled brightly at her.

“Hi!” He greeted.

“Hello, what’s your name Handsome?” Violet cooed as she turned to him from the other side of security.

“Alex!” He greeted.,

“Well come on through Alex,” Violet invited as she waived him through before his parents followed him through security as Violet got their paperwork in order.

“Ok, so in exchange for the cameras to be turned off so we’re not in a complete fish bowl, I need both of you to sign these. And while you’re reading these over and signing them. I have these for Evan, Alex and even Kaely, I didn’t know if they would be jealous that you guys got to sign paperwork and they didn’t. So I wrote up something they could “sign” too.” Violet informed them as she showed Greg and Tammy the “contracts” she had written that basically had big check marks next to the things she thought would be appropriate for each kid. Kaely’s paper just had pictures with check marks on. Which Tammy and Greg thought was super cute and agreed to let her show their kids as Evan took his “contract” and snorted a laugh but agreed and signed it while Kaely happily sat on the floor and did the same with hers, choosing to scribble on the pictures while Violet helped Alex with his.

“Ok Alex, while your mommy and daddy are signing their paperwork, you have the most important paperwork. Let me read it to you. Objective number 1, so think of this like your mission, should you choose to accept it- is you will have fun while you’re here. Do you agree?” She posed.

“Yes.” Alex eagerly answered.

“Awesome, so put a check mark right here.” Violet directed as she handed him a pen which he happily did.

“Ok, now, objective number two, you will eat all your dinner so that you can have dessert? Which there is an awesome cake up there, it’s super yummy. Do you agree?” Violet posed.

“Yes.” Alex giggled as he checked that off.

“Number three, most important, there are other kids coming tonight and a limited number of toys, so that means that you have to share what’s up there and do your best to get along, do you agree?” Violet posed.

“Yes.” Alex answered as he checked that.

“Ok, now all you gotta do is sign your name, which if you don’t know how to write your name, you can totally just scribble it in.” Violet reassured him before Alex scribbled excitedly.

“Now we gotta stamp this, can you stamp it for me?” Violet asked as she handed him the “Approved” stamp and had him stamp it which he did, like five times, all over the paper before Violet could get the stamp back with a laugh.

“Super duper approved! Awesome. Ok, so now we put the stamp back and we give this to your parents so they can keep it.” Violet urged as Alex took the paper and eagerly showed his parents who had just gotten done with their own paperwork as Violet traded and made sure that they had initialed, signed and dated it before she did the same and stamped the paperwork herself quickly before she directed them to the gift table to pick up the kids’ gift bags along with the family’s gift case of chocolates to take home which the wives all eagerly took and held onto as the others came and she repeated the process, all the parents thinking it was super adorable that Violet would include the kids and be as awesome with them as she was and Greg, Keith and Scott along with their wives were happy to see this soft side of Violet and the kids were super happy about the gift bags and had already looked through them a little and had found all kinds of goodies and even the "older" kids thought it was awesome that she made theirs different than the little kids.  

“Ok, is everyone here and accounted for?” Violet asked as she did a head count and double checked her paperwork to make sure she had everyone.

“Awesome, well follow me guys,” Violet said as she led the way to the freight elevator that would be big enough for all of them before they all squeezed in and Violet hit the floors with her passkey that she had on a lanyard on her neck.

“So how come he doesn’t have an actual floor on the elevator?” Evan asked.

“Oh it’s a safety precaution. SEB is not immune to corporate espionage and the last thing we need is for Mr. Pine to be subjected to any while he’s here with us since all the projects he works on are all the intellectually property of SEB.” Violet answered politely.

“But I thought that’s what you were here for as head of security?” Scott posed.

“I’m only one person. I can’t fight off everything and everyone.” Violet shrugged before they came to the floor and Violet led the way to Buddy’s apartment and walked in to see Buddy thankfully in the kitchen, putting out the trays of appetizers on the breakfast bar like Violet had suggested.

“Hey guys! Thanks for coming, take your shoes off, stay a while.” Buddy warmly invited as he came over and did the handshake hug thing with everyone as the kids eagerly went over to where the cake was set up to look at it in awe as they realized it was a galaxy cake as Violet simply slipped away to change out of her dress and into more casual attire before she seemed to reappear just as the adults were gathering around the breakfast bar to dig into the snacks provided before Jack came out of Buddy’s lab and into the apartment.

“Well hi.” Greg greeted Jack as he looked from Jack to Buddy curiously.

“Hi,” Jack replied before he soon took refuge next to his sister.

“Is this your son?” Greg asked Violet but he was struck by how ginger Jack was, almost like he could be Violet and Buddy's son if they ever got to have kids.

“No, I’m her little brother, Jack, nice to meet you.” Jack immediately countered.

“My parents are out of town for the weekend so I’m staying with Violet and Barret agreed to help me with a school project.” Jack informed them casually as all the adults blinked in surprise as they looked from Jack to Buddy excitedly.

“What’s the school project about?” Tammy, Greg’s wife asked.

“Radio waves.” Jack answered.

“Oh, cool, well if there was anyone to help you with that, it would be Bud, or uh, Barret, rather.” Tammy nodded as she looked at him and tried to think of where she had seen him before Tammy’s son Evan came around his mom to grab another handful of snacks himself, mostly a handful of blueberries and another chocolate covered strawberry.

“Hey! I know you! You play at Millwood Park a lot.” Evan noted to Jack.  

“Yeah!” Jack beamed in excitement because low and behold, he had a friend at this shindig after all before he happily left Violet’s side to go over to Evan before the two went back with the rest of the kids to play among themselves in Buddy’s living room while Jack happily got to have his own gift bag from among the extras.

“Wow Bud you really went all out.” Beth, Keith’s wife noted as she appreciated the spread.

“Actually, this is all Violet’s doing. Jack and I went down a rabbit hole for his school project so Violet is the one that put this all together. Didn't she do a great job?” Buddy proudly answered as he marveled at these snack trays and happily started putting a little bit of everything together and marveling at the amazing quality of it all, being immensely proud of Violet for putting all this together and saving his bacon to speak.

Almost like a real couple should.

“Well I wouldn’t have done half as good if you hadn’t left a pretty good plan to follow, I just followed your ‘to-do’ list that had all the instructions on what and when to start all the elements. It was a piece of cake because of that.” Violet returned with a little shrug but her pleased grin shamed the sun at the praise, being ever so happy he pleased with it.

“Well now that you mention it, yes it’s obvious you did it because there’s no way he would have thought to include flower arrangements or half of these snack trays and look at that cake and those cupcakes, and this wine selection is flawless, I mean come on, all this does scream feminine touch.” Lisa praised as she gestured to everything as she even noticed Buddy’s table was set up beautifully too before they dissolved into idle chit chat before the oven beeped which signaled that dinner was ready before all the adults got a place around the table and all the kids got to sit around a second table that Violet had set up for them, complete with galaxy paper plates and napkins and cups as all the adults seemed to grab a dish and put it on the table before Buddy said grace and all the mothers got their kid’s plates ready and squared away before all the adults dug into what was left and even Buddy was pleasantly surprised to see Violet’s added dish and thought it complemented the meal perfectly and he was ever so grateful that Violet had just picked up where he left off so he could do the same for her and they had done it flawlessly together and with him sitting at the head of the table and her sitting to his immediate right, he was all too pleased about this and thought she fit in flawlessly, if anything she was the integral part to all of this and with the way they were kind of smooshed around the table, his knee was happy to rest against hers.

“So, where are you from Violet?” Beth asked.

“Uh, well my parents are originally from here but then they moved around a lot when I was little but when I was 14 we settled here back here in Metroville and my family has been here ever since.” Violet answered.

“Oh, so you’re just a hometown girl who’s made it big then?” Beth surmised.

“Well, yeah, I guess you could say that.” Violet mused.

“Where did you go to college at? I mean I assume you’ve been to collage if you’re head of security.” Beth furthered.

“Actually I didn’t go to collage, although I did have internships.” Violet said simply.

“Oh that’s nice, how did you manage that was the application process hard?” Beth guessed as all the guys looked a little worriedly from Violet to Buddy who looked tense who kept looking from them to Violet to gauge her reactions at being poked and prodded.  

“It was really a case of who I knew and developing the right skill set.” Violet tried to explain delicately.

“But what about you guys, since you brought up college, where did you go?” Violet returned, trying to keep the focus off of herself which Buddy and Violet were grateful for which worked for a little while before the conversation came right back around to her.

And then when they learned that Violet was "single" then all the girls seemed to try to make Buddy out to be this amazing catch of a guy. Which Violet thought was adorable because Buddy was getting a little flustered by it but when her hand went under the table to gently squeeze his knee, that had him relax a little and then to hold his hand under the table had him relaxing even more and taking it all in stride.

Then once dinner was eaten and the cake was cut and all the kids eagerly taking a cupcake before Violet put on a movie for them, the adults happily cleared the table and moved the snack trays to the table so they could sit and continue to snack as Violet opened Buddy’s case of chocolates to enjoy with them as Buddy eagerly and happily went through the case of chocolates to find his favorites as his friends gently poked and prodded Violet some more to try to get to know her better which was an easier feat with Violet happily drinking her favorite wine and with Buddy’s hand and hers both seemed to be drawn together under the table and before Violet knew it she was happily holding his hand under the table since they were still kitty corner to each other as they ate and drank happily with their free hand and Buddy was so unbelievably proud of Violet for staying Violet and it really was- for a few blissful hours- just a group of adults hanging out for a dinner.

It wasn’t until after the second movie that Violet put on for the kids, that the group heard the tell tail signs of little ones snoring as they had all snuggled up together on the couch with a couch throw over them and had fallen asleep since it was now almost midnight. But the adults had had too much fun just talking and catching up and getting to know each other better and Violet was very happy when all the women invited her and Jack to their kid's birthday parties and slumber parties and even to out to brunch and stuff which Violet was thrilled to have because she didn't really have any close friends besides other Supers and Tammy, Lisa and Beth were really fun actually as Buddy was grateful that they had eagerly accepted her into the fold.

“I think it’s time we better go.” Beth encouraged them before they all murmured their agreement and Violet happily, yet sleepily let them out.

“Please be gentle with him. Tali did a number on him when she left him, granted he’s changed quite a bit since then, but still. To see how you are with Phillip in the tabloids, I’m worried about how messy that could get.” Beth murmured to Violet as Violet carried Beth’s daughter Riley out to their van while Beth carried her newborn, Roman on her chest, covered in a thick baby blanket.

“I’m aware,” Violet nodded in understanding. “And I’ll do my best to do what I can.” Violet reassured her.

“Thank you Vi.” Beth thanked her.

By the time Violet got back into Buddy’s apartment and to see Jack still zonked out on the couch, she wanted nothing more than to just crash as Buddy was loading up the dishwasher and setting the pots and pans to soak in the sink overnight and noticed Violet was beyond tired herself.

“Why don’t you stay?” Buddy finally spoke up which caused Violet to turn her head to consider him.

“Oh, no uh, I really should get home.” Violet tried to refuse even though the thought of just crashing in Buddy’s bed sounded particularly fantastic.

“Vi, it’s late and you’ve been drinking, please, I’ll move Jack to my bed and you can sleep in it with him and I’ll take the couch. I don’t want you to chance you driving like this.” Buddy gently argued, even though Violet was far from drunk or even tipsy. He was more worried about her driving exhausted more than sober.

“Ok fine.” Violet easily caved before Buddy washed his hands from handling the dirty dishes and then happily came over and picked Jack up and carried him to his own room as Violet happily got her own bag and realized she had actually packed it for staying over which she thought was interesting that she had either consciously or subconsciously done that before she went into Buddy’s bathroom to wash the makeup off her face and brush out her hair and braid it so it wouldn’t tangle before Buddy simply knocked on the bathroom door and when Violet had opened it, he was holding an old tshirt and held it out to her so she had something to sleep in which Violet happily took, even though she technically brought pajamas, she readily accepted his offering, preferring his super soft, oversized shirt.

“Thank you Barret.” Violet cooed tiredly as she took and when she emerged, she noticed that Jack had already been tucked into the bed and a set of Buddy’s spare set of bedding had been taken out of his closet and when she had peaked into the living room Buddy was taking the pull out bed from his couch and setting up the bed and she was able to walk up behind him and hug him from behind and nuzzled his back with her face, letting his scent settle deep into her lungs and happily welcomed the comfort it brought which gave Buddy pause as he simply hugged her arms in turn.

“You’re welcome.” Buddy returned.

“Goodnight Barret.” Violet murmured.

“Good night Vi.” Buddy replied before he felt her pull away and retreat as he looked over his shoulder to see her go and blushed when he noticed she wasn’t wearing pajama pants or shorts or anything and took a moment to appreciate her amazing legs even though she was drowning in his shirt- just enough to be super adorable before she disappeared down the hallway to his bedroom before he finished making the bed and just as he was about to get into it , he heard a beeping sound in his lab which woke him up fully and got him to go into the lab to see what processes had finished before he once again happily plunged himself down the rabbit hole.

An hour and a half later, Violet woke up, having to go to the bathroom and decided to check up on Buddy before she noticed that the lights were still on and his bed was untouched which made her frown before she went around the apartment and turned the lights off before she opened the door to the lab to see Buddy still working on stuff.

“Barret?” Violet called out sleepily which got him to jump before he turned to her and was relieved it was only her.

“Hey, you should be in bed.” Buddy softly encouraged her.

“So should you,” Violet returned as she walked up to him.

“Sorry, I got caught up in…” Buddy gestured to what was in front of him which got Violet to hum and nod sleepily before she straddled his lap in his chair before she laid down on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders.

“You got two minutes to set things to process overnight, then you’re getting in bed.” Violet warned.

“But…” Buddy tried to argue but once Violet lifted her head and fixed him with a look, that even though she was beyond tired, still conveyed the seriousness of her request.

“Do it or I will use my secret weapon on you.” Violet threatened and Buddy was both scared yet intrigued to see what exactly she would do before he simply reached around her and did as she asked before she let her head rest on his shoulder once again and for the last fourth minute it took him to get everything squared away, his heart was hammering, wondering if she was noticing it was taking longer than she told him to take and once he was done, he blew out a breath of relief.

“Ok, I’m done.” Buddy informed her.

“Good, come on, bed.” Violet insisted and got up but pulled him after her and got the lights to the lab on her way out before she led him to the pull out bed and practically pushed him into the bed before she got into the bed with him and pulled his head to rest in her chest as he readily gathered her into his arms and when she started petting his head , her fingertips lazily scratching his scalp as her other hand softly and comfortingly smoothed over his back.

“Is this your secret weapon?” Buddy asked, his words muffled by his own t-shirt she was wearing.

“Yup, works on babies and grown men alike.” Violet answered, refusing to open her eyes and smiled softly in the darkness when he felt her relax and in 5 minutes flat, he was out like a light as she stopped her motions and simply wriggled down so she could cuddle with his chest and go to sleep herself.

But that wasn’t until Violet heard Buddy murmur something in his sleep.

“Hmm?” Violet hummed in question.

“I love you Violet.” Buddy answered, even though he was completely asleep.

“I love you too Barret.” Violet murmured back, a pleased, but happy smile on her face as she fell asleep in his arms.

[booksalwaysandforever]

Holding on to the Memories Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Summary: Lauren’s life was a perfect dream, until one day it wasn’t. Cutting can distract you from life, but it can also take life away. Can Lauren get back home, or has it all been taken away from her?

Tag list:  @kai-unknown​

Length: almost 3000 words, it’s pretty long!

I’m so sorry, it has been forever since I posted. This chapter took a long time to write and I have had a rough couple weeks. I absolutely love this chapter and I hope you do too! I will try and get the next chapter out a lot faster than this one.

The darkness was all consuming. There was no way out, and no way to tell how long I had been here. It could’ve been 5 minutes or a month. I didn’t know. 

All of a sudden, the darkness lit up with millions of colors. At first, I thought the light was back, but as I watched the scene in front of me unfold, I quickly realized that wasn’t it at all. 

“Please, take care of her,” a woman, my birth mother, said as she handed a baby to Carlisle. 

“We will take care of her and give her a life as grand as if she were a princess.” She smiled at the answer and closed her eyes as her breathing stopped. Carlisle turned to the baby in his arms. “Welcome to the family, Lauren. I promise to love you as if you were my own daughter, as I’m sure Esme and the rest of your siblings will as well.” With that, he turned and rushed away.

This was a memory. It was mine, but at the same time, it wasn’t. I was too young to remember this. It must’ve been Carlisle’s. It was the day he found and adopted me. Carlisle had been hunting nearby and could smell the blood. He came as fast as he could to see what had happened and if he could help. Sadly, my dad was killed on impact and my mother was severely hurt. Carlisle couldn’t save her, but before she died, she gave me to Carlisle, in hopes that he could give me an amazing life. 

The memory quickly faded into another one.

“Everyone, I have some news,” Carlisle said as he walked through the door. “Meet your new little sister. Her parents were in a car crash and she has no other family, so she’ll be staying with us.”

Everyone piled around, getting a good look at their sister.

“Nessie,” Edward said, “she looks a little like you. And a lot like you did when you were human, Bella.”

“Yeah, brown hair, brown eyes, so similar.” Renesmee said, rolling her eyes as she moved closer to me. “Hi there girly. I’m Nessie, your big sister.” The little baby giggled and stretched their hands out to grab at Renesmee’s hand. When she got a hold of it, she pulled the fingers into her mouth and began sucking on them.

“I think she’s going to start using us all as teething rings,” Esme laughed as she reached her hands out to Carlisle. “Come here girly, Mommy wants to meet you.”

The moment Esme got her hands on the little girl, she began swaying side to side and humming to her. The baby was asleep within a minute.

“What’s her name, Carlisle?” Rosalie asked.

“Lauren Lee Stoel. She is about 4 months old I do believe. I have yet to see her official birth certificate, but I’m sure I will soon. The adoption process starts on Monday.”

“Wait, we’re actually adopting her?” Esme asked with a huge grin on her face.

“Yes dear. In a matter of months, she will officially be ours. She will officially be a Cullen.”

The scene faded again as another one began appearing. Renesmee was showing me as many memories as she could find, memories from my life, taken from the rest of my family, trying to help me wake up.

Esme opened the door to a room and walked in. I followed her in, but it was so dark, I couldn’t see anything. As my eyes adjusted, I realized it was the nursery. A baby, little me, was lying in a crib with Jasper sitting in the rocking chair nearby, reading a book.

“Jasper, what are you doing?” Esme quietly asked.

“I’m tryin’ to get used to her scent and calm ‘er down. She was fidgeting and having a nightmare, I think. I was gonna try and calm her down.”

Ever since that day, Jasper had been my best friend. Slowly, he had gotten used to me and every time I hurt myself or couldn’t sleep, he calmed me down.

The next memories were like pictures. There wasn’t much for talking, but there were short snippets of my life as a baby, captured like a picture.

Jasper was holding me and singing me to sleep while rocking in the rocking chair.

Rosalie was feeding me some mashed peas, which I had effectively flung back into her face. Everyone, including Rosalie, laughed.

Edward sat me in his lap, and was playing the piano. After a moment, I recognized the tune as my lullaby. I was banging on the piano as hard as I could, making it impossible for him to play.

Alice had dressed me up like a princess, practically in a ballgown. Baby me did not like that. I was screaming my lungs out and trying to pull it off. 

Emmett was lying on the ground beside me, playing with me. After a few moments, I yawned and fell asleep. Emmett appeared not to notice and continued playing with my fascinating baby toys.

As I watched these pictures, I realized that Renesmee wasn’t in all of them. She must have talked to everyone, asking them to tell her about some memories they had of me, and she painted the picture in my head. It was almost like I was there with them, watching myself grow up.

“Oh Lauren! Look at you! You’re so grown up,” Rosalie cooed. Emmett was holding onto my hands, helping my almost one year old self walk across the living room floor. “Come here, come to Rosy”

I let go of Emmett’s hands and walked the small three steps into Rosalie’s arms.

“Oh! Lauren, you did it!” she gasped.

“Yeah, you can walk now!” Emmett shouted

And another memory. A birthday no less.

“Happy birfday to me!!” I cried as I shoved my entire face into the birthday cake Alice had made for my first birthday.

“See, this is why we had to strip her before we let her eat it,” Carlisle said. “Lauren, do you like cake?”

“Oooooh, cake. I like cake,”

“Esme, I don’t think a bath is going to clean her. We’re going to need a garden hose.”

“I’ll go get the power washer!”

Everyone laughed. “Emmett, no! You do not get to hose down your sister with the power washer.”

Images of my second, third, and fourth birthday all passed by, along with many different images of me playing games with my family, meeting the wolves and playing with them, and other random memories. None of them were very long, just a moment or two, but that didn’t mean they weren’t important to me.

“Emmett, Jasper, can you guys take Lauren and go shopping for food for her this afternoon? Your father has to work and the rest of us need to go hunting,” Esme asked the boys.

“Sure thing, Mom,” Jasper said as he grabbed the keys. Emmett helped me put my shoes on and buckled me into my booster seat.

“So, what do you want for supper Lauren?” Emmett asked, turning around in his seat to look at me.

“Pancakes. And Mac and Cheese. Oh! And chicken nuggets.” Jasper laughed.

“We’ll see what we can get you squirt.”

When we got to the store, Emmett and Jasper followed me around the store and let me pick out anything I wanted. The best part of being the youngest kid was that all of my older siblings didn’t have the ability to say no to me. After 30 minutes of following me around the store, we walked out with several bags, mostly consisting of sugar, and brought them to the car. 

After spending the afternoon playing games and running around the house with Emmett and Jasper, everyone came home.

“So, how was shopping, boys?” Esme asked.

“Good, we got everything Lauren wanted.”

“Oh no. No no no.” Esme put her head in her hands. “Please tell me you bought more than just donuts, ice cream, and candy bars.”

“Don’t worry, we did. We also got her some fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, juice boxes, popsicles, and chocolate milk,” said Emmett with an innocent grin on his face.

“And some Mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, yogurt, fish sticks, and stuff for pancakes and waffles. Don’t worry, there is some actual food in there,” Jasper said, laughing at Esme’s horrified face. 

“So Lauren, what do you want to be for Halloween?” Jacob asked me.

“That’s a secret. You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Jacob always took Renesmee and I trick or treating. Renesmee was only one year older than my four year old self, so she passed for a young teenager. People still gave her candy when she was with me, so we always went together. Most of the time, it was too sunny out when we started trick or treating so none of the rest of the family could come.

A week later, it was time to go trick or treating. Alice was in my room helping me get ready. 

“Lauren, are you almost ready? We need to go before all the good candy is gone,” Jacob called from down the stairs. 

“I’m coming. I’m coming,” I shouted back. As I walked down the stairs, Jacob started laughing. I was dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood, and Renesmee and I convinced him to be a wolf. Renesmee was dressed as a grandma to follow along with the whole scheme.

“See, we match!”

From that day on, Jacob always called me Little Red. My Halloween costumes had earned me several nicknames. I dressed up as a bear for Emmett one year and he had begun to call me “brown bear”. I became known as “spider monkey” to Edward because I dressed up as a spider monkey one year for him, and the fact that I would always climb on everything when I was little. To Jasper, I was his “mini major”. I had dressed up as a cowgirl once and I often had a bit of a temper and was pretty sassy. The best Halloween costume though, was when I dressed up as a vampire. Alice and Edward helped me get red contacts, fake fangs, a cape, and everything else to help me look like a vampire in movies, even some fake blood and red juice to drink. Everyone loved it. It was by far, the best Halloween costume ever.

“Can I please know what my birthday present is?” I asked. Jasper had blind folded me and had slung me over his shoulder while he carried me somewhere. 

“No. It’s a surprise.”

“Come on, please? Pretty please? I’m seven now. I should get to know.”

“No.”

“Wow, this is one of the first times you’ve said no.” Jasper laughed.

“We’ve all had a hard time saying no to you since you’re so cute.”

“I’m not cute,” I exclaimed as I hit him as hard as I could without hurting myself. “Rosalie says I’m beautiful. Also, your shoulder hurts. It’s too hard. I’m going to break my hand one of these days from smacking you or Emmett.” Jasper laughed at me again.

“Then maybe don’t hit us.”

“But you deserve to be hit.”

“I agree with Lauren.” Rosalie said, standing somewhere beside me. Jasper set me down on the ground. I could tell we were outside due to the sound of the creek and the breeze blowing my hair.

“Okay, are you ready to see your birthday present?”

“Yes. I’ve been waiting a whole year!” Everyone laughed.

“Okay then.”

Rosalie untied the blindfold and everyone at the party began singing happy birthday. My family, the pack, Grandpa Charlie, Grandma Sue, Grandpa Billy, and even my aunts and uncles from Alaska were there. Alice had made this a huge party, with fairy lights hanging from the trees, a huge banner that said “Happy 7th birthday, Lauren” in fancy calligraphy, and a huge birthday cake. But the coolest thing I saw was a swimming pool with a diving board and slide, a trampoline, and a tree house in the climbing tree. 

“A tree house, a pool, and a trampoline?” I exclaimed, jumping up and down. 

“Yes dear,” said Carlisle. “You’ve been begging us to get at least one for a while and you’ve been doing amazing in school, so we decided to let you have all three. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” I shouted as I gave him and Esme hugs. I ran over to the trampoline, and Seth, Jacob, Emmett, and Jasper followed me.

“Boys,” Esme called. “That is Lauren’s gift. Let's not break it on the first day.”

A billion more memories went through my head. Memories of riding on Jacob’s back through the forest and going on runs with all of my siblings and the rest of the pack. Memories of playing tons of board games and video games with Emmett and Jasper, learning to play piano with Edward, and learning to dance with all my brothers and Dad. Going shopping with Rosalie, Alice, and Bella, spending the night at Renesmee’s house and her spending the night with me. Having sleepovers at Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Sue’s house, sleepovers with the pack at Sam and Emily’s house, and even sleepovers in Alaska with Aunt Tanya, Aunt Kate, and Uncle Garrett. Making a flower crown for everyone in the Volturi when they came to visit, making Marcus smile for the first time in a very long time, pretending to be a vampire princess when I visited their palace. Singing and dancing for my entire family, playing tag with everyone, only for it to end with someone catching me, throwing me in the air, and tickling me. Memories of things like going tubing, or to an amusement park with Renesmee, Jacob, Seth, and sometimes the rest of the pack. Even just simple things like blasting music in the car on the way to school, or seeing everyone in the front row at one of my dance recitals. Every one of those billion memories reminded me of why I needed to fight to stay. I needed to hold on to these memories and go home. But how?

One last memory plays in my mind. This one definitely wasn’t mine, but it was everyone else's.

My entire family was there, standing in a hospital room, crowded around a bed. My bed. Renesmee was sitting next to me, on my right side near the window, holding her hand to my cheek. Jasper was sitting on my other side holding my hand, while Alice was standing behind him. Esme and Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmett, Edward and Bella, and Jacob were all standing around my bed. Edward spoke first.

“As you’ve realized, Renesmee has been playing as many memories as she could find for you to try and wake you up. So far, it hasn’t helped. I hope this does. We need you to come back, Lauren.”

“Brown bear, come home,” Emmett whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear. “We’ve got to play Cards Against Humanity.”

“Lauren, we found your gifts,” Rosalie said, reaching for the locket around her neck. “I love it. And I promise,” she said, opening the locket to reveal the picture inside. “I didn’t put anything embarrassing in here.” 

Esme’s crying was worse than it had ever been. Her body was shaking with sobs, which was very unusual for a vampire. She was turned into Carlisle’s body, who was holding her, but he looked like he was going to collapse himself.

“Princess, please. We need you,” was all he could choke out in a hoarse whisper. My dad was never like this. He was always cool, calm, collected. Right now, he looked like a mess. I had broken my Dad. And that broke my heart.

“Little Red, the pack needs you too.” Jacob said from behind Renesmee. “They’ve all been a mess. Especially Seth and Leah. They haven’t slept or eaten in days. We need you. Fight. Please, please fight.”

“Lauren, I need my best friend. I need help eating all the candy and ice cream at home, help beating the boys at every video game we own, help pulling all nighters and watching every movie for the six millionth time. I can’t do that without you. I can’t do it without my best friend and sister.”

Both Bella and Alice couldn’t talk, they were sobbing too hard. I left Alice speechless for the first time ever. 

“I love you too.” That was all Jasper could say. I had never seen him cry. Jasper did not cry. Not once. But now, he was. My big brother, the Major, the strongest of us all, was crying, no, sobbing. And it was all my fault. Slowly, Jasper leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

That kiss was true love. My brother loved me more than anything, and that was what fought the darkness. The feeling of his lips leaving my head were the first thing I could feel. That and his cold hand in mine felt amazing against my burning skin. Now, I could hear the sounds of everyone's sobs in my own ears. I was regaining consciousness! I had fought the darkness and now I could go home. I forced my eyes open and looked at my family, who, other than Alice and Edward, had no idea I was awake. Alice had gasped the moment Jasper had decided to kiss my head, so everyone turned to look at her.

“Jasper” I croaked. Everyone turned their heads to me as fast as they could, disbelief filling their eyes. 

“Lauren!”

[oztrekk]

Quarantine in Australia: Staying in the hotel

Hi again, everyone! My name is Radka and I’m in my second year at the University of Melbourne Dental School. I was fortunate enough to receive a travel exemption to travel back to Australia in order to complete my degree (you can read more about my experience flying back to Australia during COVID here!).

Once I found out that I had to complete a 14-day mandatory quarantine, I began scouring the internet for anything to help me prepare for my upcoming mission. Unfortunately, the material I found on the web was scarce and often depicted a rather negative experience.

Now, if it is of any consolation to you, I would like to let you know that quarantine is in fact not as bad as you may read about it being and I actually had a very pleasant experience. If you are going to be quarantining or if you are just a little curious then please keep reading!

My Hotel Room After arriving in Sydney, I was taken to the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel. My room was just your regular clean hotel room, complete with a queen bed, a desk, a sofa, a clean bathroom, and a fantastic view (I got really lucky with the view!). There was also a kettle to use for your coffee, tea, or soups, and a mini fridge to store extra food or water. There was also a hotel laundry service; however, that came with a fee of $35.

Tip: Pack lots of extra comfy clothes so you don’t have to worry about doing laundry. Or, if you would like to hand wash your clothes, consider packing a small amount of laundry detergent.

The hotel staff also brought by fresh towels and extra toiletries halfway through quarantine, so don’t fret because you in fact do not need to ration your toilet paper or clean towels! Of course, regular guest hotel services were available 24/7 with just a quick phone call to reception, so don’t be afraid to request whatever you may need. I ran out of toothpaste on day 3 of my stay and when I requested some from the guest services, they delivered a few tubes to my door.

The Food Before you check into your hotel room, the hotel staff will give you a form as ask you to identify any dietary restrictions, preferences, or allergies.

Breakfast was scheduled to arrive between 7  and 9 a.m., but it consistently arrived around 7:30 a.m. at my room.

Tip: Set an alarm to get out of bed to collect your breakfast around 7 a.m. so you don’t miss it!

Breakfast usually consisted of a bag of cereal (cornflakes, Kellogg’s All-Bran, Sultana Bran), a carton of milk, yogurt, and a cold fruit juice. Sometimes we would also have bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon or some banana bread. All very delicious and very filling versions of breakfast!

Lunch would arrive around noon. This was by far my favourite meal of the day during quarantine. Lunch usually consisted of a colourful salad with some sort of protein (smoked salmon, chicken, beef), bread with butter, and a fruit. Since the breakfasts were very filling, I was never hungry for lunch… but I ate anyway. The odd time we had warm lunches, such as pad Thai, rice and chicken, or a delicious meat pie with mashed green peas.

Dinners were delicious as well, but not quite as good as the lunches, in my opinion. I had lamb with potatoes and baked carrots, steak with veggies and mashed potatoes, chicken parmigiana, and lots of different meals with fish and pasta! Dinner was served anywhere from 7  to 9 p.m., but most of my dinners arrived consistently around 7 p.m. Our dinners always included bread and butter, some sort of fruit, dessert, and a big, cold bottle of water.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy most of the desserts. Sometimes we were given lemon tarts and apple tarts and those were my absolute favourite! Other times we were given small cakes and I did not enjoy those as much.

Tip: Bring lots of pre-packaged snacks because you might get bored or you might not like the snacks delivered with meals.

On my very last day of quarantine, the staff delivered a generous slice of red velvet cake to congratulate me on completing my 14-day quarantine. I thought that this was a very kind gesture and was a great way to end off my quarantine! (Unfortunately, my friends quarantining over at the Four Seasons did not get a farewell cake.)

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with how healthy and nutritious the meals were; however, I recommend packing some vitamin D supplements because the one thing your body will be deficient in during quarantine is sunlight access!

When I was craving something different, there were plenty of food delivery services available. My go-to is always Uber Eats, and thankfully my favourite treat (“Poke Bowls” from Poked) was near the hotel, so I ordered them a few times. I also gave the in-room dining menu a try and ordered a pizza. The hotel’s in-room dining prices have been reduced 30% for the quarantining guests to enjoy, so hopefully your hotel will offer you some sweet discounts as well!

The Drinks I was worried about how much water I would be provided, but thankfully I received plenty of water. I was given one bottle of cold water with every dinner. However, I recommend keeping the water bottles and refilling them with water and storing them in your fridge (this way you will always have cold, refreshing water available).

The hotel room was equipped with a kettle, a mini fridge, and the drawers were stalked up with lots of instant coffee and tea. The instant coffee did get a little boring after a few days, but thankfully a flat white was just one phone call away to Guest Services. It was $5 for a small coffee from the hotel but as soon as you order it they bring it up to your room with the receipt 🙂

If alcohol is something you would fancy, (Quarantininis, anyone?) the in-room dining menu served alcohol until 9 p.m. There were also alcohol delivery options available through third-party restaurants.

Staying busy This is very important because I am sure we can all agree that 14 days is a looong time! Thankfully, time flew by because I made sure to bring all my favourite hobbies with me. I love knitting so I made sure to pack lots of yarn for my quarantine. I also really enjoy sketching and so I would sketch on my iPad. I am a sucker for Australian reality TV too, so I binged watched the latest Married At First Sight (PS: lots of drama) and other fun shows on the 9now website.

Tip: Pack an HDMI cable to watch your favourite things on the hotel TV. You can only watch so many shows on Netflix sideways in bed!

I also spent half my day talking to loved ones back home on FaceTime and having daily workout sessions with my friend group back in Canada! Speaking of exercising, try to move around as much as possible. It’s so easy to spend the whole day sitting down, but I set alarms on my phone to remind me to get moving in any way possible.

Tip: When you are on the phone with your family and friends or listening to podcasts, try pacing up and down the room rather than sitting in a chair.

And don’t worry if you don’t have any hobbies or you cannot physically bring your hobbies with you during quarantine. You can use this time to learn something new!

COVID-19 Testing The hotel nurses will knock on your door on Day 3 and Day 10 to conduct mandatory COVID tests. At the end of my stay a doctor and an officer knocked on my door to provide me with a certificate that stated that I had tested negative for COVID-19. You will need to keep these documents with you because the hotel staff will ask to see them on the day of your check-out. The doctor also provided me with a bracelet that said “COVID19 NSW SATURDAY.” I assumed this was so hotel and airport staff would know that I had completed my quarantine.

The nurses will also call you daily to check up on your physical health and your mental health status. The nurses are very friendly and want to help you, so don’t hesitate to talk to them and tell them how you’re feeling. If you become sick or require medical help at any point during your quarantine stay, there are doctors and nurses available 24/7 to provide you with medical assistance.

Final Thoughts Overall, my quarantine experience was pleasant (believe it or not). I love to relax and I really value my “me time,” so I approached quarantine as an opportunity to enjoy lots of relaxation.

With all that being said, I encourage you to sit back, relax, and try your best to enjoy your two weeks with a cleared schedule, no alarms, no appointments, and no daily obligations. Embrace your time off my friends and really, really try to make the most of it! Your quarantine experience may be a story you will be telling for the rest of your life, so why not make it a pleasant one to tell your great grandchildren!

Take care everyone and thanks for your time! 🙂

Sincerely, Radka

[soymimikyu]

Food in Netflix’s Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 3

It is over. I finally finished season 3 about 2 hours ago and needed the time to recover and process the ending. While I have only faint memories of the ending in the book, this ending seemed very different (and I want to say I liked it more? I just recall being let down by the way the books ended; however, I was quite young at the time...).

Here is the final set of food notes from the show. The final season was comparatively sparse, but there were some interesting culinary choices. I hope you enjoy!

(Also, since this is the final installment, if anyone enjoyed my rambling carefully curated notes on food in TV shows, I would happily take requests to do this for a different show in the future. It was fun and gave me much to think about in the kitchen.)

Today’s notes are brought to you by Glassworks - Opening played by Ólafsson (because that I what I’m listening to).

Food in The Slippery Slope

Sarsaparilla

What Olaf drinks and discards while driving. It is flat. The bottle helps Violet and Klaus determine which fork to take.

Coffee and Tea

What pretentious people drink according to Olaf

Absinthe

A random beverage that popped into Olaf’s mind.

Marshmallows

Made Brucie the Snow Scout Leader sick after eating too many.

I really want to make these! Gelatin is such a fun platform for cooking so many things! The real goal would be blooming marshmallow flowers with whiskied caramel hot chocolate!

Rutabaga

What the circus freaks plan on growing on their farm.

Hot Dogs

What Olaf’s cooks with this troupe.

Brandy Sidecar or Coffee

What Esme wants with Breakfast.

A Brandy sidecar is a cocktail of cognac, cointreau (orange flavored liqueur), and lemon juice. Sounds pretty tasty -- I think (I know next to nothing about drinks...).

Frozen Orange Juice

Found by Sunny in trunk.

She uses this to make Sorbet.

Salmon

Caught in the stricken stream by Hook-handed man and given to Sunny. She prepares Sashimi with this.

Hot Cider [X]

Quigley’s last meal with his mother. What saved him from the fire.

Canned Peaches

Quigley’s meal at Montgomery’s.

Montgomery had a lot of canned peaches (or just two cans) because the Hook handed man in season 1 is also eating canned peaches when posing as a detective. Nothing wrong with this -- canned peaches are delicious.

Poisonous Berries

Mr. Poe tries to help by finding Breakfast.

I often see poisonous berries as red in TV (I am thinking mostly of a specific seen in the Netflix Witcher series) and it made me curious if real poison berries are always red. Nope: nightshade (duh) is black, and several other harmful berries are also black/blue. Some are orange. Given the brightness of these berries I am going to guess they were Mezereon or Elderberry.

Granola Bar

Mr. Poe has these. Kit has some.

Poe always has granola bars.

Lox

Sunny’s idea for dinner

Pistachios

Lemony is saying something and thinks they are for everyone one.

Parsley Soda

What Sunny gets when she requests a fizzy drink.

Boysenberry Jam

The darkest Jam in the VFD fridge.

This really makes me want good jam or to try jamming. Roasted lamb and jam...not sure where I would easily source lamb right now and is likely to be a far greater headache than I care.

Olives

There were 5 green olives filled with pimento in the jar. It indicated the gathering was on Thursday.

Mustard

All I wrote is the last safe place. I don’t recall the details -- but it was probably a clue.

Mustard is my favorite condiment. I can (and have) eat it plain.

False spring rolls

What was prepared for a meal for Olaf’s troupe by Sunny and Hook handed man.

How did they get wraps on a mountain...maybe you can repurpose a part of a fish to use as wraps. The skin or various internal linings? Seems less appetizing / food safe.

Rutabaga (again)

What Olaf’s troupe wants to grow.

Food in The Grim Grotto

Chewing Gum

Phil only cooks meals with chewing gum.

Chewy Casserole

Chewing gum casserole.

In my experience heating gum or gummy like things often goes very poorly. You can add them towards the end of the cooking process to create some sort of layer -- but definitely not from the start.

Potato and Cod Chowder

Non-gum based meal that Sunny and Phil prepared.

Calamari

What Sunny thinks Olaf’s sonar symbol is.

I fully accept that the children are seriously smart, but where is Sunny learning all of this? Did the books have cooking books (I think so..)? I shall assume that Sunny demands to be read only cooking books as bed time stories.

Soft Pretzels

Olaf wants these. I do too -- I should make them!

Turmeric

In one of Esme’s evil laughs.

Cabernet

Olaf wants wine and gets lost in the octopus submarine looking for some. He pronounces it as Caber-NET.

Horseradish

Cure for the Medusoid Mycelium.

Taragon, Wasabi

Contents of kitchen cabinets while Sunny is sick.

The wasabi is what is used as a culinary substitute and cure. Interestingly, it is Mr. Bobby brand. Would anyone know if this has significance? Brand names in this universe are interesting.

Lemon Lime Soda, Gorgonzola Cheese, Birthday cake for Violet

Contents of the fridge while Klaus and Violet are looking for horse radish.

That is a damn impressive cake. Fondant is really well done. Can you make fondant from gum? Probably not, but Sunny is resourceful and likely found a suitable culinary substitute.

Sub Sandwich

Prepared by Hook-Handed man to delay Olaf form assisting in torturing the children.

Looks like a pretty standard sub on a softer baguette. It appeared to have sliced deli meat.

Chef Salad

Fernald’s analogy for people to emphasize that categorizing people as noble, good, bad, or evil is invalid.

Pig Eating Pork

Ok -- this one is not food, but I was amused by Olaf’s simile to describe his joy.

Food in The Penultimate Peril

The Picnic Basket

I absolutely lost my mind with this scene. We only briefly see the contents of the picnic basket as Violet removes the top layer to reveal the concierge disguises Kit prepared. I paused and replayed this seen maybe 10 times to examine what was in that top layer. I then needed to cross reference some incomplete descriptions with two large pastry books (thankfully they have an entrement section...). I feel reasonably successful:

Millefeuille [X]

This is napoleon. Adding a flavor to the custard is a great way to modernize this dessert.

Cream Puffs (Might be a profiterole) [X -- I’ve done eclairs]

Choux pastry is very forgiving and a good entry point into fancier pastries. It forms the basis of eclairs, cream puffs, and, if you are crazy, croquembouche.

3 Layer cake

Unclear what more to say. Since these are all french pastries, perhaps the sponge is genoise?

Mini Opera Cake

Opera cake is layers of Joconde sponge (almond sponge) flavored with coffee syrup, layered with italian butter cream, and then topped with chocolate ganache. It was something I planned on making before everything closed down (I can’t eat it myself X.x).

Madeleine or Beignet [X]

Since this was a picnic basket, I am leaning in favor of Madeleines. They fit the other set of deserts better than a Beignet.

Nut Entrement

I think is this another cake, but it is unclear. I can’t seem to source this one either. Maybe it is carrot cake! That often has nuts around the perimeter.

Sauvignon Blanc

Olaf’s wine of choice

Aqueous Martini

Jerome’s drink of choice.

Indian Food

Larry, in his last waiter position, poses in an Indian Restaurant. Poe orders a glass of milk.

The Barking Gin Distiller Dry Goods

Interesting brand on the bag belonging to a lady on the trolley during the sequence when Justice Strauss is searching for the Children.

Tea

In flash back with Kit and Esme. Kit likes her tea as bitter as worm wood and sharp as a double edged sword.

Sausages

Crow meat and an analogy for learning the Law (you don’t want to know how the sausage is made, just like you don’t want to know how the law works).

Too much pepper and makes the court audience cough.

Food in The End

Root Beer Float [X]

Lemony has one. It is his thirteenth.

Waffles

Partially consumed by the man following Lemony at the diner.

Mixed Nuts

All that is left to eat on the boat. Sunny offers some to Olaf, but he knocks it into the sea.

Ceviche

Since the islanders don’t have any spice, they eat raw fish.

I have never had this, but recall reading in a book about sushi how it was integrated by some sushi chefs in South America into more traditional Japanese cuisine.

Fermented Coconut Cordial

I have no idea how you could get anything resembling an opioid from fermenting coconut water. Unless Ish is adding something, this seems suspect. Fermenting something sweet and earthy also does not really sound appealing.

Wasabi and Wormwood

Sunny’s suggestions on how to treat the Medusoid Mycelium.

Wormwood and related foods appear often.

Apple

Modified by Bertrand and Beatrice to contain the sugars giving immunity to the Medusoid Mycelium.

Chocolate Cake [X]

SQUEEE this was adorable. Sunny makes a cake for Beatrice II’s first birthday.

Salad

Shared by Fiona and Fernald.

Root Beer Float

Shared between Lemony and Beatrice II as she tells him the remaining story.

I want to believe that this is his 14th root beer float.

Black Bean and Mango Salad

Sunny makes this during the Finnish Female Pirates incident as told by Beatrice II.

This sounds amazing! Slightly ripe mango with a citrusy black bean mixture would be delightful!

[baddadjokez]

514 Dad Jokes

What do you call a fake noodle? An Impasta.​I would avoid the sushi if I was you. It’s a little fishy.​Want to hear a joke about paper? Nevermind it’s tearable.​Why did the cookie cry? Because his father was a wafer so long!​I used to work in a shoe recycling shop. It was sole destroying.​What do you call a belt with a watch on it? A waist of time.​How do you organize an outer space party? You planet.​I went to a seafood disco last week... and pulled a mussel.​Do you know where you can get chicken broth in bulk? The stock market.​I cut my finger chopping cheese, but I think that I may have greater problems.​My cat was just sick on the carpet, I don’t think it’s feline well.​Why did the octopus beat the shark in a fight? Because it was well armed.​How much does a hipster weigh? An instagram.​What did daddy spider say to baby spider? You spend too much time on the web.​Atheism is a non-prophet organisation.​There’s a new type of broom out, it’s sweeping the nation.​What cheese can never be yours? Nacho cheese.​What did the Buffalo say to his little boy when he dropped him off at school? Bison.​Have you ever heard of a music group called Cellophane? They mostly wrap.​Why does Superman gets invited to dinners? Because he is a Supperhero.​How was Rome split in two? With a pair of Ceasars.​The shovel was a ground breaking invention.​A scarecrow says, "This job isn't for everyone, but hay, it's in my jeans."​A Buddhist walks up to a hot dog stand and says, "Make me one with everything."​Did you hear about the guy who lost the left side of his body? He's alright now.​What do you call a girl with one leg that's shorter than the other? Ilene.​I did a theatrical performance on puns. It was a play on words.​What do you do with a dead chemist? You barium.​I bet the person who created the door knocker won a Nobel prize.​Towels can’t tell jokes. They have a dry sense of humor.​Two birds are sitting on a perch and one says "Do you smell fish?"​Do you know sign language? You should learn it, it’s pretty handy.​What do you call a beautiful pumpkin? GOURDgeous.​Why did one banana spy on the other? Because she was appealing.​What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef.​What do you call a cow with two legs? Lean beef.​What do you call a cow with all of its legs? High steaks.​A cross eyed teacher couldn’t control his pupils.​After the accident, the juggler didn’t have the balls to do it.​I used to be afraid of hurdles, but I got over it.​To write with a broken pencil is pointless.​I read a book on anti-gravity. I couldn’t put it down.​I couldn’t remember how to throw a boomerang but it came back to me.​What should you do if you are cold? Stand in the corner. It’s 90 degrees.​How does Moses make coffee? Hebrews it.​The energizer bunny went to jail. He was charged with battery.​What did the alien say to the pitcher of water? Take me to your liter.​What happens when you eat too many spaghettiOs? You have a vowel movement.​The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray was a seasoned veteran.​Sausage puns are the wurst.​What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.​Why shouldn’t you trust atoms? They make up everything.​What’s it called when you have too many aliens? Extraterrestrials.​Want to hear a pizza joke? Nevermind, it’s too cheesy.​What do cows tell each other at bedtime? Dairy tales.​Why can’t you take inventory in Afghanistan? Because of the tally ban.​Why didn’t the lion win the race? Because he was racing a cheetah.​What happens to nitrogen when the sun comes up? It becomes daytrogen.​What’s it called when you put a cow in an elevator? Raising the steaks.​What’s america’s favorite soda? Mini soda.​Why did the tomato turn red? Because it saw the salad dressing.​What kind of car does a sheep drive? Their SuBAHHru.​What do you call a french pig? Porque.​What do you call a line of rabbits marching backwards? A receding hairline.​Why don’t vampires go to barbecues? They don’t like steak.​How do trees access the internet? They log on.​Why should you never trust a train? They have loco motives.​Is your refrigerator running? Better go catch it.​The future,the present and the past walked into a bar.Things got a little tense.​I saw an ad for burial plots, and thought to myself this is the last thing I need.​I just found out I'm colorblind. The diagnosis came completely out of the purple.​I'd tell you a chemistry joke but I know I wouldn't get a reaction.​Have you ever tried to eat a clock? It's very time consuming.​I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.​Read enough of our funny puns, and you'll be punstoppable.​Yesterday a clown held the door for me. It was a nice jester.​I used to go fishing with Skrillex but he kept dropping the bass.​The wedding was so emotional even the cake was in tiers.​What does a house wear? A dress.​Why can't bicycles stand up on their own? Since they are 2 tired.​I owe a lot to the sidewalks. They’ve been keeping me off the streets for years.​Imagine if alarm clocks hit you back in the morning.It would be truly alarming.​Why is a skeleton a bad liar? You can see right through it.​What do you receive when you ask a lemon for help? Lemonaid.​A man sued an airline company after it lost his luggage. Sadly, he lost his case.​What does a dog say when he sits down on a piece of sandpaper? Ruff!​What do you call crystal clear urine? 1080pee.​At my boxing club there is only one punch bag. I hate waiting for the punch line!​An untalented gymast walks into a bar.​Einstein developed a theory about space, and it was about time too.​I was accused of being a plagiarist, their word not mine.​My friends say they don’t like skeleton puns. I should put more backbone into them.​Let me FILL you in on my trip to the dentist.​Why does the singer of Cheap Thrills not want us to Sia?​Traveling on a flying carpet is a rugged experience.​Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy.​The old woman who lived in a shoe wasn’t the sole owner,there were strings attached.​Did you hear about the crime in the parking garage? It was wrong on so many levels.​My new diet consists of aircraft, its a bit plane.​Have you ever tried to milk a cow which has been cut in half? Udder madness.​Why are there fences on graveyards? Because people are dying to get in.​Why do trees have so many friends? They branch out.​Models of dragons are not to scale.​Never discuss infinity with a mathematician, they can go on about it forever.​Why don’t some couples go to the gym? Because some relationships don’t work out.​Don’t trust people that do acupuncture, they’re back stabbers.​A persistent banker wouldn’t stop hitting on me so I asked him to leave me a loan.​I ordered a book of puns last week, but i didn't get it.​People say i look better without glasses but i just can't see it.​Don’t judge a meal by the look of the first course. It’s very souperficial.​I heard Donald Trump is going to ban shredded cheese, and make America grate again.​I relish the fact that you’ve mustard the strength to ketchup to me.​What do you call a young musician? A minor.​Police were called to a daycare yesterday, where a 2-year-old was resisting a rest.​If artists wear sketchers do linguists wear converse?​I changed my iPod name to Titanic. It’s syncing now.​Jill broke her finger today, but on the other hand she was completely fine.​I smeared some ketchup all over my eyes once. It was a bad idea in Heinz- sight.​I flipped a coin over an issue the other day, it was quite the toss-up.​I got hit in the head with a can of soda? Luckily it was a soft drink.​I heard that the post office was a male dominated industry.​Why isn’t suntanning an Olympic sport? Because the best you can ever get is bronze.​What do you mean June is over? Julying.​Why is Kylo Ren so angry? Beause he’s always Ben Solo.​These reversing cameras are great. Since I got one I haven’t looked back.​The candle quit his job because he felt burned out.​Our maintenance guy lost his legs on the job, now he’s just a handyman.​Going to bed with music on gave him sound sleep.​A magic tractor drove down the road and turned into a field!​I met some aliens from outer space. They were pretty down to earth.​The plane flight brought my acrophobia to new heights.​My phone has to wear glasses ever since it lost its contacts.​I, for one, like Roman numerals.​How do mountains see? They peak.​The show was called Spongebob Squarepants but everyone knows the star was Patrick.​This is not alcohol, water you thinking?!​Novice pirates make terrible singers because they can’t hit the high seas.​I told my friend she drew her eyebrows too high. She seemed surprised.​The earth's rotation really makes my day.​If I buy a bigger bed will I have more or less bedroom?​Two peanuts were walking in a tough neighborhood and one of them was a-salted.​Two ropes were walking in a tough neighborhood and one of them was a-frayed.​What kind of shoes do ninjas wear? Sneakers.​I got a master’s degree in being ignored; no one seems to care.​After eating the ship, the sea monster said, I can’t believe I ate the hull thing.​Smaller babies may be delivered by stork but the heavier ones need a crane.​A bartender broke up with her boyfriend, but he kept asking her for another shot.​I had a pun about insanity but then I lost it.​He couldn’t work out how to fix the washing machine so he threw in the towel.​Why does the man want to buy nine rackets? Cause tennis too many.​Why don’t cannibals eat clowns? Because they taste funny.​If I got paid in lots of Pennes I would make loads of pasta.​I thought I saw a spider on my laptop, but my friend said it was just a bug.​A doctor broke his leg while auditioning for a play.Luckily he still made the cast.​The tale of the haunted refrigerator was chilling.​Why are frogs so happy? They eat whatever bugs them.​If you wear cowboy clothes are you ranch dressing?​I was addicted to the hokey pokey but I turned myself around.​Simba, you're falling behind. I must ask you to Mufasa.​I bought a wooden whistle but it wooden whistle.​The bomb didn't want to go off. So it refused.​The sore mummy needed a Cairo-practor​I feel sorry for shopping carts. They’re always getting pushed around.​The display of still-life art was not at all moving!​On Halloween October is nearly Octover.​Pig puns are so boaring.​Why couldn’t the dead car drive into the cluttered garage? Lack of vroom.​What do you call Samsung's security guards? Guardians of the Galaxy.​What does Superman have in his drink? Just ice.​How does a penguin build it’s house? Igloos it together.​Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.​The safe was invented by a cop and a robber. It was quite a combination.​What do you do when balloons are hurt? You helium.​One hat says to the other, "You stay here, I’ll go on a head."​How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh? Ten tickles.​When does a farmer dance? When he drops the beet.​When the scientist wanted to clone a deer, he bought a doe it yourself kit.​If people ask how many puns I made in Germany I reply, "nein"​Did you hear about the invention of the white board? It was remarkable.​If Donald Trump becomes president, America is going toupee.​Can February March? No, but April May.​I hate Russian Dolls, they are so full of themselves.​What do you do to an open wardrobe? You closet.​The magazine about ceiling fans went out of business due to low circulation.​So what if I don’t know what apocalypse means? It’s not the end of the world!​Some aquatic mammals at the zoo escaped. It was otter chaos.​A backwards poem writes inverse.​Getting the ability to fly would be so uplifting.​I asked my friend, Nick, if he had 5 cents I could borrow. But he was Nicholas.​The soundtrack for Blackfish was orcastrated.​Where do you imprison a skeleton? In a rib cage.​There’s a fine line between the numerator and the denominator.​I used to work at a hairdresser but i just wasn’t cut out for it.​Why is metal and a microwave a match made in heaven? When they met, sparks flew.​The lumberjack loved his new computer. He especially enjoyed logging in.​Garbage collectors are rubbish drivers!​When the church relocated it had an organ transplant.​Lettuce take a moment to appreciate this salad pun.​The scarecrow get promoted because he was outstanding in his field.​Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eyes closed.​I never understood odorless chemicals, they never make scents.​What do prisoners use to call each other? Cell phones.​Why was dumbo sad? He felt irrelephant.​When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.​Old skiers never die. They just go down hill.​Did you hear about the pun that was actually funny? Neither have we.​You know why I like egg puns? They crack me up!​Want to hear a pun about ghosts? That's the spirit!​I used to make clown shoes… which was no small feat.​Did you hear about the human cannonball? Too bad he got fired!​What happened when the magician got mad? She pulled her hare out!​Did you hear about the circus that caught on fire? It was in tents.​The one day of the week that eggs are definitely afraid of is Fry-day.​A hen will always leave her house through the proper eggs-it.​The man who ate too many eggs was considered to be an egg-oholic.​All the hens consider the chef to be very mean because he beats the eggs.​Eskimos keep all of their chilled eggs inside of the egg-loo.​Under the doctor’s advice, the hen is laying off eggs for a few weeks.​I had a real problem making a hard-boiled egg this morning until I cracked it.​The best time of day to eat eggs is at the crack of dawn.​The chicken coop only had 2 doors since if it had 4 doors it would be a sedan.​Crossing a cement mixer and a chicken will result in you getting a brick layer.​That reckless little egg always seems to egg-celerate when he sees the light turn yellow.​Hopefully this egg pun doesn't make your brain too fried or scrambled.​Don't ever have multiple people wash dishes together. It's hard for them to stay in sink.​People using umbrellas always seem to be under the weather.​I dissected an iris today. It was an eye-opening experience.​What was Forrest Gump’s email password? 1forrest1.​What planet is like a circus? Saturn, it has three rings!​Before my father died he worked in a circus as a stilt walker. I used to look up to him.​Why did the lion eat the tightrope walker? He wanted a well-balanced meal!​I really look up to my tall friends.​I hate negative numbers and will stop at nothing to avoid them.​Long fairy tales have a tendency to dragon.​It takes guts to make a sausage.​Why shouldn’t you give Elsa a balloon? Because she’ll “Let It Go”!​What do you call cheese that’s not yours? Nacho cheese!​How do you make a tissue dance? Put a little boogie in it​What do you get when a witch goes to the beach? A sand-witch!​Where do cows go on Friday nights? To the mooooo-vies!​What did the mommy tomato say to the baby tomato? C’mon, ketchup!​Why did the banana go to the doctor? Because he wasn’t “peeling” well!​What did one snowman say to the other? Do you smell carrots?​Why didn’t the skeleton go to the dance? Because he had no body to go with!​What is a pirate’s favorite letter? Arrrrrr!​What does a piece of toast wear to bed? His pa-JAM-as!​What does one eye say to the other eye? Something between us smells​Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!​What happens when an egg laughs? It cracks up!​What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear!​Why didn’t the teddy bear want dessert? Because he was stuffed!​Why can’t you tell a joke while ice skating? Because the ice might crack up!​What do you call a pig that knows karate? A pork chop!​What’s mommy and daddy’s favorite ride at the carnival? A married-go-round!​How did Cookie Monster feel after eating all the cookies? Pretty crummy!​What do you call a skunk who flies in a helicopter? A smelly-copter!​What do you get when you shake a cow? A milkshake!​How do you catch a squirrel? Climb up a tree and act like a nut!​Why did the bee get married? Because she found her honey!​What did the ocean say to their airplane? Nothing, it just waved!​Where do eskimo pigs live? In pig-loos.​What’s a dinosaur called when it’s sleeping? A dino-snore!​What did the cookie say to the annoying cookie? Crumb on!​Why did Mickey Mouse go up in space? To find Pluto!​What does Olaf eat for lunch? Icebergers!​What letter is always wet? The C!​How do you throw a space party? You planet.​How was Rome split in two? With a pair of Ceasars.​Nope. Unintended.​The shovel was a ground breaking invention, but everyone was blow away by the leaf blower.​A scarecrow says, "This job isn't for everyone, but hay, it's in my jeans."​A Buddhist walks up to a hot dog stand and says "Make me one with everything."​Did you hear about the guy who lost the left side of his body? He's alright now.​What do you call a girl with one leg that's shorter than the other? Ilene.​The broom swept the nation away.​I did a theatrical performance on puns. It was a play on words.​What does a clock do when it's hungry? It goes back for seconds.​What do you do with a dead chemist? You barium.​I bet the person who created the door knocker won a Nobel prize.​Towels can’t tell jokes. They have a dry sense of humor.​Two birds are sitting on a perch and one says “Do you smell fish?”​Did you hear about the cheese factory that exploded in france? There was nothing but des brie.​Do you know sign language? You should learn it, it’s pretty handy.​What do you call a beautiful pumpkin? GOURDgeous.​Why did one banana spy on the other? Because she was appealing.​What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef.​What do you call a cow with two legs? Lean beef.​What do you call a cow with all of its legs? High steaks.​A cross eyed teacher couldn’t control his pupils.​After the accident, the juggler didn’t have the balls to do it.​I used to be afraid of hurdles, but I got over it.​To write with a broken pencil is pointless.​I read a book on anti-gravity. I couldn’t put it down.​I couldn’t remember how to throw a boomerang but it came back to me.​What did the buffalo say to his son? Bison.​What should you do if you’re cold? Stand in the corner. It’s 90 degrees.​How does Moses make coffee? Hebrews it.​The energizer bunny went to jail. He was charged with battery.​What did the alien say to the pitcher of water? Take me to your liter.​What happens when you eat too many spaghettiOs? You have a vowel movement.​The soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray was a seasoned veteran.​Sausage puns are the wurst.​What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear.​How did Darth Vader know what luke was getting him for his birthday? He could sense his presence.​Why shouldn’t you trust atoms? They make up everything.​What’s the difference between a bench, a fish, and a bucket of glue? You can’t tune a bench but you can tuna fish. I bet you got stuck on the bucket of glue part.​What’s it called when you have too many aliens? Extraterrestrials.​Want to hear a pizza joke? Nevermind, it’s too cheesy.​What do you call a fake noodle? An impasta.​What do cows tell each other at bedtime? Dairy tales.​Why can’t you take inventory in Afghanistan? Because of the tally ban.​Why didn’t the lion win the race? Because he was racing a cheetah.​Why did the man dig a hole in his neighbor’s backyard and fill it with water? Because he meant well.​What happens to nitrogen when the sun comes up? It becomes daytrogen.​What’s it called when you put a cow in an elevator? Raising the steaks.​What’s america’s favorite soda? Mini soda.​Why did the tomato turn red? Because it saw the salad dressing.​What kind of car does a sheep drive? A lamborghini, but if that breaks down they drive their SuBAHHru.

[bottlecaprabbitgames]

Blake's Birthday Special

Hi, peeps! So, birthday specials are currently being set up as a time-exclusive item on my Patreon, meaning Patrons see them first and the public sees them later! So, here's the Blake Birthday special!

++++++++++

You curse softly under your breath as the timer on the oven goes off, nearly causing you to drop the glass display dish in your hands. You hurriedly set it down on your counter by the microwave and shuffle to the oven to check on the two cake layers. You quickly open the oven and slip on some cooking mits before grabbing the dull metal pans off the rack and setting them down on the stove top. "Oh, thank God." You let out a relieved huff as you find the spice cakes well-settled in their pans and not burnt. You close the oven and change the temperature, then pull your mits off and toss them onto the counter. You take your apron edge and wipe your brow. "Well… that's done." 

Grabbing an ink pen, you pull your mini notepad out of your back pocket and look at the list written on it. 

"To-Dos: 

-Bake cakes (spice) 

-Let cakes sit (DON'T TAKE OUT OF PAN UNTIL COOL) 

-Ice cakes

-Make potato salad (call Blake's mom for recipe if you forget) 

-Ask Freja for help on fried catfish 

-Make baked macaroni 

-Get those cheap sugar cookies 

-Put up birthday banners with Iris (DONT LET HER BURN THE HOUSE DOWN) 

-Pick up balloons and booze (Adontis took care of that)"

You check off parts on the list, and just to be entirely sure, you glance to the streamers and banners decorating your kitchen and living room, then to the tinsel wrapped around your stairs' railing, then to the bundles of balloons in every corner. Well, no one can say it's not festively decorated. Maybe too much so. 

You tuck the notepad and pen back into your pocket as you walk over to where you have a pan laid out in front of the microwave. You heave the large black pot off the stove top and begin pouring mac and cheese into the pan to prep the baked macaroni, still going over in your head everything you still have to do before the party. 

-----

"So, how long till he gets here?" You watch Iris check the old black metal pocket watch currently attached somewhere deep into her coat. 

"T-minus five minutes," she drawls, tucking the watch back down. "He got a little backed up in traffic." Her eyes dart to you, her lashes fluttering in a way that has you and Freja both stiffening. "So, what sort of extra special gifts you got planned for your lover boy tonight, hmm?" 

"None of your business-" 

"Iris-" 

"What what? It's an honest question!" She feigns offense, but it's ruined by the little shitty smirk on her full lips. You roll your eyes- 

Knock knock knock. 

-and nearly have a heart attack as Blake's familiar heavy knocks sound at the door. With your heart fluttering almost sickeningly in your chest, you shoot everyone an excited glance before darting forward to the door. "Baby, it's me, open up-" 

As you open the door, everyone and yourself included yell, "Surprise!" You dance out of his way as he comes in with a confused smile, but after a moment of him taking in your heavily decorated house and the practically overflowing kitchen filled with food, you see a deep redness beginning to flush up his neck. "Oh man, guys ya didn't have to-" 

"Hush," Freja interrupts with an arch stare and a cocking of her hip. "Of course we did this for you." A little smile plays on her pale lips, and her effort to hide it is less than usual. "Besides, you are the baby of the team. When you get over, say, one hundred years, we'll stop making you celebrate so lavishly." 

As you move to where you are pressed against his side under his jacket with your hands on his back and chest, you look up to see the slightly annoyed look on his face and try to hold in your laughter. "Awh, thanks, shall I also bend over for you to give my birthday whuppin?" You let out a very unflattering noise as your laughter, and everyone else's, blurts out at both his words and the new look on Freja's face. 

After a moment of glaring at him, she bustles off to the kitchen to grab the candles while you steer Blake into the living room where a pile of presents sits below a particularly loud birthday banner and behind a table with his cake on it. "Are you ready for us to sing to you and make your big birthday wish?"

He looks down and returns your smile as his hand splays warmly over your lower back. "I might be. Are you gonna tell me what all you got me?" You feel a wicked grin curl your lips. 

"Well, some of it's here… and some of it's waiting for you later." 

"Oh?" 

"Mhmm." You see heat flare in his eyes and you have to look away to keep from being set on fire by it. Well, on the outside, anyway. Adontis scoots down the couch to make room for you both beside him. Blake pulls his jacket off before joining you and throws it to Iris, who grabs one arm of it and spins it around her head while whooping and shaking her hips. The room fills with laughter again, even Freja's light laughter as she appears with the candles in hand, slightly shaking her head. Loche moves to help her place them, one of those long-stem lighters tucked into one of his hands. "Well, old man, you best start figuring out that big birthday wish." 

"'Old man'? I'm not that old-" 

"You are older than me, so yes, I do think that makes you rather old," Markus teases from one of the kitchen chairs that were brought into the living room. Blake gives him a droll look that earns him an answering coy smirk. "The youngest of the team outside of your partner, and still older than your ancient wrangler. Alas, the woes of old men." 

"I'm not old." You yelp when he gives you a sharp tap on your bottom, and you give him an answering one on his inner thigh. "Ouch!" 

"Can't even take as good as you give," Adontis tsks. "The signs of old age." 

"You can't even talk about old, there's bedrock younger than you." Another chorus of laughter erupts as you duck down while Blake and Adontis have a play-fight by slapping at each other. 

"Settle down, settle down! If you upturn this table, not even the Ancients will be able to save you lot from what I'll do to you," Freja hisses threateningly as she places the last two candles. It's rather comedic to see two men nearly twice her size move so quickly away from each other that the couch nearly tips backwards to avoid her wrath. 

"Is it ready?" Fawn's voice drifts from behind you. Freja nods, to which Loche quickly begins to light the candles. You lightly rub Blake's knee as he does, up till he finishes, then you stand. 

"Alright guys, all together now…" 

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Blake, happy birthday to you!" After that last part, the song breaks into different lines from everyone, including "And to many more!", "You look like a monkey, and smell even worse!", And "Yippie!" 

While you and Freja portion out slices of the buttercream-covered spice cake, you can feel Blake's on you the entire time. 

-----

Later, after everyone has wandered either out onto your porches or to the living room, you find yourself alone in the kitchen with Blake as you start to wrap up the leftovers and he helps himself to more food. After a small comfortable silence, he chuckles. "I still can't get it out of my head how Loche reacted to the surprise rolls." You join him in laughing, recalling the leopard man's immediate facial contortion after biting into one of your special 'surprise rolls'. A sourdough roll filled with pickled meat, some fresh vegetables, and french dressing, he wasn't quite ready for the sour and tangy flavor he found. 

"I was worried he'd spit it out, but after that first bite he ended up eating five of them." As you tuck another Tupperware bowl into your fridge, you feel Blake's large, warm hands lightly wrap around your hips. You shut the fridge door and lean back into his chest, letting your hands reach up to run down his cheek and through his hair. 

"Thank you. For the party, for the cake, for… everything." Something in his voice tugs at your chest when he says 'everything'. You lean your head back and smile at him even though he's got an almost somber expression at the moment. 

"Of course, you're absolutely welcome. You deserve it. All of it." You turn in his arms and wrap yours around his waist, and he moves his arms to wrap around you, pulling you tightly to him. 

"I love you. You know that, right?" 

"Of course I do. And I love you too." 

"Yeah. Don't know how I managed that one, but it seems I'm starting to do something right." He buries his face in your hair, and you feel utterly… at home. At peace.  

[yorit1]

Aaron’s 28th Birthday

It was midnight on the 5th of January and his mum finally allowed him to head home. She called him a couple of hours ago and asked for help. He walked to the door and saw his husband's handwriting wishing him a happy birthday and that his first gift was upstairs. Aaron ran upstairs and got to their bedroom and was excited to see what awaited him up there.

Their room was transformed to look like a hotel suite in a Parisian hotel. Their window was covered with an image of the Paris skyline including the Eiffel Tower as if they were in Paris and not in Yorkshire. On the table, there were macaroons in different colours laid out to spell happy birthday. And special chocolates that spell out Aaron. Little mugs with real hot chocolate were sitting there. Aaron absolutely loved that his husband was extra when it came to his birthdays. He also thought that a few days away would be nice.

“Bonjour,” Aaron said in the little French he knows, his french always turned on Robert even if it was broken.

"Happy birthday, husband. This is how we will be spending the next few days. You and me in Paris."

"I love it.”

Aaron kissed Robert to thank him and things got heated between them. Aaron was really enjoying his 28th birthday so far.

The next thing Aaron heard was a pair of tiny footsteps, then small knocks on the door, and then two small voices giggling.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!" Aaron heard his children yell out simultaneously.

The twins then climbed into their daddies bed and got in the middle between them. They had presents in their hands that they were excited to show their dads.

"DADDY DADDY WE MADE THESE PRESIS FOR YOU1"

"HERE is mine DADDY."

"AND CARD"

Aaron received a birthday card where happy birthday was cut up on different coloured paper and glued together. Then Daddy was written below it. Then he got a gift from Annie Grace that was a small pillow that said I love my dada. And the gift from Jacob was a picture frame with a picture of their family of five, with colourful fingerprints all around the frame. Aaron felt all this parental love swell up for his beautiful children, and knew that he was incredibly lucky to have such wonderful children.

“I love you,” Aaron said repeatedly while he gave them hugs and kisses.

“Why don't we put on one of your films and watch it together,” Robert suggested

"Yay!” the twins exclaimed and snuggled in between their dads.

Robert was hoping that that would give his mum and mother in law enough time to prepare the breakfast downstairs. Robert wanted to help but they said that since they were going to Paris for a few days they should spend as much time as possible with the twins before they left.

Robert received a text message that everything was ready downstairs. That was perfect timing as there were about 10 minutes left in the movie. Robert is so happy so far Aaron’s birthday was going exactly as he hoped, and that was what made him happiest he wanted Aaron to have the happiest of birthdays. He hoped that he liked the birthday brunch they prepared for him downstairs.

When the movie ended, Robert turned off the tv. He heard the twins complain.

“Hey we get to have fun birthday brunch with dad and daddy isn't that fun, and see granny Sara and nana Chas,” Robert said to the twins.

"YAY” the twins let out excited shrieks and excitedly got off the bed. Aaron and Robert followed them and Annie Grace took Robert’s hand and Jacob took Aaron’s so that they could go downstairs.

When Aaron arrived downstairs he saw his mum and her partner, his dad Paddy, his sisters Liv and Eve. He also saw his mother in law, his best friends Adam and Vic and their new baby boy. His uncle and his partners' Charity and Moira, and their young children were there. Debbie and her children came by for a second to say hello and left. Andy was not there. Robert’s best friend and business partner Priya was also there with her daughter Amba. Aaron was happy that it was only immediate family here at his birthday and people that he had spent a lot of time with as he did not like big celebrations where he was the center of attention. It was also a brunch more than a birthday party, so the attention was not focused solely on Aaron. The gifts were also to the side so that Aron did not have to open them during the party.

Aaron next looked at the tables that were set up with the food. He saw an assortment of different types of toasts, his favourite breakfast food. There was the classic toast, cheese toast, beans on toast with an assortment of other breakfast foods such as eggs, sausages, and vegetables, There were also sweeter toasts available such as cinnamon toast and french toast. The side table had the cake and an assortment of Sara’s special cupcakes in many different colours and flavours.

Robert took Aaron’s hand so that they can go sit at the table to begin the brunch. Everyone wished him a happy birthday as they sat down. Aaron loved all the food that was made. He got to enjoy his birthday with his favourite people and eating his favourite foods. It was nice having them all over but it was also in a way that kept within his area of comfort.

After the breakfast was eaten the cake and cupcakes and some chocolates were brought to the table.

“Speech, speech, speech,” everyone called out.

Robert tickled Aaron's side and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“Daddy, daddy, daddy,” the twins cheered.

“Ahm, thanks to everyone for coming. Thanks, mum for making the toast, and Sara thanks for making the cupcakes and cakes. Robert thanks for everything, and Annie Grace and Jacob your beautiful gifts mean everything to me.”

“I did have some help, Robert made the macaroons and helped me with the chocolates that you had last night. The twins made these chocolates that we are having today with my supervision,” Sara said.

Aaron bent down and tickled his children and asked: “Is that right, you helped granny Sara make chocolate?”

"YES, DADDY! WE MADE CHOCOLATE. Here eat okay?” the twins said

Aaron tried some of the chocolate that they gave him.

“Mmm, this is good. You guys are mini granny Sara. Can I have more?”

The kids were ecstatic when they heard that they gave more to daddy Aaron and gave some to daddy Robert.

The candles were set and it was time for Aaron to blow the candles out on the cake. Aaron heard make a wish. In his mind, as he was blowing out the candles he was thinking of how he had everything he ever wished for and things that he never thought he would have. That he was excited that their family would have an additional person in early summer. He was truly thankful for everything he had. When the candles were out, Robert gave him a hug and another kiss on the cheek.

Aaron spent time talking to his friends while the cake was being eaten. After that friends and family slowly left, after each one wished him a happy birthday. Currently, only his immediate family was here. It allowed them to say a proper goodbye to them before they had to leave for the airport. They also wanted to show him the gifts before they left. Their mum would each stay over a night while they were away. Liv was nervous about being in charge for so long and did not want to be alone with them, especially since she has had two seizures in the last 3 months. This way Aaron and Robert knew that everyone was safe and they could enjoy their holiday.

They were now sitting on the sofa with the twins between Aaron and Robert. They wanted all the cuddles before they left for a few days. They were each sat on one of their dad’s laps.

“Presi, presi, presi.” Annie Grace said excitedly.

Liv was the first one to hand over her gifts. She made a calendar with different family photos that she took, each month had different images of their family. The second gift was a painting that she made of their family of five. Aaron absolutely adored the gift that she made him. He reached over and hugged her tightly.

“I love you,” Aaron told Liv.

“I love you too, and I love that we are all family,” Liv said

When she sat with them on the sofa one of the grandmas took a photo of the family.

Eve was excited to show Aaron the gift she made him. She has a canvas where she wrote Dr. Aaron Sugden-Dingle and a drawing of him at his desk. Aaron loved it.

”This is beautiful, did you make this yourself, ” Aaron asked his 4-year-old sister.

”Mum helped, ” Eve said.

Aaron hugged her tightly and she gave a shriek of delight.

His mum got him a new robe and towels monogrammed with a Dr before his initials. She also put together photos of them through the years and for the photos over the last half a year it said my son the fully trained psychiatrist.

”We also have everything covered while you two enjoy your holiday.”

Paddy got him a new VR set that he really wanted.

”thanks Pads.”

"I uh have to go uh but thanks for today.”

Now that it's just them and their mums and children it's time for them to say bye and head to the airport.

He hugged his children close and said to them ”you will be good for nana Chas and granny Sara?”

"Yes," they said.

“Good your dad and I will be back in a couple of days. We love you so much.”

"Love you dad love you, daddy," the twins each said as they hugged each of their dads and gave them a kiss on the cheek.

Next, they went over to liv and gave her a hug and told her they will see her in a few days.

“Be good you, and call us if you need anything. I love you,” Aaron said as he hugged Liv.

Next, he hugged Eve and his mum.

“Thanks so much, mum, I’m so lucky to have you.”

Then next came Sara. “Thanks so much for looking after the kids. And the cakes and everything.”

“Anytime love,” she said as she hugged and kissed him.

Robert came over to him and took his hand.

“Ready to go to Paris?”

“Yes.”

Aaron and Robert walked out hand in hand laughing. They sat in the taxi on the way to the airport. Robert gave Aaron a kiss and wished him a 'happy birthday husband.' Aaron and Robert, we’re excited to spend a few days in Paris.

[mcheang]

The perfect gift

Marinette is suddenly bringing cheesy goods to class, asking her friends to help her taste test them. Plagg is in heaven. Everyone, including Plagg, praises the daily cheesy goodies. Apparently Marinette has a commission to make something special for a VIP customer.

On the day of Stoneheart’s first appearance, 3 years later, Ladybug asks Chat to meet her on the rooftop. There is a picnic set out and Chat realizes who Marinette’s VIP was. Among other things, there was cheese yogurt cake, rosemary-garlic-olive oil baked bread + melted Camembert, baked olive oil potatoes with a tall Camembert fondue dish, baked macaroni and cheese, Oreo cheesecake, and basically a lot of types of breads with hidden melted Camembert inside. (Look for 5 minute cheese tricks on YouTube).

Apparently Ladybug came prepared and brought fake masks for them to wear so the kwamis could enjoy themselves too. After all this is when they first met.

For Tikki, it was a sweet tooth’s idea of paradise. Cookie pizzas, double doozies, cotton candy, toffee pudding, chocolate lava cake, etc

To top the kwamis’ feast off, there was a nacho cheese fountain with chips and a white chocolate fountain with fruits.

Ladybug and Chat could join their feast but she also brought something more hearty for them to eat. Beef stew, grilled salmon, and Apple salad.

Chat is so happy to break free from his diet.

For Chat, Ladybug gives him a cool biker suit, similar to her own, because she cannot bear the fashion fail that is Banana Noir. Ladybug sent her kwami to Plagg to discreetly get Chat’s measurements, and Plagg just used the already available measurements that Adrien has. Chat is impressed with the craftsmanship and astonished to learn Ladybug is a customer of Marinette’s clothing line.

Chat is pleasantly surprised at the picnic, having thought this would be a simple gift exchange. Now he feels sort of embarrassed because all he brought Ladybug was a expensive charm bracelet featuring both of their themes. Unfortunately, Tikki points out a since Marinette wouldn’t be able to afford this, she can’t wear this in public without revealing her identity. And Chat didn’t bring Tikki anything, (he already gave Plagg even fancier cheese)

Ladybug demands Chat stop fretting and just enjoy the picnic.

The next day, Chat visits Marinette to commission her for 2 dolls. Marinette is glad to make him a ladybug doll but warns him Ladybug already asked her for a Chat doll. Chat is miserable trying to think of a perfect gift. Marinette suggests candy paperweights. Chat takes inspiration from that and commissions her for mini bonbon and Camembert beanbags (for the kwamis). Chat is still trying to figure out what to get Ladybug. He gives her flowers on valentine’s day so that was out. Ladybug is already a regular customer at the best bakery in Paris; so food was out.

Chat bounces ideas of Marinette - who claims to have made many products for Ladybug - only to have his ideas shut down because either Ladybug won’t be able to use it in public or she already has it.

Marinette asks if there isn’t anyone else Chat knows who knows Ladybug. Chat realizes there is Tikki. He bribes Plagg as messenger to visit Tikki. The answer is simple, just expose Lila. Apparently Ladybug is cautious about exposing Lila after the Volpina incident.

Adrien is anxious but agrees to do it once he hears that Marinette had been threatened. He still thinks it’s not a good gift because it’s what he should do as a good Friend to Marinette. So now he not only still needs to give Ladybug a good gift, he has to make it up to Marinette.

The latter is easy. Giving her branded clothes will work for her. Marinette is thrilled to receive bolts of fabric in the mail from Adrien.

Exasperated, Adrien turns to Nathalie for help. “What do I give someone who is embarrassed about showcasing expensive goods in public?”

Nathalie gives Adrien’s flawless face a deadpan expression. “Facial masks.”

Oh....

Chat arranges another picnic with Ladybug and the kwamis. He gives the satisfied kwamis their beanbags, and a stunned Ladybug facial masks. Ladybug bursts out laughing but admits to Chat that he has finally found a suitable gift to give her.

Marinette uses the expensive masks after she draws her curtains shut.

Next year, Chat gives Ladybug cosmetics and she gives him a motorcycle helmet.

[leah-halliwell92]

Like A River Flows

Summary: Being in love is a wonderful feeling, its nearly euphoric when they who you’re in love with loves you back with just as much passion. When that love is unrequited...that’s where the wonderful feeling of love and what make that love up fall apart.

MAY I PRESENT! The winner of the poll JOHN DEACON!

You looked on as gaggles of girls along with paparazzi surrounded them as they made their way out the backstage door. You, being Fred’s baby sister remained held tightly to Brian’s side as they walked to the car. 

“Come on (y/n),” Brian said as he opened the car door.

You made quick work of getting in and moving to give the taller man room to sit, leaving you sandwiched between him and John, before breathing a relieved, “Thanks Bri.”

Brian smiled tenderly at you before heaving a sigh of relief at having made it to the car in one piece.

Freddie, Roger and Deaky did the same and the unanimous vote to go straight to the hotel was made topped off with a, “Not even the girls can keep me from passing out,” from Roger.

You gave a laugh as you rolled your eyes at the comment.

“How about that show mini-Mercury?” Roger asked eyes bright despite his exhaustion.

“It was amazing...aside from you nearly getting blown up,” you say patting his hand lovingly.

He hummed at that and let his head fall back onto the head rest of the seat.

John, who is to your right, was by far the sleepiest of the bunch (yourself included) seemed to be falling asleep where he sat. So much so that his head was swaying lightly to the movements the car made.

“Amazing show Fred,” you say smiling proudly at your brother.

He returned your smile unhinged, “Thank you darling it means the world coming from you.”

The both of you shared a look before Fred and Rog got into a random conversation to keep themselves awake.

A comfortable silence fell giving them the a moment’s peace without the crowd butting in. You were about to let your head fall on Brian’s shoulder when you felt a little bump as John’s head met the side of yours. 

You gasped getting the attention of the rest of the boys.

“Will ya look at that...’bout time love,” Roger said with a well meaning wink.

You blushed but sadness could be seen plainly on your face.

“I thought you’d told him (Y/N),” Freddie says brow furrowed in curiosity.

“I was,” you say a sad grin on your features, “It’s why I’d asked to meet him at the pub near my place.”

“What happened?” Brian asked gently.

Your gaze looked distant as you said, “He met me there but before we could talk a lovely lady came up you us...”

The boys looked on at you waiting for the rest of the story.

“Her name is Veronica...they’ve been dating for a while now,” You say quietly as you shoved at John’s head as gently as you could as to not wake him before pulling your knees to your chest in your seat, “She’s really very nice...and he is happy. As long as he’s happy I can move on and be just his best friend again.”

Brian felt hope blossom in his chest at this. He’s not happy you’re feeling the way you are and was smart enough to know he’d feel the same thing if you had ended up with John. For now however he’d be patient...

                                                 //Time Skip//

Five weeks later found them taking a beach vacation much to the relief of all involved. Fred brought Mary, Rog his newest girlfriend and John came with Veronica. Bri still being single opted for being your partner in crime for this vacation...and your support should you need it.

Fred made a point to keep an eye on you as much as he could without being obvious. And you made a point to not be the girl in the novel staring longingly at the man she loves as he proclaims his love for the one he truly loves. Should be a piece of cake right? Nope, not when she is so nice and friendly and just plain wonderful. You wish you could hate her you really do, but you can’t. Not when she’s trying to not only get to know you and the boys but making John smile that eye crinkling smile of his when he’s happy.

You were kind and welcoming to her wanting to please John. Oh no there he goes smiling happily as you and Ronnie go throw the frisbee at each other. 

‘Smile at me like that...please. Just once more,’ you think to yourself as a lump grows in your throat.

You shake your head an focus on Ronnie, what she’s saying and their game. You had to hand it to John, she’s a ripe peach! And smart too. You found yourself enjoying your game and the conversation being had. You could see yourself getting on amazingly with her and liking her to bits! But not now...not when she is the one he chose.

You didn’t want to seem like a Debbie Downer but you weren’t going to lie and say that it didn’t break you that little bit more when he came up from behind her, wrapped his arms around her pulling her close to his back.

“John!” She squealed in delight as he picked her up and twirled with her in his arms making the disk fall from her hand.

Your vision tunneled and all you could see was John and Veronica doing couple things and kissing and hugging and looking very much in love. 

“Come on love, lets go get something to drink,” Brian, who had seen you almost shrink into yourself, said with a bright smile. 

You nod quickly slapping on a wide smile before following after him. Once inside, Brian pulled you into the half bath and wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace. It didn’t take long for you to break down.

Brian looked up when a quiet knock pierced the sound of your sobbing.

He sat you down on the closed toilet and opened the door a crack to see Freddie there ready with hugs, tissues and a water pitcher with cups. Brian would have left if it weren’t for your hand holding on to his hand. That is how you found yourself sitting on the floor between your brother and Brian. 

The boys did their best to give you support and a few minutes to duck tape yourself back together for the rest of the vacation.

“I’ll go out and tell everyone your monthly’s here and that Bri is being a gent and helping you. Bri, go to the ice box and get that bar of chocolate thats in the cheese drawer,” Freddie said as he got up before taking the pitcher and the cups saying, “(Y/N) darling run along to your room Bri will be there momentarily.”

You nod slowly and stand taking the towel from the holder to wrap around your waist to ‘cover’ and hold back the flow.

You made a  dash to your room and nearly locked the door before you sat next to it and let yourself cry once again. 

As said by Freddie, Brian came to your room chocolate in hand. He gave a short soft knock before opening the door a smidge to see you on the floor crying.

“Oh Bird,” he said sadly as he walked, closed the door and pulled you onto his lap where he held you as you cried.

You said over and over, “I shouldn’t have waited,” hating how you’d waited to tell your best friend how you felt.

“Its alright Bird let it out,” Brian said soothingly running his fingers through your hair.

You didn’t know how long the both of you stayed like that and you didn’t care. You hurt and couldn’t help but think that maybe some time away from this is what you need. But that is a thought to put on hold for the moment.

You looked up and met Brian’s kind hazel eyes. 

“I may be an emotional mess at the moment but...has anyone ever told you you have the prettiest eyes?” You say as a blush creeps up your neck and to your face.

Brian chuckled making his eyes shine and gave a shrug before saying, “Now they have.”

He so wanted to kiss you right then. Trail kisses from your neck to your lips following the blushing red trails kissing and playful nipping. But no...not yet. You’re still hurting and need time to truly move on. Despite this he couldn’t help running his middle finger over your face. Tracing your features gently before running his index knuckle over your cheek.

You leaned into his touch loving the tender feel of his hand on your cheek. 

“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly.

You looked confused at him what could he be apologizing f— 

He leaned and placed a gentle kiss on your lips.

You closed your eyes at the feel. His lips are warm and tender as they began to move. Your lips dance with his in a gentle kiss before the need to breath pulled you apart. You pressed your foreheads together after the kiss letting your breathing and heartbeats calm.

After a moment, you looked at Brian and reached to run your fingers through his hair.

“As much as I want to,” you began taking a deep breath, “I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to you and before I jump into anything with anyone, I need to move on.”

Brian nodded before looking away from you. 

“Hey,” you say pressing your hand to his cheek pulling him to look at you, “I want to try...I just don’t want you to feel like my rebound after crushing after John. Ok?”

He nodded in understanding and said, “I know you need space. But please don’t feel like you can’t come to me.”

You nod with a grateful smile and let him pull you into a hug...you are going to be ok.

P.S. I TRIED!

Tag list: @pansexualqueendarling, @queenattheopera, @brianandthemays, @theborhapboysawakenedmywhatever, @ramibaby, @captain–americanna, @awkwardangelshezza, @avengerraven1023, @danamaleksworld, @pastywhiteperson, @readinghorn, @i-was-born-like-this, @redspecialstardust, @reedusteinrambles, @rogertaylorsfalsettogivesmehives, @readinghorn, @subbysharkbabe, @capan-devereaux, @bowieandqueen11, @bellamy1998, @reedusteinrambles, @mazzello-lee-jones-malek, @sincereleygmg, @bleu-jean-baby, @brian-mayonnaise, @0hour9am, @toomuchtellyneck

[imagineredwood]

Request:  Piney’s daughter and she is in her early 20’s and Officer Hale has a crush on her. She likes him also but can’t have a relationship with him because of the club

Pairing: David Hale/reader  

Warnings: None really, talks of crime

Word count: 1,046

***Tried to leave out any drama or getting caught troupes so it doesn’t get repetitive. I’m a little rusty but I’m getting back into the swing of things.***  

“Cheesecake?” 

You looked away from the dairy in front of you, peering over to your right and finding deputy Hale standing there, a warm smile on his face. He always had a twinkle in his eyes when he looked at you, his eyes crinkled at the corner from the movement of his full-faced grin. He was a [erfect gentleman, a man that was respectful and always made it a point to be kind while still making it clear when his feelings towards you were clear, so you would never feel that he was leading you on. All of that was irrelevant though, considering where the both of you stood in relation to the club. Though you weren’t an actual member, the reality was that both you and Hale feel of what was looked at as opposite sides of the law. You crush on each other had stayed just that as a result, a crush. Nothing more. That didn’t mean that you didn’t interact and flirt when the opportunity presented itself. Usually, it was in this very grocery store where you both stopped around the same time after work. So now here with a box of cream cheese in your hand, your eyes locked and you returned his smile. 

“How’d you know? You read minds?”

The cop smiled and shrugged softly, motioning to your shopping cart where the rest of the ingredients sat. 

“Figured that was what you were doing. I remember when you made it last year for the Charming fundraiser. Probably the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. I mean that.” 

You smiled once again and tossed your hair, placing the box into the cart with a playful smirk. 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

“I'm serious. Save me a piece if you don’t mind.” 

With a nod, you opened your mouth about to speak when your phone went off inside your purse, the specific ringtone you had assigned for Piney ringing clear. 

“Sorry, I gotta...” 

David nodded his head in acknowledgment quickly, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his slacks before bouncing on his heels some. 

“Yeah, no that’s fine. I gotta get going anyways. I’ll see you around.”

Your smile was bright as you agreed, thumb accepting the call. “See you, David.” 

He turned with his smile still in place and started making his way down another aisle while you brought the phone up to your ear. 

“Hi, dad.”

“The cheesecake was great as usual, doll.” 

You smiled softly and leaned into the kiss that Tig pressed to the top of your head as he tossed his paper plate into the trash. 

“Thanks, Tiggy.”

“I swear it tastes even better after a run like that.”

You beamed proudly, knowing that it would hit the spot for the boys after they had come back from Arizona. They had missed Gemma’s last Sunday dinner due to being away so you had decided to make your cheesecake from scratch as a little present for them. You’d made a regular sized one for the dinner, big enough to feed all of the club as usual, but you had also made a much smaller one that you’d left at home, for David. You’d already called him and arranged to drop it off for him once you’d finished up at Gemma’s. Of course, you wouldn’t let them know that though. Everyone was already well aware of the feelings that both of you had for each other, but they knew it wouldn’t be a problem. You were the daughter of a First 9 and you knew how things went. You knew better than to get with any cop, much less one that was a part of the local PD and had a habit of sticking his nose where it often didn’t belong. You were well aware of how off-limits a relationship between the two of you was and had always made it a point to keep your feelings in check. But that didn’t mean that you could visit each other and it didn’t mean you couldn’t bake him a little something every now and then. Especially when he loved your cheesecake just as much as everyone else. 

You finished up washing the dishes before packing up your things and saying your goodbyes, citing being tired and needing to be up early tomorrow as your reason for heading out a little earlier than usual. No one questioned you and soon enough you were on your way, heading home to pack up David’s cheesecake and drop it off to him. 

With the aluminum tray sealed and inside a plastic bag, you walked up the steps leading to his front door before knocking softly. It didn’t take him long to get to the door, the sound of the locked being undone hitting your ears before the door opened to reveal him standing there in sweats and a plain t-shirt. It was a very unfamiliar site, so different than the usual attire you were accustomed to seeing him in, but it wasn’t unwelcome. His smile was instant the moment he laid his eyes on you. It only got wider when he noticed the bag you held. 

“Did you really bring me a slice?”

He pulled the door open all the way so that you could come in, and you with did a smile of your own as you walked into his kitchen. 

“Oh, I didn’t bring you a slice,”

He watched you as you unpacked the bag and pulled the mini cheesecake out from its confines, holding it in both hands and offering it out to him. 

“I made you your own. And I brought some fresh blueberry glaze for it too. If you want.”

He smiled at you again softly and took the cheesecake from your hands, placing it down onto the counter and handing you a cake knife. 

“Why don’t you cut us each a slice? I’ll get some coffee going.”

You looked at him blankly for a second or two before a bashful grin made its way onto your face. You’d been into his house before, sure, but you’d never spent time with him like this. You couldn’t ever really be too close together in public, but this was different. It was nice. Taking the knife from his hand, you nodded. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.”