#so when i found a gluten free recipe i jumped on it

[hylianengineer]

Since other people are posting cookies, who wants to see the ones I made yesterday?

They're pointy because dipping them in frosting was the best way to create a uniform surface without going through all the trouble of using those icing bag thingys.

Also the color is really weird, look:

It might be hard to see in this photo but the frosting is distinctly full of blue and white flecks. The reason for this seems to have something to do with adding almond milk to it (to make it thinner, I assume, but I was following a recipe so I cannot be blamed for the results), which I suspect combined weirdly with the vegan butter. (Yes I have vegans in my family and yes I feel weird mentioning it on the internet where people sometimes have strong opinions on that. Don't be a dick or I'll block you.)

So. Speckled frosting. Weird but maybe kinda cool? I'm already schemeing about ways to use this effect on purpose, assuming it's reproductible - I'm thinking it'd look cool with green, like evergreen trees with snow on them.

Anyways, that's more than anyone wanted to know about my adventures in baking.

[ghoulpepperv]

Thank you for all of these! I already love Smitten Kitchen and I can't wait to check out the other suggestions.

I hope you don't mind me jumping in with some suggestions.

Sally's Baking Addiction: This is great if you love to bake like I do. She has some non-baking recipes, too. Every one I've made so far has been a home run for me.

The Loopy Whisk: For the bakers who have dietary restrictions or need substitutions. I have a lot of friends who have dietary needs that I do my best to meet. It can be a great way to learn about how foods interact with each other, too.

Gluten Free Cuppa Tea: I learned about Becky Excell via her book How To Bake Anything Gluten Free. I picked it up after a friend of mine was put on a gluten-free diet. It broke down gluten free baking for me in a way that was easy to understand. I made my first successful gluten free pie thanks to her. If you have a gluten free diet, she's a great guide so you can keep eating your favorites.

Supercook: Do you have a bunch of random ingredients in your cupboards and need help finding possible recipes? This has helped me before in the past. It's not perfect, but it's good overall.

I'm a visual learner so I also really benefit from YouTube channels, too.

Food Wishes: He breaks down recipes into easy digest instructions, and he has a website with everything written down. He's the one who has emboldened me to make Russian honey cake. (Wish me luck!)

The Vegetarian Club: Great meatless meals if you're vegetarian or are buying less meat for any reason. She also has a lot of Indian recipes as part of the channel.

Beryl Shereshewsky: She asks people from all over the world to submit recipes from their home countries that they love to eat. They're usually very simple, staple foods, like toast or one pot meals. I seriously had no idea how many ways you could make toast before I found this channel. She's also very positive when trying stuff without being dishonest.

Brian Lagerstrom: He's another very straightforward cooking channel. He will explain what he's doing and why. If he's making something from scratch that you could just buy pre-made, sometimes he'll give a brand suggestion and also recommend how much of it you should buy instead. I.E. When he made enchilada sauce, he showed how to make it from scratch, he also told people they could buy it pre-made. He gave a brand suggestion and recommended how many jars to buy of that brand.

Pasta Grannies: Do you wanna watch old ladies make pasta? Well, that's basically this channel. My grandma didn't teach me squat about cooking so this channel made me feel like a grandma is teaching me to cook. Even if you don't make your own pasta, they break down how different flavors complement each other, and they share recipes you can follow with store bought pasta.

Tasting History with Max Miller: This is really if you want to know more about food history and where your food comes from. He does make the recipes, but sometimes I just wanna know what our ancestors were up to. I feel like Senshi would be subscribed to this.

The Dungeon Meshi renaissance is making me want to share the resources that taught me how to cook.

Don’t forget, you can check out cookbooks from the library!

Smitten Kitchen: The rare recipe blog where the blog part is genuinely good & engaging, but more important: this is a home cook who writes for home cooks. If Deb recommends you do something with an extra step, it’s because it’s worth it. Her recipes are reliable & have descriptive instructions that walk you through processes. Her three cookbooks are mostly recipes not already on the site, & there are treasures in each of them.

Six Seasons: A New Way With Vegetables by Joshua McFadden: This is a great guide to seasonal produce & vegetable-forward cooking, and in addition to introducing me to new-to-me vegetables (and how to select them) it quietly taught me a number of things like ‘how to make a tasty and interesting puréed soup of any root veggie’ and ‘how to make grain salads’ and ‘how to make condiments’.

Grains for Every Season: Rethinking Our Way With Grains by Joshua McFadden: in addition to infodumping in grains, this codifies some of the formulas I picked up unconsciously just by cooking a lot from the previous book. I get a lot of mileage out of the grain bowl mix-and-match formulas (he’s not lying, you can do a citrus vinaigrette and a ranch dressing dupe made with yogurt, onion powder, and garlic powder IN THE SAME DISH and it’s great.)

SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT by Samin Nosrat: An education in cooking theory & specific techniques. I came to it late but I think it would be a good intro book for people who like to front-load on theory. It taught me how to roast a whole chicken and now I can just, like, do that.

I Dream Of Dinner (so you don’t have to) by Ali Slagle: Ok, look, an important part of learning to cook & cooking regularly is getting kinda burned out and just wanting someone else to tell you what to make. These dinners work well as written and are also great tweakable bases you can use as a starting place.

If you have books or other resources that taught you to cook or that you find indispensable, add ‘em on a reblog.

[sploinky]

Probably a weird one but this is my ‘one am thinking about all the work I need to complete while simultaneously procrastinating thinking about it’ brain

The bachelors/ettes and and allergies that they have and how they discovered it

Sam is canonically allergic to pollen, one time when he was a kid he jumped into one of those big piles of yellow pollen that appear in the spring and was sneezing for days.

Penny has celiac disease (allergic to gluten) and thats why shes such a bad cook, she cant cook with gluten in it and gluten free recipes are a pain.

Sebastian is lactose intolerant but still eats ice cream and cheese. He thought it was normal to have constant stomach pain until he was 17.

Abigail is mildly allergic to cats like Pierre. Shes one of those people who completely ignore their allergy if they can.

Shane is allergic to cats but wants to get allergy shots because Jas wants a cat so bad.

Emily is allergic to bees, found out while camping as a kid and they had to leave early.

Alex has a peanut allergy and had to sit at the peanut free table in elementary school <\3

Haley is allergic to dairy. One day she woke up to eat cereal and exploded into hives. It was one of those that appeared over night.

Elliott is allergic to CBD. He bought oil for his insomnia and he broke out in hives.

Leah is allergic to shell fish, she grew up in the city and never really had shell fish until she was eating crab cakes Elliott made her and had to go to the clinic.

Harvey is allergic to latex and the clinic has to stock latex free gloves. He found out in medical school that gloves shouldn’t give you hives.

Maru is allergic to penicillin and pollen, she had a allergy test after Robin realized she was probably allergic to pollen, which is how they found out about penicillin.

[simsadventures]

Better Like This: Chapter 3: Tactics

Chapter Summary: You try to get closer to Bucky via his friends. What happens when your plan works out all too well?

Warnings: jealous Bucky (maybe, what do I know), a/b/o dynamics, Alpha!Bucky, Omega!Reader, swearing, Sam being a smart-ass, slow-burn fic, fist fight, blood, hurt Omega

Word Count: 3229

A/N: Once again, thank you so much for the feedback on the previous chapter, you guys are amazing. This story is kinda slow-burn, so I hope all of you are ok with that. Again, if you would like to see this story take a certain direction, let me know and I’ll see what I can do with it xx

Series Masterlist __ Masterlist

< Previous Chapter

It’s been almost two weeks since your first day at the unit. After trying a few more times to actually get Bucky to talk to you (unsuccessfully, of course, his growling would get the room quiet every time) you decided to ease off. You weren’t about to give up on your true mate. Not even close. His scent was intoxicating, and you loved spending your time in the office just so you could catch some lingering smell left after him. 

You decided to give him space and to let him come to you when he would feel like it. And you knew he would eventually have to feel like it, he couldn’t be immune, for christ’s sake. 

Meanwhile, you tried to get to know the team better. You and Scott became almost inseparable during those days, you’d spent a few nights at his house, dining there and getting to know Hope. She was the most intelligent person you’ve probably ever met and her beauty? Wow! You would always tell Scott how lucky he was to get a mate like her. He knew it, of course, but his ego grew whenever people saw his amazing mate by his side, always looking up to him proudly and lovingly. 

You even went for a beer with Tony, Bruce, and Natasha, having one hell of a good time. Tony and Bruce were so cute, you thought your teeth might rot from all the fluff around you. You were happy for them; definitely, it was just that you wanted what they had, and were kinda jealous. But only a little bit. 

You loved to bake and so every time you baked some cookies or muffins, you brought them to work, to make your colleagues happy and giddy like little kids. The first time you brought something with you, they all hugged you so tightly and pronounced love so loudly that you could just laugh and with the same breath promise them that you’d bake more. 

The only reserved people were Bucky, Sam, and your Captain. You knew they were all friends and shit, but you couldn’t understand why they didn’t talk to you when it wasn’t necessary. You got that Steve was your captain and that you probably shouldn’t be too familiar with him, but Sam? That was another story. And you had plans for that also. 

The case you were working on went cold after about a week, as there were no new leads, no witnesses and worst of all, the victim died during a surgery. You were still trying to figure some stuff out, but without sufficient evidence, there wasn’t much you could do. 

You were sitting at your table, discussing possible motives for the Omega’s murder with Scott, your baked goods on the table with only a few chocolate chip cookies left. You could see Sam entering the door, without Bucky, and you took your chance. 

You stood up quickly, grabbed the plate and marched towards Sam, with something as a piece offering cookies. “Hey, I saved you some, I didn’t know if you liked chocolate chips, but I took my chance. I swear I’m not trying to poison you, Sam,” you giggled and stretched your hand with the plate on it towards Sam. He smirked and shook his head but took one cookie nevertheless. Win! “Well, I must try some, Stark wouldn’t shut up about your blueberry muffin, so I guess you’re real good at this, huh?” And he is making small talk, you thought, yes! 

“They almost tore my arm from my body just to get to those muffins quicker, they are monsters, I’m telling you.” 

Sam laughed a little and then moaned. Kinda. “Oh my God, Y/L/N, these are perfect, I mean, they taste like heaven! What the… I’m one of the monsters now! You got me addicted!” 

“Uhm, thank you, I guess,” you giggled at the look in front of you. Sam was stuffing his mouth with your cookies with one hand, while the other was trying to pick as many crumbs, he could reach, to have a little more taste. 

“So chocolate chip ok with you, Wilson?” “Hell, anything’s good with me as long as it comes from those heavenly hands. And by the way, who doesn’t like chocolate chip, huh?” You’d laugh with him, but a vicious growl stopped you.

“Me,” Bucky said, chest heaving, jaw set and eyes almost glowing. With anger? Who knew, but you weren’t about to speak up, he looked like he’d kill you if you even took a breath. You didn’t know if Sam was oblivious to his partner’s posture and look, or if he actually wanted to sport a black eye, but he didn’t shut up.

“C’mon, Buck. If you tried Y/N’s cookies, you would’ ve-“ he was interrupted by another low growl. “I don’t need to try anything to see that it just doesn’t suit me. That I wouldn’t like it, even if I’ve never tried it. But I’m telling you, Sam, back off.” 

Never tried? Who has never tried a freaking chocolate chip cookie? Is he some gluten-free, sugar-free raw freak? (no offense here, guys) What the hell? You looked at him dumbfounded not really understanding what he was talking about.

There was probably going on a silent conversation between Bucky and Sam because they were staring each other down, you somehow in the middle of them, still looking at Bucky questionably. 

What you didn’t know was that the previous weekend, Steve and Sam ambushed Bucky at his apartment, with some cold beers and a take out. They desperately needed to find out what was really happening (or not happening, in this case) between the two of you, and because they are such nosy little shits, they needed to know it like yesterday.

Bucky was desperately trying to throw them out, really wasn’t in the mood to sit with tow assholes, no matter that they were his best friends. He knew what kind of questions would come up, and he was doing everything in his power to not succumb. 

Needless to say, he didn’t succeed. 

“SHE IS YOUR WHAT?” Sam yelled in the most high-pitched voice Bucky’s ever heard. “She is your fucking mate- no, no, no, she is your fucking TRUE mate, and you just what, ignore her? Growl at her? Have you lost your goddamn mind, Barnes?”

While Sam was having his little, although very loud meltdown, Steve was just shaking his head. He nudged Sam, who looked at him mid-sentence and immediately shut up when he saw Steve’s face. 

“So, you are telling us, that you were so lucky to have found your true mate, the one person who was literally made to be with you, made FOR you, and you decided not to act on it? That’s what you’re telling us, Buck?” 

Bucky stared into his best friend’s eyes, trying to get him to understand without actually having to talk about it. Steve felt it, he always did, but he wasn’t willing to let go. Not this time.

“I know you’ve been hurt and stuff, but, why do you think Y/N must necessarily be the same as-“ 

“Don’t even say her name. Why do I need to explain myself to you two? I’m a grown-ass Alpha, who decided to forever live a bachelor life and you should understand that. Or don’t, I don’t give a shit, just don’t tell me what to do or what not to do.” 

“Sure thing, buddy. Just one question, doesn’t her smell like, drives you nuts?” Sam asked him incredulously. “Her smell? Pff, no way, don’t even know what she smells like, told ya, not interested.” Everyone in the room knew it wasn’t true, and Bucky knew they knew. He was just glad they didn’t press him even more.

The truth was, he knew precisely what she smelt like, and if he closed his eyes, he could even feel you on the tip of his tongue. She smelt like freshly cut grass, with a hint of vanilla and coconut- the perfect mix of fresh and sweet at the same time. But he couldn’t think about it about you! 

Sam wanted to push his buttons a little more“So, you cool working with your true mate, not being able to touch her? Seeing other Alphas being all over her?” Bucky growled involuntarily. His Alpha side wanted to jump out of his skin, find you, and claim you so that no other Alpha would even lay their eyes on you. His logical side shook all those thoughts away. Nothing good ever came from an Omega, he reminded himself, trying to chase images of you with another man from his mind.

“Pf, you’re totally cool and not interested, my man.” This earned Sam a punch into a shoulder, which Sam knew would bruise, as it did many times before. He really admired his own shoulder for never giving up on him and actually not shattering after so many years of these hard-ass punches by his partner.

Steve was watching them with a smirk. All he wanted was for his best friend to be happy, to let his walls down and let you in. He knew at that moment he would not let Bucky ruin his own life. Not on Steve’s watch. 

So when you came towards Sam with those damn-good cookies, he knew he wanted to push Bucky to some action. Sam saw in Bucky’s eyes, damn, his whole posture, that he wasn’t having fun. Sam just couldn’t see if it was Bucky’s anger that Sam was actually bringing it up again, or if he was jealous. 

Your plan was simple: get Sam to like so that Bucky could see that you get along with one of his best friends and would get through his thick skull that he could get along with you too. The first part of the plan worked out all too well. Sam loved those cookies, and you two were having fun, well, until Mr Growling-All-the-Time came. 

Sam’s voice got you back to reality. “Well, if you aren’t willing to try, then trust me, someone will. For a start, I think these smell delicious and the taste? Wow, even better, ain’t it true, Y/N? What do you put in ‘em.”

You frowned but answered him nevertheless. “Uhm, sure, I guess, it’s my grandma’s recipe, the secret-not-so-secret ingredient is vanilla.”

“Aaah, vanilla, that’s it. I love me some vanilla, let me tell you, girl!” 

You were looking at Sam, not really getting where he was going, so what you couldn’t quite see was Bucky’s whole body going rigid, before he lunged at Sam from across the room. 

What Bucky didn’t seem to realize, was the closeness between you and Sam, so when he jumped at Sam, he inevitably had to go through you. He didn’t even seem to see you, the venom in his eyes was blinding him momentarily. And because you didn’t see him coming, you couldn’t duck, you couldn’t step away, nothing. You had only time to turn your head to see Bucky being almost on you and brace yourself for the impact.

The crush of three bodies was stronger than you would’ve anticipated. Bucky’s body collided mainly with yours, only his hands grabbing Sam and pulling him closer to him so he could get a good punch. Sam was as shocked as you were. He knew he was getting under Bucky’s skin, but didn’t think it would have such effect.

You fell down like a sack of potatoes. You tried to stop the fall by extending your arms (which must’ve looked great, like a little bird learning to fly but failing miserably) but failed mainly because your left arm caught the corner of one of the tables and you could only feel the searing pain shooting through your lower arm. 

You landed with a thud, accompanied by a louder thud, that when your head hit the ground after your body. You laid there, splayed like a starfish, all of your limbs facing different directions. You tried to blink away the black dots, but the more you tried to blink, the more dots you saw. You couldn’t hear any voices, the high-pitched ringing in your ears preventing you from hearing the whole team running towards you and the guys, who didn’t realize what was happening until Steve and Tony separated them.

They were both able to throw about two good punches, knowing they would both be sporting matching black eyes. “Enough!” Steve’s voice boomed through the room. “Are you two so childish you have to fight at the unit? Can’t you take it to the ring after the shift, huh? Not only are you disrupting the piece of the team and the work being actually done, but you also hurt one of our own too.”

With that, both men’s eyes shifted towards where you were standing before the fight occurred, but could only see Scott, Bruce, and Natasha being crouched above someone on the ground.

Bucky nudged Tony to his ribs so that he could get away from him and closer to you. He jumped to your side and tried to touch you, but someone’s hand stopped him in his movement. He looked up and saw it was Scott, with a threatening look in his eyes, holding him back. 

“Haven’t you done enough? You don’t need to pretend that you care about her well-being when we both know that you don’t.” 

Bucky growled. Again. “Get your hands off of me, Lang.” Scott wanted to say something else, but you groaned audibly from underneath them.

The ringing in your ears stopped, and the black dots weren’t occupying your whole vision, so you tried to blink the rest of them away, only to see Bucky and Scott above your head, Scott gripping tightly on Bucky’s hand, preventing him from touching you.

At one hand, you were super thankful to Scott, he knew how much you were hurting, and when you admitted that Bucky was indeed your true mate, you had your hands full with stopping Scott from marching into Bucky’s apartment and kicking him into his shin.

On the other hand, you wanted to feel what Bucky’s touch was like. You wanted to engulf yourself in his smell and just stay in that safe cocoon. 

You realized soon enough that Bucky wasn’t your safe place because he never once allowed you to come close to you and the side thankful to Scott was suddenly stronger. 

“Ouch, my head! And why does my arm hurt so fucking much?” you rasped, avoiding Bucky’s searching eyes. Everyone’s heads turned toward your arm, and a hiss escaped Bruce’s mouth. “Well, that’s a nasty gash, Y/N. I think you’ll need some stitches.”

You groaned again, now totally annoyed. “Awesome, that’s just… perfect, really, thanks, guys. What was that even about, Barnes? Jumping at us like that, because of what, goddamn cookies?” Your annoyance transformed itself into being totally pissed. You tried to sit up and suddenly felt a tingling sensation on your back from someone’s touch. Bucky. 

You really wanted to let him do anything to you as long as he was not growling and actually being there with you, but, at the same time, you were on the ground, bleeding and possibly with a concussion because of him.

You smacked his hand away. “Don’t,” was the only thing you said to him. “C’mon, Omega, let me-“ 

Now it was your time to growl. “Omega? Really? So suddenly, I’m an Omega to you? Till about 30 seconds ago, you didn’t want to see me, let alone speak to me and god forbid that I would try to touch you. You said you never wanted an Omega, so how about you let me alone here, with people who actually give a shit about me? Let’s not pretend like you’re one of them.”

You knew your words were laced with venom, but the two frustrating weeks, trying to catch his scent, trying to catch a glimpse of him, those two weeks took a toll on you. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were deeply hurt by Bucky’s behaviour. And you weren’t about to be a good submissive Omega. You didn’t want to be one of those girls who are being hurt continuously but are still fishing for attention, and when they get, they get all cuddly and wet. 

Nope. You wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

He looked hurt, but you tried to ignore him, as Scott and Bruce helped you sit on the nearest chair. What you, therefore, couldn’t see, was Bucky’s face contorting into a pained expression, when you preferred another Alpha touching you, helping you. Bucky knew he had no right to be jealous, and if he were in his right mind, he wouldn’t even try to touch you, let alone call you an Omega. 

That was one of the most intimate or insulting ways to address a person one could imagine, depending on the person uttering those words. He knew he had no right for the level of intimacy it required and he definitely didn’t mean to insult you at that moment, it just slipped. 

Those two weeks, he tried to do everything in his power to stay away from you, but seeing you helpless and hurt on the ground? Hurt by him? That clouded his judgment, and he didn’t really care about anything but your safety and well-being at the moment. He didn’t get a grip on himself. He wasn’t about to let you hurt him the way Amber did.

He swore once that he would never let anyone that close and he truly wanted to keep his own promise to himself. The only problem was that you were starting to get under his skin, despite him preventing you in every possible way he could think of.

He was sure he wouldn’t survive another heartbreak, not from his true mate anyway. But he was drawn to you in ways he never thought possible. His heart secretly cherished every second he could spend somewhere near you and your intoxicating smell and your adorable laugh. Ugh, he was growing soft! 

His heart jumped when he heard you hiss because Bruce began the work of stitching up your arm and his head snapped towards the Omega helping you to get better, actually thinking he could stop Bruce from getting you into more pain.

He was stopped mid-way by Steve’s voice. “Wilson, Barnes, my office, NOW!” Shit, Steve was pissed, and he knew there was no way he would talk his way out of this one. 

Scott was holding your other hand, letting you squeeze the life out of it because the stitching was not as painless as you hoped it would be. He leaned in and whispered to your ear: “Well, he didn’t have to hurt you and he’s so up for some ass-kicking but one thing we know for sure, he’s not immune to you, and we have to use it against him.” You looked over at Scott, who was now smirking devilishly and had to laugh a little, before Bruce’s needle went through your skin again, followed by a very silent “sorry” by Bruce.

“So, what do you propose I do, Scott?”

/ Next Chapter >

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If you’d like to be tagged comment/message/send an ask. Or if you’d like to be removed from the tags because you don’t like where the story’s headed, message me ;) 

If you like the story, please reblog :) any comments are appreciated, even the critical ones. Always a space to get better, so let me know what you guys think. xx 

[skvaderarts]

Hiraeth Chapter 40: Virulence

Masterlist can be found Here!

Chapter Forty: Virulence 

Note: I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for something truly special. As of this chapter we have reached 353,930 words, 10,557 Hits, 292 Kudos, AND 100 CHAPTERS! Well, 105 if you count Saudade, but still! 100 chapters! I genuinely don’t know what to say to that besides THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I never thought my heavily procrastinating ass would accomplish anything close to this, let alone find anyone who would care to read it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!

(-~-)

Breakfast so far had been a fascinating affair. The sheer amount of different confectionery treats and types of carbs and dairy products had been overwhelming at first, but after realizing that they could help themselves to practically anything they wanted from off of the menu, they proceeded unhindered. Anytime they took less out of politeness they were playfully chastised by the staff and encouraged to help themselves. A folly they would come to regret.

V had watched quietly as his brother and newfound friend had gone about the somewhat exciting business of tasting and plating just about anything they could want. Nero had naturally been more apprehensive, truly wondering if he was allowed to eat this much of their food, but fully willing to if permitted, while Sirrus had been more concise about what he wanted. He took small portions of several items, mostly the dryer options such as scones and freshly baked loaves of bread. He stayed noticeably clear of things with heavy herbed toppings aside from taking one small slice of a fragrant, buttery bread that admittedly drew V’s attention as he approached, considering a slice for himself.

“So… what kind of bread is that?”

The adjudicator looked over his shoulder at V, seemingly not paying attention to the fact that he was there a moment ago. He had been staring at the bread intently as though it were genuinely difficult for him to figure out if he wanted the piece that he’d picked up, looking down at the hand that had touched it as though he were waiting for himself to break out in a horrible, disfiguring rash, or something akin to that.

“And pray tell, why do you look so… concerned about it? I find it hard to believe that you're intolerant to gluten by any measure.” V said lightheartedly, gesturing towards the plate full of other grains ranging from the aforementioned breads and scones to some sort of pilaf that contained a variety of seasonal fruits. It looked delicious, actually. Perhaps he would try that.

Watching as V fixed a small bowel of the same fruit and rice mixture, Sirrus smiled gently. He wasn’t far off, to be sure, but he was aware that the actual reason might come as a surprise to him. It normally did when he tried to explain it to other people who did not have the same specific issue that he had. Most comprehended the concept, but that didn’t make it any less strange to them.

“Not so much that as it is that I possess an unfortunate intolerance to a few different herbs and spices that I suspect might be in the bread. Nothing toxic, but uncomfortable if I consume it in large quantities. A pity, considering how much I enjoy them.” He pivoted and followed V away from the serving table and towards the section where Nero currently sat. The younger hunter had been sitting there for a few minutes now, tucking into his well-deserved meal. A welcome sight, to be sure. “It is good to see you more coherent. Your brother and I were worried we’d have to carry you back up to your room!”

Smirking slightly, V tasted his food, pleasantly surprised by how pleasant the meal was. Dinner had given him no reason to suspect that his meal would be tasteless or bland, but this was considerably better than he had originally hoped it would be. Perhaps he would ask for the recipe for this one. He doubted that they would give it to him, but it was worth a shot. “Yes, our late-night research session truly did take it out of me. What little sleep I did achieve did very little, I’m afraid. But it wouldn’t be the first time. I’m sure I’ll manage.”

Glancing up from his now empty plate of food, Nero shook his head, clearly amused by the conversation that had found its way to the table. Just how late had they stayed up last night? “Since you stayed up as late as you did, did it end up being worth it? I mean, did you find out anything useful, or was it all just a giant waste of time?”

Looking back and forth between his younger sibling and their red-haired companion, V lingered for a moment on the question at hand before shrugging nebulously. “It’s hard to say. We believe that we might have something, but it needs to be confirmed by someone with more expertise on such matters. We were planning to seek out Aluta just after… ”

V trailed off for a moment, looking down towards the table. After staring at something they couldn’t quite see from their respective angles, the young summoner seemed to visibly pale, clearly distressed in some form or another. His breathing deepened as he seemed to attempt to bring himself back under control, but whatever had caused him such distress to begin with only seemed to amplify as the moments passed by, the lingering if not subtle look of alarm in his eyes clear evidence of his growing dread.

His eyes traveled the length of his lower arm, lingering there for a moment as he seemed to process something that they had no hope of seeing from the other side of the table. He then slowly moved his free right hand over to space just below his wrist on the left hand, hovering over his skin but not daring to make physical contact. He shuttered slightly, seeming entranced in a state of awestruck, baffled horror that no one present including him knew the cause of. Needless to say, something was horribly wrong here, and he wasn’t in a state to explain if he even could. Judging by the look on his face, he probably didn’t have the slightest clue.

Both Sirrus and Nero looked at one another for a moment, visibly perplexed and concerned as to why V seemed to be so silently startled. After a moment, they came to the silent but unanimous agreement that they should probably try and figure out what was going on. Something told Nero that trying to get his attention probably wouldn’t work, but that didn’t change the fact that he was going to try to do so either way. What else was he going to do, wait for his older brother to tell him? He had the feeling that V wasn’t in a talking mood at the moment, if the sheen of dampness on his face was anything to go by.

“Hey, what’s wrong. You okay?” Nero asked softly, not trying to draw the attention of anyone present. A few other people had entered the room since they had sat down at the table, and a few others had been there since before they had entered, all quietly eyeing the strangers with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. They stuck out enough as it was. There was no need to draw even more attention to themselves. “You, um, seem kinda freaked out. Everything okay over there?”

For a moment, he looked up from his state of horrified shock and made uncomfortable eye contact with Nero before diverting his gaze. V then allowed himself a half glance before opening his mouth slightly. It seemed as though he were considering speaking for a moment, but then he closed his mouth and looked down at his arm again. After a prolonged period of silence, he finally spoke, albeit timidly and clearly under duress. “I-I… I don’t… Something isn’t right.”

Done wondering and seeking answers, Sirrus carefully stood up and came around the table, approaching V slowly as though he were worried that he might scare him off. The young summoner seemed to notice his approach, but did nothing to halt him, seemingly welcoming the assistance, but unsure of what to say or do. Nero stood as well but did not approach, waiting for Sirrus to take a look first. He was closer to him, after all, and it was probably best to give him some breathing room. It was unlikely that he would lose his cool and cause a scene, but he still didn’t want to make a situation that was clearly uncomfortable worse by subtracting from what little person space V already had. Nero knew from experience that V didn’t exactly thrive under such conditions.

As soon as Sirrus looked at V, his pupils dilated and he became visibly distraught, not so much jumping up and down in horror as he was clearly upset. He gave V a considerate look before gesturing towards his arm as if to ask if he could touch it. V didn’t move, but he blinked slowly, indicating that this was acceptable. Sirrus then knelt down and took a closer look at it, examining it intently before gesturing for Nero to accompany him.

Quickly and without hesitation, the youngest of the trio made his way around the table and to his brother’s side, clearly concerned in regards to what was going on. Was it too much to hope that V had simply managed to burn himself? Or was that in of itself cruel? “What’s going… on. Oh.”

Much to his surprise, he immediately located the issue. Snaking up V’s wrist from the upper middle of his arm was a series of thin black lines that seemed to be his veins, spreading out into an intricate web of thin hairs that absolutely no one would need to even contemplate the purpose of to know that they were unwelcome in a living being’s body. Whatever this was, it was clearly bad, and they all knew it.

“That… that wasn’t there a second ago, was it?” Nero asked, looking at V. He knew that he already knew the answer, but he had to be sure that he wasn’t just assuming things. After all, for all he knew this might have been an ongoing thing for a while now. He was relatively sure that it wasn’t, but he still needed to be sure.

“No. No, it wasn’t.” V said simply, turning his head slightly as a few of the Ludwig girls made their way over to the table, seemingly noticing that something wasn’t quite right. As soon as they caught sight of V’s arm, several of them gasped in shock and horror, and gestured for a few of the older girls. One of them, a lovely girl with long black hair in a navy blue and black casual suit jacket that stood out from the rest of the girls who were largely still in their pajamas hurried over to assess the situation as other members of the household peeped around corners and stepped out of her way.

Upon approaching, V pivoted so that she could see what was going on. He was clearly distraught, but he was keeping calm in spite of it. Sirrus and Nero looked on as she stared in confused horror, beckoning for one of the other girls to come to her side. One of the other girls, a young teen no older than fourteen approached, her curiosity quickly turning to concern as the older girl pointed towards the direction that the staircase was in on the other side of the door. “I need you to go and find madam Aluta. Quickly. Tell her it’s an emergency.”

The young girl nodded, turning to face a few of the other girls who ran off ahead of her. Whether this was to go and locate her as well or to escape the situation was unknown, but everyone was clearly on high alert. No use in trying to hide anything now. Before she stepped away to do as she was asked, she stopped and turned back to face the older girl, seemingly needing something clarified as she seemed to have a questioning look on her face. “Flora… What kind of emergency is it? You know she will want to know.”

Glancing over her shoulder and pointing again, nodding in understanding, the older teen, apparently named Flora, took another look at V’s arm, noting that the dark webbing seemed to be slowly spreading. “... An Osmos scenario. Tell someone to fetch Hydrangea while you're at it. I may need her assistance if madam Aluta does not arrive in time. Hurry!”

Heeding her advice, she and a few more of the other girls ran from the room, shouting that they would go and find Hydrangea while the other girls ran in the opposite direction after the girl sent to find Aluta. Flora then turned her attention back towards V, seemingly looking for something that she could stead herself with in order to get a better look at V. Nero quickly grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it out for her while Sirrus scrambled to get out of his way, seemingly unsure of what he could do. She nodded in appreciation before sitting down and continuing to assess V’s condition.

“My apologies for the fright. I’m Flora. I’m sure that more experienced hands will arrive soon, but until then… “ She stared intently at the spreading black threads, obviously baffled. Flora shook her head before clearing her throat and tentatively touching the mark, recoiling in visible discomfort. Neither V nor Nero knew what had just happened, but it clearly wasn’t good. “Well, at least my original guess wasn’t too far off. Do you feel anything? I’m assuming that this just started?”

V nodded and then shook his head, concerned but otherwise fine. Above all else, he just wanted to know what was happening to him. “You're correct, this just started. And I’m fine but… do you know what’s happening?” He sighed softly. V hoped with everything in him that this wasn’t bad, but he had a distinct feeling that it might be. “That term you used before… should I be concerned? It sounded rather dire.”

Flora shook her head, shrugging in a manner that did not inspire confidence. “Sorry, I don’t really know what this is. It presents as a sort of hex or curse to me, but I’m not experienced enough to know how to handle this. Still in training, you know?” She noticed the alarmed look that crossed both Nero and V’s faces when she said that, Sirrus raising an eyebrow in a manner that came off more curious than worried. Well, at least one of them knew what she meant by that. “Please don’t misunderstand. An Omni curse or hex is just a step above your usual run-of-the-mill spell. Nothing to be concerned about unless it’s discovered to be worse than that. My entire family has been under one several leagues stronger than this one for generations, and were all perfectly fine. Don’t get worked up over it. Might be one of the kinds that feed off of negativity.”

It was Nero’s turn to ask questions since V was clearly too distraught to do so. He stood at V’s side, hoping that his presence could offer him some small measure of comfort. “Could any of the books that we’ve been reading the last couple of hours cause something like this? V was okay until this morning.”

Considering his question for a moment, she scrunched her brow slightly before looking down and nodding to herself. She then looked back up at them, a more astute look in her eyes. “It’s possible, but in truth, I don’t think that’s what did this. The books in that section normally only hex you if read out loud without proper training, and they would do much more extreme things like incinerating you or turning you to dust. No one wants to be turned to dust. Trust me. Not a good way to go.”

V visibly flinched, drawing a sympathetic look from Nero and a slightly confused one from Sirrus. Flora stared at him blankly for a moment, unsure as to what his reaction could mean. “I assure you… I have no desire to be turned to dust. It is quite low on my priority list. I shall not read any of the texts out loud.”

Both Flora and Sirrus seemed to visibly pale as they realized simultaneously based on V’s thoroughly sarcastic tone that this wouldn’t be the first time he experienced something of that nature. How he could be here now if he had disintegrated was above her education level, but either way, she wasn’t going to ask, and neither was Sirrus. They were trying to keep things calm, not upset him even more than he already was.

Suddenly a small thump could be heard from the next room over as someone cursed slightly, footsteps thudding softly against the smooth hardwood floors as they continued forward and towards the direction of the doorway. Each of them shared a slightly relieved but anxious glance with one another. Was this Aluta?

Just a moment later, Nico rounded the corner and stumbled somewhat sleepily into the room, much to the surprise of everyone present. Truly, it couldn’t be possible that she had managed to sleep through everything that had just happened. The house wasn’t that big… was it? Surely she had to hear something right? The children hadn’t vacated the room very quietly after all, and there had been quite the commotion.

“What the hell is going on in here?! I was trying to get some sleep! You kept me up till the crack of dawn, and now you wanna tramps about making all this ruckus?” She seemed genuinely frustrated from what Nero could tell, and that would normally be funny if not for the circumstances they were currently in.

“Um… We think something might be going on with V.” Nero said tentatively, not wanting to talk about V like he wasn’t clearly sitting right there. But he didn’t seem to pay much attention to his words. He had far more pressing matters to attend to.

“… Oh.” Said flatly, seemingly regretting her words almost instantly. Now she felt more than a little bit silly now that the situation had been brought to her attention. “Well nevermind then. Sleep can wait. Fill me in. What did I miss?”

(-~-)

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially since it meant that things really get to take off from here. Something tells me that you might be super surprised where this ends up going, or at least enjoy it. I’ve been wanting to implement this FOREVER! See you all next week on Wednesday, and in the comment section for this chapter. Take care!

[atlafan]

hi ily can you please if you feel like it write a harry x reader oneshot or fic where reader works in an office and harry is a vendor who starts coming in every week with food and gifts for the office but then slowly starts only bringing in food and gifts that reader would like bonus points if he brings in his own home baked brownies that would put gabriella montez's mother to shame thank you

a/n: okay here we go, just a lil one shot because honestly anon this just sounds like so much fun so here we go! (this will be a fluff piece)

Every week it was the same thing, and you loved it. Harry, your paper vendor, would leave little treats and a bouquet of flowers in your breakroom. He had replaced this old, creepy guy about two months ago. You were one of the younger women in your office, the rest were all mostly middle aged, but it didn’t stop them from swooning over him. 

You barely ever got to talk to him, and you felt bad because you couldn’t eat most of what he brought. You couldn’t have gluten, unless you wanted to throw up for a following week, so you couldn’t eat the cookies or candy he would bring in. The ladies would save the flowers for you. You had a small vase on your desk, and each week you took a flower from the bouquet to add to your vase. 

One week you noticed something new along with the usual cookies he brought. There were some gluten free brand chocolate chip cookies. You wondered who in your office may have told him, or if maybe he just thought to bring them. You smiled and took the cookie back to your desk. 

//

Harry looked forward to coming to your office every week. He delivered paper to a lot of offices, but yours was his favorite. He loved when he’d catch you laughing at a joke, the way you’d clutch at your chest when you thought something was really funny. 

He wasn’t sure how to talk to you. His delivery times had to stay tight so he could get to every office on time. That’s when he started bringing in the treats and the flowers. He didn’t to seem creepy, so he’d leave it all in the breakroom. One day he inquired about your name, he tried to make it seem like he was trying to learn everyone’s name. He started asking around to see what everyone’s favorite treats were, mostly so he could learn about yours. That was when someone told him you never ate what he brought it, you would just take a flower. Harry felt slightly defeated.

“She has that disease, what’s it called? The one where you can’t eat gluten.” One of the ladies told him. 

When Harry went to the market that weekend, he picked up some of the gluten free cookies. They were a little more expensive, but he was desperate to do something nice for you. 

He noticed you eating your cookie at your desk one afternoon before he left for his next delivery. He worked up the courage to tap you on the shoulder, making you nearly jump out of your seat. You turned around extremely confused, looking up at him. 

“I’m so sorry, I was just going to say hi.” Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“That’s alright.” You said catching your breath. “I really should turn my music down. You take your headphones out. “I’m also just a jumpy person.” 

“Sorry for only bringing in things you couldn’t eat for so long. I just learned you couldn’t have gluten.”

“Oh, it’s alright. I mean, the flowers are nice. So it was you who started leaving these.” She points at the cookie. You smile at him.

“Well, like I said, I felt bad. Must’ve been torturous.” 

“It was very sweet of you to think of me.” 

“What’s your name, by the way?” He knew your name, but he wanted you to confirm it. 

“It’s (y/n), and you’re Harry right?” He beams at you, surprised you actually knew his name. 

“Yeah.” You both stood there awkwardly for a moment. “Well, I better be off.” 

He wanted to do something special for you, and he knew you were bound to get sick of eating the same old cookies. He found a recipe for gluten free brownies. They were made with rice flour and coconut oil. It took him three separate batches until he felt like they would be good enough for you. 

That week he put a little gluten free sign next to the tray of brownies in the break room, and went on to deliver the paper. 

When you bit into that brownie, you swear you had never tasted something so good. You hadn’t had a brownie in years, and this tasted pretty close to what you remembered them tasting like. You also couldn’t believe he had baked them for you. You had time find him. You ran around trying to find him, and landed on the large supply closet where he was loading and unloading stacks of paper. You were distracted for a moment watching his muscles contract. He turned around and made eye contact with you. 

“Um, hi (y/n).”

“Hi, Harry.” You look down at your shoes. “Did you make those brownies, for me?”

“Yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck with his hand, blushing slightly. “Did you like them?”

“I loved them! No one has ever done something that nice for me before.” That statement absolutely breaks his heart. “Those were probably the greatest brownies I have ever had, if I’m being honest.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’d love the recipe so I could make them sometime.” 

“I could, um, text it to you?” Now you’re blushing. 

“That could work.” He takes his phone out, and you give him your number.

“Right, so I’ll, uh, text you the recipe sometime.” You want him to just ask you out. 

“You know what might work even better?”

“What’s that?”

“Maybe we could make them together? You seem to be quite the expert.” He sighs happily.

“I would love to do that.”

You let him get back to doing his job after agreeing to get together at some point over the weekend. You went into the bathroom and silently squealed to yourself. You had never been so bold before, but he seemed shy. You couldn’t wait to get together with him. And he had never been so happy over a tray of brownies in his life. 

[shock]

Hey jack so it turns out the reason my body physically rejects everything I eat is the fact I apparently also have an awful gluten sensitivity. Do you know any good recipes and/or have advice on not scarfing down an entire loaf of bread for dinner despite knowing it'll end in my untimely demise

i’m glad you were able to find out what it was! my life changed a lot for the better once i found out about my allergy.

in my case, i’ve wanted bread less and less the longer i’ve gone without gluten - the thing about bread is it’s super filling, so i’ve found a lot that sits in my stomach the same way without Killing me. i’m also lucky enough to live in a place with a trader joe’s, i haven’t seen any grocery stores like it that have so many good gluten free options (their everything bagels & their gf bread are all so good).

provided you can eat these things, this is what i eat pretty much. i don’t eat pork or beef, but i’m sure if you do you could think of stuff for it! i don’t do a lot of recipes but i’ll link some things i used to jump off from when i first started after:

1. i can usually turn eggs into a bread substitute if i really want a burrito or a sandwich, just turn it into an omelette. i can usually keep most of the ingredients the same, or it gives me inspiration to get creative. you can also put eggs in/on a lot of stuff. eggs in hell. put it on chili. put it in stir fry. put it on rice in general. make them however you want. i’ve made a lot of breakfast sandwiches by just layering the ingredients between two eggs. 

2. potatoes! i eat so many potatoes. i either do them roasted or my specific mashed potato recipe that’s less of a recipe and more just ‘do what you want, it’s done when you like it’. i cut up all the potatoes, don’t peel the skin, shove that shit in a pot, chop up a few cloves of garlic, drain that shit when it’s ready, then put a bunch of milk and sour cream and butter in there, finish with pepper and salt, boom. super hearty and i usually have a ton of leftovers. i just made that and fed 4 people and still had enough leftovers for 2 of us to have breakfast with them. and you can put whatever meat or anything else you want in there. you can make hashbrowns, fries, you can do so much with potatoes so they don’t get old. also you can make sweet potatoes! they’re just as fun! 

3. RICE. what can you do with rice? everything. make stir fry (i make vegetable stir fry for me and my vegan/vegetarian friends and everyone wins). you can do stir fry like five billion different ways and make it in bulk so you have tons of leftovers too. a lot of time i’ll just make some rice, some chicken, and combine it and get a lot of meals out of it that i can make different depending on if i want to put anything in it later. i make tikka masala, teriyaki chicken, i make a lot of my own sauces… you can combine sooo much with rice. i always have at least 3 kinds of rice at home. pretty much every meat can work with rice. lots of vegetables do too!

4. soups! i do roasted red pepper soup and put some chicken sausage in there. or i use miso broth to make a vegetable soup, usually with broccoli or green beans. usually a lot of ‘thick’ soups are good. 

5. my go-to snack is hummus and corn chips. a lot of snacks got cut out of my diet when i switched over and i didn’t realize just HOW MANY snacks were entirely gluten. i’ll also have a chocolate bar on me sometimes. 

6. oatmeal (make sure it doesn’t have gluten), i’ll make some oatmeal and chop up a banana, put some peanut butter in it, you can make it really filling with just a few ingredients. this helped me when i realized eating cereal was like impossible now but still wanted a sweet breakfast.

7. when i crave pastries, i can make them myself. gluten free flour can be expensive but i’ve noticed i eat a lot less sweets now that i’m not able to eat gluten, but i’ve definitely made my own brownies/cookies/sweetbread from home. i also make gluten free pancakes sometimes. 

8. i’ll also make chicken chili and dip chips into it. chili is super good and you can add things to it, like avocado/an egg/corn/other veggies + spices. it’s also really heavy.

9. …pizza balls… where when i’m craving a pizza and don’t want to make dough because that sucks to do for me and i cook up some turkey meatballs in pizza sauce/tomato sauce, cover them in whatever cheese and spices i want, bam. tricks my brain into thinking i ate pizza. 

10. yogurt and cream cheese. i’ll put something chocolate in the yogurt i get to satisfy my sweet tooth. and cream cheese is really filling, i eat it on all the gf bread/bagels i get. you can also put it in a lot of stuff to make it super heavy. 

here’s some info on gluten-free pastas, i thought i had more links but i can’t find them right now! 

[avengerofyourheart]

Flour Girl {8} (Bucky x reader AU)

Characters: reader, Bucky (Jimmy), Wanda.

Summary: Discovering the cute guy you just flirted with is the heir of a rival bakery, you suddenly find yourself running into him all over the city. Can your small boutique bakery compete? And how do you deal with the guy who seems determined to make your life a living hell? Luckily you’re distracted by a secret admirer…But who is he? (Inspired by “You’ve Got Mail”, Enemies to Lovers)

Warnings: none! Mild swearing?

Word Count:  2.9k

A/N: *incoherent screaming* I’m really looking forward to your thoughts on this part!! :D Any and all feedback is appreciated!! I love you guys. 

<<Part 7   Part 8    Part 9>> 

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_________________________________________________________

“No,” you muttered to yourself in disbelief. “No, no, no, no!”

Having reached the bottom step of the staircase leading to the cellar, you stared at the empty spot on the shelf with despair. Your legs seemed to collapse on their own as you took a seat directly on the step.

You were out of flour.

Dropping your head in your hands, you thought it over and remembered the broken bag of flour that you had neglected to replace when Sam offered the previous week. You would receive several 50 pound bags the day after tomorrow, but that did you no good in your moment of desperation. Business had been going well, thankfully, but that also meant you had been making larger batches of items that required more flour. With that, on top of your savory pastry experiments, you must have used up most of your last bag without realizing.

You were 2 pounds short on the recipe you were currently making and there was still so much left to bake until the flour arrived. If you had to wait, it would be disastrous. Allowing yourself to wallow at the decisions of your past self, you leaned your head against the wall a few minutes before climbing back up the stairs and formulating a plan.

_______

The morning had started off so well and it had the makings of a spectacular day. After agreeing to meet B in person, much to your jittery nerves, you set up plans for coffee the following afternoon. He left all planning up to you, so you thought it over before replying.

It had to be somewhere public and during the day, for safety reasons. You wanted to trust this man you had begun to fall for, but that Stranger Danger sense of self-preservation still lingered. Your dad would be proud. Finally you settled on somewhere familiar and comfortable that was also close enough to the bakery, should Wanda desperately need you. You pecked out a reply and nervously hit send.

FG: How about 4pm tomorrow? There’s a great cafe called the Hawk’s Nest. Do you know it?

B: I know it very well, actually. Wouldn’t it be crazy if we had passed each other there without even realizing? 4pm sounds perfect!

Reading his reply, butterflies gathered in your stomach. You hadn’t thought about that. What if you had seen B in person before without knowing that it was him? Part of you thought you might instinctively know him, but with no idea what he looked like, it was highly improbable. You had been to the Nest hundreds of times since moving into the neighborhood. If he was a frequent visitor…could he possibly live nearby?

Your mind was jumping to conclusions again, so you blinked a few times to clear your thoughts and focused on the screen in front of you.

FG: I’ll be there. :)

Three dots appeared as you awaited his response.

B: Wait! How will we know each other?

Thinking for a moment, you came up with a solution and smiled. This air of mystery was still kind of fun and you surprisingly didn’t want to know what he looked like beforehand. Well, you did, but maybe it would be best to reveal your identities to each other at the same time. An idea popped into your head with a smile so you typed out your thoughts and hit send.

FG: I’ll be wearing my Beatles t-shirt. ;) 

A laughing emoji popped up almost immediately.

B: Deal! And I’ll be representing the Stones. I’ll see you tomorrow, Franny. :)

You laughed at the nickname, feeling anxious that in roughly 24 hours he would know your true name. And what you looked like. Nervous energy flowed through you once again, so you locked your phone and took a deep breath. A wide smile stretched across your face and suddenly, you couldn’t hold it in any longer. Practically skipping toward the front of the bakery, you grasped Wanda’s hands in your own, causing her to drop the towel she was using to wipe down the counter but you didn’t care.

“I have a date!” you shouted with glee. “Well, I think it’s a date. Maybe. I don’t know, but he’s the sweetest and funniest and I’m so excited!” you finally paused to take a breath. Wanda looked at you in shock at first and then shared your excitement with a toothy smile.

“That’s amazing, Y/N! You have a date! With who?” Wanda asked enthusiastically.

You paused a moment at her inquiry. “Well…it’s kind of a funny story…”

______________

After your long chat with Wanda in between customers and baking more items for the pastry case, she was almost as excited for your “date” as you were. A few years ago, it would have been crazy to meet a stranger in person that you barely met, but with the internet and dating apps, it was now the new normal. Well, technically, you knew less about him than you would on a dating app, but you were cautious in your plans and felt like it was about time you two met.

That entire evening, you couldn’t stop smiling and practically danced through the cleaning and dishes while helping Wanda close the shop. Not even a call from a tenant at 10pm about a noise complaint could dampen your spirits. Luckily, the noise-makers were willing to turn down their music without any more drama. You didn’t know why the complainers couldn’t solve it themselves, but whatever. People were strange.

The next morning, you hopped out of bed at the first ring of your alarm with a smile on your face. You didn’t want to think that this guy was the sole reason for your smile, but after working almost constantly since your bakery opened, for once you had something to look forward to outside your job. It was a nice change and that spark of joy carried throughout your morning of baking and even as you made your deliveries.

Jimmy was at the counter at the Nest when you arrived and, of course, he had the closest parking spot, but even that couldn’t dull your shine.

“What’s got you grinning so early in the morning, Y/N?” he asked with a skeptical gaze.

Smirking in his direction, you just kept on smiling. “That’s none of your business, Barnes. Can’t I just have a great morning that’s worth smiling about?”

Jimmy scoffed. “I rarely find anything amusing before 9am, personally,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

“How sad for you,” you mocked, then accepting your signed paperwork from the cafe’s owner. “Thanks, Clint. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya, Y/N,” Clint replied as you offered one more amused smile to the brunet before exiting.

Arriving back at the bakery, you dove directly into baking with enthusiasm. You were trying to get as much done as possible early in the morning so you might actually have some time to freshen up before your coffee date later. It was during your second recipe that you discovered your flour dilemma.

Upon returning from the cellar, you took a deep breath and ran through a few options in your head. You could buy small bags of flour from the grocery store, but it would be ridiculously expensive and also the chance that it would be organic were slim to nil. Not to mention the change in gluten content, which would mean you’d have to alter each of your recipes. That would be low on your list of options. Next, you went to your office and got a list of bakeries in the area that might have your brand of flour.

Six calls later, you were unsuccessful. One was gluten-free, and therefore had no wheat flour, a few were sympathetic to your cause, but were on the same delivery schedule as you and couldn’t offer their flour for fear of running out themselves. Two of the bakeries flat-out laughed at you for even suggesting they help out the competition. They better hope they never need your help in the future, you thought as you scribbled out the last bakery on your notepad with a pen.

You sat at a table out front as you had made your phone calls, since service was spotty back in your office. Wanda helped out a few customers and as they walked out the door, she came to sit across from you.

“I think you really only have one option, Y/N. I know you’re not gonna like it, but…” she pursed her lips in sympathy. You had told her your problem and apparently came to the same conclusion you had.

Groaning out loud, you finally picked up your phone and found the number you hoped you would never need to call. You hit the green button and the line began to ring.

“Barnes Bakery, how may I help you?” a female voice answered.

You let out a breath that you didn’t know you held, feeling like part of you expected Jimmy to answer. Other than deliveries, you didn’t really know his responsibilities, so it’s possible he answers the phone. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

“Yes, this is Y/N calling from City Sweets Bakery? Could I speak to the owner, please?”

____________

The drive out to Brooklyn wasn’t bad, actually. It wasn’t often that you made your way across the Brooklyn Bridge and it was actually nice to get out of the 5 or 6 blocks of neighborhood that you only seemed to frequent.

Pulling up to the building on the address the girl shared, you parked at the nearest corner where the retail shop was found. There was an awning that displayed the Barnes Bakery name and also a vertical neon sign attached to the side of the building that presumably lit up at night.

Stepping in the front door, a bell jangled overhead and the heavenly smell of bread overcame you. The counter was in an “L” shape along the left wall with racks full of all types of breads and rolls and bagels straight ahead, each bagged by the dozen or half dozen and ready to be purchased. What truly caught your eye was the large picture window set into the right wall that allowed spectators to watch the enormous production factory in action.

Your eyes widened as you took in the giant dough mixers and large metal tables where people in aprons and hairnets shaped huge blobs of yeast dough at an incredible speed. No matter what your feelings were toward the Barnes’, business-wise, you couldn’t help to be impressed by the efficiency and size of their bakery.

“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” a familiar voice called out from behind you, causing your shoulders to tense.

Turning around, you spotted a smirking Jimmy behind the counter wearing an apron. No hairnet for you to mock, unfortunately, but he was wearing a backwards baseball cap, which was amusing. Taking a deep breath, you had to remind yourself that they were doing you a favor, so you tried to paint on a pleasant smile as you approached the counter.

“Hello, Jimmy. I spoke to your father earlier about borrowing a bag of flour?” you asked, placing your hands on the glass display case.

“Yeah, he said something about that. Our delivery guy just got here so I’ll go check with him. I’ll be right back. Don’t miss me too much,” he teased with a wink as he walked through a door into the cavernous factory. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes behind his back.

When you spoke to the owner, George Barnes, he was more than willing to help you out, much to your surprise. You half expected him to be just as cocky and prickly as his son, Jimmy. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Lucky for you, his bakery was on a different delivery schedule, and in fact they were expecting more flour that very day. Their facility was large enough that they could store a surplus of flour and it was likely they never ran out, which made you envious. They also happened to carry the same organic wheat flour you used and Mr. Barnes was perfectly pleasant about the whole thing. It almost made you wonder how he could be related to Jimmy, who seemed to make it his mission in life to be a thorn in your side.

You heard voices getting louder as two men rounded the corner and to your surprise, you knew them both.

“…borrow a bag, so if you’ll just take that out to her car, that’d be great, man,” Jimmy finished as the second man wheeled a bag of flour on a hand cart with two wheels, often used for moving boxes and other large items.

“Sam?” you called out in shock.

“Y/N, hey!” your regular delivery driver said with a smile. “I guess this is for you, then? For that broken bag last week, shit, I’m sorry about that.”

You waved his apology away, know it wasn’t his fault. “It’s okay, I worked it out, thanks to the Barnes’,” you smiled with your eyes flickering to Jimmy’s.

“Well, I’m glad for that. Which is your car?”

“It’s right out front, here, I’ll pop the trunk,” you said as you hit a button on your keychain.

“Alright, I’ll be back,” Sam said, giving a two-finger salute.

Turning back toward Jimmy, there was a beat of silence before you spoke up. “So…do I need to sign something, or….”

“Oh, right! Yeah,” Bucky suddenly remembered as he slid the paper over to you.

Scrawling quickly on the paper, you gathered your keys and prepared to leave.

“Full signature, please,” Jimmy requested with a smirk as he looked down at your scribbled signature. “What does that even say? Doesn’t look like your initials…” he trailed off with a furrowed brow, squinting at the paper.

Accepting the paper and pen again, you answered while you signed. “It’s not. It actually says “FG”, but it’s a habit signing that way,” you sighed, sliding it across the counter one last time.

“What did you say?” Jimmy asked in a quiet voice, which brought your gaze up to his. He seemed to be confused at that, so you went on to explain the initials quickly.

You huffed out a mildly annoyed sigh. “It’s a nickname. My dad calls me Flour Girl cause when I was younger, he would come home from work to see me covered head to toe in flour from baking. It’s silly, but I like having the connection to him while I’m far from home. Happy?” you uttered in a short tone.

Jimmy continued to stare down at the paper as if his gaze might burn a hole through it. “Um…can you…stay? For a moment? I just need to…check on something,” he stammered, seeming to have lost his usual boastful nature for the moment.

Glancing at your watch, you bit your lip in impatience, but nodded anyway. “Okay, fine.”

Jimmy disappeared around the corner then, so you leaned your elbows on the counter and watched the team of employees making bread through the window. It wasn’t that weird to have a nickname like that, right? You loved having that reminder of your dad and had even gotten used to signing the initials at work, too, like labeling containers in the fridge along with the date and what was inside. Labeling was extra important to avoid spoilage and it was also required for when the Sanitation Inspector came around. Any infractions reflected poorly on your business.

You also made the initials your text signature because on the rare occasion that your dad texted, he loved to see that reminder pop up. That you were still his little Flour Girl, no matter what.

Lost in your thoughts, your phone chirped and you fished it out to see a text on your screen. Unlocking the device, a message from B brought a huge smile to your face.

B: Franny!! I’m withholding all my coffee consumption today until I can share it with you. :)

Chuckling at the message, you typed out a reply and hit send.

FG: Well, that’s a high price to pay, but I appreciate it. I’ll see you soon. :)

As soon as the message sent, you pocketed your phone and saw Jimmy return out of the corner of your eye. He seemed to be…not like himself. He still carried the signed paper and had one hand in his pocket as he reached you.

Quirking an eyebrow, you finally addressed his behavior. “What’s wrong with you? No witty remarks today?”

Jimmy blinked at that and shook his head quickly. “Um…nope. Guess I left my wit in my other pants,” he muttered, gaze still on the paper.

You let out a snort, to your surprise and he finally looked up. “Yeah, well…am I good to go? Plenty more work to be done,” you said in anticipation.

“Yeah, sorry. All good,” he nodded with a faltering smile.

“Okay. Tell your dad thanks again,” you told him, shouldering your bag. “I’ll see you around, Barnes.”

Sam had reached the outside of the door as you approached, so he opened it for you. “You’re all set, Y/N. Guess I’ll see you in a few days?”

“Thanks, Sam. Yup, I’ll see you later,” you replied with a wave as you reached your car.

The drive back into the city took a little longer than you hoped, but you felt that nervous excitement fill you again while entering the bakery. Opening the new bag of flour, you channeled your giddy nervousness into productive energy as you watched the clock until your date.

_________________

Part 9>> 

__________________________________________________________

Hoooooly crap, you guys!!! Go ahead, scream at me. I’ve been expecting it. ;) I know, we’re not quite to the meeting but SO MUCH STUFF IS HAPPENING!!!! Did you pick up on the clues?? We got to see Sam for a few minutes! And a visit to Brooklyn, what was that about?? heh. Some of you suspected that missing bag of flour would come back to bite her and here we are....oops. Sweet Wanda is so excited for her! And just keep in mind, we’re only halfway through this series. ;) I adore you all!! Any and all feedback is appreciated!! Thank you. <3

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[littlecrookedheart]

Merry & Bright : The Twelve Days of Choices FicMas

Prompt 9, Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Pairing : Khaan x Dakota & Hamza

Rating : FLUFF

Word Count : 3,985

Disclaimer : I do not own any characters mentioned that are found in the choices universe.

“Do you like it, ‘Koda?”

Hamza outstretched his little hand, a tiny wooden ornament with a blue blob painted in the center sat in his palm. The corner very sloppily read, ‘HAMZA’ in full capital lettering, white dots plopped on the empty spaces.

“I love this, Hamza. Thank you!”

“Do you know what it is? That's Bopper! And he's dancing in the snow!”

“Bopper is the new velociraptor Hamza's babysitter gave him for Christmas,” Khaan smiled, sitting next to Dakota on the sofa.

“I quite love Bopper. He's such a great dancer, too. Did you teach him?”

Hamza shot to his feet, shuffling them as he used his arms to make waves.

“I'd say so,” Dakota giggled, joining Hamza in his arm wave dance.

“‘Koda, daddy says you and me get to make cookies for Santa. We have to make sure they have no gluten ‘cuz we don't know if he's allergic. ‘Kay?”

“I think that's very thoughtful of you. What kind of cookies?”

“I think we have the ingredients for cacao chip cookies and stevia gingerbread. What’ll it be, Lil’ Sprout?”

“Um…’Koda can pick. I just wanna make them look like Bopper!”

“I don't think they make cookie cutters in the shape of Bopper, Hamza.” Dakota said, taking a drink of their tea, the steam rising off of it similarly to the smoke of Khaan's seasonal incense.

“Actually,” Khaan stood up and walked over to the kitchen, opening a drawer and pulling out a mesh bag of various dinosaur shaped cookie cutters. He reached inside, sorting through them quickly and held up one with a blue silicone grip. “They do, and we have one.”

“I stand corrected.”

Hamza zoomed to the kitchen, knocking his knee on the side of the couch. He fell to the floor, eyes welling with tears.

“Ow!” He cried, quickly looking up between his dad and Dakota for assurance.

“Can you bend it?” Dakota asked, kneeling next to him. Khaan joined them, helping Hamza move his leg.

“Yeah…”

“I think all is well, Sprout.”

“Here, I'll get an ice pack.” Dakota grabbed a beaded gel pack from the freezer, gently pressing it to Hamza's knee. A bruise was starting to form, a purple splotch just beneath his kneecap. “How about you go change into your pajamas and we can prop your leg on the couch while the cookies bake? The cold will help it feel better.”

“Go on, I'll be there in just a second to check on you,” Khaan nodded.

Hamza sniffled and went to his room, stopping to pick up Bopper on the way.

“Thank you,” Khaan whispered, reaching over to brush Dakota's face with the side of his hand. “You're really great with him.”

“He makes it easy to be. When you called me earlier, I was just as excited to see him as I was to see you. You're both wonderful.”

He sighed, a genuine grin spreading across his face.

“You're wonderful, too.”

“Daddy?” Hamza called from his room, “I wanna take a bath!”

“Okay Sprout, I'm coming!” He turned back to Dakota, “It won't take long.”

“Take your time.”

Khaan pressed a small kiss to Dakota's forehead, rushing down the hall to meet Hamza.

With a bit of time on their hands, Dakota pulled up a gluten free cookie recipe on their phone and began preparing the two types of dough, mixing in cacao chips and holiday spices. Afterwards, they covered each bowl and stuck it in the fridge, filling a kettle with fresh water to heat up before sitting down.

Dakota leaned back on the couch, closing their eyes for a moment, a smile spreading across their lips at the sound of Khaan and Hamza laughing. This is what home feels like, huh?

Hamza peeked out his room, skipping down the hall.

“Okay! ‘Koda, come on! We got a present for you.”

“It's not Christmas just yet,” Dakota said, turning to see Hamza in a red and green striped pajama set, his arms outstretched with a wrapped gift in his hands. “You look like you’re ready for Santa! What's this?”

“Daddy said I can give it to you! We gotta be ready for when Santa comes.”

Kneeling to meet Hamza's height, Dakota took the present and smiled. “You sure?”

“Yep!”

“Okay. Wanna help?”

Hamza nodded, tearing the paper open to reveal a white box. Lifting the cover off, he laughed at Dakota's raised brow reaction.

“Isn't it cool? We can match.”

“This is very cool, Hamza! Did you pick these out?” Dakota unfolded an identical pajama set, unable to hold back a grin.

“Actually, that was me.”

Khaan strolled down the hall, turning in his own matching jammies as if he were walking a runway.

“Wow.”

The three of them burst into laughter, Hamza doubling over in exaggeration.

“Go put ‘em on, ‘Koda. Then we can make Santa's cookies!”

“Okay. Can you keep an eye on that kettle?”

Hamza nodded, eyes widening.

“When it whistles, tell your dad it's time for -” they moved in closer to his ear, whispering, “Hot chocolate!”

“‘Kay!” He grinned and plopped onto the couch, facing the kitchen

“He's feeling better, then?” Dakota asked, heading down the hall to change.

“Miraculous recovery. Don't you know? That happens often with small children.”

Khaan followed closely behind, stopping at the doorway of the bathroom.

“Can I kiss you?”

“Don't you ever think you have to ask me that,” Dakota sighed, pulling him more in the doorway and out of Hamza's sight. His arms around them were like pillars of strength, lips slightly quivering as they met in a deep rush.

“I'll let you change,” he said, brushing a hand through Dakota's hair. “I think I hear the kettle.”

--

Hamza threw his head back as he cackled loudly, “Ehheheheh!” as he dumped the entirety of a container of sprinkles onto the cookie dough, spreading them all around.

“I hope Santa likes sprinkle overload,” Dakota joked, using the dinosaur cookie cutters to pop out shapes, setting them down on a pan.

“I hope Santa likes overly excited, hyped up children!”

Khaan rolled balls of dough onto the sheet, popping each pan into the oven.

“Okay! Time to clean up now,” Hamza reached for a cloth on the counter, “I'll do the wipe down. Daddy? You gots to spray it.”

Khaan winked at Dakota, pulling a spray bottle out from under the sink. “Set the timer, please.”

Dakota spun the timer backward, helping them clean the counters up.

“Santa is gonna love ‘em, isn't he?”

“Of course he will, Lil’ Sprout. You made them very festive and they already smell delicious.”

“I love cookies. Wanna sing a song? ‘Koda, do you know the song with Donner?”

“Donner? The reindeer?”

“Yep!” Hamza pulled a small wooden step stool in front of the sink, sudsing his hands as he sang, “...Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzer! But do you remember the most best reindeer of all….”

“Oh!” Dakota flung their arm around Khaan, singing, “Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose-”

“But did you ever saw it, you would even say it glows!”

Khaan chuckled and shook his head before belting, “All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names-”

“They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games- take it away Hamza!”

Hamza jumped off of the stool, swinging his arms around as if he were playing guitar, “Then one foggy Christmas eve, Santa came to say HO HO HO-”

Khaan swept him in his arms, spinning around as the two of them sang, “Rudolph with your nose so bright! Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?”

“Then all the reindeer loved him, as they shouted out with glee-”

“Rudolph, the bestest reindeer, you'll go down in history!”

Hamza ran to the couch, Khaan and Dakota speeding after him, covering his ribs in tickles. He shrieked, laughing so hard he could hardly breathe before yelling out,

“I'm gonna pee! I'm gonna pee!”

“Oh! Get to the potty then, Stomper!”

Hamza ran into the bathroom, giggling as he closed the door behind him.

Dakota panted, trying to catch their breath, “I bet this never gets old.”

“He keeps me young. He loves having you around, you know. He's so much more vibrant.”

Their eyes twinkled, crinkling at the corners, “Khaan, I-”

“I'm done peeing and I washed my hands!”

Khaan cleared his throat, “Yeah? Did you flush?”

Hamza paused in his step, turning back to the bathroom to flush the toilet.

--

“Daddy, can ‘Koda tuck me in?”

“Of course,” he smiled, kissing the top of his son’s head, “Sweet dreams, Sprout.”

“Love you!”

“I love you, too,” he said, closing the leftover cookies in Tupperware containers before rolling up his sleeves to finish the dishes.

Hamza snuggled into the couch, teeth freshly brushed and eyelids heavy.

“‘Koda, did you ever meet Santa before?”

“I can't say I have.”

Dakota tucked the blanket under Hamza's sides, handing him an extra throw to hold close.

“Do you know Santa goes all over the world? He brings everybody one present and it's ‘upposed to make us happy for Christmas.”

“The whole world?!”

“Yep! Daddy says he gots to start way before Christmas here, because some other places are Christmas yesterday.”

“Santa is one very nice person, isn't he?”

“Yep!” Hamza yawned, “What did you ask him for this year?”

“To spend Christmas with my best boys,” Dakota sighed, patting Hamza's arm, “And he gave me that, didn't he?”

“‘Koda?”

“Yeah?”

Hamza's eyes were closed, face halfway hidden behind his blanket, “You’re my best friend.”

Dakota smiled and whispered, “And you're mine, Hamza.”

--

Dakota stood up and made their way to Khaan, gently brushing his back and kissing his shoulder.

“He's asleep.”

“Thank you for tucking him in.”

“Of course.”

Khaan dried his hands on a towel, leaning his back against the fridge. He looked sad, almost, concerned.

“What's bothering you?”

“Am I so obvious?” he ran a hand over his face, looking toward Hamza. “I feel like I'm doing something awful by lying to him.”

“About what? Santa?”

Khaan nodded, shrugging.

“He's five, he should have something magical to believe in.”

“I'm unsure of the best way to go about this. I don't want him to have false hope.”

“Did you believe in Santa growing up?”

“I did. When I was nine, kids at school told me the truth. I didn't confront my parents, but I didn't pretend to believe anymore once I'd learned that it was all fabrication.”

“Did you ever have animosity toward your parents for telling you that Santa was real?”

“Of course not. I didn't understand why they had, but I never felt negatively toward them.”

“Why would he feel that way toward you, then?”

Khaan sighed, looking toward Dakota, unable to meet their eyes.

“He wouldn't, you know. Hamza is a great kid.”

“Dakota, I am so afraid to hurt him.”

“How could you ever hurt him? You love him so much, so wholly, you’re always putting yourself last in every single situation. You give him the world. You do everything you can for him.”

“I want to be the father he deserves. I give my all...I'm just afraid I won't live up to my own expectations.”

Dakota reached across the counter, taking Khaan's hand in both of theirs.

“You have to get out of your head, darling. Look at me.”

They moved around the counter, sidling up next to Khaan, placing one hand on his cheek, the other on his waist.

“You are the most loving, kind, incredible father I've ever known. Hamza loves you more than you'll ever believe. Please be kinder to yourself.”

Khaan's face flushed in heat, making him turn away briefly. “Thank you.”

Dakota's lips sprinkled kisses across his face, a smile forming on them as they pulled away.

“Hamza is happy, Khaan. You deserve to be, too. He'll be even happier if he sees you smiling as much as you deserve. You don't have to sacrifice your happiness in order for him to love his life. Look at him,” they gestured toward the couch where Hamza slept, his hand tightly holding Bopper, cheek smashed into the cushion. “He's living the life already.”

Khaan chuckled, brushing a thumb over Dakota's lips.

“You're right. I must be doing something right to have a kid like him.”

“Exactly,” they grinned, “You’re the magic Hamza sees in Santa. He just doesn't know it yet.”

Khaan choked back a sob, shaking it off. His gaze caught on the flickers of tree lights in Dakota's eyes, their hazel swirls seeming to illuminate a golden glow. He took a breath, pressing his forehead to theirs, “I can never be as happy as I desire.”

“Don't say that.”

“I can't lose my inhibitions, not when I have someone else to protect.”

Dakota's brow furrowed slightly, drawing both arms around Khaan, pulling him into an embrace.

“Just...let me keep making you smile. That's all I want from you.”

“I can't tell you how much I wish...”

“You don't have to, believe me. I already know.”

Khaan moved to kiss them, lips soft and comforting against one another, slowly dancing together as if they'd never missed a beat. Like fighting a current, Dakota broke the affection, swallowing hard as to shake away the emotion welling in their chest.

“We should try to sleep.”

“You're right. That little stomper will be awake before we know it.”

Khaan gently met Dakota's lips once more before leading them to the couch, lacing his fingers with theirs as he dozed off.

-

“Khaan, wake up.”

“Hmm?”

“Seriously, wake up.”

Dakota's voice was faint, barely there. Their eyes were fixated across the room, nodding toward the Christmas tree.

“What is it?” Khaan reached for his glasses, blinking vigorously when he saw what Dakota did. “What...is that?”

A flurry of silver and gold orbs bounced like sparks near the tree, a center of many of their lights formed together.

“I've never seen anything like-”

“Listen!” Dakota whispered, holding a hand out to pause him.

At first he was met with silence, only the tick of the kitchen clock filling the room. But then, as if all at once,he heard the most beautiful chime, an undeniable chorus of bells in the distance. Khaan looked to Dakota with wonder in his eyes and stood up instinctively, slowly approaching the light show near the tree. He jerked his arm back after reaching out, a deep chill surging through him.

“Are you okay?”

“They're freezing cold and warm at the same time,” he said, his eyes wide, “This is going to sound unbelievable...impossible, even, but it's like I saw something…”

Dakota crossed the room, reaching both hands out. As the orbs scattered reflections across their skin, a mixture of vanilla and pine filled the air, memories of childhood Christmases rushing forward. They turned to Khaan, taking his hand to feel the lights once more.

Khaan's face lit up as he watched Dakota open a miniature piano on their tenth Christmas, the aroma of baking pies in the air. The sound of laughter, a young Dakota in the kitchen eating candy, their grandmother finishing a knit sweater. And then pure light, Dakota's face the moment he'd revealed his feelings to them, and moments that hadn't happened ever before - Hamza and Dakota sledding down a hill together, Khaan's fingers placing a golden band behind a pillow. An older version of Hamza, smiling at the foot of a staircase in a tuxedo, Dakota snapping pictures with tears in their eyes. ‘It’s just prom!’ ‘Prom is a huge deal!’

Khaan blinked away the mist in his eyes, pulling his trembling hand away.

“What did you see?” They asked, leaning closer to him.

“You were young... I saw your grandma knitting...and a little piano. You were so happy.”

“So were you,” Dakota giggled, “I saw you open your first chemistry set.”

“What is this, Dewdrop?”

“Santa's magic,” Hamza yawned, sitting up on the couch.

“Hey, Sprout. Sorry we woke you.” Khaan crawled over, sitting on the floor next to Hamza's spot on the couch.

“Did he do it?”

“Hmm?” Dakota asked, running a hand through the dancing lights again.

“Did he help you? I asked Santa to help you know what you really want for Christmas.”

“What do you mean, buddy?” Khaan asked, softly patting Hamza's knee.

“ ‘Cuz remember? I said, ‘What did you ask Santa for this year?’ and you said, ‘I don't know.’ So I said to Santa in my letter that Fiona helped me write, ‘Dear Santa, for Christmas I want you to help my daddy remember what he wants and then give it to him! Because this year I got a lot of presents for my birthday and I really want daddy to have a present too!’”

Khaan smiled, glancing to Dakota before hugging his son with one arm.

“That was really kind of you, Lil’ Sprout. But you know, Santa will still bring you a gift.”

“Well, what are those? Are those my presents?” Hamza pointed to the lights.

“I thought you said they were magic!” Dakota smiled, taking his hand, “Wanna feel?”

Hamza's face brightened, nodding quickly.

“I'm not so sure if that's-”

“Please, daddy? I promise, just one time!”

Khaan gave a nod, watching as Hamza spun in a circle beneath the shimmers.

Suddenly, the lights dissipated, a wave of glitter bursting from each of them, raining down around him. The sound of the bells seemed to surround the room, the twinkling tree lights buzzing brighter, and in a split second -

“Santa!” Hamza shrieked, pointing out the window before running over to it.

Khaan and Dakota looked out, mouths falling open in perfect synchronization. Hamza giggled profusely, bouncing up and down, “Santa!”

The silhouette of a reindeer led sleigh dashed across the sky, glimmers of orbed lights following closely behind. The gift pile under the tree had grown substantially, leaving Khaan with a quizzical look on his face and Hamza with a racing heart.

“Daddy, can we open one?”

“In the morning, Sprout, you need your sleep.”

“Just one? Please? Then I'll sleep, I promise!”

“Please?” Dakota chimed, falling to their knees next to Hamza, “We deserve it!”

“You both deserve the naughty list,” Khaan laughed, passing both of them a gift labeled from The North Pole.

Hamza ripped open the paper, thrusting a stuffed stegosaurus into the air. “Just like I wanted!”

“Whoa! How cool is he?” Dakota grinned, petting the toy. “What's his name?”

“Um...Nelson.”

“Very cool. Nice to meet you, Nelson!”

“What did you get, ‘Koda?”

“Let's see.” Dakota opened a small box, a folded piece of paper sitting in the center. They unfolded it, covering their mouth in awe. “Hamza...did you draw this?”

Hamza leaned over and smiled, “Yep! How the heck did Santa get that?” He turned away, wrapping his toy in a hug as he buried his face back into his pillow.

Khaan leaned over, tucking the blanket around his son, gently brushing his hair as he fell asleep.

Dakota sat between the couch and the tree, running their fingers through the air where the orbs had been. Khaan sat cross legged next to them, resting a hand on their thigh.

“Can I see what you got?”

They passed Khaan the paper, eyes glistening as they looked away from him. Inside was a crayon drawing of three stick figures holding hands, each labeled underneath. Across the top was scribbled yellow flowers and the words, “My family.”

The first, drawn in green, with black glasses, “Daddy.”

In the middle, a short one drawn in blue, “Me”

At the end, drawn in purple with curly hair, “Koda.”

“I don't know what to say.”

“It says everything,” Dakota said, their eyes brimming in tears, “I need for you to know something.”

“What is it, dewdrop?” Khaan pulled them close, concerned and very confused at the entirety of the nights happenings.

Dakota sniffled and laughed, looking to Hamza.

“He is the smartest, funniest, most amazing kid I've ever met.”

“He is pretty great, isn't he?”

“He's incredible. You've done such a wonderful job raising him, Khaan. He has the best man to look up to.”

“I don't know if I can take all of the credit-”

“No, stop. Please take my compliment. You never, ever let me tell you how perfect you are.”

“I'm not perfect, dewdrop. But I won't fight you on it. Thank you. You are rather perfect to me, too.”

“I love you.”

Khaan tilted his head, meeting Dakota's gaze as they continued, “I don't want anything from you. This never has to be anything more than it is right now, but I need for you to know that I love you, and I love your son. You are everything to me.”

“Dakota, I-”

“‘Koda?”

Hamza reached outward, patting Dakota's shoulder from where he lay.

“What's up, buddy?”

Eyes still closed, he drowsily mumbled, “We love you too.”

Dakota chuckled as tears ran down their face, rubbing Hamza's back as he fell back asleep. They curled up on the couch, smiling once more at Khaan before closing their eyes, too.

“He's right, you know,” Khaan whispered, wrapping his arms around them, pressing a warm kiss to their neck. “We really, really love you.”

--- a year later

“Look at my handsome boys!” Dakota beamed, finding Hamza and Khaan already dressed in their Christmas Eve pajamas, each of them with a mug of cocoa.

“Go change, ‘Koda! We wanna watch Polar Express!”

“Okay, okay! I thought you wanted cookies,” Dakota giggled, passing a plate of warm gingerbread men to Khaan.

“I was the one who wanted these. He's just ready to wait for Santa again.”

“I'm not waiting for Santa this year!”

“How come?” Dakota asked, sticking their head out of the bathroom as they changed into their pajamas, “Last year was so fun!”

“Because I already know he's real. Besides, daddy already got his best present.”

“My best present was you, Sprout.”

“My best present was Bopper.”

“My best present was both of you,” Dakota grinned, sitting between the two on the couch.

Hamza snuggled up to them, dancing in his seat as the title screen popped up. Khaan and Dakota joined in, swaying back and forth for a moment before pressing play.

-

“The first gift of christmas!” Santa Claus announced, holding up a silver bell on the screen.

Khaan reached behind Dakota, tapping Hamza on the shoulder. He stirred in his seat, climbing behind the couch.

“What are you doin’, silly?”

“Getting the first gift of christmas! Close your eyes!”

“Open your hands,” Khaan said, covering Dakota's palm with his own.

“Okay ‘Koda, open your eyes.”

“Okay...what's this about?”

“We love you!” Hamza smiled, two of his baby teeth missing from the front of his mouth.

“We want to know…”

“Do you wanna?”

Dakota's eyebrows raised, a look of confusion in their eyes, “Do I wanna what?”

Khaan laughed, rolling his eyes. “What Hamza meant to say is-”

“Oh! Do you wanna be a Mousavi!”

Dakota's chest filled with an ache, a deeply embedded rush of emotion, their heart feeling as if it had dropped completely to the ground.

“What?”

Khaan moved his hand, revealing a thin golden band in Dakota's palm. Dakota gasped, speechless, staring at the ring.

“Say yes,” Hamza whispered, taking a bite of a gingerbread man.

“Yes. Yes! Of course I do!”

Khaan wrapped his son and new fiancé in an embrace, his glasses fogging slightly as his eyes misted over.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” he sobbed, pressing kisses to both of their faces.

“Ew, dad! That's gross!”

Dakota chuckled, wiggling their eyebrows at Khaan as he pulled back, face stained with tears.

“So we’re gonna be a real family now?” Hamza asked, mouth full of cookie.

Khaan smiled, kissing Dakota's cheek tenderly, “We already are.”

[niall-talk]

This Christmas (6)

I woke the next morning to find Niall in the kitchen with his mum. They talked and laughed just genuinely enjoyed being together. I don't remember the last time I have ever seen him this happy. I heard a ding from inside the kitchen and it scared me. I made a noise as I jumped and drew their attention.

“Hey sleepy head,” he laughed at me.

“You are one ta talk. You've been up only twenty minutes,” Maura chided him for me. “Come on in dear,” she motioned for me to join them.

I sat at the kitchen table with them and was treated to a hot chocolate and a caramel apple and cinnamon scone. “Oh my,” I all but moaned when I took a bite. “This is the best thing I have ever had. Ms. Gallagher I need the recipe for this.”

“Thank you dear, and It's Maura or ma or mum. Ms. Gallagher is my mother-in-law.” She winked at me with that same mischievous glint Niall has.

“Yes ma'am,” I said feeling a little embarrassed. I sipped on the hot chocolate and noticed the smirk on his face. I stuck my tongue out at him while Maura had her back to us.

He made a face at me just in time for her to turn and see it. “Niall James that is not how you act at the kitchen table.” Yup loved this lady already.

“But she started it,” he huffed like a five year old as he pointed at me.

She looked at me the back to him. “Well I didn't see her do it, but I did you.” She winked at me again.

“Are you kidding me right now? It's like growin’ up with Greg all over again.” He threw his hands up.

Maura reached over and pinched his ear. “You might be twenty-five years old and a famous pop star, but you are still my son.” She let go and he grabbed his ear.

I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up inside. He glared at me, “Not funny. That hurts.” He whined as he rubbed his ear.

“Sammy we were getting ready to bake some bread. You want to help us?” She asked as she finished her drink.

“Sure ok. I just need to go get cleaned up and changed.” I was still in my pajamas. I finished my drink and scone. “This is so good,” I repeated again.

“Thank you,” Niall took the praise for the yummy treat. I just gave him a skeptical look. “No really. Ma who made the scones?” He had a smug look on his face.

“He made them. I woke up this morning and he was in here baking these for me. He knows they are my favorite.” She doated on her son. “Glad to know all those times in the kitchen paid off.”

I was impressed to say the least. I made it to my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. I washed up and put my hair back in a ponytail.

“Who are you and what did you do with my Sam?” Niall joked.

I rolled my eyes at him. If it wasn't for the fact that we were in his mother's house I would have flipped him the bird. “Ha ha very funny Horan.”

We moved to the island worktop and she gave me instructions on what to do. When I gave her the deer in the headlights look she laughed. “Sorry dear. I forget that you didn't grow up here.” She went to a cabinet and pulled out an old recipe book. When she found the right page she set it up for me.

I read the instructions at least three times before I started. Niall just dove in no book or anything. I asked him how he knew all this. “We had to bake our own stuff when we found out ma had celiac. Didn't have all the gluten free stuff back then. So I helped her when she would make bread, cakes, biscuits and stuff.”

“Aww that's sweet Niall.” I never knew he knew how to bake. That took me back to when I was little and helped my mom in the kitchen. Lord knows I probably made more of a mess and made everything harder.

He finished his soda bread dough before I finished mine so he helped me along. After we finished Maura asked what we wanted for dinner. I asked what happened to lunch.

Niall laughed, “What time do you think it is Sam?” I just looked at him confused. “Its half four.”

“Oh why didn't you wake me when you got up?” I felt bad for sleeping over half the day away.

Maura rubbed my shoulder, “Because you two were up till way up in the morning. Don't feel bad Niall was only up twenty minutes or so before you.” I asked about the scones.

“Couldn't sleep so I made them after you went to bed.” He answered as he took my dough and put it in the bread maker.

“Oh, well I still feel bad for sleeping all day.” I shook my head is disbelief. She asked me what I wanted to eat since I was the guest. I didn't have a clue and I didn't want to look like an idiot.

We ended up with carryout that Niall's stepfather brought in. Charcoal Grill Mullingar had a wonderful mixed grill shish skewers. Not sure what all meat was in it, but I was pretty sure I could have eaten mine and Niall's weight in those.

We had moved to the back lounge area where I had found Niall last night with the guitar. We sat and talked about Niall growing up and how mischievous he was. “I can believe it. He hasn't changed much.” I joked and received an elbow to the ribs. “Hey,” I elbowed him back.

“Ok children,” Maura called us down and laughed as she did. “So Sammy if it is none of my business just tell me, but why don't you go home for the holidays?”

“Ma,” Niall spoke up ready to change the subject. I just put my hand on his arm and told him it was fine.

“My parents passed away a couple years apart. We tried to carry on traditions after mom passed away but it was hard and we drifted apart. Then dad passed away a few years back. My siblings and I got into it over my father's estate. I took my part and moved away from it. I haven't heard from them since. They were mad because dad left more to me than he did them.”

Niall just looked at me wide eyed. Maura reached over and squeezed my hand. “You have a home here to come whenever you want.” Her husband Chris agreed.

Niall's POV

Had she ever told me that? Pretty sure she hadn't; I would remember something like that. Leave it to ma to get something like that out of someone.

I sat back and listened to Sam carry on with my ma and Chris like she had known them for years not hours. It was good to see her let down her guard and start to enjoy herself. Knew she would love it here.

“Niall,” Ma called me out of my thoughts. “Did you hear me?” I shook my head. “Greg is bringing Theo and Denise by tomorrow. Are you two going to be around?”

“I had told Da that we would come around his tomorrow. When they gonna be here?” I wanted to see my nephew, but didn't want to back out on my da. When she said they would be there for dinner I felt better. “Might be cutting it close. Told da that we would be over to watch the match.”

“Really? That's what we're doing? You know I don't get soccer.” Sam sounded a little upset. I could see it in her eyes she was not excited for it.

“Football, and you like it. Seen and heard ya yell at the telly before.” I mocked her.

“Yeah well get a couple drinks in me and make me watch something like that; I'm gonna fuss about how stupid it is.” She frowned at me.

“We don't have to watch the entire match.” I was willing to give a little. Plus I knew ma wanted us back for dinner. Just have to make it up to da later.

[prettywordsyouleft]

Eat With Me?

Characters: Ong Seongwoo x female reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: I came up with this idea because I was frustrated with having to eat differently than I’m used to all these years. My lifestyle has had to change this year, and whilst I’m healthier, it comes with a lot of downsides too. Here’s one of them, heh. I hope you enjoy this piece!

Word count: 1499

“I just wondered what you’re up to tonight?” he asked as you stared up at him, your eyes a little wide at his approach. It wasn’t the first time you had spoken to Seongwoo, but generally it was something to do with class material, not what your schedule was like. And then you remembered the upcoming pop quiz, smiling weakly whilst you scolded yourself for instantly jumping to something not school related.

“Nothing, do you need help with studying?”

Seongwoo shook his head, shooting you one of his dazzling smiles instead. You stopped blinking, a little captivated in the moment. “No, I was just wondering if you’d like to eat dinner with me.”

For a moment you were elated, trying so hard not to turn crazy on the boy you’d only been crushing on for two years now. You had no idea how this was even occurring, and discreetly pinched yourself to make sure it wasn’t a dream. The pain reminded you that you couldn’t accept though, and your enjoyment faltered. You sighed.

“Ah, I wish I could, but I have to decline,” you told him, Seongwoo’s eyes blinking several times with disappointment.

He wasn’t the only one.

“Oh, well, that’s perfectly fine Y/N, maybe another time?”

Before you could explain, he was off; giving you a small wave as he quickly departed the library. You watched him sadly, lowering your head to your books dramatically a moment later.

You hadn’t expected this to be a problem for you.

For awhile, he didn’t dare try asking you again; every time he saw you on campus he would go to ask you if you were free, only to remember how you rejected him the first time. Seongwoo was confused, you had still been your friendly self ever since when he was in class with you, and it didn’t appear like you declined because you didn’t like his company. He had wanted to get closer to you all year long, and had attempted to do so by feigning that he needed extra help with his studies. But during those times you had only discussed the contents of your textbooks, not what your dreams were.

Eating together was his next logical step, thinking back on how all the girls had gone crazy with Cheese in the Trap a couple of years back and eating meals together meant connection. He happened to agree, the idea of sharing a meal with you would only excite him each time he imagined it. And then he’d chicken out in asking you again, staring at his meal for one dejectedly.  

And so today he had convinced himself to borrow the persistence of the male protagonist in the drama, and ask you to eat with him again.

He found you in your usual spot at the library, reading intently through a stack of textbooks. Smiling, Seongwoo always thought you were gorgeous in this setting, finding your dedication to your studies somewhat attractive.

Now he only hoped he had enough power to tear you away and have you look at him in the same way.

You stirred at his approach, placing the book down and smiling up at him. “Hi!”

“Hey, what are you doing?” he asked, sitting down next to you.

“Preparing for the next essay. I can’t really focus on it today though.”

He grinned, you had just given him a way in. “Oh really, maybe it’s because you’re hungry? It’s close to dinner time. Maybe we could go to that stew shop nearby and-”

“I can’t go there,” you mumbled, and Seongwoo bit back the rest of his sentence, nodding his head softly. “It’s not that I don’t want to eat with you though, it’s just-”

“Hey, its fine, it’s just a meal right. No worries Y/N, I’ll catch up with you another time.”

“Seongwoo, I-!”

He groaned inwardly at his need to escape the rejection again before his face burned up, shaking his head at his stupidity for asking you a second time as he rushed out of the library.

You just weren’t that interested.

It was getting frustrating now.

Seongwoo had started to avoid you and it upset you, you had no intention of ever hurting his feelings like that. It honestly wasn’t because you didn’t want to eat dinner with him; it simply was because you couldn’t.

And so, despite it being out of your comfort zone you spent the next two weeks planning a menu, and practicing making it all as best as you could. You had never thought much about your cooking before, you had learned quickly how to prepare meals for yourself that nourished you, but that was it. The difference was, now you had to make sure they wouldn’t taste too bland for someone else, and you were hesitant, worried your plan would fail.

All the same, you felt you were ready enough, turning up to university with a packed lunch for two. Nerves wracked you all morning as you tried to spot the boy on campus, hoping that he was actually here today since you had been up since 5am preparing the food.

Lunch time arrived and you went in search for Seongwoo, trying all his usual spots that you knew he frequented. You found him in an animated conversation with his best friend Daniel, and you took a deep breath before approaching them both.

“Oh hey Y/N!” Daniel greeted, smacking Seongwoo’s arm with his hand several times over as he smiled at you. He then looked at his friend who was looking everywhere else but at you. “Looking for this idiot?”

“Yah!” he cried regardless of the tension now exuding from him, and Daniel chuckled.

“He’s all yours,” he continued, getting up from the seat and departing before you could even suggest otherwise.

You both stared at each other awkwardly and then you remembered the bag you were gripping the handle to. “Oh, I uh, wondered if you had eaten yet?”

“No.”

“That’s good, because I was wondering if you’d like to eat with me? You kept asking and then when I would say no-”

“It’s fine if you don’t want to,” he cut in and you bit your lower lip in frustration.

“I do.” Seongwoo looked up at you then and you sighed. “You never let me finish.”

“I don’t?” You shook your head at him and Seongwoo frowned.

“I can’t eat out at places easily,” you mentioned, sitting down on the bench beside him. Seongwoo was startled, shifting to face you, a slight hint of pink crossing his cheeks. “I have food intolerances.”

“You do? Why didn’t you tell me then?”

You almost whacked him with the bag in your hand, but chose to ignore the question, nodding slightly. “I tried. But you would always leave before I could. So I decided to make us lunch, if that’s okay.”

Opening the bag, you started to show the layers of the food you had made, Seongwoo’s mouth dropped open. “This is a feast.”

“It might not be to your liking, I can’t eat anything with gluten, dairy or egg in it. But I did make some egg rollups for you, because I heard you like them. I hope they’re okay.”

“You went to so much effort,” he breathed, touched by your food. He then grinned at you. “All this time I thought you didn’t like me much!”

Your eyes widened, and your head was instantly shaking to refute his sentence. “I guess I can see where you got that from. I do like you though.”

“Really?” You nodded and he grinned at you. It took you a moment to recover from his attack, and you shook your stupor off, picking up two sets of chopsticks.

“So shall we eat?”

Seongwoo nodded and was quick to take the chopsticks you offered him, helping himself to the meal, exclamations soon leaving his mouth as he chewed.

“It’s so good!”

“It’s not too bland? A lot of people don’t like eating my food, because I have to substitute out a lot of ingredients so I don’t get sick.”

He glanced up at you, swallowing his mouthful and then grabbed your hand. “I wouldn’t want you sick just so you’d eat with me. Besides, this is really good! I could eat your cooking every day. And maybe you could teach me some recipes too? So I can help you eat with me too?”

You couldn’t help but shyly smile at him then, overwhelmed that he would go to that effort for you. “I’d like that.”

“And so, does this mean we can date then? No more study sessions?”

“You don’t like studying with me?” you asked and Seongwoo laughed.

“I just don’t want to be only studying with you.”

You beamed at him and nodded, taking a bite of your food and smiling to yourself in your success.

You were finally sharing a meal, and you knew now that there would be many more occasions to eat with Ong Seongwoo.

_________________

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[paleorecipecookbook]

Weekly Workouts + What I Ate in a Day

Happy Monday out there!! Or should I say…unhappy Monday. Because it snowed here last night and it’s cold AF. That leads to an unhappy Monday. But I’m hoping a workout first thing this morning pulls me out of that mood because ain’t nobody got time for that!

Something I do have time for though, is some time with you to kick this Monday off! And I’ve been talking so much about fitness lately in my Monday posts that I haven’t really talked much about food. And food is such a key component in overall health. You want to see results in the gym? Clean up your diet. You want to sleep better, feel less depressed, become more driven and live an overall better life? Clean up your diet. But here’s the thing – cleaning up your diet will look different to every single person out there. For me lately, it means not drinking alcohol and staying away from sugar as much as possible. For someone else, it may be removing fast food from their diet, or not drinking soda anymore, or finding better alternatives to the foods they eat now. It’s going to look different for everyone, but at the end of the day, if you want to see results and FEEL results, you have to eat better. You can’t just work out and expect all issues to go away. I promise you, I’ve tried in the past.

And even though it may feel daunting at the beginning, better choices are possible and the choices will continue to grow over time, helping you to become healthier and healthier. But something that’s important to remember is that diet is not about perfection when it comes to overall, long term health. It’s about making better choices day after day, listening to your body, and enjoying life as it comes at you. When I post what I eat in a day, I ALWAYS have someone point out what they don’t think is right about my meal. Like how there is cheese or rice OR BOTH. But I have found a balance in MY own meals where I enjoy MY life day after day while still feeling great inside and out. Remember life is not about perfection. It’s not about comparing. Perfection and comparison are both exhausting and not fun. So when your friend asks you to Greek food, go enjoy every second of it and stop obsessing over the rice or hummus. It’s just rice and hummus. Life goes on. I mention this because when I posted a photo of my greek meal (see below), I had lots of messages about how it’s not paleo. But guess what? It was so damn good and it was so damn fun catching up with my girlfriend. And the garlic burps the next two days were a great reminder of how good that meal was.

So now that we are done obsessing with food for the day, you want some good music for your workout? Well, you may not think it’s good, but I do! I created my own playlist on iTunes to listen to in my workouts and I thought I would share it here! And I’ll be adding to it as time goes on. Hope it keeps you motivated in your own workout! Now let’s talk about last weeks workouts…

Sunday – Rest Day

Monday – Rest Day – Sick day with Jackson in the vet :(

Tuesday – Workout by Myself – see workout here

3 rounds of:

10/10 Single Leg Deadlift with Plate Reach

20 Total Alt Toe Touch Sit Ups

10 Broad Jump w/ Small Back Jumps

3 rounds of:

10/10 Front Elevated Weighted Lunges

14 Total Alt Lateral Lunges

18 Banded Kettlebell Swings

3 rounds of:

10/10 Weighted Single Leg Elevated Glute Bridges

15 KB Swing to Squat

20/20 Runners Lunge Taps

3 rounds of:

10 Sissy Squats

15 Hamstring Curls

10/10 Back and Fourth Side Bound

Wednesday – Boxing Class at Compass Fitness through Class Pass

Thursday – CrossFit Broadway Class

Back Squats: 4 x 5, all sets at 83% (15 mins) – I did 4×10/10 step ups in front rack at 45# instead of squats

Then 8 min As Many Rounds As Possible Of:

3 Power Clean (185/125)

9 Push Ups

12 Air Squats

I got 7 + 6 using 105#

Friday – Yoga Sculpt Class at Core Power Yoga through Class Pass

Saturday – Rest Day

______________

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What I Ate in a Day:

Once I woke up, I started my day off how I always do – with coffee at 6am. I made a hot cup of nespresso with a tablespoon or so of heavy cream, some liquid stevia and a heaping tablespoon of collagen.

For breakfast, I had 1/2 a slice of Canyon Bakehouse gluten free bread with peanut butter and jelly on top. Then a hash made of Butcherbox pork sausage, peppers and apples.

Later in the morning after a workout, I had a cold brew coffee mixed with  a tablespoon or so of heavy cream, some liquid stevia and a heaping tablespoon of collagen, all blended together.

For lunch, I leftovers from the night before. Butcher box ground beef cooked in taco seasonings, cauliflower pureed, carrot fritters and tomato salsa.

For a snack in the afternoon, I had 1/2 container of almond milk yogurt mixed with some honey, cacao nibs, coconut chips and peanut butter powder.

For dinner that night, I went out to Greek food with a girlfriend. We shared a plate of garlic dip with veggies to begin, then I ate this entire gyro plate of beef, rice, hummus, salad, and tzaziki sauce. Then our server gave us both a free small baklava…oh hells yeah.

_____________

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[the-anon-2000-blog]

Damn Daniel, Back at it again

Fuck you past me, I’m back at it today.

I just finished baking cookies for people I work with because I guess I do that now, though I do find it pretty relaxing to just pop on a podcast or some video on youtube and just bake for a couple hours. I use the sugar cookie recipe that lil sis found and even though the dough has to sit for at least an hour in the fridge, or even over night, that’s a great time to clean up from making said dough and take a chance to eat or game or whatever. Not like I’m seeing anyone this winter so I threw in a good few more hours at Maplestory because I made 20, yes twenty, dozen cookies over the course of like 4 days. The first batch was an experiment trying to make gluten free cookies so all I had to do was change out the regular flour for some gluten free stuff that cost almost as much as the rest of the ingredients for those 2 batches of cookies but it made about half the dough needed and I only had to add about twice the amount of flour and sugar for it to be normal like we’re used to. Next time I’ll just look up a recipe on the internet and follow that. We use google now by the way, not AskJeeves like you’ll remember using at Grandma’s place.

Don’t ask why I ended up making cookies for my department, I did it last year and word made it’s way to the new department that I’m in. Well it’s not a new department, I was in it before moving to a different department with a great manager that I had when I started at company and that department offered more hours so I made the switch. Had a supervisor who’s now my current manager try to warn me that I shouldn’t make the switch and boy do I wish I had listened. It’s not that the other department was bad, it was good stuff and working with food again which I thought I missed but wasn’t what I had hoped it would be like working in a kitchen. So when a guy from current department left and a spot opened up I took the jump and moved back and I really don’t want to leave it again unless I outright quit this job. It’s not my calling like I really enjoyed working with food but old department just wasn’t really doing it for me anymore with absolute minimal turnover so I wasn’t going to get fulltime there anyways, Fucking rambling off topic again, we still do that. Cookies, that’s what I was talking about. Word that I made cookies for old department made it to current department because I didn’t do it the year before for them, and I hadn’t done it for any department after the first and I only did it I think my second and last winter in that department, plus one of the ladies in last department is married to one of the guys in current department so word made it’s way about how good they are and what not and now I’m making cookies again. I can cut it down to about 14 dozen if I only do it for the people I work with but  I also make some for Guy and his family. He’s basically your own male friend outside of work at this point, everyone else got busy with life and we just drifted apart. Yes, even the guy who was supposed to be your best man and you were supposed to be his. Our car broke down a couple weeks before and we couldn’t afford a rental for a full week to go back home for his wedding and didn’t get a new one until the following week.

I’m sorry. I got distracted texting Guy and checking some facebook messages because that bullshit is still around and for some fucked up reason, the most recent ex that left us a couple months ago between thanksgiving and your birthday, fuck her for that, is for some reason along the top of facebook messenger and I got hella depressed. Not gonna lie, I really miss her man, I really thought we were going to last for years and we were talking about moving in together. Yeah, I’d have to move into the city which I didn’t really want to do because she doesn’t drive and now I’m looking at doing it with lil bro because his dumb ass still doesn’t drive and now he works in the city and lives there with family, but fuck seeing her face made me depressed. I really loved her. But she left with no explanation and that was it. We haven’t talked since I took her the stuff she had with me and to get the stuff I had with her. So why does facebook still show her on messenger? We’re not friends anymore and we don’t have any chat threads anymore. No more texts, no snap, no kik which is oddly still around too, not even instragram which you wouldn’t know about. Looking at what I just wrote, you don’t know what snapchat is yet either and that’s okay. I don’t really use it anyways.

I guess this is where I’m going to leave this for this time. I was going to rant to you some about this past year and the pandemic that your lucky ass doesn’t have to worry about but seeing that kinda fucked me up a lot more than I thought it would, I honestly thought I was moved on more than getting depressed seeing her face. I purposely go to her work on what are supposed to be her days off because I highly doubt they’re going to change now and she works at a place that sells a lot of stuff we use around the house. I’m still waiting to hear back from Guy on dnd tonight since bro had to work his normal days off to get christmas eve and day off even though I have to work christmas eve. I think I’m the only one in the family who has to work it this year. I could really use some dnd, especially after out last session went completely sideways at the start and completely not how our DM planned it. But it sounds like our dumb asses managed to get close to what the DM wanted but in a super long and messed up way. You don’t know it yet but you main support in any game that has a support class and even I couldn’t save us.

I kind of hate that that little ramble fest and some decent music has helped me feel better, not fully but the wound is still fresh and it’ll take time to heal. You should know that by now, but I guess at 12 or 13 we didn’t really have anything major happen just yet besides moving. Oh well there was Jelly, I regret how things happened there and would have loved to see how things could have played out. She was hot as hell, even at that time. But then we were torn from everything and moved, I think it’s about 8.5-9 hours away and lost everyone from back home. High school here wasn’t much better though. I tried to be who I thought was ‘cool’ based off the friends from back home and it didn’t do me any favours. Almost had a date with a super hot and popular cheerleader. Me right? I felt like such a early Harry Potter Neville at the time. Except you probably wouldn’t remember who that was, that was still super new at the time. Anyways my lazy and dumb ass fucked that up too and fell in with the, I don’t want to say wrong crowd because they didn’t do anything bad, but we could have had such a better life if we weren’t friends with them. Some were weird and others were good people but it just didn’t work for us. I wish I could relive high school and change how things went, stayed in welding, got into computer technology in grade 10 because that’s the first year of high school here, and have followed through instead of giving it all up at the end of grade 11 to make a sudden switch for psychology which would have been cool if we understood chemistry enough to be able to go into school for psych. But nope, it was all videogames and online friends and not sports, the football coach was pissed that I didn’t go to tryouts because he wanted me for receiver. I know right? After we gave up sports for music, oh and the grade 10 teacher killed that too, so that didn’t go farther than grade 10 and the bass guitar that we got in 9th grade ended up collecting dust after 2012 and then got sold off. Sorry. Was in a band for a bit in 2012 but then life happened when we stuck our dick in crazy and that band  actually took off locally so good for them, but we didn’t get into music. The long hair stuck around as I said last time, almost waist length now but almost always in a bun and not down.

I guess that’s where I’ll leave it for now, just found out there’s not dnd tonight so it’s going to be a night of maplestory and weed, might almost be productive again and try to record a bit for this new stupid youtube channel that I want to start.

Until next time me, fuck you and thank you for not giving up

[sageglobalresponse]

Nigeria: Entrepreneur grows farming business into chocolate and plantain flour producer

Nobert Okafor, CEO of Noberto Group, with the chocolates his company produces.

Selling has been in Nobert Okafor’s blood since he was seven years old. At the time, he would spend Christmas and holidays with his grandmother who grew bananas at her compound in the village of Nimo in Anambra state, Nigeria. She would give the harvest to young Okafor, with the instruction to go make some sales.

“I would start in front of her house and when the demand dwindled, I moved the location to the front of my father’s compound. It was along a busier road,” he remembers. “When that didn’t result in sold-out stock, I went to the village market.” Following the demand worked and Okafor would receive praise from his grandmother when he returned having sold all the bananas.

Jump forward three decades and today Okafor (37) is the CEO of the Noberto Group, with its subsidiaries Nobleman Industries, Joofid Construction Company, Noberto Farms and the latest addition, Noberto Renewable Energy. He is still actively chasing sales but has added plantain and cocoa to the bananas, as well as the products processed from these crops.

First comes production, then processing

Okafor was making preparations to travel for further studies in either the UK or US when his father passed away in 2004. He had to cancel his plans so as to take over the family business. His father had established an equipment business, building Caterpillar heavy machinery from scrap and spare parts for rental to construction contractors. When construction clients were in short supply during the rainy season, the family would work a small patch of land, using a tractor they owned.

“That was my first experience with mechanisation and its impact on farming when I had to help my father as a teenager,” he recalls. From 2004 to 2010, he ran the family business and a few side hustles. Any profit was stowed away for his future entrepreneurial plans, which focused on agriculture.

In 2010, Okafor founded the first company in the group, Nobleman Industries and acquired 500 hectares of land in the Nigerian state of Cross River. He established a cocoa tree nursery and transplanted the trees onto 100 hectares. Plantain trees were interspersed between the cocoa trees to provide additional moisture during the dry season.

The Noberto Group supplied the cocoa harvest to the merchants who then sold it on to the exporters.

Okafor immediately saw a challenge that needed to be addressed. The fluctuation in the price that raw cocoa beans were fetching on the open market was less than ideal and he decided diversification further up the value chain would help the business.

He began testing his own chocolate recipe in his garage, grinding the cocoa beans by hand and adding sugar and milk until he was happy with the taste. Friends received the chocolate to sample and soon encouraged Okafor to produce on a larger scale so they could buy.

Slowly, he divested some of the inherited land assets from his father as well as heavy construction equipment and scrap. Bit by bit, the company acquired the machinery needed for cocoa processing from the US and by 2015, Okafor had raised enough capital to set up a processing facility in nearby Enugu state on land his father had previously procured.

In addition to making chocolates, Noberto Group also produces gluten-free flour from plantain.

The first branded chocolates landed in the market that year. At the same time, it started processing gluten-free flour from the plantain on its farm. Noberto Group worked hard to get its products onto the shelves of retailers, gaining traction steadily over time.

In 2018, the group added 30 hectares of land in the Uzo-Uwani local government, near the town of Adani, about two hours from its factory.

When the cocoa is harvested from either of the locations, it has to be fermented for five days and dried for another four, before being bagged and transported to the factory. Once there, the final sorting of the beans is done by hand and they are roasted. The roasted beans are cracked and winnowed (the process of removing the outer shell of the cocoa bean). Some of the meat from the cocoa bean is then processed into cocoa cake and butter used for cocoa by-products or combined with milk and sugar to make milk chocolate. The rest is ground and used to produce dark chocolate or cocoa powder.

The finished chocolate bars and candies are still hand-wrapped but Okafor hopes to soon mechanise this.

Diverse products for the local market and beyond

For now, the Noberto Group is focused on expanding its presence in the Nigerian market. Its chocolate products are available in local supermarkets and pharmacies in seven states while the cocoa powder, plantain flour and banana powder are sold directly to bakeries. The cocoa butter is bought by producers of body lotion.

The group does its own distribution within Enugu State, but outside these borders, it has distributors that buy directly from it and supply to supermarkets.

Exports are not entirely off the table. Okafor believes there is a global market for plantain flour, with demand coming from African expats and consumers looking for a gluten-free option. “We are working with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council on export opportunities,” he says.

For the chocolate products, the group is looking at the regional market and possibly Asia. “We don’t really see a market in Europe for our finished chocolate products. Perhaps the cocoa by-products that we produce, like cocoa butter, could find a market there.”

Accelerated growth planned

Noberto’s current processing capacity is 10 tonnes of cocoa a month. Keeping growth slow and steady in the beginning, was deliberate, according to Okafor, as he wanted to test the product offering with the perfect recipe for local tastes before pursuing growth in all earnest.

“We now have seven recipes for chocolate candies that our people like and can now look at making bigger investments and finding equity partners.”

On top of the capacity for cocoa, the group can process five tonnes of plantain a month into flour and three tonnes of bananas into powder.

At its premises in Enugu, the company is now raising cattle. The medium-term goal is to substitute all procured milk needed for the processing of chocolate with its own milk. To this end, it is artificially inseminating the cows to build the herd.

“The processing has differentiated us from other cocoa producers in the area,” says Okafor. “The moment we went into processing, it gave our business a new face, an edge.”

[jensensgayaunt]

It’s the night before Jack’s 16th birthday and Dean is staring angrily down at a bowl of cake batter.

It’s supposed to be a vegan gluten free funfetti cake, but it looks more like a mixing bowl full of vomit. And sprinkles. He thinks the universe is playing some kind of sick joke on him. More likely Amara is playing some kind of sick joke on him. ‘Here I’ll take over the responsibilities of God and let your kid be a human toddler like he was always supposed to be, but surprise! He’s got celiac disease. You’re welcome. Also your brother and husband converted to veganism. Because fuck you.’

He kind of wants to cry. It’s two in the morning and Jack is turning 16 in eight hours and Dean can’t even make him a cake. He couldn’t take care of him. He couldn’t keep him alive. And now he can’t even make him a stupid birthday cake. He’s a failure, and a terrible parent, and he wants to fucking cry. So he does. He cries and swears and curses himself for waiting so long to make the cake, for the way he treated Jack in the beginning, for yelling at Jack for forgetting to do the laundry, for his entire life and his whole brain until he falls asleep on the dining room table, his batter rotting away on the kitchen counter.

“Dean?” He’s startled awake by the sound of Cas’ voice. He’s standing in the archway between the living and dining room, a pink bathrobe wrapped tightly around his chest. He runs his fingers through Dean’s hair to soothe him “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you”

“It’s fine baby” Dean yawns, wrapping his arms around Cas’ waist to rest his head on his stomach, closing his eyes.

“…Can I ask you a question?”

Dean thinks about teasing him with the classic you just did, but thinks better of it at the last second “‘Course”

“What the hell is going on in the kitchen?”

Dean’s eyes widen comically “Oh no”

He pulls away from Cas in a fury, jumping up from his chair and rushing into the kitchen. There’s gluten free flour all over the back splash, and what Dean can only assume is egg replacer splattered on the floor. And the cake batter. Sitting stagnant in its silver bowl. Looking worse than it did the night before. And it looked pretty fucking bad “Dammit”

“Dee,” Cas giggles, unable to hold in his laughter “Tell me that isn’t the cake”

Dean throws him a stern, unamused look “Of course it’s the cake” Cas tries, and fails again, to hold in a laugh “It’s not funny”

“I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry” He says, still smiling, rubbing his hands up and down Dean's arms comfortingly “It’s just… didn’t you follow a recipe?”

“Of course I did, I’m not an idiot”

“Then… what happened?”

“I suck, that’s what happened”

Cas tilts his head at him with pursed lips “Don’t say that Dee”

“Well it’s true!” He backs away from Cas in frustration, picking up the batter and tossing it in the sink “I treated him like shit, I let him die, I was going to use his death to my benefit, and now, I can’t even make him a stupid birthday cake!”

“I think you’ve more than made up for that”

Dean scoffs “…I can never make up for that”

“You were only doing what you thought was right” Cas says, leaning against the island “It was either you save Jack, or you save the entire world. 98% of people would have done the same thing”

“You wouldn’t. You didn’t”

“I didn’t” Cas nods “And a lot of people died”

Dean swallows “They came back”

“The thing is, I didn’t care if they were coming back or not” He stares at Dean with his eyebrows raised “Of course I care now, but in the moment nothing was more important than keeping him alive. Not you, not Sam, not the entire human race, none of it. So maybe I did right by Jack, but that doesn’t mean I was right”

“At least you don’t have to live with all this guilt. You didn’t try to kill your own son. Stop trying to act like you get it” Dean spits. Cas furrows his brows, and exhales through his nose angrily.

“…Seriously Dean?”

Dean opens his mouth to reply, but snaps his jaw closed before he can say any more stupid, insensitive shit. “I’m sorry that was…”

“Cruel” Cas finishes his sentence “Did I not just tell you I was indifferent to letting the entire world burn? Of course I get it. The first time he died that was on me. When he lost his soul, when he killed-“ He stops. They don’t talk about that “All of that, was my fault Dean. You’re not the only one who feels guilty”

“…I’m sorry”

Cas shakes his head “Yeah I know”

“You loved him Cas” Dean says “From the very beginning, and he knew that. He knew it. Even before he knew you, and that’s what matters. You’re gonna make mistakes. It’s just a part of being a parent”

“We didn’t exactly make the average parenting mistakes Dean”

“Yeah. How much easier would it be if we had just… forced him to play baseball when he didn’t want to or something”

Cas laughs. It’s a good sound. “He hardly ever talks about life before. Before Amara let him lose. When things were… bad. You know what he does talk about though?”

“Fishing” Dean answers, Cas reentering his space to wrap his arms around Dean’s middle and tuck his head under his chin “He talks about going fishing”

“He talks about the beach. And his snake. He was soulless and he still talks about that damn snake” Cas adds “He talks about being loved” Dean presses a soft kiss to the top of Cas’ head “He’s not angry, or broken, Dee. He’s smart, and strong. And he’s forgiving. He forgives us” He leans back slightly to look Dean in the eyes “I forgive you”

Dean smiles with teary eyes “I forgive you too”

“We can’t change the past Dee. We can’t go back and undo what we did. But we can be better. We are better. So I think it’s about time we learn to forgive ourselves too. How does that sound?”

“Good” He answers, kissing the palm of Cas’ hand as reaches up to wipe a tear off Dean’s cheek “Really good”

“Then we will. I love you”

“I love you”

Jack walks into the kitchen then, oblivious to his parents overly emotional states, rubbing his eyes tiredly “Morning Dad, morning Mama”

“Good morning baby” Cas nearly sings, pulling Jack into a bone crushing hug “Happy birthday”

“Thank you” Jack gasps, hardly able to breath “Ouch”

“Loosen up Cas” Dean laughs, wrapping his arms around both of them lovingly “…I totally screwed up your cake. Sorry honey”

“It’s ok Mama” He says “Sam bought one from Carmella’s as soon as I told him you were gonna try and bake it yourself”

Dean steps on his toe playfully “That’s mean”

“It was just in case!”

“Uh-huh, sure”

Sam, Eileen, and Dean Jr. come over at noon and they spend the whole day in the backyard. Cas and Jack tend to their garden, and throw the ball around with Sam’s dog Bubbles. They play an overly competitive game of spike ball and Jack teaches Dean Jr. how to do a bunch of card tricks. The rest of their found family comes over for dinner that night. Claire and Kaia and the rest of the girls, Jody and Donna, the hunters from the bad place. Jack nearly cries with every gift he’s given. They cut up the cake from Carmellas. It’s gorgeous and delicious, and Dean is so happy, he forgets to feel butt hurt about that.

[nelliievance]

Healthy Food From Unconventional Farmers

Grain By Grain

This is the fascinating story of Dr. Bob Quinn’s career, that also contains an important nutritional nugget about heritage wheat for people with foods sensitivities. I’ll summarize that first, then describe his decades of contributions.

I had read in the past that some people who think they have gluten sensitivities may actually be intolerant to modern hybridized wheat, which was developed to improve crop yields. That is confirmed in this book in an interesting way. Dr. Quinn pioneered the heritage variety of wheat “kamut”, which was originally thought to be Egyptian (kamut is an ancient Egyptian word for wheat) but later found to be khorasan wheat from Mesopotamia. This wheat has actually been trademarked, so the term kamut may only be used if a specific set of growing practices have been followed, including organic farming, and they heritage grain may not be crossed with any other wheat.

As for the food intolerances, He met a doctor in Italy that had patients with symptoms of gluten sensitivity, and she wondered if his heritage wheat would help. Italians did not jump on gluten-free as enthusiastically as Americans, because they love their traditional wheat pasta. It turns out kamut makes great tasting pasta, which has been enthusiastically adopted in Italy. And Dr. Quinn, together with this colleague in Italy, teamed up with researchers at the University of Bologna to study the health effects of kamut. It not only helps with food sensitivities, but has other health benefits like lowering cholesterol, compared to a control group eating modern wheat. Dr. Quinn doesn’t recommend this for anyone with celiac disease, but if you have mild symptoms of gluten sensitivity, kamut might be a more flavorful alternative to gluten free. Kamut International, founded by Dr. Quinn, still ships a lot of their wheat to Italy. I have tried it in Nature’s path Heritage flakes cereal, which is delicious. Sourdough bread made with kamut is also supposed to be nutritious, and the sourdough process also makes bread that is considerably lower in gluten than yeast bread. There are many recipes online for those that make their own bread. I found one source to order it from online, but it is a bit pricey.

Dr. Quinn grew up on a farm in the small town of Big Sandy, Montana, and did a PhD in plant science at UC Davis. He tried some urban jobs with his training, but they were unfulfilling so he decided to go back to his 2400 acre family farm in Montana. He was dissatisfied with the conventional farming situation, both the use of chemicals and the fact that farmers are caught in the middle between large companies supplying the seed and chemicals, and other large companies buying the grain as a commodity. And he was saddened to see how Big Sandy had deteriorated since his because farms had gotten much larger and a lot of the local family farmers had left. So he wanted to try something different like sustainable organic farming practices, and also looking for alternative ways to market farm products rather than treating them as commodities.

Kamut came out of a handful of seeds he had acquired at a county fair, along with the legend that is was ancient Egyptian wheat that had come from “King Tut’s tomb”. Dr. Quinn planted the seeds and harvested the crop, which generated a lot more seeds. That is another big advantage of heritage varieties of plants, farmers can use some of the seeds from last year’s crop instead of buying more seeds. And these seeds turned out to make great tasting wheat. He found a market with artisanal bakers interested in heritage wheat. And eventually he established an international market as well, especially the Italian market mentioned. He wanted to share this seed with other growers, but also wanted to protect it from inferior “knock-off” copies. He explains how this has happened in other areas of natural foods, including other heritage wheats. That is why he trademarked the name Kamut. The company he founded, Kamut International, now provides a market for any farmer following the approved growing practices.

This experience prompted him to pursue getting the title “organic” certified in Montana, one of the first states to do so, and he also was involved in working with USDA to get US certification for the term organic. That was an interesting story, as there were industry lobbyists who tried to get things like irradiated and genetically-modified foods under organic, but a lot of public pressure fought that off.

Dr. Quinn has spent his career pioneering sustainable farming techniques and helping to bring back rural jobs growing healthy foods. One of the last examples in the book is organically growing high-oleic safflower oil, a healthier alternative higher in monounsaturated fats. He contracted with a local university to cook with i in their student cafeterias, and then get the used oil back to run his tractors. My mechanical engineer’s heart loves this type of efficient resource use.

This is an interesting and inspiring book.

The Lentil Underground

Liz Carlisle was Dr. Quinn’s co-author of Grain By Grain. Her previous book, The Lentil Underground was about a diverse group of farmers, also from Montana, who chose not to participate in the conventional farming economy, instead practicing sustainable farming techniques, and finding their own ways to market their products. One of these products is organic lentils. This may be starting to sound like a story about a bunch of California hippies, but I wasn’t kidding when I said diverse. One of the heroes of the story, David Oien, of Conrad, Montana, seemed to meet the stereotype, at least in his youth. But others are much closer to right-wing libertarians than left-wing hippies. What they share is a passion for sustainable farming. This in itself was an inspiring example to me of how what we have in common can outweigh our differences.

Dave returned from college to his family farm with a degree in philosophy in the turbulent times not long after the end of the Vietnam war. He first convinced his father to install solar hot water collectors on the family farm, but did not get him to convert the whole farm to his decidedly unconventional ideas. Instead, his Dad compromised by letting him experiment with 15 percent of the farms acreage. Dave set out to convert this land to “solar-powered”, not dependent on agricultural chemicals derived from fossil fuels. One of the first projects was raising cattle on a mix of organically grown cover crops. He found a market with the “Bozeman community co-op” to sell organic beef. This was at a time when there was no organic certification. He looked into taking cattle to a USDA-inspected slaughterhouse, and was informed it was illegal for him to slap an organic label on packages of meat because that was not language recognized or approved by the USDA. So bureaucracy derailed his first promising enterprise.

Undeterred, he went on to join a ragtag collection of farmers just starting to learn about alternative forms of agriculture. At a conference he heard a talk from an agroecology expert on how three sisters farming was still practiced in Latin America, and the whole concept of soil-building with green manure. He and fellow farmers eventually came up Timeless Seeds, which markets a “gourmet line of certified organic Lentils, Peas, Chickpeas, and Ancient Grains”.

There were some amusing stories of misadventures along the way also. One of the lentil farmers also had cattle. He planted lentils as part of a cover crop and then let the cows eat them, which they loved. But then the next year he tried growing a special variety of lentils as a cash crop. Let’s just say if you let your cows develop a taste for lentils, you’d better make sure you have good fencing.

It was a long haul to make a success with this unconventional farming and marketing, but it culminated, after decades, in the climactic story of the harvest of 2012, This was a record drought year in the United States, and these are dryland farmers (no irrigation). But due to their hard-earned high quality soil, the diverse group of crops was financially successful, in a year in which most conventional farmers in the area had to write off their crops as a total loss.

I love inspiring grass-roots success stories like these, and the knowledge that small victories like this are happening around the world. I have recently read the encouraging news that in recent years, for the first time in decades, small family farms in the US are on the rise. It will take more to get it to scale up, like getting the USDA to stop subsidizing poor conventional farming practices, and hopefully instead support regenerative agriculture. But useful change often starts bottom-up.

Healthy Food From Unconventional Farmers published first on https://steroidsca.tumblr.com/