#Tackling picky eating in children

[kidsinnowadays]

How to Conquer Picky Eating for Good: 10 Surprising Tricks to Turn Your Child into a Foodie

Tackle picky eating with 10 surprising tricks to transform your child into a foodie for good. #PickyEaters #ParentingTips #HealthyEating #FoodieKids

If you have a picky eater at home, you know the daily struggles of mealtime battles and food frustration. However, there’s hope! In this guide, we’ll reveal ten surprising tricks that will help you conquer picky eating for good and transform your child into a foodie who enjoys a variety of nutritious and delicious foods. Say goodbye to food struggles and hello to a more harmonious dining…

[punkranger]

Antoine asks! May we get the answers for: 👹🥊🌙 and 💗

this got long, even if it is very warm and hard to think^^;

👹How does you OC act around different people and how does their personality change to match the environment they’re in? How do they act with: friends, family, strangers, children or their lover(s)?

In general Antoine acts pretty similar around most people - that is those he is interested in getting to know. These days he's as much himself as he can be from the get-go: and if people don't like him at his *gonna climb up on this roof to avoid an argument* or *will physically fight you as a way to bond* then they don't deserve to know him at his best, whatever that is (it's *visits you in the hospital after he beat you up*). 

There is probably more of a difference in the way he acts with people he knew during sidestep days and everyone else, regardless of how close he is with them. He's probably more guarded around chen and even ortega than anyone else, which is both a habit he's returning to as well as something recent. Partly because of the villain business and he knows them - that chen will pry and ortega will try to get him back as sidestep and mess up his plans. But there's also a lack of trust and the fact that just being around them reminds him of the past and he doesn't want that, he wants to focus on the present, on the future. Either way, it makes him more snappy and easily annoyed around them, while he's usually very laid back (or seemingly so, at least as long as no one is attempting to have a serious conversation).

As for people he doesn’t like he usually doesn’t bother interacting with them at all unless he has to, or if he’s in the mood to annoy someone he thinks is an asshole he’ll either taunt them or just fight them if he’s in a place that’s possible. If he can’t do that, like if he needs something from them that he can’t take with force he’ll reluctantly play along, but will probably slip and let his dislike show.

🥊Does your OC prefer to take the lead or follow orders? With everyone or just with certain people? Is there a reason for this?

Antoine definitely works best in a team where everyone has an equal say, or mostly so at least. He doesn't like being ordered around at all, doesn't really matter if the orders are reasonable or even just requests, it'll make him dig his heels in immediately and try his best to actively work against the orders. Danny is probably the only exception, mainly because he doesn't do it often (and because he's cute). 

Then there's Hollow Ground… here Antoine is falling back on old tactics a bit and trying to curb his recklessness. He still rebels by doing things like ignoring dress code and being rude to his face - but only after having agreed to work together, he knows he can't stand up to HG yet so he tries to play it smart even if it is painful. He's hoping to learn a lot by doing it and hopefully get a better idea of the situation before tackling that empire. 

As for leading; he does technically lead his own little syndicate, but he is very relaxed about it - though one reason he can be is because Pelayo has enough discipline to make up for it.. and because Antoine likes getting involved himself, he just needs to make sure everyone knows what their task is and then he’ll leave them mostly to their own devices. It took a while to get it to work but now it’s a well-oiled machine (until it isn’t but he’s got enough sense to give more exact orders when he has to).

Either way, he's not really fond of the added responsibility that comes with leadership, but it does beat having to follow orders. 

🌙 What are some of your OC’s favourites? Favourite food, colour, season, stuff like that! Give some general simple facts that tend to get overlooked!

Food: he’s not picky, anything that’s filling and easy to eat is good, but considering the rarity of beef he’ll definitely pick that when he can. 

Colour: probably dark purple, but he does like just having a bunch of colours together

Season: weirdly summer, even if LD is a literal hellhole then at least everyone else is as miserable as he is. Also it gets too hot to think and that’s a pro. But he mostly likes the evenings that are warm but dry and comforting in a way.

💗What inspired you to make this OC? How long have you had them? How have they changed in the time you’ve been developing them?

I just made him for fhr, as I played, but he's changed quite a lot since that initial playthrough. That was in.. early 2019? February I think? What is time.. so he's three years old.

Anyway, I started out trying to play the game like any other game, so I was making choices that were mostly about playing it smart because I didn't know you were able to fuck up or make dumb choices so I very much played it safe - he still wasn't really a bluestep, but his recklessness and arrogance were way lower. But when I figured out you could do dumb shit without consequences (yet/for me lol) Antoine turned into someone who was absolutely going to press the button to see what would happen. 

I think this was halfway through the first playthrough that I realised this, and sometime during the second or third I decided to change his goal to having a better life from.. I think exposing the truth? And his HB scar from outsider to hunger. 

Still, those initial choices linger a bit in his dislike for lying and the way his hunger for more is expressed more in context of social contact than as a wish for more things or physical wealth.

[fussyeatersolution]

Get Picky Eaters to Eat Healthy with a Health Nutrition Specialist for Kids in Melbourne

Are you caught in the web of confusion surrounding your child's nutrition? Do mealtime battles leave you feeling defeated? Dealing with picky eaters poses distinctive challenges, and at Fussy Eater, we understand the struggle. Our dedicated specialist for kids nutrition in Melbourne, Marie-France, is committed to guiding parents through the maze of feeding dilemmas.

Marie-France provides valuable support to parents, helping them navigate the challenges and alleviate feelings of guilt and inadequacy. She recognises parents' hurdles in steering children away from the monotony of unhealthy meals and towards a balanced diet. As the expert in childhood nutrition, Marie-France has the knowledge and experience to help you make healthy mealtime choices for your kids.

Her strategies enable parents to create practical solutions tailored to their children's individual needs, fostering their development effectively. Through her one-on-one consultations or our online courses, Marie-France provides an action plan packed with delicious recipes and creative ideas that will encourage even the pickiest eaters to try something new. Keeping a keen eye on gut health advancements, she offers tailored solutions to fortify your child's immune system, ensuring a foundation for a healthy body and mind.

Choosing a health nutrition specialist for your fussy eater has numerous benefits. Marie-France offers certainty and understanding by helping you uncover the mystery of what foods to include in your child's diet. With her nutrient insight, she can identify lacking nutrients and emphasise the importance of preventing deficiencies. Additionally, Marie-France can develop a personalised plan to cultivate good quality gut bacteria, ensuring optimal gut health. Moreover, she can provide effective strategies to tackle picky eating, helping you introduce a variety of foods to even the most stubborn eaters.

Choose Fussy Eater Solutions for personalised guidance from our expert Kids Health Nutrition Specialist. Let's transform your child's relationship with food together. Visit us to book your free 15-minute assessment!

[kikigoestomotherhood]

Imagine a baby that is inconsolably crying (or worse, listless and lethargic) because they are so hungry. But when you offer food (breast, bottle or solids) they refuse—turning their head, clamping their mouth shut and becoming even more agitated. They are sobbing, you are sobbing and you don’t understand why your baby won’t just eat!

For the months I spent trying to find an effective treatment my daughter’s GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease), this was our reality. She was in so much pain from uncontrolled reflux that she chose near starvation and dehydration over eating. Everyone seems to have advice about what to do when your baby won't sleep- but what about when they won't eat?

Feeding aversions don’t happen overnight; they develop over time and can be very difficult to reverse.  It can be hard to recognize ‘in the moment’ and you may convince yourself that the behavior you are seeing from your baby is ‘normal’— that you just have a fussy baby. 

One bad feeding here or there usually isn’t a problem but for us, this was how it started. Then it became a few bad days a week. Then most days were bad days. By the time she was five months old, it was a struggle to get her to eat at all. It wasn’t normal, and she wasn’t just fussy—she was in pain.

Because we worried about her weight gain, we kept trying to get our daughter to eat even when she clearly didn’t want to. We didn’t know what we were doing was wrong. As I learned later, pressure doesn’t just mean offering a bottle over and over. It can also include distractions like singing or dancing or feeding while baby is drowsy or asleep (we were guilty of trying all of these)

These methods worked in the moment but lost effectiveness quickly, causing feelings of anxiety and stress to build up. It was too easy to fall into a pattern of going to extreme measures to try and feed her. 

Unfortunately for some families, negative associations with eating can continue past the formula/breast milk stage and result in a baby is who is reluctant to try solids or an extremely picky and/or food avoidant child.

 Help! I think my baby has a feeding aversion! 

The first thing you need to do is figure out WHY. For instance, if they don’t want to eat because they are in pain then that is the first issue you need to tackle. Trying to overcome an aversion without getting your baby out of pain is going to be at best futile and at worst, potentially dangerous.

Here’s what I mean:

Once our daughter was on the right dose of reflux medication we saw amazing improvement. Her chronic congestion cleared, she slept better and spitting up no longer bothered her. BUT she still wasn’t eating.

She was so fearful of her bottle that even once she was out of pain she didn’t trust it.  We solved the medical reason for her aversion but needed to focus on the behavioral. 

My background is in working with children with Special Educational Needs and feeding aversions weren’t new to me. From working with older children who were food averse that I knew we needed to deal with Sally’s before it turned into a chronic issue. 

Enter Rowena Bennett. 

Bennett is an Australian nurse with over 20 years of experience in pediatrics, midwifery, child health, mental health, and lactation support. I devoured her book,  ‘Your Baby’s Bottle Feeding Aversion: Reasons and Solutions.’ Although Bennett is writing for bottle fed infants, many of her strategies are ones I am familiar with from my own work and can be adapted to feeding solids as well. 

Although oversimplified here, the method we followed was:

1) Offer a bottle. If any signs of refusal are present (turning head, clamped mouth, etc) remove.

2) Offer again 5 minutes later. If baby shows signs of refusal, remove bottle and do not offer again until next usual feeding time. 

3) If baby does accept the bottle, remove it at first signs they are becoming distressed (pulling off bottle, batting it away, turning head). Do not offer again until next feeding time. 

My husband was skeptical. In his own words ‘I thought if we tried this she would starve.’ He was right to worry. If we had tried it without first treating Sally’s reflux she may have continued to refuse, quickly leading to dehydration. For that reason, I encourage anyone who is dealing with a potential aversion to talk to their doctor first. 

In our case she initially ate even less. But as she learned that we weren’t going to pressure her, she realized it was up to her if she wanted to eat. By removing pressure we started to peel away months of negative associations. She was soon downing 7 or 8 ounces and even wanting to hold the bottle herself.

Thankfully, not every baby with reflux will go on to develop a feeding aversion. That said, babies and children can also develop aversions for reasons unrelated to reflux. It is worth knowing the signs so that you can put effective strategies in place. Most importantly, by showing your baby it is up to them how much they eat you will be laying the foundation for a positive relationship with food that can carry them through childhood (and make things a whole lot easier on yourself in the process!)

[poison--ivory]

Bnha Hc’s Family Dinner

Characters: Shinsou, Midoriya, Bakugou, and Kirishima

Warning: Aged up, Pro heroes

This goes with my main story Future 

So does this 

Shinsou

Before kids, expect small banter at the start of the marriage. Dinners in the living while watching movies ‘til you both got too tired

After, you guys had children, dinner would be held at the dinner table

Everything has to have tops on it or sides, because your kids are very clumsy

‘Simple eating’ goes right out the window as you witness your son fling food at his sister and her trying to catch it. Misses entirely and hits the floor, the cat usually waiting underneath the table for this type of situation to transpire

Quirk rules were placed in your household once they both started showing signs. Especially after Hitoshi couldn’t for the life of him find out when he ordered Wendy’s and how he got the fast food in the first place

Hitoshi wandered back home one day with McDonalds and a very happy Akira skipping pass him, a huge smile plastered on her face

Midoriya

Dinners with Deku are a lot different than when you guys went out in high school. Since he became number one ranked in Japan he hardly gets to sit down let alone eat an actual meal

So, when kids came into the equation you were still alone at night. But, now you have a small piece of him spitting up in front of you

He doesn’t mean to leave the both of you by yourselves each night. So, he tries making up for it by video calling you each night before dinner to eat with you guys through call

On good days, he squeezes in free time for himself and before anyone could tell him otherwise he rushes home with takeout

His son and daughter tackle him as soon as he walks through the door

Answers each question his children pass his way. His daughter inherited his speed talking and muttering under her breath

You and your son just silently watch as your husband and daughter converse in a language you couldn’t keep up with

Bakugou

He was the one mostly cooking at the beginning of the relationship. But, since he’s pro now and in the top five he works a lot. So, you cook whenever you get home from hero work

After son was born Bakugou tried making it home for dinner on time. He won’t admit it out loud, but his son is his soft spot

 So, when you call him for dinner plans and he hears his kid in the background asking if dad’s going to come. You better believe that man is  going to rush getting his work done

He gets home early on some days and with his son’s help makes the spicy curry he and his son love. You watch as your kid tells off your husband for not making it spicier and then a mini screaming match goes off

 Giving his son food is always 50/50. He’s a very picky eater and will most likely only eat it if he sees Katsuki eat it first

Like Deku, he’ll make video calls with you and will eat dinner that way to satisfy his longing for his family

Kirishima

You guys ate literally anywhere in your house that allowed you both to cuddle next to each other

Then, you had your first kid and it was fine since you could control one baby. That is until you had three more and then one last baby. Marking five kids with the last name Kirishima

Unlike Izuku and Katsuki, Eijirou was less famous than those two and wasn’t even top ten yet. So, he had as much free time as Hitoshi(not really)

When he enters his home all of his kids run to him and tell him all about the day they had

He plays with the kids while you set the table and prepare the food. His job is to sit the kids down without them making even more of a mess along the way

His kids get eerily quiet when they start devouring the food. Creeps him out even more that his kids have their own silent language

[britishassistant]

The Villainous Paranoiac Did Not Ask to be a Senpai

It’s been maybe two weeks since you woke up with a blade to your throat in a strange, ninja-and-pirate themed afterlife, and then woke up in a maximum security prison the next day. On the third day, thankfully, you woke up again in your bed in Ramshackle dorm with Grim snoring beside you.

There was even a surplus of food in the fridge and pantry, and some recipes for it in one of your notebooks, which you appreciated.

After three days, you let your guard down enough to assume you weren’t going to travel to anywhere else in your sleep and began to work on your essay for Professor Trein again.

On the seventh day, however, you woke up to an attempting smothering that was only foiled by Grim screaming and a second preteen tackling your would-be murderer off of you.

You then had to separate the two brown-haired children who were fighting on your bedroom floor and looking more and more like they would actually kill each other with every blow.

You got a broken nose for your trouble.

That was how you met the two brats who you temporarily swapped places with, and who are currently living in your dorm with you as “hopeful potential students” as the birdbrain headmaster put it.

It’s clearly just a clever way for the dumb bird to avoid taking direct responsibility for the lives of under sixteen years olds. If they die from a magic mishap or getting squashed by an overblot, he can pin the blame on your incompetence instead of the school’s.

Joy.

Epel’s still sulking about you “swiping his kohai” from him. Vil-senpai acts as if he doesn’t care, but the number of times he’s dropped by to complain about your standards of beauty care begs to differ.

Honestly, they and Pomefiore can have Nana if they want him so badly... is what you would say if Crowley weren’t increasing your funding per temporary occupant. You were quite pleased with negotiating that, as previously the birdbrain acted like he expected you to somehow feed two growing children plus yourself and Grim on just your paltry allowance.

Grim and the ghosts would be glad to see the British boy who introduced himself to you as “Johnny-Powers-but-call-me-Nana” gone in spite of the added money. They’ve made sure to tell you so, multiple times.

Even without hearing about how well he played ghost exterminator first time he was here, you can kind of understand what they’re talking about. That kid can go from homicidal to ingratiating so fast it feels like you’ll get whiplash, and he’s disturbingly quick to bring up maiming as a solution to your problems. You attribute this to him being an incarcerated thirteen-year-old gang leader in addition to a model Pomefiore student and resolve to keep him as far away from Octavinelle as humanly possible.

He and Leech-senpai would either give each other ideas, or he’d overthrow Ashengrotto-senpai and have him served as calamari by the end of the week.

You quite like Ashengrotto-senpai where he is, whole and healthy, so you stay vigilant.

At least he can speak Japanese well enough despite being a foreigner, and does his share of the chores around the dorm without complaining. You’ve even caught him doing Grim’s share with no fuss, because of the sudden increase in quality of the finished job. He responds well to praise and is very bribable with chocolate, which makes your life a lot easier in many circumstances.

Now if you can just find him a good child psychologist for all the issues he clearly has, Nana might make a passable dorm-mate.

You’d keep Mayu in a heartbeat though, even without the added benefit of payment.

Ketsugi Mayu’s an absolute sweetheart, if a bit on the... straightforward side, to put it nicely. She’s an amazing cook, able to create feasts out of the barest essentials and haggle with Sam to get groceries for a much lower price that you’re able to. You’re not sure if you’ve ever eaten better. If not for how clearly homesick she is and the fact that her mother terrifies you, you’d offer to let her stay here forever.

Of course that’s not to say the kid doesn’t have some quirks. She keeps making odd remarks like, “it feels weird to be watched only some of the time” and “oh right, you have lawyers here” that make you very concerned about the ninja afterlife she was in. And a bit about the place you’re currently living in.

She’s also obsessed with this one comic about pirates to the point where she puts Shroud-senpai’s fixations to shame, claiming she wants to become a pirate chef when she grows up and praying to the main characters. This has given her one of the weirdest moral compasses you’ve ever seen, which treats theft as an excusable offense but wasting food as a crime that she needs to go and beat up people for.

This would be less of a problem if the child wasn’t strong enough to break bones.

You’ve had to break up more fights for her than you have for Nana honestly, just because she’d spotted someone throwing something away half-eaten in the cafeteria and quietly made a beeline for them before you wised up to her shenanigans.

Nana was no help on that front because he immediately tried to join in, only to play innocent bystander the moment the teachers and dorm leaders came.

The fact that her mindset has a lot in common with Deuce’s and Kalim’s is just the cherry on top of the problem sundae. Ace and several other students have already tried to con her into giving them free food, because apparently this child thinks it is her gods-given mission to feed the world’s hungry.

Which is noble and all, unless you don’t have a lot of food that you can afford to share around in the first place. Especially not to greedy freeloaders who call themselves your friends and claim to want to test Mayu’s gullibility “for her own good”. Grim’s perpetually rumbling stomach and puppy-eyes have been some of your best allies in thwarting these attempts.

At least your guests get along with each other after their rocky start.

After a few days of him refusing to eat anything on his plate unless Mayu or you had eaten a bit of it first, the twelve-year-old roped Nana into helping out in the kitchen to try and get him to be less picky. Amazingly, it worked, and you usually seize the opportunity work on your homework while they’re distracted preparing meals.

From there, they became friends pretty quickly, though you think that has more to do with Mayu being a reliable source of chocolate than anything else.

Nana flips between nervous child and overprotective gang leader on a dime for her, which isn’t helpful when you’re trying to stop any more Cafeteria Incidents. Mayu at least has the maturity to help you talk Nana down from some of his more extreme responses to problem-solving and keeps him entertained by telling him more of that pirate story she’s always going on about.

It’s nice that they both found at least one friend around their age to help them survive here in Twisted Wonderland.

Now if they could stop teaming up to make you go grey before you turn eighteen, that’d be swell.

[xofanfics]

Until Tomorrow

Genre: angst, fluff, dad!Minghao, husband!Minghao

Pairing: Reader x Minghao

Word Count: 4.2k

*REQUESTED*

Summary: When Minghao tells his parents his plans of marrying you, his mother rejects it and his father says nothing. 

When he laid his eyes on the ring, he was happier than ever. It was perfect for you and he knew you’d love it. He smiled widely as he took out his credit card and paid for it. He carried it in the blue velvet box as he went home, carrying his hopes, dreams, and his future in his pocket.

On his way there, he imagined the proposal and what it would be like. He pictured how wide your smile would be and how you’d start tearing up because you were so happy that you couldn’t believe that it was happening. He’d been with you for the past two years and he couldn’t imagine a life without you. You’d mentioned marriage here and there and the whole time he was making mental notes of all the small details you mentioned: the ring, the dress, and so on. Minghao had been saving a lot of money and he was almost ready to give you a proposal you’d never forget.

He walked into the house, his nose filled with the smell of his mom’s cooking. “I’m home,” he said, taking off his shoes and placing them neatly on the mat.

“Dinner is almost ready,” she called upon hearing the sound of her son’s voice. “Can you set the table?”

He nodded. “Sure.” He took the small bowls from the cabinet, spooning rice from the rice cooker. As he did, his father came into the room and sat at the table. “Hi, Dad.”

“How was your day?”

“Good. I had a few photoshoots,” he said.

His father nodded. Like most parents, his didn’t exactly approve of his decision to be a photographer. They’d wanted him to be like everyone else and get a degree in finance or business but it wasn’t in him to do that sort of thing. He was creative; he wanted to create things. In high school, he spent his time on the dance team and taking pictures with the camera his mother got him for his birthday. Instead of a business degree, he got one in photography and he’d never been happier. At first his parents wondered how he’d make money like that but he was doing just fine. He’d proved them wrong but they still made snide remarks about his choice of career here and there.

In a moment, the three of you were seated and eating dinner at the table. Minghao cleared his throat. “I’m planning on proposing to Y/N.”

The room was silent. He wasn’t sure of what his father’s opinion on you was; he never seemed to have a problem with his dating you. His mother, however, never liked you. After a short silence his mother said, “Why?”

“Because I love her and because she treats me well.”

“Isn’t she still in school? Why has she been in school so much longer when you’re the same age? She’s not a hard worker and she doesn’t come from a good family. Her mother threw her away. Why should you marry someone like that?”

“She’s been paying for college herself! And she works part-time,” Minghao argued. “And so what if she doesn’t come from a good family? Why does growing up in a good family matter? She’s a good person and she’s smart, mom.”

To be honest, you were abandoned by your mother when you were three and you ended up in an orphanage. From what you told him, you had very vague memories of your mother. Just of her face, you’d said. You grew up in an orphanage and never got adopted due to the stigma of adoption in China. You had a hard life and you never really had a family. But none of that mattered to him because he wanted to become your family. He wanted to be your husband and father of your children, once you were ready to take that step.

“You should marry someone that comes from a good family. Your wife should come from a good family with a good background. Her mother was probably on drugs or something... ”

“Why should she be discriminated against because of choices her mother made? She’s a completely different person and she’s never once touched drugs.”

“How would you know?” his mother shouted across the table. “She’s probably taking drugs between work and school. That’s why she hasn’t graduated and she’ll never be a nurse like she says. She’ll end up just like trash!”

“Don’t you dare call her that!” Minghao yelled back. His mother had crossed a line. He was so angry he could explode. And what was worse is that his father just sat there, looking down at the table and saying absolutely nothing. He hated that his father didn’t even back him up or prevent his mother from saying such cruel things.

That night, Minghao packed his things and never looked back once. From that point on, he decided that he didn’t have a family. * Minghao felt his hand being tugged in the middle of the night and thought that he must be dreaming. But he felt the tug again, harder this time. His eyes slowly fluttered open and he found his daughter standing so close to his face that he jumped. When he realized that it was just his baby.

“Daddy?” she called in her small, sleepy voice.

Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he sat up with a yawn. “Yes, baby? Did you have a nightmare?”

She stood, holding her small teddy bear that he bought for her birthday a few months ago. Then she shook her head. “Can I have water?”

He looked at the bedside table next to the bed and, to his dismay, he didn’t find the glass of water he usually kept by the bed. He dragged himself out of bed and held his daughter’s hand as they walked into the kitchen. She waited next to the refrigerator patiently as he went into the refrigerator and poured water into her favorite purple cup. He stood next to her, handing her her cup. She said, “Thank you.”

While she took small sips from her cup, he poured himself a glass as well. They drank their water in silence together and, when Biyu was finished, she stood on her tiptoes to put the cup in the sink.

“All done?” asked Minghao, putting his cup in the sink, too.

Biyu nodded, holding onto her father’s hand again. “I’m sleepy.”

“Let’s go to the bathroom first, okay?” The last thing he needed was an accident as the night went on. He waited for her in the bathroom as she sat on the toilet and helped her clean up when she was done. After she washed her hands, Minghao had started toward her room expecting her to be behind him but, apparently, Biyu had other plans.

“Biyu, where are you going?”

She walked in the opposite direction and into her bedroom and into the room her parents slept in. She crawled into the bed next to you and made herself comfortable under the blanket. She patted the bed, motioning for Minghao to get in the bed beside her. He smiled to himself and lay down next to her.

With all the movement in the bed, you rolled over and opened your eyes to find your daughter between you and your husband. You smiled. “You couldn’t sleep?”

Biyu shook her head. “Wanna sleep with mommy and daddy.”

Minghao kissed Biyu’s cheek before kissing your lips. The three of you cuddled. Biyu, of course, snuggled closest to her dad and you fell asleep again, with Minghao’s fingers intertwined with yours. Small moments like this, made being a father worth more than a million words. * The week came and went. It was a Friday afternoon and you ended up getting off of work a little early. You went inside of Biyu’s school to pick her up. The teachers were a bit surprised to see you an hour early but started preparing Biyu to go home. Her head popped up from the table and over to the door. Her face lit up upon seeing you and ran over despite her teacher’s call to clean up. You laughed as Biyu ran into your arms.

You kneeled down to meet her at eye level. Her eyes glimmered with excitement and joy, bringing a smile to her face. “Biyu, you have to clean up first. Listen to your teacher so we can go to the supermarket and make something yummy for dinner.”

With a pout, Biyu quickly cleaned up her mess and got her coat. She bid her friends and teachers goodbye before leaving in your hand.

“Where’s daddy?” she asked, as you waited at the bus stop.

“He’s working,” you answered. “We’ll see him at home, okay?” Your husband had a photoshoot that was running a bit later than he anticipated. Biyu frowned, a bit disappointed to find that her dad wasn’t going to be joining you at the supermarket.

It was Minghao’s birthday and you were planning on making dinner. You’d made dumplings the previous night and froze them so that they’d be ready for today. You planned on making that and some stir fry.

The trip to the supermarket was quick; You got the things you needed while pushing your four year old in the shopping cart. To your surprise, she didn’t complain too much after she reached her two snack limit. Biyu was sometimes a picky eater but she loved snacks, so much that sometimes you had to hide them where she couldn’t reach or wouldn’t find them. For four years old, she could be a little sneaky. * You watched Biyu color at the coffee table while you cooked. She’d looked a little like you when she was first born but something happened and she ended up looking mostly like Minghao. While the dumplings boiled in the pot on the stove, you plopped down next to your daughter. You said, “What are you drawing?”

“I’m drawing me and daddy,” she said.

“What about me? I’m not in the picture,” you said, laughing.

“Nope,” she said. “Only me and daddy!”

She continued coloring and you pat her head. You carried her for nine months, pushed her out, and nursed her and all but she was still a daddy’s girl. You chuckled to yourself.

And, right on time, Minghao walked through the door. Biyu’s eyes lit up and your child scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping over them in the process. She shouted, “Daddy!”

He’d barely had a chance to take his coat off before he was tackled by his daughter. He scooped her up in his arms. “I’m back! Sorry I’m late, my pretty girl.” You came over to him and he planted a kiss on your lips. “Hey baby.” He sniffed the air. “Wow, it smells so good.”

“Mommy made dumplings!” she said as the timer went off.

You smiled and headed into the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready, babe.”

He smiled and put Biyu down. “Let’s help mommy set the table, okay?”

Biyu said, “I made you a present,” and ran over the coffee table. She showed him the picture she’d drawn and colored. “It’s me and you.”

Minghao kneeled down next to her and admired the picture. “It’s so pretty. Thank you. What about mommy? Are you gonna draw mommy too?”

As you sat the dishes on the table, you said, “She basically said I couldn’t be in it.” Biyu laughed loudly and her dad joined in her laughter. “Come on silly, let’s eat.”

Minghao sat Biyu down at the table and put his phone down. “I wanna show you some of the shots I took today. I shot engagement photos as the sun was setting.” As he went to go get his camera from his backpack, his phone started vibrating on the table.

You glanced at it and saw that it was an unknown number. “Your phone’s ringing.”

He continued digging through his bag for the camera. “Who is it?”

“I don’t know. The number isn’t saved.”

By the time he got to the table, the phone had stopped ringing. With raised eyebrows, he picked up the phone and put the camera down with his other hand. “I don’t know this number.” He cleared his throat and sat down across from you.

Part of you thought it was a little strange that he didn’t answer and that he wasn’t at least curious about the unknown number. The insecure part of your brain was racked with thoughts of it possibly being another woman calling your husband’s phone. But you shook that thought away. Minghao loved you and you had no reason to question it.

The three of you started eating and the phone started vibrating on the table again. Minghao reached over and silenced the phone before he returned to the dumplings. “Wow,” he said, smiling at you. “It’s delicious. When did you learn how to make such good dumplings?”

“The internet,” you said, laughing. “And Biyu helped me mix everything together, right?”

She nodded and shoved a whole dumpling in her mouth. Minghao laughed. “Biyu, you shouldn’t stuff the whole thing in your mouth. You can get hurt like that.”

Biyu smirked, mouth full, and looked over at his phone which started vibrating again. “Your phone, daddy.”

Minghao sighed, annoyed that the stupid phone was interrupting his birthday dinner with his family. He picked up the phone and put it to his ear, fed up. “Hello?”

“Minghao, it’s your dad.” Minghao’s eyes widened and his mouth suddenly felt dry, to the point where he couldn’t find words to speak. “I know it’s been a long time but I got your phone number from your friend Tao. He came to the store last week…”

“Oh…”

“I don’t know how to say this but your mom isn’t doing well. She has heart disease and,” he said, clearing his throat, “she doesn’t have much time left…”

Minghao was shocked. He hadn’t heard from his parents in almost six years. When he left home, he left for good. He never looked back once. He stayed at a hotel for those next few days, unable to face you. When he felt himself falling into depression, he thought of you and pulled himself out of that hole before he fell in too deeply. He’d been losing sight of what was important to him, the reason he left home in the first place: you. That night, he took you out for dinner at your favorite restaurant and walked through a park after eating. He got on one knee and proposed to you, just the way he planned. The look on your face was priceless and you threw your arms around him, the impact almost knocking him over.

The two of you put together your money and started renting an apartment together. A few months later, you were married. And a couple months after that, you found out that you were pregnant with a baby girl. He’d never been happier. You and Biyu were his family and until now, it was all that mattered.

His heart dropped when his dad told him about his mother’s condition. Though he’d cut them out of his life, it still hurt. Even if she hurt him, she was his mother. No matter what, she was the person who gave birth to him and raised him. He loved his mother and they’d had no problems until that day. She’d always made unnecessary comments about you but she’d never been completely out of line like that day. He’d let it slide when his mother made comments about you still being in school and working part time. But she crossed the line that day and he wasn’t going to sit there and take it anymore.

“I’ll come tomorrow…” * Minghao was on a train to his hometown after not having spoken to his parents in over six years. To be honest, he felt a little nervous and a little guilty for ending things the way he did. But then he remembered how his mother treated him that day and the guilt melted away like ice on a hot day. You squeezed his hand, knowing that he was feeling a bit stressed out. He looked over at you and smiled.

“Thank you for coming,” he said.

“Of course,” you said. “I’m here for you babe. I think that it’s good that your dad called. Maybe talking to your mom can give you some closure.” At this point, you knew what had happened and when he told you, it hurt. But if anything, it gave you the motivation to become a nurse just like you said. And you were. You were a nurse in the pediatrics department and a damn good one at that.

He nodded, looking down in his arms at his sleeping daughter. He let out a sigh and in a few minutes, the train had arrived. Biyu, not quite ready to walk on her own, was carried by Minghao. It had been so long since he’d been back to his hometown but he noticed the small changes around him as the three of them rode in a taxi to the hospital.

Minghao never thought about it but he never really discussed his parents with Biyu. He’d give her vague answers and tell her that they lived far away. As they walked inside the hospital, he mentally prepared himself. He gave her name at the front desk and the receptionist prompted him to go up to the eighth floor.

Minghao had been quiet and you knew that he was feeling a little stressed and anxious about all of this. He’d heard that his mother was dying. Whether he had bad feelings toward her or not, it was a stressful situation to be in. You sat Biyu in a seat in the waiting area. Minghao got on one knee, meeting her at eye level. She beamed at him and he smiled back at her. “I’m going to leave for a few minutes, okay? I’ll be right back.”

“You’re going to see your mommy, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah. She’s not feeling so well.”

“Can I meet her?”

“Maybe if she’s feeling better.”

“Okay.”

“Wait here with mommy.”

You gave him a kiss before he left in search of his mother’s hospital room. He knocked on the door and went inside. He stood in the doorway for a moment. His mother had aged, from what he could see. Her face had more defined wrinkles and she had more grey hairs than he remembered. Minghao closed the door and sat on the chair across from the room. He’d rehearsed what he wanted to say in his head a million times before coming but he couldn’t find the words anymore.

She cleared her throat. “I didn’t think you’d come.” An awkward silence hung in the air. He didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry for what I said back then...about Y/N.” He nodded, grateful for at least an apology and acknowledgement that she did something wrong. “I shouldn’t have said those things. I’ve spent this whole time thinking about it. When you left that day, I thought you’d come back. Days went by, then months, years…”

“I waited six years for an apology...and even now, it feels strange,” he said. “It hurt, mom. It hurt me so much to know that you weren’t supportive of me. You supported me through college even though I didn’t get a business degree. You bought me my first camera because you knew it would make me happy even though you wished I was doing something else instead. You knew I wanted to be independent and buy it myself but you bought it for me anyway and told me to put the money in my savings instead. So when I told you I wanted to marry Y/N, it made me upset because it was the first thing in my life you were so unsupportive of.”

“I know,” she said, looking down. “This doesn’t justify anything but I wanted the best for you. I tried to discourage you from being with her. I thought she lacked ambition and motivation. I didn’t think she’d finish school and—”

“She finished school a couple months later,” he said, interrupting her. “She graduated from nursing school and she became a pediatric nurse—she’s one of the best in her hospital.”

“Are you happy?” she asked.

He nodded. “Of course. We got married and life is good. We live in Shenzhen and I’m saving up to buy a photography studio to use for my shoots.”

The nervous expression on her face faded into a smile. “I’m glad.”

“There’s someone I want you to meet. I’ll be right back.” He left the room for a moment and headed toward the waiting area where he left his family. When he came around the corner, he saw you reading a book with Biyu. He walked toward you with a smile. You looked up, then Biyu.

You said, “Everything okay?”

Minghao nodded and held out his hand toward Biyu. “Do you wanna meet your grandma?” Biyu didn’t answer and got up to grab his hand. You gave him a nod and watched them disappear around the corner again.

Minghao pushed the door open and walked in, with Biyu clinging to him. His mother’s eyes lit up at the sight of her. She lifted her hand to wave. “Don’t be rude,” he said, looking down at her. “Say hi.”

“Hi,” Biyu said, in a low voice.

“What’s your name?”

“Biyu.”

“That’s pretty. Biyu means jasper, you know. It’s a pretty red stone.”

Biyu smiled and walked closer to the hospital bed. She looked up at her with big, curious eyes. “Are you sick?”

“A little bit,” his mother said, smiling. “But I think I’m starting to feel a little better.”

Biyu ended up taking over the conversation. She asked her grandma a bunch of questions about where she lives, what her house looks like, if she has pets, and about her grandpa. It was as if he wasn’t even there.

Biyu put her finger on her chin. “Do you know my mommy?”

She nodded and then turned to her son. “Is it okay if I talk to her?”

Minghao stood. “I’ll ask her if she’s okay with it.” He took out his phone to text you: She wants to talk to you. I think she wants to apologize to you.

You wrote back, Sure. Room 831A, right?

You never had a relationship with Minghao’s mom. He rarely talked about her when they were dating back then and eventually when he told you everything, you found out why. You were hurt, at first. But then Minghao reminded you that he didn’t care who didn’t approve or who liked it, that you were the person he wanted to be with no matter what. And that was enough for you. For the past six years, he didn’t talk much about his parents. It was always casual mentions like “My mom used to make tofu all the time when I was a kid” or “Biyu reminds me of my dad.” It was never more than that and now that you thought about it, he never really addressed those feelings.

You knocked on the door and Minghao opened it. Your eyes landed on your mother-in-law and Biyu who had been chatting away before you came in. She said, “Mommy, meet grandma.”

You smiled and Minghao came over to Biyu. “Let’s go see what snacks are in the vending machine, okay?” There was no reason for Minghao to feel nervous but he did. He didn’t know what his mother was going to say and he felt a little vulnerable not knowing. He would’ve stayed but Biyu was too young to understand and he didn’t want one of her final memories of her being something this heavy.

You sat down in the chair after her husband and daughter left. The first thing your mother in law said was, “I heard you’re a pediatric nurse now...Congratulations.”

To be honest, you didn’t feel any resentment toward her. Back then you felt a little weird when Minghao confessed everything but you didn’t hate her. You ended up doing well despite what she thought. And after that you began to care less and less about what people thought about you. You started to care less about the assumptions that people made. You were doing so well. You were living in a nice apartment, you had a husband and daughter that loved you, and you and Minghao were saving up money to buy an apartment and a photography studio.

“Thank you,” you said.

“I wanted to apologize to you directly,” she said. “I judged you before I got to know you and I’m sorry for not taking the time to know you first. I should’ve invited you for dinner and taught you how to make his favorite foods. As a parent I wanted the best for him but I wasn’t keeping his feelings in my thoughts.”

“Thank you for apologizing.” You cleared your throat. “I don’t hate you. I never have. We didn’t have a chance to get to know each other better and maybe we can now. ”

“I don’t have much time left and I’d like to fill the rest of my life with good memories.”

“I’d like that.”

A few minutes later, Minghao and Biyu came back. Biyu was satisfied with her snacks and she sat on the hospital bed. She continued to ask a million questions and, eventually, Minghao’s dad came. The five of you crowded in the hospital room for hours. You talked, laughed, and got to know each other. Until the end, like his mother said, you’d fill your lives with good memories.

[theawkwardterrier]

Fateful Friends

The surprise part 2 of my Steggy Secret Santa gift for the very cool @sagesiren​/@theeleganteuropeanwoman - a Peggy POV modern AU avec Bucky and Angie because they wouldn’t allow me to fit them in last time. A somewhat belated Chanukah gift for you - or I guess a very early one for next year?

Summary: An afternoon of helping out Angie leads Peggy to a chance encounter. 

Read on AO3

“Carter,” Angie says, tapping a finger against her wrist even though she isn’t wearing a watch. “I love you, and it’s because I love you that I don’t mind telling you that you’re a big liar. You promised 11:30.”

Peggy sighs but saves the document she had been working on. Angie is right. Peggy had said they would leave at 11:30 and it’s already 12:15.

“We can stop at the bakery on the way,” Peggy offers, swiveling her chair around to reach for her purse and coat. “My treat to make up for delaying us.”

“Perfect,” Angie says brightly. She’s a bit flushed: she had refused to remove her parka since she got here nearly an hour ago as a pointed reminder that Peggy had promised only five more minutes, though she had unzipped it after about a quarter of an hour, and she’s also wearing a beret she keeps adjusting even as she insists that it makes her outfit. Still, she hops to her feet readily, hooking her arm with Peggy’s. “And this won’t be a drag, I swear. Just a girl’s day out, the two of us on the town, cleaning out my dead grandmom’s place.” She considers as they stop in the doorway to let Peggy flip off her office lights. “Okay, maybe we’d better get extra of the lemon pound cake to keep things fun.”

Peggy sighs. “Lead the way.”

There had been a bit of extortion involved in the whole business. Six months ago, Peggy had agreed to allow Angie to start setting her up. But after multiple mediocre dates (and one which ended in a well-deserved black eye for the man in question) she had begged off and refused to be convinced otherwise, even when Angie complained that this would ruin her credibility as a romance columnist and swore over and over that she had actually found the absolute perfect guy this time, the one Peggy would truly regret not meeting.

It isn’t that Peggy doesn’t want a relationship. She isn’t being too picky, and she hasn’t decided that her career should be her focus just now. But planning, the precise thing which has served her well her entire life in so many areas, seems to have failed her now. Online dating, singles mixers, allowing herself to be set up by friends, all the tried and tested strategies - nothing has led her to anyone she would even consider as a lifetime companion, and just this once, she has decided that she will leave things up to chance.

Standing firm on the dating question, however, apparently meant that Peggy was required to join Angie whenever requested and to do whatever favors she required in exchange for reneging on their original agreement.

In the end, though, spending a Saturday with her best friend is always enjoyable, even if they’re sorting the belongings of a recently deceased ninety-eight year old woman who Angie refers to as “the old bat.” They try to one up each other for the oddest item found in their cleaning, and eat their way through altogether too many pastries. As they trade off picking playlists, Angie even provokes Peggy’s competitive spirit enough that they both end up showing off their dance moves.

After eight hours of work, Angie decides that they have done enough for one day, even though they’re nowhere close to finished.

“Sixty years of crap isn’t going to shift itself in one try,” she shrugs cheerfully, searching within one of the scattered “keep” boxes for her other glove. “And I was forced to do all this out of oldest granddaughter sexism. I’ll come back next week and make my cousins help.”

Peggy laughs, retrieving the missing glove from beneath the once-fancy living room settee. The two of them gather the rest of their belongings, making certain the lights are turned out before they weave around the boxes to get to the front door.

On the threshold, Angie digs for the keys to lock up the brownstone, a beautiful Brooklyn property which her family couldn’t have bought with the help of a fairy godmother if they had wanted to try today. Peggy breathes in the sharp cold of the night air, turns to comment on it to her friend, then spins immediately back around as a snowball whizzes past her ear and explodes on the façade of the house just beside her.

A man’s voice from somewhere out on the darkened street shouts, “Bucky, what the—” Cutting himself off before actually verbalizing whatever curse he clearly wants to, the man changes tone, calling, “Peppermint hot chocolate for anyone who hits Bucky in the next five minutes.”

In the next second, the street comes so alive with childish chatter that Peggy can’t believe she didn’t notice the apparent army of little ones nearby. Over their whoops and cries, another man yells, “Not my fault that your shot went out of bounds. I just ducked - self preservation instincts, Rogers, if you’ve ever heard of them.”

Squinting into the dim streetlight, Peggy pinpoints where the second man’s voice is coming from, just as the thickly swaddled shape of him is tackled by several smaller forms and pelted with snow from all sides. Another shadow breaks away from the place on the street where last night’s half foot of snow has turned into haphazard forts on either side of a snowy battlefield, jogging toward where Peggy and Angie still stand on the steps.

“I’m sorry about the snowball attack there,” he apologizes as soon as he’s close enough. “We don’t usually drag strangers into our fights, or at least not before we’ve learned their names.”

Peggy hasn't been in a snowball fight since she was twelve - well, fourteen, if she’s being honest - declaring war on her brother Michael back at their house in Hampstead when they were both home from school for the term holiday. Perhaps she's been a bit infected by the lively afternoon or the stress of the past several weeks is finally catching up to her, but she finds herself turning and saying to a man she has never before met, "My name is Peggy Carter, and I'd be delighted to be recruited if there's room for one more, considering that hostilities have already been accidentally declared."

Apparently he didn’t expect a response like this, a strange woman deciding to take a chance. His eyes widen, but only for a moment before he says, "Well, sure, there's plenty of snow."

Glancing back at Angie, Peggy tells her, "There's no need to wait for me while I indulge myself in a bit of winter warfare, of course. Go off home and put your feet up."

But Angie instead looks delighted in a way that's almost outsized for her best friend taking her recommendation to relax a bit. "Oh, I'd never miss this," she says. "I'll just watch our things and spectate from over here." And she unhooks Peggy's purse from her shoulder and shoos her off toward the battlefield.

"Steve," the man says as they set off up the street together. "I'm Steve. Steve Rogers. By the way."

"Lovely to meet you," she says politely.

She isn't particularly prepared for this sort of activity - her boots are fairly practical for walking from apartment to subway stop to office though clearly are not meant to do much heavier lifting - but she ventures that it can be forgiven considering how spur of the moment the entire thing has been. However, Steve is not, Peggy notices, exactly dressed for the weather either. It’s a bit too cold for a waist length peacoat, thin gloves, and a loosely hanging scarf, and he seems to have half soaked through everything. When they pass under a streetlight, she looks up toward him and observes that his cheeks are flushed red, though it actually suits him quite well, making the blue of his eyes shine.

"Were you pulled into this under similar circumstances?" she asks.

He laughs a little shyly. "No, Bucky—My friend, Bucky - you'll meet him in a minute—Anyway, his mother invited a bunch of their family over for the afternoon, and between all the cousins there are a dozen kids running around these days. We just volunteered to keep them occupied."

She wants to ask exactly where he fits into the structure of his friend’s family, but they are nearing the place where the children are still shouting and pelting Steve's friend.

"I've brought someone else to even out the teams," Steve calls, and the kids leave off, coming to surround the newcomer instead.

After introductions have been made - Steve's friend Bucky gives Peggy a look which is strangely appraising but completely without objectification - Peggy is informed of the rules (no faces, no sand or rocks mixed with your projectiles, ten seconds of reprieve after you've ducked behind the walls of your team's fort) and assigned a team (Steve's, which sends a thrill running through her which she doesn't care to examine, settling for a decisive head nod and a small smile in his direction).

She had forgotten, in the years since she had last participated in a snowball fight, exactly how exhilarating it could be. Her careful plans for methodical stockpiling and adherence to ideal technique are soon thrown out the window in her haste to simply get the next missile prepared and launched at the opposition. As she and a small girl named Iris fling nearly loose snow at the other side of the street, she finds herself laughing more freely than she has in ages. At one point, she and Steve end up huddled against the wall of the fort next to each other.

"Your hands must be freezing," he comments, and when she looks down in surprise at her red fingers, she realizes that he is right. He strips off his sodden gloves and wraps his hands around hers, trying to press some heat back into them. It’s futile, considering that his hands, while larger, aren’t any warmer, but she doesn’t stop him. When he tries to pass his gloves over to her, however, she declines with a smile.

"Oh, I could never allow anything to interfere with my process."

"Right." He unwraps his scarf instead, offering it to her. "Maybe this way at least some of you will be warm, and you won’t lose your edge either."

She won't swear that it's feeling the wool still toasty from his neck which allows her to jump back into the fray with renewed vigor, but she certainly wouldn't swear otherwise.

Her watch and phone are buried within her coat, but it cannot be much later when the door to what Peggy guesses is Bucky's mother's house opens and a group of people starts to stream out, each member gravitating over to collect particular children. Peggy stands at the sidelines as Steve and Bucky are kissed on the cheeks and thanked for their babysitting efforts. Angie ambles over just as the last of the kids, little Iris, is taken off with a wave of her cheerfully red mitten.

“Enjoy yourself, English?” she calls, grinning as she picks her way down the sidewalk around the disarranged clumps of snow. “Haven’t seen you have this much fun in ages, although it’s also reminding me why I’m never playing laser tag with you again.”

“My skill doesn’t only apply to snow. I’m a bit of a laser markswoman,” Peggy tells Steve who has returned to her side, apparently having finished being showered with familial affection by Bucky’s relatives.

“Laser sharpshooter,” Angie corrects. “Laser sniper. Laser no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners—”

“Angie?”

Bucky has joined them, looking at Angie with surprise which turns quickly into a smile and a hug.

“Bucky Barnes!” Angie says after they’ve broken away. She’s still framing him with a hand on each arm but she lets go to give him a friendly whack on the shoulder. “I should have known there couldn’t be that many Buckys in Brooklyn.” Stepping back so she can face Steve and Peggy fully, she says, “Bucky and I are...I mean, Bucky’s mom and my mom are...Well, we’re...We must be—” She glances up, clearly trying to mentally map out a family tree.

“We’re cousins, somehow,” Bucky fills in smoothly. “Just like me and half the neighborhood.”

It occurs to Peggy that the situation might be awkward - they had just seen a number of Bucky’s relations leaving a gathering to which Angie clearly hasn’t been invited - but Bucky says, without apparent unease, “I guess you’re in the area to clean out your grandma’s place?” and then adds as an afterthought, “God rest her.”

Angie rolls her eyes, though not, Peggy suspects, at Bucky’s insincere tone. “My mother kept making noises that Jersey was too far to come for just the day and couldn’t I just take care of it, so I finally gave in.” She loops her arm through Peggy’s. “Carter here has been the perfect assistant - without her, I’d have either tried to keep everything or just backed the garbage truck up to the front door and set up a funnel.”

“You’d never - you might miss out on some heirloom to hold over everyone’s heads,” Peggy says with an affectionate elbow to Angie’s side. “And I certainly had my fill of fun sorting through objects from decades gone by, along with that snowball battling which capped things off perfectly. But I think it might be time that I started making my way home.” She truly has had a wonderful afternoon, the sort which will live fondly in her memory (including the feeling of Steve’s hands wrapped with such gentle and precise strength around hers), but the idea of a steaming bath and freshly laundered pajamas sounds absolutely heavenly at the moment.

“Oh,” Steve says softly. He extends a hand. “Well, it was nice to—”

“No,” says Bucky, shaking his head, and “No!” Angie adds with hasty vehemence.

“I’m sorry?” Peggy angles herself to try to see Angie’s face, but it’s Bucky who answers.

“You’re soaking wet, and I’m guessing that you don’t live on the next block. My mother would kill me if she found out I didn’t at least give you something dry to get home in.”

“It’s a lovely offer—” Peggy starts to demur, although she is now noticing that she’s quite chilly and it is going to be a bit of a slog home. Before she can get any farther, however, the door to Bucky’s family home opens up and a woman stands silhouetted in the spilling light.

“James Buchanan Barnes, I hope that you weren’t thinking of leaving these two young ladies out here in the cold without inviting them in to warm up.” She walks carefully down the steps, arms crossed over her chest, but she throws them open as she spots who is standing there. “Angie Martinelli, is that you? Wonderful to see you, sweetheart, come here!”

Angie releases Peggy to submit to a hug and a rapid-fire back and forth of greeting. Peggy suspects that their chances of making a smooth escape have just decreased rather dramatically.

“I’ve known Mrs. Barnes all my life,” Steve says quietly from over Peggy’s shoulder. “She’s never going to let you get away with leaving before you at least have on dry socks. And anyway, I promised hot chocolate to whoever managed to hit Bucky, and I definitely saw you paste him at least once.”

She smiles despite herself. “I believe it was peppermint hot chocolate which was promised.”

He laughs as their eyes meet, though his flick downward just after, a new flush filtering through his cheeks that she suspects has nothing to do with the cold.

“And who do we have here?” Mrs. Barnes asks, clearly finished cooing over Angie.

Peggy turns, smile still on her face. “Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Barnes. I’m Peggy Carter.”

“Get out of here while you can,” Bucky whispers fifteen minutes later, and Angie nods, telling Peggy, “If I ever need you to take a bullet for me, I expect you to remember this moment.”

“Why on earth would we be standing beside each other with bullets flying?” Peggy asks, eyebrow gracefully arched.

Before either of the others can reply, however, Steve takes Peggy’s hand from behind and tugs her away, whispering, “They’re not wrong,” as Mrs. Barnes returns with arms stacked with twenty-year-old photo albums.

“I promised Peggy something hot to drink,” he tells Mrs. Barnes more loudly. She waves them off, probably half from good hostess instincts and half eagerness to force the remaining two into a walk down memory lane.

It doesn’t escape Peggy’s notice that Steve doesn’t relinquish her hand until they’re safely in the kitchen, although it’s quite apparent where it is. She can’t say that she minds, however. With neither of them wet and frozen any longer, it’s much easier to appreciate the gentle solidity of his fingers, the press of their palms against each other.

Too soon for her to have cataloged the sensation entirely, Steve lets her go and starts moving around to the pantry and cupboards. Peggy stands watching him, curling her toes against the floor in the borrowed socks she is now wearing along with an absolutely divinely plush gray cardigan loaned to her by Mrs. Barnes. The lady of the house had insisted on adding the wettest items to the dryer - “As if I would let you back out into the street like that to freeze. My mother would come back and haunt me!” - which had included Peggy’s blouse and coat, though luckily not her singlet or her jeans (damp, but dark enough to have avoided scrutiny, so Peggy hadn’t needed to strategize a polite objection to wearing someone else’s trousers).

“I hesitate to offer considering my skills in this area, but can I do anything to help?” she finally asks.

Steve shakes his head as he sets a saucepan on the stove. “This is about the only thing I can make, but I can do it with my eyes closed.” He gestures her over to a seat, which she takes.

“Why was peppermint hot chocolate the one recipe you ever learned?” she wonders as he lights a burner and adds together milk, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and a bit of sugar.

“I learned plenty,” he says, angling himself to see her and stir at the same time. “This was just the only one that stuck. My mom worked a lot, and plenty of night shifts. It was just the two of us, so I wanted to make sure she would come home to something warm and good after all of that. She passed a while back, but I still make it for Bucky’s family when I’m around - they’ve always been great to me.”

“Ah,” Peggy says, trying to sound normal and satisfied with his answer instead of a bit overcome by his factual sweetness, the way he seems completely unresentful of the multitude of Barnes relatives while he apparently has no family left. She clears her throat. “And what is it you do, other than distribute homemade hot beverages?”

He flashes a bit of a smile at her, tucking his hands into the pocket of the sweatshirt he had borrowed from Bucky’s old bedroom upstairs. His hair is adorably mussed from pulling it over his head, and Peggy can’t quite tear her eyes away.

“I run the art program over at the community center,” he says, turning to add a few drops of something to the chocolate mixture. From the scent which suffuses the air, Peggy guesses that it’s peppermint flavoring. “Afternoon classes, activities with the schools, workshops. My under-twelve group just put up a display at the local library if you want to go visit.” He sounds absurdly proud.

“How wonderful.” The words come out even more softly than she had thought they would. She tries to pull herself together with the crispness of tapping straight a stack of papers, but doesn’t quite manage it. The soft smile won’t leave her face and she wonders if it might be a permanent fixture now. Oh, they’ll certainly go their separate ways shortly, but she feels that there was some amount of luck involved in her having had the chance to meet him in the first place.

Blinking a little, he turns away and unwraps a few of the peppermint candies Mrs. Barnes has set out in a dish on the counter. “What do you do?” he asks, crushing the candies with the handle of a knife.

Feeling her smile fade a bit into something more businesslike, less touched by gentle joy, Peggy says, “I’m the policy director for a non-profit.” It’s her standard response, the beginning of a slow wade into the more detailed answer. It is also, she has to admit, the beginning of a test, one which nearly all the potential partners Angie had tried to set her up with ended up failing.

“Which one?” Steve asks, gliding unknowingly through the first level of scrutiny as he scrapes the crushed peppermints into a palm and deposits them into the pot, beginning to stir again. (Peggy still sometimes finds herself surprised at how many people are so eager to turn the topic back to themselves that they accept the most simplistic answer and move along.)

“The INRJ,” Peggy says. It seems that she’s holding her breath just a bit as she gives her usual pause. She finds that she does not want Steve to make a misstep in this. She thinks she might forgive him if he did.

“The International Network for Reproductive Justice, right?” The way he gives her a look, double checking, deferring to her knowledge: if there were truly points, he would have earned himself a bonus just then. “Back when it was the International Pro-Choice Network, my mom used to bring me along to play under the table while she was stuffing envelopes or phone banking.” He tilts his head to the side and adds, “Bucky actually reminded me of that a few weeks ago - he saw an ad for the symposium you were holding and thought I should check it out.”

“Oh, yes,” she says, using the reminder of work to shore herself up a bit from melting. “I was meant to speak about the effects of the global gag rule, but I ended up sitting on the tarmac at Heathrow instead.”

He makes a commiserating face. “They did say that the talk about adoption and foster care in eastern European countries was a last minute replacement, although the speaker was really good. I hadn’t realized that was supposed to be your spot. I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to speak; I would have liked to hear what you had to say.”

“Yes,” she says, slightly dazedly, the word nearly lost in the sound as he snaps off the burner. “Natasha is quite talented. She always gives a good presentation.”

“The community health initiatives to reduce parent and child mortality in Sierra Leone sounded like amazing stuff too.” He’s still talking as he reaches into a cabinet for a pair of mugs, apparently not noticing her reaction. “I ended up donating to the hospital building fund after I got home.”

She’s told dozens of men over the years what she does for her job, and the responses have run the gamut from indifference to confusion to polite questions, from furious rants about the sanctity of life to pompous assurances of allyship. This is the first time she’s heard one of them discuss her organization’s projects with true interest, the first time everything seems to have been said genuinely and unprompted and without the aim of impressing her.

Which is why it does all the more.

“I was glad Bucky suggested it,” Steve tells her, setting her mug in front of her. He takes a seat across from her, his own mug in hand. “He’s been trying to get me to go to all of these random places lately, and the symposium was one of the more interesting.”

“I’ve actually been experiencing the same thing with Angie,” Peggy says, seizing on the topic as a way to keep her equilibrium. “In the last month she’s taken me to a wine and cheese tasting, a Broadway play, and an art showing at the Sage Gallery, which I actually think I would have enjoyed if I hadn’t needed to spend most of it in the stairwell on a conference call.”

Steve, who had been about to take a sip from his mug, lowers it back to the table. With care, he says, “Bucky tried to get me to go to a wine and cheese night but I had to fill in running a watercolors class at the senior center. We went to a Broadway play but ended up switching seats with mom and little kid so they could be on the aisle.” Voice dropping a bit, he adds, “And I had a showing of some paintings at the Sage Gallery three weeks ago.”

They glance in unison toward the living room, as if they might establish some facts by merely turning in the direction of their friends, but all they hear is the low sound of chatter and laughter.

“Angie has arranged so many dreadful dates for me in the past,” Peggy says, leaning over the table to speak to him quietly. “I told her she wasn’t allowed anymore.”

Steve nods. “When Buck sets me up, they always think I’m going to be just like him, and it’s awful to see their faces when they realize I’m not. I just wanted a break from having to sit through dinner with someone who was disappointed that it was me there.”

The mug is hot against her palms, and she finds herself taking in deep breaths of peppermint-scented steam. “One of these days, he’s certain to find you someone who isn’t an utter bloody fool, then,” she says, and though she truly means the words, they come out soft instead of sharp, an outstretched hand.

“I sort of think,” Steve says, tipping his chin up so his eyes catch the light even as they lock with hers. “I sort of think that he’s been trying.”

Later that night, once she’s tucked away in bed, she thinks about fate and design, the overlap between them, and decides that it doesn’t matter how the moment comes to be if she doesn’t do anything with it. She takes a deep breath and texts him: Your hot chocolate was quite good. Perhaps we could meet sometime so you can show me how to properly prepare it?

Not even a minute later, he responds: I think we can come to an arrangement.

Angie only gloats a little when she hears that a hot chocolate making lesson and a week of texting has led to the arrangement of an actual date. Bucky is not as gracious. Peggy can’t quite bring herself to care, and by the undeniable flicker of Steve’s smile, she suspects he feels the same.

[kibybun]

Willow Tree Promises

Yandere Hawks x reader

Tw: Yandere, murder, suggestive stuff, miscarriage

Enjoy!

It was a chilly afternoon as Keigo walked towards the willow tree. His goal was to talk to the hunched over man next to the tree.

"Hey..."

The man jumps and looks over at Keigo with a broken look.

"Hello... What are you doing here?"

Keigo shifts and stands leaning against the tree.

"I heard you were (y/n)'s husband."

"Yeah..."

Keigo could see the pain with the word 'were' but he didn't care.

"I'm an old friend if hers."

"Oh, well, it's nice to meet you. Sorry we had to meet in these circumstances."

"Yeah..."

The two of them stare out blankly thinking about the person they both once knew. You have been missing for almost two months now. Everyone had given up hope on finding you alive or had just given up on the search entirely. Your husband was one of the last person who still hoped you'd be found.

"She was gorgeous."

Both of them think back, remembering you at different times.

"She was absolutely stunning in her wedding dress."

Keigo never got to see you in a wedding dress. Instead he saw you in a in causal clothes, standing beside the willow in the pale moonlight, looking more gorgeous than anything.

He had never expected to see someone look so angelic while holding such a sad expression.

He approached you, careful not to scare you.

"What's a angel like you looking so sad for?"

You take a second to register that someone was next to you, but when you do you immediately put on a fake smile.

"Oh, hello. What brings you here?"

"Oh Angel, don't smile if you don't mean it. What's got you down?"

You bow your head and wrap your arms around yourself as your lips quiver. You felt so weak, unable to hide your pain.

"Hehe... h-how'd you guess?"

Keigo didn't why he cared so much about how you felt, maybe it was his hero instinct or the simple fact he was just drawn to you.

Your beauty captivated him while your pain drew him in.

You feel unfamiliar yet comforting arms wrap around you.

"It's easy to see through someone's mask when you're wearing your own."

He holds you tight as you cry away your problems.

Keigo is snapped back into reality by your husband as he speaks again.

"She was always so picky with her food..."

Keigo stiffens at his false claim. You always ate whatever he brought you at night.

After your fateful meeting, the two of you continue seeing each other. Most nights ending with you in his arms, relishing the comfort, while he got the pleasure of holding an angel.

Certain nights he'd even bring little snacks and gifts for you. Ranging from chocolates and flowers to boxes of fast food and giant teddy bears.

Tonight was one of the nights he brought fast food.

"Kfc?"

Amusement was evident in your laugher at his choice of food that night.

"Only the best for you!"

He sits next to you and opens the box, the smell of chicken immediately filling the air.

"Oh, how chivalrous."

The two of you begin to eat fried chicken as your midnight snack, regretting it after as the two of you lay near each other grumbling.

"Uh I thought you said it was the best..." You groan as your stomach rumbles.

"Well, only the best food you can buy at midnight." You snort at his lazy response.

"You jerk! We probably have food poisoning because of you!"

He looks at you with a sly smirk.

"Won't stop me from bringing more food."

"So you'll come see me even if you have diarrhea?"

"Anything to see you~."

"Ewww! You can stay away if you have diarrhea!"

You playfully push him away but he pulls you closer, magicly making your stomach hurt less.

"You don't mean that."

"Maybe only a little."

Keigo smiles fondly at the belly aches he had with you. He's honestly surprised neither of you got food poisoning.

"Oh how she adored tulips..."

Again, he couldn't be more wrong. You prefered weeds like dandelions.

That night the moon was only half full, making it harder to see as you weaved flower crowns with Keigo's head resting in your lap. It had taken both of you a few minutes to find enough dandelions but the two of you managed.

"So why do you like weeds?"

"They're not weeds Keigo, they're flowers."

He adjusts the crown on his head before looking back up at you.

"What makes them flowers?"

You chuckle and finish the flower crown, placing this on your own head.

"Weeds are flowers that are unwanted, so if I want them they're a flowed!"

Keigo laughs and looks at you with a unreadable smile.

"Don't ever leave me."

You smile at his sentiment before leaning over and kissing his nose.

"I won't."

He raises his hand and caresses your cheek.

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

Sobs from your husband interrupted Keigo, making him clench his fists and looked at the pitiful man.

Tears were beginning to stream down his face as he continued to stare straight off infront of him.

"I loved her so much. If only I was nicer.... If only I told her how much I loved her, she would've never disappeared. She would still be in my arms right now!"

He cradles his head as his sobs get louder.

Keigo almost pittied the man. Your love was definitely something to want, even now he still craved it.

That night the two of you confessed, well aware of how wrong it was. Keigo knew you were married and so did you, but that only his desire for you grow.

He wanted you so bad. You mind, body, heart, and soul.

"I love you so much..."

His kiss was gentle and loving, something you hadn't felt in so long.

"Hehe you're not lying, are you?"

You smile, weaving your arms behind his neck and resting your forehead against his.

"I love you angel. I promise."

"You better keep that promise."

"I plan to."

Your laughter fills the night as he pushes you down and kisses your neck. His arms pulling you closer as he hungerly tries to take you in.

A beautiful night under your willow tree.

"She wanted children, you know."

Keigo's ears perk at the sound of this.

"Did she now?"

"It's the thing that broke our marriage. She wanted kids and I didn't. I should've given them to her..."

Keigo smirks at the man's pain. If your husband had given you kids he would've never met you.

The night he had ment you, your husband had yelled at you saying he never wanted kids. There were other driving factors in you ending up in his arms but that was the main one.

Your husband wipes his face and stands.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to ramble on like that. I hope you have a good day."

He turns and walks away in a slump.

Keigo just watches him walk away before sitting down with his back against the tree.

It's funny how the man didn't see the heart carved into the tree, it was practically right next to him. Within held your initials and his.

He remembers when the two of you wrote that.

It was a chilly night, leading to you snuggling in his arms. That night the two of you haven't spoken much, just taking in all the warmth and comfort.

"Keigo?"

"Yeah angel?"

"Do wanna have kids with me?"

Your question shocked him but he quickly recovered.

"Of course! What makes you bring this up?"

You don't look at him as you pull his arms around you tighter.

"I want to start a family with you..."

He freezes, unsure if what he heard was true.

"You mean that, right?"

"I promise."

He pulls you closer, burying his nose into your neck.

"We're gonna have the cutest kids ever!"

You laugh at his excitement and slightly pull away from his grasp. He looks at you quizzeled as you tug on one of his sharper feathers. He let's you grab it and watches you carve your intitals then his, circling it with a heart.

"Why'd you do that?"

You smile at him before tracing the freshly cut bark with your free hand.

"So that we can always look back on our promises together, never forgetting them."

Keigo sighs as he finishes the memory. He wished everything turned out differently, wishing that you were in his arms right now.

"You know, your husband is a big push over."

Keigo just spoke, no one was around to hear his words.

"I can't believe you married that guy, we should've met sooner so then we could get married and have kids."

He remembers the night where you practically tackled him to the ground. You were beaming as tears rolled down your cheeks.

He was so worried but in the end it was for nothing.

He asked what was wrong and you told him with a shaking voice that you were pregnant.

He was so estatic, he couldn't help the tears of joy as he held you close, unable to comprehend he was going to be a dad.

"If we had a son, I'm pretty sure he'd look like me but with your eyes. If we had a daughter she'd look like you, I don't know what eyes she'd have. Hehe they'd have little wings and they'd cause so much trouble once they learned how to fly!"

He smiles fondly at the thought before lowering his head.

"Too bad that could never happen now."

He clenches his fist as he remembers when disaster struck.

You were two months pregnant with his beautiful babies. You were walking over to him, forgetting about the prominent roots if the willow tree.

Your foot got caught causing you to trip and land on another prominent root.

Everything became numb as you suddenly felt something dribble down your leg as you sat up.

Keigo was instantly by your side, worried and trying to figure out what happened.

Then he saw the tears welling up in your eyes.

Then he saw the blood on your hands as you touched the inside of your thighs.

Then he felt his heart break the same as yours did.

You fall into his arms unmoving, scared and broken. He tries to hold you close but his body went into shock, leaving the two of you unmoving as you leaned on him.

That was the first rift in your relationship with him.

"You shouldn't blame yourself you know, I'll always love you no matter what. I promised I would."

He rests his hand on the ground next to him.

"I still love you, angel, even though you're actually an angel now."

He sighs and stands, looking down at the spot.

"I'll come back later tonight (y/n), at our usual time."

He walks away, leaving your body underneath the willow tree.

Ever since your tragic miscarriage, you became a lot more distant. You were still hurting from the incident and seeing Keigo was a reminder of what could've been, but what couldn't happen.

You realized the pain you would cause if your husband found out, the pain you caused Keigo by loving him, the pain you caused yourself by doing the same.

So you distanced yourself from Keigo and on the rare nights to went out to the willow you'd shy away from anything intimate. You didn't want either if you to get hurt again.

"Hey Keigo?"

"Yeah, (y/n)?"

"I think... I think we should stop seeing each other."

He felt his world break around him. You were his everything, how could you want to leave him?

"What? Why?"

His works came out more demanding than questioning but it still got his point across.

"I don't want to get hurt again, I don't want to hurt you again!"

He saw you breaking down but he could barely care, you were trying to leave him. After all the two of you been though, how could you?

"No... Did our time together mean nothing? Were all out promises lies!?"

Anger was evident in his words as he stepped closer, making you back away.

"Our time together ment so much to me! And I never lied, I just can't do this anymore..."

You try and wipe away your tears, making you unable to see Keigo grab one of his sharper feathers.

"Oh angel..."

He walks closer.

"Why would you ever try and leave me?"

He walks closer.

"I'll make sure you can never leave me again."

His words were a soft whisper on your neck and before you could understand his words, you were pierced through the back.

Your breath hitches as you look down and see his feather protruding from your chest, blood quickly soaking your shirt.

"K-k-keigo?"

"Shhh angel, it'll be over soon and we can be together. Just like we promised!"

Everything goes cold as you breathe your last breath, falling to the ground as he watches.

He doesn't feel remorse as his kisses your forehead and begins to dig your grave. It was only necessary so you would keep your promises.

Keigo returns to the willow, just as he promised, only this time carrying a shovel along with. He begins to dig, careful not to dig too deep as to hurt you.

He spends an hour or so before he finds you. He reached out for your rotting and decaying corpse, gently dusting the dirt off as he lifted you from the hole.

"Hey angel. You still look beautiful as ever. Shall I have this dance?"

Silence takes over as he waits for you to respond.

"Then let us dance."

His arm wraps around your spine and ribs as he gently takes your hand, beginning the waltz in the moonlight.

"Im sorry I made you wait two months before I could hold you again, I had to make sure no one would look for you. Can't have my angel taken away from me, can I?"

He smiles at your lifeless body, still thinking you could hear and respond to him.

"Hehe there's still one last promise to forfill."

He holds a lustful gaze in his eyes before it turns loving.

"Don't worry, that's not for tonight. Tonight we dance and tomorrow we can begin our family."

He leans in and kisses your rotted corpse, remembering the life that used to be there.

If only you hadn't made those willow tree promises.

Kiby~💚

[ohokimdumb]

Ivar:

Platonic:

Ivar feels a deepened hatred to those who have harmed or tried to harm you.

He encourages you to always be honest with him.

“No matter what, I want you to be honest with me. Even if I get angry...I’ll learn to get over it.” Ivar says, setting his hand on your shoulder for comfort.

Being your go-to shoulder to cry on.

He is always reliable when it comes to protecting you.

“I do not love her as a partner, but as a friend who brings the best out of me, a gift no one else in this world has. And I will never take her for granted.” Ivar says, defending the two of you.

Romantic:

Very protective over you.

“If anyone touches you or tries to harm you, you come to me. You hear?” Ivar reminds you, and you nod your head in response.

Lots of neck and shoulder kisses.

Goes hunting to bring you well stitched furs to keep you from freezing. (He knows you’re one to be cold constantly)

Late night cuddles.

Expresses you to other people as a goddess.

“She’s a gift sent from Odin himself. The goddess of beauty and love. And only I have the right to cherish her.” Ivar gushes over you to rest of the vikings during a feast.

Bjorn:

Platonic:

Respects boundaries.

Indulges your interest in wildlife; wolves, foxes, bears, and the cute rabbits. (Even though he believes it to be dangerous)

“Next time you want to go and see those beasts, tell me so I can be at your side.” Bjorn cups your cheeks. You nod and give him a bear-like hug.

Even though his children, wife, and war take up most of his time, he will always find moments to share with you.

Personally teaches you hand in hand combat.

Romantic:

Stays told hold you while you moan over the deaths of loved ones and those close to you after a battle.

“It is alright, my love.” Bjorn whispers as he runs his fingers through your soft hair. “They have all gone to Valhalla.”

Combat training is tough when all Bjorn wants to do is tackle you and give special smooches all over your body.

After his long expeditions, he’ll come home with all different types of flowers, jewelry, and pelts for you.

Secret dancing sessions before a long night of love making.

Hvitserk:

Platonic:

Loves to make fun of you.

“You are swinging that axe like a child, should I tuck you in?” Hvitserk jokes. Annoyed you throw your axe at the tree, cutting his cheek in the process.

Trustworthy, you know he will keep your secrets till the day he dies.

Beats down men who try to touch or harass you.

Holds you during stormy nights, since he knows you are terrified of lightning.

Challenges you to eating contests, even though he always wins. 

Romantic:

Never leaves you behind, he takes you everywhere he explores.

Brings you to his quiet places, a happy place he’s never shown anyone.

“I love the crashing sound of water hitting rocks. No one knows about this waterfall except you and I. It must stay a secret, so no one...bothers us.” Hvitserk smiles, walking over to you and planting a gentle kiss on your forehead.

Cherishes every part of your body.

Marking. Hvitserk loves to leave marks on your body; scratches, bruises, bite marks, and hickies.

Ubbe:

Platonic:

Always stays by your side. He feels more at peace when he’s with you, especially during all this war.

Forehead kisses and long lasting goodbyes; he makes sure you both do something worth remembering, for he never knows if he will see you again.

Steals goats and rabbits from the butcher so you can hold and pet them to help with your anxiousness.

“These little guys should help you calm down.” Ubbe smiles and sits next to you, petting the goat. “Just don’t let it shit on my bed.” You both laugh.

Hunting sessions together. He tries to help you understand that killing animals is part of nature, but you cry anyways.

“You are too sweet for this world, you know that?” Ubbe rubs your back, wiping your tears away with his thumb.

Romantic:

Back rubs. From all the stress of war, you get extreme back pain. But, Ubbe knows how to make it go away almost instantly.

Always listens to what you have to say before he acts.

“I want to hear what my beloved has to say about the matter.” Ubbe says and motions you to speak; you do. He smiles at your confidence and well-thought ideas.

Tummy kisses, he can’t wait for the day you become pregnant with his child.

Always puts you first, even before his brothers.

He has a thing for kissing your hands and keeping them warm.

Sigurd:

Platonic:

Lets you create lyrics to his music, even though he’s super picky about it.

Is calm and gentle with you when you are in a panic.

“Breathe in and out, I know it’s hard to deal with, but you need to try.” Sigurd says quietly and escorts you somewhere soothing. Lake conversations seem to help you chill.

Cheers you up with his impressive funny faces.

Makes sure you are safe at all times, even if he needs to stay up all night.

Surprise tickles.

Romantic:

Attempts to make romantic dinners, but ends up burning the bread.

Overwhelms you with smooches whenever he can.

Uses his musical talent to help you sleep when you start to have nightmares.

Brings assorted flowers to you almost everyday, even though the flowers tend to end up torn apart.

“No matter how hard I try, by the time I get you the flowers are ruined.” Sigurd complains, but he still hands you the assorted flowers. (He tried!)

Long, gentle make out sessions in his bed.

[lettersforhersunshine]

@wintersembers​ said:

Storm King and Celestia for that ship meme !

ULTIMATE SHIP MEME! X

GENERAL:

RATE THE SHIP -   Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

HOW LONG WILL THEY LAST? - who fucking knows man but i like to believe they build up a solid friendship first before anything else so they're pretty tight-knit

HOW QUICKLY DID/WILL THEY FALL IN LOVE? - it was a pretty steady process, neither really expected to fall in love

HOW WAS THEIR FIRST KISS? - pretty awkward and clunky with the huge difference in face shapes and giant fangs, but celestia finds the memory endearing

WEDDING:

WHO PROPOSED? - apparently storm im still working on that reply

WHO IS THE BEST MAN/MEN? - probably a storm creature JHJDFSHJ

WHO IS THE BRIDE’S MAID(S)? - luna ofc!! she always has to watch as celestia makes the weirdest choices in husbands

WHO DID THE MOST PLANNING? - i wanna say mostly celestia, but storm is totally also the bitch that wants the grandest wedding to really flex

WHO STRESSED THE MOST? - storm

HOW FANCY WAS THE CEREMONY? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

WHO WAS SPECIFICALLY NOT INVITED TO THE WEDDING? -  cant really think of anyone 🤔

SEX:

WHO IS ON TOP? - you fuckin know who

WHO IS THE ONE TO INSTIGATE THINGS? - pretty equal prolly?? celestia definitely loves getting wrecked by her monster husband

HOW HEALTHY IS THEIR SEX LIFE? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

HOW KINKY ARE THEY? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

HOW LONG DO THEY NORMALLY LAST? - b

DO THEY MAKE SURE EACH PERSON GETS AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF ORGASMS? - i

HOW ROUGH ARE THEY IN BED? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

HOW MUCH CUDDLING/SNUGGLING DO THEY DO? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

CHILDREN:

HOW MANY CHILDREN WILL THEY HAVE NATURALLY? - i mean. who knows 👀 we really oughta talk furballs at some point kimba

HOW MANY CHILDREN WILL THEY ADOPT? - sunset blueblood and cadence count right

WHO GETS STUCK WITH THE MOST DIAPERS? - storm bc he was cursed w opposable thumbs

WHO IS THE STRICTER PARENT? - celestia

WHO STOPS THE KID(S) FROM DOING DANGEROUS STUNTS AFTER SCHOOL? - celestia bc storm is an enabling dumbass

WHO REMEMBERS TO PACK THE LUNCH(ES)? - they take turns feeding the children

WHO IS THE MORE LOVED PARENT? - i can see their kid(s) being a daddy’s girl/boy

WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO ATTEND THE PTA MEETINGS? - celestia

WHO CRIED THE MOST AT GRADUATION? - storm

WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO BAIL THE CHILD(REN) OUT OF TROUBLE WITH THE LAW? - celestia bc she is the law

COOKING:

WHO DOES THE MOST COOKING? - celestia most likely

WHO IS THE PICKIEST IN THEIR FOOD CHOICE? - maybe storm?? don’t see either of them being too picky

WHO DOES THE GROCERY SHOPPING? - castle staff baby

HOW OFTEN DO THEY BAKE DESSERTS? - celestia loves surprising her hubby w pastries and then helping him eat them

ARE THEY MORE OF A MEAT-LOVER OR A SALAD EATER? - i mean celestia is a herbivore but idk about storm

WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO SURPRISE THE OTHER(S) WITH AN ANNIVERSARY DINNER? - storm know how to treat his girl

WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO SUGGEST GOING OUT? - celestia??

WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO BURN THE HOUSE DOWN ACCIDENTALLY WHILE COOKING? - storm: sweats

CHORES:

WHO CLEANS THE ROOM? - celestia

WHO IS REALLY AGAINST CHORES? - storm

WHO CLEANS UP AFTER THE PETS? - i’d love to see storm try to tackle the extremely flammable chemical soup that comes out of philomenas ass

WHO IS MORE LIKELY TO SWEEP EVERYTHING UNDER THE RUG? - storm

WHO STRESSES THE MOST WHEN GUESTS ARE COMING OVER? - storm probably felt a lil awkward in the beginning but idk about stressed

WHO FOUND A DOLLAR BETWEEN THE COUCH CUSHIONS WHILE CLEANING? - celestia

MISC:

WHO TAKES THE LONGER SHOWERS/BATHS? - they both take their sweet time maintaining all that white fluff but storm probably beats her by a margin bc he's so big and his fur is so t h i c c

WHO TAKES THE DOG BIRD OUT FOR A WALK? - storm can walk around w philomena perched on his horns

HOW OFTEN DO THEY DECORATE THE ROOM/HOUSE FOR THE HOLIDAYS? - don’t think they're super big on decorations, but they hang up a few

WHAT ARE THEIR GOALS FOR THE RELATIONSHIP? - just being bros and keeping storm out of trouble

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO SLEEP TILL NOON? - most likely storm,  celestia ain't got that luxury

WHO PLAYS THE MOST PRANKS? - celestia

[bae-leth]

I had a bunch more stuff I wanted to say about Faris and Natalia’s relationship in the Fraldarddyd family AU but I thought it would be easier on everyone to put all my thoughts in one submissions instead of sending a dozen asks this time. Also, lol, I can’t believe I keep coincidentally giving these characters the names of your relatives, what the heck???

Let’s just go over Faris first. He’s a friendly and social guy. He’s obsessed with the stars and can talk about them for hours if given the chance. He’s a smart guy and super politically savvy, perfectly at home in even the most cutthroat political climates. He’s known to be very mischievous and prone to pranks, though the less he likes you then the harsher his pranks can be. He and Natalia are the same age but he’s a couple months younger, which she loves to hold over him especially after he grows taller than her. He and Zain are pretty close despite Zain loving to give his little brother shit whenever possible. I see him being magically gifted, so I imagine him as a Warlock. I see him mainly taking after Claude in terms of looks (I don’t really have a spouse in mind for Claude in this AU so I’m leaving that part kinda vague).

Strengths – Reason, Authority; Weaknesses – Axe, Brawl, Heavy Armor; Budding Talent - Lance

Zain is two years older than Faris and basically anyone who meets him considers him a stern and serious no-nonsense kind of crown prince. This is how he’s like around most people. However he allows himself to relax and show off a much more playful, emotional, teasing side around people he trusts wholeheartedly (his immediate family and a small handful of friends). He resembles his brother in having the same eye color and skin tone, but Zain looks much more rugged and mature. Unlike Faris he is perfectly at home on the battlefield, being a renowned Sniper with plenty of victories to his name. He never became a Barbarossa like his dad cause he’s scared of heights. He enjoys the ocean a ton, so he’s always up for ocean voyages and will take any and every chance to explore coastlines.

Strengths - Bow, Axe, Authority; Weaknesses – Faith, Flying; Budding Talent - Riding

The whole engagement thing between Faris and Natalia is largely unofficial and both sides mainly just want their kids to become close to promote good relations between Fodlan and Almyra. Although things would really work out the best if the pair did become romantically involved but no one is really pushy about it. Especially since Faris and Natalia just do NOT like each other. Honestly the only thing stopping the first meeting between the royal children from being a complete disaster is that both Faris and Zain quickly become attached to Artemis (prince of stealing hearts without even trying). Faris and Artemis latch onto each other since they have so much in common (second princes, good at magic, similar weaknesses, bookworms, etc) while Zain ends up considering Artemis like another little brother while Artemis really look up to Zain (it’s thanks to Zain that Artemis’ budding talent is bows). Also Zain actually ends up being friendly with Natalia too (he likes her strong, honest personality and honestly he finds the disaster that is hers and Faris’ relationship hilarious, plus she thinks he’s super cool and likes sparring with him). So it’s literally just Natalia and Faris at odds with each other.

“If you like Artemis so much, why don’t you marry him instead?!” “Maybe I will!” “Fine!” “Fine!” “FINE!” “FINE!!!” *Zain and Artemis in the background, talking about their favorite desserts and not getting involved in their siblings’ fight*

“Claude I’m starting to doubt if this will work out. The two of them hate each other.” “Well Felix hated you plenty for a few years and look at you now. Adorable little lovebirds, a love story perfect for the bards to sing of!” “Listen here you little-” “Felix please.”

In order to try and help Natalia and Faris get along they’re both sent to visit each other’s homeland a bunch over the years. Occasionally the whole family goes but the rulers can’t keep running off all the time. So most of the time it’s Natalia (and Artemis because Natalia barricaded herself in her room until her dads agreed to let her take Artemis along “to see that stupid Faris’ face”) visiting Almyra for several weeks and then a little while later it’s Faris visiting Fodlan, particularly Faerghus, for several weeks (only bringing Zain when he’s in a particularly bad mood thanks to Natalia since Zain keeps making fun of him otherwise).

Faris is kinda sorta okay when he’s in Faerghus, even though it’s absurdly cold most of the time. Hell, every time he thinks he’s wearing enough the weather proves him wrong. Natalia keeps laughing at him when he has to dress up like a marshmallow in order to go out in Faerghus winters. Natalia is very brutal in snowball fights…RIP Faris. He definitely prefers to stay inside by the fireplace, though Natalia is insistent on dragging him outside. It usually ends in him spending the last few days of his stay sick in bed.

Natalia, like Dimitri, is dead in heat so every time she goes to Almyra she spends around a week just laying on her bed wearing as little as proper manners will allow. Faris alternates between “helping” by practicing his ice magic on her or otherwise relying on her need to do better than him to goad her into playing with him. Though he had to lay off on that after Natalia got heatstroke once.

Natalia considers it a personal insult that her beloved horse absolutely adores Faris when he’s usually very picky about who he allows near him (“Ares, how could you do this to me?!” *neighs* “Oh don’t give me that attitude young man!”)

Faris, in the meanwhile, is not pleased by how his retainers-in-the-making are absolutely smitten with Natalia (“Did you see her in yesterday’s spar with the new recruits? She could break my spine and I’d thank her.” “Please, sweet embrace of death, come for me.”)

Artemis and Zain start being regular pen pals as they compare archery notes, seek advice from one prince to another, talk about recent events in their homeland and in their lives, and complain about their siblings/commentate on whether or not they’ll get together.

“I don’t know, Zain, after that incident with the birds Sister said, and I quote, ‘The next time I see that scrawny piece of *ahem* garbage, he’s dead. Almyra will be down a prince and they’ll be all the better for it.’ So I’m saying no.” “I’d agree with you, especially since Faris has been disturbingly interested in researching dark magic after eating those ‘super special Faerghus delicacies’ Natalia brought last time. But for as social as he is my brother is normally never so obsessed with anyone, so I think we may have a romance for the ages on our hands, my friend!”

The two of them play PLENTY of stupid pranks on each other over the years. Sometimes they flat out got into physical fights with each other. The people of Fodlan and Almyra have long since gotten used to the sound of Faris and Natalia yelling at each other and then the sound of crashing and punching.

That being said, not everything was bad between them. That one time Natalia got heatstroke, Faris was genuinely apologetic and worried about her and kept her company while she was bedridden. Likewise Natalia does feel bad when she keeps getting Faris sick while trying to show off Faerghus to him and will read him adventure stories to pass the time. Also I love the idea you mentioned of Faris trying to help Natalia get over her low spice intolerance (to mixed results, Natalia’s just glad she no longer downs an entire pitcher of water on her own after eating Almyran food). One time when a Faerghus noble child made a snide remark about Faris being Almyran, Natalia tackled the brat to the ground.

Faris, holding a tissue to Natalia’s bloody nose: “I thought you didn’t like me.” Natalia, very obviously confused: “??? What does not liking you have to do with you being Almyran?” Faris: “Heh, I suppose you’re right for once.”

“Zain, I think I want to change my opinion. Sister and Faris may have more of a chance than I originally thought.” “What did I tell you, Artemis? Romance for the ages…”

As the years pass and Natalia and Faris both grow and mature and mellow out, the two of them start to consider each other friends. They speak more, debate more, discuss their interests more, and slowly start to enjoy spending time together. Eventually it gets to the point where the two of them joke around about their kinda sorta engagement to each other. Natalia singing the absolute worst love songs while Faris writes the cheesiest poetry and love letters imaginable. Calling each other cutesy pet names, those kind of shenanigans.

Honestly, they mostly do it just to fuck with poor Zain and Artemis, who didn’t ask for this bullshit but are stuck with it anyways.

“Artemis, I need you to kill me, I can’t tolerate them anymore.” “Come now, Zain, it’s not so bad! Hey, why don’t we go for a ride on Altena? That always calms me down!” “I cannot stress enough how much I would rather die than do that…” “What are you trying to say about my sweet Altena, huh?” “Would you stop taking it as an insult against your wyvern every time?!”

Natalia starts teaching Faris about fighting with lances. And Faris helps Natalia grow more used to handling politics.

Honestly, there was something special growing between them for quite some time after they started getting along better, but neither of them really recognized what it could be. But they kept getting closer and closer as time passed. At public events they stuck by each other’s side and often danced together. They were seen going off on rides together or just taking walks while talking.

Faris is the first one to recognize his feelings when he comes along to help Natalia out with a skirmish. The pair make a great team in battle, covering for each other’s weaknesses well. Faris, too exhausted after a large number of enemies surrounded him, is almost taken down from behind when Natalia saves him. His joke has a fair amount of relief and gratitude in it when he says “Thanks for the help, sweetheart!” But WOW when Natalia turns to him with the most dazzling smile on her face, looking like she practically glowing with the sun behind her, Faris feels like his heart stops. “Anytime, honey!” And Faris just keeps staring after her as she rushes off after another enemy.

Natalia was always pretty but Faris has never actually acknowledged how pretty until that moment. And his heart won’t stop racing, her smile and voice still in his head. And oh fuck, oh shit, he knows exactly what this is…

“Zain, you umm…you wouldn’t happen to know when the next visit to Fodlan is, would you?” “…Why do you ask, my dear little brother? :))))))” “…Are you going to tell Arty about this?” *Zain, pulling out a piece of parchment and quill* “What gives you that idea????”

Faris regrets everything when his parents and brother don’t let him live it down that he’s now realized he’s in love with Natalia. “Whatever happened to ‘I’d rather become a hermit and die alone and unloved on a barren mountain than ever marry her’ Faris? Seven-year-old you was soooo dramatic!” “Father, please.”

Things don’t change too significantly after Faris’ realization. But there are changes. He’s noticeably softer around Natalia, smiling gently around her or going along with her wishes more easily. Most of his pranks towards her tone down to being things that give her pleasant surprises. The most significant change comes from the love letters and poems purposefully written badly for jokes slowly becoming more sincere sounding and really sweet.

Natalia doesn’t know what to make of the changes. They’re odd but she’s more surprised by how much she enjoys it. She even reads Faris’ letters and poems over and over well into the night. A warm and peaceful feeling spreads through her every time she gets a new letter from Faris or he holds her closer than usual during a dance.

She doesn’t realize it’s love until sometime later when she visits Almyra. Faris is so bright and excited as he drags her outside in the dead of night because the skies are so clear that you can see way more stars than normal and it’s soooo beautiful. Faris happily explains the stories behind all the different constellations and laughs so happily recalling some of his favorite tales. Natalia stares and stares at him and thinks that she could watch him smile and laugh like that forever. At some point Faris starts holding her hands and pulls her close to him as he keeps pointing out constellations and telling her stories. And Natalia tries so hard to concentrate on his words but all she can focus on is his hands and how warm they are and so much bigger than hers and how she wants him to keep holding her and-Oh. Ooohhhh…Oh fuck…

“So, Sister, you enjoyed your last visit to Almyra a lot, didn’t you?” “Hmm? What gave that away, Artemis?” *Natalia, lying on her bed surrounded by all of Faris’ letters and poems to her, giggling to herself as she reads them* “…Just a hunch.”

“Felix, it seems Claude was right. He tells me Faris is rather obviously smitten. And it’s easy to tell Natalia is in love. While I’m sad at how quickly the children are growing up, it’s wonderful to see them so happy, isn’t it?” “Uh-huh yeah sure, do you think this blade is sharp enough or should I take it back to the blacksmith? I want it ready before the Almyrans come visit next month.” “…Why are you-?” “You know damn well why.” “Felix.”

“Well it seems you and I will get to call each other ‘brother’ soon enough, Artemis! Or well, hopefully soon enough. It depends on how long it takes our stubborn siblings to take those final steps.” “Agreed. But I’ve already thought of you as my brother for a long time now, Zain. We’ve known each other for so many years! Your one of my dearest friends and my brother in all but blood. :)” “…” “??? Zain, are you crying-?” “*sobs* NO, I’m not!”

[heroesmusings]

FULL NAME: Clinton Francis Barton 

MEANING: Settlement on a hill

NICKNAME: Clint

MEANING: It’s just a shorter version of his name 

AGE APPEARANCE: Appears 30, actually 33

BIRTHDAY: September 7th, 1987

ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo

SPECIES: Human

GENDER: Cis male

ALLERGIES: None

SEXUAL PREFERENCE: Bisexual

THEME SONG(S): Wine Red by The Hush Sound, Raising Hell by Kesha, Church by Fall Out Boy, Angel in Blue Jeans by Train

APPEARANCE

HAIR COLOR:  Dirty Blonde to Brown

HAIR STYLE AND LENGTH: Short 

EYES COLOR: Blue

EYESIGHT: 20/20, he’s a BIRD BOY

HEIGHT: 6″3′

WEIGHT: 200 lbs

OUTFIT/CLOTHING STYLE: For missions he wears his uniform but on days off its just jeans and a shirt

ABNORMALITIES: Deaf 

DISTINGUISHING MARKS(SCARS,MOLES): He’s got scars on both ears from the hole to neck, 6 gunshot wounds, knife scars

SELF CARE(MAKE UP): Clint washes his face once in a blue moon and at times has a beard

FIRST IMPRESSION ON PEOPLE: He’s pretty friendly, a bit on the joking and sarcastic side 

SKIN COLOR: White

BODY TYPE/BUILD: Broad shouldered, a big muscular build 

DEFAULT EXPRESSION: Always a bit of a cocky smirk on his face

POSTURE: He stands with a little bit of more weight on his left side

PIERCINGS: One hole in his left ear

DESCRIBE THEIR VOICE: Clint’s voice is a little on the higher end for a man of his stature, it’s a big rugged and can sometimes be a bit slow with a twang 

RELATIONS:

MOM: Edith Barton

HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: Clint was a momma’s boy, very close to his mother the two had a close bond

DAD: Harold Barton

HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: His father was abusive they did not get along at all, Clint was always the problem child

SIBLINGS: Barney Barton

HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: Before the circus, Barney and Clint were two peas in a pod, they stuck together through it all but after the circus Clint cannot stand his brother

CHILDREN: N/A

HOW WELL DO THEY GET ALONG: N/A

OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS: N/A

PAST LOVER(S): Bobbi Morse (ex-wife), Laura (ex-girlfriend), Zelda DuBois [Princess Python] (ex-fling)

CURRENT LOVER: Natasha Romanoff 

REACTION TO MEETING SOMEONE NEW: Clint likes to find out what makes them tick, so he’s friendly, wants to get on their good side so he’ll know how to take them down if he has to 

ABILITY TO WORK WITH OTHERS: he’s…. Alright? He’ll work with people but complain about it in the process

HOW SOCIABLE(LONER,ETC): Clint likes his alone time but he’s pretty sociable 

FRIENDS: Natasha Romanoff, Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff, the rest of the avengers team

PETS: Lucky the yellow lab

LEAST FAVORITE TYPE OF PERSON: Anyone who mistakes her shyness for powerlessness 

PARENTAL TYPE(PROTECTIVE,ETC): Easy going and easily manipulated  

FAVORITE PEOPLE: Nat, Steve, Wanda

LEAST FAVORITE PEOPLE: Barney, anyone in the Circus of Crimes 

PERSONALITY:

..WHEN YOU FIRST MEET THEM: ? Talkative, Jokester, Obnoxious 

..AS YOU KNOW THEM BETTER(AND THEY LIKE YOU): Joyful, Teasing, Easy going

..AS YOU KNOW THEM BETTER(AND THEY DISLIKE YOU): Cold, Antagonistic, Rude 

FAVORITE COLOR: Purple 

FAVORITE FOOD: anything gross and greasy 

FAVORITE ANIMAL: shockingly not a hawk, he loves dogs

FAVORITE INSTRUMENT: Acoustic guitar 

FAVORITE ELEMENT: Air

LEAST FAVORITE COLOR: White

LEAST FAVORITE FOOD: Kale

LEAST FAVORITE ANIMAL: piranhas

LEAST FAVORITE INSTRUMENT: Trumpet

LEAST FAVORITE ELEMENT: Earth

HOBBIES: watching daytime television, sleeping, knitting, salsa dancing 

USUAL MOOD: Pretty jovial most of the time 

DRINK/SMOKE/DRUGS: Drinks socially 

DARK VERSION OF SELF: Ruthless, unforgiving, blinded by anger

LIGHT VERSION OF SELF: Carefree, the past doesn’t chase him anymore

HOW SERIOUS ARE THEY: Not very serious at all, unless it's a dire situation 

BELIEVE IN GHOSTS: No he doesn’t

(IN)DEPENDANT: Pretty independent unless its nat 

SOFT SPOT/VULNERABILITY: Messing with Nat, Talking about his father/home life

OPINION ON SWEARING: He’s got a filthy mouth

DAREDEVIL VS CAUTIOUS: DAREDEVIL 

MUSIC TYPE: Soft rock and anything acoustic 

MOVIE TYPE: Any sort of cheesy movie it doesn’t matter the genre 

BOOK TYPE: Clint doesn’t read all that much but maybe fantasy 

GAME TYPE: God ANY GAME, he’s a pro at them all

COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE: Clint thrives in any temperature 

SLEEPING PATTERN: Clint sleeps where the fuck ever he can, anytime he can squeeze in a nap? He’s doing it

CLEANLINESS/NEATNESS: Clint gives no DAMNS about that stuff..

DESIRED PET: More puppies thanks 

HOW DO THEY PASS TIME: Sleeping or annoying Nat and Steve

BIGGEST SECRET: After SHIELD fell Clint doesn’t really have any secrets but he hasn’t told anyone his brother was there when the Swordsmen deafened him 

HERO/WHO THEY LOOK UP TO: Steve Rogers

WHAT ANIMAL WOULD THEY BE: a clingy puppy

FEARS: Something happening to Nat 

COMFORTS: Anytime Natasha is around, greasy food, training 

HOW DO THEY ACT WHEN THEY ARE:

SAD: Clint doesn’t like getting sad, so he often gets angry and frustrated when he’s sad. It’s from years of abuse because his father would mock him when he got sad so he doesn’t like getting sad… and at times he just disappears  

HAPPY: Clint is usually pretty happy, so that comes with smiles and jokes mostly. If he teases and jokes with you then he’s in a good mood

ANGRY: Angry clint is usually even more reckless, he doesn’t think he just attacks, he will take no prisoners at all 

AFRAID: Unless it’s Barney, Clint usually likes to face his fears head on -- tackle them right when he can so he can go into things unafraid.

LOVE SOMEONE: SOFT, clint is soft and doting, he loves to spoil and care for in any way he can. He’s protective and can be clingy 

HATE SOMEONE: Clint makes it clear, he doesn’t joke he doesn’t tease or anything. He’s barely even likes to talk to them much less

WANT SOMETHING: Clint goes for it, there has been so much in his life that he’s never been allowed to have -- so now he’s letting himself have what he wants 

CONFUSED: Clint is always confused okay 

HOW DO THEY REACT TO:

DANGER: Clint runs HEAD FIRST INTO DANGER BECAUSE HE’S AN IDIOT 

SOMEONE THEY HATE WHO HAS A CRUSH ON THEM: Clint would think its a joke honestly and when it isn’t a joke he’d avoid them 

PROPOSAL TO MARRY: Clint would be upset that Nat beat him to it because he’s been working on awhile to propose BUT he’d of course say yes and think of the memory fondly 

DEATH OF LOVED ONE: Clint would lose it, he wouldn’t be able to function any longer. He’d become cold and a hermit  

DIFFICULT GAME/MATH/ETC: He’d let Tony deal with it. 

INJURY: Clint would fucking laugh it off and act fine. But if it was Nat then he’d be obsessive until she gets help 

SOMETHING IRRESISTABLY CUTE: He’d take a photo and send it to Nat 

LOSS OF HOURS OF WORK: s l e e p

KNOWLEDGE:

LANGUAGES: English, ASL a bit of Russian

SCHOOLING LEVEL: Middle School

FAVORITE SUBJECT (S): Clint would rather dIE than tell anyone but he liked math 

INTERESTED CAREERS: N/A.

EXPERTISE: master archer/marksmen, expert tactician, acrobat and hand-to-hand combatant

PUZZLES: clint is SO GOOD AT PUZZLES, he can figure them out quick  

CHEMISTRY: clint likes both human and science. He likes the science part to design more arrows and the human part because he’s very in tune with people and their emotions 

MATH: Clint is WILDLY good at math, he has to be because he doesn’t miss a single shot. Everytime he shoots an arrow he has to include every variable possible 

ENGLISH: clint wasn’t all that interested in it 

GEOGRAPHY: he’s pretty good at it. 

POLITICS/LAW: Clint really isn’t all that into or interested in politics 

ECONOMY/ACCOUNTING: Again not into any of that 

COOKING: Clint can cook cereal and that’s about it 

SEWING: He’s good at basic medical and clothing sewing   

MECHANICS: Yes! He’s pretty good with cars and motorcycles  

BOTANY (FLOWERS): Not at all 

MYTHOLOGY: Looked into it when Thor showed up because Fury asked him too 

DRAMATICS(ACTING,SINGING): He used to be a spy so he’s a good actor  

READING LEVEL: Proficient 

HOW GOOD ARE THEY AT PLANNING AHEAD: ……...sorry Clint doesn’t know what that means 

ROMANCE:

DO THEY TAKE INITIATIVE: Yes all the time, anytime he can get his hands on Nat he will 

HOW DO THEY ACT(SHY,ETC): He thinks he’s smooth but boy’s an idiot and Nat makes his heart race 

GENTLEMAN/LADYLIKE VS KLUTZY: Oh Clint has plenty of gentelmany skills

GO SLOW VS JUMP INTO: WIth Nat? He wants to take things slow, he doesn’t wanna mess this up 

PROTECTIVE: HELL YEAH 

ACT LIKE FRIENDS OR LOVERS: Both 

WHAT KIND OF PRESENTS DO THEY BUY:ANYTHING THAT HE THINKS NAT WILL LIKE, he likes getting her pretty things to wear 

TYPE OF KISSER: Clint likes it soft and sweet or rough and biting there is not in between 

DO THEY WANT KIDS: not until recently  

DO THEY WANT TO MARRY: YES YES 

MAKE GOOD OR BAD DECISIONS: He’s a fucking fool so both, but he tries REALLY hard to make good choices 

ARE THEY ROMANTIC: yes he’s A SAP

HOW ARE THEY IN BED: Clint really lives to please Nat so he’s fucking great thanks

GET JEALOUS EASY: Nope, he knows that he and Nat are in it for good

WIFE/HUBBY BEATER: NEVER

MARRY FOR MONEY: LMAO NO 

FAVORITE POSITION: Clint loves being choked by her thighs or under her.. He really isn’t it picky as long as he’s with Nat

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN ON THEIR DREAM DATE: just a day in with Nat and they eat nasty foods together 

OPINION ON SEX: Sex didn’t always mean much to Clint, he used to sleep around often but with Nat it means a lot because there’s an actual connection there with her and he aims to make her feel good and have it be enjoyable

[elegant-etienne]

have you met any friends in RL from rp? How did that go?

Munday Story Time!

I’ve met so many it would be hard to name them all! When I try to do a loose tally, it’s probably around 30-40 RPers I’ve met IRL from the various RP communities I’ve been a part of in my 20+ years of online RP. I’ve met about seven FFXIV RPers, not counting people I met IRL at other nerdy events that wound up being Balmung RPers! So, it’s not easy to say what it’s been like in summary, aside from the fact that a majority - a large majority - of people are just wonderful and lovely when you meet them face to face. Sometimes even people who wind up behaving abominably online. One thing I can say with relative certainty is I don’t think I’ve really met a person involved with any of these communities who is ‘strictly’ neurotypical, which is something I carry with me in every interaction with new people online and off. The community is more diverse than you might believe at first blush, and a lot of marginalized folk gather here, not just those who navigate the world from different mental settings than is considered the default. Considering the core aspects of the hobby, I don’t find it surprising. 

I’ve met more nice people than creeps, but I have met a few creeps. Honestly, it’s hard to gauge when it’s appropriate to offer to give a hug, because like - a lot of the time these are people we’ve known for years online! And now we even voice-chat. I’ve met so, so many people who immediately felt like old friends after meeting them. After I’d traveled across the country to meet someone who promptly dumped me, I took a train on my own to visit some friends in our community. They looked at me and said, “You need a drink.” We had an amazing time, with both of them showing me great local spots and letting me just cry and sleep on their couch and be a mess and vent about the whole thing. To this day I have an open invitation to visit their city, even though we haven’t RPed with each other in probably six or seven years. We keep in touch a little, and I sincerely hope I get to see them again.

But I’ll never forget a particular guy (not in this community) who insisted on a hug after we happened to meet/chat at the bus stop. There was nothing particularly physically imposing to me, in fact I’m pretty sure if I’d thought about it I could’ve tackled him down like a linebacker, but I had a total-deer-in-the-headlights reaction.

Here’s more dirt behind the cut, and also toward the very, very end of the story, some discussion of some very disturbing abusive behavior. I will note it before it begins, in case you don’t want to read that part.

This guy was a textbook narcissist manipulator: nerd edition. He’d act like he was your best friend and always doing you a favor but it was clearly just a way to control others around him. He wasn’t exactly doing the ‘nice guy’ thing so much as trying to look good to everyone regardless of their gender and create a bubble of love around him, making a big show of how nice he was doing things that didn’t actually require much effort (like saying nice things or giving people gifts or doing them favors they did not ask for). But, lacking any magnetism or charisma, he instead used that ‘niceness’, and then when that didn’t work, feigned helplessness and the pity of others to get what he wanted. For me, he also tried to lean hard on a shared aspect of our identities is the LBQTIA community - ironically in the way a lot of people try to when they’re outside the community and don’t understand it. Like, bringing it up just to make positive and admiring remarks about it apropos of nothing! Thanks for outing me on the bus, asshole. Don’t bring up my name on social media in hopes that I’ll make you look more legit, I’m not here to fight people’s battles, and I don’t always agree. This was over a decade ago, I think these days we’d call him ‘fake woke.’

So yeah, to be around this person was just constant discomfort. And I don’t think he knew. I think he thought we were best friends, and I legit feared him having a huge, self-destructive public meltdown on social media (or just… in actual public) if I told him off, so, I just cringed and suffered through.

He and his gf absolutely abused all the goodwill of some mutual friends with whom they stayed during a local con they traveled to. They apparently bought the badges and the tickets to fly out (he’d left living local to me to live with the gf) and had no money whatsoever for food. When someone is visiting a city and intending to be out at an event for most of the time, one would expect they’d have a budget for food. Instead, they loudly martyred themselves over not having anything in hopes everyone else would pay their way. Naturally, the mutual friends bought them some groceries, but it wasn’t up to their standards. I’m not talking about “they accidentally bought things they were allergic to” but they were picky about brands and so on. AND, they still expected the friends they met at the con to treat them.

This cumulated in an event I sadly didn’t witness, which was him throwing a fit over wanting to eat somewhere aside from where everyone else wanted to, even though he was being treated. Later that night, he called asking if they could stay in my hotel room - probably because they could resent how close our friends were to telling them off - and I said a resounding no.

I wound up being the only person who could tolerate he and his gf’s presence the last day of the con. I think I took them to a cheap lunch. They both made a huge fuss about how they loved me so much on the bus. And I was like, can I get a helicopter to take me to safety. Fortunately I did not see him face-to-face after that.

Here’s where things get disturbing.

He wrote this post throwing a pity-party for himself, feeling like he was a bad person, for assaulting one of his cousins when they were both children (he was older), and people not understanding how sometimes things involving that subject matter triggered him. Nothing about anything he went through, only this thing he did. WHAT. Naturally the community lost their shit over it and he wound up getting blacklisted all over the place. In the end, I told him off too, that he had no right to keep begging people to be sympathetic to him, and that it was in fact abusive for him to go to victims of similar abuse (myself included) and ask this be overlooked and forgiven about him. If he cared about victims he would have tried to make his amends to his cousin and not gotten any strangers on the internet involved, it was HER story, not his to get attention from. He had no right to ask for ANYTHING from ANY victim.

Ironically he blocked me a week later (I have to admit I kept him followed just to see what depths he’d sink to, which wasn’t healthy), because I sarcastically told him he didn’t deserve special treatment and to be allowed to have his phone on him in a no-screens classroom because he felt anxious after having a dream that something bad to happen. So uh. Yeah. That’s the one I think about and do a full-body shudder. That and the guy who acted very nice to me and all of my friend’s faces and then cheated on my best friend by sexting with a woman from the RP community who had the internet persona of a misandrist lesbian. Ew to him too, but I don’t think he ever demanded a hug from me.

FTR many of us were worried about his gf, and over the years tried to contact her and see if she needed help. I want to say I messaged her but it was so long ago I don’t want to take credit for having done something like that if I only thought about it and didn’t. If I did message her, I don’t think she replied. I think eventually she got away from him, but I’ve been out of touch with that community for awhile.

[fussyeatersolution]

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[lady-divine-writes]

Kurtbastian one-shot “Sebastian’s Secret Weapon” (Rated PG)

Thomas is a picky eater, and like most children, he doesn't particularly like to eat his greens. So after searching the Internet for help, Sebastian comes up with an idea he hopes will solve the problem. (1367 words)

Part 44 of Daddies

Read on AO3.

“Dinnertime!” Kurt sings, affecting a 1950s housewife pose with bent knee, cocked hip, and a dish in each hand. Sebastian wolf-whistles, drumming a sultry beat on his thigh as Kurt struts to the table, delivering two meticulously plated meals – one for his smirking husband and one for his giggling son.

“Mmm! This looks amazing!” Sebastian says, talking up Kurt’s meal in front of the boy poking unhappily at the pile of greens in front of him. Their son’s reaction, in itself, is progress. Usually a presentation of spinach would immediately be followed by a long whine, then an hour’s worth of surreptitious smuggling under the table to Hepburn, who ironically loves all things leafy and green.

“Thank you, thank you.” Kurt kisses his husband’s cheek, doing his best to keep the conversation moving, taking attention away from the fact that both men are eyeing their son, waiting to see his reaction to the one food that has been declared the enemy by not only him, but thousands of children with taste buds all across the globe.

Thomas’s picky eating has been a concern for a while. He has, among other things, texture issues and an oversensitive palate. But Kurt is desperate to change that, trying everything in his culinary power to come up with a meal that they don’t have to drown in ketchup to get him to eat it.

After searching the Internet for an answer to this dilemma, Sebastian stumbled across a Reddit post that sparked a plan. He and Kurt talked it over a few nights before, and even though it wouldn’t be Kurt’s first course of action, at this point, he’s willing to give anything a shot.

Sebastian looks from Thomas to Kurt. Kurt gives him a nod, then walks back to the stove to retrieve his own plate of food.

“Okay, Tom-Tom.” Sebastian leans in a few inches, speaking in a hushed tone as if he and his son are sharing a secret right underneath Kurt’s nose. “Are you ready to give it a shot?”

Thomas smiles the wide, mischievous smile of a child who is completely certain he’s about to get one over on an unsuspecting parent. “Yeah! I’m ready!”

“We’ll start with two spoonfuls and see how that goes. I mean, we don’t want to flip the car over entirely, right?”

“Right!”

“What are you guys talking about?” Kurt asks, returning to the table and setting his plate down.

“Uh … nothing.” Sebastian throws Thomas an obvious wink.

“Yeah, Papa.” Thomas giggles. “Nothing.”

Kurt looks from father to son, scrutinizing their barely concealed looks of guilt. Sebastian has managed to churn out a decently innocent smile, but Thomas is biting back his excitement so hard his chair is vibrating beneath him. Kurt looks them over one last time, and shrugs. “Alright then.” He unfolds his napkin and spreads it out on his lap. “Dig in.”

“Oh, we will.”

“Yeah, Papa. We will.”

Sebastian holds up two fingers to his son to indicate two spoonfuls. Thomas nods, picks up his spoon, and gets to work, loading it up with only enough spinach to constitute a spoonful, then shoveling it in his mouth. His face pinches the second the spinach comes in contact with his tongue. He clamps his mouth shut, chews quickly, then swallows. He looks at Sebastian for approval, who gives it in the form of two thumbs up. After that, the second spoonful, less constructed and less precise, chases the first with only a hint of a scowl.

Kurt watches the exchange between father and son and tries not to laugh. Thomas thinks he’s being so slick but, just like his father, he’s nowhere near close.

“Okay?” Sebastian whispers.

“Blech! Okay!” Thomas replies.

Sebastian pushes out his chair and jumps to his feet. “Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

“What?” Kurt looks up from his plate with mock confusion. “Where are you guys going?”

“Uh … nowhere …”

“The front yard,” Sebastian amends, “but only for a minute. You can keep eating if you want! Don’t mind us!”

“Yeah, right,” Kurt mutters, pushing away from the table and following the Dynamic Duo outside. “Like I’m going to leave the two of you alone, even if I do know what’s going on.”

Kurt catches up with them right as he hears Thomas ask, “So, should I try your big car, or the red one?”

“No, no! Let’s try Papa’s Navigator! It’s bigger!”

“Yeah!”

“Uh … Se---Sebastian, can we talk about this?” Kurt attempts to get his husband’s attention, but they’ve already rounded behind his SUV out of earshot. Kurt’s not thrilled with the idea of them messing with his SUV. He’s had it since high school. It’s his baby. But for the sake of their son’s health, he does his best to let it go.

“Remember,” Sebastian instructs, positioning Thomas’s hands so his fingers curl underneath the rear bumper, “lift with your knees. You don’t want to hurt your back.”

Kurt stands by with clenched teeth and watches Sebastian direct their son. He’s joined by an anxious Hepburn, coming to heel by his side and gazing up at him with questioning eyes.

“Pfft. Don’t look at me,” Kurt says. “This wasn’t my idea.”

“Alright!” Sebastian pats Thomas on the back like he’s a prize fighter ready to begin his first fight. “On the count of three! One … two … three!”

With a loud grunt, Thomas heaves up as hard as he can, pushing the bumper of the Navigator with all his might. Hepburn barks. Sebastian chants, “Go, go, go!” Kurt hugs his arms, caught between joining in the chant and rescuing his baby – both of them.

“I … I saw it move!” Sebastian cheers. “Tom-Tom! I saw it move!”

Thomas lets go of the bumper, huffing and puffing from his efforts. “You … you did?”

“Yeah, I did! High five!” Sebastian holds out a hand and Thomas smacks it.

“Should I try again?” Thomas asks, already poised to grab the bumper and shove up harder this time.

“No, no.” Sebastian puts his hands on his son’s shoulders and massages gently. “You can’t do too much at one time. This is just the beginning. Two spoonfuls of spinach only lasts for so long.”

“True, true.” Thomas nods sagely, a look of intense determination on his face that makes Kurt smile.

“I think we should go back inside and finish that spinach,” Sebastian says, leading his son to the front door. “Then, after a good night’s sleep, we can try again tomorrow.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

“But maybe with one of Daddy’s vehicles this time,” Kurt suggests.

Thomas looks back at the massive black SUV sitting in their driveway and straightens his spine with pride. Then he strides into the house with Hepburn beside him, ready to tackle the rest of his spinach because, after all, after almost lifting a three ton vehicle, downing a few slimy green leaves is nothing. Kurt watches their small boy go, astounded that after dozens of fights and tantrums and begging (both by him and them), his husband managed to superhero logic Thomas into eating his vegetables.

Sebastian stops beside his husband, waiting for some input. “So …?”

“So …” Kurt stares at Sebastian, searching for the flaw in this idea, trying to divine the possible disastrous outcome. But when he can’t find one, he shakes his head “… I can’t believe that worked.”

“Well, the power of Popeye should not be underestimated. I’m just glad he liked the show as much as he did.” Sebastian wraps his arms around Kurt’s waist, running a hand up and down his back. “You’re not mad at me for lying to our son, are you?”

“I perpetuated the whole Santa Claus thing, so I really can’t judge. Besides, he’s eating something that’s not chicken nuggets or pizza for once. I say it’s a win. Hey …” Kurt pulls in close, fitting his body suggestively against his husband’s, come hither eyes lingering on his husband’s lips “… can you think up a lie that will make him eat Brussel sprouts?”

Sebastian takes the bait and kisses Kurt, but it’s cut short by a laugh. “Babe, I’m good, but I’m not a miracle worker.”