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slasherboyos · 3 years

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Different World | Chapter Nine

Word count: 3300+ (adsgf there is a reason for why I split chapter eight)

Date posted: August 6, 2021

Warning: Cursing

“Different World” masterlist: Link

Fanfic Playlist: Link

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Note: A nice chapter, but an important one! Also, there is some dialogue that seems incorrect, but it’s like that for a reason; just giving a heads up just in case! As always, feedback is appreciated!

Marko’s boots stomped down the dirt steps that led into the hotel. The plastic utensils in the Coca-Cola box of Chinese takeout were heard clashing with each other when he jumped down that final ledge.

“Feeding time,” He loudly called, announcing his return with dinner. “Come and get it!” You grumbled as you sat up; you were this close to falling asleep during this small pocket of calm, but, of course, proper sleep continued to elude you. That Walkman you have been thinking about buying was starting to become all the more enticing. In your tired state, you stayed put at the far left side of the couch as Marko distributed the food with a pair of chopsticks in his mouth. Dwayne sat on the other side with Laddie sitting between you two. You put your elbow on the armrest, resting your chin on your palm.

“Tired of me already,” Paul jested, gesturing to the empty spot beside him where you usually sat during meal times. You rolled your eyes and lazily stuck your middle finger at him with the same hand that held your head. David placed himself in his shirt-covered wheelchair.

“I’m not getting up,” you flippantly grumbled, leaning in further into the armrest. Your strained eyes watered as you yawned.

“Your grace, the finest of meals,” Marko chirped. You gave Marko a sleepy amused look at his exaggerated bow and horrible attempt at a posh British accent as he handed you a carton with a pair of chopsticks. You propped yourself up and leaned comfortably against the backrest, bringing your legs up to lay on their sides. You opened the flaps, stomach tightened from hunger, mildly excited to see what he brought you. He, indeed, did know what you liked. You offered some to Star, which she declined as per usual, before you dug in, starved without the help of your usual early-evening snack.

David offered some food, a carton of rice, to Michael, which was refused at first. However, through the power of peer pressure, Michael accepted the carton and a clear, plastic fork. While you may not have approved David’s methods, you were glad to see Michael eating something. You chewed your food and swallowed it. You closed your eyes in complete bliss, finally being able to get your food intake for the night. There was a chance that Laddie may not finish all of his food, so you silently plotted to take it when he was full. It would be a pity for that delicious takeout to go to waste, after all. Plus, it would help decrease the amount of food waste amongst you.

“How are those maggots,” David asked quickly and nonchalantly, which had a very casual tone compared to the substance of his question. The boys laughed and you groaned. You leaned back against the backrest, watching, knowing the direction that this was taking. Of course, they were not going to let Michael enjoy his first meal with them without a little bit of hazing.

“What,” Michael inquired, not comprehending the bizarre statement he heard.

“Maggots, Michael. You’re eating maggots. How do they taste?” Paul had no shame in continuing to chuckle. You hid your growing smile behind your hand. Given the countless times that David had pulled this trick on you, it was strange seeing him do it to someone else.

Michael gave David an incredulous smile before looking down to come face to face with a carton of what you could assume were squirming maggots in his eyes. Almost immediately, Michael dropped the carton and spit out the rice in his mouth and the cave erupted in howling laughter. Even David was almost doubling over with how hard he was laughing. You, much to your shame, also quietly chuckled, trying to stay quiet as if you were not finding this a little entertaining. He was so unsuspecting unlike you. While you knew from the start that they were vampires—though, you did not realize their mind-based abilities at first—Michael was oblivious, so he did not catch on as quickly as you did. Well, he did not catch on at all.

Star did not find this heckling as enjoyable.

“Leave him alone,” she begged, unhappy with the boys’ treatment of Michael, not that anyone listened to what she had to say. Michael realized that the rice was not a pile of maggots, but just plain old white rice. He looked up before looking back down at the mess, really trying to process that it was just rice.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” David gave an empty apology and you rolled your eyes. “No hard feelings, huh?” Michael swallowed his pride and answered,

“No.” Wow, this guy really wants to get on David’s good side. Michael was, at least, tame enough to take it in stride, unlike you. While his initial reaction was worse than yours, at least he did not immediately yell out profanities. David stuck his chopsticks in his noodles.

“Why don’t you try some noodles?” The boys started laughing again. You waited patiently to see what trick David was pulling out of his sleeve.

“They’re worms,” Michael deadpanned and you exhaled. They had an obsession with squirmy bugs, it seemed.

“What do you mean they’re worms?” David dug through the carton, playing dumb to Michael’s concerns.

“You’re still doing this,” you uttered. You sighed, “the joke’s over, guys!” Michael tried to warn him to not eat the so-called worms, but David used the chopsticks to shove more noodles in his mouth. He chewed on them obnoxiously before grinning, content with how he got under Michael’s skin.

“They’re only noodles, Michael.” Michael snatched the carton and looked through it, only to find just noodles. He must have thought he was losing his mind! To your surprise, he did not ask any questions and took it all at face value. You were a little worried about how easily he was absorbing this.

“You’re an ass, David.” He ignored your insult, which was probably in your best interest.

“Nice worms,” Dwayne mocked amongst the snickering. You reached over Laddie and swatted Dwayne’s chest with the back of your right hand, which he hissed at, though he was not in any pain from your back-handed attack. “(Y/N) is being mean again,” he tattled on you to nobody in particular. You raised your hands, physically expressing your annoyance.

“Are you tattling on—what are you, a child?”

“That’s enough,” Star asserted, which Paul responded to with,

“Aw, chill out, girl,” While Star had not liked this from the start, you were drawing the line here. While the prank was harmless, they did not need to be ridiculing Michael this much.

And you were not a fan of Paul brushing Star off like that.

You picked a small pebble and aimed for him, landing on his neck. “Hey,” he whined, but you could not care less about it.

“You’re all a bunch of asswipes!” You complained, swallowing what you had been chewing. “I am so sorry, Michael.” Michael appreciated your apology, though he was still embarrassed and very confused by what just happened. “They did the same thing to me, you know. Made me think I was eating caterpillars instead of french fries. And then Paul ate the fries that I dropped.” You threw your head back to get more food in your mouth as Paul chuckled, still clearly proud of himself for getting that reaction out of you when he had picked up the soiled french fry and popped it in his mouth. “They still pull shit like this with me all the time.”

Your gaze had drifted to Paul, who had his hand in the carton. Your warm smile—which appeared from reminiscing—dropped and your expression morphed into a disgusted one. You knew for sure that he did not wash his hands before deciding to use one as an eating utensil. With a disappointed sigh, you pinched between your eyebrows, exasperated, and expressed,

“Are you kidding—are you eating Chinese takeout with your bare hands?” He put the carton to his mouth as if he was drinking out of a cup.

“Why am I in trouble?” He spoke with a mouth full of fried rice and gestured to Dwayne, who was sitting beside you. Dwayne, now the one being put on the spot, froze, caught red-handed with his hand in his carton, and picked up some noodles. You scrunched up your nose and furrowed your brow. How you did not notice that happening right beside you was a mystery.

“Really? I expected this from Paul—”

“This is bullying!”

“—but not you!” As if to spite you, Dwayne picked up some of his noodles and shoved it into his mouth with a cheeky smile. “Marko is using a pair of chopsticks! Marko! And he’s...” You vaguely gestured to him. “Marko!”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” Marko yapped. You pointed at him accusingly.

“You know exactly what that means.” You were alluding to how much of an instinctual person he was. You were surprised with how he did not immediately stick his hand in his food without taking off his gloves when he opened his carton. “Michael, you know what he did the first night I was here?” Michael shook his head, almost smiling at the sight of you putting them in their place. “He threw a pigeon at me. A pigeon!” Everyone, including you, laughed at the fond memory, Marko being the loudest as he caught himself by putting a hand on his knee. When David calmed down, recalling the shocked expression you had when the bird was tossed at the back of your skull, he gave you a seemingly genuine smile. Seemingly.

You intentionally tried to make him feel more comfortable with your story of the pigeon attack. There was a part of you that did not like how he was to become a vampire against his will. While you could not do anything to change that, you could at least be a friend and hold out an olive branch.

Besides Star, Michael noticed how you were showing legitimate consideration towards him while the boys were messing with him with no restraints. You, while taking part in all of this heckling, had the decency to apologize and had your limits. He was still intimidated by your presence but realized that you may not be as menacing as you may appear. In contrast to your piercing stare, your smile lit up the room and you were a fun person to be around.

Of course, he was unaware as to just how doomed to stay with this group of misfits he was. He may have to deal with this taunting for the rest of eternity.

You picked up another pebble. It hit Marko's left temple and somehow landed in his food.

“Get fucked, pigeon-thrower,” you slandered.

“Ow! Dwayne’s right, you are bein’ a bitch!”

“Oh, you’ll get over it.” You picked up a third small rock and leaned forward to get a clearer shot. You harshly threw it onto Dwayne's bare chest.

“What was that for,” he complained, mouth full of noodles.

“Talkin’ shit about me.”

“I never called you a bitch!” Okay, maybe it was fun just being a general nuisance towards them, but that was not going to be something you said out loud. To keep things even between them all, you picked up one more for David. As you aimed, he put up a finger to make you pause.

“Do you really want to do that,” he challenged. Unluckily for him, you found entertainment in doing things out of spite. However, Unluckily for you, he caught the rock with a gloved hand and threw it back at you with force. You laughed with a mild shriek as you tried to shield yourself, but it hit your left shoulder.

“Ow,” you exclaimed and rubbed the ambushed area of your arm.

“You’ll get over it,” he mocked, repeating what you had said to Marko.

“You see what I have to deal with, Michael,” you joked. Paul threw the remaining fried rice in his carton at you. “Don’t throw food, dipshit! You'll get it in the cushions!”

“It’s maggots, (Y/N),” Paul teased. You took hold of a small display pillow, one that you have been sleeping with, and threw it at Paul. Too bad you missed. Paul mockingly said,

“Try again!”

David was lost in thought before he called out to Marko and whispered something in his ear as the excitement died down, the tone of the night changing drastically as silence engulfed the cave. You could decipher what was said. Marko nodded enthusiastically, giving a quick once-over towards everyone, before leaving and coming back with an ornate wine bottle.

Star became visibly concerned, quickly making her way to Michael’s side. Her reaction was enough for you to mirror that worry. There was no way they were going to turn him tonight, right? Getting Michael drunk to make the process easier hardly seems like the best strategy, if that was what they were doing. Plus, he did not seem like a wine guy.

David, with as much flair as he could muster, popped the cork and drank from the bottle. He opened his eyes, his gaze on Michael intense. He’s dramatic; I’ll give him that. You thought.

“Drink some of this, Michael,” David pressured, offering him the bottle. He quieted and harshly whispered, “be one of us.” You could almost see the ellipses that appeared in Michael's head. You were glad you were not the only one who found the dramatic nature David was talking with anticlimactic. Michael stood from the fountain and gingerly took the bottle from David by the neck. As Dwayne and Paul began to chant Michael’s name, Laddie stood and ran away, granting you another reason to be concerned. Marko joined in. Star moved closer to Michael; you swear that she was just about ready to jump out of her skin with how skittish she was being.

“Michael,” David called, egging him on.

“Yeah, sure,” Michael responded before putting it up to his mouth and taking quite a few large gulps of it. The boys cheered with David yelling, “Bravo!” Star took a step back, shielding Laddie with her left hand. You could not understand why she was so nervous, so afraid. It was just a little bit of wine! Are they seriously trying to get him drunk? Maybe you have overestimated the boys’ planning skills.

Or, this was just a part of their initiation. They could be building up to the actual turning, but all you can do for now is speculate. Hopefully, you will remember to ask one of them about it later.

“Your turn, (Y/N).” You swiftly turned your head to face David, not expecting the spotlight to turn to you.

“Me?” Why did they want you to drink from the bottle? It was not as if you were the one who was going to start walking amongst the undead as one of them; Michael was the one who was joining the clique.

“It's like an initiation,” Paul explained. “Drink it and you're officially one of us, sugar!”

“And don’t think that you’re done, Michael,” David warned as he handed you the bottle. He made brief eye contact with you before returning to look at Michael. “(Y/N) has already gone through it all; you’ve still got to show us that you’ve got what it takes.” Michael took a glimpse at you.

“What it takes,” Michael pressed.

“To be one of us, Michael.”

“And I have what it takes,” you asked. No one denied the statement. You were not sure what specific qualities they saw in you and what they may have considered a test of your worth, but you apparently fit the bill.

“Why else would we be having such a special dinner, (Y/N),” David stated. You chortled. It was not as if they served you a five-star meal from some fancy restaurant that only takes patrons that are dressed to the nines. Well, it was in such a fancy hotel, though collapsed, so maybe you could let it slide.

“All this is for me,” you entertained his statement.

“It is if you drink from the bottle,” Marko answered, sitting on the armrest and leaning towards you, giving you a prying look with raised eyebrows. You let out a hefty chuckle before looking down at the bottle in your hand, swishing the liquid in a clockwise motion, feeling the weight of it as it moved. With it in your hand, you got a closer inspection.

Though tacky, it was a beautiful vessel. It was a clear, glass bottle that was covered in gold plating. Over that, red and white gems decorated it. The red drink inside of the bottle was a vibrant red, bright and alluring. It made sense that they would choose such a drink.

Beginning with Dwayne, the boys chanted, growing louder with each one,

“One of us! One of us! One of us!” An involuntary smile grew on your face. In a way, you guess that you were one of them and a part of their social circle. You had grown to care for them and it warmed your heart that they thought the same of you.

It was just some wine, right? In a fancy sunken hotel like this, it would make sense to find such a fancy bottle among the rubble. And it made sense that this group of vampires would have some weird initiation rituals.

You brought the bottle to your lips and took a sip; you did not drink as much as Michael did, but just enough to get a small taste. That sample was enough given how the boys cheered as you felt it go down your throat. You did a double-take, not expecting it to taste like that.

It did not taste like wine, but it was nothing like you had ever drank before. It was strong, but it was from something other than the alcohol content. It was sweet with a bit of a spicy kick to it as it went down. You made a face, still trying to decide if you liked it or not.

“What is that?” You brought the opening to your eye before taking another sip. “Wow, that does not taste like wine.” One more time, you brought the bottle to your lips before concluding that you enjoyed the flavor; they chose a good initiation drink.

You gave the bottle back to David as you licked your lips clean. You sat comfortably with a bashful smile that you tried to hide with the side of your hand. It was as if they were happier with you drinking the wine than they were with Michael drinking it with how they cheered. They clapped to a rhythm and excitedly chanted again,

“One of us! One of us!” You brought your tongue to the roof of your mouth.

"You guys are way too excited for a little bit of wine," you dismissed, a laugh escaping you as you tried to seem unmoved. Paul hopped onto the box he was sitting on and jumped off to the other side. He raised the volume on his stereo, which was playing some rock song you vaguely recognized.

"Now, we really celebrate," David instructed as Paul jogged back and pulled you up.

"You're one of us now, (Y/N)," Marko cheered as he patted you hard on the back, stepping in front of you and facing you with a wide smile, which you mirrored when you recovered. He took notice of how your eyes completely softened while you smiled at him. Your expression was so real, so sincere.

Those high walls of yours had crumbled down to mere dust, allowing them to step in with ease, which was what you were afraid of, but you could not bring yourself to care in the moment.

You felt a hand gently stroke your upper back and you turned to see Dwayne, who was grinning boyishly down at you. As they left you, you could not deny how good you felt when they chanted your name,

"(Y/N)! (Y/N)! (Y/N)!"

➳ ➳ ➳

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#the lost boys #the lost boys 1987 #the lost boys x reader #the lost boys dwayne #the lost boys david #the lost boys marko #the lost boys paul #david the lost boys #dwayne the lost boys #marko the lost boys #paul the lost boys #the lost boys fanfiction #the lost boys imagines #the lost boys x you #slasher x reader #slasherboyos writes

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saint-ambrosef · 3 years

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how????? how do you eat three meals on less than $3 a day?? please share your secrets

I shop at Aldi (it’s even cheaper than Walmart), don’t buy junk food, eat less meat, and cook a lot from scratch. i’m also a 125lb fairly inactive female, so i only eat maybe 1800kcal/day.

here’s an example of what my receipt typically looks like ($19.92 total): 1lb asparagus (1.39), 1lb strawberries (1.59), 8oz mushrooms (1.19), cilantro (0.45), cabbage (0.97), 2lb onions (1.49), two roma tomatoes (0.40), an avocado (0.55), big 16oz box cereal (1.29), 1.25lb ground beef (3.25), two yogurt cups (0.64), fresh spinach (0.95), two 8oz cans tomatoes (0.52), 1lb pork sausage (1.89), 12ct eggs (1.06), 16oz canned beans (0.55), frozen peas (0.79), 1lb rice (0.95).

i buy produce according to what’s on sale. this week it was asparagus and strawberries, next week it may be avocados and squash. there are certain staples i get regardless of price-- like ricotta cheese, potatoes, spinach, etc. and the list changes depending on what i need (for instance, this week i still had plenty of dairy/grain products at home but i was low in fruit/veg and meat). once in a while i have to restock lesser-used but pricier items like my parmesean block ($3).

i usually have light breakfasts of an egg on toast or cereal, then eat leftovers for lunch. i almost always cook a fresh dinner. favorites w/ price per serving include lentil dahl (0.75), creamy sausage & spinach pasta (0.80), fried rice (0.60), cottage pie (1.30), scratch mac and cheese (1.00), and verde enchiladas (1.50).

i don’t buy snack food. on occasion i might get a bag of pretzels or chewy bars, but snack food is pricey for how much you get, and i tend to gobble it quickly. when i feel snack-ish i’ll eat cheap fruit like bananas or just pick at leftovers. sometimes i’ll treat myself to a half gallon of ice cream.

i’m a good cook, so i know what i like to have on hand and that makes shopping easier. i’ll plan my list ahead of time; it prevents me from accidentally buying more than $20, and helps me narrow down what stuff i actually need and-- if i have some extra dollars after the staples-- what “extra” goods i want that week (ex: hard cheese, bagels, sandwich meat, etc). my roommate and i sometimes split staples like rice or potatoes, and we all split oil/butter/spices. i’ll sometimes make my own tortillas rather than buy pre-made ones.

honestly a lot of it is just shopping smart, but that does take time/effort that not everyone is willing to put in. i spend probably half an hour every week just planning my grocery list. but it’s worth it to me.

on the left is what my roommate bought for $17, on the right is what i bought for the same amount at the same store (we split the carrots and rice). she tends to buy more expensive stuff like oatmilk, cage free eggs, and kombucha (each about $3), lots of avocados, etc. i buy the most economical food i can.

hope that helps clear up the secrets!~

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ollie-ollie-oxenfreee · 3 years

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remade all the time, made new

Awkward Attempts at Parenting: The Fic is a work in progress no longer! It is Done! And I am Proud of It!

(And I may have stayed up until 3 A.M. working on it when I should have been studying for my trig final)

Title from an Ursula Le Guin quote: “Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.”

Magnus Quinn isn’t sure what to make of the cavalier from the Ninth, but he knows he’s worried about her. Or, rather, he wants to worry about her, if he could only figure out how to reach her. She doesn’t seem like she’d be receptive to the same kind of fathering as the duo from the Fourth. Ruffling her hair and telling her he’s proud of her would probably drive her away faster than if he’d jabbed his rapier in her face. It takes some time for him to realize that there’s a starved look to her, hidden beneath the cocky glow in her strange yellow eyes. She needs a decent meal and a kind word yesterday.

Luckily enough, he has some degree of experience with providing both.

He first got the idea a few days into their collective stay at Canaan House, when he noticed her sitting alone at breakfast, knocking back weak tea and barely seasoned rice like it was manna from God Himself. He’d been picking idly at his own gluey bowl, thinking of the well - stocked kitchen he and Abigail had shared for so many years. Cast in the warm glow of the hearth at all hours and brimming with the best ingredients the Court gardens could muster. Magnus already missed it - missed the crackling of the coals, the feeling of yeasted dough taking shape beneath his hands, the simple satisfaction of dicing vegetables into neat, even cubes. That kitchen was a place of community and peace for as long he’d known it. Perhaps he could create something similar here - give himself an outlet and provide a sort of common ground to quell the already brewing House tensions. It seemed like his handiwork would be appreciated by one other person, at least.

For the past week or so he’d made arrangements, carving out a few hours in his schedule, insisting that he really didn’t need help from the hovering skeletal staff and gathering ingredients from the meager pantries. He ultimately decided to start simple with the recipe - the dense, hearty bread he shared with Abigail when he first met her. Familiar as the back of his hand and easy enough to walk a novice through.

Now that he’s gotten everything in order, it’s only a matter of inviting the Ninth girl to join him. She wanders by the galley wing every so often, seemingly bored out of her mind. Magnus steps out into the hall when he hears the pacing thud of her boots approach and clears his throat lightly to keep from startling her. It doesn’t quite work. Her lamplight eyes dart up at the sound and her hand snaps out in a sharp practiced motion to land on the pommel of her blade. She relaxes a bit when sees him and offers him the slightest ghost of a sheepish smile.

“You’re an awfully quick draw with that sword,” he says with a gentle smile of his own. “Though it’s a shame I had to scare you to witness it. Would you mind helping me in the kitchen for a moment? I could use an extra pair of hands.”

She blinks, her smile fading, seemingly caught off guard once again by the strange request. For a long moment the silence stretches between them. To his relief she eventually nods, and he ushers her through the rotting wooden door with an exaggerated bow. She looks somehow even more confused and uncomfortable before bobbing a very awkward curtsy with the hem of her robes and stepping past. (How he’s already managed to make things worse for the poor girl, he’s not entirely sure, but he knows he’ll be kicking himself for it.)

Saving what little bit of face he can muster, he directs her toward the cracked washbasin in the corner to wash her hands and busies himself with gathering measuring cups. They’re old, these ones - yellowing strips of what must have once been labels peel away from the dented metal - but they’ll do.

He worries the end of one of these labels between his fingers as the girl drifts back over, wiping her hands on the front of her robes. For someone as tall and strong as she is, with a presence forceful enough to put a Cohort gunner to shame, she hovers a lot. Seems to hesitate for a split second before committing full - tilt to each movement. Like she’s bracing herself somehow. Like she’s daring the world to stop her.

Like she’s never quite sure if she’s wanted.

Oh. Oh, kiddo.

He wants to reassure her, tell her that she’s fine, somehow give whoever dulled this wildfire girl’s spirit a piece of his goddamn mind -

What he says instead is “do you know how to proof dough? You’re a bright young lady, I’d hate to bore you by walking you through something you already know.”

She doesn’t, it turns out, but she takes to it well. He shows her how to measure and level the sugar and flour, heat the water to just the right temperature to bring the dusty spoonful of yeast back to life, knead and stretch and shape the dough after it’s had time to rest. The crooked, satisfied little grin that graces her face when the sticky goop turns elastic and smooth under her hands warms his heart.

The fruit of her labor is admittedly not a pretty sight - misshapen and lumpy - but it’s a strong start. It’s got the makings of greatness. (Or at least edibility. Both are good goals to shoot for.)

“You know,” he says as she places her glorious creation in the oven, “you might be one of the few outside the Court who’s made this particular recipe. Closely guarded secret of ours, or so Abby tells me.”

(A strange, dark look flickers across her face at the word “secret.” He pretends not to notice.)

“I’m happy to pass our little tradition on to the House of the Ninth. And it really is a shame that it’s been ours alone up until now. I never did understand as a kid why we all hold each other at such an arm’s length. Now that I’ve seen more of the world, I think I understand it even less. Power and wealth just don’t seem that grand a prize.”

She nods along absently, her eyes faraway. It’s long past time to change the subject and give her space to think.

He leaves her be for a moment, brewing a cup of tea to his own bracingly bitter specifications and taking a stab (heh) at how she might like hers. Sugar, he thinks. A healthy dash of sugar. He wonders if she’s ever had anything properly sweet.

From the startled, wondering look on her face at her first sip (and the way she mouths what looks like “what the fuck” before draining the cup), he would say no.

All the more reason he’s glad he asked her here.

The minutes tick by from there in companionable silence. Occasionally the quiet is broken by a sound from the hall - the familiar whispering of the Fourth’s pair of gossips, the metronome - perfect clatter of the Second’s boots on the marble, the silvery, chiming laugh of the Third’s golden princess - but even the interruptions are comforting. They make this long dead place feel like something that could be revived. Something with a little precious bit of life left in it.

A few overheard conversations (and a salacious bit of gossip that makes his companion snicker into her teacup) later, the Fifth & Ninth Collaborative Creation is ready to be unveiled to the world. Pulling on the closest approximation of oven mitts he can find (an ancient pair of thick sparring gloves), he carefully lifts the loaf from the heat of the oven and sets it down on a nearby counter.

It’s no prettier than it was when it started baking, but it looks distinctly more edible now - golden brown, puffed up tall with a crust that crackles lightly under his hands. Perfectly respectable for a beginner. He lets her do the honors once it cools a bit, handing her a serrated knife from the nearby block and watching with a flare of pride as a column of fragrant steam billows forth.

“You did a fine job,” he tells her, and means it. She hunches into herself and blushes a little under her mask of dark paint, but her eyes shine bright as polished coins.

In the end, the ragged little loaf is what bread ought to be - warming and fortifying and worth sharing.

(And if he happens to notice a certain dour necromancer picking at a piece with something approaching enthusiasm while she studies - well. He'll tell her someday.)

#the locked tomb #my writing #long post #bread is god is bread #bread is FRIENDSHIP is bread #awkward attempts at parenting: the fic

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sabraeal · 4 years

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Get Up Eight, Chapter 6

Obiyukiweek 2020, Day 3: Valor Exhibit courage in word and deed. Avenge the wronged. Defend the weak and innocent. Fight with honor. Never abandon a friend, ally, or noble cause.

Ojou-san’s wrist is so narrow between the circle of his fingers, so delicate, like the bones of a bird. He can’t bear to hold her tighter than a whisper. Even still, Obi’s too rough, calluses snagging on the silk of her skin as she trails behind.

He’s far too careless of a man to be handling a woman like her; it’s only a matter of time until she cracks.

“A-ah, Obi?” ojou-san hums behind him, stumbling to keep up on the hatago’s steep stairs. “Are you sure that--? Should we really--?”

He stops short at the landing, her small body careening into his. It’s only his hands that keep her from tipping back, wrapped tight around the slender slope of her shoulders. Beneath his thumbs, her pulse races.

She turns those eyes up at him, so wide and pale as jade. His mind should be on the danger downstairs, but all he can think of is how the moon had shone on her skin, how the lamplight had painted her golden, how a single drop of water had trailed down her back, caressing her spine the way a lover would--

And she had looked at him, dismayed and flushed, wrapping her yukata tight around flesh he should have never seen. A samurai would have averted his eyes, would have allowed his mistress the illusion of privacy, but Obi--

He’s not tame like those dogs. It’s only a matter of time before he proves how wild he can be.

“O-obi?” She shuffles back, brow mirroring the bow of her mouth. Her kimono shifts, baring a single flash of her feet, the bandages soaked through and red.

He grins. Ah, he had forgotten-- this delicacy is all an illusion. Her face might be soft and round, the perfect porcelain doll, but he knows all too well that steel lies beneath. A pretty fan with blades for ribs.

“I’m sure.” His voice is too low, too thick with gravel. “Please, ojou-san. This way.”

“Haah,” she breathes, hand limp in his grasp. “It’s only...I’m sure you could find more, ah...amenable accommodations.”

He stops before the entrance to their room, brow knitted. “This is the best your money could buy, ojou-san.”

Her breath catches, cheeks staining pink even in the dim light. “Ah, but I mean, the arrangement--?”

He pulls the screen aside. Ojou-san’s head whips around to take in the humble room behind it, the best the hatago can offer.

“Oh.” She blinks, those strange eyes of hers bright in the lamplight. “The futons...?”

There’s two, arranged so that if the room were split in half, there would be one on either side. Close enough together that if they both stretched out their arms-- and ojou-san put in a little effort-- their fingers might touch. Nothing special, nothing so fine as the bedding in Kino-san’s house, but it will serve. It will have to; there’s nothing better outside of a honjin, and, well-- ojou-san’s money might open more doors than he’s used to, but not those.

Still, her brow is furrowed, her small body stiff beside his. A girl like her has probably never seen a room so humble, let alone slept it in.

“This is not the least comfortable place I have slept, ojou-san,” he assures her, “and it won’t be the worst we see.”

“Oh, no! I only meant...” Her teeth sink into the bud of her lip, pearl laid into a cherry blossom. “This is, um, suitable for me as well.”

He smothers a laugh. How delicate his ojou-san is, trying to save his feelings. “I apologize for the close quarters, I’ve been given to understand that the hatago is busy tonight.”

“No, no, that’s-- it’s all right,” she stutters, breathless, hands fluttering in the air between them. “Really, this is more than all right, thank you.”

“Glad to hear it.” He steps back, letting her walk past, taking in the lay of the room, inspecting the large screen that unfurls across it. “I’ll tell the women to bring up your bath.”

She spins on her heel, those too-large eyes blinking wide. “Bath?”

Here? echoes in the room, though ojou-san has not spoken the word. Obi is as masterful interpreter of what is not said as much as he is of what is.

“We were on the road a long while today,” he reminds her, gently. “I’m sure you’d like to clean up.”

Not to mention there will be few hatago with soaking tubs. Ojou-san might be used to such luxuries, but in a few more miles, it will only be the public baths that are available to them.

She hums, staring down at the dusty hem of her kimono. “Perhaps...”

“Besides--” he nods his chin at her, gaze dropping pointedly to the floor-- “those feet of yours could use another soak.”

“Oh!” She grimaces, taking in the rusty red stains on her tabi. “Yes, that-- that would be, ah...good, I think.”

“Good.” He lets one corner of his mouth lift, earning him another flushed look as he closes the doors. “I’ll see to it.”

The innkeeper’s mouth is a wary wrinkle on his already aged face, eyes watching him like a loose coin as he rolls into the bar. Ah, ojou-san’s money and sweet looks might have bought him dinner and a room, but without her, his looks paid a different price. His mistress might overlook the scar on his brow or the too-short bristle of his hair, but this man-- this man would not.

“My mistress is ready for her bath,” he murmurs, rolling the words around in his mouth until they rumbled. The man’s hands twist anxiously, and Obi can tell he is trying to count the seconds between thunder and lightning to see if this storm will pass him by. “See to it that it is brought up.”

The innkeep hesitates, his neck so proud and defiant before it bends beneath his glare. “Yes, okyakusama.” Each syllable is spat toward the tatami, a curse upon him. “It will be done at once.”

Obi lingers, staring down at the back of this man’s neck, watching how he trembles. The innkeep may play at scruples, but a man who sells his pride once has sold it a thousand times over.

Let the man have his suspicions. He was clearly shrewd enough not to risk exposing them; after all, the price of insulting a samurai was too high, even these days.

Ah well. He turns away, disinterested. One problem solved. On to the next.

The bar is as he left it: tables overflowing with patrons and cups overflowing with drink. The one he shared with ojou-san is empty still, their platters only recently carried away. Good. One thing going his way tonight.

Obi may not be used to the attention ojou-san brings them, but if there’s one thing he does know how to handle, it is making an entrance. He swaggers in, hand hovering over the hilt of his blade as he thunders toward the empty table. That’s how these samurai were, weren’t they? A man-sized storm, ready to strike the easiest target.

He drops to the floor, graceless, legs crossed. Ojou-san had frowned at him when he’d done the same this evening, favoring him with the same weary glare she’d given her...Kino-san, when he’d done the same. It left a bitter taste in his mouth sharing anything with that man, but-- needs must. His job was to look imposing, to put an obstacle between his mistress and all who would do her harm, and only a true asshole would sit like a shogun as he drank sake.

His eyes drift over the room, slipping his blade from his belt as if he had no distinct purpose, as if he did not have a precise idea of which men needed to be discouraged. They watch him now, he knows, voices lowered, shoulders hunched and hesitant. All except for the monkey.

He stares at Obi, mouth hooked into a smirk, a long rat-tail of hair hanging down his back. There’s something about him that sets his teeth on edge, that says trouble without a single brush stroke.

That man is a bold one, reckless. He’s nothing special at first glance, dressed as ragged as his sniveling companions, but with another--

He raises a cup, salutes, drinks.

Obi sets his sword to his left.

His companions have stopped talking now, darting nervous glances at him under the cover of contemplating their drinks. Ah yes, it’s all much less funny now that the sweet ojou-san’s bodyguard has declared his notice. Good. The last thing he needs tonight is any more foolishness.

Unbidden, he thinks damp crimson, of a water drop slipping down pale skin--

Haah, well, aside from his own.

His hand slaps the table, harsh as a gunshot. The men at the table wince, turning their faces away. Ojou-san would scold if she saw him now-- too rough, too loud to be proper company-- but he’s a man that gets results, no matter what means.

“Okyakusama,” one of the serving girls simpers, all pleasant eyes and submissive bow. “You have returned.”

“Sake,” he snaps. No, that’s too much, even for him. “...If you would.”

Her eyes widen, daring a troubled glance up at him. Of course; the man he was earlier tonight was not so rough, did not growl his words like a common thug. But now-- well, he is performing for the benefit of a different audience.

“O-of course, okyakusama,” she stammers, “at once.”

She pours him a cup, hand trembling, and he--

He can’t help himself. Her skin is stretched tight over her knuckles where he touches her. “That’s enough.”

“Oh!” she breathes, so still beneath him. “shall I--?”

“Stay,” he commands, and with his other hand, downs the drink in a single gulp. It burns the whole way down. “Another.”

“Y-yes, okyakusama.”

This time he lifts his hand as she pours, nodding when she’s finished. “Good. Go.”

She does not hesitate; the moment he says the word, she is gone. And the monkey is still staring at him.

He’s different from his friends; all their haori and hakama are worn, threadbare and dusty from the road, but this one holds himself differently, holds himself above them. Not always a traveler then, a man more used to cushion and rice paper walls than this transient life. Maybe even a man born with a blade in his hand, even if he never learned to use it.

Obi hates him already.

The monkey knows it. He lifts his cup, meeting his gaze with a smirk. Obi does the same. They both drink; steady, eyes never losing each other. Cups return to the table with precise care, fingers steady.

Obi’s legs tense. He just needs an excuse, the smallest thing, some reason to give the dōshin when they are called, because--

Because this man knows he’s seen red, and isn’t about to let it go.

“Okyakusama.” The serving girl bows, far too deeply for a man like him. “Your mistress is finished with her bath. Would you...?”

A question asked so often, and yet she flusters, cheeks flush pink as petals as she grasps for the words.

“I’ll have a bath as well,” he drawls, spiking a pointed look toward where the monkey sits, so pleased with himself. “I’m feeling quite unclean these days.”

The weariness does not hit him until he mounts the last step, every ache of the day cursing him ten-fold now that its end is in sight. The hall may be dim, but the lamps illuminate their room like a paper lantern in the night. Its soft glow draws him, pushes him on when each foot fall feels like the last.

He stops outside the door, fingers brushing the edge of the screen. Her shadow stretches over the paper, a half dozen strokes all moving in concert like the most complex calligraphy. She shifts, just so, and her head rests just under his hand, and he thinks of it, of pale skin glimmering in the moonlight, of a bead of water tracing down it, disappearing as it rounded an intriguing curve--

His fingers jolt back from the frame. A smart man would forget such things, but he--

He’s a fool. His laugh is a scrape of breath, rough and bitter. To think, tonight there will be no geisha tonight to help him try.

“I’m coming in,” he tells her, voice pitched high, friendly and unassuming. Just her trustworthy guard, and nothing else.

She’s on her mat as he enters, asleep. Or at least, that’s what she’d have him think; even if there had been no shadowplay to confirm it, he’d know by the way her chest rises far too fast, and then falls far too slow.

He lets out a weary sigh and pads across the floor. If that’s the game she’d like to play, she won’t get any objection from him. Today has been long enough as it is without him worrying about--

“What are you doing?” she shrills, breathless.

His hand stills, obi hanging loose beneath it. The neck of his kimono parts, slipping down over his shoulder as he turns to meet her gaze. Her voice might be nervous, uncertain, but her eyes--

Those are all fierce curiosity, never once wavering, not even when he smirks, not even when he says, “The women brought up water for me. I plan to use it.”

“O-oh.” The room is brighter than the hall, but it’s not enough to confirm that she is flushing. He hardly needs to see it when it’s so apparent in every line of her body. “I...I had wondered about that.”

He hums, stepping past the screen. “Even a raggedy yojimbo like yours likes to feel clean at the end of the day.” The water is steaming, his flesh turning shrimp-pink when he waves a hand through it. Perfect. “Unless you have a problem with that, ojou-san?”

“N-no!” He can’t see through the screen, not with the lamp behind him, but he can hear her shuffling, hear the wrinkle of her sheets around her. “D-do what you like.”

“I always have,” he mutters, hanging his kimono on the edge of the screen. He hears a stifled gasp and grins. “Why stop now?”

The water burns so pleasantly, but Obi knows better to linger. He only scrapes the worst of the road off of him before he levers himself out, wrapping himself in the clean yukata the women were so kind to provide. He’s not used to being in something other than his own clothes, but as he’d learned at Kino-san’s house-- a man took luxury where he could find it. This yukata would be gone tomorrow and so would he, but tonight’s comfort would be a fond memory once dawn breaks.

The fabric is fine, sticking to the dewy heat of his skin even after he’s toweled off. Still, he feels clean. He will have to put on his kimono tomorrow and all its troubles with it, but tonight--

Tonight he is not that man. Not yet, anyway.

Obi steps to the edge of the screen, and ojou-san’s gasp is nearly lost in the thump she makes, turning her back to him. He grins. Ojou-san plays at innocence, but she’s been watching a shadow play of her own.

It puts a swagger in his step and a grin on his lips. Her breath hitches as he approaches, the inn’s floor creaking softly beneath him, and it stills when he kneels beside her. The barest hint of green shines up at him, wary.

“Obi...?”

He tears the blanket off her.

“Obi!” There it is, firmer, somewhere between a gasp and a scold. Much better.

Her small hands dart out, snatching the cover from his, clutching it to her chest. “W-what are you doing?”

“Taking care of my mistress,” he tells her, so even, enjoying the way her skin pinks even in the dim lamp light. “Her feet, I mean. Unless you taught the girls how to bind them.”

“Oh!” She shifts the blanket, uncovering the puffy, reddened wreck of her feet. Ah, ojou-san would not be walking easy tomorrow, no matter what he did tonight. “I...yes. That...is probably best. Maybe I should--?”

By now he knows how the start of one of her bad ideas sounds. “Where is your bag?”

Her eyes widen, and she pushes to her knees, trying to stand. “Really, I can--”

His hands curl around her shoulders, and firmly, gently, he guides her back down to her futon. “It is my duty to look after you, ojou-san. Please let me.”

He has no innocence to feign, no girlish eyelashes to flutter, but his honesty goes much further with her than any of his attempts at charm. She meets his gaze, lip caught between her teeth, and nods.

“Over there.” Her chin ducks down, pointing toward the door. Heat radiates from her cheeks. “You’ll find everything you need.”

Ojou-san may have her books, but for Obi, his body has always been the master of him, the one that learned far better, far faster than his head. And leagues better than his heart.

He settles down on his heels, cradling ojou-san’s feet in his lap. Before she even begins to speak, he knows what to do. Ointment on the raw places, carefully replacing the blistered skin where it has not yet rubbed away, fresh bandages when he is done--

“Oh.”

He glances up at her, the last of the ointment still thick on his fingertips, hovering over her bare sole. “Is something wrong, ojou-san?”

Her jaw hangs slack, eyes intent on his chest. “Ojou-san?”

“Oh! N-no.” She coughs, gaze skittering away. “I just...you remembered. The, um, treatment, I mean.”

He laughs, stretching the fresh bandages in his hands. “Of course. I only just did it this afternoon. My memory isn’t that bad.”

She blinks, and now that intent gaze is on him again only sharper, her brow drawn. “No, it’s quite good. No, very good.”

“Come now, ojou-san, there’s no need for flattery.” He ducks his chin, hiding his pleased grin as he works. “You’ll give me the wrong idea.”

“I-- I’m not trying to flatter you,” she stammers, flush blooming at her throat. “There are few people who could learn this a single time, and do it with no direction the next.”

He shrugs, cinching the bandage tight before tucking in its end. “I’m sure you did, ojou-san.”

“No.” Her mouth tilts in a private smile, watching him wrap her other foot. “I most certainly did not. But you--” her gaze flits to his chest again, cheeks reddening before she finds his eyes-- “you must be able to do a great many things with a gift like that.”

He lets his mouth curve into a lurid leer, rumbling, “Would you like to find out, ojou-san?”

Her hands clap to her cheeks, hiding her face. “I didn’t-- that’s not--”

He settles back with a grin, tapping her ankles. “That’s done.” He sets her feet back to her futon before he gets to his own. “I’ll have the ladies come take the bath.”

“Oh...” Again, her gaze wanders to the neck of his yukata before she throws herself down onto her mattress. “You...you’ll be back, won’t you?”

“Of course, ojou-san.” He smiles, though she can’t see it. “I’ll be back soon enough.”

She hums, sleep already thick in her voice. “Don’t take too long. You need your sleep too, Obi.”

His breath burns, caught in his throat.

“I...” When he turns, her breath is already heavy, lost in dreams. He smiles softly, shaking his head. Too trusting, this woman.

“Goodnight,” he murmurs, sliding the screen shut behind him. “Ojou-san.”

#obiyukiweek20 #obiyuki #akagami no shirayukihime #snow white with the red hair #my fic #samurai au #Get Up Eight #ans #a little shorter than a lot of the previous chapters #but not only did I not want to split the idea of the next chapter yet #but those scenes would go better in Shirayuki POV #so enjoy this interlude of Obi dying a little #and also some plot set up >:3c

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absolute-barbarism · 4 years

Note

I’d really appreciate a short fic about, like, A n B were barely even friends but had known each other for a while. When A came down with a terrible flu and there wasn’t a frd of A available to be around and look after them. B was called to take this job half because they were told that A was really sick and half because B had always, a big, secret crush on A. Meanwhile they knew A was that kind of person who found it’s difficult to simply accept the help, the embarrassment was being expected..

i may have gotten carried away with this one

“You’re really going to A’s?” C asked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” B replied, packing their briefcase up for the day. “Someone’s got to bring them the latest manuscript. I don’t think they want to be behind when they come back to work.”

“You’re too kind for your own good, kid,” C leaned back in their chair with a grin and shook their head, scoffing. “Well. You’d better bring a bodyguard with you, then. You know how A can be.”

“I’ll...keep that in mind. Thank you,” B mumbled. “But really, I’m only going to hand over the ‘script and leave.”

It was a lie. After ringing A’s doorbell, B stood in front of their room and observed the sparsely decorated hall of their apartment while their heart beat out of their chest. They had no intention of bringing any more work to A while they were sick. It was overworking that had gotten them ill in the first place.

Word around the water cooler was that A had caught that flu bug that was going around, but although they and B weren’t really friends outside of work, B knew A long enough to know the sheer strength of their immune system. Three years of witnessing the bags under A’s eyes, the skipped lunch breaks, the endless hours of overtime, and not so much of a cold came of it. For them to have succumb to the flu, B surmised, they would have had to have been under even more severe amounts of pressure than normal.

B hadn’t realized they were staring sadly down at their shoes until the door opened. Instead of the greeting they practiced in their head a hundred times on the way, they let out a small, unready squeak.

“What are you doing here?”

A’s voice was soft. B felt their cheeks rush with heat. It was the flu, they told themselves, that probably damaged A’s throat and changed their voice a bit. They were partially right.

“I came to bring you this week’s manuscript. Er--No, wait--”

“You have the manuscript?”

“Uh--No, actually I don’t. I, uh...thought I did.”

“You thought you did?”

“No. I mean, yes, there is a manuscript, but I don’t have it with me.”

“So you...didn’t bring it?”

“Not exactly. I mean--” B cleared their throat awkwardly. A stared at them, not sure how to react. “I just came by to make sure you’re okay. If that’s, uh, okay.”

“Ah...” B thought A was making some sound of understanding, but as they leaned their forehead against the cool of the door frame, B noticed that they were just dizzy.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to confuse you--”

“No, it’s all right. Come in. I need to sit down.”

B entered their dingy one-bedroom without a word. It was only then that they noticed the savage toll A’s flu had taken on both them and their surroundings.

Sweat and the odor of unwashed dishes and laundry hung in the air over a floor B couldn’t even see under scattered blankets and garbage. Closer to A’s bed, B found themselves wading through a pool of papers, which they recognized as documents and drafts from their job. Under any other circumstances, B would be elated and nervous to be entering A’s residence for the first time. But like this, they could only feel pity. And slight disgust.

Without the strength to sit upright, A let their head dip over their knees, tangles of sheen-slick hair clinging to edges of their face.

“You can lie down,” B offered, then felt a wave of humiliation telling A they had the permission to lie down in their own home. “You probably should.”

A was surprisingly compliant. They closed their eyes, and for a split second B thought they had actually fallen asleep then and there when they murmured something B had to strain to hear.

“I’m perfectly fine. Is that all you wanted?”

It was B’s turn to stare at them.

“No offense,” they started, “...Okay, full offense. You’re room is filthy and you look like death.”

“‘Preciate it.”

“When’s the last time you ate anything?”

A let out a long, congested sigh. “This morning.”

“How many hours ago?”

“Two?”

“A, it’s 5:30. Do you even know what day it is?”

“It’s...a weekday.”

“Let me make you something to eat.”

To B’s advantage, A was too weak to argue. They turned their back to B and lazily pulled their sheets up over their shoulder, settling with a dissatisfied “mmph” when it slid back down to their bicep.

Just like that, they were out. And just like that B was left standing in the middle of A’s room with no clue what they’d gotten themselves into, and no clue what they should do next. It would be intrusive to go through A’s things, but A had kind of given the okay to do so when they agreed on B making something to eat, hadn’t they? Nodding their head without an ounce of self-confidence, B threw open A’s kitchenette cabinets.

They found nothing. Scratch that, they found ten packs of cup-noodles, but that was less than nothing. B took a step back, stumped. No ingredients, sparse cooking utensils...A was such a collected and commanding person at work, the kind you could go to with any problem and get the right answer. Learning that they kept their home no better than a college student was both surprising and exciting to B. They wondered how many other people got to know this about A. Then again, B doubted anyone else would consider it a privilege the same way they did.

There was just enough in A’s refrigerator for B to scrounge together something basic. As they waited for a pot of water to boil, they unthinkingly began to tidy up the garbage into trash bags, and the laundry at least into one hamper instead of all over the floor. They reached for one of A’s scattered papers and thought for a moment; even wracked with the flu, it was clear A was continuing to work themselves to death. B frowned as they gathered each paper into a neat little pile, then safely stowed them out of sight into one of A’s desk drawers, taking care not to peep at anything inside.

It took twenty minutes, but B had finally succeeded in cleaning up to a livable degree and preparing a small meal. There was just something nice about doing all of this for A, though they knew it wasn’t necessary at all. They went to wake A up, and found them with a rather pitiable expression.

A was sweating like rain, their chest rising and falling with intense labor as they tossed and turned. B didn’t have to feel to know their skin was burning to the touch; from their pallor alone, they looked to be on fire.

“Hey,” B whispered, shaking A’s shoulder. “Hey. Can you drink some water for me?”

A obliged as if on auto-pilot, blindly taking the water bottle B held out to them and guzzling it down. It took several moments for them to open their eyes, and when they did, they needed several more to process their surroundings.

“What did you do?” they choked, coughing feebly into their pillow. B felt a surge of anxiety; they really had gone too far after all, they should have just minded their business. Cleaning up someone else’s room was no doubt a weird thing to do.

“I just...thought I’d pick up a little. T-That’s all.”

“...You didn’t have to.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I wasn’t scolding you.” A sat up on their elbow, tiredly rubbing their eyes. They still felt like shit, but the disappearance of all that clutter had lifted their spirits a generous amount. It didn’t seem like B noticed that however, so they ruffled their hair with a sigh. “Lift your worrywart little head. I should be sorry for troubling you this much.”

“It’s no trouble, really,” B said. “Oh--food. Here,” They offered up an unspecial little bowl of rice with egg and green onion, and a pair of chopsticks. A took it graciously, soothed by the warmth of the ceramic. “You didn’t have a lot, so...”

“I know,” A sighed. “I wish I could tell you I don’t always live like this.”

“I wish you could too.”

A snorted. B was a shy kid, which was to be expected of their junior, but their dry humor was spot-on. Though A couldn’t taste anything thanks to their sinuses trying to drown them, it satiated them better than any meal they could recently remember. They handed the bowl back to B, who went to set it down in the sink. A noticed that the sink as well was empty--B had gone so far as to do their dishes for them. If their head wasn’t in such a fog, they would be amazed.

“You know, if you took a hot shower, it might make you feel better.”

“You’re not gonna help me bathe too.”

“I didn’t say that!”

“Just messing with you.” A pinched the bridge of their nose, rolling the idea around in their head. They actually weren’t sure they could stand that long, but it had been days. Their sheets were starting to cling to their skin. “All right then. You going home?”

Damn it. B cursed themselves for their misstep. Of course, they did really want A to take a shower for their own health, but they couldn’t very well sit around in A’s place while they did. There was no reason to.

They just...didn’t want to leave them like this.

“Y...Yeah. I should probably eat dinner myself, so...”

“Thank you. For everything,” A said. “I feel like the others have made me out to be some sort of deadline-obsessed demon.”

“Not at all,” B said, replaying in their mind what C told them in before they had left.

“But you came all this way for my sake. I really do appreciate it.”

B quietly nodded their head, flushed with modesty. Having A’s approval--no, their genuine gratitude was overwhelming.

“You promise you’ll be okay if I go?”

“Better than before you got here.”

“Alright,” B began to gather their things. “Um...Try to rest if you can, okay? And call me if you need anything. You have my LINE, so...”

“I’ll text you tomorrow to let you know how I am. Just keep this between you and me though, if you don’t mind.”

B nodded. They were just about to head out the door when A called out to them one more time, stopping them in their tracks.

“B?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t forget to take care of yourself too, alright?”

B smiled, a gentle, warm smile free of his anxieties from before.They looked back at A, taking a step out the door.

“I will.”

#anonymous asks #anon #thank you!#whump #illness/injury #flu #hurt/comfort #caretaking #prompts #writing #ask and you shall receive #the whumpy adventures of a&b #feel like this needs a part 2 #where b gets sick and a returns the favor #anyways #todays theme is salarymen hope you enjoy

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a-dinosaur-a-day · 4 years

Text

Pica

Black-Billed Magpie by USFWS, in the Public Domain

Etymology: Magpie

First Described By: Brisson, 1760

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Eufalconimorphae, Psittacopasserae, Passeriformes, Eupasseres, Passeri, Euoscines, Corvides, Corvoidea, Corvidae, Corvinae

Referred Species: P. mourerae, P. pica (Eurasian Magpie), P. serica (Oriental Magpie), P. bottanensis (Black-Rumped Magpie), P. asirensis (Asir Magpie), P. mauritanica (Maghreb Magpie), P. nuttalli (Yellow-Billed Magpie), P. hudsonia (Black-Billed Magpie)

Status: Extinct - Extant, Endangered - Least Concern

Time and Place: From 3.6 million years ago until today, from the Piacenzian of the Pliocene through the Holocene

Magpies are known from all around the Northern Hemisphere

Physical Description: Magpies are beautiful, if fairly recognizable Corvids, famed from all over the Northern Hemisphere for their cleverness and beautiful plumage. They can range in size from 43 to 60 centimeters long, with the Yellow-Billed Magpie reaching the smallest sizes and the Black-Billed reaching the largest. This makes them rather large as far as songbirds are concerned, though they are still significantly smaller than the Ravens and Crows that they’re close cousins to. Magpies tend to have black backs, heads, and necks, with varying levels of black on their bodies; they then have white bellies and white tops to their wings. The rest of their wings, and tails, can be black - or an iridescent mixture of colors on a black background. These colors vary from species to species, but can be blue, green, and purple-ish tinted - at least one species can even blend into the yellow-brown range. They have thick, strongly clawed toes; and they have very large, thick beaks, like other Corvids. They have short to medium sized wings as well, indicating their adapted ability for flying between and among thick trees.

Oriental Magpie by Yoo Chung, CC BY-SA 2.5

Diet: Magpies are creative, opportunistic omnivores - they literally will eat anything. Insects, small vertebrates, eggs, carrion, leaves, fruit, seeds, your leftover pizza, that hamburger it found on the street, falafel, rice, a heaping load of spaghetti - literally, anything. It will eat anything. Hide your food.

Behavior: Magpies are clever little buggers, with complex behaviors and extensive social communication. They tend to feed on the ground, usually with other Magpies, and even in mixed-species flocks depending on the abundance of food. They’ll Pick food up from the ground and dig into soil and litter, flipping over all sorts of things to look for food - including trash and poop. They’ll also hunt live food from perches in trees, or make traps to catch flies and other insects. Some will also stick around with predators and larger scavengers, looking for roadkill and other sources of meat that could be easily gotten from. They often will also store the food, in crevices and trees and the like, though usually they don’t leave the food for long and go to pick it up in a few days. The walk around and strut, usually fearlessly, attempting to catch whatever food they can; thousands of them can often be found foraging together, and using their unique cleverness to track down food.

Black-Billed Magpie by the USFWS, in the Public Domain

Magpies are some of the smartest known animals - with large brain to body mass ratios, similar to those of cetaceans and primates; the region of their brains that works on cognitive tasks and higher thought processes is of a similar size to those found in chimpanzees and even close to those of people. As such, Magpies - much like their cousins the ravens - are some of the smartest animals alive today, probably holding second place after humans. They have high levels of social cognition, reasoning, flexibility, imagination, and ability to evaluate and predict the future. They also have very elaborate social rituals - they are able to recognize themselves, even in the mirror; and they show grief and rituals around the deaths of family members and friends. They also use tools, and use their experiences to predict the behavior of others. This knowledge of tool use is passed on from generation to generation, and modified as well - so they also have culture and rituals. They can count, imitate people, recognize words, and use tools to clean their own cages. They tend to form gangs in the wild, and use complex strategies in order to gather food and stick together. They also will ant - ie, apply ants to their plumage in order to prevent parasites and irritation - and sun-bathe to stay warm.

Maghreb Magpie by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0

These birds roost communally and fly quite slowly over their ranges, usually interspersing their flaps with gliding to conserve energy. They make calls to flock members with regular frequency, mainly chattering and squeaking calls, as well as warbling songs and mimicry. Some species tend to have larger vocabularies than others, though they all make similar calls. Begging from the young sounds about as high pitched and peeping as one would expect. They have dominance hierarchies within the flocks formed during the non-breeding season, and dominant individuals in the flocks can and do steal food from the subordinate individuals. Interestingly enough, the younger males tend to dominate the older ones - though that may be more of a tolerance thing than anything else. These birds don’t tend to migrate, though they do move from place to place in response to climate and food availability.

Black-Rumped Magpie

Magpies are monogamous, possibly staying with the same partner for their entire lives, and multiple sets of parents will work together to tend for the nests and care for the young. They start laying eggs in the winter, though usually most eggs are laid in the early spring. The parents will build the nests together, with the male bringing materials and the female doing the building. This usually takes a couple of weeks, and at the end the pair have a large domed structure made of sticks and twigs - a very deep cup, lined with soft wool, fur, grasses, and feathers. A fresh nest is built every year, even though the pairs stay together; they’re usually built in trees, usually near to the top, though buildings are sometimes used. Old nests are sometimes reused, if they were particularly good and lasted that whole time. They lay between two and nine eggs, though of course four to six is the most common number; and they are incubated mostly by the female for about two weeks. Both sexes will then feed the chicks, while the female does most of the watching and caring for them at the nest - leaving the male in charge of gathering the food and helping to fend off predators. Other pairs may come to help - usually relatives or friends. The young will leave the nest after a month to two months, and young in the nests may come together with other young - especially if there was a communal brooding situation - to form a creche of juveniles their own age. Honestly, it’s almost like a school class in some ways, with how they behave with each other and socialize and learn from the adults. They reach sexual maturity in about one to two years, and live for six years in the wild.

Juvenile Eurasian Magpie by Cyberolm, CC BY-SA 4.0

Speaking of friends - yes, magpies have been known to befriend humans, or at least have interactions with them. They are tame and friendly in areas where they’re left undisturbed, and in areas where they are shot at or bothered, they are defensive against humans coming into their areas. This can vary wildly, as they used to be considered viable game birds, but today they aren’t hunted as much and tend to be a little less on guard. They defend their nests violently against humans, and do not abandon them except as a last resort. Parents will mob people looking in on the nests - even scientists - especially if they are repeat offenders. But, since they recognize people’s faces, they are able to tell friend from foe (or perceived foe) and will seek out humans who give them treats or protection.

Asir Magpie by Mansur Al Fahad

Ecosystem: Magpies stick to woodland and forests, though they do venture into more suburban and developed areas depending on the availability of trees. They will also inhabit open country, so long as there are some scattered trees available. Magpies can be found in all sorts of elevations, including in the mountains and as high as 4400 meters up into them. Some species, such as the Yellow-Billed, can tolerate warmer temperatures than others. Those that encroach on human habitat are often considered pests. While they do have predators, most are killed by West-Nile virus, to which they are particularly susceptible.

Eurasian Magpie by Andreas Eichler, CC BY-SA 4.0

Other: Magpies are Corvids, so they’re cousins with all the other ridiculously smart passerine birds, making the question of “are members of the genus Corvus or the genus Pica smarter” rather one of splitting hairs. In the end, both genera showcase extreme intelligence, and are either the second smartest animals or close to it. Honestly, if they were smarter than humans I wouldn’t be surprised - they show culture and the ability to pass down learned things from generation to generation, and they might just be smart enough to not fucking destroy the planet (unlike us). Anyways, Magpies are often thought of as pests for their ability to get at sources of human food and also steal the eggs of birds with more pretty songs, so birders actually hate them. However, they don’t actually have a negative impact on the song-bird population. Most Magpies aren’t threatened with extinction and have populations in the thousands, though the Yellow-Billed species is vulnerable due to poisons used to take care of squirrels, and the Asir species is endangered due to a restricted range and decreasing suitable habitat.

Yellow-Billed Magpie by Bill Bouton, CC BY-SA 2.0

Species Differences: The different species of Magpie differ primarily on coloration and range, as their sizes tend to be very similar. The Eurasian Magpie is often synonymized with the Oriental and Black-Rumped Magpies; whether or not these are three different species of bird is a bit of a taxonomical question. These birds range all over Eurasia - as the name suggests - with the “Oriental” subspecies (species?) being found more in Eastern Asia, and the Black-Rumped subspecies (species?) also found in Eastern Asia. At least a few varieties have a purple tail and dark blue wings; while others are more green on both the wing and tail, with only the tail tip coming out as purple. Asir Magpies are the only Magpies known from Saudi Arabia; they have dark blue wings and brownish tails, which end in a purple tip. The Maghreb Magpie is known from Northwestern Africa, and has a complete rainbow-colored tail and blue wings. The Yellow-Billed Magpie is especially distinct from the rest in having a yellow bill and yellow patches around the eyes (while the other species have black bills and black patches); they have blue wings and blueish-purple tails, and are found in California. Finally, the Black-Billed Magpie is found in the rest of North America (though not the eastern portion of the continent, or the southern), and has blue wings and a rainbow tail. There is one extinct species, P. mourerae, from the Pliocene of Spain; it seems to be very similar to living species except for that it wasn't as good of a flier - and it may have even be flightless, due to the fact that it lived on an island!

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources Under the Cut

Bekoff, M. (2009). "Animal emotions, wild justice and why they matter: Grieving magpies, a pissy baboon, and empathic elephants". Emotion, Space and Society. 2 (2): 1–4.

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017

del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Christie, D.A. (2019). Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Emery, Nathan J.; Clayton, Nicola S. (Dec 2004). "The mentality of crows: convergent evolution of intelligence in corvids and apes". Science. 306 (5703): 1903–1907.

Madge, S. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Asir Magpie (Pica asirensis). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Madge, S., Christie, D.A. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Marzluff, J. & de Juana, E. (2019). Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Marzluff, J. & Sharpe, C.J. (2019). Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nutalli). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Mourer-Chauvire, C., J. A. Alcover, S. Moya and J. Pons. 1980. Une nouvelle forme insulaire d'effraie geante, Tyto balearica n. sp. (Aves, Strigiformes), du Plio-Pleistocene des Baleares. Geobios 13(5):803-811.

Parmalee, P. W. 1992. A late Pleistocene avifauna from northwestern Alabama. Science Series, Los Angeles Museum of Natural History, Science, and Art 36:307-318.

Segui, B. 2001. A new species of Pica (Aves: Corvidae) from the Plio-Pleistocene of Mallorca, Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean). Geobios 34(3):339-347.

Wetmore, A. 1962. Notes on fossil and subfossil birds. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections 145(2):1-17.

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kemetic-dreams · 5 years

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A Simple Workout Plan For Serious Mass Gain

The age-old desire to build a strong, well-proportioned physique is still alive and well. Yes, the average gym-goer no longer yearns to build a monstrous, freaky, eye-popping body complete with gnarly veins, huge, stumpy legs and the inability to fit into a dress shirt. But everybody in the gym still wants to build an appreciable amount of muscle and strength. And they want to actually see the results of their hard work without it being hidden under a layer of unwanted body fat.

Building an impressive physique not only grants external benefits such as strength, power, and an aesthetically pleasing structure. It also provides many internal benefits: confidence, increased self-esteem, and self-discipline, just to name a few.

But with all of the traffic out there regarding specific plans, protocols, and formulas, it’s easy to bang your head against the wall and fall into the black hole of frustration and confusion. Drowning in information makes the temptation to throw in the towel even stronger. Another trap is to become a plan jumper. Are you constantly switching from plan to plan without any real commitment to one for a significant period of time? Do you lack any real results from the last six months of training? How about the last year?

You might need to start over.

If what you are doing now is working, then by all means don’t stop. But if you’re the type I talked about above, then an intervention may be in order. You may feel comfortable in what you’re doing; you may be strong in certain areas and like that feeling; or you may just be a creature of habit and fear change. Whichever category you fit into, you have to ask yourself a serious question: Is what I’m doing getting me closer to my ultimate goal?

The Forgotten Muscle-Building Secret

Step back from all of the noise, hype, and empty promises for a moment, and you may find the key to success in the gym staring you right in the face. It’s not some huge secret, it’s just been forgotten. Are you ready to hear it? Here it is:

The key to building muscle (or any other physical goal for that matter) is to commit wholly to any credible plan and practice discipline, consistency, and persistence with said plan. In other words, it really doesn’t matter what program you choose, as long as it is in line with your goals. It’s up to you to make it work. Pick a plan—any plan—and stick to it for at least six months.Work at it, stay with it, and believe in it. After six months, then and only then can you switch things up or try something new.

What you really need in your training are the basics. Throw out all of the super-technical, complex and advanced techniques that just have you spinning your wheels. Some of them may be very effective ways to accelerate your training, but you need to relearn the basics and build a solid foundation first. Start with the moves that enable you to use the most amount of weight and utilize the most amount of muscle mass. Multi-joint, compound exercises like bench presses, shoulder presses, pull ups, rows, deadlifts, squats, and dips are the big boys on the block and will give you the most bang for your buck. Steer clear of exercises like double biceps, high cable curls which yield little-to-no real results in the bigger scheme of things.

Training to Build Mass

Let’s take this step by step:

Choose how many days per week you will train. One of the best schedules is to train four times per week. With that in mind, shoot for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with Wednesday and the weekend off.

Next, choose your frequency. Training your entire body twice per week with a simple upper/lower split routine makes the most sense for a basic plan. That means chest, back, and shoulders on Mondays and Thursdays and arms and legs on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Exercise selection is next. You will want to choose no more than two exercises for larger body parts such as chest, back, and legs and no more than one for smaller areas such as arms, shoulders and calves. Just be sure they are those big, compound exercises we talked about, instead of the smaller isolation moves.

Determine volume (sets). Your total amount of volume need not be too high. We tend to do a little more where we excel and cut back on what is hard. Strive for an even playing field, and shoot for four to five sets per exercise. That should have you in and out of the gym in about an hour.

Choose a rep range. Traditionally, pure strength training follows a lower rep range of 2-6 reps, while hypertrophy (muscle mass) tends to sit in the 6-12 range. Depending on your goal, anywhere from 4-12 reps will be ideal.

Don’t forget about rest periods. This factor is one of the most influential in your training. For example, if hypertrophy is the goal, then rest periods of 45-90 seconds are best. Resting too long allows for less fatigue and more time wasted in the gym.

Commit to it. Without commitment, all of the planning you painstakingly laid out will be for naught. Make a promise to yourself that you will see this through for at least six months.

Nutrition for Mass Gain

Nothing is as complicated as the diet-marketing landscape. Every few months, there seems to be a new “greatest diet plan ever,” guaranteed to give you the results you’re after. These plans always seem to be limiting in nature, in that they eliminate certain foods entirely or have you only eating at certain times of the day. Some will even go as far as letting you eat what you want after a specific time.

At the end of the day, a balanced diet that includes nutrient-dense proteins, plenty of vegetables and fruits, and some healthy fat sources is always the answer for long-term health benefits and muscle-building purposes. If the latest craze seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Let’s also take your eating plan step by step:

Determine how often you need to eat. Gone are the days of eating every two hours on the dot. That only creates too much stress and makes you a slave to your eating schedule. At the very least, make sure you are getting in three solid meals with a pre- and post-workout snack.

Start with protein. No, you don’t have to eat a whole chicken or 12 ounces of beef with every meal. Also, don’t rely too much on protein powder. Getting in about one gram per pound of bodyweight will do the trick. If you go slightly below, don’t sweat it. Get protein from chicken, lean beef, ground meat, fish, cheeses, eggs, protein powder (for post-workout) and Greek yogurt.

Don’t be afraid of carbs. The bottom line is that you need carbs if you want to build muscle. Be sure they are of the complex kind and avoid any added sugars. Go with rice (white and brown), potatoes (sweet and white), oats, green vegetables, fruits such as apples, bananas, and berries, and whole grain breads and pastas. Start with two grams per pound of bodyweight and then adjust as necessary.

Include the right kind of fat. You need healthy fats to balance out your mass gaining diet. Oils naturally found in fish, avocados, nuts, and nut butters are great choices. Shoot for around 0.5 grams per pound to start.

Pre- and post-workout nutrition. Its’s important to get in a little something prior to training, especially if you’re the nine-to-five type. This should include a lean protein and a complex carb to get you through your workout. Additionally, it’s a good idea to have some post-workout nutrition on hand immediately after training, which should include a fast-acting protein source and some quick digesting carbs to help the recovery process.

Schedule cheat days. What’s a mass-gaining eating plan without a cheat day? If your diet is relatively clean and full of the good stuff, take a meal or two on a weekend (not the whole day) and have anything you want. It will give you something to look forward to at the end of the week, and give you a much-needed mental break.

Stay consistent. As with training, you will need to stay consistent with the eating plan as well. A good day or two each week won’t cut it. If you want to pack on some serious muscle, every day counts.

Sample Basic Workout Plan for Muscle Mass

Let’s take a look at what it might look like to put this advice into action:

Note: The HIIT cardio can be performed either after your training session, or on an off day (Wednesdays and the weekends).

Click here for a printable copy of this training plan.

Sample Basic Nutrition Plan for Muscle Mass

The following eating plan is adequate for the average 180-pound lifter wanting to gain lean amounts of muscle mass. This is only an example, and should be adjusted to fit your specific needs.

Training Days

Meal 1 (breakfast)

3 whole eggs, scrambled or omelet-style

2 slices of wheat bread (toasted) with low-sugar jam or jelly or ½ cup (dry) oatmeal mixed with skim milk

Meal 2 (lunch)

Chicken breast salad with ½ avocado and vegetables with an oil-based dressing

1 small baked potato or sweet potato or 1 cup cooked rice

2 slices or wheat bread, 4 ounces of deli meat, 2 slices of deli cheese, low-fat mayo or mustard, and 1 piece of fruit

Pre-workout

1 apple, banana, or other fruit such as blueberries

1 cup of Greek yogurt or 1 scoop of whey protein powder

Handful of mixed nuts

Post-workout

1 cup of blueberries or a banana or other piece of fruit

1 scoop of whey protein powder

Meal 4 (dinner)

4-6 ounces of fish, chicken, ground meat, or turkey

As much green vegetables and salad as you want

1 small potato or 1 cup cooked rice

Non-Training Days

Meal 1 (breakfast)

3 whole eggs, scrambled or omelet-style

2 slices of wheat bread (toasted) with low-sugar jam or jelly or ½ cup (dry) oatmeal mixed with skim milk

Meal 2 (lunch)

Chicken breast salad with ½ avocado and vegetables with an oil-based dressing

1 small baked potato or sweet potato or 1 cup cooked rice

2 slices or wheat bread, 4 ounces of deli meat, 2 slices of deli cheese, low-fat mayo or mustard, and 1 piece of fruit

Meal 3 (snack)

1 apple, banana, or other fruit such as blueberries

1 cup of Greek yogurt or 1 scoop of whey protein powder

Handful of mixed nuts

Meal 4 (dinner)

4-6 ounces of fish, chicken, ground meat, or turkey

As much green vegetables and salad as you want

1 small potato or 1 cup cooked rice

Building Muscle Isn’t Complicated

Packing on lean muscle mass isn’t rocket science. It’s rather basic, really. All it takes is a commitment from you, some discipline, and the practice of day-to-day consistency. In time, you will have built an impressive foundation, and more importantly, a sense of how your own body works and what you need to do for a better physique. Pick a plan, stick with it, keep it simple, and reap big rewards.

#fitness #health #kemetic dreams #mass gain #mass gainer

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cupidmarwani-archive · 4 years

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Summary: Crockett would like to be watched (Collared Series)

WC: ~2.2k

He’s well behaved. That’s the thing about Crockett, that he may like to push boundaries and be a little shirt, but he’s well behaved when it comes down to it because he loves to be a good boy more than anything else in the world. His whole face lights up at praise, especially anything like that, some leftover part of him craving approval from a childhood of rejection.

Every now and then, he’ll push boundaries, because Crockett is exactly that sort of person and sub, but he’s still a good boy and Ethan always tells him as such. He would never dream of abusing the power given to him and hurting him at his most vulnerable. It goes against the trust between them, built off months of careful discussion and practice, a deep love, and the recent addition of the leather collar sitting snug around his throat.

While he loves that Crockett still can (and does) surprise him, this isn’t something he’s sure how to handle, and to be honest, it frightens him. Sitting across from Crockett over leftovers when they’ve both pulled doubles, looking forward to a hot shower and bed, he chokes on his dirty rice when Crockett announces, “I want someone to watch us have sex.”

After about thirty seconds of coughing and trying to regain his composure, Ethan takes a long sip of water and clears his throat. In just that amount of time, he has probably fifty reservations and twice as many questions. But most of all, he’s acutely aware that they’re both way too exhausted for this tonight, and they won’t be able to have a constructive conversation about why Crockett wants this as well as what he wants and what sort of limits would be in place and if Ethan would even feel comfortable giving it to him anyway.

“Let’s talk about it in the morning,” he says, and shovels more rice into his mouth.

“I just think that there’s something really hot about being watched.” Crockett studies his almost empty beer like he’s contemplating a second. “I want someone to see how hot you are when you’re in control and how I can be a good boy.”

“I guess we’re talking about this now.”

“They wouldn’t have to touch us, touch me or anything. I just want to be seen.”

Ethan’s throat is incredibly dry and he absolutely does not have the emotional real estate to talk about this right now, especially given that they were planning on scening tomorrow night. But Crockett is like a dog with a bone, so he sighs and stares at his food like it has the answer. It doesn’t.

“I love you, I do, and I always want to make you happy with yourself and with all aspects of our relationship. That said-” he holds up a hand to silence the hurt argument already blooming on Crockett’s tongue, “I’m willing to have an open and honest conversation about this. But it’s almost midnight and I worked for fourteen hours today, and I’m too tired for this. Can we please have this conversation in the morning?”

Crockett seems torn between agreeing and being annoyed. Whichever he settles on, he wolfs down the rest of his food and kisses Ethan’s cheek on his way to shower so he can enjoy his beauty sleep. They’re going to be out until early afternoon tomorrow, he already knows, and by then they can have a constructive conversation over breakfast, then spend some time winding down to help Crockett ease into subspace a little softer. With rest and a warm, fresh cooked meal, they can talk about it easier.

When he gets to bed himself, under the warm covers, he automatically slings an arm over Crockett’s waist. It’s there for scarcely a moment before Crockett takes his hand to move it, and he’s afraid he’s being rejected for a split second before he’s guided to hold his throat. Not with any pressure, just a light weight like before they got his collar. Ethan gives one short, careful squeeze before shutting his eyes and drifting off.

Come morning- or rather, some warm hour past noon- Ethan wakes up in the soft sunlight through the blinds and presses sleepy kisses to the back of Crockett’s neck until he wakes up with a groan. “I’ll make breakfast, come out when you’re ready.”

Although the morning has a weight to it, it’s easy to take a deep breath and make some eggs and bacon. A little lackluster compared to what Crockett would fry up, but good enough for a lazy meal and to talk about the bombshell dropped last night. Ethan gets it, now that he’s had time to sleep on it. Crockett loves to be praised, to be seen, to be respected. It’s not totally strange that he would want someone to see him at a time where everything he does is correct and adored. The biggest question would be a matter of who, because even if this is what Crockett wants, the point remains that this is about his safety and comfort above all else. Ethan simply can’t risk bringing someone in who would do anything to upset the fragile balance. He needs someone they both already know and trust, who would do as told by Ethan and just watch quietly. Maybe say a word or so of praise as needed.

Crockett comes out and takes a seat at the counter just in time for Ethan to plate up breakfast and serve the both of them. Two glasses of orange juice in accompaniment. Crockett’s eyes are warm but awake, watching Ethan for a chance to pick up the conversation left off last night.

“You want someone to watch,” he says, because there’s no point tip-toeing around it. “You want them to see what a good boy you are?”

He flushes and shoves his eggs around with a fork. Ethan needs to make sure he eats, he’ll need the energy for later. “I guess.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“I wanna try at least once.”

And that’s fair. Ethan isn’t sure if he’ll like it or not, if Crockett will like it or not, but they won’t know if they never try it, and Ethan won’t let anyone hurt him or the safe space they’ve carefully crafted.

“Is that something you want to try tonight?”

“If we can.”

Ethan nods and leans over the table to kiss Crockett’s forehead. “I’ll see what I can do. Let’s finish breakfast, and then we’ll wind down.”

And they do. After they finish eating and doing their “morning” routine, Crockett kneels for Ethan to fix his collar over his throat, and they sit in the living room watching cooking shows. At first, Crockett mocks them like always, but his voice becomes quieter, less frequent, until he’s just resting his head against Ethan’s knee and relaxing. It’s nice to see him calm and at ease.

The entire time, Ethan has been texting back and forth with Noah. He and Crockett both trust him, and he’s a sweetheart always wanting to please. If there’s someone safe to try this with, it’s him. When he gets there, he’ll still need to have a verbal conversation about the rules and limits and what this whole evening is, but there’s enough that Ethan feels okay with having him over to watch. Just watch.

Noah’s set to arrive at six, so a few minutes before, Ethan pulls Crockett into his lap and slips his hands down the back of his sweatpants. Warm skin, supple beneath his palms. He’s always loved Crockett’s ass, just as much as he enjoys leaving marks down his neck to show off that he’s his.

Then there’s a knock at the door, and Crockett whines when Ethan pulls away, but with a soft shushing noise, he settles into the couch and lets Ethan get the door. Good boy. Standing right outside, in a button down and dark jeans, rocking on his heels, is Noah. He’s here. Ethan lets him in and shuts the door behind him.

“Bedroom please, baby,” Ethan says.

Crockett takes a brief look at their guest and obeys, stripping off his pants as he goes. Good boy. While they let him get settled, Ethan turns to Noah and gives him a long look over. “You don’t speak unless spoken to. You don’t touch unless I ask you. You’re just here to watch, am I clear?”

Noah nods. “Of course. But when you say I can’t touch…”

“Yourself is fine, I don’t care. But you don’t touch me or Crockett.”

“Understood.”

He leads the way into the bedroom, where Crockett is already stretched out on the bed, naked, one arm propping his head up and the other tracing a lazy pattern on his own hip, close to touching himself. His eyes immediately snap to Noah, to the way he sits in the armchair taking up the corner and crosses his legs, left ankle to right knee.

“He’s going to watch,” Ethan says slowly. “Is that okay?”

Crockett nods with a stricken gaze.

“I need you to use your words.”

“I want him to watch.”

Ethan kneels over his body, thighs on either side of his hips, and leans down to kiss him. “Good boy,” he breathes, and Crockett’s whole body shivers. Perfect, beautiful boy. Ethan has to be more mindful than usual tonight with the fragile introduction of a viewer and the added pressure to make things visible. He can’t just lay over top of Crockett, pin him down completely like that, because there won’t be anything to see.

He cups Crockett’s cheek and presses his thumb against that pouty bottom lip. Like always, it’s immediately brought into his mouth and Crockett sucks lightly, presses his tongue into the pad of his thumb, looking up at him with wide eyes. Stunning. Beautiful, perfect boy. Behind them, he hears a zipper.

Every movement feels electric as he moves his hips, grinds his ass a little against Crockett’s cock to feel it get hard. It’s not often that he lets Crockett top him, and he isn’t sure if he will tonight, but there is something special about the way it feels to grind on him like this, even through his sleep pants. His little moans are so stunning, so intoxicating, as Ethan pins his wrists above his head and bites marks into his exposed throat.

“What do you want him to see?” he whispers against warm skin. “This is your show.”

Crockett just whines. Shy now, turning his head to the side and raising his hips off the bed for more touch to ground himself with. But it’s okay, because Ethan will take care of him, and he backs away just long enough to kick off his clothes and get the lube from the nightstand. Ever so gentle, careful with him, he coats his fingers and eases two into Crockett. It’s more than he’d normally start with, but the shock of pain is the sort of thing that he’s often begged for, the sort of thing that brings Crockett back to Earth when he gets just a little bit too floaty and needs to remember where he is.

Noah’s breath catches across the room. It’s such a soft sound, but one that makes Crockett’s eyes go wide and his muscles tighten around Ethan’s fingers. Excited. Needy. Ethan kisses him again as he fucks him slow and gets him ready for more. To fuck him, make him feel good, show him off. Maybe this is something that he’s wanted for a while too, deep down beyond where he can consciously reach.

“Please…”

“Just another moment, let me make sure you’re ready.”

Instead of petulantly agreeing, he whines and pushes at Ethan’s hands. “Please.”

Ethan stops, pulls back, gives him a moment to catch his breath so he can explain what he needs. Maybe Noah’s presence is too much for him. He’s dropping too fast and he’s scared, he’s overwhelmed by the weight of being seen at his most vulnerable, he’s just scared by it all. All of which is solvable.

“What do you need, baby?”

Crockett reaches a hand over to Noah, seemingly frustrated by his own inability to communicate right now. But he looks sure of himself, in a way, as he once again whines out a please.

“You want him to touch you?”

He nods.

So be it. Ethan’s okay with it, and this is what Crockett is asking for. He nods at Noah and gestures for him to come closer. “Behave yourself,” he warns, and helps him settle at the head of the bed with Crockett’s head resting on his thigh, not too far from where Noah’s pulled himself out of his pants to get some pleasure from what he sees.

“Do you want to touch him?” Ethan asks Crockett, giving him the chance to answer before he gets back to fingering him, prepping him to be fucked properly. “You’re allowed.”

Immediately, Crockett turns his head to the side and opens his mouth. Good boy. And Noah still looks to Ethan for a nod of permission. He’s made to take directions as well, would be a good sub. Not for Ethan; he’s happy with Crockett, but he can see the appeal Noah would have to someone looking for a submissive.

“Good boy,” Ethan says as Crockett takes to a lazy blowjob that’s more for show than to make Noah feel good. Always perfect for him. “You’re so beautiful, such a good boy for me.”

And if even after the night is over, Ethan can’t get that image out of his head, that’s not something anyone else needs to know.

#crockett marcel #noah sexton #ethan choi #charcel #chicago med #mine #smut #fic #collaredfic

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smutfornerds · 5 years

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Wholeheartedly // Ralph x Reader

A/N: And here’s the fic to end our day with Detective Dibny! Hope you enjoy my lovelies. 💕

—

Another kick of your foot sent your chair rolling across the empty Cortex, the back bumping into a table to stop you before you spun and repeated the action all over again. This had been the majority of your last few hours, finding ways to entertain yourself while everyone was out working or tinkering with tech. Your only ‘day job’ was editing Iris’ articles and lately she’d been slow on writing so your days were spent monitoring monitors and organizing medical supplies. This morning there had only been a ping about a child missing in the mall, but a security guard brought him back to his mom before any more help was needed. You’d made a few attempts at contacting the team, Barry and Joe busy at CCPD and Cisco and Caitlin working at the Tanhauser site for the day. Iris and Nora were in the speedlab which only left Sherloque and Ralph unaccounted for. With another blind kick of your chair however you came in contact with a rather squishy foot and Ralph cleared his throat above your shoulder. “Oh! God, sorry!” You rolled yourself back and against the desk again with an apologetic smile. His expression matched in an amused fashion, a laugh breezing past his lips. “Someone’s bored huh?” He quipped as he set his jacket down on the table before turning to lean his slender frame against it. For a split second your eyes fell to his arms, the way he’d rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt to expose just enough skin. Before you could even begin to fantasize Sherloque stumbled in with tea in hand.

“Ah, bébé girafe, you have found ton autre moitié!” His words were lost on you but whatever he’d called you made Ralph’s eyes widen. The meta cleared his throat and nodded to his fellow detective hastily. “What’d you want to ask her again, Sherly?” He motioned a hand to you and you couldn’t help but notice how eager he was to change the subject. The older male nodded and swallowed the drink of tea in his mouth as he turned his attention to you. “Where is Dr. Snow today? And when will she be back?” He squinted ever so slightly to punctuate the question and brought the cup back to his lips. Giving a slight shrug you sat back in your chair again. “Staying ten different kinds of cold with Cisco, they’ll be back tomorrow.” He nodded at your response and seemed satisfied with it, enough to return to his fellow detective’s side and smile brightly up at him. “So we wait then, oui?” He gestured his free hand to the room as he placed his tea on the table Ralph kept his weight against. There was a sort of playfulness to Sherloque’s behavior and you couldn’t place where he was going with it, but clearly it was getting to Ralph. His jaw was set and he had a crinkle to his brows that was almost threatening - almost. “Please stay, I’ve been going nuts in here all day.” You blurted to the pair of them. Both men looked to you with a bit of surprise but nodded just the same. Making his way to your side Ralph leaned over your shoulder to glance at the monitors. “Dead as a doornail.” He exclaimed after a few seconds of scanning. A small giggle floated past your lips and forced a grin to grow on his. Sherloque simply slurped his tea from his chair on the side of the room. “That’s what I’m saying!” You responded softly, looking up to see his neck just inches from your face. Suddenly you felt flushed and ripped your eyes away back to the screen, hearing another slow slurp of tea when you cleared your throat. Ralph’s eyes went to Sherloque before he spoke up again. “Anybody hungry? If you you’ve been here all day you probably skipped lunch again huh?” He’d stood fully giving you comfortable space to turn to face him again with a sheepish and telling smile curling at your lips. He simply nodded and pointed a finger gun in yours and Sherloque’s directions. “Chinese or Big Belly Burger?” The question only hung for a split second before both of you answered overtop one another.

“Chinese,”

“Big Bel—“ Sherloque stopped himself hearing you disagree and gave a quick eye roll. “Chinese it is, I wouldn’t expect you to disobey ton amour.” He took a long, purposefully loud drink of his tea and even tipped the cup back to finish it off. The length of the action was more than enough time for you to deduce that he’d called you his love. The way your eyes snapped to Ralph almost made your head hurt, and his were wide and locked on Sherloque - purposefully avoiding yours. “Alrighty then Chinese it is,” he turned on his heels and took a step passed you. Just as you opened your mouth to speak he placed a soft pat to your shoulder and hollered as he kept walking, “Orange chicken and fried rice with wontons, I know.” A small smile graced your face just in time for Sherloque to step in front of you. “Aha, c'est vrai! You and monsieur Dibny oui?” He motioned a hand towards the hall where he’d left and back to you, making your brows shoot up at the assumption. “Wha-What about us..?” You attempted to play coy but his trained eye cut right through you. None the less, he played along just for the sake of the game. “Oh, you two seem very close, almost like how you would say, smitten?” On the final word he tweaked a quizzical brow up at you. Your cheeks burned and you huffed a nervous laugh, shaking your head, but both of you knew better. A low chuckle left the brunette and he took a small step towards you. “Well you two seem to hold much love d'une manière ou d'une autre.” He paused until he noticed your confused expression, scoffing and gesturing lazily. “Ah, one way or another. Whether that be simply caring for each other, or.. more.” He shrugged giving a playfully innocent expression. “Not for me to figure out, non, is for you and him.” He held his hands up in defeat just as you heard Iris and Nora entering.

The tint to your face wasn’t lost on them and Nora pursed her lips to the side in thought. “What’s got you all flustered?” She teased with a jab of her elbow to your shoulder. Giving a nervous laugh you shook your head, attempting to shake away the troublesome thoughts Sherloque had woven into your mind. “I-I’m just hungry, I haven’t eaten today and I stood up too fast.” Quickly realizing your position you cleared your throat. “So I sat back down. That’s when you guys came in.” A weak smile was enough to convince them to drop it, and you fought heaving a sigh of relief when they started discussing the run times Nora had gotten while they trained. After a few more minutes your mind had completely wandered. The late night cram sessions over cases, or the even later wine and movie nights, how he’d memorized and brought you your favorite drinks and meals without even being asked, every little thing that had made you so happy and comfortable with Ralph was playing like a movie behind your eyes. Mindlessly you began tapping your pen against the metal table. The more you thought about how he truly made you feel the louder the tapping became until Iris slammed her hand down on it pinning it to the table. You jolted your gaze up to see her nostrils flaring but a forced smile on her other features. “I’m sorry, but you weren’t paying attention and I’d asked you to stop like eight times—“ Just that moment, Joe and Barry strode into the room with Ralph between them. Each held their respective bag of food and a proud grin.

Barry made his way to Iris handing her takeout, immediately softening her mood and making her forget all about your pen. Joe handed a styrofoam box to his granddaughter and Ralph triumphantly held yours out to you. “I even managed to get you extra soy sauce.” He beamed, bringing another soft giggle from your lips. “A true miracle worker. Thanks,” you took the food from him and your fingers barely brushed but it lit your face up like a Christmas tree with the thoughts still prominent in your brain. As if he had a radar for it, Sherloque took a slow stride back into the room, sipping a Big Belly shake he’d procured on his own time. You turned sharply to set your plate down praying that with the added company, the doppelgänger detective would drop the conversation he’d trapped you in before. Much to your dismay however it was practically the opposite. “Ah, bébé girafe! Help me, voudriez-vous? Our sweet pêche does not believe me,” hearing him comment on the color of your blouse caught your attention, along with the room’s, which was now split between eyeing the three of you back and forth. Without missing a beat Sherloque continued with a step in front of Ralph. “I try to tell her she is ton autre moitié, the smitten, she says no!” He now commands the room with his voice and breaks his eye contact with Ralph to rope Joe and Nora in. “Can you believe it? She doesn’t see—“ he pauses to point to you. “That she is the object of his affections.” He delivers the last line and Iris’ jaw drops, and Barry nearly drops his noodles.

It’s piercingly silent for a moment as you focus all your energy on shoveling one tiny pea in your takeout to the other side of the box, desperately avoiding any eye contact. From next to you Ralph clears his throat, gripping your wrist to pull you to stand only to drag you from the uncomfortable situation, food in hand. “Where are we-“ Before you can finish he’s opened a breach with the extrapolator, tugging your through it. Your feet land firmly in ankle high grass, and the smell of fresh greenery and nature hits your nose. Taking in your surroundings you see a small sign that reads Keystone Lake Recreational Park. “Let’s eat yeah?” He blurts finally, and you notice he’s set out your plates on the picnic table. The absence of noise calms all the previous anxiety you were saddled with and you happily settled in across from him to continue your meal. A few minutes passed of you both simply eating, catching him glance at you from your peripheral and him the same. After swallowing your last bite of chicken you sighed, pushing the remaining food a few inches from you. “Can we talk about this whole.. smitten thing?” Hearing the word leave you made his shoulders tense for a brief moment, and he brought a napkin to his face to wipe at the bit of sauce on his lip before answering. “Sure..” he paused to clear his throat and shifted in his spot to better face you.

“I might’ve.. told Sherly I have uh, have feelings for you.” You watched his eyes fall to his hands as he let out a nervous chuckle. “More like I told him how amazing and gorgeous you are, and how smart and welcoming and caring and just so perfect you are for me.” Bringing his gaze back to you he felt a bit of confidence surge when he saw your flushed cheeks and giddy smile. “And he seems to think you feel the same way..” In his true goofball fashion he quirked a brow up at you to bring that adorable little giggle out of you again. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear you stuttered over your response. “I-Oh, well uh, I just might..” Now was your turn to stare at your fidgeting fingers. In one swift curl around the table he was next to you, his finger beneath your chin to tilt your head back up. “Might?” He teased with his nose nuzzling yours, half smirking when the air left your lungs at the close contact. Without giving a verbal response you eliminated the space between your lips in a kiss that proved just how much you felt for him. Your hand gripped his shirt collar to bring his body close to yours and he audibly sighed at your enthusiasm. Just for a second he broke from you to click the extrapolator again, and you both hurried to clean your lunch mess and rush through the portal. You found yourself in his apartment, the same place you’d crashed on countless wine drunk movie nights. He always gave up his bed for you, refusing to sleep beside you. He never told you it was because he’d wake up with a boner if he woke up next to you, and little did he know you wouldn’t have minded.

Once your feet hit the floor your hands were back on his shirt, this time however working to unbutton and remove it. “You don’t waste any time do you?” He mumbled while his hands tugged at your skirt. Simply shaking your head you pulled him by the back of the neck to crash your lips back together. He welcomed the action, pulling your skirt over your hips to drop to the floor. As soon as it did he backed you against the wall, deepening the kiss with his tongue snaking between your lips. A small whine escaped at the parting of them and he reveled in the noise. Ralph’s hands found your hips and his thumbs rubbed delicately against your skin. Just as one of your hands wound into his hair, he moved the opposite of his own hands to your middle, pressing a finger to your still clothed slit. The heat radiating told him you were already wet for him and he groaned against your lips at the very thought. He began rubbing gently over your panties but you whined at the teasing, and he never could hold back on giving you what you wanted. Quickly his fingers slipped the fabric aside and met your wetness, both of you sighing at the feeling as he began slicking your folds. Breaking from you he moved to place his lips to your jawline, slowly trailing kiss after kiss down until he was to your neck. His fingers grazed your clit and caused you to gasp a bit, and he simply hummed against your skin with the final kiss beneath your ear. “I love you..” he murmured, as you felt all kinds of warmth flood through your senses. One hand in his hair trailed down to give his shoulder a squeeze to gain his attention, and you waited until your eyes met his to respond. “I love you too.” Your voice was barely above a whisper, finishing the sentence with another slow peck to his lips.

The words he’d waited weeks to hear melted him and he began rubbing his finger across your clit in slow and lazy circles. A breathy moan parted your lips from his at the unexpected feeling and Ralph couldn’t help but smirk. Targeting the sensitive bundle of nerves he pressed firmer more precise circles to it, groaning at the way your legs began to twitch and shake against his hand. “Fuck you’re even more beautiful like this..” His stare was glued to your knitted brows and tightly screwed shut eyes, your gaping mouth, and the moans spilling from it invaded his ears and fueled him to keep going. His unoccupied hand moved to his own waist where he hastily discarded his trousers and lowered his briefs to where they could fall as well. A relieved and shaky sigh rattled out of his lungs feeling the crisp air hit his erection, and he moved to line himself up with your dripping self. Just the tease of his tip grazing your entrance had you whining out for more, nodding vigorously to spur him on. Seeing you so desperately wanting him burned up the last shred of patience Ralph had left and he pushed himself slowly into you. The tightness slicked around his length made him let out a hiss, hand flying up to the wall behind you to brace himself. Keeping one planted to the ground you moved a leg to snake around his waist and pull him to enter you to the hilt, a guttural kind of groan forcing its way from his lungs at the feeling.

Taking a few breaths to steady himself Ralph turned to whisper directly to your ear. “Jump, Princess.” The little nickname sparked you into action and you happily obliged, kicking your other leg up and around him and locking them in place. All the while he stayed inside you, feeling your walls clench around him as you moved. “Such a good girl..” he breathed, beginning to set a forceful but slow pace with his hips. A string of mewls and whimpers hit his ears and he growled as his thrusts deepened, hitting angles you didn’t even know could be reached. It hit you that he was using his upper hand, his abilities to stretch and fill you, and you were far from complaining. On one particularly hard thrust he stopped, watching your face contort as he curved himself inside you to hit your every pleasure point. His fingers moved to allow his thumb to take over, the pad of it flicking expertly against your clit and eliciting sinfully sharp moans to fill his living room. A deep grunt reverberated from his chest against your own and his thrusts became more erratic, each one curving into you and tightening your core muscles. Soon you were completely curled into his chest, your body shaking and writhing at the pleasure he was sending through you. His labored breathing only quickened just as his fingers did, relentlessly trying to get you off before or as he did. Ralph held tightly to your thigh, ramming himself into you one final time before pulling out, pressing his length to your leg to spill against you. Even as his body rocked with euphoria he kept his assault to your clit going until you let out a strained scream, hips jerked violently against his hand as the waves of your orgasm rolled over you.

The pair of you stood - rather, he held your weak self pinned to the wall - panting for air. Without a single word Ralph nuzzled into your neck to leave love bites and little kisses against your glistening skin. You brought a hand up to lazily rub up and down his toned upper arm, getting the meta to hum against your skin before reconnecting his lips to yours. “I’m so,” A quick peck. “Stupidly, absolutely,” And another kiss. “In love with you.” This time a long, slow and meaningful kiss, his hand finding your cheek to cradle gently. He inhaled deeply, as if he was taking in this very moment and breathing you in. Once he relinquished your lips your cracked a bright smile. “I’ve been falling in love with you since the moment I met you.” You admitted, but any ounce of nerves or fear of it was long gone. Those strong feelings of love were so much more than just caring for a friend, you were unmistakably head over heels for the goofy-grin wielding man before you. He stole a final kiss before setting you down on his couch, tossing you your crumpled up bottoms and jacket from the floor. You pulled your panties on lazily, throwing the skirt across the room to land next to his laundry hamper. A genuine sigh fell from him seeing you in nothing but your blouse and undergarments, and he held a finger up in protest. “Okay, I see your post sex outfit but I raise you one boyfriend’s comfy shirt.” He nonchalantly threw the word in as he just as carelessly and playfully tossed his previously discarded shirt into your lap, he himself grabbing a pair of lounge pants from the back of his couch. Giggling at his antics and lack of subtlety you stripped out of your blouse and bra, smirking when you saw his eyes taking in your figure before you slipped into his dark blue button up. Clearing his throat he settled close to your side on the couch. “You like it?” His voice was as soft as the touch he brought to rest on your thigh. A coy smile tugged across your face and you nodded. “Very much, definitely feels like it’s made of boyfriend material.” Placing your hand over his he glanced down to the contact before meeting your eyes again with a bright and cheesy glow on his features. “Just like me, Princess.” On the last syllable his lips met yours and you hummed appreciatively against them.

The moment he began to deepen the kiss your phone rang beside you on the coffee table with Iris’ familiar caller ID facing you. “I should take it..” He groaned but nodded, handing the device to you and letting you answer. “Hello? Hey, yeah no we’re fine just.. needed to get awa-ayyye—“ Ralph had attached his lips to the exposed areas of your chest and collar bone, chuckling lowly at the response he got from you. Iris babbled about how everyone was so worried and how a simple text would’ve been nice, and you mumbled a weak “Mmhmm..” Just as Ralph nipped at your skin. Your mouth fell open and to combat a moan you rushed the words in response to your friend. “Ah—Alright sorry won’t happen again see you tomorrow!” With a hast you hung up and clattered your phone to the table before practically pouncing into Ralph’s lap to attack his neck with your own little bites and affectionate pecks. He let his own sounds of pleasure trickle from him and you smirked against his skin, pulling back proudly staring at the faint hickey you’d left above his collarbone. His strong hands rubbed up your thighs and around you your behind, giving a playful squeeze that made you squeal, and him chuckle. “So.. wine and movie night?” He prompted and your face lit up, nodding. Your mind drifted to all the times you’d wished the evenings ended in him railing you out, and the fact that this one most definitely would had you excited in more ways than one. Your hands rubbed slowly down his chest and you nibbled the corner of your lip before speaking. “You know, wine’s always made me horny..” The words sunk into his brain and he let his head fall back against the couch. “ALL those wasted nights with blue balls?!” He exclaimed and you couldn’t control the bellyaching laughter that had you doubling over into his chest. He sighed dramatically while running his warm touch up your back. “Sounds like I have a lot to make up for..” he mumbled against your hair, and you giggled sweetly peeking up at him just long enough for him to peck your nose. He carefully shifted you to the couch as he moved to pick a movie from his shelf of tons. “Comedy or thriller?” He asked softly. “Thriller, any and all reason to get riled up.” You teased again, and it took a moment before his shoulder slumped and he whipped around with a defeated pout. “So when we watched all the Paranormal Activity movies and you jumped into my lap?” Your smirk was enough to make him whine. “Was the ballsiest move I could make and you still tucked me into bed with no more than a hug goodnight.” Shrugging you leaned back, and he sighed dramatically. “Yep, lots of moments to make up for.” He turned again to browse his movies, leaving your mind to wander a minute before you couldn’t keep it in. “What was Sherloque calling me earlier?” You blurted and watched Ralph’s ears turn pink and could only imagine his face matched though he kept his back to you. “Oh uh, ha..” he scratched the back of his neck as he half turned to catch your eye. “My other half.” He admitted and it was your turn to turn the shade of a rose. No wonder he’d gotten so flustered over it earlier. “Hmm.. sounds about right huh?” The question made the male’s heart flutter in his chest and he simply nodded with a longing gloss to his eyes as he stared down at you. “Sounds exactly right.”

#THIS IS SOME CUTE SHIT #ralph dibny #ralph dibny x reader #ralph dibny smut #the flash smut #the flash #the flash fanfiction

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bigbangarkha · 4 years

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8 Alarming Signs Your Dog May Be Sick

It is not always easy to determine if your dog may be sick or in pain.

The reason for that developed from their roots as wolves. Just like many groups, packs or herds, sick and weak animals have a high risk of getting killed and being abandoned from their group.

So animals that are hurt or sick will only show signs when it is practically too late for them.

As we have domesticated dogs for so many years, we can better tell if our companion is not feeling so well.

The best way to quickly cure any illness is by noticing early signs and taking your dog to the vet. For this, here are 8 alarming signs your dog may be sick.

1. Taking Distance

Your dog might be ill if he starts to retreat to his crate, dog bed or another room when he normally would lie near the family.

If he should be active and playful and is instead avoiding activity and interaction that may indicate that he is not feeling very well.

2. Breathing Issues

Every dog owner knows that snoring can get really intance when their pet is sleeping.

But there are many signs that you should be looking out for that may be caused by a respiration illness.

Symptoms include coughing, load breathing, gagging, and nasal discharge. You have to seek a vet immediately if the gums and tongue of your dog are more blue-ish whereas they should be pink.

3. Diarreha

If the poop of your dog doesn’t contain any solid texture and is watery then your dog is suffering from diarrhea.

Diarrhea should be checked with your vet to determine if it is caused by digestive problems or something else.

I always treat and prevent light diarrhea symptoms with lactose-free and low-fat yogurt.

The next day my dog is diarrhea free. You can also add coconut rasps for the taste and health benefits.

4. Less or No Appetite

Dogs love food more than anything. If there have been no changes in his food, daily schedule or circumstances and your dog refuses to eat then he might be ill and should be checked by a vet.

5. Runny and Cloudy Eyes

If your dog is constantly scratching himself, has diarrhea, dry skin and runny eyes then you could have an autoimmune reaction or other health issue.

Just like humans, dogs can also suffer from allergies against dust, pollen, mites or food. A vet can give him an allergy test to determine the cause of this reaction.

6. Pain

Like I said before, dogs just like wolves do not show any signs of pain and it is not an indicator that the pain can’t be bad. He will most likely suffer quietly.

You should get help for your dog if you recognize swelling, fatigue, drooling, growling or pulling away the hurting body part.

Do not give your dog human pain killers as they can be deadly for dogs and rather visit the vet.

7. Dizzy or Confused

If your dog seems to have a problem keeping balance and wanders around aimlessly through your house that is probably an indication for a certain illness.

He can also experience neurological issues that come with loss of consciousness, seizures, stumbling, and disorientation.

A sudden change in behavior should also concern you as dogs are pretty consistent with what they do and how they react every day.

Either way, a vet should have a look at your dog espacially if it is a very young or very old dog.

8. Dull Coat

The skin and fur of a dog is a great indicator for their health. The more shiny and smooth it is the healthier your dog.

If the coat of your dog is looking dull or even has bald patches which could be cause by parasites or other health problems.

Generally speaking, you should always keep an eye on your dog as nobody knows your dog as good as you do.

If you notice any changes in his body or behavior, go to a vet and consult him first before giving any medication.

How to Treat a Sick Dog

Pay attention to the exact symptoms your dog is showing and when they are occurring. You can also write them down in case you will need them when visiting the vet. Is he eating and drinking? Is he able to urinate and defecate? Does he have a fever or seizures? Is he limping or in pain?

If your dog is vomiting, withhold any food for 12 to 24 hours and see if the symptoms get better. Encourage your dog to drink some water to keep him hydrated and start with small amounts so he won’t throw it up. If your dog didn’t throw up for 24 hours, you can give him some easily digestible food like white rice and cooked chicken for 1-2 days.

You can also add some cheese or yogurt which helps build up the bacteria in the intestine. Split his food into 4 small meals per day and feed him one cup per 10 pounds of weight. So if he weighs 40 pounds, you can feed one cup in the morning, lunchtime, afternoon and evening.

Encourage your dog to rest while he is sick and restrict him from playtime so his body can heal. Do not leave him outside in the backyard and provide him with a comfortable, quiet and warm space inside.

Do not leave him alone at home when he is ill and keep paying attention to his symptoms. Do not hesitate to call your vet when in doubt.

When to Visit the Vet

There are certain symptoms that will require immediate veterinary care:

Severe vomiting and diarrhea

Bleeding

Sudden behavior change

Ingestion of foreign object or toxins

Broken bones

Breathing issues

Seizures

Unconsciousness

Not producing urine

Unable to defecate

Shivering

Sudden pain without a trauma

Refusing to eat or drink for 24 hours

Red/Swollen gums

Runny nose or eyes

How to Prevent Your Dog from Getting Sick

You cannot avoid that your dog will get sick some day but there are a few things that are totally preventable that will keep your dog healthy and happy.

Keep your home puppy proof – Restrict your dog’s access to chemical cleaners and other household items that are dangerous for him. Do not spray deodorant or any other chemical in the same room with your dog.

Lock away toxic foods – Do not give your dog access to any type of food or the garbage can. Keep everything behind counters and closed up. There are many beverages that most dog owners don’t know that they are toxic to dogs, like chocolate, avocado, bacon, sugar, raisins, grapes and so much more.

No table scraps – Never feed your dog food from the table. You neither want to encourage begging and it is not healthy for your dog. Most human food is full of fat, oil, and seasoning, so a big no for any dog.

No over the counter medication – Never give your dog human medicine. It will make him sicker and most are extremely deadly. Vets can’t treat your dog as long as pain killers or other medicine is still in the system, so you are putting your dog’s life at risk

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a-robin-among-thorns · 5 years

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In The Shadows of the Rising Sun: Chp 9

Chapters 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7 , Chapter 8

Once again so sorry for the delay on the chapter its been really crazy on my end. My sister had a baby, I got a new job and just the holiday to name a few ^^;

Chapter 9: Alone Together

Word Count: 2,210

Chise was hasty but diligent as she checked the apartment’s vacancy, silently thankful for the absurd lengths her cousin stretches out her business ventures. Seconds after the door clicks shut Elias emerged from the shadows in a rush and Chise sighed in relief. Although he had been present all day his long bony face is a sight for sore eyes. The sentiment was one he evidently shared for as soon as he was solid again he cupped her cheek in his right palm in almost reverent gentleness. He echoed her sigh, his breath sweeping over her red face in a rush, fanning the tips of her hair between his fingers.

It was so strange to be so sure that his feelings were exactly the same as hers. She blinked slowly, caught in the moment and hypnotized by his earnest gaze. The pads of his fingers fit in the curves of her jaw like she had done when she awoke beside him. She absently wondered if he recalled the action from his subconscious.

Belatedly, Chise pursed her lips and gripped her book bag tighter. If she wanted any hope of finishing her three days of math, not to mention her other subjects, she would have to start soon.

Her books spilled across the coffee table in a series of dull thuds. Fortunately, both science and history were reading assignments and the professors would never call on her if their lives depended on it. English was similar, translate and transcribe a paragraph of your choice from the provided kabuki play passages from hiragana to informal English. She normally dreaded this process, but her past days of constant English moved the work from a sluggish crawl to a leisurely walk.

All the while Elias hung just to the side of her. Although he sat corporally, he took the role of her shadow, all the same. Entranced in her movements eyes following where she goes, silent but ever-present.

Once the last character was redrawn as a letter she grumbled knowing it could be ignored no longer. Consulting her yellow sticky note, Chise split open the algebra textbook and set to work.

The process was slow and grueling. Finicky obnoxious measurements slowly scratched out to produce something that looked like effort went into it. She hated math on the best of days, this stupid fake math that can’t even be bothered to use numbers makes her want to pop a vein. But something about this assignment, aside from its extended length, grated at her nerves.

When it came down to it no matter how hard she would work on this assignment she would never understand it. She would work stressfully for several extra hours and receive a grade only slightly less abysmal than if she turned in nothing. It felt so pointless to toil and struggle for someone who wouldn’t pay her a passing glance. Who acted disgusted when she asked for help.

A hot gruff groan built in her chest and slipped through ground teeth, burning her nostrils. Distractedly she adjusted her bangs harshly and repositioned against the coffee table. In her shuffling, she didn’t hear Elias shuffle closer, peering over her shoulder. She jumped slightly when his hand slipped past her, the plum pad of his finger landing in between the unknown X and a pair of parenthesis.

“This one needs to be applied to all of the numbers inside the curves. It’s not a number, but it can still act like one.” He said simply. No trace of judgment or impatience could be found in his voice.

Her eyes followed his hand as he retracted. When their faces fell on each other he made a small nod in gentle urging. Her gaze returned to the paper. It couldn’t hurt. Slowly she applied his suggestion, more came as she worked, and the picture became clearer and clearer.

“Don’t forget to add and subtract this value because there are two possible answers.” She did just that and wrote out what had to be the closest thing to a properly done solution she had ever written. Another sigh spilled out, not of frustration but relief.

She leaned back on her elbow to look up at him fondly. “How do you understand math so well?”

His eyes crinkled in that glowing smile she had come to recognize. “When working with the fae, especially finicky ones, one must understand proportions and numbers. Even across different understandings. Many humans have met their end by accidentally slighting a proud spirit.” She chuckled at this, the absurd image of a faerie angrily stabbing at a calculator coming to mind.

As they worked together the heat of her frustration subsided. Her jaw relaxed and her breathing became less forced as her effort no longer felt futile. One after one they marked off the assigned problems until all 30 questions have a line struck through them.

The textbook closed with a satisfying thump as she brought the halves together like a grateful prayer. “Thank you for helping me. I couldn’t have done that on my own.”

His head tilted, “What have you done then?”

She shrugged, “I just turn in the best I can figure out.”

Elias looked back to the book between her hands. “And your teacher does nothing if you haven’t learned it?” He questioned.

“Pretty much.”

He was quiet at this looking pensive. As Chise began to put her work away the English assignment caught her eye reminding her of their conversation at lunch. “Would you like to look at this assignment with me? I can start teaching you Japanese.”

How could someone incapable of moving their face smile so plainly? “I would like that.”

He resettled again as she fished out the dictionary. “It’ll kind of be working backwards,” she mused aloud realizing the difficulty laid in front of her. “I’m probably not a very good teacher.” She admitted sheepishly.

“Any teacher is better than nothing.” He pauses, “Better than the teachers you have by the sound of it.” Chise stuttered unsure what to say when her attention snapped to the door and her heart stopped.

Tapping heels resounded through her eardrums like bass drums. In their shuffling the rattling of keys had been lost. Reina fidgetted through her purse and Chise and Elias were petrified as she looked up to the living room. Then back down at her purse.

She frowned and looked up again to Chise alone. She blinked in bewilderment looking to and fro as she skeptically walked forward. The frown on Reina’s face wanted to set in deep but her face was too confused to do so. “Were you...talking with someone? I could have sworn I heard…”

“I was just reciting my English,” Chise interjected forcing the most natural tone she could muster, “we have to read our translation aloud in class.”

Her cousin’s dark red lips pressed together disdainfully as her eyes searched the room. But nothing was disturbed, no exit could be that quick. And there is nowhere to hide in the barren apartment.

“Is...something wrong?” Chise probed in hopes of invoking her pride.

Reina’s posture realigned, regaining its commanding indifference as she unknowingly swallowed the bait. “No everything is fine.” She turned on her heels to place her purse on the kitchen counter. With her back turned, Chise steadily relaxed against the coffee table and stretched her fingers flat against the carpet. A warm shifting murmured against her palm, seeping between her digits.

“You spent a lot more than normal.” Reina’s sharp probing drew her out of the private moment. From the counter she stood with the remaining bills in hand, eyeing the child in her care like a hawk.

“I-i,” Chise gulped, mentally fumbling to come up with an explanation. “S-since it was my birthday Saturday I wanted to get something a little special.” Chise stutters, “Is that ok.”

Her predatory stare breaks as she blinks in realization. That had been this weekend, hadn’t it? “Um yeah, I guess.” She adds under her breath, “saves me from having to get a present.”

When Reina finally settled along the coffee table with takeout curry in hand, Chise felt as though she had lived through five separate heart attacks.

She was somewhat nauseous from the continuous back and forths but partook of her curry all the same. A few spoonfuls of spicy rice made the flip-flopping in her belly cease very quickly. The savory flavors danced on her tongue as she actually tasted a meal she should have been well familiar with. Although she would have happily devoured the entire container, a slight shift of her left hand reminds her to stop halfway.

As impatient an eater as she is everything else, Reina finished her rice soon after Chise and moved to throw away their containers.

Like a started rabbit Chise flung forward to guard her bowl from Reina’s grip, blocking her fingers from the plastic rim. Her brain catches up with her body as she slowly met her cousin’s eyes. Wide eyes narrowed like a bow pulled taunt, aimed at its kill. “What are you-“

“I was just wanting to save it for later,” Chise blurted, “maybe for breakfast.” She strained under the probing glare until Reina huffed and rolled her eyes. “Sure, that’s fine.” She sharply plucked her own bowl, standing in a fluid motion where Chise lay in her line of sight all the long way from the table to the trash. The timid clicking of the top and bottom of her plastic bowl resounded in the apartment as Chise watched Reina retire to her bedroom.

An eternity after Reina sealed herself in her bedroom the light under her doorway finally extinguished. A smaller eternity later, during which Chise showered and readied for bed, Elias had still not emerged from the shadows. From her futon, she ran her fingers all through the carpet. They met no resistance.

Suddenly nervous, Chise looked over her shadow. No red lights.

Her throat constricts in anxiety. Her mouth suddenly very dry, she croaked out quietly, “Elias?” Nothing.

She sat up like a shot, searching frantically. Red hair whipped from side to side before swishing toward the small hallway. A thicker patch of darkness slithered from the direction of Reina’s bedroom. Her heart relaxed once the shadow knitted itself back into her strange friend. His jaw parted in oblivious confusion. “Is something wrong?”

“No, but...I didn’t know where you were.”

His posture relaxed as his jaw clacked together in understanding. “I needed to be sure she was asleep before I emerged.”

At this confession her insecurity quelled and she found herself feeling oddly guilty. And clingy.

She wrapped her arms around his torso letting the warmth of his body permeate the icy chamber of her lonely heart. He gasped and returned the gesture, tucking his long jaw against her back. A light rumbling sigh vibrated against her sternum.

A similar rumbling from his stomach reminded Chise of the earlier injustice, prompting her to reluctantly untangle herself and make for the fridge. She tried to hand Elias the container of remaining curry but he refused. “You need to eat more.”

She frowned. “But you haven’t had any.” She pushed it toward him again. He held his palm up to push it away. “You haven’t eaten enough.” His eyes bore into her stern and urging.

She huffed and relented, prying the container open as quietly as she could. She dipped her fork in for a few more bites and swallowed roughly. She rubbed her mouth against her fist. “There,” she shoved the container somewhat defiantly at his chest, “now you have the rest.”

Elias nodded and made quick and quiet work of the food.

She sighed harshly as he ate, before returning to the futon. Deliberately she lowered herself onto her back, hair splaying across the ground and staring at the ceiling. Her mind felt both restless and sluggish while she deliberated what she should say. But as he laid nest her on his side nothing she has thought of felt correct. Chise looked up to Elias with guilt still lingering in her eyes. “Elias,” she whispered, “I’m sorry you had to hide here too. And that I didn’t teach you as I promised.”

He stared at her for a moment before finally answering, “it's not your fault.”

She opened her mouth but choked on her words. Chise knew it would be polite, right, if she told him that he did not need to stay if he wished not to. That he did not need to be tied to a place where his actions and presence were so harshly limited. But she was terrified, horrified, that he would take up the offer and leave her as she was before. Leave her like everyone else. Leave her...alone.

“I’ll make sure we have time tomorrow.” She promised in a small voice.

He hummed in agreement. She was not the only one feeling needy she realized as Elias settled himself to lie against her, his head tucked along her neck and his left hand taking her right. As her hand clasped back comfort washed over them. Chise still wished they had been given more time today, but with each other held close, she could be held content until tomorrow.

#The Ancient Magus Bride #mahou tsukai no yome #chise hatori #elias ainsworth #robinthorn #chise x elias #elias x chise #fan fic #fan fiction #stormy writes #I'll need to clean up those links at the top sooner or later :/

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virgiltheanxious · 6 years

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It’s Not Your Fault, Don’t Take Blame

Title: It’s Not Your Fault, Don’t Take Blame

Masterlist

Previous | Next

Pairing: Eventual Analogical

Warnings: None, I believe.

Word Count: 2,630

Summary: Virgil is a single father. Not only that, but he is a transgender single father. After leaving his parents and not looking back, he is left to raise his child with only help from his High School friend Patton.

As he plans a small birthday party for his son, Aeneas, he meets Roman and Logan. He never had any friends outside of Patton before but now it seems he not only has two new ones but a love interest as well.

Now, the only question is what will he do when someone calls child protective services on him?

A/N: Hello hello! Welcome to my big bang story. I’ll be honest when I say that this is not my favorite piece of work (i do think that spot is almost always going to be taken by Next Time) but I am glad that I wrote it. I’d like to thank my artist, @narwhal-virgil, for participating in this big bang with me and dealing with my dumb butt. I’d also like to thank the mods at @ts-storytime for making the big bang possible. Anyhow, on with the story!

Tags: Ask if you want to be tagged! General: @my-happy-little-bean @nightmarejasmine

Rubbing his face in exasperation and shutting off his car, Virgil took a minute to look at the dark sky. He had just worked a particularly hard shift at the bookstore, and then had a shift at a cafe, and then he had a shift at Market Basket until 7 pm. Now, he was sitting in the driveway to his crappy apartment building and had to deal with a rambunctious little kid. He really wasn’t sure if he had the energy after the three back to back shifts. Normally he only had two, but he had agreed to help out the bookstore at short notice. They were down a person after they called in sick, and he really needed the overtime money to help make ends meet because even if he had three jobs, the pay rate at part time just wasn’t cutting it. To top it all off, he didn’t have any other income

He sighed once more before stepping out of the car and letting the brisk winds whip away at his unzipped sweatshirt as he walked to the door. He noticed Patton’s car was parked outside, which meant that they were already there and playing around.

That made him crack a little smile. The mess that was probably going to be there didn’t however. As he walked up the stairs, he hoped that maybe Patton had decided to have Aeneas pick up his toys instead of leave them everywhere. Virgil jammed his key into the lock and turned it. As he opened the door he immediately heard Patton talking.

“Kiddo, looks like your dad is home now!” He said.

“Papa!” Aeneas shouted as he came out from the living room, which was right next to the door. Virgil grinned and picked him up, bringing Aeneas up to his hip and kissing his temple.

“Hey An! What have you been up to?”

“Patton and I have been coloring! Wanna see?” He asked, pointing over towards where Patton sat next to the table in the living room.

“You know I do! Let’s take a look, shall we?” Virgil said as he walked over and sat down at the table with Aeneas still on his hip. Aeneas shifted to sit in Virgil’s lap and grinned. Virgil pulled the coloring book that had scribbles in it over to them. He looked through each of them, noticing how Aeneas had actually stayed in the lines for the most part. Which, for a nearly five-year-old, it seemed quite remarkable. It was still scribbles though. Virgil let out a wow every now and again when Aeneas decided that a drawing needed an explanation to it.

When they had reached to the final, unfinished drawing, Virgil moved Aeneas off his lap and kissed his forehead as he started to finish the page that he had started earlier. Virgil stood up, and looked across at Patton, who had stood up as well.

“Alright, buddy, I’m going to get started on my dinner, okay?” Virgil said, walking across the room and into the open area that was his kitchen. He opened a cabinet and put a pot on the stove and got out a measuring cup as he glanced back into the living room to make sure Aeneas hadn’t moved or anything. When he saw Aeneas coloring, he looked turned on the sink and filled the measuring cup with 1 cup of water, then put it in the pot and turned on the stove. He pulled out the rice and measured it in the cup and then leaned on his back on the counter as Patton walked over.

“Hey, Virge. How was work today?” Patton asked, sitting down at the small table across from Virgil.

In response, Virgil rubbed a hand over his face. “Crappy as ever. I really need to find a full time job soon. I already have the degree and as long as I can get Aeneas a babysitter when I work later shifts, it would be so much better. I’d probably get a better pay than I do with the three part time jobs right now.”

“Probably? Virge, we both know you’d get a better pay. Besides, I wouldn’t mind helping watch Aeneas. He’s a nice kid and-”

“No, Patton. I can’t just keep asking you to watch him with no pay. Speaking of, I can give you twenty bucks-” Virgil moved to grab his wallet from his back pocket and reaching out to hand it to Patton- “because of the time you spent watching him today.”

Patton shook his head and pushed Virgil’s arm back towards himself. “No, it’s fine! I’m just doing what any friend would do. It’s no problem, really.”

Virgil let out a breath through his nose and put the twenty back in his wallet. He put the wallet away and decided he would slip it into Patton’s coat later.

“By the way, your water is boiling now,” Patton said, pointing at the pot.

“Crap!” Virgil exclaimed, putting the rice in the water and stirring it with a spoon.

“Quarter for the bad word jar, Papa!” Aeneas shouted, walking into the kitchen with the mason jar that had a few quarters and dollars in it already. Virgil smiled and once again fished out his wallet, pulling a quarter out from the change side of it and putting it in the jar.

“Hey, what do you use that money for, anyway?” Patton asked, standing up.

“When the jar fills up, I put it in a box. Eventually, I’m going to put it in the kid’s college fund. Or just his adulthood fund if he doesn’t want to go to college. For now, it’s just for emergencies. Like if something breaks with the car or if I need money for shots and can’t cover it with the other stuff. Stuff like that, you know? Next time I buy a pair of shoes I’m going to use that box to have two separate ones so I don’t take the money out of that one, you know? I’ll just split the jar in half and if it isn’t even I’ll put the more money in his adulthood fund.” Virgil explained as he cover the rice with a lid and turned off the stove.

Virgil turned around to see Patton’s grinning face. “...What?” He asked.

“You’re such a good father, Virgil! You try so hard to make sure Aeneas has a good life, you work three jobs, and you still spend lots of time with Aeneas. It’s so great.”

“Well, I want to give Aeneas a better life than I was given from my parents. I think it’s because I want to make up for their mistakes, honestly…” Virgil trailed off looking at the floor and tapping his finger on his leg.

“You’re doing such a great job, Virge. I wish I could help you more with all your stress, but I’m not sure what to do.”

“Patton, you help by just talking with me and watching Aeneas when I need it. You don’t even make me pay for having him stay at your daycare. You’re doing so much more than I could ever ask for. I really appreciate it, Patt,” Virgil said, looking up at Patton with a grin. He then turned to check Aeneas once more. He was relieved to find that he was picking up his crayons from coloring and bringing them to his room. “He’s a good kid, too. I really got lots of luck. I’m shocked that I was allowed this. Who in their right mind said ‘Hey! This guy is transgender but he’s got a great kid and friend!’ I feel like that just isn’t how it’s supposed to work.”

“Well, of course you have a great friend! I’m just acting as any real friend would. And with Aeneas… He’s just a kid now, wait until he gets older. Then he might start acting out a bit, you know? He’s only five right now.”

“Yeah, a five year old that cleans after himself! I’m not saying that isn’t bad… That’s literally the best. But he’s five, don’t five year olds leave a mess all the time? I mean, you should know because you run a daycare,” Virgil questioned.

“He may be five, but he’s smarter than you’d think. Kids can detect the stress that people are in and when they figure out something that might make you less stressed… they get into a habit to do that thing more often. There’s another kid that Aeneas plays with at school that acts the same way, really. It’s not extremely common that it acts as them cleaning up after themselves, but that’s just how some things work.”

Virgil turned back around and got a bowl out of the cabinet to put his rice into. He pulled off the lid and put all the rice into a bowl. Quickly, he grabbed a fork and closed the drawer wither his hip. Sitting down in the seat Patton was previously sat in, he sighed.

"Virgil, just... don't worry about it, okay? You're just gonna make it through the day. It's what you deserve, that's why you have such a good son and friend. You deserve us. I promise you.," Patton said, rubbing Virgil's shoulder. "By the way, is that all you're going to eat? You really should eat more. It's not healthy to just eat a bowl of rice."

"Nah, Patt. I'm fine with this. I ate at work, so this’ll do. Besides, I gotta make sure there’s stuff for Aeneas, and I can’t buy groceries for another week,” Virgil reasoned, shoveling rice into his mouth.

“You surely look like your starved and Virgil, you need to take care of yourself, okay? It’s important. You need to eat right so you can take care of Aeneas,” Patton commanded, sitting down across from Virgil.

Virgil shrugged as he ate another spoonful. “Well, yeah I do, but I also have to pay the bills. I can survive on what I’m eating as long as I have the bills paid. I mean we don’t even have a TV, so that cuts out one bill and we’re barely keeping a steady pay. Putting aside money is good too, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do. It’s fine, we’re good. I’m done growing so I don’t need to eat much, and I hate eating breakfast anyway. As long as I eat right at lunch or dinner I’m fine.”

“Whatever you say, I guess,” Patton said, putting his chin on his hand. “I’m just a little worried is all. I care about you and want to make sure you’re staying healthy. Also, stop talking with food in your mouth.”

Virgil swallowed. “Sorry. But really, don’t worry about it. I’m doing as fine as ever.”

Virgil stood up with his now empty bowl, bringing it to the sink and putting it under the faucet. He let it fill up with water before washing it. As he finished, he dried it with a towel and put it back in its rightful place in the cabinet.

“Well, it was nice talking to you Virge but I should probably get home. It’s getting a little late and I gotta deal with kids in the morning.”

Virgil nooded and snorted. “Yeah, but you deal with them every day. Surely you’re used to it by now,” He said, watching as Patton got his coat from the closet.

“That may be true, but it doesn’t make it any less tiring!” Patton said, grabbing his shoes and tying them.

“Aeneas, come say bye to Patton!” Virgil shouted. In response he heard Aeneas running into the kitchen.

“Bye Patt! Thanks for watching me!” Aeneas said, crawling onto Patton’s lap and hugging him tight.

“Any time Aeneas! How about next time we do a puzzle? I can bring one with me!” Patton said excitedly, putting Aeneas down and standing up.

“Yeah!” Aeneas said, jumping up and down. Virgil smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

“Alright buddy, you should start getting ready for bed now. Go brush your teeth and get changed, alright?” Virgil said, rubbing Aeneas’s back and pushing him ever so slightly out of the kitchen.

“Okay Papa! Will you put me to bed?” Aeneas asked, waiting for a response right before the hallway started.

“Of course buddy! Just make sure you’re ready!” Virgil answered, waving bye to Aeneas as he ran off into the bathroom.

“He really is a sweet kid,” Patton said.

“Yeah, he is. Anyway, I don’t want to keep you here any longer than you need to be. Bye, Pat. I’ll see you tomorrow when I drop off Aeneas. Which will probably be around 2:30 by the way, I don’t have a shift until three,” Virgil rambled.

“Alright,” Patton said, hugging Virgil. “Bye! Have a nice night and make sure to get some sleep!”

“I will!” Virgil responded, closing the door behind Patton as he left. He then went to his window in the living room that face the parking lot and made sure Patton got to his care safely and had pulled out of the lot. Virgil ran a hand through his hair and made his way to Aeneas’s room.

“Hey bud! Do you want me to read you a story, or do you just want to be tucked in?” Virgil asked, standing in the doorway.

“Just tuck me in, okay? I don’t need to be read to now! I’m a big boy,” Aeneas pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yeah you are.” Virgil chuckled, pulling back the covers as Aeneas crawled into the bed. He made sure to cover him and tuck him in tight. “Sweet dreams, Aeneas,” Virgil said, kissing his forehead to which Aeneas responded by pushing Virgil away.

“Night, Papa.”

Virgil backed out of the room and shut off the light as he exited, then closed the door. Sighing, VIrgil rubbed a hand over his face and went into his room. He grabbed a change of clothes for himself and then went into the bathroom to take a shower. As soon as he was done, he changed and walked back into his room to his desk in the corner. He pulled an envelope to his face and opened it, revealing the cost of the bill he needed to pay at the end of the week before it would be late. He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He knew he had enough money- he always made a way to make sure he had enough money.

The bills weren’t cheap, but it was just what he had to do to make sure that Aeneas could have at least a semi-not crappy house.

Virgil rubbed a hand over his face and put the bill back down. He grabbed his laptop and crawled into bed, putting the covers over his legs and opened netflix on his chrome web browser. He may not have a TV, but he did want to make sure there was some other form of entertainment for him and Aeneas. His laptop was expensive- probably more so than some crappy TV would be- but it worked and functioned properly, so he couldn’t really complain. He had Netflix because it was so much cheaper than having cable and he could still let Aeneas watch some TV shows with it. So it worked.

Once again, he turned on reruns of The Office, plugged in his crappy headphones, and sat back lazily as he watched. It was practically his nightly routine, which he truly was trying to get out of. He could be doing so many more important things, but he really just needed to relax for a bit. So that was how he fell asleep, laptop on his legs and sitting back on his bed.

#Virgil Sanders #anxiety sanders #Sanders Sides #TS sides #TS-storytime #ss big bang #TS big bang #Patton Sanders #Morality Sanders #evans work #evan writes #ts-storytime 2018

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shelbywanders · 5 years

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Less than $100/wk on groceries?!

If you’re anything like me, you don’t like wasting your money. You have to get your money’s worth, or it’s not worth it at all. One of my biggest struggles was grocery shopping. I HATED spending so much money on food that would just be gone in a couple of days! Dropping $200 on food a week was NOT my cup of tea, but hey, you have to eat! And grocery stores are just so tempting...

Right now, it’s just me & my fiance that eat the food. We have a four-month-old who is exclusively breastfed, and we also use cloth diapers, so we literally don’t spend any money on her when it comes to groceries! I know, love it while it lasts, right?! Even though it’s just the two of us, we were still spending way too much for my liking on groceries. But now I’ve gone from paying almost $200 a week on groceries to less than $100. And when I mean groceries, that includes all household items and toiletries. So really, I spend about $50-$60 on just food a week! How do I do it? Well honestly, there’s not a lot of tricks to it!

First things first, what are we eating this week? That’s the first question I ask myself when I go to make my grocery shopping list. Wait, back up. You don’t make a list? There’s your first problem!

Lists are VITAL to spending less money at the grocery store. Lists aren’t just great to remember things that you need to get. They serve other purposes too! I easily spend 50 bucks over my budget if I go into the store without a list prepared so now I won’t be caught dead without one. You might think that it’s silly to need such a thing, I mean come on. You’re an adult. Lists are for children. No! Listen, lists help keep my life together! When we go to the store, our eyes wander everywhere. They land on things that tempt us. You really didn’t plan on buying donuts at the store, but you spotted some, and they look soooo good..now you want them! When you write down only the things that you need, it’s easier to bypass the things that tempt you in the store. When you’re shopping from a list, your attention is focusing on the things on the paper. Therefore, you spend money on only the things you need this week and less on random items that just catch your attention when you don’t know exactly what you need. It might seem crazy that just a simple task like making a list can save you money, but you would be surprised! If you currently don’t make a list before you shop, I highly suggest to try it out and see how it goes for you!

So now we know we need to make a list. But what goes on it? It’s time to make a menu! It’s easy to forget things when we just make a list out of thin air. This is where Pinterest comes in so handy. Pinterest is a social media platform where people share recipes, home decoration ideas, inspiration for crafts and so much more. The first thing I do is get on over to Pinterest to help come up with new and easy recipes for dinners. I plan out my days and decide on what we’re going to have each day.

I am a sucker for cheap and easy meals. I mean, I have a baby, and I don’t have time to cook a dinner that takes an hour to prep and then another hour to cook. I have come up with so many dinners that are less than $10, and pretty much all of them take less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish. Some dishes take an hour to cook, but only a few minutes to prep. Those types of meals are my favorites! The only reason why I suggest Pinterest is because if you’re like me, I am not creative in the kitchen. I can cook just about anything, but if I don’t have a recipe, I have no idea where to start! I also hate having the same things over and over again, it just gets boring! It’s so easy for me to go onto Pinterest, search cheap dinner recipes and find so many different recipes to try out that don’t break the bank and help switch it up a bit to keep things fun and exciting in the kitchen!

Once I find my 7 dinner meals, I go to each one of them, and that’s how I form my list. I figure out what I need for each meal, take out what I already have at home and configure a shopping list from that. This way, I’m not just buying random things that I think I might or might not use this week. After I make my list from the recipes, I go back and add the rest of the foods I know we’ll need and then all the rest like household items and toiletries. Things that I usually add for example would be like eggs, milk, and bread. Cereal for breakfasts and lunch meat for lunches. You know, things that we use every week and that I know I need to buy no matter what the menu is.

I do realize that many people do this with their shopping lists. They know what they want to make, so people make a list of things that they need to get so that they can make it. It’s not unheard of! I used to do this too, but I would never make an actual menu for the whole week and plan my entire day out foodwise. Until I started to do that, I was still spending more money than what I wanted.

Making your menu

It doesn’t stop there! When I make my menu for the week, not only do I try to find cheap and easy recipes to follow, I try to find things that the items that I buy for one recipe will be used in another recipe too. For example, if I plan on making chili one night and I need to buy say, tomatoes, onions, and ground beef for it, I know I want to also make tacos another night so that I can use half of the tomatoes, onions and ground beef that I bought for chili for tacos too! I can buy one bigger can of tomatoes for .89 cents and split it and use it for two different meals. It’s all about looking at different recipes and seeing how you can save yourself a couple of bucks by buying bigger packages of items but using them for multiple meals.

Doing your shopping

Stores are different around the world. In my city, the biggest grocery stores that we have are Walmart, Kroger, Meijer and Aldi’s. I have shopped at all of them to compare them, and I always come back to Kroger and Aldi’s. When I do my shopping, I buy everything except protein (all the meats) at Kroger and I buy my protein at Aldi’s. Why? Because have you been to Aldi’s before?! Their protein is super cheap! Sure, it might sound annoying having to go to two different places for groceries, but I save $50 bucks easily by getting my protein at Aldi’s rather than just getting them at Kroger. So don’t be afraid to check out other grocery stores in your area and compare and contrast the prices! It might be worth it to go to two different places if you’re saving money! It is to me.

When I shop, I always buy the generic version as they are pretty much always the cheaper option. I know, the word generic sounds ugly. But honestly, most of the generic versions are still basically the same as the fancy name brand stuff! Besides, I just can’t get myself to buy something that is X amount of money when I know there’s a cheaper option available. But that’s just me! I mentioned earlier that I don’t do any couponing. Every now and then, I’ll have a coupon that I’ll use but other than that I don’t use any. Should I? Probably! But what I do pay attention to is sales. Sales! Sales! Sales! Kroger has a lot of great deals which helps my budget a lot. Never ignore the sales!

Getting home

Wait, you mean there’s more to saving money after the shopping is done? Yes! You’ve done your shopping, you’re tired, you’re ready for a bath & some wine, but you have more money saving things to do! When I used to grocery shop, I would buy one of those big things of chicken breasts (you know, the ones that look like this)

And I would just keep it like that. It wasn’t until I started portioning out my meats (therefore portioning all my meals out) that I started saving a lot of money. Not only do I portion all my meats out, but I also cut them in half. I mean those chicken breasts are HUGE! I buy the big thing of chicken, take each chicken breast and slice em in half and make twice as many meals as leaving them whole! And trust me, they are still big enough for a meal! I portion them out for two in a freezer bag. When we need to buy pork, we always buy a pork loin and then I cut them into chops if I need them or just leave it as a loin. I do the same thing when I portion them. Each meal gets its own bag. With a pork loin that costs 5-10 bucks (depending on the sale that week), you can make 3-4 meals out of it! When I need to buy ground beef, I buy the big 5 lb rolls and cut them in thirds or in half, depending on what I am using the beef for. These are just some examples of what I do with the meats I buy!

The last time I went to Aldi’s, I spent $11 on a pack of chicken breasts. They are huge, so we cut them in half, and after portioning them out, we had 11 meals! 11 meals for $11?! Yes, please! Not only does portioning the meals out help save you money, but it also makes thawing and preparing meals a lot easier too because all you have to do is take a bag out the freezer and into the fridge to thaw. No sorting out your meals or having to think about how much of what you’ll need.

So there it is! How I spend less than $100 a week on groceries! No tricks or couponing. Just planning and organizing your week makes such a difference in the money that you’re spending! To end this blog off, I wanted to include an example menu & list that I would use at my house to give you all a visual.

Mon- Oven Baked Meatball Sandwiches

Tues- Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake w Buttered Noddles

Wed- Garlic Rosemary Pork Loin w Green Beans & Mashed Potatoes

Thurs- Chili

Fri- Chicken Enchiladas w White Sour Cream Sauce

Sat- Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Sun- Lemon Buttered Tilapia over Rice

List

Bread for subs, pasta sauce, mozzarella, ground beef. Noodles, butter, mayo, parm cheese, sour cream, swiss cheese, chicken. Garlic, rosemary leaves, green beans, mashed potatoes (instant), pork loin. Tomatoes, onion, tomato sauce, ground beef, cheddar cheese, chili seasoning packet. Chicken broth, green chilies, tortillas, butter, mozzarella, sour cream, chicken. Hamburger buns, bbq, Worcestershire sauce, onion, chicken broth, garlic, brown sugar, pork. Lemon juice, butter, rice, tilapia.

As you can see, there are several items for each recipe that repeats itself. I’ll use the big ground beef for both meatball sandwiches and chili. I’ll use sour cream in the swiss chicken and chicken enchiladas, also use the mozzarella with the meatball sandwiches and enchiladas, also the butter in a ton of dishes... you get the picture! All these recipes are very different from each other yet contain a lot of the same ingredients that you can use for multiple purposes.

I’ll add on any extras like cereal, milk, eggs, bread, and other drinks. Add the household things that I might need like laundry or dish detergent and then toiletries, like shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant. And then there’s my list! This was actually my grocery shopping list a few weeks ago. I spent less than $100 on it all!

Other comments & tips!

I realize that many people have bigger families to feed, but that’s okay! All of this can still help you. Most of the meals that I make, while there are only 2 of us, they could definitely feed more like 4 people. I make a lot so that I have leftovers that I can quickly heat up for lunch the next day!

The thing I like the most about making lists from menus is that it is super customizable. If your budget is $200 a week, you can make a more extravagant list. If you have time in your life to make more time-consuming recipes, you can change up your menu with more ingredients too! Just because I personally like to stick with simple but tasty and fast recipes, doesn’t mean you have to!

While I tend to buy generic items, there are plenty of ways to spice them up! I almost always buy instant mashed potatoes (I know some will cringe at this) but just add some salt & pepper, butter, garlic & sour cream & a tiny bit of cream cheese, you would think it was homemade! I buy the $1 jars of pasta sauce, add some garlic, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese & bam! So much tastier and it’s so easy to do!

If you’re interested in the recipes that I love to make (All under $10 and 30 minutes or less to cook!) make sure to follow me on my Pinterest to see what I pin!

https://www.pinterest.com/shelbywanders

Thank you so much for reading! I love saving money and love to help other people do it too! After all, saving money = happy life!

#saving money #grocery savings #grocery shopping #mommy hacks #food recipes #easy food recipes #cheap food recipes #mommyblogger #mommy blog #money #money savings #savings #organization #happy #happy life #frugal living #pinterest

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fallinnflower · 6 years

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need a lift?

wow x reader (fluff)

a/n: @kim-jung-uwu you’re welcome :)

It’s really not possible for the day to get much worse, you think, glancing across the small elevator from your corner to his. Sehyoon’s bangs are hanging down, covering his eyes, and even though you know that there’s no cell service in here and his phone has been dead for the past ten minutes, he hasn’t looked up from the screen even once. Occasionally, he taps nervously at the glass, and it’s really the only way you know he’s alive right now. Getting stuck in an elevator had made your already rough day worse, mostly because you were stuck with the one person from this company that refused to even look you in the eye.

You tuck yourself a little further into your corner, tugging your coat tighter around your shoulders. The authorities had told you both it would be at least an hour and a half before they could get you out, and that was scarcely over ten minutes ago, but you were already losing your mind. You’d spent the day running paperwork on less than four hours of sleep, two cups of coffee, and a donut from the break room — after work you’d been looking forward to a shower and some kimchi fried rice, but then you got stuck here.

Being in the elevator with Sehyoon at the end of the day had been awkward to begin with, but being stuck was about one thousand times worse. And, to somehow add to you misery, you can feel your stomach about to growl—

However, the rumbling noise that echoes in the elevator doesn’t come from you, and you can see Sehyoon blushing while staring down at his dead phone. You bite your lip and rummage around in your bag until you come across an energy bar — possibly stale, but probably still edible — and clear your throat as gently as possible. Sehyoon jolts, slightly, and looks up, shaking his bangs out of his eyes.

“I, um— I have this granola bar, if you want…” As his face turns more red, you start to feel yours doing the same, because Sehyoon’s eyes are much darker and more intense than you thought they were now that he’s actually looking at you, and you suddenly wish you hadn’t said anything at all. He doesn’t say a word, and you nervously roll the granola bar around in your hand, averting your gaze,

“I mean, the fire department said it would be a while, and I know it isn’t much but we could split it, maybe? You don’t have to, of course, because it might be old—“

“Sure.”

Working in the same building as Sehyoon, you’d heard his voice before — and you’d heard him on A.C.E’s tracks, too, so you really shouldn’t be surprised — but having him actively talking to you makes your head spin a bit. You look up from the floor, only to stare at him in shock for a moment too long before coming back to your senses,

“Yeah— yeah, sure, okay!” You rip the package open, split the granola bar in half, and immediately stuff your half into your mouth just to stop yourself from talking. Sehyoon inches forward from his corner towards your extended hand, taking his half from you carefully. You can’t help but notice how he doesn’t move back to his spot immediately, instead remaining close to the elevator’s center, slowly eating his portion.

“You… work upstairs, right?” He asks, quietly, and then ducks his head when you glance over, still chewing through your granola bar. You think he mumbles an apology, but you’re too busy trying to swallow to really notice, because he won’t look at you anymore so he can’t see you nod.

“I do,” you say, voice unusually raspy. Sehyoon looks up at you just long enough to nod in acknowledgement before staring at the tiny piece of food in his hands, and you turn your attention to your phone. You stare at the upper left corner, as if you could somehow will the device to find service and begin working again, because you honestly just want to text your best friend—

Sehyoon interrupts your thoughts by shoving a half-empty water bottle in your face, and when you look over he only offers you something that could possibly be called a smile and shakes the bottle slightly.

“Thanks.” The crinkling of the plastic bottle is the only sound you get in reply, and you take the tiniest possible sip before setting the bottle between you on the linoleum floor. Checking your phone tells you that barely five minutes have passed since you first offered your granola bar to Sehyoon, meaning there’s still over an hour to go before you’ll be freed from this metal death trap. You lean your head back so it rests against the wall, resolving to never take the elevator again.

“Yeah, me neither.”

You hadn’t realized Sehyoon was paying attention, or that you had voiced your thoughts, but you find that both statements are true — and that Sehyoon is actually smiling at you for once, although the expression is marked with a certain degree of resignation.

“What a day,” you laugh, looking back up at the ceiling, and Sehyoon leans forward, pulling his knees towards his chest.

“Yeah,” he agrees, and his voice sounds more tired than it had before; you suddenly realize that you have no clue what he was leaving for, exactly, or how long it’s been since he’s gotten a proper meal, or sleep. Sehyoon might actually be worse off than you are right now, and the thought makes your heart sink a bit.

“This must really suck for you, huh?” He turns to you and shrugs, a tentative smile playing at his lips again.

“It’s probably worse for you.”

“Well,” you start, tilting your head down to meet his gaze levelly. “It could be worse. I could be stuck with Chan.”

“Or Byeongkwan.”

The both of you laugh at the thought, and the sound fills the elevator in a pleasant way; you find yourself speaking before you can stop,

“You wanna get a burger after this?”

At that Sehyoon gives you an actual smile, finally, and suddenly you fully understand why his stage name is WOW as he shakes his bangs out of his eyes again to get a better look at you,

“I’d like that.”

And for the first time since that morning, you think the day has gotten just a little bit better.

#Kim Sehyoon #wow #a.c.e #a.c.e texts #a.c.e fanfiction #a.c.e writing #a.c.e scenarios #a.c.e imagines #kpop imagines #my writing #kpop texts #wow scenarios #wow imagines

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familycuisinee · 3 years

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easy to make gluten free dessert non bake

These 13 recipes for no bake gluten free desserts are for those days when you just can’t bother turning on the oven, but you still want a treat! Whether it’s too hot or you’re too bothered, these are some of my very best recipes… <img src="https://ift.tt/3Bwy6lU" alt="These 13 recipes for no bake gluten free desserts are for those days when you just can’t bother turning on the oven, but you still want a treat!" /> If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know it’s primarily a gluten free baking blog. Sure, there are some of my absolute favorite gluten free dinner recipes thrown in for good measure. But mostly, cooking is naturally gluten free, so I stick to what you’re probably missing most. Cookies, cakes, bars, and breads. But when the weather outside is hot as blazes, I understand that you may not be willing to turn on the oven. Or maybe you’re having a big family gathering, and the oven is already working overtime. Enter no bake gluten free desserts! This recipe collection doesn’t even include every single one of my no bake recipes here on the blog, which is actually over 40 recipes strong. But these are the 13 no bake recipes that I turn to most often. From creamy, delicious no bake cheesecakes (clearly a personal favorite!), to naturally sweetened peanut butter pies, Paleo-style fudgesicles and everyone’s favorite classic no bake oatmeal cookies (without any peanut butter!), this list has it all. If I’ve missed your favorite style of no bake dessert, let me know in the comments and I’ll see what I can do. Even when it’s not summertime, sometimes no bake is where it’s at! And if you’re okay turning on the oven, don’t miss all 400+ of my gluten free desserts recipes. That’s the group of recipes my kids browse when they’re looking for inspiration on what birthday treat to select! <img src="https://ift.tt/30j1i29" alt="The perfect smooth and creamy no bake strawberry cheesecake, made with strawberries, cream cheese and whipped cream, plus a bit of gelatin and sugar. So quick and easy, it’s the perfect warm weather treat!" /> The perfect smooth and creamy no bake strawberry cheesecake, made with strawberries, cream cheese and whipped cream, plus a bit of gelatin and sugar. So quick and easy, it’s the perfect treat. Many of you have made this recipe, and it seems like a 50-50 split between those who make it with the crust and those who make it without. But there’s no doubt that it’s one of your favorites (and mine). I think it would work with any of summer’s berries, too. <img src="https://ift.tt/3BwBBc0" alt="This no bake peanut butter pie recipe is made into healthy single-serve miniatures, with coconut milk instead of cream cheese in the filling. So simple and delicious!" /> This no bake peanut butter pie recipe is made into healthy single-serve miniatures, with coconut milk instead of cream cheese in the filling. So simple and delicious. This is your virtuous choice. <img src="https://ift.tt/3oN7nhp" alt="No bake lemon cheesecake miniatures are little bites of citrus heaven, made with sour cream, cream cheese, a touch of sugar and gelatin, and plenty of lemon. No-bake some today!" /> No bake lemon cheesecake miniatures are little bites of citrus heaven, made with sour cream, cream cheese, a touch of sugar and gelatin, and plenty of lemons. <img src="https://ift.tt/3uZsjCQ" alt="No Bake Banana Split Cake, made gluten free. A graham cracker crust, topped with fluffy cream cheese, bananas, crushed pineapple, vanilla pudding and whipped cream—and a cherry on top!" /> No bake banana split cake made gluten free. A graham cracker crust, topped with fluffy cream cheese, bananas, crushed pineapple, vanilla pudding and whipped cream—and a cherry on top. Even just the pineapple banana pudding mixture alone is worth the price of admission. <img src="https://ift.tt/30gb6tF" alt="Edible cookie dough that’s made without eggs or any “regular” flour is the worry-free, safe way to let your family indulge in everyone’s favorite treat!" /> Edible cookie dough that’s made without eggs or any “regular” flour is the worry-free, safe way to let your family indulge in everyone’s favorite treat. Try it Ben and Jerry’s style, stuffed into some of my homemade vanilla ice cream. <img src="https://ift.tt/3oPyQ1P" alt="Smooth and creamy Paleo chocolate mousse, made with chocolate, coconut cream, cocoa powder, honey and vanilla. Just blend it and let it set!" /> Smooth and creamy Paleo chocolate mousse, made with chocolate, coconut cream, cocoa powder, honey and vanilla. Just blend it and let it set. Another virtuous choice, and it’s so rich that you’ll never overeat. That’s a promise. <img src="https://ift.tt/3oRh7XJ" alt="This chocolate pudding pie is my favorite no bake gluten free treat of the season. The filling is smooth as silk, plus the cookie crust slices clean, and adds just the right amount of cookie crunch." /> The filling in this no bake chocolate pudding pie is smooth as silk, plus the cookie crust slices clean, and adds just the right amount of crunch. <img src="https://ift.tt/2YAdOK7" alt="One slice of cheesecake with cookie crust with sliced strawberries and powdered sugar on a brown acacia wood plate" /> This is the easiest no bake cheesecake recipe you’ll ever find, and it always sets up quickly. A plain vanilla cheesecake made with cream cheese, sour cream and a touch of gelatin, it’s quite simply perfect. It’s also super easy to make into a lighter style for a less-sweet treat. <img src="https://ift.tt/2WZvIF8" alt="Healthy homemade fudge popsicles, made with 4 ingredients in a super simple recipe, are all it takes to put the ice cream truck to shame this summer!" /> This fudgesicles recipe is made with just 4 healthy ingredients, and couldn’t be easier. Put the ice cream truck to shame this summer. Any ice pop mold will do, and even a paper cup and a stick work in a pinch! <img src="https://ift.tt/3AuE6Ks" alt="" /> These homemade marshmallow rice krispie treats are actually easier than making the iconic treats with packaged marshmallows because the whole mixture isn’t quite as sticky and messy. Plus, they’re naturally gluten free and made with the simplest pantry ingredients. <img src="https://ift.tt/3ArTk2R" alt="A light and fluffy, mousse-like no bake gluten free chocolate cheesecake that isn’t too rich or too sweet—and can be made with or without a simple cookie crumb crust." /> A light and fluffy, mousse-like no bake gluten free chocolate cheesecake that isn’t too rich or too sweet—and can be made with or without a simple cookie crumb crust. <img src="https://ift.tt/3AxkS73" alt="A no bake chocolate eclair cake made with graham crackers, whipped vanilla pudding and covered in chocolate ganache." /> A no bake chocolate eclair cake made with graham crackers, whipped vanilla pudding and covered in chocolate ganache. So easy, and it tastes just like an eclair. <img src="https://ift.tt/3FycPL0" alt="No bake oatmeal cookies are the classic no bake cookie you remember, made with or without peanut butter—even with or without oats. Naturally gluten free!" /> And finally, no bake oatmeal cookies are the classic chocolate no bake cookie you remember, made with or without peanut butter—even with or without oats. Naturally gluten free. This is how to make perfect gluten free cookies, even if you can’t bake! This post was originally published in 2013. Most everything has been changed because the blog has grown a lot since then! source https://familycuisine.net/easy-to-make-gluten-free-dessert-non-bake/

#familycuisine

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