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achubbydumpling · 3 years

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Modern Bucky is fat and Steve’s sugar baby. Steve likes to spoil him. :3

eyy only took me a month and a half to answer 😂😂 I'm sorry, nonnie, but I'm highjacking your idea and using it for today's chubtober prompt :D

(I ended up having a lot more ideas for this than I could actually finish writing in time, so this ends pretty abruptly as soon as Steve and Bucky actually meet)

[unfinished] Oct 3: Masks and Malfunctions

Rating: Mature Words: 1911 Relationship: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers Additional Tags: Sugar Daddy AU, Daddy Kink, Belly Kink, Weight Gain, Verbal Humiliation, Stuffing, Corsets, Age Gap

Bucky’s phone chimed and he didn’t even have to look at the screen to know that “Steve” just sent him more than enough money for the costume Bucky wanted. He didn’t actually know if that was the guy’s real name, but he’d been funding Bucky’s lifestyle since the beginning of college and Bucky wasn’t about to fuck that up by questioning the guy’s identity.

If this were a normal Halloween party Bucky would have just bought a random costume at Spirit Halloween, but his kinda boyfriend Jonas (it’s complicated) had invited him as a plus one to an actual masquerade ball. Bucky didn’t even know those kinds of things existed outside of fantasy novels, but right now he was at a high-end clothing store getting an “appropriate” costume.

[Bucky] Thank you, Daddy❤

Bucky texted Steve and then went back to trying on another dress shirt. This one had a looser cut that reminded him of something the male love interest in a period drama would wear or a pirate.

“Wonderful choice,” the store clerk told Bucky when he stepped back from the mirror. Bucky would probably never get used to having someone help him pick out clothes, but the higher-end stores Bucky had been to all offered this type of assistance.

“It drapes very well,” the clerk said with a sneer on his face. Bucky turned back to the mirror. Yes, he had to admit he’d fallen victim to the freshman 15. A small belly was rounding out even against the loose fabric of the shirt, but he didn’t actually feel self-conscious.

Steve had complimented him on every single one of those pounds. Bucky probably wouldn’t even have noticed all the changes to his body if Steve hadn’t been constantly talking about them. Bucky had never put much effort into maintaining his physique, but being hyped up by Steve over the smallest changes of his body made him feel desired and his heart fluttered every time his sugar daddy complimented his thicker thighs and soft belly.

“Any other suggestions?” Bucky asked and the clerk scoffed.

“A corset,” he muttered under his breath, but Bucky’s ears pricked up at the suggestion. His first instinct was to text Steve. Bucky didn’t know why it was important for him to know Steve’s opinion when Bucky was going to the party as someone else’s plus one, but excitement stirred in Bucky’s stomach at what Steve might say.

“Sure, get the corset.” Bucky sent the clerk on their way and then sat down to text Steve. He could feel his belly straining against the shirt buttons now that he was sitting down and he snapped a picture of the way the buttons on the otherwise loose shirt were straining over the thickest part of his belly.

[Bucky] Daddy~ they’re telling me I’m fat

[Bucky] they said I need a corset

[Steve] You will look incredible either way.

Annoyance prickled at the back of Bucky’s neck from the generic compliment.

[Bucky] that’s not what I asked

[Steve] You didn’t ask anything.

Bucky rolled his eyes at how literal Steve could sometimes be, but Bucky also didn’t know how to ask for what he really wanted to hear.

Some of his classmates had teased him for his weight gain and instead of making Bucky feel insecure, the hot shame had shot straight to his dick and he’d had to excuse himself to deal with the problem. Since then Bucky couldn’t stop thinking about Steve telling him those things.

Bucky didn’t even know what the guy looked like, but he’d quickly developed a crush just from texting him. It was actually fun to talk. Bucky couldn’t understand how the guy was single when he seemed like this perfect, interesting and kind guy—and rich on top of all that.

There has to be something wrong with him, but so far Bucky hadn’t been able to figure it out. Not for the first time Bucky wondered who Steve actually was, but his thoughts were interrupted when the clerk came back with three different corsets.

All the same material and color, just different cuts. Bucky’s eyes were immediately drawn to the tiny waist cincher—just tall enough to cover the widest part of his belly. Despite his grumblings the clerk helped Bucky lace up the corset and when he looked in the mirror he couldn’t believe it was him looking back.

His entire body shape seemed different. From the billowing sleeves of the shirt emphasizing his wide shoulders to the waist cincher doing an excellent job of making it look like he still had a waist instead of the soft belly that was hidden underneath. The simple black slacks he was wearing completed his outfit. Simple colors, just black and white.

The mask he had chosen matched as well. A deep midnight black that contrasted with his piercing blue eyes and gold detailing that caught the light when Bucky turned his head. He snapped another picture for Steve, but didn’t wait for his response. Bucky could still hardly believe that a single outfit could be this expensive, but Steve of course had transferred enough money to pay for it. On his way home Bucky finally checked his phone.

[Steve] What did I tell you? Incredible.

[Bucky] better than without the corset?

[Steve] This feels like a set-up.

Bucky groaned at Steve’s response. Of course, Bucky would luck out and get the sugar daddy that won’t humiliate him for gaining fifteen pounds before the semester was even over and wasn’t that a personal revelation. Bucky had never thought of himself as someone who could want something like this, but since gaining weight he had become more aware of his body—and how others perceived it.

[Bucky] it is

He quickly pocketed his phone after sending that text. Bucky immediately regretted it. He’d had a good thing going with Steve. Why risk fucking that up? His phone vibrated multiple times, but Bucky was too worried to check his messages until he got home. As soon as he’d closed the apartment door behind him he fished his phone out of his pocket.

[Steve] What does that mean?

[Steve] If you don’t want to continue this arrangement, you can just tell me.

[Steve] Bucky.

[Steve] Answer me.

[Steve] What do you want me to say? That you’re a spoiled pig? That you’ve gotten fat on your Daddy’s money and need a corset to look good for your little boytoy?

Bucky’s throat went dry as he read Steve’s message. The wave of lust that crashed through him, threw him off balance and he sat down heavily on the bench in the entry way of his apartment. He read the message again. And again. His dick gave an interested twitch. It was embarrassing how much he reacted to Steve’s words.

[Steve] Is that what you want?

[Steve] Don’t leave me on read.

Bucky didn’t know what to say. He typed and retyped the same message again until another one from Steve popped up.

[Steve] ‘Yes’ or ‘no’? It can’t be this hard to type one fucking word.

Bucky couldn’t breathe. Steve had always been kind and considerate, it made Bucky’s heart race to see this side of him.

[Bucky] Yes.

[Steve] Thank you, but we will talk more about this tomorrow.

Bucky’s phone chimed to tell him, he should be on his way now if he wanted to get to the party on time. His mind was still caught up in foggy arousal, his cock tenting his slacks. It’s too much, he wasn’t thinking straight and Steve wasn’t even here—wasn’t even touching him. Just a text and Bucky was a mess.

At least the walk to the subway station helped to clear Bucky’s head and chase away some of the immediate, burning need that had been burning in his guts just a few minutes earlier. It left him frustrated, but slightly more level-headed and in a more appropriate mood to be out in public.

When Bucky met up with Jonas outside the high-rise office building the guy was already wasted. He was surrounded by his office buddies and Bucky was honestly about to turn on his heel and go back home when Jonas called out to him. With all his mates there Jonas treated Bucky like another one of them and Bucky was already over the metaphorical dick-measuring contest that was happening whenever one of these guys opened their mouth.

Once they got inside Bucky split off from the group, Jonas didn’t even seem to notice. So, he explored the venue. The party stretched across multiple floors. The bottom floor was full of rich and wanna-be rich people schmoozing and socializing, barely anyone of them had stuck to the masquerade theme and Bucky kept debating whether he should take off his own mask.

He was much more comfortable on the upper floor. There were less people here and most of them kept to themselves. He felt less out of place when he noticed that most of the people here stuck to the masquerade theme, there were only a few people who’s face wasn’t at least partially hidden behind a mask.

Jonas didn’t even shoot him a quick text to ask where he had disappeared to, so Bucky was more than ready to just find whatever food this place offered, eat for free tonight and make the best of the situation. He didn’t know what he’d expected dating someone his age, but Bucky was done settling for anything and he made a resolution to break up whatever was going on between him and Jonas.

When Bucky finally found the buffet that was standard for these types of events, he couldn’t stop himself from loading up two plates and searching for a quiet, secluded place to eat. At this point it had become a reflex to send Steve a text whenever he sat down to stuff himself.

[Bucky] found the food

He sent a picture with his hand next to the plates to give Steve a sense of how big they were. Some guy’s phone went off as soon as Bucky hit send two tables over and for a moment Bucky wondered if that’s Steve.

He had a commanding presence even sitting down. Bucky could tell he’s a gym buff from his ridiculous shape. His shoulders looked almost double the size of his waist. As well as the large plate of food in front of him. This man needed to fuel his body with all those calories, but Bucky was eating more than him and only planning on getting fatter. Bucky dug in.

His little costume went from fitting perfectly fine to too tight within half a plate of food. The corset was throwing a wrench into Bucky’s plan of stuffing himself. He already felt full before he had even really gotten started. The blond guy from two tables over caught Bucky’s eye again. He was frowning at his phone and looking back up at Bucky.

[Steve] What are you doing here?

[Bucky] what do you mean?

Another phone chime from two tables down. Bucky re-read the text two times before he looked back at the blond guy. No way that’s Steve. That would be too much of a coincidence, right? Bucky sent another message and the guy’s phone went off again. For a moment Bucky contemplates just getting up and walking away, but then Steve was already out of his chair and walking up to Bucky’s table.

#asks #chubby bucky #chubtober 2021 #chubby kink

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simp-for-spencer-reid · 3 years

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Sugar with a Side of Coffee Ch.4

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.2.5 Ch.3

Chapter 4: It’s Actually Cate

Cate stared at the napkin in her hands in disbelief. Since Marta shoved it into her bag last night, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She couldn’t believe that Derek had given Marta a napkin with Spencer’s number to give to her.

Cate had taken a liking to the tall, long haired agent. Cate couldn’t keep him off her mind after she had finally met the man behind the order that had consumed her sugar supply. She felt like a giddy school girl thinking of how he had run after her tip jar. A knight in shining armor if you will.

Cate placed the napkin carefully on her kitchen counter. She went back and forth in her head about contacting him. Should she call? Should she just text him? Who calls nowadays? What would she even say?

“So, what are you gonna do?” Marta’s question stirred her from her thoughts. Cate looked between Marta and the napkin in her hands.

“So you’re alive.” Cate popped two pairs of toast down in her toaster and poured her and Marta a glass of orange juice.

“Don’t avoid the question.” Marta raised an eyebrow as she sipped her orange juice. Cate sighed. “Alright I’ll ask a new one. When were you going to tell me about your little crush on Mr. Sweater vest?” Cate buried her head into her folded arms on the counter.

“You make it sound like elementary school.” Cate mumbled. Marta fumbled in Cate’s medicine cabinet, searching for painkillers to subside her hangover.

“You’re still not answering me!” Marta smiled. “So, I’ll take it as a yes. Love at first sight? How cute.” Marta rambled.

Cate laughed at her friend and picked up the napkin. She played with it in her hands. She stared at the numbers as if they could somehow make him read her mind.

“What if he’s not into me like that?” Cate could feel herself over thinking. Marta whacked her shoulder.

“Don’t even start that! Why would Derek give his number to you if there wasn’t something there?” Marta tried to reason.

“All I’m saying, wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been the butt of a joke.” Cate shrugged.

“Well, I’ll shower and then we can spend our day off together and come up with the perfect thing to text Spencer.” Marta walked away, still in Cate’s clothes from the night before.

At the BAU, Spencer walked in with another cup from The Empty Mug. He didn’t see Cate there, in her yellow apron. He was going to apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. The team had dragged him out when they were ready to leave. As he walked by Derek’s desk to get to his own, he felt Derek’s stare.

“Still no coffee for the rest of us, Pretty Boy?” Derek was leaning back in his chair, hands behind his head.

“I forgot.” Spencer put his bag on his desk, and sat down in his chair. He wished he’d seen Cate at the shop.

“You and I both know with that eidetic memory that that is impossible.” Derek continued to push his buttons. “Did you get distracted by a certain barista?”

“Actually, the opposite. She wasn’t working today I guess.” Spencer would have ordered for the entire bureau if it meant having a few more moments speaking with Cate this morning. Instead, he recalled how taken aback he was when he hadn’t seen her at the cart on his way in. He could’ve gathered that she didn’t work everyday, but it still wasn’t the same not seeing her at the cart. Suddenly, Spencer’s phone pinged. He and Derek both turned their attention to it.

Back at Cate’s apartment, her and Marta were lying on the couch sharing a blanket while Cate typed and retyped many possible conversation starters. Did he even know that she had his number?

“You’re overthinking it again.” Marta groaned. “What happened to a simple ‘hey’?”

“You’re right, okay.” Cate typed on her phone.

“Okay what did you say?” Marta pressed.

“Hi” Cate nodded, flipping her phone to show Marta. Marta scoffed. “What?” exclaimed Cate.

“You didn’t say who it was!”

Derek and Spencer looked from the phone, to each other, and back to the phone. Spencer picked it up and read the message. It was from an unknown number.

Hi it read. Spencer furrowed his brows and placed his device back on his desk and grabbed some files from his bag.

“Well, who was it?” Derek asked, knowing there was a good chance it was the coffee girl, Cate.

“Unknown number, probably dialed wrong.” Spencer assumed, unbothered.

“What did it say?” Derek asked again.

“You seem very interested.. You know it was my phone that got the notification, not yours, right?” Spencer was getting an inkling of suspicion. “What did you do?” Spencer kept his eyes on Derek, studying him.

“Don’t profile me! What if I told you, I know who it is?” Derek spun his chair to face Spencer. Spencer played with his hands, nervous, that Derek had given his number on television like he had before. “It’s your coffee girl. I might have slipped your number to her friend last night. Just wanted to push things along in your favor.” Derek smiled.

“Cate has my number?” Spencer said a little too loud, JJ and Emily were now walking towards him and Derek.

“Aaaand now you have hers?” Derek tried to dig himself out of the hole he had buried himself in.

“Is this about the girl from the bar?” JJ asked Spencer, standing at his desk. Emily was leaning on Derek’s desk.

“She’s not just from the bar.” Spencer was trying to keep Cate under wraps.

“Oh?” Emily questioned. Spencer glared at Derek. “How long has this been going on?”

“It isn’t going on. Cate isn’t anything with me, she just works at a place where I like to get my coffee.” Spencer tried to play it down.

“Ohh right, they do have good coffee there,” Emily pursed her lips together. “So, that’s all? You weren’t completely checking her out last night?” Emily crossed her arms.

“No, I just- I don’t. She just texted me, that’s all.” Spencer was hoping that Hotch would call them in for a case right about now.

Cate was now pacing back and forth in front of Marta on the couch. Her hands frantically went through her hair. Cate’s phone was on the coffee table, screen still lit up with the text screen on.

“Stop panicking,” Marta told Cate. “Just text him again and say who it is.” Marta said as if it was no big deal. Cate made several advances to her phone, but pulled her hand away as if it was on fire. In fact, Cate was ready to spray it with an extinguisher or throw it out of her window as if it was really on fire.

“I am not double texting.” Cate decided. She closed her eyes, and raised a hand to her forehead. “Maybe he’ll ignore it and never find out it was me.” She started pacing again. Behind Cate’s back, her phone vibrated. Her eyes widened. Finally making a grab for her phone, she read the new message.

Kate?

Cate immediately texted back.

It’s actually Cate

Derek was not so subtly trying to get a look at Spencer’s phone screen. Spencer tried to hold it out of his grasp, but Derek just got closer and ruffled Spencer’s hair before swiping the genius’s phone out of his hands. Emily and JJ watched, amused at the boys’ fumble for the phone.

“Hi? That’s all you guys have for game? Seriously?” Derek tossed the phone back to Spencer. “What about a pick up line? That can give you an excuse to say one of your nerd things.” He leaned back onto Spencer’s desk.

“You are just so sure it’s her.” Spencer told Derek. Emily and JJ swiveled their heads like watching a tennis match. Spencer quickly typed a one-worded message that would clarify the sender. As soon as he hit send, it was a matter of seconds before his phone chirped again.

It’s actually Cate.

Spencer couldn’t contain his blush. Derek and the girls peered over Reid’s shoulders at the screen.

“You spelt her name wrong?” JJ asked in disbelief. “That big brain of yours and you still got her name wrong.” Spencer shoved the phone in his desk drawer, not wanting to text anymore, now that he’d felt he made a fool of himself.

“Okay well, that was enough for today.” He turned around as soon as the elevator door slid open, revealing Penelope. “Looks like we have a case.” And he scurried to the round table to be briefed, relieved to take attention away from his love life. Scratch that, his new found friendship. He and Cate were friends, they’d just met.

The rest of the day, Cate had sat next to Marta, staring at her phone. Marta tried to converse with her, take her mind off the fact that Spencer hadn’t answered since Cate corrected him, but Cate couldn’t stop thinking about it.

#spencer reid #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #sugar with a side of coffee fanfic #derek morgan #emily prentiss

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etherealwaifgoddess · 4 years

Text

Run To You, Chpt.4

Summary: Bucky mends things with Steve and together they move forward to the next step in the relationship. Master list is HERE :)

Content Warnings: Some lovely smut towards the end of the chapter

Word Count: 5.3k

Author’s Note: Hello lovelies! I originally had this broken out into two smaller chapters but then I decided the hell with it and am giving you one giant monster of a chapter instead. So please enjoy this 5.3k word beast which contains lots of sweet fluff and some steamy smut towards the end. XOXO - Ash

Chapter Four

The communication black out lasts three days. It’s the longest they’ve gone without talking or texting since they met over a month ago. Bucky is surlier than usual and eventually Natasha calls him out on it. He wants to pick a fight with her when she does but he’s running late for his shift and he has to hurry out the door, settling for just flipping her off as he leaves. Natasha, however, is undeterred and proceeds to text him, letting him know exactly what she thinks of the situation.

It’s a slow night in the ER and Bucky can’t stand the down time. All he can think about is the fight with Steve. Well, not even a fight really. Steve pissed him off and he did what he does best: he ran. The more Bucky thinks about it, the more he feels like an ass. He knows how socially awkward Steve is, how he’s not always sure of societal norms. It’s not all that surprising that Steve would make a faux paux, but Bucky’s reaction to it wasn’t okay. The longer he dwells on it the more he realizes how very not okay it was.

Bucky is forced to take his mid-shift break when Darcy comes on rotation, the tiny woman physically shoving him towards the break room and telling him to catch a nap if he can. She’s been a good friend since he started there three years ago, and she knows how much the overnight shift wears on him. Bucky stares at his phone, wondering if a text would wake Steve. He hopes not, it’s just past two in the morning and no one deserves to be woken up by an apology text at that hour. Bucky types, and retypes, and retypes again, the best apology he can muster. After staring at his phone for another five minutes, willing the message to send itself, he deletes it, settling for a simple: I’m sorry for what happened. Can we talk when you have time?

Sighing in relief that the dreaded text is sent, Bucky lays back on one of the break room cots and starts scrolling through his Instagram feed. He barely gets through Clint’s latest story when his phone rings, Steve’s goofy contact photo lighting up the screen. Shocked, Bucky flails and drops the phone, the damned device sliding under the cot where Bucky has to crawl down to get it, frantically trying to answer the call in time. “Hello!” he shouts breathlessly as he swipes to accept the call.

“Bucky?” Steve asks, confused and concerned by Bucky’s breathless tone.

“Sorry, dropped my phone. I’m here.”

“Oh, is it okay? I’ve broken four iPhones dropping them. I’m pretty sure Tony is ready to kill me, but they’re just so fragile.”

Bucky smirks, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. “It’s fine, thanks. How on earth did you manage to destroy an iPhone just by dropping it though? They’re fragile but my buddy Clint drops his daily and it’s fine.”

Steve chuckles, a self depreciating rumble, “Well, when you drop them while exiting a Quinjet in mid air they don’t typically make it to the ground in one piece. And one time it was off a building but really, that time it just slipped right out of my hand. Even super soldier reflexes couldn’t catch it.”

The laugh Bucky was suppressing bursts free. “Oh god, no wonder Stark wants to kill you.”

There’s a beat of silence after Bucky’s laughter dies down. It’s heavy, the reason for the call hanging in the air. “It’s real good to hear your voice.” Steve admits quietly.

Bucky’s heart clenches, “Yeah, it’s good to hear yours too. I didn’t mean to bolt like that. I’m sorry I didn’t give us a chance to talk it out.”

“You weren’t wrong. I don’t know her, and it was thoughtless of me to trivialize your problems by trying to solve them for you.”

“You were just being a good person. I get why you wanted to help. In the moment though, I felt like you thought I couldn’t take care of my own kid. And I’m sorry, but that’s probably always going to be a sore point for me. I fight like hell everyday to give that little girl a better life than I had and I’m damned proud of that. But… I still shouldn’t have run out on you like that.”

“Buck… I… I would never think for a minute that you can’t take care of her. She’s so lucky she has you raising her, you’re an amazing parent. I’m sorry if I made you feel otherwise.”

Bucky sniffed roughly, ignoring the burning of unshed tears, “Thanks, Steve. It means a lot. And I promise the next time we disagree with something, I won’t go running off without us talking things through. I really like you, Steve. I want to give us a real chance.”

“I really like you too, a lot. Can I see you later this week? Maybe we can have a do over at the cafe and you can actually eat your chocolate chip pancakes this time. They were really good, you missed out.”

“Yeah, we can do that. I was really looking forward to… wait, what? Did you eat my pancakes?”

“Um, well, I took them home thinking I’d be able to give them to you later. But then you didn’t reach out and I didn’t want them going to waste. I’m sorry?”

“Nah, it’s good someone ate them. I really was looking forward to them, though. I have off all day tomorrow for Becca’s appointment if you’re free. And you know who else really likes chocolate chip pancakes?” He waits a beat for Steve to guess but the other man is silent on the other end of the line, “Becca.”

Steve is quite another moment before finally responding. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m rushing you. If you’re not ready for me to meet her, that’s okay. I’ll wait as long as it takes until you’re comfortable.”

“We’re not rushing, it’s time. Tomorrow will be good because if she does get glasses, which is likely, we’ll be able to celebrate with dinner out for her. Honestly, she’s going to take one look at those giant pancakes and you will be an afterthought. She loves my friends who help watch her but I’ve never introduced her to a boyfriend before so I’m not sure how she’ll take that. Hopefully this will make it a good experience for her.”

“Ah yes, bribing small children with baked goods and sugar. I’m all in favor of that.”

Bucky chuckles, “Whatever works. So, we’ll see you tomorrow? Maybe around five thirty?”

“Yeah, I can do that. I’ll see you two then.”

“See you then.” Bucky disconnects the call, a wide smile plastered on his face. He really likes Steve and feels like this relationship could be different from his past ones.

Bucky’s good mood is noticeable and gets him teased by both Darcy and Carol at work, followed by Clint when he arrives home later that morning. He can’t be bothered by their affectionate jabs though, he knows he has it bad. He hasn’t mentioned to his friends who Steve is, as in Captain America, only saying he’s a cute guy he met in the bodega near his house. Only Natasha knows the whole truth but she eats secrets like M&Ms so he has no fears of her saying anything to anyone.

xxXxx

Becca is surprisingly cooperative getting ready for preschool, even after Bucky reminds her she has a doctor’s appointment afterwards. She’s so used to seeing her various doctors that it doesn’t even phase her outside the concern if this new doctor will have a good prize box like her breathing specialist does or if they’ll just have stickers like her normal pediatrician. Bucky reminds her that not all doctors have prize boxes and she should be nice to them no matter what. Becca nods but tells him that he should really ask these sort of questions when he calls for an appointment. It’s through ironclad self control that he manages not to laugh until she’s through the doors of Applegate Academy. His little girl is a spitfire and he loves it.

Bucky manages to snag a few hours of sleep while Becca’s at school. He can’t wait for Monday when he’s off again and can sleep for a full night like a normal person. Cat naps on his breaks at the ER and a few hours here and there at home never seem to be enough when his rotation schedule has too many days in a row. Bucky dresses quickly, not wanting to show up in his sweats despite knowing the cafe is definitely a casual meet up. He’s still unsure how Becca is going to handle meeting Steve. Sometimes she’s all bravado and personality, others she tucks herself behind Bucky’s legs to shy away. There’s never a rhyme or reason to it and the pediatrician said it’s normal preschooler behavior. Bucky can only hope it goes well for all of them. He has enough to worry about with the eye doctor’s appointment.

Becca decides she loves her optometrist the second she sits down in the exam chair. Dr. Gibbons is a soft spoken older man with greying hair and a deeply lined face. He makes Becca giggle throughout the appointment with his antics which keep the visit stress free for the little girl. After running through a series of tests he confirms what the school suspected, Becca does need glasses. The doctor explains that Becca’s prescription is only a -1.75 so it’s not surprising she hadn’t shown more noticeable symptoms. Bucky fights back the tears that prickle along the corners of his eyes at the news; relief washing over him that this wasn’t something he’d blatantly missed.

Shopping for glasses is a bit of a challenge considering Becca thinks she’s a princess and Bucky’s wallet begs to differ. He lucks out that they have a sale going and he steers Becca to the shelf of glasses that he can get for a reasonable price. She does finally pick a pair from the sale shelf that she says make her look like a librarian, which is her current career aspiration since she met the school librarian a month ago. Bucky chuckles and assures her she looks very nice. The doctor offers to have them ready to pick up in an hour which leaves them with enough time to walk down the block to the community park they passed on their way. Becca throws herself around the jungle gym like a wild animal and it makes Bucky thankful he spent the extra money on a protection plan on her new glasses. She’s an active little girl and he’d rather pay a extra few dollars now than buy a whole new pair of glasses when something happens.

The glasses come out perfect and barely need adjusting to fit Becca’s face. The tortoise shell frames stand out against her pale face making her grey-blue eyes even more pronounced. Bucky is full of emotion watching her tilt her head from side to side examining how she looks until finally announcing they’re marvelous and taking off to see how far away she can see now. Bucky hands over his debit card, cringing at the total but thankful he had enough to cover them without completely wiping out his savings. Becca is oblivious to his stress, thankfully, and spends the whole walk to the cafe pointing out things she can see now like little symbols on store signs and smaller items on display in store windows. It’s like the whole world has opened up for her and Bucky couldn’t be happier for his little girl. The awning of the cafe comes into view and Bucky braces himself for the impending meeting. The first half of their day went well, now he just has to hope the second part does too.

xxXxx

Becca shrieks when she sees the tiny honey bees on the sign of the cafe. Her love affair with bugs of all sorts has her grilling the waitress about bees while they’re led to a table. The poor waitress at least knows enough about bees to keep the conversation going, although the cafe itself is more wildflower themed than bee themed. The tiny honey bees on the sign were more of an afterthought than the main artwork. Becca is still on her bee tangent when Steve walks in, looking around and spotting them easily.

“Becs,” Bucky gets her attention, “Remember that I said we’re meeting my friend Steve here too? And that you have to be on your very best behavior?”

Becca nods, “I know. I’ll be good. And then I’ll get pancakes as big as my head.”

“You got it. Steve is here and he’s coming over so remember your manners please.” Bucky waves Steve over, the blonde was actually waiting for Bucky to give him permission before approaching. It’s sweet and considerate and makes Bucky think he was right in entrusting Steve to meet his little girl.

Becca hops up as Steve approaches and stands ramrod straight, her little hand extended towards him. “Hello.” she says in her most polite tone, “I’m Rebecca Grace Barnes, but you can call me Becca.”

Steve looks like he would melt into a puddle on the floor if he physically could. Instead, he crouches down to her level and shakes her hand gently. “Nice to meet you, Becca. I’m Steven Grant Rogers, but you can call me Steve.”

Becca giggles, “That’s silly. You have Captain America’s name.”

“Oh god.” Bucky mutters under his breath while Steve blushes brightly.

Steve pulls his SHIELD ID card out of his wallet and flashes it to Becca. Her eyes widen and Steve presses a finger to his lips making a shhh sound.

Becca spins around to Bucky glaring, “Why didn’t you bring Captain America home before?!” she demands. “He’s way cooler than Chrissy’s stupid uncle who was on TV.”

“Rebecca Grace!” Bucky hisses. “This is my friend, not someone for you to brag to your classmates about.”

Becca cringes, she hates being scolded. “Sorry Bucky. Sorry Steve.” she pouts, reclaiming her seat.

“It’s okay,” Steve assures her as he takes his seat across the table from her. “I know you were just excited.” he turns to look at Bucky, drinking in the sight of him after the long days of radio silence. “It’s good to see you.” Steve reaches out across the table for Bucky’s hand and the brunette extends his to meet Steve halfway.

“You too. I missed you.” Bucky tells him, giving Steve’s hand a squeeze. The moment is soft and full of unspoken words, words unsuitable for the tiny ears that aren’t missing a beat.

Becca watches them with narrowed eyes. “Is Steve a friend you kiss?” she asks, breaking their tender moment.

Steve blushes again, hard, and Bucky can’t help but grin. Steve is painfully adorable when he blushes. “Yeah, Becs. Steve is my boyfriend.”

“Tommy’s mom has a boyfriend. Tommy says he takes him to Coney Island and lets him have funnel cake for dinner. Can we go to Coney Island?”

Steve helplessly looks to Bucky who just nods subtly. “Sure, Becca. We can do that sometime.” Steve assures her once Bucky has made his assent clear. “I like spending time with your brother and I’d like to spend time with you too, if that’s okay.”

“I guess that’s okay.”

Bucky shoots Steve a thumbs up and tries not to laugh. “Why don’t you pick out your dinner, Becs? It’s your celebration dinner, you can have whatever you want.”

“What are we celebrating?” Steve asks, wanting to give Becca a chance to tell him even though he already knows.

“My glasses!” she announces excitedly. “They’re new. Do you like them?”

“They’re very nice.”

Becca launches into her spiel on how she wants to be a librarian and the librarian at her school has glasses like these and so does the librarian at the public library so now she looks like them and she can be a librarian when she grows up. Steve nods and smiles at the appropriate times, completely enamored by her. Becca’s expressions are identical to Bucky’s, the Barnes family genes running strong between the pair of siblings. She’s lively despite her small size and Steve finds himself thinking back to when he was just a feisty little thing himself.

When the waitress comes back around, Becca orders chocolate chip pancakes and hot cocoa. Bucky and Steve follow suit ordering breakfast for dinner; Bucky looking forward to finally getting to enjoy his own order of chocolate chip pancakes. Becca attacks her food the second it’s in front of her, letting Steve and Bucky chat while she eats. They catch up with how Steve’s been doing since his last mission and how much Bucky’s looking forward to a day off and going back on daytime rotations soon. Steve is surprised by how easily the meal goes with Becca. She’s such a sweetheart and he worries he’ll be wrapped around her little finger in no time at all.

The validity of concern comes to fruition as soon as they leave the cafe. Steve gives Bucky a chaste kiss, promising to text him later when Becca tugs on the hem of his shirt. She’s tired, leaning heavily on Bucky’s leg and waiting for Steve to stoop down to her level.

“What’s up, Becca?” Steve asks once he’s down face to face with her.

“Can you tuck me in tonight? I bet you have better bedtime stories than Bucky.”

Bucky tries to look offended but fails, barely suppressing a laugh while he shrugs at Steve.

“If you’re sure.” Steve says carefully. “But I’m probably just as boring as your brother.”

“Nah, you’re super cool. Please come home and tuck me in?”

“Okay, lead the way.”

Becca takes Steve’s hand but is dragging behind him after a few blocks. “Steeeve.” she whines, “Carry me?”

Steve doesn’t even hesitate, he just scoops the little girl up in his arms and pops her on top of his shoulders.

“It’s so tall up here.” she mumbles, leaning her head on the top of his like it’s a pillow.

Bucky gives Steve an apologetic look but Steve just smiles. He really doesn’t mind in the least. Steve always wanted kids but never expected it to be in the cards for him. He was so sickly growing up he felt that he couldn’t in good conscious pass along his genes and risk a child having all the health issues he did. And that was even if he found a woman who would have had his 90 pound asthmatic self for a husband. Steve had always known he was bisexual and had leaned towards a preference for men, but that would have posed a whole other set of issues for him back in the 1940s and would have ruled out any possible chance of children for sure. Now though, he’s able to openly date a wonderful man who just happens to come with a kid in tow. It’s everything he’s ever dared to hope for and Steve tries to slow his racing thoughts to no avail. He hopes and wishes and prays that the rush of affection he feels for this man lasts and grows. Steve has never felt so in sync with someone before and it’s hard to slow down his emotions because of it.

Becca is practically asleep when they get back to their apartment. Bucky’s been keeping an eye on her as the moments between her blinks slow, until her eyes stay closed and she’s draped over Steve’s head and shoulders like an obnoxious hat. “She’s almost out.” Bucky whispers to Steve as they climb the stairs to his apartment.

“Do you think she’ll still want a story?” Steve asks quietly. He’s been trying to remember stories his ma told him along the way. He knows bits and pieces of a few and hopes she isn’t going to be too picky.

“Depends. If she wakes up a bit when you put her down, you’re not getting away without a story. If the eyes stay mostly closed, you can escape with just a hug.”

“You have it down to a science.” Steve jokes.

“It happens.” Bucky shrugs. The truth is, Becca is a pretty easy to read kid. She’s expressive and open which makes anticipating her needs extremely easy. Bucky had gotten so lucky with Becca; she had been an easy baby, a happy toddler, and was now an easy going preschooler. Natasha likes to tease that she’s lulling him into complacency and the real struggle will hit during her teenage years, but Bucky has a feeling she’s just a genuinely good kid. Admittedly though, he’s probably a little biased.

“It’s not much, but it’s ours.” Bucky tells Steve as they enter their tiny apartment. He leads Steve down to Becca’s room so he can pull her off the blonde's shoulders and lay her down in her bed.

Becca stirs and blinks blearily, not fully waking up. “Steve?” she mumbled.

“Yep, I’m here.” Steve pulls up her lady bug print sheets, making sure she’s well tucked in. “You sleep tight, okay?”

Becca mumbles something unintelligible and then flings her arms out for a hug. Steve leans in and carefully returns her embrace.

“Night Steve. Night Bucky. Love you.” she says with a yawn before sprawling out to get comfortable.

The men quietly exit Becca’s room, Bucky closing the door behind them so they can head down the hall to the living room.

“Thanks for doing that.” Bucky says once they’re standing by the sofa. “She seems to really like you.”

“The feeling’s mutual.” Steve admits. “She’s a great kid, Bucky.”

“Yeah, she is. So, do you have to hurry off or would you like to stay for a bit?”

Steve doesn’t even have to consider it. “I’ll stay.”

Bucky chuckles at Steve’s eager reply. “Come on, let’s settle in and we can watch something on Netflix.”

Steve joins Bucky on the threadbare sofa, careful to set his weight down gently since he’s a bit larger of a man than the sofa was designed for. Bucky slumps in like he’s done a million times before, letting Steve adjust to dictate how close he wants to be. Much to his surprise and delight, Steve scoots over almost instantly to wrap an arm around Bucky’s shoulders. “This okay?” he checks in as he moves. Bucky nods and the smile on Steve’s face could light up the sun.

They watch an old episode of Parks and Recreation, Steve recognizing the show in Bucky’s Netflix queue. He’d watched a few episodes and found he really liked it but hadn’t gotten past the third season yet. Steve doesn’t get much downtime to sit around watching TV and he cherishes the time with Bucky to just relax and bask in the affectionate warmth of each other’s company.

“This is nice.” Steve says with a yawn as the second episode comes to an end.

As if on cue, Bucky’s yawn echos Steve’s as he nods. “It is.” he agrees, sliding himself up a little so he’s hovering closer to Steve’s face. “It really is.”

Steve takes the hint and meets Bucky half way for a lingering, unhurried, kiss. One kiss leads to two, leads to three, and then they’re making out with Bucky practically lying on top of Steve on the small sofa. It’s less than comfortable but Steve is too wrapped up in having Bucky on top of him to mind. His mind swims, overwhelmed and unable to focus on anything other than Bucky, Bucky, Bucky. There’s a pressing hardness against Steve’s thigh and he groans when he takes notice. It feels fast but they’ve been talking for months and he hasn’t felt this close to anyone since before the ice. He slides his thigh back and forth, giving Bucky just the slightest friction until the brunette is shuddering and gasping his name.

“Steve, wait.” Bucky rasps, pushing lightly on the other man’s shoulders.

“You okay?” Steve checks in.

“Yeah, yeah. Just… Becca’s right down the hall.”

Steve blushes brightly, “Sorry, I didn’t even think.”

“It’s okay, you’re not used to having a kid around.”

“I can go, just gimme a minute.” he laughs lightly looking down at the bulge in his slacks. “Last thing I need is someone snapping a pic of Captain America walking around with a boner.”

Bucky barks out a laugh, “Wow, yeah. That would be bad. You don’t have to go though, I have my very own room down the hall with a door that locks. As long as you can keep quiet, we’ll be just fine.”

“I think that can be arranged.”

Bucky grins, taking Steve’s hand in his and leading him down the hall to his bedroom. It’s nothing fancy, just a bed and dresser with a small window and closet. The navy blue bedspread has white constellations on it and Steve smiles at this new tidbit of insight into Bucky’s life. Bucky takes a moment to lock the door before pushing Steve gently back towards the bed until the back of his knees are colliding with the edge and he’s forced to sit down. It’s subtle, the way Bucky is herding Steve right where he wants him. Bucky brackets Steve’s knees with his own, forcing Steve to scoot back a little to give him space. Leaning down, Bucky captures Steve’s lips and picks up right where they left off on the sofa.

Steve hasn’t felt small since before the serum, but this, being surrounded by Bucky under his loving touches and kisses, Steve is transported back to his pre-war self. His whole being is consumed by Bucky and he loves the overwhelmingness of it. Little gasps slip from his lips when Bucky trails kisses and little nips down the column of his throat, he can barely keep up with the sensations. Before he knows what’s happening, Steve realizes Bucky is kneeling between his legs, looking up at him in silent request. Steve nods and Bucky gets to work divesting Steve of his pants and underwear.

Bucky groans slightly at the sight of Steve’s cock bobbing proudly upwards towards his navel. He’s long and deliciously thick, and while Bucky’s no size queen, he’s fully appreciating what Steve’s got going on. He gives Steve’s shaft a few tentative strokes, making Steve cant his head back and squeeze his eyes tightly shut. Rubbing away a bead of pre come at the tip with his thumb, Bucky lowers his head and swallows Steve down with ease. It’s been a while, a very long while, but deep throating was a skill Bucky mastered long ago. He’s always loved giving head, the intimacy of the act and the trust it requires on both parts. There’s something impossibly erotic about bringing his partner to the peaks of pleasure that can only be reached by just the right suction and swirling of his tongue.

Steve thinks he’s died and gone to heaven as Bucky starts sucking him off in earnest. He’s had blow jobs before, hurried, rushed things back in the 30s and 40s done in secret with the fear of being discovered, and a few since waking up from the ice that were more relaxed and quite nice, but nothing could have prepared him for Bucky’s mouth. It’s like white hot electricity is flowing through his veins and he’s trembling uncontrollably as the energy coils low and tight in his belly. He can’t stop himself as he stammers, “Buck… Buck wait… I can’t…. I’m gonna…”

It’s all the warning Bucky gets before Steve is spilling down his throat and he’s swallowing quickly trying not to lose a single drop. Steve is still shaking, the muscles in his ridiculously toned stomach dancing from the tremors. Bucky leans back on his heels, unable to hide his smirk even as he wipes the saliva from his puffy lips.

“That was…” Steve attempts but ends up just flailing a hand in place of words. His higher brain functioning isn’t back online yet.

Bucky bites his lip to suppress his grin, he’s pleased with himself damnit. It’s not every day he gets to reduce a national icon to a stammering mess.

“God, Bucky.” Steve huffs, “Seriously. Fucking hell. Get up here.” Steve pulls at Bucky’s shoulders until the brunette is straddling his thighs again and Steve can start tugging at the button on Bucky’s jeans.

Bucky lets Steve tug his jeans and boxer briefs down around his thighs, too impatient to completely take them off. “Jesus, Bucky.” Steve murmurs, still undone and reeling from what was easily the best orgasm he’s had in this century. He thankfully has the sense to spit in his palm before wrapping it around Bucky’s throbbing cock. Watching Steve come had Bucky right on a razor edge of pleasure himself and he knows he isn’t going to last much longer than Steve did. There will be time later for going slower, drawing it out, he assures himself. Right now the heated frenzy is exactly what they both need. Steve is absorbed watching the head of Bucky’s cock appear and disappear in his grasp, barely recognizing how very close Bucky already is. He twists his wrist slightly on the upward stroke, making Bucky gasp little choked off moans against his chest where the brunette has slumped forward, practically boneless. Steve grips him a little tighter, reveling in the pulsing of Bucky’s hot, fat cock in his hand and the noise it causes. He might not be as long as Steve, but his girth has Steve squirming thinking of how it would feel inside him. Despite what Tony thinks, Steve is no blushing virgin. He knows exactly what he likes in bed and his mind supplies all sorts of wonderful fantasies of Bucky giving it to him until he barely remember his own name.

Steve is startled from his pornographic imagination when Bucky goes rigid against him, jets of come splashing all the way up his stomach to his chest. He lets up his grip and works Bucky gently through the last of his orgasm. Steve wipes his hand on Bucky’s jeans so he can wrap his arms around Bucky, letting him stay nestled against Steve’s broad chest while he comes down from his own high.

“Why did we wait so long to do that?” Bucky asks a few minutes later, breaking the gentle silence.

Steve chuckles, “Beats me. Don’t know how I’m gonna keep my hands off of you now though.”

“Hmm. Guess we’ll just have to control ourselves somehow. Or maybe we can get a babysitter sometime and really make a night of it.”

“Yes, please, yes. Becca is great but god I want you in my bed for a whole night.”

“I’ll talk to Nat, we’ll figure something out.” Bucky offers, heart pounding at the idea.

Steve stifles a yawn, the late hour catching up with him. “I should head off.” he admits unhappily.

“Let’s get you cleaned off first.” Bucky pulls his jeans and boxer briefs off, wiping Steve down where sticky come is cooling on his golden skin. Tossing them into the laundry basket, Bucky grabs a pair of soft pajama bottoms so he can walk Steve to the door.

Steve is reluctant to leave and they swap sweet, sleepy, kisses in the doorway until finally he finds the resolve to pull back and wish Bucky sweet dreams. Bucky watches as Steve heads off, wondering how he got so lucky when all he did was mouth off in a bodega after a bad day. Whatever it was, he decides he’s not going to question it. It’s nice to have something actually go right in his life for once.

#stucky #stucky fanfic #non winter soldier bucky barnes #captain america steve rogers #shrunkyclunks #steve rogers x bucky barnes #parent!bucky #nurse!bucky #kid!becca barnes #becca barnes #adopted child #marvel #marvel fanfic

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dazedclifford · 4 years

Text

I deleted this yesterday because it was a draft and then when I edited it the edit never loaded so I just deleted the whole thing almost immediately after posting it and I was too lazy to retype it all up. So this is me retyping something very similar.

so, there's something I've learned the last week about tumblr and something I've realized personally. This website that I had always honestly thought of as a wonderful place for so many people to just share beautiful things is really just a bunch of disgusting individuals with a few actually wonderful people sprinkled in.

When I first joined tumblr last January (yes I know imma baby on this website lmao) I thought it was so cool and I posted my artwork, some pretty pictures I took, and a lot of things that I've written, so then I really wanted to post a picture of myself that I really liked, a picture that I thought was really beautiful and made me just feel very confident. I posted it on here and was almost immediately found and objectified by multiple men. I was sent disgusting pictures, comments, and even a video...and on top of that I had men ask....sorry no....tell me to text them so we can discuss my allowance for now being there sugar baby. And all of these people...get this....WERE MEN. Not ONE woman did that to me EVER. I'm not saying women can't be like that, but no woman no woman on here at least. So here's a lil message you creep ass bitches:

When I put "bored girl," "bored," "talk to me," ect. in my tags that is NOT code for "I'm horny pls send me pics of ur peepee"

When I post a picture of myself, it's for me because I think I look pretty. Not for you to ogle that, but if that's what you're gonna do, then please do so without commenting or dming me.

I'm not stupid okay. You telling me I'm gorgeous or sexy or whatever the fuck your tiny mind can think of is NOT causing me to drool all over myself.

No, you cannot know where I live nor have another picture of me.

Again when I put those specific tags that I mentioned above, it's genuinely because I AM BORED and I want some tumblr friends :/

and finally, DO NOT get mad at me when I reject your ass. Just because I'm a young woman DOES NOT mean I dont have thoughts, opinions, and feelings. I don't give fuck of you're upset that I dont wanna send you a titty pic.

edit!!

ps. my tumblr may have some rather "raunchy" things on it that I have reblogged...but that also doesn't mean i want to have sex with you. I'm a human. I'm allowed to want and think about these things.

#rant #reposting #stop objectifying us #im not a toy #not an object #i am a human being #this makes me angry #you're gross #you're creepy #i do not like it #and i know im not the only one #personal #grace talks

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jonathan-cranes-mistress-of-fear · 5 years

Note

Like all Southerners, Jon has a complicated relationship with sweet tea.

Oh heck yes, I’ve actually made a post about this

But yes, Jonathan is very particular about his sweet tea. Here’s a little snippet from the post I linked, since I’m too lazy to retype everything.

“Jonathan prefers his sweet tea chilled with just five ice cubes, no more no less. He also likes name brand tea, you never skimp when it comes to proper taste, and instant tea is just awful–at least in his opinion. The water is important too, and Gotham’s water just isn’t the same as the water back home. It’ll do in a pinch though, as long as it’s filtered. Then comes the sugar, and you need lots of sugar. After all, it’s in the name.”

#MistressAnswersYourLastWords #the-amazing-asexual-axolotl

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biostudyblog · 5 years

Text

PLANT FACTS! Part 1

This is me retyping the notes I took on plants + photos of diagrams I drew, so I’m sorry for the quality.

Disclaimer: These diagrams are not my own. I drew diagrams provided in the “Barron’s SAT Subject Test Biology E/M” book, as drawing them helped me memorise and visualise what I was learning. It’s a great book, huge amount of information that I think they did a wonderful job condensing.

Plants are:

multicellular

eukaryotic

photosynthetic/authtrophs

organisms with cell walls made of cellulose

organisms that store carbohydrates as starch (as opposed to animals that store them as glycogen)

Some types of plants are:

Byrophates:

These are plants like moss, liverworts, and hornworts.

They are primitive. They do not have vascular tissue

Because of this lack of vascular tissue, they live in moist environments. Without roots or xylem, they use osmosis to collect water.

They are small, as they lack lignin fortified tissue that allows other plants to grow.

Tracheophytes:

Include ancient seedless plants (like ferns) without seeds, they reproduce using spores.

They have transport vessels like xylem and phloem.

They also include plants with seeds. There are two kinds: gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Gymnosperms:

These plants are conifers (cone bearing plants)

They have distinguishable needle shaped leaves

They also have a thick waxy cuticle, and stomates in stomatal crypts.

They include: sequoias, redwoods, pines, yews, and junipers.

Angiosperms:

Instead of seeds on the surface of cones, these plants have flowers with ovaries that contain their seeds.

Include roses, daisies, fruits (which are the ovaries of angiosperms), nuts, grains, and grasses.

Angiosperms are further split into monocotyledons (monocots) and eudicots. Eudicots include complex flowering plants known as dicotyledons (dicots).

Here is a cladogram that helps me follow when certain characteristics evolved in plants:

Despite ancestors thriving in the ocean, plants are able to survive on land because:

Cell walls help support the plant

Roots/root hairs help absorb water and nutrients

They have stomates, which are able to open to allow gas exchange, and close to prevent excess transpiration.

The existence of cutin, a waxy, water-repellent coating on the leaf that keeps protects the water inside the leaf.

In some plants, their gametes/zygotes form in a protective jacket known as a gametangia to protect them from drying out

The existence of sporopollenin, a tough polymer on the walls of spores and pollen that help them withstand harsh environments

Coatings on seeds and pollen help prevent desiccation (extreme drying)

Dispersion of offspring (etc having bees carry pollen to different plants, having animals eat fruits, spreading the seeds further away, having seeds that are blown away by the wind) to allow genetic diversity, thus protecting the species.

Reduction of the gametophyte (n) generation (since gametophytes provide food for sporophytes, they are a major reason why plants are able to have seeds, which can be spread much further and thus be more successful than spores)

Plants have a tissue known as meristem. This continually divides, thus plants are always growing. There are two kinds of growth.

Primary growth is vertical.

It elongates the plant. This is possible due to the apical meristem, which as stated before, never stops growing.

Root growth happens at the tip! There are 3 zones to note. I labelled them on this diagram.(I’m sorry for my art skills, I tried.)

Secondary Growth is lateral.

(Think of it as an increase in girth.) New cells arise from the lateral meristem. (Thank you scientists for such an easy name to remember, lateral meristem goes with lateral growth. This is the one and only time I can say that.)

In herbaceous plants (non woody plants) like vegetables, and flowers, there is only primary growth, as they only last for a single season, however in plants like trees, you can observe secondary growth by counting the number of rings it has. As it gets older, lateral growth continues, and more rings are added.

The roots of a plant have 3 purposes (the 3 S’) Structure, Storage, and Sucking. (Only word I could think of that started with an s that conveyed the right message.)

The root structure of monocots and dicots are very different.

What these words mean:

The epidermis covers the root. It is modified to allow the root to absorb.

The cortex is filled with parenchyma cells. It contains plastids desitned to store starch.

The stele is necessary for transport. It contains xylem and phloem tissue. It is surrounded by the pericycle, which is where lateral roots come from.

The endoderm surrounds the stele. It is wrapped with the casparian strip, which is selective on what is able to enter the stele. (Think cell membrane)

Absorbtion is important!

The movement of water and solutes across a plant is known as lateral movement. This is aided by two structures.

The symplast is a continuous system of cytoplasm of cells that are interconnected by plasmodesmata (channels along cell walls allowing for transport and communication)

The apoplast is a network of cell walls and intercellular spaces in a plnts body that allow for the extensive extracellular movement of water.

Some plants lack root hairs. Some plants use mycorrhizae, which supply them with water and minerals. These are symbiotic structures that include the plants own roots, mixed with the hyphae (filaments) of a fungus.

Some legumes have a symbiotic bacteria known as Rhizobium. It survives on the nodules of their roots, and is responsible for fixing nitrogen gas in the air.

Roots are cool!

Types of roots:

Taproots- a single large root that births lateral branch roots. In a lot of dicots, the primary root is the taproot. They have many different functions depending on the plant. In some, they tap water hidden in the soil. In some, they are responsible for storage.

Fibrous root systems are found in monocots like grass, and are responsible for support. They hold the plant firmly in place.

Adventitious roots are roots that rise above ground. Aerial roots are found in trees like mangroves that live in swamps, and help aerate the root cells. Prop roots are found in plants like corn, and allow the plant to grow high above ground, as they provide support.

Facts about the stem:

They provide structure, and transport water and minerals

They have vascular tissue running along them in strands called vascular bundles

In those bundles, xylem is found on the inside, phloem is found on the outside and meristem tissue is found in between.

The ground tissue is made of cortex and pith- which are parenchymal tissues(parenchyma is tissue made of living cells with thin primary cell walls) that are used for storage.

The structure of the stem in monocots and dicots are very very different. In monocots, vascular bundles are scattered, while in dicots, they are a ring around the stem.

Each part of the plant leaf has a specialized function. Here they are:

Epidermis: Protection

Waxy cuticle (made of cutin): Minimizes water loss

Guard cells (aka modified epithelial cells- able to photosynthesize): Control the opening of the stomata, also minimizing water loss and allowing for gas exchange

Palisade mesophyll- tightly packed cells: Photosynthesis

Spongy mesophyll- loosely packed cells: Photosynthesis and diffusion/gas exchange in and out of these specific cells

Veins (you find them in the mesophyll): Carry water and nutrients from the soil to the leaves. Carry sugar produced during photosynthesis in the leaves to the rest of the body. Similar to human veins only, don’t have blood (imagine how terrifying that would be, you cut open a carrot and blood comes out)

So what actually are stomates?

Stomates are holes that allow oxygen to be taken out and removed, and carbon dioxide to be taken out and removed (plant cells carry out respiration, and photosynthesis. Oxygen is used in respiration and a byproduct of photosynthesis. Vice versa for Carbon dioxide.)

Stomates have guard cells that work like doors, shutting to prevent too much water from transpiring. This normally occurs at night. When guard cells absorb water, they become turgid, causing them to expand, and curve, opening the stomates. When they lose water, and become flaccid, they close.

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astros-turf · 4 years

Note

Hopefully you've gotten more sleep since we last talked. Or at least a nap! Holy wow, December?? That's so soon! Are you excited?? The interview went well & I got the job! It's just for the holidays though but if they like me enough, they'll keep me on. So we'll see how it goes. (herbal tea, mint tea, Italian soda, iced cafe mocha, flat white)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

OKAY! So I had responded to this ask like... pretty soon after you sent it. BUT as it was posting, tumblr “went bloop” & deleted my whole post (as it does) -_- and I just haven't had a chance to retype it but here we are >.

I have gotten a tiny bit more sleep since we last talked.... in fact this morning I got so much sleep that I woke up 5 minutes to when my class started *facepalm* don’t worry though, I was only 15 minutes late and my professor was cool with it so no big. Also I KNOW I’m kinda super terrified but also starting to get excited yes lol!!

ALSO YAY!!!! Congrats on getting the job!!! I’m sure they will like you!! How has it been going so far?? & okay as for the Cafe Asks...

Herbal Tea : You’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?

This one I answered in another ask that actually posted *glares at the tumblr app*

Mint Tea : How do you relax?

Hmmmm, usually it’s by talking to @djjiahn tbh. If not them then listening to music, taking a nap.... or recently it’s been playing minecraft while listening to either Game Grumps or Jacksepticeye in the background.

Italian Soda : Describe your dream date

Okay... So I’ve never been on an official date but... I’ve always been interested in like... the chill dates. Like I’ve always wanted to go on an official picnic... go stargazing, going to a museum, going to an aquarium!!!!! (esp if the other person really likes aquariums so I can watch them be super excited and tell me all about the different animals/fishies with shining eyes heheh...) uhhh going to the zoo! Netflix and actually chilling at home/being lazy and comfy in general. That I have done lol and it was very nice and I enjoy it a lot >.

Iced Cafe Mocha : Favorite thing to do on rainy days?

Ngl... Usually it’s sleep. Or be cuddled up & reading. I also am mildly obsessed with storms so sometimes I like sitting by a window, eating something warm, and watching the storm roll through. Usually it’s just a matter of being warm and content. So if that’s hanging out with someone watching movies under blankets or napping or eating warm food.... yeah. Just warm and cozy :)

Flat White : Coffee or Tea?Honestly I’m more of a tea person. I’ve never met a tea yet that I didn’t like. My current favorite is a like... orange & spice tea? I think it’s this one... Not exactly sure. I don’t buy it lol, I drink it at church XD I do like coffee too tho, but usually I drink specialty coffees cuz I haven't found a good sugar/cream/nothing idk combo yet for coffee.

#long post #honeyst anon!!! :)#sorry again about this taking so long lol #silly tumblr app #cafe asks

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homesoutofhuman · 5 years

Text

Your sinner, in secret Pt 4

Warnings (for all parts): sex, daddykink, swearing, boss taking advantage of an employee, age-gap, d/s dynamic..and I’m adding a new one for this part..spanking..

You don’t sleep well that night, too wound up with desire, tossing and turning, unable to bring yourself release, you need John’s thick fingers or his even thicker cock to satisfy you. You can only hope he is having the same issue.

John curses himself for letting you go so easily, too tempted by teasing you and making you wait to remember he’d be left with blue balls from a game of his own devising. He pushes his erection against the mattress and tells himself to make it fair he won’t touch himself without you. It’s a challenge, you got him so turned on, especially calling him ‘daddy’ in that unexpected way. He knows he is old enough to be your father, so if you want a daddy, if you need one, he’ll just have to fucking give it to you.

When you get to work John is already there, gathered with a group of the other law firm partners talking by the smoking area. You watch as discreetly as you can, seeing a very pretty brunette and feeling jealous immediately. A shorter man with curly hair glances your way and you try to smile innocently. John glances over at you then and you feel your cheeks grow warm, holding his dark gaze for a few seconds. He takes a long drag of his cigarette then throws it on the ground, grinding it under his heel. You see him gesture to the others that whatever argument they were having is resolved, then he moves back inside the office.

You hear his footsteps behind you and you keep walking, almost feeling hunted. He catches your arm just before you reach your desk, spinning you round to face him.

“No ‘good morning’, Y/N?”

“I was...you looked busy John…”

He frowns, leaning in close with a harsh whisper. “You better call me Mr Wick at the office baby girl…”

You gulp. “All right….yes...of course…”

He gives you a withering look. “Come to my office in 5 minutes.”

You knock with a shaking hand and hear him say ‘come in’. You’ve hardly got through the door when he is pinning you against it,staring down at you with those dark eyes. You try to keep your breathing steady, not wanting to give in too easily. John leans in for a kiss and you move your face to the side at the last moment denying him.

He gives you a questioningly look, still grasping your arms and pinning you against the door.

“You smell like smoke.” you say in the steadiest voice you can manage.

John raises a dark eyebrow, taking your chin in his hand and moving your face back towards him. “You don’t want to kiss me?”

Of course you do, you want it more than anything, you just want to try and to show him he can’t just have you whenever he feels like it.

John runs his thumb over your bottom lip and this time you don’t move away, just standing there with your mouth open like a dummy. He chuckles, seeing your eyes grow large, his thumb wet with your saliva, he pushes it against your tongue. You close your lips around it and suck obediently and he groans, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he pulls away, moving back to his desk and you’re left panting with confusion.

He eyes you, taking in your flushed cheeks and wide eyes and smirks to himself in victory.

“Don’t you have some work to be doing Y/N?”

“Y...yes…” you scowl then and wrench open the door, stomping back to your desk. I know a way to get his attention you think, deliberately pressing down on the keys of your computer.

You email him the typed up case notes and check your watch. You only need to wait a few minutes before an email comes back.

See me in my office now. JW

Your heart is beating rapid and uneven, your pulse loud in your ears as you knock on the door for the second time that morning.

“Come here.”

John is sat behind his desk and motions you to stand beside him. He gestures to the screen.

“Care to explain?”

You wince when you look at the document, he has highlighted all your mistakes in red, the screen is almost a complete block of scarlet. You made them deliberately of course, but still you flush with shame.

“Sorry Sir….I’ll do it again…”

He stands up and moves behind you, his hands on your hips. You can feel his breath against your ear he’s so close. He slides his hands down your hips over your dress, his fingers catching on the side of your underwear. He pushes your skirt up without hesitation and rubs a warm hand over your backside.

“Nice lingerie…” he rumbles above you and you can hear the smirk in his voice. “Did you pick it out for me?”

“No…” you lie through gritted teeth.

“Bend over…” he commands with a whisper, his teeth nipping your earlobe.

You take a deep breath and pitch yourself forward until your chest is pressed against his desk. John moves behind you, pressing himself into your ass, you can feel the scratch of the material of his pants against your upper thighs. He pushes your dress far enough up so he can kiss your spine.

“You’re beautiful like this…”

You just let out a strangled noise hardly able to verbalise what you’re feeling. He presses into you again until he is leaning over your back, trapping you with his body.

“You’d let me fuck you on my desk wouldn't’ you?”

You nod frantically and he continues murmuring to you in a low, deep, smokey voice.

“What if someone walked in, huh? I think my partners liked the look of you...you’d let them watch if I told you to, wouldn’t you, you little slut?”

You bite your lip hard and whimper “I’m just yours John….”

He chuckles darkly “Good answer...”

He pulls down your underwear and presses his fingers into the flesh of your ass, kneading it like dough.

“I have to punish you for your sloppy work Y/N. Say ‘red’ if it gets too much...you should remember that…”

The first slap makes you jolt against the desk, the hard wood digging into your chest. John grabs your hips to keep you still and safe and rubs your skin in a soothing way, but you also feel the warning.

“Keep still...I don’t want to hurt you…”

His words contradict his actions and you open your mouth to point it out, but before you can speak he smacks you again and you just let out a low cry, making sure not to be too loud. For some reason you want more, you don’t want this to end just yet.

John looks down at you, the way you’re pressing back against him, wordlessly begging to be punished, your cheek pressed warm against the hardness of the desk, the skin on your backside turning red, your arousal glistening temptingly. He wants nothing more than to put his face between your legs and taste you, but he holds himself back.

He slaps you a few more times, and it hardly hurts at all, it’s just the shock of his palm stinging your skin, and the sound of it, that makes you whimper. You feel like you’re coming without being touched, your brain flooding with chemicals as your body struggles to figure out what is going on, torn between pleasure and pain, between fight and flight. John bends and kisses your tailbone, pulling you off the desk and onto his lap as he sits back in his desk chair.

You curl in his arms and he holds you indulgently. You press open mouthed kisses on his face, feeling shameless in your affection. He shushes you, calming you down with a few deep kisses, his hands clasping your face.

“It’s okay...I’ve got you…”

You regard him through heavy lashes, drugged with pleasure “But you’re hard...let me…”

Your fingers dive for his belt and he grabs your wrist. “It’s still the work day...I can wait…”

You frown at the sudden rush of propriety, John seems to be having an attack of conscience.

“Maybe this isn’t right...it’s fucking twisted really...what I’m doing to you...what I still want to do…” he mutters, almost to himself.

You shake your head firmly. “You simply reached inside my head and pulled out everything I always wanted but didn’t know how to get...honestly, John...I really lo..like what we’re doing…”

You feel tears coming into your eyes as you try to express yourself and he hugs you tight.

“Okay, okay, don’t get upset little one...here...kiss me...please…”

You comply, tasting salt of your own tears on his lips, whimpering against his mouth. He pulls back, looking deep into your eyes with dark ones warmed with affection.

“Go and retype the case report and take an early lunch...I’ve got meetings all afternoon but I’d like to see you tonight?”

You nod, sniffling and wiping your eyes with the back of your hand. He smiles fondly and kisses your cheekbone. “You silly thing...got to be tougher than this in a courtroom…”

“I know…”

“I’m serious, they’ll throw anything at you, any hint of weakness, they’ll make it personal.”

You nod again, feeling your bottom lip still pouted out and John nips at it.

“Good job you’re so cute...an angel aren’t you? But with a devilish streak…”

You hide in his neck feeling him petting your hair and down your neck, you feel so utterly undone by him you don’t know how to deal with it. He sighs and cuddles you but then tips you off his knee gently.

“I’ve got work to do sugar...and you do too…”

You pull up your underwear and smooth down your dress, John watching your every move like a hawk you move on trembling legs to the door, giving him a little wave as you go.

John puts his head in his hands once you’ve gone. He’s in hell, but he’s loving every second.

As soon as you can you escape to the restroom and pull up your dress, staring at your ass in the mirror, still red from John’s attentions. You press your fingers into it and hiss with the illicit thrill of pain. He really has no idea what you can take, what you want. You’ve started on this journey and now there is no stopping, you cannot get enough of him.

#your sinner in secret #honestly disclaimer i'm just seeing how smutty i can be before i literally burst into flames #john wick smut #john wick x reader #john wick x you #lawyer john wick au

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youareiron-andyouarestrong · 6 years

Note

“we’re texting for the first time in forever and i told you about some stupid thing i did and sent a sarcastic ‘you must really miss me, huh’ and you just replied ‘yes’ and i think my heart just broke” au for rebelcaptain I LOVE PAIN

It has been approximately three years, three months and five days since Cassian last heard from Jyn Erso. All of those days, she is supposed to be in New Zealand, neck deep in professering for the university in Auckland, while he prepares for his Master’s degree in Spanish Literature dissertation in London.

Most of those days, he manages pretty well. Goes out for drinks, stays on the local football team, argues with Kay about the translation of whatever text they’re wrangling over. Most of those days, he does not miss her.

He does not miss her smile, her laugh, her sardonically arched eyebrow when something funny happens and she wants to share it with him. He does not miss the way she burrows into him in her sleep, steals sips from his coffee, only to make a dramatically affronted face when she realizes he poured half the sugar bowl and cream pitcher into it. He does not miss the way she used to kiss him when she was tipsy and giggly, wandering hands and nipping teeth and shining with affection eyes.

He does not miss her, most of those days.

He’s currently doing one of his endless revisions for his dissertation when his phone pings. He looks up, glances at the screen, and feels his stomach pitch weirdly. It’s a New Zealand number, one he doesn’t recognize, but who else could be texting him at–he peers at the clock. It’s one in the afternoon here, which means it’s one in the morning over there.

He hesitates before picking up the phone. She’s texted him. When was the last time she texted him?

(Two years, ten months and sixteen days ago, on his birthday–)

He reads the text.

Saw this in the library today. Thought of you.

He looks at the picture accompanying the text. An old, old copy of Don Quixote, the work he’s doing his thesis on. His heart squeezes.

Thanks, he types back. And then thinks about what to add next. How’s the professor of European warfare history doing?

I’ve convinced the freshman I sleep upside down in the stacks like a bat.

A startled laugh escapes him. I thought it used to be under the library in a coffin?

They renovated the basement. Too many people.

She never did like crowds, he remembers. She preferred to be at home with him, in her (theirs in everything but name) apartment, drinking coffee or tea and watching the Great British Bake Off and howling insults at Paul Hollywood–

How’s the faculty?

Okay. I don’t seem to scare them as much, which fun. And you? How’s the thesis going? Is Kay still as irascible as ever?

I don’t think he ever stopped, Cassian types back, and he misses you. In his own way.

An eyeroll emoji. Tell that eight-foot tall bastard I miss him too, in my own way. Hey, Bodhi says hi from New York. He’s doing really well.

He’s glad to hear it. He is. But it seems like they’re dancing around something bigger than just news and exchanging greetings from mutual friends and colleagues, and he’s not sure how to bridge that gap.

The thesis is going well, he sends. Though, and you’ll find this funny, apparently my advisor informs me that I could not have possibly picked a worse text than to do a thesis on. He said the only worse one he’s ever seen is Finnegan’s Wake.

A pause as Jyn types, then retypes, and finally sends, Your advisor is still Draven?

Yes.

What does he know?

He can’t help but smile, at her immediate, swift defense of him, even if Jyn too occasionally looked for deliverance when he buried himself in his text. I bet you really miss me, huh?

He means it as a joke. To show he’s okay with it, that he’s managed with her gone. He is not prepared for her swift, almost immediate reply of yes.

He has to put down the phone, remind himself to breathe. More messages are stacked on the screen and he has counts to ten before feeling prepared enough to look at them.

I miss you.

So much it’s stupid.

I don’t regret moving to New Zealand, or being a professor here. But I regret leaving you. And I’m not as okay with it as I thought I’d be.

Cass?

Please say something.

He breathes, breathes, breathes. And sends, I miss you too. So much, it’s stupid.

What are we going to do about this? Jyn sends.

He’s not sure. He wishes he had an answer.

Keep talking. Keep texting, he finally sends. And hope.

He texts Jyn more and more. They fall back into a rhythm. He idly looks up flights to New Zealand and winces at the price before staring longingly at the the “book tickets” button. He could. He could. He could.

But he doesn’t. It’s just not the right time.

He keeps telling himself that, when Jyn texts him late one night (for him): I have an academic conference in London next month.

His heart beats harder, faster. Yeah?

Yeah. Can I--do you still have an extra couch I can sleep on?

He has a whole spare room, but they can work it out. When she gets here. A tremor goes through him at the thought. She’ll be here, at least for a little while, just long enough.

#spookysootsprites #rogue one #rebelcaptain #my writing #otp: and make death proud to take us

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jordansleftleg · 6 years

Note

you’re my sUGAR DADDY WHERE MY MONEY AT THO BB HMMMMM?? jk I don’t need money i’m just bored. also I spelled money as munch and had to retype it so wHERE MY MUNCH AT THO BB HMMM?? that sounds kind of suggestive i’m sorry. wow this has been a wild ride huh? nice chat boyo pal bud champ

That was a roller coaster of a sentence are u ok

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lonelypond · 6 years

Text

Santa Cutie And The Christmas Cookie Queen, Ch. 5

Love Live, NicoMaki, 4K, 5/6

I have doubled down on farce and romance, tripled down on cookies and will be adding a chapter for the final reveal.

So here's to your finding this chapter charming enough to forgive the delay ; )

MIXING THE INGREDIENTS

Previously, behind the scenes.

Now that the auction was over, Umi could finally pack up. Things had, of course, gotten behind schedule, but Umi had expected that. If they rushed, while not exceeding the speed limit, of course, they’d get back to the station in time for Nico’s end of the night wrap up. When the newscasters are news….Umi frowned at the memory of Nico being struck by flaming debris. She’d been so calm and Umi had, of course, had the tools at hand to cope. That was the key to their collaborative chemistry, professional calm on the firm foundation of proper preparation. And then there was Honoka…

“Umi.” Honoka’s shout rang across the ballroom, even over the bustle of good nights and good byes.

“Yes, Honoka?” Umi prepared to deliver her refusal to let Honoka drive over the speed limit, even if they would be ten minutes late, in a tone carefully modulated to discourage, not crush.

“Call Kotori and tell her we’re going to go to this caroling thing to sing and spy on Nico.” Honoka hugged the tripod and spun. “We’ll have so much fun.”

Umi closed the carrying case for the mics and other sound gear, “I’m sure Kotori would not be interested in making Nico uncomfortable on her date.”

Honoka giggled, “Nico doesn’t have to know we’re there. We can lurk. It’d be awesome. Then, we can tease Nico on Tuesday.”

“Honoka.” Umi shook her head, picked up the case, “That is not the kind of behavior…” Tsubasa Kira swaggered up, tuxedo jacket over her arm, white collar loosened, tie undone, french cuffs freed, corners of her eyes crinkling with mischief, “If Ms. Sonoda won’t accompany you, Honoka, please allow me.” Tsubasa grinned, hands in her pockets, “I lost a bet to Nico and I want to discharge it.”

“Ooh.” Honoka glanced at Umi, who frowned and shook her head. “I’ll help you with that, Tsubasa”

“You’re the only one who can.” Tsubasa muttered as Honoka looked away to adjust the tripod under her arm. Umi paused, meeting Tsubasa’s gaze and quirking an eyebrow. Tsubasa shrugged. Umi shook her head. Honoka merrily chatted her way through disguise plans.

“She’s a reporter!” Eli’s voice boomed down the hall outside of Nozomi’s office. Then the blonde fury herself appeared in the doorway as Nozomi minimized the spreadsheet tracking elf overtime hours to ensure no one got too burnt out in the run up to Christmas.

“Who’s a reporter?” Nozomi pushed her chair back; Eli would probably not be settling herself in one of the visitor seats.

“Nico Yazawa.” Eli’s eyes blazed with cold, blue fire. “She’s notorious for risky, on camera stunts. And “solid investigative instincts”.” Eli sounded both grudgingly complimentary and accusatory as she quoted something she’d found. Nozomi appreciated the balance.

“So? Did you find a picture? Was she cute?” Nozomi perched on her desk, leaning casually back on her arms, legs crossed at the ankles.

Eli’s expression turned quizzical and she gaped at Nozomi, “Does that matter? The more time she spends with Maki, the more she'll find out.”

Nozomi rolled her eyes, “Of course it does. If she’s cute and I’m betting she is, Maki’s not even going to hear ANYTHING you say.”

“Of course she will.” Eli paced Nozomi’s office. "Maki has never let anything interfere with Christmas."

“You’ll do so well with our future teenagers.” Eli ignored the provocation. Nozomi sighed, pulling out her phone and image searching for

“Nico Yazawa.” Suddenly her screen was full of dashing smiles, sparkling ruby eyes and a personality that begged to be let loose from still photos. So Nozomi clicked on a video.

“Nico Ni reporting here, live from the scene of a house fire at....Honoka, what’s wrong...what....”

“Cute, thinks on her feet and brave.” Nozomi flashed a smile at Eli as she paused the video, “Maki’s gone; we’ve lost her.”

Eli leaned into a chair, “Maki cares about the company. And no one cares more about the business of Santa than she does.”

Nozomi shook her head, “And no one believes in the good in people’s hearts more. You’ll never convince her that a cute, sweet girl is going to turn cold hearted, rapacious professional.”

“I can try, Nozomi. I have to. Secrecy is essential. Maki knows that.” Nozomi could tell Eli was trying desperately to convince herself she could appeal to Maki.

“Just have a little faith, Eli-chi. Maybe Nico's just interested in Maki as date material, not deadline.” Nozomi stood as Eli turned to go. No response so Nozomi reached out a hand to stop Eli when she got to the door, “You’re in my office now, Ayase. And we follow regulations around here.” Nozomi pointed up, Eli’s eyes following to the mistletoe hanging in the center of the doorframe.

“Nozomi.” Eli grumped, but waited as Nozomi stood on tiptoe to kiss her on the forehead.

“Get some rest, Eli-chi. Everything will be fine.” Nozomi’s eyes were a gentle, generous green.

“Nozomi.” This time, Eli’s voice mixed exhausted and apologetic.

“Rest.” Nozomi turned back to her work with a wink, “Don’t make me sic Rin on you; I’ve borrowed her to drag overworked elves off their shifts.”

Eli nodded, this conversation and the weight of all her responsibilities weighting her down enough that she could only shuffle back down the hall.

Nozomi sat at her desk and retyped Nico’s name into the search field of her browser, “Now, let’s do some investigating ourselves.”

Back to our regularly scheduled timeline

“Nico’s home!” Nico announced as she opened the door to her childhood home. No one immediately rushed to tackle her with a hug so she figured the little ones must be upstairs in bed. Her mother came into the foyer to greet her.

“Hi, Nico. Unless you’re superhungry, I thought you might want to cook? I warmed up the oven.”

“Mama!” Nico hugged her mother enough for all four Yazawa siblings and bounded happily into the kitchen, taking a quick survey of what her mother had gotten out for her, flour, sugar, chocolate chips…”Muffins or cookies, Mama?”

Nico’s mom handing her a measuring cup and a muffin tin, “I think we should save making cookies for when your siblings can help.”

“That’s a great idea, Mama. We’ll make some tomorrow before Nico has to go on her date. Cocoro missed out the last time.” “Date?” Mrs. Yazawa grabbed eggs from the refrigerator as Nico measured the dry ingredients efficiently into a glass bowl.

Nico paused, “Nothing to get excited about. Just the caroling night Nico put up for auction.”

“Oh, right, that was tonight. Did you raise a lot of money for the teens?”

Nico pinched salt in, then turned over the flour and sugar. Next step, new bowl, wet ingredients. “Nico?” “Yes, $1500.” “Wow.” Cracking eggs into a bowl, Nico’s mom nudged her, “Who bid that much for a night with my daughter.” Nico blushed a little, “A new friend.” “New friend or girlfriend.” a more mischievous than maternal wink.

Nico dolloped oil into the wet ingredient bowl, “Maki might be dating someone else.”

“So did you ask MAKI if she was dating anyone else.” “Nico had a long day” Nico whined and added in her head, “and didn’t feel like meeting the maybe girlfriend all sweaty, after two hours at the gym.”

“So your answer is no.” Nico shouldn’t have been surprised at how quickly her mom slipped into interrogation mode. It had been years, but the gathering shame was too familiar a feeling.

“No, Mama, I haven’t asked Maki yet...but…” Nico automatically started adding dry ingredients to wet, puzzling out how to explain the things she knew about Maki from TWIG. Somehow, she felt that wouldn’t meet her mother’s standard of behavior either. “It’s complicated.”

““Do you have a girlfriend?” sounds straightforward to me.” Her mother greased the muffin tins Nico giggled, “Not exactly straight forw…” “Nico, I didn’t raise a daughter who didn’t know how to ask for what she wanted.” The bowl was grabbed out of Nico’s hands, batter pouring into muffin tins as Nico sat back on stool, fingers tapping on the counter.

“I know, Mama. I just really like Maki. And she’s shy. I don’t want to embarrass her.”

Mrs. Yazawa paused to observe her suddenly -- and surprisingly meek sounding daughter.

“MAMA!” Nico stretched to grab the muffin tray and slide an empty cup under the batter stream.

“Oops, sorry.” Mrs. Yazawa finished off the rest of the muffin filling properly, using a spoon to distribute the spillover, “So what’s Maki like?”

“Really nice. Really shy. She’s been in town for work for six months. Every time I see her,” Nico opened the oven so her mother could slide in the tin, “I could just keep talking to her...or listening to her play the piano...or watching her face, you can see everything she’s thinking…” Nico closed the oven door, matching her mother’s smile, “She’s pretty rare.” Nico was quickly wrapped up in another hug, “So she’ll be picking you up here for your caroling night so your Mama can meet her, right?”

“MAMA!” Nico struggled in her mother’s grasp. “Nico is an adult. Adults don’t have people meet their parents.”

Mrs. Yazawa laughed as she released Nico to set the timer, “You’ll always be my baby girl, Nico.”

Nico didn’t have any steam left for a complaint and fell into the couch, “No girlfriend questions.”

“No promises.”

“MAMA!”

Maki’s sleep has once again been a strangely surreal mix of candy canes, flames and Nico tap dancing on a piano. And as Nico’s taps got louder and louder and started to break THROUGH the piano, Maki woke up in a cold sweat and realized someone was knocking on her door. She grabbed her bathrobe and opened it. Umi stood there, definitely poised to crash more than her fist through the door if necessary, Kotori behind her, mild concern mixing into her usual laissez faire expression.

“Is Nico here…” Umi hissed.

“Huh?” Maki stared down at Umi, scratching her head, “Nico? Why?”

Umi collected herself, amber eyes meeting Maki’s as Kotori rested a hand on Umi’s shoulder, “I thought she might…” when Umi only read concern and curiosity in Maki’s glance, she made a quick recalibration, “have left her phone in your room when she was here.” Umi took a deep breath, hand reaching up to draw strength from Kotori’s presence. “We haven’t been able to get hold of her. Since last night.”

Umi’s urgency suddenly jolted right through Maki’s sleepy awareness, waking up the redhead faster than coffee, “Nico’s missing?”

Umi opened her mouth, then hesitated. Kotori stepped forward, “She seemed upset last night...and just took off after the broadcast.”

Maki pulled both of them into her room, light barely visible outside the room’s curtains, “Why are you looking for her this early?”

Umi and Kotori exchanged a glance, Kotori shrugged and started exploring the contents of Maki’s closet. Umi rubbed her chin, “The fire video went viral and her publicist has managed to get her an audition for a good national opportunity, but we need to put something together by tomorrow morning.” Umi fell into the couch, head in both hands, “Everything’s happening so quickly. Nico’s better at this speed than I am. Where is she?”

Kotori had Maki’s suit in her hands, her lips drawn in disapproval. “Do you like this style?” Maki shook her head, most of her attention on Umi, “Work thing.” Kotori nodded as if confirming something.

“I sent her a text last night.” Maki checked her phone, “No reply yet.”

“That’s not like Nico.” Umi was beginning to round the corner to angry. “Something must have happened. Did you see her last night?” “No. I met her in the morning at market.” Maki pointed to where Kotori had laid the suit, “I had a work thing for dinner.” “Nico said she went to the gym.” Kotori was back in the closet. “She seemed tired.” “She could have driven off the road somewhere. I could call the hospitals. Hadn’t thought about that.” Umi muttered, following the logical sequence. Maki felt as if someone had chopped across her knees with rebar.

“Umi…” Kotori came out of the closet with one of Maki’s favorite sweaters, purple cashmere v neck, “I’m sure Nico’s fine. Don’t scare Maki. We haven’t tried her mom yet. What do you wear this with?”

Maki tilted her head, but couldn’t remember anything specific and couldn’t imagine why it would matter, “Whatever.” Kotori frowned.

“Kotori, you really don’t know Maki well enough to be dressing her.” Umi's expression turned sheepish, “Please forgive Kotori. She reorganizes closets when stressed.”

“Clothes should always be a choice, not a shrug.” Kotori’s offered this pronouncement as she ignored Umi’s statement and returned to Maki’s closet.

Maki stood. This was ridiculous. Nico was somewhere. Her robe half slid off her shoulder and she retied it as her phone went off. Umi grabbed it, glanced at the screen and tossed it to Maki, “It’s Nico.”

Maki near caught the phone twice and finally managed a good grasp on it before it hit the floor. Quick passcode, then she read the text, “She’s at her mom’s.”

Umi let out a relieved gasp, Kotori came out of the closet, “Do you have jeans?”

“Black.”

Another nod, “That works.”

Umi had her phone out, and was calling Nico.

“Nico! Ina called. We have to put together a test show.”

“What?!?!??!?” Nico’s shout could be heard by everyone in the room.

“By tomorrow. Somebody finally thought your spin your very gay how to cook to get a girl show to a very straight guy network idea had merit.” Umi frowned, “And the viral video of you nearly catching on fire didn’t hurt.”

Maki had decided to intervene in her wardrobe purge, before Kotori got to her collection of motorcycle manufacturer shirts that went so well with her collection of sweat pants with questionable instructions on them. Kotori’s casual couture morning elegance didn’t make her seem sympathetic to Maki’s preferred leisure wear.

Nico’s voice had returned to private conversation levels so there was only half as much to eavesdrop on and twice as much to puzzle over as Kotori held articles near Maki’s face and clucked her tongue, more often sadly than with any cheer. Maki grabbed two hangers Kotori hadn’t reached yet. If she was going to have to deal with so many things she didn’t have a full understanding of, she could at least more be dressed than boxers, a t-shirt and her bathrobe.

And then Umi said her name. “Well, Maki’s right here. I can put you on speaker.”

Nico didn’t need the switch, “Why is Maki right there, Umi?” Kotori froze, shared a guilty look with Umi, then Umi turned away from Maki and whispered into her phone, “We thought you might be…” “UMI!” A shout, then Nico’s voice dropped in volume against, although from what Maki could tell from Umi’s twitches, Nico was not happy.

“I’m sorry, Nico. We were frantic.” Umi sighed, and after another minute of listening, handed Maki her phone, “Nico would like to talk to you.”

“Oh, okay.” Maki took the warm phone, her pulse racing a little, “Hi, Nico.”

“I’m sorry about my idiot friends disturbing you.” Nico sounded calm.

“It’s okay. I was a little worried about you too.” Maki admitted, taking the phone into the little used bedroom section of the suite.

“I may be a little late for our event tonight. As you probably heard, Nico has a big opportunity.” Nico paused, there was a puff of air and Maki imagined her biting her lip thoughtfully, “If I can put something together.”

Maki sat on the bed, “Can I help, Nico?”

“I don’t know. Umi and Kotori are going to come here for a breakfast strategy session to see what we can brainstorm.”

“I have some experience with making videos.” Maki twirled the end of her hair. Kotori had left her closet and Maki could see Umi and Kotori in a very serious discussion on her couch. “And I know a few people.” Maki grinned, “And I’m hungry.”

Nico snorted, “You really will just marry a chef, won’t you.”

“Baker.” Maki corrected, leaning against her headboard.

“All right, North Pole Nishikino, come on over and Mama will make you the best breakfast while I try to get all this done in time for our date. Now give me back to Umi.”

Maki bounced up, phone held out, “She wants to talk to you, again, Umi.” Umi met Maki halfway, “Kotori says she has the perfect outfit for you.” Outfit. Maki groaned. Quick shower and then dress for anything. Maybe @StormCookie was right and confidence was the ticket. That was one more idea than Maki had on the subject. One was also a number Maki could handle, unlike the double digit combinations Kotori had been throwing at her.

Maki was following in her rental, a very unsuited to the weather sporty red convertible. She’d mentioned something liking the feel of the wind when Kotori expressed surprise.

Umi was proceeding at the speed limit, humming as she drove. Kotori smiled at her girlfriend, happy to see Umi in such a good mood. “This is going to be fun! I’m so glad for Nico. She works so hard.”

Umi nodded, smoothly taking the right lane out of a traffic circle. Nico’s mom lived closer to Baltimore so they were headed south, “Just remember not to mention the StormCookie blog. Nico texted she wanted to tell Maki privately when she has a chance.” “I wonder why.” Kotori was enjoying the town they were driving through, Federalist houses decorated for the season, mostly with elegant wreaths, red ribbons and gold accents. Classical. Umi shrugged, speculation wasn’t really her favorite activity, “Something about TWIG. It’s Nico. She’s very private.”

At that very moment, the mother of the very private Nico Yazawa was falling, with all 3 siblings of the very private Nico Yazawa, onto the family couch with laughter as Nico raced back and forth from her old room to the bathroom, trying on different looks.

Maki had been hit by a whirl of look-a-like Yazawas, all red eyes, black hair and high flying energy...well, Nico’s brother, had been a quiet wall of energy, but the family resemblance held, even if he moved at half the speed of his sisters and rarely spoke.

Nico’s hair was up in a bun, dressed in svelte black yoga pants and an oversized Santa hoodie. She slid her seat closer to Maki as her mom put eggs, bacon, and potato breakfast casserole on everyone’s plate.

“Mama makes the best breakfast.” Nico bounced happily in her seat as Maki took her first bite, appearing a proper level of impressed. “Nico learned everything from her.”

“Now, Nico, you know that’s not true.” Mrs. Yazawa chided her daughter as she poured herself a cup of coffee and joined the conversation. “You worked very hard on your own, including those part time kitchen jobs in college.”

Nico winked at Maki, “But I learned about putting in love from Mama.”

Maki chomped down on her latest forkful without actually pulling the fork out, grimacing.

“Nico, don’t embarrass your guests. And don’t you have something serious to discuss with Umi and Kotori?” Mrs. Yazawa was a firm believer in doing things in their proper order and work came first.

“Right.” Nico slid her chair away from Maki, turning to Umi. Maki relaxed as the attention shifted away from her, although Nico’s mom would still catch her glance and smile encouragingly, which was unnerving. “I called Ina. They need at least a 5 minute sample video by tomorrow morning. I started working on a script, which I emailed you, Umi. If you think it works, Nico adds some razzle dazzle and we’re good to go.”

“But where do you want to shoot the video, Nico? Your apartment? We can’t use the studio.” Umi's statement stilled the group around the table. Nico drooped slightly as she tried to remember anywhere they could rent space.

Maki played with her fork for a minute, then cleared her throat. “You could use the Nishikino North Pole Studios, if you didn’t mind the drive. It’s about two and a half hours.” She put her fork down, “I don’t mind skipping the thing tonight if it helps.” Maki smiled at Nico, watching those ruby eyes brighten while Maki ignored the part of her brain that was previewing reactions when she got Nico there. But a text to Rin would get everything started and no one should be using the studio now. And she’d still be spending the evening with Nico. “If Umi and Kotori are busy, I have friends who might be able to help.”

“No.” Umi glanced at Kotori, “we want to help. I’m not sure about Honoka. She’s going with Tsubasa Kira to the caroling dinner you were supposed to attend.”

“Good for Tsubasa.” Nico muttered, then went back to Mama approved practical, “You can run a camera, right, Umi?” “Of course.” Umi tapped the end of her nose and pointed at Nico, “I can do your job too. It’s how I’m the best at mine.”

Kotori giggled.

Maki had her phone out, watching Nico closely, “So…….”

Nico held her glance for a long breath as Maki actively cycled through earnest, cheerful, helpful thoughts, squelching two -- or maybe ten -- "I wonder what she'll do with her lip makeup" segues. Then that smile beamed “All right, Nico is in.”

M: Hey, Rin, I need the Snowflake Studio. To help Nico. And I need Eli not to know.

Rin was hiding out in Nozomi’s office, ducking Eli’s constant ‘when is Maki coming back’ questions and eating a quick bowl of ramen for a snack.

“Rin, instant food is not healthy.” Nozomi glanced up from her screen.

“Did you eat breakfast, Nozomi?” Rin asked.

Nozomi shook her head.

“It’s healthier than that.”

“Santa Claus Is Comin' In A Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train” began to play and Rin pulled out her phone.

“WOW! Way to go, Maki!”

“Rin? What is it?" Nozomi remembered this was Maki texting Rin and skipped past her first three thoughts about the message topic.

“She’s bringing the Cookie Girl here.” Rin shouted, ramen forgotten, typing urgently.

“Cookie Girl?”

“Nico.” Rin’s eyes glittered with Christmas morning joy.

It was Nozomi’s turn for an “Wow” but hers was discreet and internal. “Eli can’t know.”

Rin tilted her head, “That’s what Maki said. Why?”

“Well, Maki doesn’t know it yet, but Eli found out Nico Yazawa’s a reporter and is flipping out.”

“So what?” Nozomi looked tired enough that Rin wondered if she should have been paying more attention to her friend, since Eli obviously wasn't.

“I don’t want Eli to have extra stresses, Rin. She’s busy enough this time of year." Nozomi rested her chin on her hand, pensive, "And she’s been worried about Maki since the motorcycle accident. She wants Maki back here so there aren’t so many unknowns.”

Rin sat back in her chair, scratching her head, “I know Eli cares a lot. But Maki really likes Nico. And she hasn’t REALLY liked anyone in a long time. Nico found her a piano.”

Two pair of green eyes, both worried about two friends, connected. Nozomi nodded, “Okay, Rin. I’ll take care of Eli. You get Nico in and out of here as quick and quiet as you can.”

“Like Santa down a chimney.” Rin bounded out of her chair.

Nozomi heard herself put Rin in charge of a quiet activity and amended, “Maybe Hanayo could help?”

“Good idea, Nozomi. She’ll want to meet Nico too.”

Maki was leaning over the kitchen counter, watching Nico pull cookies out of the oven. Nico caught the eagerness and turned with a frown, waving a spatula for emphasis, “DO NOT TOUCH THE COOKIES. These are the finished product for the show. They have to be perfect. Your studio doesn’t have an oven…” “I'll get one…” Maki interrupted, leaning close enough to sniff, until the spatula nearly tagged her on the nose. She pouted at Nico, but garnered no sympathy.

“...an oven Nico can trust, so hands off the cookies, Nishikino.” Nico gestured to someone behind Maki, “Cotarou, Cocoa, play a game with Maki. Don’t let her near the cookies.”

“Nico!” Maki’s whine was outshouted by two excited teenagers, who pulled her toward the couch.

A/N the second: I'm not a big Valentine's Day celebrator, but the Lunar New Year is nearing so here's to health, prosperity and good fortune in the Year of The Earth Dog. Thanks again for your support, comments, stories, etc. Have a fun festival! My plan is to take a mini break from the non fun parts of my to-do list and draw dogs in Chinese brush painting reminiscent mountainscapes.

#nicomaki #fanfic #Santa Cutie and The Christmas Cookie Queen #yazawa nico #nishikino maki #Christmas cookies #good night folks #i

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