#but it tastes like school nurse crackers

[king-of-havoc]

Did anyone else use to go to the school nurse with a stomachache in elementary school and they'd just give you crackers and a small paper cup of 7-up then send you on your way? Or was that just my school?

[danime25]

You Had Me At Soup

masterlist // ao3

*Summary: While in the Sierra program, Six never got sick. Now that he was adapting to civilian life with Claire and the woman he roped in to play Claire's mom, he seemed to be down with a bug of some kind.

*Rating: T For Teen

*Content/Tags: Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Fake Dating, Pining, So Much Mutual Pining, Sickfic

*Status: Oneshot/Complete

A gift for a friend, enjoy!

Six heard the plink of fat raindrops hit the window of his bedroom. In between the rhythm of the precipitation, a splitting pounding in his head. He tried to sit up, but that seemed to only make the pain worse for him. His stirring woke up the woman beside him and she saw as he curled back up under the covers.

“Six?” She asked him. She sat up and her hand ended up resting on his forehead, “Oh you’re burning up.”

“I need to take Claire…” He made an effort to sit back up before deciding getting up was overrated

“I’ll take her to school. You have to rest.” She said in a soft tone. Sure it was soft, but he knew it wasn’t a suggestion.

“Okay.” He sighed, “Tell Claire I love her.”

“I will. I’ll go wake her up.” She got up and closed the door behind her. As quickly as he woke up, he went back to sleep. It was only a 30 minute nap, he confirmed so with a quick glance at his phone. He sighed and checked his phone,

“Sent 1 Minute Ago

Got Claire to school, be home soon.”

“Okay.” He whispered to himself before getting up to go to the bathroom. He looked like shit. He’d never been this laid up over the flu before, but he supposed his immune system wasn’t operating at 100 percent just yet. Something about the healing process after almost dying. He managed to muster enough energy to hop in the shower and clean up his facial hair but even that seemed like too much. He crawled back into bed bitterly and looked up at the ceiling. By the time he was back in bed he heard the door jingle open and she called out into the house,

“I’m home!”

“Hi.” He tried to shout back, but this only brought on a fit of coughs. She opened the bedroom door and came over to him

“How long did you sleep for?” She asked him. It was like she was a nurse doing rounds.

“About 30 minutes.”

“Six.” She tisked, “Get some more rest. I’ll wake you up after I’ve made lunch.”

“Yes ma’am.” He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. She stood by his side until she saw the weight of his body sink into the mattress and went down into the kitchen.

---

He jolted up in bed and looked at his phone to check the time. 2 hours and 14 minutes. Better. He got up out of bed and wrapped the spare blanket around his shoulders to walk down to the kitchen.

“Hey.” She turned around to face him, “I just finished… I could’ve brought it up to you.”

“It’s okay.” He sat down at the island, hunched over and rubbing his hands together for warmth.

“Here.” She brought the tray over to him. A roll of saltine crackers, some soup that was warm to the touch but not scalding, and bowl of peeled oranges

“I could’ve peeled the orange myself.” He said to her, popping a wedge into his mouth

“I know you could’ve.” She returned his highly guarded sarcasm with a cold wall that worked just as hard to keep him out as it kept her inside herself. He wanted to break it. He needed to know how she felt… felt about the situation he’d pulled her into. About him.

“Thank you.” He replied after a couple seconds of silence. He took the spoon and blew on the soup before bringing it up to his lips. He let the soup linger on his tongue for a little too long just to make sure his taste buds were still intact. Practically the only sense of his not shot to hell. It tasted… wonderful. It was somewhere between made from scratch and straight from a can but the line seemed to blur. The pulled pieces of chicken were tender, but the noodles weren’t melting into nothingness. He tried to skirt around the piece of celery and carrots that were floating in the broth, until he saw her leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. He looked back down at his bowl and took a spoonful of the veggies up to his mouth. She nodded silently and turned around to start working on dishes. He had to force himself to get the celery down, but he managed to finish it and went back to savoring the fruit. He got up to grab a drink and she pointed at a glass to her side, filled with water. He nodded and took it back to his seat. When he was done with his meal he thumbed around with the cabinets on his side of the island to grab a piece of gum. He wasn’t able to find any so he grumbled quietly and went to rest on the couch. He turned the TV on to just flip through his options. It gave his fingers something to do while the rest of him was bedridden. He decided on something he’d seen a couple of times as a kid and just listened to it. It reminded him of days when he’d watch something with his brother… it was just what he needed to lull himself back to sleep. He woke again a couple of hours later when the house door opened. Clare tried to be quiet, but she couldn’t help running over to Six to tell her about her day.

“Hey, Six.” She smiled at him, “Guess what?”

“What?” He sat up

“You know that math test I was freaking out about?”

“Yes I do.”

“I passed it.” She pulled the paper from her backpack and showed it to him, “I got a couple of answers wrong, but I got the foundation down. I talked to Mr. Garcia about what I could do better next time, and he helped me figure it out.”

“I’m so proud of you.” He gave her head a little scruff, “Didn’t it pay off to work on it?”

“Yeah. You know it’s my hardest subject.” She sighed, “I just hope I can remember it for the final.”

“You will.” He reassured her before she stole the TV remote from the footrest in front of Six. She started flipping through channels before stopping on a teen drama of some kind.

“I know you’re quiet Six, but you’re not normally this quiet.”

“It’s fine Claire.” He replied

“He’s been sick all day.” His partner peaked her head into the room and explained to Claire

“Six.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been taking care of him all day.” She walked in and put a fruity electrolyte drink in front of him. With his daughter and her looking at him, he took a swig of it and swallowed it down. It wasn’t bad tasting by any means, but his body wasn’t used to it. After he took a minute to grow accustomed to it, he drank it down quickly.

“That’s good.” Claire sighed, “You’ll be okay tomorrow though right?”

“Yeah. It’s just another Thursday.” He smiled at her, “I’m going to head up to my room. Let me know if you need me.”

“I won’t, get some rest.” Claire yelled after him as he was halfway up the stairs. Like a shadow, the woman followed him up the stairs and went to the master bathroom. He heard her rummaging for a minute before she opened the door.

“What did you do?” He raised an eyebrow

“Just made you a bath.”

“You saying I stink?”

“It’s good for the sinuses.” She replied as she got under the covers of their bed and pulled out the book she’d been working on for the past couple of nights.

“Fine.” He went into the bathroom and saw the water waiting for him. He removed his pajamas and sunk in as far as he could fit in the tub. He let his head rest along the edge and took a deep breath. Something peppermint smelling wafted through the air. It was relaxing. Despite having slept the whole day away, he could have fallen asleep there. Would tonight be the night? When he finally let go of all reason and kissed her forehead in a way only a husband and wife should. Would she give into the desperate pleas in his eyes as he wanted to be held all through the night? With a sigh he pulled himself out of the lukewarm water and grabbed a towel. He went back into the bedroom and saw her curled up to her side of the bed, resting her head against the back of her hand on her pillowcase. Slowly he inched forward and as he was about to kiss her cheek, he pulled away fearing she might still be awake. When she didn’t react to him in her space, he laid next to her on his side. He faced away from her and shut his eyes. He felt the weight in the bed shift but stayed still. He felt the tips of her fingers linger along his spine and her face pressed into his back. This being before her lips touched the spot where his shoulders met with his spine. He controlled the shiver he felt as she made contact with him and acted as though he was out cold.

“Feel better.” She whispered, the air pushing against his skin before she rolled back over. Six waited in silence until he knew she was fully asleep before getting up out of bed and walking down to the kitchen.

“I’ve gotta go.” Claire hung up on whoever she was talking to and looked over her shoulder, “Hi Six.”

“Hi.” He replied, sitting down next to her

“Aren’t you going to ask who I was on the phone with? Oh it was just a friend from school, don’t worry Six. Hey…”

“I’m fine Claire.” He insisted, when Claire picked up that he wasn’t responding to her usual dry sense of humor

“No you’re not. Is it because you’re sick?”

“No.”

“Is it because of her?”

“No.” He lied

“Six.” She sighed, “Just tell her how you feel.”

“I don’t have anything to tell her.”

“Well then you should show her.”

“There’s nothing to show her.”

“Six you’re so frustrating to deal with sometimes.” She huffed, “I need to go to bed anyway. Good night.”

“Good night.” He sighed as she left. He grabbed a pack of gum to chew on while he sat and contemplated. He couldn’t keep this up. This would breach every rule he learned in the Sierra program, to let himself be vulnerable with her and tell her how he feels. Still it killed a piece of him every day knowing that she wouldn’t crack before he did. “Why me…” He shook his head and went back upstairs to finish sleeping for the night. He woke up the next morning feeling about as well as he did the day before, if only slightly better. He was able to get up on his own, but at her insistence she drove Claire to school that day again. When she got back she did another check on him.

“Not nearly as feverish, but still high.”

“That sucks.” He sighed

“I’ll make you lunch again.” She said, matter of fact

“Fine.”

“Do you want something different?”

“Surprise me.” He curled back under the covers, knowing she’d tell him to anyway. She went downstairs and started making noise as she looked for an appliance. While she was distracted with that, he decided to hit the shower once more. He didn’t feel like he could nap again even if his life depended on it, so he decided to flip through one of her books she had finished while he waited for the smells from the kitchen to waft up the vents. He lost himself in the book though, because he saw her attempting to open the door while holding his tray of food. He rushed to the door and held it open for her and she quietly thanked him. He nodded and got back into bed. “Smells good.”

“Thank you.” She replied. It looked like she had more to say, but whatever it was she didn’t. He looked over the tray, the soup didn’t have veggies floating in it but was a pureed consistency with a bright yellow base. There were some spices sitting on the top layer, and without bothering to look at what she had put on the side, he dug in. It was warm and comforting, and it felt more nourishing. He put down the spoon and drank it straight from the bowl before muttering about how good it was.

“Thank you.” Her face cracked with a gentle smile. He moved on to the bread on the side, pulling it apart with his fingers and looked over at the bowl of fruit. Strawberries today. Not his favorite, but surely she had a reason to give him those so he ate them with the little fork she had included on the side. She sat on the edge of the bed as he finished up and he pushed it away from himself. “I’ll go take this downstairs.” She leaned in, and Six leaned in towards her. Her body not anticipating this, her lips nearly brushed up against his forehead. They both sat still and she darted her eyes away from his gaze. He took her head into his hand and forced her eyes back up to meet his. He let everything that he felt pour into his eyes before she broke contact and kissed his forehead. He took a hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles. He held her hand against his chest before kissing it once more. She moved closer to him and tilted her head so as to kiss him before he stopped her. When she looked at him with confusion he explained,

“I don’t want you to get sick too.”

“Maybe it’s worth it.” She said before her lips made contact with his. He wrapped his hands back around her neck as he made an effort to deepen the kiss.

“I’ve… fallen for you.” He said, not wanting to admit how long he’s wanted this

“I have too…”

“Be honest with me.” He said, with the implication of ‘Bare your soul to me’

“Yes?”

“How long have you felt this way for me?”

“I…” She didn’t want to tell him, she had built this wall around herself and if she said anything her protection from feeling was gone. Six knew it all too well, which is why he wanted to hear from her first. “The first couple of months after you told me you needed someone to act as your wife was fine. I fell in love with Claire as though she was my own daughter the minute I met her…. And you, it felt as natural as breathing to feel as though we were in love.”

“Oh.”

“I’ve never had to act because I’ve felt from the bottom of my heart that you were my ‘one’. I was just afraid that you didn’t return my feelings.”

“I understand.” He sighed, “I’ve had feelings for you pretty much since the same time. The way you take care of Claire… when you chewed out the admin.”

“You like me yelling?” She raised an eyebrow

“It was cute honestly.” He smirked back, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man in so much fear before. I was a little scared too.”

“You have nothing to fear, my love.” She kissed his cheek with a smile as she pulled away, “Now… you should rest.”

“I should.” He sighed, “But would it be too much if I asked you to stay by my side?”

“How?”

“Just lie in bed with me.” He replied

“Okay.” She put his tray on the side table and got under the covers with him. They stared at each other before Six closed the space between them with her in his arms. She rested her head against his chest for a second before he said,

“I…”

“Yes?” She looked up at him with doe eyes

“I have to tell you, I wasn’t asleep last night… When you kissed me. It gave me the courage I needed to tell you how I felt today.”

“Oh.” She said before hiding her face back into him

“Can you… hold me like that?”

“You want me to spoon you?” She asked

“Yes please.”

“Anything for you.” She kissed his cheek before he rolled over. Her arms were like magnets to his torso and they pulled his back into the front of her body. She moved up in the bed so her head could comfortably rest on his shoulder and she kissed the back of his neck. His hand worked its way over one of hers and threaded his fingers in between the spaces left by hers. He took a deep sigh as he felt the weight in his chest lift. Sure he was still sick, but with her by his side he had a feeling that he’d recover that much quicker.

[the-zapped-part-timer]

Penn Zerothon Day 12

Lady Starblaster💫

My Ramblings: It's party time, people! School dance for what? Just because! Poor Terry got beaten by Sashi for the third time so far. Love how Penn just casually kills Larry and is such a dance machine (Larry is ok, but damn boy). He's git to have people focus in him.

And here's me at a dance, I mean, Rippen, at the dance... not dancing. "That's it, idiots. Dance your lives away, when you could be standing next to the punch bowl with your arms crossed." Wonder what school was like for him, not very kind I'm sure.

Penn's got dancing fever! Flinging Phyllis around and making her feel 1,014 again. Wait, what was that Phyllis? Whatever, she had fun.

HOLD UP! Wonky continuity! Remember back at when I bought up this before in "Brainzburgerz?" There's a picture of him in the Galaxy World and at the beginning of "Number One Number Two", they're in that world! So, what the heck!? Unless I'm over analyzing and when he said: "What am I wearing?" Maybe he meant like, "Hey? Where's my swim suit? We're at the beach." That doesn't really make sense either... this show and my brain sometimes.

Time to impress the space dictator, Count Destructo by stealing an entire planets water, like you do! To answer Rippen's question, he'd be a viscount, if he was made one. Also, I can see where Larry is coming from now about Rippen being a nurturing person, he was like that at the end of "It's a Colorful Life." How many times could've Rippen been like that off screen? I also get that it is Larry and not totally reliable, but still. Rippen would make an okay nurse, I believe.

Way to assume that the captain is a man, Rippen. Get with the times, old man! I know it's for the reveal, but it's funny he just assumed the gender.

And the reveal of Lady Starblaster herself, and damn, I'd be like Rippen too. But he falls instantly and so hard for her after 10 literal seconds of seeing her. He's down baaaaad. Even fantasizing spending a lifetime with her, 10 seconds y'all. Also he doesn't know a damn thing about her but he just assumes she the time to throw a vicious snake at him... or maybe that's just something he's into. I don't judge, like how I don't judge them drinking out of Larry's head on a date. Larry would be cool with that. I would go their wedding but I don't know if I'd do well with volcanos, it would also be awkward to just see three kids dangling off the edge.

Also the song lyrics to this fantasy?:

You make my heart so cold

So cold, it chills my bones

Baby, there's no one who scares me like you do

I'm so afraid of you

Rip on my heart

I'M OBSESSED!

This poor woman having to deal with guys like him fantasizing about her and calling her beautiful. She gives him 10 seconds to surrender or perish, which, hey! That's the same amount of time it took to fall in love with you! And he's totally entranced by her that she literally has to snap him out of his daze to remind him that he will die. Larry's face during the count down was of concern while Rippen? Pure bliss. Right so, Larry is gonna try and wingman ol' Rip and it works put pretty well. I mean we get to hear him say "totes adorbs." That's a win in my book. He's so cringe. Thank goodness she takes the compliment well.

Ooo, she can cock her eyebrow just as good as him. She's serving. God I can't handle his cuteness, it's overbearing! Lady Starblaster stop! Your killing me!

I wanna know what it was like for the Trio to wear those robots, how did they walk? It doesn't matter, but I'm curious. Like stilts?

Would you try a space rat on a cracker? Do you think that would taste good? Rippen says so, but I've seen what he puts in his mouth (I'll bring that up later, trust me). Larry just takes three and hasn't even tried them yet, his face.

Flurgle Burgle is dead, she just yeeted that poor space pig into a robot WILHELM SCREAM. Just... wow.

This dork is so nervous he's got pit stains on his metal suit and all he has to say to that is "thank you." This man has no rizz. Larry is being flung and pushed to every which way this episode.

I desperately always want her to answer Rippen's "is your boyfriend coming" question with: "No, but my girlfriend will after her yoga class." I bet her dating pool is rough, luckily she has a highly specific thing for men who have hair like a skunk monster. Which I don't believe at all, sorry Rip. God the face he makes when she says that is priceless.

Damn, she's like, uber evil. I bet Rippen had a lot of hard feelings and lechery for her in that very moment. Too bad Penn's ocean blue eyes somehow caught Rippen's attention. God, the man can't get through a sentence around her at all without being horny. Poor Penn and co have to watch this unfold. Rippen is so freaking tall compared to her.

Yes take him to the pump room- I mean the heroes, take them to to room with all the water...

Maybe this man does have rizz, he's gonna have a dance with her! His little giggle, I just AAAAAAHHHHHHH! This gives Penn an idea and luckily it works out because Rippen doesn't know how to dance. Bringing it back around! He has to accept, Penn has won Middleburg's Snazziest Feet award three times. So Penn gets to have a silly dancing lesson with his art teacher and than Rippen will shoot him into the vacuum of space, sounds good. Why does Larry have a violin in his robot stomach hatch thing? Why wouldn't he?

Just this scene, I'm speechless. Penn is being actually so helpful, I can't wait for Starblaster and Rippen to dance! Be a shame if the heroes got loose of their cuffs and Sashi had access to her laser blaster. Such a shame.

"Never send a man to do a woman's job." Starblaster, she ate. Sashi? Agrees and tries to kill her. She succeeds in the fight and lets her dangle over her watery grave.

No need to fear, Rippen is here! With the power of skunk hair! He really sold on the idea of be married to her by a giant bat, huh? Too bad she isn't and tosses him and Larry over to their watery grave, thank goodness to Larry's strength! She never was interested, like a sane woman to be honest.

Remember that Larry has a jetpack? She didn't. Nobody betrays his bestie! He just scoops her up and she tries to convince him join her, get rid of Rippen and they can rule the galaxy tog- nope! He says: "Get away from him, you witch." A very clear Aliens reference, which is so damn good because she is voice by Sigourney Weaver, star of Aliens and who said that line... but with bitch instead, which Larry should have said. Let Larry say bitch! AND THAN HE KILLS HER! HE GOT HER, SHE'S DEAD. DROWNS.

Rippen loves her even more after that double-crossing and wishes he had gotten that dance. And Larry like the bestie he is, asks for a dance.... my heart. Rippen checks around first and than HE ACCEPTS! I'M GOING TO EAT MY HAND!

Star Wars Tie Fighter sound. Oh yeah, the heroes save the day and return all the water.

Rippen thanks Larry for always having his back and Larry's like: "That's what best friends are for." Then Rippen dips him, I CAN'T-

Oh, hey, that Count Destructo is here. That guy. That's not what matters, what matters is that he says: "Hey, what up, Boyyyy?" HE'S SO CRINGE, I LOVE HIM! I LOVE HIM AND LARRY.

Lady Starblaster lives! And a fish thing promptly falls in love with her. What does she doe? Xenomorph-mouths the fish! JUMPSCARE!

~The Characters~

Penn Zero: Snazzy boy snazzes it up and saves the day! Bu this ain't about him.

Boone Wiseman: He has one line, and it's good.

Sashi Kobayashi: She should have finished the job, but I'm glad she didn't.

Rippen: SUCH CRINGE! SUCH A LOVESICK FOOL! Every scene with him and Lady Starblaster is cringe and adorable! I usually don't like the idea of "guy falls instantly in love with a woman he has no chance with and can't shut up about it" but I really enjoyed this. Rippen is such a dork, he's cringe but free. But realistically, I wouldn't want his to happen to me (sort of did?)... unless it was him.

Larry: Such a wingman, he was there trying his best to help that hopeless romantic. He's a true bestie!

Dimension(s): We have seen this world before, but briefly, it's space. No one can hear you try to rizz.

Forms: I love Penn and Sashi's hair. That's it really.

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

Amber🤠

My Ramblings:

~The Characters~

Penn Zero:

Boone Wiseman:

Sashi Kobayashi:

Rippen:

Larry:

Dimension(s):

Forms:

[nex-pls]

Thinking about a conversation I had with a coworker yesterday after work. This is someone I made friends with rapidly and they grew up very similarly to how I did, just in a different state (very poor and just barely scraping by with their family).

We were talking about food and how much we both love it, and I said "Yeah, I just love food-" to which they replied "Well, growing up poor, you learn to love food, it's just a part of growing up that way." And it got me thinking.

I grew up very poor. To me, I could lose electricity at any moment as a child. My mom would regularly send me down to the store in Arizona where I would load $3 in change onto a card to then stick into our electricity machine at home so we could have the lights on for two more days to make it till payday. I remember scavenging for any loose change I could find inside and outside of my house, so my brother and I could walk down to the McDonald's at the end of the busy highway we lived by, and buy a $1 cheeseburger to share, which now costs nearly $3. I remember being told "Mom and dad could only afford to get one present this year for Christmas, so you and your brother have to share." And gifts from Santa actually came from my grandmother who didn't want us to go without. I remember distinctly my mother going into big brand clothing stores, stealing two or three shirts, and "returning" them for gift cards so she could buy school clothes for me and my brother. I remember freaking out and biting a kid once in sixth grade, because he threatened to steal my school provided lunch, and grabbed for my milk box. And then being made fun of for being fat, despite the fact that the school lunch was the only meal I was truly guaranteed in a day. I never turned down free food, I always asked my friends to buy me snacks and would work very hard to pay them back, and was called fat, and ugly, and heavy, and gross, because I cared about food as much as I cared about classes and friends.

When you're poor, food is a commodity that can be taken at any time from you. You're always afraid of losing it, especially as a child. I remember when the school decided my mother made too much for us to receive free lunches, so we were told we had to pay for our lunches, 40¢ was the lowest they could go, but 40¢ every day for five days a week when you have two children, and can barely afford to keep the lights on? Soon even my free lunches were no longer guaranteed. I'd go to the nurse for stomach aches, because I was so hungry my stomach literally hurt, and I wouldn't feel better until I got to nibble on the small crackers they offered.

So many people take food for granted, and you know boomers and their "there's hungry children in Africa!" Sentiment, completely ignoring the hungry children in their own country. And growing up like that, growing up very food insecure, you learn to love it. Everything. You're more willing to try new foods, even if you're autistic (like I am). You learn to appreciate a flavor profile, you love when there's lots of colors in your plate, you taste food with every one of your senses before you even take a bite, and you love it. And I didn't even put it together my love of food and my childhood until it was phrased to me that way.

It really is true. When you're poor, you learn to love food.

[pagingevilspawn]

Would you please write a fic about alex behaviour with children like the way he comforts them or help them through?

heart of gold

hey there! i’m not gonna lie when i say that this prompt took me forever to figure out, but when i did i was super excited! 

this is mainly Alex centric with a bit of jolex added in (obviously). i hope you like it!

___

Of all people to notice Alex Karev’s strange ability to work well with children first, no one would’ve expected it to be Cristina Yang. 

It was fairly early in their intern year, and both she and Karev were on the pediatrics rotation with Dr. Keith, someone who they could both agree was an arrogant son of a bitch that thought way too highly of himself for his own good. 

They’d been trailing behind him like lost puppies all day, listening to him go on and on while he talked to the patient’s families, not even bothering to ask his interns any questions. He always thought that interns were a waste of time and space. He’s much rather have at least a third year resident on his service, but no such luck. They felt like crap and both wanted to kick the guy in the ass, but knew that the only thing that would do is get them knocked out of the program. 

Six hours into their shift, the two were about to head to the cafeteria for a much desired lunch break when their pagers rang out, loud groans escaping their mouths at the noise they had come to detest the last couple of weeks. 

All Alex really wanted was a slice of the hospital’s pizza. Granted, the crust tasted like cardboard, the cheese was old, and the sauce had no flavor, but he was craving it like crazy. He hadn’t gone out for groceries recently, so the only thing that was stocked in the shelves of his small apartment was cereal, some oatmeal, and off brand, nearly expired crackers that he had since he finished med school a couple of months ago. He had --for some unknown reason-- shoved them into a backpack that had made it with him as he traveled from Iowa to Washington, completely untouched. 

With a huff he turns on his heel and makes his way to the pit where he was being paged, purposefully avoiding eye contact with the nurse he disrespected on his first day, along with the ones he’d slept with and hadn’t called back. He had a pretty large list of nurses who didn’t like him, and he didn’t feel like making that list any longer. Not today, at least. 

Keith instructed him to go cast an arm for the seven year old in bed six, while Yang was told to go stitch up the cut on the little girl in bed two. 

When Alex was done he passed by Yang’s area, watching as she was trying to calm down the little girl who couldn’t be more than five. The girl had tears streaming down her face and was nuzzled into the mom’s chest. The mother was glaring at the female doctor, who was saying something Alex could make out as “it’s not even scary, it’s just a needle.” 

All he really wanted to do was get that damn pizza slice, and he had every intention of doing so, but seeing Yang be absolutely hopeless at getting anywhere with the little girl, he felt a bit of sympathy-- not for his fellow intern, but for the kid. 

With a sigh he strides over to the bed, watching as the raven head’s mouth opens to speak, cutting her off immediately. “Let me handle this.” he says, reaching to grab the needle from her head. 

Cristina glares at him, her expression turning into one of disgust. No way was she going to let Evil Spawn steal her patient, no matter how much she wished she’d be doing anything else. 

“Karev-”

“--Yang!” he cuts her off sharply, plucking the needle from her hand and bumping her out of the way. Not the nicest thing to do, but she was practically terrifying the little girl. There was no way she would trust the doctor now. 

His coworker scoffs, huffing a ‘fine’ before she goes to stand back and watch the scene, more than eager to watch the man fail. What good could he do? The girl was crying the second she had taken the disinfectant out. 

Alex pulls up a chair, grabbing the attention of the little girl, who looks up from her mother’s chest for a second, only to dive back in right after. 

“Hey kid, my name’s Doctor Karev. You mind telling me your’s?” he asks gently, slipping on a pair of gloves and flashing a signature crooked grin. 

The girl makes eye contact warily, slightly unlatching from her mom's tight hold at the sight of the man’s smile. The other doctor looked super serious, it was kind of scary. 

“Piper.” she answers, wiping the tears from under her eyes, the mom flashing him a grateful smile. 

“Hey Piper.” he grins. “I see you got hurt up there. What happened?” he wettens the pad with disinfectant, keeping his eyes on the little blonde, knowing it would mean less questions if she was focused on his face. 

“I was jumping on the couch and then I fell and hit the table.” she explains, Alex inspecting the cut to see if her story was reliable. He knew firsthand what it was like to come up with excuses for the bruises on your face, and wanted to make sure that she wasn’t just trying to cover up for something else that happened. 

Luckily, the combination of the authenticity of the bruise and the level of trust the daughter had in her mom let him know that she really did do what she said. He knew at some point he was gonna need to not assume the worst in every parent that came in with an injured kid, but the wound was still fresh for him, and it would take some time to heal-- a long time.

“Well then Piper, I’m gonna need to clean your cut, but it’s gonna sting a bit. Is that okay?” he asks her, her green eyes widening, but eventually nodding. The doctor seemed nice enough. 

He cleans the wound, turning back at the girl when he pulls out a needle, watching as her face begins to look panicked. “Hey, it’s okay.” he reassures her. His eyes dart around, noticing a backpack that sat in the corner, decorated with a multitude of princesses. 

“Who’s your favorite princess?” he asks her, drawing Piper’s attention away from the scary needle in his hands. 

“Belle.” she answers, a small smile making its way to her face. She loved talking about the princess’s and would chatter on about them anytime, any day, anywhere.  

Alex smirks, letting out a sigh of relief. He knew all about Belle, since it was Amber’s all time favorite Disney movie. He’d seen it more time than he’d like to admit, and practically had the whole film memorized since he was fourteen.

“I like Belle too. She’s super brave huh? Never afraid of the Beast or anything.” he gives her a smile, watching as Piper’s face lights up, a wide, toothless smile splayed on her lips. 

“Yeah! She’s so cool! She never lets the beast tell her what to do!” she exclaims, making Alex chuckle. She reminded Alex a lot of his little sister, with her dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and passion for princesses. 

“Okay, well, right now I’m gonna need you to be super brave like Belle alright? And sit really really still, like she does when she reads a book. Can you do that for me Piper?” he smirks mischievously. 

The little girl grins. She always wanted to be like her favorite princess, so she definitely wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to act like one. She already practiced around the house, so she was definitely going to practice in front of the nice doctor who looked like Prince Philip.  

Cristina stood frozenly in the background, mouth opened so wide it could catch flies. Who knew Karev was so good with kids? She sure as hell didn’t.  

She watches as he stitches up the cut, saying some reassuring words every time the girl flinches or squeezes her eyes shut. It was about twenty minutes later when he finished, Yang still standing there in shock. She sees him dress the wound, getting up from his chair and say, “All done. You did awesome Piper, but no more jumping on the couch, alright?” which earns him a nod. He flashes a friendly wink to the mom, who blushes as he walks away, forgetting entirely about Yang’s presence as he makes his way to the cafeteria to finally get his hands on the pizza slice he’s been drooling about for hours.

Maybe Evil Spawn wasn’t so evil after all. 

~*~

Miranda Bailey was exhausted. Between Tuck and trying to begin a pediatric fellowship, all she wanted to do was lie down and sleep for god knows long. Tucker being difficult about their shared custody schedule seemed to only add to her fatigue and she swore on her life that she could crash on the nearest gurney and not wake up for three days straight. 

It was with a heavy sigh she begrudgingly made her way back down to the NICU, remembering that she had left Karev there the day before after administering the kangaroo hold. She knew that by now he had probably dispersed, but she felt like checking on the little baby herself, just to make sure that the preemie was doing okay.

When she arrived at the NICU doors she could see a few faces that she recognized standing outside the window, talking in hushed conversations as they stared at the scene in front of them with imploring eyes, that is, until the one she knew as Reed rushed away-- a friend at her side, finishing their conversation quickly. 

Miranda shakes her head. Though she had softened over the years, everyone still feared the inner ‘Nazi’ that came out from time to time. When she finishes gowning herself she makes her way into the room, stopping in front of the shirtless, sleeping figure on a chair. Surprised was the only word she was able to come up with, though it seemed like an understatement of the century. Alex Karev was sitting there, with a sleeping baby curled contently against his chest, her tiny breaths in sync with the man who was holding her. 

She shakes her head, stopping a few feet from where the man sat. “Karev?” she says, making him open his groggy eyes, blinking as he does so to look around for the source of the noise, relaxing when he knows that no monitors are going off and the baby on his chest is still very much alive. 

“Did you stay here all night?” she asks softly, watching as he looks out the window to see that it was in fact daytime, not evening like it was before he’d fallen asleep.

He takes another look at the baby in his arms, “Um, yeah. I… I guess I did.” he trails off, his voice rough since he barely was awake.  

“Go home, get some rest. The nurse will take over for you.” Miranda scolds. These interns (who were now residents) were like her children, her babies, and as much as the sight warmed her heart, she needed her babies to be well rested. She couldn’t have them falling asleep in the middle of surgery. 

He unintentionally pulls the tiny bundle of pink a bit closer, “No. Uh, I- I’m okay. I’m… good here.” 

She lets out a small, barely there laugh, but not at him. She’d seen the soft side of Alex Karev, but it was few and far between. Everyone knew that the rough exterior he put up was just to stop himself from getting hurt, but this… this side was new. She had never seen him more vulnerable than he was right now, the baby sleeping so soundly on his chest that it seemed like no amount of noise could disturb her. 

“Well, you'd be good in Peds, you know that?” she flicks her gaze from him to the baby. “You get invested. You have good instincts. You stick to your instincts,” she continues, Alex looking down at the child, making some kind of face she wouldn’t know how to describe. 

“You’d be good in Peds, Karev.” she walks away, leaving Alex alone with his thoughts. 

Maybe, just maybe, kids would be the one thing that would allow Karev to show everyone who he really was. 

~*~         

Alex Karev had sort of snuck up on Arizona Robbins. When he said that he was interested in Peds, she truly thought that he was joking, just trying to say something to either get a laugh out of her or annoy her. 

She didn’t know much about Karev, all she really knew was what she had heard from the nurses gossiping loudly at their stations, and the occasional input from Callie here and there. All she really knew was that he had been married to Stevens, who had cancer, then they later got divorced, and before he was married he had earned himself quite a bit of a ‘man-whore’ reputation, nearly as bad as Mark’s. 

Arizona was weary about Karev, so imagine her surprise when she saw his face light up as a kid called him Doctor Alex for the first time. 

The first time she’d ever had the young man on her service she knew that he was cold, arrogant, and a bit too cocky for his own good. He was overall an asshole, and to say Robbins wasn’t happy to have him on her service was an understatement. Bailey had said something to her recently about Karev, but that didn’t lessen her lack of enjoyment about his upcoming arrival on her floor. 

When the man did arrive, he was seven minutes late for rounds, dumping an empty cup of hospital bought coffee in the nearest trash can. He flashed her a crooked grin, apologizing for his tardiness, but not explaining why.

Arizona sighed, rolling her eyes discreetly. She wasn’t normally a strict teacher, but one thing she didn’t like was when her residents were late. The lives of tiny humans were in their hands, no second could be wasted-- much less seven minutes.

“Welcome to peds Doctor Karev…” She starts off, telling him about how pediatrics wasn’t wiping kid’s noses and cuddly bunnies all day long. Peds was hardcore, only for the elite. 

She stops outside room 414, turning back to Karev and giving him as stern of a glare as she could muster. “Remember Karev, smile, engage. These are kids we’re talking about here.” 

Alex rolls his eyes. He knew he wasn’t the nicest guy. He was an ass, a douche, and definitely not the man most women would be proud to take home to their parents. But if there was one thing he did know, it was kids. He practically raised one for god’s sake.  

“Got it Robbins.” he huffs, fixing his posture as the two walk into the room, where a little boy sat on his bed, playing with his colorful toys that sat on his lap, anxious parents sitting in chairs beside him. 

Arizona flashes a grin to the family, directing her attention back to the boy. “Hi Nico, how are we doing today?” 

Nico shrugs, mustering a half-hearted smile. “I’m okay.” he answers, more focused on his toys than the doctors in the room.

“Well that’s good,” she jots something down on her chart. “This is Dr. Alex. He’s gonna be another one of your doctors, okay Nico?” 

“Doctor Alex?” the boy confirms, making Arizona look up from her chart and Alex look back at the boy. 

She saw it then. The way his eyes lit up at the name, how a crooked grin unconsciously made its way to his lips. He had it. The peds glow. 

“Hey dude.” Alex smirks, trying to hide is bubbling excitement. He liked that name, ‘Doctor Alex’. It was different from Karev. It was lighter, easier, it sounded right. Doctor Karev was too… but Doctor Alex? Doctor Alex sounded pretty great. 

Arizona bites her lip as she watches her resident and the patient interact, trying to keep her smile at bay. 

There it is. There’s the real Alex Karev. 

~*~ 

Jo Wilson sat in the intern’s locker room, knotting up the ties of her scrub pants as she listened to the chief resident rattle of names of who the intern’s were with that day. She was more than thankful for a new service, since Medusa was downright terrifying, but she was really hoping that she wouldn’t be assigned to-

“--Wilson you’re with Doctor Karev on Peds.”

Shit. 

She was sure Karev was a great doctor, I mean, he wouldn’t be here-- at one of the best hospitals in the world-- if he sucked. 

But she’d already heard enough about Karev to say that she didn’t like him, not one bit. So far she’d witnessed Leah crying into her locker about why he wouldn’t answer her calls, nurses complain to each other about why he hadn’t texted, and other interns chattering at bars about why he acted like he didn’t know them when they saw each other again.

In conclusion, he was a grade-A jackass who slept with any female that had two legs, and she was certainly not going to be the next one on his (extensive) list of conquests. No sir-ee. 

With a huff she ties her hair back, giving Stephanie a deadpan look after she whispers a “Good luck. Make sure not to sleep with him.” 

There was no way she would be sleeping with Karev, not in a million years. She had heard so much from others that she could already paint a picture-

Ew, no. That’s gross. 

Either way, there was nothing he could ever say to make her fall in bed with him. Nothing at all. 

…

She was exhausted. Karev was an ass. An ass who didn’t hate her, but was still an insufferable asshole. Jo stood at the nurses station, leaning over the counter as she filled out her charts, scribbling down her notes angrily. He made her angry. 

Though she had to admit, seeing him all freaked out over her (fake) crying was pretty hilarious. 

“--Wilson!” she hears her name being called by her asshole of a superior. She turns around, plastering such a faux smile on her face that she felt nauseated just knowing that it was there. 

She’s about to respond when Doctor Grey comes running up to him, shoving a toddler in his arms, taking him by surprise. 

“Alex. I need you to watch her.” the blonde pleads, making him scrunch his eyebrows. 

“Mer I-” 

“Please.” Meredith begs, Alex giving her a crooked grin as he takes ahold of his niece. If there was one thing that could make Alex Karev smile without even trying, it was Zola Grey Shepherd, a two and a half year old little fireball.  

A large grin comes across the little girl’s face as she looks at the man in front of her. “Unca Lex!” she exclaims, clasping her tiny hand on the side of his face. 

“Hi Ms. Zozo,” he smiles, Jo not even noticing how the corner’s of her mouth quirked up at the sight. This was not the Doctor Karev she’d been with these past few hours, this was someone completely new. This was… Alex? 

Meredith sighs. “I have on OB appointment, and normally we’d take her, but she’s just been so fussy lately, and when I tried to take her to daycare she threw a fit-”

Alex cuts her off, “Mer, it's fine. I got her.” he reassures her, pretending to bite the little girl’s finger as it came close to his face, causing her to let out a loud squeal. 

“Okay but-”

He rolls his eyes at the blonde, “Mer, go. She’ll be completely fine.” he smirks. “We all know that she likes me better than you and Shep combined so…” 

Meredith hits him on the shoulder before she turns and waddles down the hall, leaving Alex with a toddler in his arms that was giggling as he tickled her, and an intern who wasn’t quite sure what she was seeing in front of her. 

It was obvious that he had some skills with children, he was a pediatric surgeon for crying out loud. But nobody told her he was this good with kids.She watched as a large smile came across his face, a laugh escaping his mouth at Zola’s squeals and giggles. 

Maybe Alex Karev wasn’t as much of an asshole that she thought he was. 

~*~ 

Nothing was more perfect to him than the sight in front of him. 

Never in a million years did he ever think that he would get to where he was now. 

Alex sat next to his wife as they stared down at the little baby on her chest, her pink cheeks puffed up while her eyes were tightly squeezed closed as she tried to sleep. She was so perfect. So, so perfect.  

A daughter. 

He had a daughter. 

A little bundle of pink that weighed a whole six pounds, seven ounces. Yet somehow, she had managed to take his heart out of his chest and hold it in her tiny, tiny palm. 

Nothing could’ve prepared him for how much he already loved his little girl. He’d heard about it, read about it. He’d been in the room when parents met their child for the first time. But this? This was a whole new level of love, something he wasn’t prepared for in the slightest. 

He watched as Jo ran her thumb delicately over the baby girl’s cheeks, tears streaming down Jo’s face. It had been all of two minutes since they welcomed their daughter into the world and she hadn’t stopped crying since. 

Although he wasn’t crying, his throat was built up as he stared at his perfect little girl. A full head of wavy light brown hair sat on top of her head, her rosy lips pouted as she nestled closer to her mother’s chest. 

Perfect. 

That’s the only word that could describe the tiny figure that laid before him.

He rubs his pinky finger over her little fist, watching as it unfolds and grabs it with all of her strength. 

He can feel his heart physically clench, never before had something felt as right as feeling his little girl’s palm around his finger. 

Alex grins, placing a small kiss on the top of Jo’s head, a silent way of saying so many different things at once. 

Thank you. 

You did so well. 

You’re so strong. 

She’s so perfect. 

I love you.

Thank you for marrying me.

Thank you for loving me. 

Thank you for everything.  

Thank you.

Jo readjusts the baby on her chest, bringing her up higher for them to see. 

She lets out a watery smile, her bottom lips trembling as she stares at the tiny girl that she would do anything for. “Hi sweet girl.” she whispers, not even bothering to wipe the water droplets that cascaded down her cheeks. 

Alex lets out a crooked grin, a small laugh escaping his throat in disbelief. This perfect creation was his daughter. How was that even possible?  

“Welcome to the world Lorelei Karev.” he whispers, unable to focus on anything except the tiny girl that he would give up the sun, the moon, and the stars for. 

“We love you so much.” Jo speaks softly, looking up at her husband, the love of her life, her eyes saying more than her mouth ever could. 

Thank you. 

I love you. 

She’s so perfect. 

Thank you for her. 

Thank you for everything. 

Thank you for loving me. 

Thank you.  

They share a small kiss, reveling in the moment they knew they would remember for the rest of their lives. 

It was then he defied all odds. Overcame all of his fears. He wasn’t going to be like his dad, what everyone told him he was going to be. He was going to be an amazing dad, and he knew it.

As it turns out, kids truly were the one thing that could show everyone who the real Alex Karev was after all.

[unholyhelbig]

[A/N: I finally updated "Dead Ivy" after a good year. Here is Chapter one if you haven't checked it out yet!]

Beca could feel the soil beneath her fingertips. It was soft, freshly overturned, and in a way, comforting. She was careful not to let her knees touch the ground- not privy to the dark stains that would splay against the fabric. The tree stood tall above her, stretching its large oak branches towards the pluming blue sky. A nice summer breeze tussled her hair, and she was sure that if she breathed in, she would smell freshly cut grass and chlorine from the neighbor’s pool.

The treehouse had long since been torn down to make room for her mother’s garden. Something that stood at the end of the fenced in yard. For a while, she grew tomatoes and zucchini. Beca could still remember the first red bulb that poked its head from the dirt. They made a salad from store-bought spinach and divided up the little thing, no bigger than a golf ball. It was still the best tomato that Beca had ever had.

She sighed at the hand that squeezed her shoulder gently. Her father smelled of aftershave and bourbon. His tie wasn’t fastened all the way to his white button down, and he had strung his suit jacket over his arm. He held a sad look that was shielded by the sun as Beca squinted at him. She pulled herself to her feet, feeling the age of her aching bones as she stepped back from the large oak tree and stared up at the branches.

“Do you remember when I fell out of this tree and broke my arm?” She asked.

Her fathers’ eyes crinkled at the memory as he gave her a sad smile. She had needed him to run beside her when he first took the training wheels off her bike. She had needed him when she learned how to drive and took out the Johnson’s mailbox. But when she dropped from a higher spot in the oak tree and felt something audibly snap, it was her mother that came to the rescue.

She had been clipping up sheets to the clothesline, claiming that the summer air was always better for stuff like that. A beautiful woman that would beam endlessly and cradle Beca in her arms with her stormy eyes and eerie calm. Beca needed that right now. Needed it to get through the handshakes and the hugs. The baked goods and casseroles that people deemed necessary when something like this happened.

“I do.” He chuckled wearily, “I got a call at work that something had happened. You scared the hell out of me that day, kid.”

Beca snorted at the nickname. She and her father had gotten along significantly better since she moved out on her own- took up a place and a prominent career across the country in Los Angeles of all places. She had, of course, taken time off work to come back for the funeral. To pull into the sleepy little Georgia town with a giant oak tree that shook in the summer breeze. She squinted at the bark, at the carving so crudely made by a grooved pocket knife.

C + B FOREVER & EVER

The second half was etched in different handwriting, something more elegant and thought out. It was funny, really. When they were kids, it was easier to think about the future in terms of relationships. Of course, they would always be with one another- they wouldn’t fathom being apart. But then college. Careers. Plane rides. Marriage, kids, and divorces. All inevitable. All anything but forever.

“She still lives around here, you know? Owns a little café in the far side of town.”

“That so?”

He grunted and sniffed away any feeling that still leaked in his voice. No one would question them for standing out here- but they still felt obligated to go back inside the old farm style house with the wrap around porch and the honeysuckle bushes. Beca didn’t know how he could still live here. “Yeah. You should pay her a visit while you’re here. I bet she’d like that.”

Beca simply nodded and let the tips of her fingers trace of the words that had been weathered over time, but they were still there. They had stood the test of time, unlike her treehouse. Unlike the little plants of tomatoes and zucchini that had rotted away to decaying vines that stretched like deadened ivy up the side of the fence.

“Right. Well, we should probably go back inside. The quicker we talk to everyone, the quicker they can go home and mourn their memories.”

It was a grim thing to say, but it was the truth, so her father let the words die in the air before sliding on the suit jacket to cover up the sweat stains against his dress shirt. She let her hand fall and looped it around his arm like he was escorting her down the carpeted floor of a chapel on her wedding day. Instead of white, she dawned black, though. And so, did he.

She thought that drinking and sadness walked hand and hand. It was why the only two bars in town did so well on any given night, and if things were bad, any given day. The other place, the snake eye, had karaoke on Friday nights and Beca didn’t think she was well equipped to listen to TLC, so she chose The Red Sun instead.

There were repurposed Christmas lights strung against the bottom of the counter, hot to the touch. A low rock ballad cracked over the loudspeaker. She wasn’t sure if the jukebox that changed light settings every few beats actually had a purpose or if it just ate up quarters. Either way, Beca Mitchell was in her own world.

She tilted her head back and let the bourbon burn on the way down. A nice and subtle sting that washed the taste of stale crackers out of her mouth. It was the only thing in her stomach- despite the spread that was now packed with tin foil in the fridge. Her father was drinking too, she was sure, at home in his study. The house was too quiet for her, though.

Beca felt a twinge of guilt in her gut.

She had ignored the last call from her brother. She was in the middle of the meeting, and at the time, the buzzing of her phone sounded louder than anything else in the world. She flushed instantly and clicked the side of the device before staring back down at her notes and sunk further into her seat.

He had died the next day, she had forgotten to call him back. A car accident and a drunk driver. Which, she supposed, defeated the purpose of being here- in this stupid some-hazy bar with nothing but time on her hands. She considered switching her flight to something earlier. But then reconsidered as quickly as the thought entered her mind. Her father needed her, at least for now.

“Beca Mitchell?” The voice startled her, it broke through the garbled focus of the next song. She blinked a few times and turned her head to the side. Stacie Conrad. She looked older, wiser even, but maybe that was the glasses. The smile on her face aged her, but in the best way. Still impossibly attractive, and confident, it seems. “Is that really you?”

“As I live and breathe.”

She winced at her use of words, but Stacie didn’t seem to notice as she quickly wrapped her in an awkward hug, Beca still half-sitting on a bar stool. Still, she craved the embrace and hugged back naturally.

“God, how are you?” She pulled away, “That’s a stupid question… I mean, as well as you can be, I hope.”

Before Beca could answer she lifted her hand in the air and signaled the bartender, the woman busied herself with preparing Stacie’s usual and pouring another sour edge of bourbon into Beca’s glass. She wasn’t sure if she would drink it or not, but she appreciated the sentiment behind it. Stacie settled into the seat next to her.

“I’m doing fine,” She finally managed, earning a detrimental look. “As well as I can be.”

The bartender set two glasses in front of them and Beca wrinkled her nose at it before focusing her attention on Stacie, the way her own drink looked like radioactive fluid. It was always the fruity things that packed the most punch. Not the gritty glass that she would be nursing for the rest of their conversation.

“I’m sorry to hear about him, you know.” Stacie finally said after a beat of silence.

Beca simply nodded. She was numb to the situation at this point. Her whole body felt like a lead pipe. She and Jason didn’t get along too well. He traveled the world and she resented him for that. But they played nice during the holidays and smiled for family pictures. He got divorced young, married even younger. It still ached her whole entire being.

“You and most of the town,” Beca chuckled dryly, begging for a change of subject. “I haven’t seen you in what? Eleven years?”

“Twelve. God, we’re old.”

She was thankful that her high school friend could take a keenly dropped hint. The two of them encircled the same click during those years. It was better than giving in to the southern tenacity of it all. They would smoke behind the bleachers and drink if they were feeling lucky. They usually were.

Beca caught a glimpse at the wedding band that took over Stacie’s finger. It was simple, not overstated with large diamonds. A simple one that was surrounded by two smaller stones. She smiled “You’re married now?”

She took another gulp of her fruity drink and hummed in response, instinctively twirling it around her ring finger. She got a goofy grin on her face and twirled slightly to make eye contact with Beca. Sure, she had seen the social media posts. The cute announcements and the picturesque scenes.

“Happily, at that, we invited you to the wedding, you know?”

“I know, I know. And I’m sorry I couldn’t make it.”

“S’alright,” Stacie said with a beaming smile “Rose loves the panini press.”

Beca scoffed and picked up her glass, chancing a sip of the molten liquid. It hissed as she swallowed, and she blinked away the residual prick of pain that collected behind her eyes. Stacie glanced behind her at the group of girls that she had come in with- doctors like her, she supposed. They all had that tired professional look that the woman beside her carried.

“Listen, uh, how long are you in town? I’d love a chance to catch up in a setting with better lighting.”

“A couple of weeks, at most. We have to settle his estate.” She grimaced at the technical term. “I’ll be around.”

“We’ll catch up, promise?”

She gave Beca a squeeze on her shoulder and a sympathetic smile, but she didn’t say it again and Beca was thankful for that. She watched as Stacie went to the four other colleges that were in her inner circle. They all asked questions and cast wary looks her way- she lifted the glass and gave a smile before turning back to the bartender. She was cleaning out a glass and eyeing her.

“Promise,” Beca mumbled, tipping her head back the rest of the way, finishing the glass of bourbon she hadn’t even ordered.

[nothingeverlost]

Donut (Penny for Your Thoughts verse, Rumbelle)

@halfwayinlight I thought I would have this up for Christmas.  Sorry it’s a tad late.

It’s a quarantine Christmas vacation

II

“I’ll see you after the new year.”  David gave her a hug before he left the office, catching the elevator with Graham and Emma.  They were all headed for his house, where Emma would pick up her son.

“Give Mary Margaret and Neal my love, and tell her that when she gets tired of you there’s always an empty room above our garage,” she teased.  Though it was a joke she would miss him.  They’d been sharing Archie’s apartment for months now, and though they both longed for their families it had been an interesting bonding experience, bringing them even closer.

Belle only lingered a few minutes extra in the office, leaving a few surprises in Ariel’s desk for her to find.  While the rest of the team was taking the month of December off, to spend time with their quarantined families, Ariel had volunteered to liaise with the team temporarily taking their place.  Belle was pretty certain the decision had been at least influenced by the agent in charge of the team, Eric del Mar.  The first time they’d met in the cafeteria Ariel had been so flustered she’d accidentally stolen a fork.  She still kept it in her desk, jokingly calling it her lucky dinglehopper.

With one last look around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything - a month was a long time to be away from work - Belle headed for the elevator and punched the button to take her up to the lobby.  Her bags were in the back of the car; it was the first time since September she’d been home.  Not being there for Thanksgiving had been hard, but knowing she would get the whole month for Christmas had made up for it.

Archie’s car was in the carport, leaving her spot in the garage free.  Belle hoped he’d only moved out of her space recently; it was silly not to use it when she was gone, not that Archie would be driving much.  The sound of the garage door meant she couldn’t hope to surprise anyone, but it didn’t matter when the door opened and Claire raced out to greet her.

“Mommy.”  She was barely out of the car when her daughter jumped the last few feet, certain that she would be caught.  Belle scooped her up, hugging her tight.  She needed a million hours of cuddles to make up for missed time.  “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, baby.”  

“You can’t go in the kitchen ‘cause it’s a surprise, but papa said that if you’re hungry I should show you the cuter board in the living room.  Uncle Archie let me help with the crackers and the grapes but not with the cheese ‘cause the knife is sharp.”  When she put Claire down her daughter still stayed close.

“I think papa probably said it was a charcuterie board, but I like yours better.”  She had to guess that it was Archie’s influence more than Gabe’s, unless he had somehow discovered pinterest and been way more bored then he let on.  “Where is your papa sweetheart?”

“He had to take Donut outside so she could go potty.”

“I don’t think I understand.”  She tried to puzzle out what Claire might mean about taking a donut outside.  None of her toys, to Belle’s knowledge, were named donut.

“You will.”  Bay chuckled as he came out of the kitchen, a towel tucked into his pants.  He probably hadn’t grown at all in the past couple of months, she just wasn’t used to thinking of him as being that tall.  When he hugged her her head fit neatly under his chin.  “Welcome home.”

“I’m so glad to see you sweetheart.  Thank you for all the videos, they brighten my day.”  Bay had introduced the whole family to Tiktok, setting everyone up with private accounts.  The rest of the team now had accounts, and shared videos, but Bay and Henry were responsible for most of the sharing.  She was grateful for the multiple one minute videos she saw each day, and often rewatched, though Claire’s fascination with the fireplace had given her more than one moment of concern.

“Of course the damn dog would decide it needed to go out the moment you arrive home.”  The back door slammed, letting in a cold breeze, her husband, and a dog.  It was an odd looking thing that could only be classified as a mutt, with a reddish brown head that looked vaguely like a retriever and a body in gray and white that looked like it should belong to another dog entirely.

“Donut?” she guessed.  Her attention only lingered on the dog for a moment.  She was much more interested in the man crossing the room towards her.  Almost three month since she’d been able to touch Gabe was almost criminal in her opinion.  Someone should be arrested

“I can think of some names that would be more appropriate for the mutt but your daughter insisted.”  She couldn’t answer, not with Gabe’s lips on hers and his hands at her waist.  God she’d missed the taste of him.  And the feel.  And the smell.

“They’re kissing already,” she could hear Claire whisper loudly.  “Do they have to take a really big breath like when you some swimming under water?”

“Something like that,” she could hear Bay reply with a chuckle.

“Hugs are better,” her daughter declared.  Belle had to laugh at that, when the kiss ended.  

“I like hugs too, sweetheart.”  Gabe was wearing one of the sweaters they had picked up on their trip to Ireland last year, and the wool was soft against her skin.  She wouldn’t mind standing just where she was for a while.

“Especially when less clothing is involved,” Gabe whispered in her ear.  Bell elbowed him lightly in the ribs.  That wasn’t fair; it would be hours before they could have that kind of alone time.  

“So is anyone going to tell me about this new addition to the family?”  No one had mentioned a dog on any of their calls, which were at least once a day.

“She was sleeping in Claire’s playhouse a few weeks ago.  We made calls but no one seemed to be looking for her.  The vet gave her a clean bill of health and a little snip snip so it looks like we are pet owners now.”  Gabe groused, but couldn’t hide a smile when he looked down at his daughter gently petting the dog and whispering confidences in her ear.  “She certainly is more comfortable sleeping on Claire’s bed.”

“I thought we should call her Goldilocks since she was in someone else’s house.  Archie voted on Snow White for the same reason.  But the short one had the final say so she’s Donut.”  Bay shrugged.  “I’m going to go check on things.”

“Things?” Belle asked as he headed for the kitchen, where she wasn’t allowed to go according to Claire.  She assumed that he was helping with dinner; Archie had mentioned something about cooking lessons with Bay which was good, since Archie knew more about cooking than Gabe by quite a bit.

“Dinner, obviously, but I promised not to spoil the surprise by sharing the menu.”  He tugged her towards the sofas, where the ‘cuter’ board was laid out on the coffee table along with an open bottle of Bordeaux.  Belle sat on the sofa next to him but turned so her legs were across his lap.

“So you decided that a six year old, a college sophomore, and a full time roommate with his six computers wasn’t interesting enough, you added a dog to the mix?”  She and Gabe were both relieved that Bay’s college was still doing online classes, and Archie being around made sense both for Archie not being alone and for help around the house, but it was a full house especially when both kids were home schooling, Archie was working from home and Gabe was working on a new book.  

“It was snowing.”  Gabe was full of bluster, but Belle knew that he’d been thinking about getting a dog anyway.  In fact she was a little surprised it had taken so long, except that they had talked about waiting until Claire was old enough to have some of the responsibility.  Gabe loved on every dog they saw at a crime scene.  “She’s gentle with Claire.”

“You’re a marshmallow, Gabe Gold.”  She kissed him on the cheek.  “I am confused by the name, though.”

“It’s your fault, actually.  You know how she loves stories about when you were pregnant, and how much you loved eclairs.”

“I always love eclairs, I just loved them a little more then.”  And Gabe, bless him, had indulged her with early morning drives to the bakery, late night drives to the grocery store, and at least a few times special flavors overnighted from out of state bakeries.

“Most people would call it an obsession, sweetheart.”  There were no eclairs on the charcuterie board, of course, but he did hand her a cracker topped with brie and raspberry habanero jelly.  “You know how she likes to say that she is mommy’s favorite eclair.”

“She is my favorite.”  It had been a joke at first, calling her baby a little eclair.  She and Gabe had spent months debating baby names; sadly between the two of them there were many names that reminded them of cases they had worked and people they did not want sharing a name with their baby.  It was a nurse who had misheard eclair and thought she was saying Claire, and the name had worked.  She and Gabe both loved it.

“Claire reasoned that her favorite treat from the bakery is jelly donuts.  Like mother, like daughter.”

“You can’t fault her logic.”  Belle laughed, even more amused now that she understood the name.  “I’ve heard worse names for a dog.”

“Bay says dinner in five.”  Claire appeared a moment later, dog at her side.  Belle scooped her up, holding her on her lap.  It didn’t get much better than holding her little girl while cuddling with her husband.  

“Good, because I’m very hungry.”

“I’m very hungry too, and Uncle Archie made…”  Belle quickly put a finger to her daughter’s lips.

“Let’s let Bay and Archie have their secret for a little longer.  They wanted dinner to be a surprise, remember?”  

“I forgotted.  I won’t say anything, okay?  Papa says secrets are good sometimes like when Bay says something is a secret or when there’s presents under the tree.  But sometimes secrets make you feel bad in your tummy and then you have to tell mommy or papa.”  Claire nodded her head wisely, explaining back what had been explained to her.

“Papa’s right, sweetheart.  You should always tell mommy of papa if someone wants you to keep a bad secret.”  She hated thinking about anyone like that near her daughter, but she and Gabe knew too much about the kind of people that manipulated children.  They’d talked a lot about how to keep their kids safe.  “But this is a very good secret. Bay and Archie are making yummy food.  And we know it must be yummy because they’re not letting your papa in the kitchen at all.”

“Hey, I can cook,” Gabe protested, though not with much vigor.

“You cook more than you did when I first met you, though that’s not saying a lot considering I think you spent at least five years using nothing more than the microwave and coffee pot.”  While no one would call him a gourmet he could pull together a meal.  Spaghetti was still his most often made dinner.  Grilled cheese and tomato soup were a close second.

“That might be true but you could still spend tonight on the sofa if you don’t watch yourself.”

“That anxious to spend the night alone again?”  She raised an eyebrow, teasing him back.

“Never again, if I had my way.”  They kissed again, over their daughter’s head, only stopping when Archie coughed politely.

“Dinner’s ready.”  Claire wiggled down first. Belle was slower, but when she stood she gave Archie a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  

“We have so much to catch up on, Arch.  We’re going to eat so much popcorn.”  

“My tivo is full of things to marathon.”  Their online marathon dates hadn’t been the same, and David had no appreciation for corny sci fi.  “It’s been killing me not to watch Star Trek Lower Decks until you got here.”  

“I can’t wait.”  She followed Archie to the dining room, Claire holding her hand and Gabe right behind her.  Bay was waiting next to the table which had been laid out in all the best china.  In the center of the table was a platter of turkey meat.  There was cranberry sauce and corn souffle and mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls, candied yams and green beans.  It was a full Thanksgiving feast.  “Oh!”

“We didn’t want you to miss Thanksgiving.  Facetime Thanksgiving isn’t really the same.”  Bay’s apron was covered in a million questionable stains, but Belle didn’t give a thought to her clothes before hugging him.

“I didn’t tell, Bay.  Not even a little bit,” Claire proudly exclaimed.  Bay picked her up.  

“Of course you didn’t, Plum.”  Bay set her on her chair.  Next to her on the ground was a dog bed and a large bone.  “Before eating remember that this is only possible because Archie taught me so if anything’s wrong it’s his fault.”

“It’s going to be perfect.”  Belle say down between Gabe and Claire, holding both of their hands.  “I am so thankful for all of you.  My family.”

[cecevolume]

On The List (Part One)

Prompt from @halfbloodfox:  I’m looking for something where Lucifer has to take care of Trixie. Maybe, Decker is stuck at court testifying on a case, Dan is whothefuckknowswhere, Maze is on a hunt and at school Trixie gets hurt or sick. Surprise, Lucifer gets the call. He’s on The List? Since when? During Season 2 or 3, pre 4 nonsense at least. What do you think?

This was...unexpected.  And perhaps a little unprecedented.

Just a half hour before, it had been a semi-normal day for he and the detective, dressed in their best--well, not him, but the respect for the court was there--as Chloe waited to be called to testify.  Per usual, he tagged along, a charming ace in the hole, just in case.

But then his shirt had started buzzing outside the large double doors; to be more exact, his phone was ringing.

“Lucifer,” Chloe hissed as a clerk eyed them while they passed by, “turn it off vibrate!”

Smiling winningly, he reached for his chest pocket, purring, “An honest mistake, Detective; I assure you, I know proper procedure for the courtroom.”  He glanced at the screen, eyebrow raising as a bell of familiarity rang in his head.  “Should I know this number?” he asked, turning the screen towards Chloe.

She frowned, taking the phone from him as she murmured, “That’s Trixie’s school.”

“But why--”

Holding up a hand to stop him, she answered, “Hello?  Yes, Ms. Hendersen, I’m being brought to testify today.  Uh huh.  Oh, no, did you try Dan?  Of course not.  No, no, it’s not a problem; I’ll send Lucifer to pick her up.”  She paused for a long time, a muscle ticking in her brow.  “That’s a question for him at another time, don’t you think?  Uh huh.  Yeah, goodbye.”

Tilting his head, Lucifer asked, “Was that Trixie’s lovely school administrator--”

“Don’t.  Even.  Star,” Chloe growled, handing him back his phone.  The door beside them opened just a crack and the DA motioned for her to join them.  With a nod, she didn’t spare Lucifer a glance as she moved to the doors.  “I need you to pick up Trixie; she threw up in math class.  I’ll leave here as soon as I get the okay.”  Before she squeezed in the door, she muttered quickly, “Ginger ale--she likes Canada Dry best--for her stomach, some toast or crackers to have in her system.  Make sure she takes little sips.  This should be done in a couple hours and then I’ll be home.”

“Detective--” he said in alarm, reaching towards her, but the door was already closed.  For a moment, he just stood there, wondering two things simultaneously: did Chloe really trust him with her sick offspring and why did the school call his phone?

It hardly mattered now, however, what made sense.  Sitting in his Corvette outside an elementary school, he found that he was...uncomfortable.  It wasn’t often there was a situation he found himself unable to figure out--in fact, the first hadn’t been until he’d met the detective two years before--yet here he was.  Sure, he’d learned how to occupy Trixie, but this was new territory.

How did one pick up a sick child from their school and adequately take care of them?

Taking a deep breath, he got out of his car, striding towards the doors.  How hard can it truly be? he wondered, confidence growing the closer he got to the building.  If Daniel can do it, of course I’ll be able to.

Following the signs to the “office”--a large, gray room with children’s paintings hanging everywhere, most of the space taken up by a quadruple desk with five women squished side by side at their computers--Lucifer idly took out his handkerchief, wiping his hands as he eyed several of the drawings.

Surprisingly, there were a few that showed a real talent, should they continue honing the craft.

“Hello?” one of the women greeted hesitantly to his back.  “Can I help you?”

He turned with a charming grin, noting the immediate softening of all the secretaries’ faces.  “Hello, ladies,” he answered, strolling to the desk with his hands in his pockets.  “I actually received a call from Debra--Ms. Hendersen, asking that I pick up Beatrice Decker-Espinoza.  I know I’m not her parent--”

“Oh, you’re the infamous Lucifer Morningstar!” the first woman cried, nearly tipping her chair backwards as she stood.  Holding out a hand, she added, “Trixie is through that door, in the nurse’s office.  Karen will go and grab her while you sign her out.”  She shoved a clipboard with an attached pen under his nose.  “Just her name, your name, why you’re picking her up, and the time.”

Holding the pen, he raised an eyebrow at the woman.  That was certainly easy.  Did she already know to expect a deal?  Or was this her idea of flirting?  The memory of Malcolm Graham flashed through his mind and his gaze turned foreboding.  “Is it truly that easy to just pluck a child from your facilities?” he demanded, anger burning in his belly.

“Oh, my, you’re right!  I do need your picture ID to compare your information to what we have in the system,” she answered quickly, blushing wildly.  “I’m so sorry, it’s just that Debra gave such a...thorough description of you, I completely forgot!”

He slowly reached for his wallet, pulling out his license and handing it to her.  “Why would a primary school have my information?”

“Well, after the...kidnapping,” she said slowly, peeking a quick glance at one of the other women, who dropped her head, “Ms. Decker updated the people on Trixie’s approved list.  We aren’t supposed to release her to anyone other than her parents, her grandparents, or you.  There is a Mazikeen Smith on here, too, but that’s on a call ahead basis.  But if Ms. Decker and Mr. Espinoza aren’t available, we’re to contact you first.”

Blinking in shock, he made a noncommittal noise in his throat, taking back his ID and signing out the urchin.  “I, uh, thank you for your diligence,” he murmured, spinning on his foot to stride towards the chairs lining the windowed walls.  He was allowed to just come to the school and pick up Chloe’s child whenever he felt like?  No permission, no questions, no call aheads necessary?

Chloe Decker trusted the life of her offspring in the hands of the Devil?

“Lucifer?” a small voice whined from behind him, making him turn back around.

Straightening his jacket and cuffs, he answered, “Your mother has been held up in court today, Spawn.  So she sent me with clear instructions.”  He’d already called Patrick at LUX to provide the Canada Dry and crackers.  “I’ll be taking care of you this afternoon, until she is finished.  Is that all right?”

The little girl nodded her head slowly, face pale as she reached for his hand.  When he didn’t immediately take it, tears started to fill her eyes and he panicked.

Taking her hand gingerly, he raised the other to wave at the women.  “Thank you very much for your help.”

Then they were off.

-.-

If she hadn’t felt so gross, Trixie might have giggled at the scene before her.  

Lucifer had brought her back to his penthouse, explaining that it was closer to both the courthouse and school, that her mother wouldn’t be too much longer.  She’d thrown up during the elevator ride, only half-listening as he tried desperately to comfort her in the weirdest ways--“I’ll have the cleaners come straight away; you don’t have to worry about cleaning it yourself”--when he’d picked her up, rushing her through the doors to the bathroom.

He’d waited there, awkwardly patting her back until she was finished.  He’d then ushered her through to the couch, saying, “Don’t worry, urchin; I’m sure I have a bowl somewhere, or at least something similar.”

And there he’d left her, bringing them to now.  His suit jacket was gone, the sleeves of his white undershirt rolled up.  He held a fuzzy black blanket in one hand, a paint bucket in the other, holding them out to her.  “I’m sorry it took so long; I had to go into LUX’s storage to find a...vomit receptacle.”  When she didn’t take it from him, he placed it directly beside her face on the floor, gripping both edges of the blanket to lay it over her.  “I don’t know if you have a fever or not, but I’ve noticed you and your mother enjoy your ‘snuggle blankets’, as it were.  This is the softest one I could find; I hope it’s...snuggly enough for you.”

She giggled a bit, sniffling.  “Thank you, Lucifer,” she murmured.  “Can I have some ginger ale?  And something to eat?”

Nodding curtly, he turned towards the hallway that led to his mysterious kitchen.  “I have a variety of crackers, from wheat to sesame to pepper; do you have a preference in this state?” he called from the other room, the sound of cabinets closing echoing his words.

“Do you have saltines?  Or the Ritz circle ones?” she asked.

He was silent for a long time before she saw him come back around the corner.  “Well, there’s no accounting for taste,” he sighed striding back in to the room.  Brandishing a crystal plate that held at least half a box of both saltines and Ritz crackers, he set it on the coffee table.  “And Patrick will be bringing your ginger ale up; I assume a case should be adequate for just a few hours?”

Smiling, she said, “That’s actually way too much.”  He started to open his mouth, but Trixie knew better than to push the teasing with him.  “Will you turn on the TV and watch with me?  My mom usually rubs my back when I’m sick.”

After a moment, he nodded, crossing to the mantle to grab the remote.  He sat on the opposite side of the couch, pressing some buttons as a projection screen rolled out from the ceiling, a projector starting to whirl from behind them.  “Is there a particular show or movie that you prefer?”

“Can we watch Secret Life of Pets?  It’s funny and it’s on Netflix,” she added when his jaw clenched.  “It’ll help me fall asleep.”

He perked up at that.  “Is sleep good for you at this point?  At some of my...parties, you’re supposed to keep the humans awake until they have finished vomiting.”

Nodding, she answered, “As long as you help me if I wake up and have to puke again, I should be fine.”

“Then I suppose I’ll just sit here and keep watch.”

She smiled as he pulled up the movie, though she really missed her parents.  Lucifer was doing a great job, but he didn’t know what he was doing.  Her mom knew right when she needed snuggles and gave them to her without her asking.  She might be nine years old, but that didn’t mean being sick wasn’t scary.  Especially when her stomach was still roiling and her throat and mouth burned....

“Are you all right, spawn?” he asked immediately, making her realize that she had started to silently cry.  “Are you going to be sick again?”

She shook her head, but that’s when the sobs started.  “I miss my mom,” she whispered between savage breaths.  “She always strokes my hair so I can fall asleep.”

While she got control of herself, Trixie felt him leave the couch for a minute, making her feel even more alone.  He was really trying, but he didn’t know what to do, and her mom didn’t have to ask her how to take care of her, and she wasn’t left alone to cry--

Hands gently pulled her off the throw pillow she’d been using, only to deposit her head on sweatpants-clad thighs.  She tilted her head back to see Lucifer wearing a bright green T-shirt and gray sweatpants (they still had a tag on them).  “I needed to change in case you don’t make it to the bucket,” he explained easily, reaching over for the remote once again.  “Now, lay back; I’ll attempt to stroke your hair, but you may need to direct me.”

Shocked, Trixie did as he said without a word, feeling his hand gently rest on her head.

She fell asleep to the sound of the elevator dinging.

This will be getting a part two shortly because it is getting very long! That will be Deckerstar though. :)

[bran-writes]

AK Character Flashback: Marlo

“Jackson Marlo, please report to the front office, your father is here for early pickup. Jackson Marlo to the front office, please… Your father says hurry up because you baby brother is on the way.”

Marlo jumped up from his desk and almost knocked all of Kwin’s papers to the floor. His friend yelped, eyes wide, smacking the table in a blistering staccato. “She’s having the baby!” Kwin howled.

Not sure what to do first, the ten year-old spun around in a circle before snatching his bag up. Stomach in knots and grin on his face, he tried to log out of his desk terminal before Mr. Lincoln, his teacher, shooed him away. “Don’t worry about that, kiddo, go-go-go!”

Clutching his backpack in one hand, Marlo sprinted from the classroom, his friends and classmates cheering him on. As he bolted down the hall, sure he was about to get flagged by the school cameras, Marlo replayed the intercom announcement in his head, making sharp turns to the sound of his shoes squeaking against the floor. She’s having the baby? It’s early! Is that good?!, Marlo thought. In seconds he was barreling towards the front desk, his father waving his arms with a big smile. “Come on, bud, your mom’s gonna kill me if we miss it!”

Marlo’s adoptive father, Jason, lead the way at a jog through the parking lot and they piled into the car. Before Marlo knew it they were out of the lot and onto the road in the direction of the hospital. On the way, Jason explained that the baby was coming early but it looked like he’d be okay and so would Sienna.

They made the trip in minutes, without much speeding, which surprised Marlo. “Dang, Dad, you’re pretty good at this!”

“Thanks, I’ve been practicing.”

They hopped out of the car and jogged into the lobby, passing the security rovers and checking in with the front desk. The woman flagged an attendant to lead them to the maternity ward, Marlo’s heart pounding the whole way.

Once outside Sienna’s room, a nurse met them and told Jason his wife was still in labor.

“Is she okay?” Marlo asked, tapping his dad’s elbow. The nurse turned to him and smiled.

“Your mom’s doing awesome, but you’re gonna have to stay out here until the baby comes, okay? Leann will get you some snacks and a terminal while you wait.”

So Marlo waited. The attendant brought him what was promised- a plate of cheese, pepperoni and crackers along with a juice and a slim terminal. For the next two hours, he waited, watching videos but not focusing on anything in particular. He logged into his social media and messaged Zig-Zag as they went back and forth to pass the time, guessing who the baby would look like more between his parents, figuring out what clothes and toys they should find for him, and of course, the big secret- the baby’s name.

By the time Jason poked his head out of the room, Marlo was completely wound up and ready to bounce off the walls. “Come on in, bud, but try and stay calm.” Jason held a finger to his lips and opened the door for his son.

Marlo crept into the hospital room, trying to be quiet as a mouse. These rooms were sound-proofed so he hadn’t heard the baby cry, but he also knew babies could be tired after all this commotion, so he didn’t want to wake him up.

Jason, with a hand on Marlo’s shoulder, guided him gently around the corner of the softly lit room, towards the mutterings of who he instantly recognized as his mother and who he assumed was the doctor.

Sure enough, there Sienna lay on the bed, reddish brown hair matted in sweat, face pale, with biggest smile Marlo had ever seen. A tiny bundle was cradled in her arms and she stared down at it, tears of joy leaking from her bright eyes.

When Sienna looked up at Marlo, she cried harder. “There you are, baby! Come on over and meet this new little guy!”

Marlo gingerly crept to her side and peered into the bundle of blankets, “Is he sleeping?”

“No, just tired. He’s not fussy at all either, I think you can hold him, if you want.”

“Yes, that’s fine, just be veeeerry careful,” the doctor said.

Marlo stared into the face of his little brother and couldn’t stop smiling. He’d seen babies before, but he was always amazed by their tiny, almost translucent features. And this was his brother. Sienna and Jason helped place the newborn gently in Marlo’s arms while he took a seat next to the bed.

“He’s so cute, mom!”

“Isn’t he? His name’s Jerry.”

“Aawww, that’s a good name,” Marlo didn’t realize he was crying until he tasted the tears in the corner of his mouth. He hadn’t cried since his sister died. Which reminded him, “Hey, little buddy, I’m your big brother. The name’s Jackson, but my friends call me Marlo… Which I guess they’ll call you that too- it’s our last name. I promise to take care of you and show you aaaallll the cool things in the world!”

Jason bent down and squeezed Marlo’s knee with a smile. “Hey, bud, remember what we talked about?”

Marlo would never forget that conversation: It didn’t matter if Marlo was adopted, it didn’t matter if he didn’t look like his parents, they were still his family. And Jerry was a miracle, not a replacement. “Miracle boy,” Marlo nodded. He tried to wipe his tears away with his shoulder but failed- Jason reached up and cleared them.

“The house is probably gonna be hectic for a little while, your mom and I might need some help here and there. What do you think?”

“You can count on me.”

Jason winked, “I knew we could.”

Marlo smiled and stared down at his baby brother, Jerry. The newborn sighed and wormed around a bit. “You hear that, Jerry? You can always count on me.”

Tag List:

@remi-writes-sometimes​ @writerinafury​ @the-violet-writer​ @anomaly00​ @writinglyra​ @linariouswrites​ @drabbleitout​ @carmina-solis​

[ziracona]

Do you have any favorite drinks and foods headcanons for ilm?? I feel like Meg would like Shirley templess 👀

Hmmm for sure but there’s so many characters I don’t know how to comprehensively answer this, haha. Meg probably would enjoy that. I think she drinks sometimes for fun or bc it seemed like a good idea at the time, but actually prefers non-alcoholic, because it’s not that great to her, and also because you have to not take your adhd meds if you plan on drinking that day as they interact, and amphetamine > depressant lol. I think she enjoys fruity mixed non-alcoholic stuff a lot. Specially if it got that 👌 zest 👌 to it.

Meg is a huge nerd who likes most of her favorite foods for fan reasons. Her favorite food is chocolate chip cookies with blue chocolate chips because of Percy Jackson. Favorite drink she would probably say is coke, but in reality it’s probably some kind of non-alcoholic cocktail she wouldn’t think to name.

Jake has a proficient pallet from being rich and can actually tell a huge difference in food quality, but hates this and is determined not to be the spoiled rich shithead who only deins to eat from a plate prepared by someone who graduated prestigious culinary school at the top of their class. Has forced himself to acquire a taste for lean meats and nuts. Would request like salted cashews if Meg was getting snacks & she’d throw a fit bc mixed nuts isn’t a treat and he would be offended she was judging his pick. Secretly really appreciates diligently and artfully prepared food. Does not like lamb. He will hunt and there’s not much he feels bad about eating, but he saw a lamb going to get slaughtered as a kid and absolutely will not stomach that as food ever since. Would feel weak & has probably only mentioned it to Dwight, or maybe Claudette, bc she’d never judge or be mean, or maybe Quentin, Kate, or Adam, because Quentin & Kate would agree, and Adam is like, the chillest man ever.

Dwight likes sea salt and vinegar chips, beers, Pepsi, pretzels, steak, and (secretly) those frosted animal crackers. Gets shit constantly for his taste in food and drink. Just wants to be left alone. One time Claudette drank a beer with him to make him feel better bc everyone else was making fun of him for liking beer and she is sweetheart.

Claudette enjoys a dish her mom makes out of fried onions, squash, artichokes, and optionally also mushrooms, probably more than any other food in the world. It is really good. Favorite drink is sparkling grape juice. It makes her feel like she is drinking champagne, but it actually tasted good, and won’t get her drunk or hungover. Also likes tea a lot. Most green and white tea types especially.

Nea likes almost anything with a cronch when you bite into it. Enjoys fish too, and curry the way Min makes it (which is very rushed college student but like, rushed college student with standards). Really likes empanadas after being introduced to them. Also genuinely really loved both Claudette’s amaranth oatmeal and her realm cookies, and since she and Quentin kind of ‘grew up’ inside the realm, it’s also like, surreally and kind of heartbreakingly, a nostalgic and comforting childhood memory to her. They remind her of times she was more okay as a teenager. :’-] Favorite drink is probably a kind of complicated cocktail that is very strong but also sweet and tangy, nursed for a long time. Or a sports drink if she’s on the go. (Lol her fave drink is just the alcoholic version of Meg’s).

Min likes anything spicy that is prepared well, but especially likes meat dishes. Girl wants her protein so she can kick ass. Really loves Ace’s cooking. Smell is 70% of taste. Spice it up, fam. Only knows how to cook 3 dishes on her own, but they’re a good 3. Doesn’t have a single fave. Although she does greatly enjoy just like, devouring a slab of meat if Anna cooks. It makes her feel like a powerful wild beast to just shred a flank with her teeth and she digs that. Fave drink is baijiu, although more in a competitive way because it’s alcoholic af & she can stomach it than actually for taste or pleasure. For taste she will just mooch off Nia & Ace, who both like fruity alcohol.

Ace likes a homemade bread recipe of his mother’s most (I think he and Frank are the only two with stated favorites in-fic?). Makes it a lot for the girls and for friends, and everyone likes it so this works out well. Enjoys martinis and any fruity alcohol, but is good about not actually getting drunk past lucidity. Also enjoys just really nice brands of various juice (mango is probably his favorite?)

Quentin likes his Dad’s pasta recipes probably most, but doesn’t have a favorite from among them. Also likes red velvet cake a lot because he only ever gets it on his birthday and it makes him happy. His mom died when he was really young and he pretty much doesn’t remember her, but one of the memories he still has is of her giving him birthday cake. It’s the time of year he always feels closest to her. Favorite drink is energy drinks because he’s stupid and likes to play god with his body and knock back adderall with shots of redbull. Didn’t like energy drinks so much before Freddy, and back then probably Coca-Cola or something was the fave, but now energy drinks are associated with comfort in his head, so he genuinely likes them. Also really likes M&Ms. Used to treat himself to a bag from the school vending machine if he had a shitty day, so they are also associated with comfort.

David likes chips (as in fries cut UK style/thick, not American chips). He is enlightened and sees the true value of all potato products as well, and honors them as such. Also is the enjoyable kind of person who genuinely & visibly appreciates most all good food. He likes beers too (you and Dwight, buddy) although he’s got better taste in them. His favorite drink is probably coffee though. He likes strong coffee, full body, with just a little bit of cream and sugar so it’s still bitter but has a pleasant edge to it. Not sure why that’s his favorite. He just really likes it.

Laurie likes strawberry milk. Would give that answer if asked for fave food or drink. If prompted further would consider, then suggest that as her drink, and some kind of really nice soup as her favorite—probably pumpkin. Will genuinely enjoy any gift of food someone picked out for her with some thought. Also loves Mac’n Cheese a lot, but would not admit to that to everyone because she’s kind of embarrassed that as many times as she’s had it in the past two years alone, her heart still sees a warm bowl and years for the good shit.

Kate likes fruit. Mangos, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, pears, pomegranates. Has the patience to eat a pomegranate too. Would just say “fruit” if asked. Loves to pick it fresh. Favorite drink is probably a smoothie, but she would insist that counts. What flavor would vary, but she leans towards blueberry or raspberry on default because she likes the colors.

Tapp likes Chinese food. Mostly this is because Chinese takeout was the nicest thing he could ever afford on the reg as a treat. However, he gets to eat real chow mein and mapo tofu (former made by Ace, the latter by Min—spicy mapo tofu being one of the 3 dishes she knows), and decides those are now his favorite food. Would not ask people to make that because it would be being a hassle, and he would think it wouldn’t matter and would be stupid & not worthwhile to request a dish when visiting a friend, but gets excited internally when they make that & gives sincere and generous compliments. Tried and failed super badly to learn how to make both, but Rachel Thomas (who didn’t know at all how to either but is great at teaching herself shit) helped him figure it out and now he makes them as often as he can without feeling like it will get old/annoy the people living with him. Favorite drink is whiskey but that’s for depression reasons. For genuine enjoyment, he likes probably just juice. Orange or pomegranate.

Adam shares Min’s enjoyment of spicy foods, but is really into trying new things and genuinely doesn’t have a favorite. If he had to pick, he’d probably say Bulla cake, because it is his favorite desert/treat. He really enjoys them & they are nostalgic to him. Good memories of his childhood. His uncle wasn’t always great at knowing what to say, but used to pack him one to take to school any time he knew Adam was stressed or intimidated by an exam or due project. Even if it went bad, he had a comfort reward for making it through. Always buys them when he’s somewhere he can. Favorite drink is tea. He likes a wide variety, but masala, jasmine, and ginger are some constant favorites. Would actually know, care about, and adhere to proper boiling/steeping times per tea type.

Jeff likes baked goods. He really enjoys the baking process itself a whole lot, especially if he has people he can cook for/share with. Definitely has created several original & very good bread recipes. Prefers bready goods to sweet ones. About the sweetest fave he has is basic scones (just bread/no nuts or fruit or filling. Slightly sweet bread with a little sugar on top, meant to be paired with jams etc when eaten). Likes those a lot. Favorite drink shifts from subtype to subtype, but is always one of his homemade craft beers. Also enjoys Dr. Pepper (ah I knew I was forgetting—both he & Joey also have some stated canon favorites. So does Susie).

Jane’s favorites are both things her dad makes. He has a really good ceviche recipe and a complicated secret recipe bean dip, and Jane likes snacking on those with a bowl of chips while chatting on the porch. Slow meal extends both fun of chat and fun of conversation. And her dad has a really good sense of spice use. She can make both well too, but is convinced they taste completely different when she does & distressed by this. Her dad insists they taste the same, but also always sympathetically packs her some time take home anyway. Her favorite drink is probably either coffee or wine, out of familiarity and comfort. She’s not very particular though. As a treat she enjoys moccacinos with a ton of whipped cream a whole lot though.

This was already super long so I’m gonna stop here, but I wood cry if I didn’t include at least Philip in what is now clearly just a survivor lineup. So honorary addition:

Philip likes anything really cold and refreshing. Prefers things with a little bite, so he would pick a cola or alcohol over a fruity drink. Not a big preference past that. Always touched and surprised any time a friend goes into a gas station pitstop and comes back with /any/ ice cold beverage for him, no matter how many times it happens. The gesture to him is very much genuine kindness instead of a friendly nothing. For food, he likes anything with enough substance to actually make him not hungry. So meat dishes are a big plus, as is nice bread. He doesn’t have a favorite meal-meal, probably, but there is a kind of cookie made entirely of egg whites and sugar, that is beaten and fluffy and sweet like a cloud and really delicious somehow despite having almost no substance. Philip had no knowledge of these, but Claudette made him some one morning she was feeling happy not too long after they both first went home to Montreal, and the meringue chocolate chip cookie variant she made was one of the best things he had ever eaten, and probably is his favorite food. They’re like little bites of the concept of sweetness without it being an overdose, and have a very unique and pleasing texture. With the chocolate added, it’s just right. 👌 And then also, of course, it was a gift welcoming to his new home, from the person who more or less is his new home. : )

[imagine-loki]

A Quick Way Home

TITLE: A Quick Way Home

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 1/3

AUTHOR: brightsun-and-darkmidnight

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: When Loki learns that you try to be home as soon as you can because of your child, he volunteers to teleport you there. It is convenient and you don’t doubt his motivation, but it happens so often that you need to ask why? Loki hesitantly tells you that he just likes to see some good parenting.

RATING:  T

NOTES/WARNINGS: Single mom.

AUTHOR’S NOTES: Kaytlyn is a single mom who puts her child first… Loki takes interest in her parenting skills and insists on getting her home earlier. Her son, Jeremy ends up sick and she needs to leave work while an important meeting is happening in a few minutes. Making Loki’s reputation better IS Kaytlyn’s job, meaning it is… Challenging.

My Ao3: brightsun_and_darkmidnight

 ~ ~ ENJOY  ~ ~

Kaytlyn pursed her lips together and tried desperately to keep the tears in her eyes. She needed to look good because she had a press conference for her boss to get through in the next 17 minutes. The damn meeting was agreed to 30 minutes of questions. Her lip trembled as she breathed in for 5 seconds and then out for another 5. Deep breathing belly exercises she learned in baby yoga.

Oh her baby… poor Jeremy needed her.

He was in the school’s nurse room with a fever and was getting sick. The babysitter was busy with her other job. Kaytlyn’s best friend, Jack, was away on vacation and would not be available for the next 3 days. She had to go… she wished she never needed to work and could just keep her little baby boy safe in her arms, watching his favorite learning TV shows with the annoying but catchy theme songs.

A knock at the door and there was her boss.

“Trouble with Jeremy.”

She nodded not meeting his eyes, “Loki. I’m sorry… My son is really sick. I just got the call that he is the nurse’s office.”

Loki smiled, “It’s alright. We can cancel.” Kaytlyn thanked him and grabbed her stuff. Loki chuckled, “you know I was never looking forward to that conference anyway.”

She ignored his excitement, “Thank you so much. I will do as much as I can from home.” Kaytlyn made sure to grab her work tablet and put it in her large purse. “I will call to reschedule the meeting on my way to Jeremy’s school.”

“Do not worry. I can do it.”

Kaytlyn was finished gathering her things and moved towards the door. She gave Loki a stern smile, “I will handle it. Last time it did not go well.”

“No fault of your own.” Loki smiled down at her as she passed him and locked her office. 

“You swore to call yourself last time. Then did not and got completely bashed on the news. Which, is the opposite of my job.”

“I mean really, does anyone really need another mall where something more important could go?”

Kaytlyn kept walking through the building, “I really understand Loki, I do, it is just a common place for youth to hangout. That was the purpose.”

Loki chimed, “A place that actually encourages theft among youth. What about an arcade? Hhmm? Or a building where children can earn a type of currency to get snacks or prizes?”

Kaytlyn smiled at him, “your ideas are getting better. Positive. Keep it up and your reviews will go up. However, you need to voice such ideas sooner.” Kaytlyn reached the lobby and paused, expecting to part ways. She noticed him continue to walk, “you stay here. Loki! You have too much to do here.” She followed him out with rushed strides and clicking of her heels.

Loki gave her a serious look as he flagged down a cab, “you expect me to let you go by yourself and for me not to know for future reference where Jeremy’s school is. Valhalla forbid he gets sick again.”

Kaytlyn threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh as Loki held the door for her. Ever since she started as Loki’s press coordinator, she swore it was business. She was trying so hard to keep it business, but the way he inquired more information about her child through noticing new pictures or drawings decorating her desk? It was impossible not to fall for a man that cared for her child. Loki found out Kaytlyn walked a mile back and forth to work, just to be able to save extra money for Jeremy’s needs and wants.

Loki needed help starting up his image, in a positive light, there was one day where she insisted on doing extra work. She remembered how tired she was, getting her pepper spray out of her bag before saying goodbye. Loki insisted on walking her home and the next day it started. He was invested into making sure she got home to Jeremy quicker. He would teleport with her to her doorstep, as soon as she clocked out of work. He would sometimes go inside to the livingroom to see Jeremy, however that was a very rare occasion. The visit would be short and then he would leave.

Business. Strictly business.

Was it though? He has been inside her house for unrelated work things. All for the purpose of getting her home but the conversations were friendly, happy…all around joyful. If only everyone could see that, too see Loki in her apartment discussing a child’s favorite toy. HER child’s favorite toy.

She pushed those thoughts down as she had to keep apologizing to the reporter for having to cancel on such short notice. She did her 5 second inhale and exhale as the person yelled.

Loki’s smile as soon as she rescheduled the appointment with the press about the meeting concerning Loki’s latest mission. Oh that smile made her forget the word, “professional.” She would love for Loki to be hers, but she couldn’t. She could not sign Loki up for parenthood. Especially, considering Jeremy’s father left at the first contemplation of pregnancy. That ass of a man did not wait for even a store bought piss test.

His gentle fingers pushed her hair behind an ear. The way Loki looked at Kaytlyn after he always did such an action.. butterflies. She grabbed his hand and put it back near his side. She would do her best to fight the urge to keep his hand in hers. To let go and keep their relationship business. His hands were unbelievably soft and pleasant to hold.

She gave him the look. The serious look with angled eyes.

Damn him. That knowing smirk. It was like he knew. Kaytlyn swore he knew. 

She could only think, **Business, this is your job. He is just being friendly.**

The cab pulled into the school’s parking lot and she rushed to get the money. Loki held her hand to keep her wallet in her purse as he handed the driver plenty of money. Kaytlyn took her hands away and hurried out of the car to the front door of the school.

The woman at the checkpoint asked, “Hello, Mrs. Carter. Are you planning on donating treats again for the PTA meeting?” Kaytlyn looked up, another mother from Jeremy’s basketball team.

“Hello Elizabeth. Yes. Jeremy is really excited to help.” Kaytlyn hurried to put her things in the basket. When Kaytlyn turned to get her stuff Loki was putting his own things in a basket. The other mom eyed Loki and smiled at Kaytlyn.

**What in hell is he doing?**

Kaytlyn hurried and signed in at the desk. Took long strides to the nurse’s office to hear Jeremy mumble his tummy hurt. He was wrapped in a blanket and laying down.

“Mrs. Carter, I gave him some Tylenol to help with the fever and aches. I believe it is the stomach flu.”

“Thank you. I will call the Dr. And get him in.” Kaytlyn went to her baby and felt his forehead, it was a little warm. “Common sweet bean. Let’s get you feeling better.”

“Are you going to make your special soup?”

“Ofcourse.”

Jeremy sat up and saw Loki in the lobby of the nurse area. Jeremy was excited to see Loki and begged for Loki to stay for dinner to have moomie’s feel better soup. Loki met her eyes asking for permission before answering.

Kaytlyn combed fingers through his hair, “Jeremy… Loki has work to do.”

“Are we going to the doctor because Loki could know where that is too…”

Kaytlyn’s mouth opened but nothing came out. Her little boy was quick witted, especially when he had a plan. He better not even THINK about trying to set her up.

Loki looked around the room and spoke nonchalantly, “He has a point.”

Kaytlyn pursed her lips and sighed, “sure.”

Jeremy was excited and then grabbed his tummy. When he got too excited he would get nauseous and the stupid flu was not helping. The nurse offered some nausea medication and Jeremy accepted quickly, but politely. Kaytlyn took Jeremy’s hand and checked out at the desk. Everyone wished for him to get well soon.

Kaytlyn realized Loki requested a car to pick the three of them up while he was left alone in the nurse’s station. Jeremy sat between them and cuddled up to Kaytlyn while she brushed his hair with fingers. The Dr. Confirmed it was the common stomach flu and recommended some over counter medications that, Kaytlyn was glad to already have.

In the comfort of her home, she bundled Jeremy in blankets on the couch with his favorite movie. She went to the kitchen and started to boil the chicken, make dough for noodles, cut carrots and celery. She was stirring the soup around and then tasted it with a spoon. It might be the best chicken noodle she ever made. Putting the heat to low she turned towards the person entering the kitchen.

“Jeremy requested a drink.”

Kaytlyn got a bottle of water and a small glass of ginger ale. She walked with Loki following and sat beside Jeremy, “sip them. Don’t drink too fast.”

“Thanks Moomie.”

“You are welcome Sweetheart. How do you feel?”

“Better. Soup smells good..”

“Soup is almost done. I’m going to go get the crackers and finish up with the chicken and rice too.”

The TV show was on again from a commercial and Jeremy’s attention was lost to her. She smiled with a shake of her head and went back to the kitchen. Set the table, placed bowls with soup. Set the chicken and rice on the table to be grabbed if anyone wanted it. The jar with the sweet and sour sauce for a little flavor, if Loki desired it. Water glasses filled and the tea kettle just started whistling.

Jeremy was heard sitting at the table and Loki met Kaytlyn in the kitchen to make his own tea. She carried Jeremy’s mug in with her own. Loki carried his own mug and the crackers. Dinner was nice… Jeremy talked most of the time about school classes, events, friends, and the PTA cookies.

“You should help Loki. Mumm makes everything fun.”

Then Loki asked seriously about the types of things Kaytlyn could make. It was a playful interview between a dark haired mischievous God and a little boy sharing too much information. By the end of the conversation Loki practically knew the family recipes.

“Mumm let’s me help with everything. She’s cool like that.” Jeremy took another slurp of soup straight from the bowl, despite Kaytlyn warning him about manners.

Loki sat back dabbing his mouth with a napkin, “Yes she seems very cool.”

Kaytlyn thanked the gentlemen for the compliments and told Jeremy to go get ready for a shower. With a little protest he went. Kaytlyn gathered the dishes and Loki helped clean off the table. He seemed unsure what to do and Kaytlyn enjoyed seeing Loki lost for once. He was always so sure about everything. Carefree with how laid back and knowledgeable he was. In the kitchen? He moved dishes around a few times then stared at them before leaving them on the counter beside the sink.

She wiped the table off once cleared, and tried to stay busy trying to hide her uncomfortable feeling from creeping onto her face. What should she do, how should she say goodbye? Now SHE was out of her element. She hasn’t had anyone over for dinner other than her best friend and family for the holidays. Those were loving hugs and wishes to have a repeat to catch up.

Jeremy was out of the shower, in his pajamas and it was 20 minutes till his bedtime. That little shit though… He always fought tooth and nail to go to bed, but tonight he forced a yawn, hugged her and said goodnight. He waved to Loki with a big smile as he said, 

“You should eat with us again. Night Loki!” Jeremy walked down the hallway and did a forced stretch…

That little boy was going to get a talking too.

Loki looked at the clock with lips that threatened to smile, “Well.. I suppose it is late. I should get going.”

Kaytlyn watched as Loki gathered his jacket and went to the door. For some stupid reason she followed him to the door. She was looking everywhere but him. Those soft fingers pushing her bangs behind her ear. It felt so different this time, but why?

“Thank you for dinner. Perhaps once the little one feels better we all could go for dinner?”

Kaytlyn swallowed as she pushed his hand to his side, “that’s not professional.”

Loki laughed quietly, “I was in your home. For dinner you made. And I escort you home everyday.” Those fingers were back on her cheek. “I do not care for professionalism anymore.”

Kaytlyn’s mind was racing. **I can’t. This is work. It is my job was to improve his image. I need a good image for future clients. NOT a reputation to date my clients. But he is so good with Jeremy… ooh that boy was in trouble to put me in a situation like this.**

Kaytlyn turned her head, “Loki I can't… I really need this job. I need to be professional. ”

“You can still have it. I care for you, and Jeremy. Let me take you both out to eat. I promise you will both have a good time.”

With those fingers under her chin, she could not look away. Her eyebrows were angled up and eyes wide. She felt vulnerable. She has always wanted someone -For a father figure to her son and a lover for herself. Ever since her body changed due to the pregnancy, she did not want anyone seeing it. Then HIM.

Dreamy… Dark hair, emerald eyes, tall, strong, fatherly. -A literal dream man.

Her boss.

Loki whispered something but Kaytlyn was not focusing on anything other than his eyes. His eyes crinkled shut as he laughed.

Kaytlyn was pulled out of her mind in embarrassment. “What?”

Those fingers pushed hair back and then cupped her cheek again, “I asked if I could kiss you.”

“Umm..” Kaytlyn was struggling with words her mind short circuited. This was the first time she did not have anything to say to him, leaving her mind to scramble back together. The pieces would not go back in the right places and she felt her ears on fire with embarrassment. 

“Too soon?” That teasing smile, “let’s see how our date goes first then.” Fingers barely touching her till they disappeared. “Let me know when you are coming back to work. I will keep in touch about that date though.” He winked at her then turned towards the door. 

Kaytlyn opened the door for him and cursed how quiet her voice was as she said goodbye. She turned and leaned against the door after locking it. She caught a glimpse of golden brown hair and dark green eyes peeking around the corner.

“Jeremy… get to bed.”

[runswithscissors26]

Just gotta vent. Ignore this/I just need to scream into the void and feel a little bit heard for a second.

I have food issues. I have issues with food. Food is gross. I don't like it. I almost never get hungry. I can and will forget to eat for a whole day. Me wanting specific food is very rare.

I am a very picky eater. I am a vegetarian (not vegan). I am lactose intolerant (I can get around this with Lactaid pills, but its a pain).

Food has to look, smell, taste, and feel right for me to eat it. If it looks or smells funny, it's not happening.

I have 3 breakfast options, plus 2 "fancy" ones for when I go out.

I have 6 lunch options, plus 2 for when I go out.

I have 12 dinner options, 6 of which are the same as my lunch options, plus the 2 options from lunch for when I go out.

I have 6 otions for snacks/desserts.

I used to have more options, but cut them for one reason or another.

I get on kicks where I'll eat the same few things for days, weeks, or months all the time. Example: I ate crackers with peanut butter for breakfast, a peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and mac and cheese for dinner for YEARS. I rarely deviated from it. Then, I totally switched. I couldn't stand the sight of those foods and rotayed through seversl more phases, but they were shorter than that one.

If a food I usually eat tastes funny, there's a very good chance I'm getting sick. In 1st grade my mom sent me to school with a peanut butter sandwich and chocolate milk for lunch (my fav meal at the time). It tasted horrible, so I went to the nurse, explained, and had her take my temperature, etc. No temp., nothing clearly wrong with me, but I insisted. She called my mom.

Come to find out, lunch tasted gross because she changed brands of peanut butter, bread, and milk. She hadn't told me. She apologized for not telling me and switched back the brands. Life went on. She would tell me if the store was out of my brand and she had to substitute another gmfor a coupke of days.

Fast forward 20 years... I can't cook like my mom because she doesn't follow the directions on boxes, so I can't cook any of the foods I like (that require cooking). I still live with my parents for a bunch of reasons, one of which being my food issues/forgetting to eat.

I'm back to my crackers/sandwich/mac and cheese routine for the most part. I drink my instant meal shake when it's too hot for hot food, but other than that, I'm back to basics.

I eat Kraft original/classic mac and cheese with "a bit" of extra milk and 3 slices of Velveeta cheese melted and the poured over the top and mixed in. I was actually hungry for dinner! So my mom made my food a bit early because the hungry feeling will pass and not come back. I thanked her when I got it from the pot, like always. It looked a little pale and smelled a little different, but I didn't say anything because is wasn't repulsive, I hadn't seen it out in the light, and I hadn't tasted it. She gets upset when I reject food that she makes, so I decided to try it.

So I go sit down and take a bite. It has a weird flavor, and the weird smell is still there. And there are little tiny things in it that kind of look like pepper. I took another bite, thinking maybe it was just a little bit that got accidentally sprinkled in when she was making her and my dad's food.

Nope. The weird taste and smell are still there. So I go best out of 5. Still weird. But now she's in the middle of making their dinner, and I feel bad marching into the kitchen and rejecting food that she makes for me, especially if she is busy with something else.

At this point, I've eaten about a quarter of the bowl and decide that just this once, I can deal, its just a little pepper or seasoning. So I ate kind of fast and didn't really chew, and decide that if my mom didn't spill something in it (by accident), then I'm cutting mac and cheese out of my diet again.

As I'm taking my last bites, my parents join me with their dinners. I (gently, I don't bite the hand that feeds me, and she's a bit sensitive about having her cooking criticized) tell her I think she might've accidentally spilled a little pepper or something in my food. She looks confused, so I showed her a noodle with the stuff on it.

She gets this guilty look on her face and I'm instantly back in first grade, telling a nurse that I must be sick and her insisting that there's nothing wrong with me.

Turns out that she cooked the noodles and got up to the part where she melts the cheese and realized we are out of velveeta. She substituted some shredded 5 cheese blend that we had. She confessed and said that she would have told me if I had come back in and told her.

She insisted I must have liked it because I ate it all. The one time I try to "grow up" and suffer through a meal so my mom doesn't get her feelings hurt, it turns out that she was trying to pull something. I tried to explain that I ate fast because I was trying not to taste it, but neither she nor my dad believe me. They think I'm overreacting now only because I know for sure.

I reminded her of the incident in first grade and she said she remembers it. I doubt she remembers how freaked out I was because if she did, she wouldn't have pulled this sh*t.

She said she didn't want to waste the food, so she didn't tell me. Well, its wasted now! When I smelled and saw it in the pot I took half my usual amount in case I couldn't stomach it. 3/4 of a box of Kraft is now trash.

God forbid I try to spare someone's feelings and not return food like a Karen at a restaurant.

My dad piped up as I was leaving the table that we do have velveeta, it just wasn't in the right spot because the drawer was full.

Yeah, I left 2 min after they sat down, I'm not sitting there to be guilted and b*tched at because someone else tried to pull something. They both know about my food issues and how bad they are, and she should have told me.

And on top of all this, I had a reaction to the dairy. Velveeta is sooo not real cheese, maybe like 5% real, but the cheese that was in the food I ate was real. For my regular mac and cheese, I need 1 pill. Throw more dairy in, I need more pills. I thought I was having my nice regular fake cheese and took 1 pill. But alas, it was weird looking, weird smelling, pale, real cheese with little bits of who knows what in it.

Let's throw some more on shall we? Tomorrow is my birthday. It's been hot so I've been having my drink instead of hot food. I was looking forward to mac and cheese for dinner tomorrow too. WAS.

Now I don't want to look at mac and cheese.

Now I don't want to be in the same room as them.

Now I'm locked away (hiding) during what is usually my wind down time. Usually I read for a few hours before bed.

Now I'm too angry and hurt to have the patience.

Now I'm crying and sniffly.

Now I'm dreading my birthday, when I'm supposed to be all happy and sh*t tomorrow.

I realize how insignificant this is to the rest of the world. But its significant to me, in my little corner of the world. The person I trust to make my food screwed with it, lied to me (by omission), and then tried to put it all back on me because I didn't return it.

"Sorry" in the tone she used doesn't cut it. If I could eat like a normal person, I would. Don't lie to me about my gd food. I have enough issues with it already.

[knybits]

A Murder of One

Chapter: 

6

Summary:

Akiko discovers her own happiness within her independence. This comes to a halt. 

Previous Chapter | Origin | Next Chapter

“I refuse.” 

Shinobu blinks owlishly at Akiko, thoughts halting to a stop by Akiko’s sudden declaration. 

“I don’t want a kasugai karasu.” 

“You need one,” Shinobu smiles. Akiko can see the annoyance radiate off Shinobu but she doesn’t back down. 

“I don’t care. Give it to Aoi.” 

Aoi looks over at Akiko, face contorted into anger as she’s suddenly dragged into the argument. 

“Don’t bring me into this,” Aoi snaps, and Akiko rolls her eyes. 

“I saw that!” 

“You were supposed to-” 

“Girls?” Shinobu sings, and the two shut up, Aoi’s head bowing ever so slightly. 

Lilac turns to amber, and Shinobu allows a sigh to pass from her lips. Akiko looks unwavering from her decision, jaw set and a different spark in her eyes. For some reason, Shinobu can guess the spark. 

Fear. 

“Akiko, you understand that this crow is supposed to tell you, personally, the status of the incoming patient. That way you have time to prepare. This allows you to become more independent from Aoi and the other girls.” 

Sumi, Naho, and Kiyo look at Akiko with an unsure expression. They’re fine with helping Akiko, but one look from Shinou and they know to stay quiet. Kanon sits with the girls, mindlessly braiding and tying their hair for the day. 

“I… I know this…” Akiko grasps her right eye, biting down onto her lips as her shoulders tire at being so tense. She’s far too exhausted to raise her voice, and Shinobu has to strain to hear what Akiko says next.

“But they’re cursed…” 

Akiko leaves the room with a compromise. 

Her kasugai karasu is to never be in the same room as Akiko, and will crow its message. If Akiko needs a message sent, Aoi will be the one to tell the crow. 

No one ones how this will play out, since there are so many loopholes to work around, but Akiko is willing to accept it for now. 

---

“How many girls have you killed?!”

Tanjirou’s ink black blade points threateningly at the demon's throat, but the smell of rotten oil nags at him. 

“Listen! If women live any longer, they turn ugly and start tasting like crap! So, we killed them for their own good!!” It yells back, focusing on regenerating its arms back. 

Anger courses through Tanjirou, the face of his smiling fiancée flashing through his mind briefly. 

“You should be thankful to us demons-” 

The last straw. 

Tanjirou lashes out, a shadow cast over his face as he runs his blade clean across the demon’s mouth. Blood pours out like a running faucet, but the heaviness in Tanjirou’s heart doesn’t fade away. 

Just the idea of Akiko getting eaten alive because a demon like this one doesn’t want her to taste bad… He can’t stand for this. 

Tanjirou doesn’t receive much information on Muzan, and he’s quick to finish the job. The demon is quick to dissolve and a sleeping Nezuko is gently placed back into the box before Tanjirou checks on Kazumi next. 

“Kazumi-san? Are you alright?” He asks delicately, crouching down to the tired man. 

Tears bubble out of Kazumi’s eyes at the realization of what’s happened within the night, “I’ve lost my fiancée. How can I be alright?” 

He can smell the mourning from Kazumi, and again Akiko clouds his mind. For his first mission, he’s finding too many things to connect himself with. 

“Kazumi-san… No matter how many people you may lose, you have no choice but to go on living. No matter how devastating the blows may be.”

The smell of fury comes forth, but there’s still the smell of sadness that brings Tanjirou to allow for Kazumi to grab him. 

“What do you know?! A kid like you?!” He lashes out, mind wild and no clear thought running through his head. 

But he feels dirty hands touch his own, soft and gentle but worn with bumps and scars and cuts. Kazumi can’t place a specific feeling to the hands, as they work like water to remove Kazumi’s hands from the green haori. 

It’s Tajirou’s face that says it all. 

And Kazumi understands. 

‘You went through the same thing too?’ 

---

“Large anterior abrasion to the upper right extremity proximal to the elbow!”

Akiko flinches at her crow, waiting for the sound of beating wings to confirm that it's gone before rushing to the front gate to greet the patient. 

She smiles when she sees a familiar kakushi, their dull eyes a familiar sight (for Akiko, at least.)

“Goto! Good, you’re the one that brought the patient,” she smiles, and Goto looks at her wearily. 

He’s the kakushi that Akiko yelled at during her test two weeks ago, but he’s quick to shape up and now makes sure to do everything that Akiko says. She’s grateful that he didn’t take her harsh words to heart, and always offers him tea when he arrives with patients. 

She ushers the kakushi in and he follows after, led to the medical ward and helps to lay the patient onto a bed. 

“Not the operating room?” Goto asks, and Akiko rolls her eyes. 

“He’s lost a pint of blood at most. He’s fine. Even Sumi could patch him up,” she digresses, and Goto weakly nods his head in understanding. 

Naho is called over instead, and Akiko decides to have tea with Goto, listening to him talk about how terrifying the pillars are and how some of the other kakushi are getting on his nerves. 

“Akiko?” 

Goto jumps 12 feet into the air before setting his cup of tea down, bowing low enough to slam his forehead into the floorboards, then high tails it out of the Butterfly Estate. 

Akiko sighs in defeat at Shinobu before smiling anyhow, finding the show to be entertaining despite losing company. 

“Yes?” Akiko asks and Shinobu ushers her to follow behind. Akiko stands from the engawa, and is surprised to see a swordsmith standing by the front entrance. 

They wear a hyottoko mask and a blue kimono, different from Shinobu’s usual swordsmith. Akiko looks over at Shinobu curiously, eyebrow raised and her hands fiddling with the cuffs of her sleeves. 

“Who’s this?”

“Your swordsmith!”

“Hah?”

Akiko doesn’t believe that she has her own swordsmith now. It doesn’t sink in until her swordsmith sits in front of her, drinking tea under their mask and placing a leather bag in front of Akiko. 

“Are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for Kanao?” Akiko asks again, and the swordsmith sighs. 

“Just open the bag, yeah?” 

She stares at it tentatively, not sure how to react. She’s not a swordsman, and doesn’t know how to use breaths. So there’s no way there’s a katana in here. But judging by the bag, Akiko assumes there’s there’s more than one thing in the bag. 

And it reminds her of her dad. 

“This… This is a physician’s bag. But I’m not a physician.” 

The swordsmith looks at Shinobu, and Akiko can tell that they’re looking at her with a completely done expression. 

So Akiko humors her swordsmith, finally opening the bag and peering inside. 

A bone saw, pliers, a container of stitching needles, a bamboo roll with neatly lined scalpels, syringes and more are piled into the bag. The clean shine of the new tools reflect in Akiko’s eyes, and Shinobu feels much happier knowing that Akiko is brought to tears-

“Hey don’t cry on them!! They’ll rUST- STOP!! STOP YOUR TSUGUKO! SHE’S RUINING MY WORK!!”

---

“-signed, Kamado Tanjirou.” 

Higuchi looks at the 84th letter she’s received before thoughtlessly tossing the letter into the fire. 

“That boy just doesn’t know when to give up…”

---

Akiko continues on for the next year, seasons fading into the next and time seeming to blur as it brushes past her. 

Kanon spends less time in the kitchen, finishing the day’s worth of food before leaving the Butterfly Estate to Giyuu’s house before returning before night fall to watch after her brother for the rest of her night. 

Akiko doesn’t like the idea of Kanon spending her time with Giyuu, but Kanon looks happier, so Akiko can’t do much about that. 

On the rare occasion that Kanao comes back to the estate with injuries, Akiko takes the time to talk to her more. Sure, they talk, but there isn’t much to talk about. 

They normally spend their days together blowing bubbles, Akiko watching Kanao perform full concentration breathing and unleashing forms against test dummies. 

When there are no patients, Akiko walks into town to talk to villagers and buy supplies. They aren’t the same villagers she grew up with, but they have their own charm and Akiko makes herself feel at home with them. 

She knows which shop has the best udon (though she’d never admit it out loud) and she knows the usual gossip. They’ll remind her to go home before the sun sets, and she’ll walk back to the estate with a small trinket or two she bought for herself. 

Her life is easy, despite the fact that she plunges her hands into bodies and moves organs, mend broken bones and prevent soldiers from drowning in their blood every other day. 

She’d invite kakushi into the estate when they bring in soldiers that don’t need a table and they’d talk while eating rice crackers and drinking green tea. 

Sometimes, the kakushi bring their own snacks because they can tell what a bad wound is from a not so bad one, and know that they’ll be spending the rest of their day talking to the resident physician. 

For the first time in three years, Akiko goes back to Tokyo to spend her New Years with her parents. 

They hug their little girl upon her arrival, and their hearts melt to see that Akiko is wearing a white blouse and blue hakama rather than a black kimono. She smiles in the house and eats food that’s given to her. 

Hiratsuka takes her Asakusa to shop, and Ray has her help in the hospital. 

Spending time together helps them to forget their loss, and Akiko has both western and japanese clothes to take back to the estate. 

Ray is beyond impressed with her work at the hospital. He allows her a patient and observes silently, not needing the help of other nurses and handing the patient differently than he would, but wasting no time and saving their life with eloquence. 

“You seem to be doing well at that school,”Ray smiles at his daughter during their lunch break. 

It’s hard for Ray to believe that she’s 16 now, her bratty attitude lessened since three years prior. Now Akiko sits with her back straight and a pleasant smile on her face, leading conversations and laughing as she jokes around with people. 

Akiko nods her head, “I’ve been learning a lot there.”

“I suppose this means you’ll continue your studies there?” 

She merely smiles before leaving the hospital to join her mother at Akihabara, the two out and about till the moon is high in the sky. 

But New Years comes and goes, and Akiko has to leave after only staying for two weeks. 

Hiratsuka fixes Akiko’s hakama for her, patting away imaginary dust and choosing Akiko’s earrings for the day. Akiko tries to brush her mother’s hands away, but Hiratsuka is insistent on dressing her daughter up. 

“You haven’t forgotten anything, right? Where’s that yellow dress we bought yesterday? Also, I know you bought that flapper dress the other day but you better not wear it.”

Akiko rolls her eyes at her mother, “Can I go now? I have patients to get back to.”

Hiratsuka pouts, patting Akiko’s cheek with tearful eyes and Akiko feels bad. Ray places a hand on his wife before offering Akiko a smile. 

“I know dear. You’re all important now, aren’t you? Mommy’s just worried… Strange things have been happening around here… Just last week in Asakusa-!”

“Mom,” Akiko interrupts, “You have to stop listening to the gossip around here. Nothing strange is going on, okay? I love you, but I have to go.”

And with those words, Akiko climbs into the family’s Model-T before leaving Tokyo. 

A few months fly by and Aoi comes back home from Final Selection, passing just like Kanao did a year prior. But her drive to kill demons is low, and Shinobu allows Aoi to remain by Akiko’s side and focus on medicine. 

“A large amount of soldiers!” Akiko hears her crow and she still flinches even a year after receiving it. 

Sumi understands to prepare all available rooms, Naho orders Akiko’s crow to go into town to call for more doctors, and Kiyo rushes to the supply closet to grab the ribbons. Aoi follows Akiko out into the garden. 

The kakushi are much better prepared this time and one steps forward to relay as much information as possible. 

“Ten or so demon slayers were initially deployed, but three more joined in later. Then, Kochou-san, Tomioka-san and Tsuyuri-san were called in. The three don’t have injuries. A demon slayer was sent to the Ubuyashiki estate, but will be coming in later.

There are more coming in that have sustained poison related injuries. This male is one,” Goto steps aside and Akiko is met with a male about a year older than her with shrunken limbs and tears falling from his face, mixing with the blood. His hair is blonde, which is unusual for a Japanese male, but his eyes are just as gold as her own. 

“Kochou-san used this on him,” he hands her a syringe and Akiko hands it off to Aoi to start reproducing. 

“Sumi, Kiyo, Naho, you three know what to do,” Akiko’s eyes quickly survey the field of demon slayers, recognizing familiar faces. Her eyes calculate the severity of their injuries and the one most close to death. She then points to one wearing a boar mask. 

“That one. Table. Now.” 

She spends two hours with him, helping with his crushed larynx and the deep cuts littering his body. He’s lost a massive amount of blood, but he seems to be knocked out for now. Akiko is almost impressed that he doesn’t stir from the pain of her needle stitching his wounds shut. 

Akiko counts 14 dead bodies. 

Soldiers that are brought in are more often dead than alive, and Akiko grits her teeth as her heart twists. 

Too many black ribbons. 

A day and a half passes by and most patients have left. 

The boar man Akiko saved is laying in bed, and the male with blonde hair lays in the bed next to him. He always brightens up whenever Akiko walks in, but she can hear him scream at night. 

“Medicine,” she places the cup onto the table beside him and he takes her hand, blushing wildly. 

“You’re a goddess.”

“Just drink your damn medicine.”

A familiar caw catches Akiko’s attention and she keeps her head turned from the window. 

“A patient with a dislocated jaw! Multiple abrasions scattered across his body!” 

Akiko sighs in relief, pulling her hand from the blonde’s hold before scurrying to the medicine room to start making tea. 

She mixes the pain killer with honey, ginger and green tea, placing the cup onto a tray before leaving the room. 

“Pardon the intrusion,” Goto’s familiar voice sounds and Akiko finds herself smiling. 

“Goto! You’re here! How’ve you bee-” 

Akiko rounds the corner of the hallway and drops the tray. 

The cup shatters and the tea splatters across the floor but Akiko’s body shuts down.

Cold sweat, shivers raking her body, the rise of bile in the back of her throat, dilated pupils. 

“Aki...ko?” 

Kamado Tanjirou, Tamura Akiko’s fiance, is breathing the same air as she. 

tHERE ITS DONE. WE FUCKIN OUT HERE GUYS. THINGS ARE PICKIN U P 

hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! we’re past the anime now, so from here on out its spoiler land :,,) 

thanks for stickin with the story! wonder what happens next 👀👀👀 my beta reader knows lmao (thanks @giyuwu-writings!!)

[brightsun-and-darkmidnight]

A Quick Way Home

TITLE: A Quick Way Home

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 1/3

AUTHOR: brightsun-and-darkmidnight

ORIGINAL IMAGINE: When Loki learns that you try to be home as soon as you can because of your child, he volunteers to teleport you there. It is convenient and you don’t doubt his motivation, but it happens so often that you need to ask why? Loki hesitantly tells you that he just likes to see some good parenting.

RATING:  T

NOTES/WARNINGS: Single mom.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Kaytlyn is a single mom who puts her child first… Loki takes interest in her parenting skills and insists on getting her home earlier. Her son, Jeremy ends up sick and she needs to leave work while an important meeting is happening in a few minutes. Making Loki's reputation better IS Kaytlyn's job, meaning it is… Challenging.

My Ao3: brightsun_and_darkmidnight

 ~ ~ ENJOY  ~ ~

Kaytlyn pursed her lips together and tried desperately to keep the tears in her eyes. She needed to look good because she had a press conference for her boss to get through in the next 17 minutes. The damn meeting was agreed to 30 minutes of questions. Her lip trembled as she breathed in for 5 seconds and then out for another 5. Deep breathing belly exercises she learned in baby yoga.

Oh her baby… poor Jeremy needed her.

He was in the school's nurse room with a fever and was getting sick. The babysitter was busy with her other job. Kaytlyn's best friend, Jack, was away on vacation and would not be available for the next 3 days. She had to go… she wished she never needed to work and could just keep her little baby boy safe in her arms, watching his favorite learning TV shows with the annoying but catchy theme songs.

A knock at the door and there was her boss.

"Trouble with Jeremy."

She nodded not meeting his eyes, "Loki. I'm sorry… My son is really sick. I just got the call that he is the nurse's office."

Loki smiled, "It's alright. We can cancel." Kaytlyn thanked him and grabbed her stuff. Loki chuckled, "you know I was never looking forward to that conference anyway."

She ignored his excitement, "Thank you so much. I will do as much as I can from home." Kaytlyn made sure to grab her work tablet and put it in her large purse. "I will call to reschedule the meeting on my way to Jeremy's school."

"Do not worry. I can do it."

Kaytlyn was finished gathering her things and moved towards the door. She gave Loki a stern smile, "I will handle it. Last time it did not go well."

"No fault of your own." Loki smiled down at her as she passed him and locked her office. 

"You swore to call yourself last time. Then did not and got completely bashed on the news. Which, is the opposite of my job."

"I mean really, does anyone really need another mall where something more important could go?"

Kaytlyn kept walking through the building, "I really understand Loki, I do, it is just a common place for youth to hangout. That was the purpose."

Loki chimed, "A place that actually encourages theft among youth. What about an arcade? Hhmm? Or a building where children can earn a type of currency to get snacks or prizes?"

Kaytlyn smiled at him, "your ideas are getting better. Positive. Keep it up and your reviews will go up. However, you need to voice such ideas sooner." Kaytlyn reached the lobby and paused, expecting to part ways. She noticed him continue to walk, "you stay here. Loki! You have too much to do here." She followed him out with rushed strides and clicking of her heels.

Loki gave her a serious look as he flagged down a cab, "you expect me to let you go by yourself and for me not to know for future reference where Jeremy's school is. Valhalla forbid he gets sick again."

Kaytlyn threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh as Loki held the door for her. Ever since she started as Loki's press coordinator, she swore it was business. She was trying so hard to keep it business, but the way he inquired more information about her child through noticing new pictures or drawings decorating her desk? It was impossible not to fall for a man that cared for her child. Loki found out Kaytlyn walked a mile back and forth to work, just to be able to save extra money for Jeremy's needs and wants.

Loki needed help starting up his image, in a positive light, there was one day where she insisted on doing extra work. She remembered how tired she was, getting her pepper spray out of her bag before saying goodbye. Loki insisted on walking her home and the next day it started. He was invested into making sure she got home to Jeremy quicker. He would teleport with her to her doorstep, as soon as she clocked out of work. He would sometimes go inside to the livingroom to see Jeremy, however that was a very rare occasion. The visit would be short and then he would leave.

Business. Strictly business.

Was it though? He has been inside her house for unrelated work things. All for the purpose of getting her home but the conversations were friendly, happy...all around joyful. If only everyone could see that, too see Loki in her apartment discussing a child's favorite toy. HER child's favorite toy.

She pushed those thoughts down as she had to keep apologizing to the reporter for having to cancel on such short notice. She did her 5 second inhale and exhale as the person yelled.

Loki's smile as soon as she rescheduled the appointment with the press about the meeting concerning Loki's latest mission. Oh that smile made her forget the word, "professional." She would love for Loki to be hers, but she couldn't. She could not sign Loki up for parenthood. Especially, considering Jeremy's father left at the first contemplation of pregnancy. That ass of a man did not wait for even a store bought piss test.

His gentle fingers pushed her hair behind an ear. The way Loki looked at Kaytlyn after he always did such an action.. butterflies. She grabbed his hand and put it back near his side. She would do her best to fight the urge to keep his hand in hers. To let go and keep their relationship business. His hands were unbelievably soft and pleasant to hold.

She gave him the look. The serious look with angled eyes.

Damn him. That knowing smirk. It was like he knew. Kaytlyn swore he knew. 

She could only think, **Business, this is your job. He is just being friendly.**

The cab pulled into the school's parking lot and she rushed to get the money. Loki held her hand to keep her wallet in her purse as he handed the driver plenty of money. Kaytlyn took her hands away and hurried out of the car to the front door of the school.

The woman at the checkpoint asked, "Hello, Mrs. Carter. Are you planning on donating treats again for the PTA meeting?" Kaytlyn looked up, another mother from Jeremy's basketball team.

"Hello Elizabeth. Yes. Jeremy is really excited to help." Kaytlyn hurried to put her things in the basket. When Kaytlyn turned to get her stuff Loki was putting his own things in a basket. The other mom eyed Loki and smiled at Kaytlyn.

**What in hell is he doing?**

Kaytlyn hurried and signed in at the desk. Took long strides to the nurse's office to hear Jeremy mumble his tummy hurt. He was wrapped in a blanket and laying down.

"Mrs. Carter, I gave him some Tylenol to help with the fever and aches. I believe it is the stomach flu."

"Thank you. I will call the Dr. And get him in." Kaytlyn went to her baby and felt his forehead, it was a little warm. "Common sweet bean. Let's get you feeling better."

"Are you going to make your special soup?"

"Ofcourse."

Jeremy sat up and saw Loki in the lobby of the nurse area. Jeremy was excited to see Loki and begged for Loki to stay for dinner to have moomie's feel better soup. Loki met her eyes asking for permission before answering.

Kaytlyn combed fingers through his hair, "Jeremy… Loki has work to do."

"Are we going to the doctor because Loki could know where that is too…"

Kaytlyn's mouth opened but nothing came out. Her little boy was quick witted, especially when he had a plan. He better not even THINK about trying to set her up.

Loki looked around the room and spoke nonchalantly, "He has a point."

Kaytlyn pursed her lips and sighed, "sure."

Jeremy was excited and then grabbed his tummy. When he got too excited he would get nauseous and the stupid flu was not helping. The nurse offered some nausea medication and Jeremy accepted quickly, but politely. Kaytlyn took Jeremy's hand and checked out at the desk. Everyone wished for him to get well soon.

Kaytlyn realized Loki requested a car to pick the three of them up while he was left alone in the nurse's station. Jeremy sat between them and cuddled up to Kaytlyn while she brushed his hair with fingers. The Dr. Confirmed it was the common stomach flu and recommended some over counter medications that, Kaytlyn was glad to already have.

In the comfort of her home, she bundled Jeremy in blankets on the couch with his favorite movie. She went to the kitchen and started to boil the chicken, make dough for noodles, cut carrots and celery. She was stirring the soup around and then tasted it with a spoon. It might be the best chicken noodle she ever made. Putting the heat to low she turned towards the person entering the kitchen.

"Jeremy requested a drink."

Kaytlyn got a bottle of water and a small glass of ginger ale. She walked with Loki following and sat beside Jeremy, "sip them. Don't drink too fast."

"Thanks Moomie."

"You are welcome Sweetheart. How do you feel?"

"Better. Soup smells good.."

"Soup is almost done. I'm going to go get the crackers and finish up with the chicken and rice too."

The TV show was on again from a commercial and Jeremy's attention was lost to her. She smiled with a shake of her head and went back to the kitchen. Set the table, placed bowls with soup. Set the chicken and rice on the table to be grabbed if anyone wanted it. The jar with the sweet and sour sauce for a little flavor, if Loki desired it. Water glasses filled and the tea kettle just started whistling.

Jeremy was heard sitting at the table and Loki met Kaytlyn in the kitchen to make his own tea. She carried Jeremy's mug in with her own. Loki carried his own mug and the crackers. Dinner was nice… Jeremy talked most of the time about school classes, events, friends, and the PTA cookies.

"You should help Loki. Mumm makes everything fun."

Then Loki asked seriously about the types of things Kaytlyn could make. It was a playful interview between a dark haired mischievous God and a little boy sharing too much information. By the end of the conversation Loki practically knew the family recipes.

"Mumm let's me help with everything. She's cool like that." Jeremy took another slurp of soup straight from the bowl, despite Kaytlyn warning him about manners.

Loki sat back dabbing his mouth with a napkin, "Yes she seems very cool."

Kaytlyn thanked the gentlemen for the compliments and told Jeremy to go get ready for a shower. With a little protest he went. Kaytlyn gathered the dishes and Loki helped clean off the table. He seemed unsure what to do and Kaytlyn enjoyed seeing Loki lost for once. He was always so sure about everything. Carefree with how laid back and knowledgeable he was. In the kitchen? He moved dishes around a few times then stared at them before leaving them on the counter beside the sink.

She wiped the table off once cleared, and tried to stay busy trying to hide her uncomfortable feeling from creeping onto her face. What should she do, how should she say goodbye? Now SHE was out of her element. She hasn't had anyone over for dinner other than her best friend and family for the holidays. Those were loving hugs and wishes to have a repeat to catch up.

Jeremy was out of the shower, in his pajamas and it was 20 minutes till his bedtime. That little shit though... He always fought tooth and nail to go to bed, but tonight he forced a yawn, hugged her and said goodnight. He waved to Loki with a big smile as he said, 

"You should eat with us again. Night Loki!" Jeremy walked down the hallway and did a forced stretch...

That little boy was going to get a talking too.

Loki looked at the clock with lips that threatened to smile, "Well.. I suppose it is late. I should get going."

Kaytlyn watched as Loki gathered his jacket and went to the door. For some stupid reason she followed him to the door. She was looking everywhere but him. Those soft fingers pushing her bangs behind her ear. It felt so different this time, but why?

"Thank you for dinner. Perhaps once the little one feels better we all could go for dinner?"

Kaytlyn swallowed as she pushed his hand to his side, "that's not professional."

Loki laughed quietly, "I was in your home. For dinner you made. And I escort you home everyday." Those fingers were back on her cheek. "I do not care for professionalism anymore."

Kaytlyn's mind was racing. **I can't. This is work. It is my job was to improve his image. I need a good image for future clients. NOT a reputation to date my clients. But he is so good with Jeremy… ooh that boy was in trouble to put me in a situation like this.**

Kaytlyn turned her head, "Loki I can't… I really need this job. I need to be professional. "

"You can still have it. I care for you, and Jeremy. Let me take you both out to eat. I promise you will both have a good time."

With those fingers under her chin, she could not look away. Her eyebrows were angled up and eyes wide. She felt vulnerable. She has always wanted someone -For a father figure to her son and a lover for herself. Ever since her body changed due to the pregnancy, she did not want anyone seeing it. Then HIM.

Dreamy… Dark hair, emerald eyes, tall, strong, fatherly. -A literal dream man.

Her boss.

Loki whispered something but Kaytlyn was not focusing on anything other than his eyes. His eyes crinkled shut as he laughed.

Kaytlyn was pulled out of her mind in embarrassment. "What?"

Those fingers pushed hair back and then cupped her cheek again, "I asked if I could kiss you."

"Umm.." Kaytlyn was struggling with words her mind short circuited. This was the first time she did not have anything to say to him, leaving her mind to scramble back together. The pieces would not go back in the right places and she felt her ears on fire with embarrassment. 

"Too soon?" That teasing smile, "let's see how our date goes first then." Fingers barely touching her till they disappeared. "Let me know when you are coming back to work. I will keep in touch about that date though." He winked at her then turned towards the door. 

Kaytlyn opened the door for him and cursed how quiet her voice was as she said goodbye. She turned and leaned against the door after locking it. She caught a glimpse of golden brown hair and dark green eyes peeking around the corner.

"Jeremy… get to bed."

[peanutbutteriscreamy]

You Can!

———

A/N: i didn’t really edit this also no prologue have fun

warnings: cancer (specifically chronic lymphocytic leukemia)

summary: it always gets worse, but can it get better for a change?~

a fic where Dan has an illness that he had hoped no one found out about, until it acted up in gym. then starts the school fundraiser for his treatments that he refuses to take, and a cute boy by the name of Phil convincing him to continue on.

——-

It’s bright. Not as bright as the blue and white walls of the hospital rooms, but bright enough. And he hates it. Maybe it’ll be fun, said the nurses and his doctors, maybe you’ll meet new people, said his parents. But he just hates it because the beige, bright walls and lights hurt his eyes.

He’s walking, too. Dan hasn’t done that in a while. And he feels small, like a bud amongst tall, smelly kids.

Dan doesn’t even realize he’s hit something until his fragile body crumbles to the ground, wincing as all his weight falls onto his foot. His eyes open after a second, not even registering the person in front of him.

He’s scared. Dan’s eyes travel the halls for a few seconds, panic settles, and suddenly he can’t breathe. Like, his lungs stop all function and he can’t breathe. No one’s even paying attention, but he feels as if all eyes are on him.

Soon enough strong hands grab his shoulders and shake him, and he flinches. That’s when Dan finally looks.

Hot, is the first word that pops into his idiot brain the second he sees the cute boy shaking him.

“Hey, are you alright? What’s wrong? Come on, breath with me. In, out.” The boy says, a concerned look on his face. Dan’s just nodding, not even listening. But after a long few seconds he scrambles for his bag, gasping for air as he grabs one of his several inhalers and takes a couple puffs.

The boy watches, slightly stunned at Dan’s sudden movement. When Dan finally starts to breathe somewhat normally, he says, like an intelligent person, “Hi.”

Dan wants to hit himself.

Instead the boy just laughs, lifts Dan, and replies, “Hey. Im Phil.”

“Phil- I mean hi- I mean, fuck, Dan. I’m Dan. Yep, that’s me.”

He wants to cry.

“So uh-“

“Do you-“

“Sorry what?”

“Need help with that?”

They stumble over sentences, both of their faces a bright shade of red. Dan stares, coughs a bit, then Phil laughs.

The boy throws his head back, his eyes crinkle at the corners, and he gives a slightly crooked smile as he laughs.

And all Dan does is flinch. And he feels terrible for it. Because the moment he does, Phil’s eyes go wide and he suddenly stops laughing at their situation.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry, did I make you uncomfortable? Here I’ll just-“

“No it’s fine you don’t have to-“, Dan’s cut short as they both lean down to grab Dan’s bag and their heads bump. It hurts, and he flinches again. All Phil does is rapidly apologize and offer to get him some ice from the nurse as he fumbles with Dan’s bag.

His stomach starts to feel funny with Phil, in a way. Seeing his awkward and sorry state makes Dan giggle, then it turns into a light laugh. That gets Phil’s attention, and after a second a smile spreads on his face and his cheeks turn a shade of pink again.

Dan takes his bag, slides it onto his shoulders, slaps his hand on Phil’s arm and squeezes it lightly.

“I like you. You seem like a good friend.” Dan says meekly, “Was that a bit bold? I’m sorry. I’m not good at this.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I’m not very good at it either. But yeah, you wanna have lunch together?” Phil says, and Dan laughs at the clearly intended boldness.

“Sure! I’ll find you there.”

“Nah, I’m walking you to class. Then we can say our goodbyes.”

“Oh it’s ok, I can find it, really-“

“Come on. I insist.”

“Ah, I suppose then.”

They walk for a bit, mostly in a slightly awkward silence, but a few corners from his class they start talking.

“Hey, won’t you be late to your class?”

“I’m late to them anyway. Always gotta run around this bloody place.”

Dan chuckles at that. They round the last turn to his class and he looks down at his feet as he walks, a smile and a blush on his face. He’s holding his breath a bit, having not used his machine for a while.

Phil says a small see you later, and for some reason Dan decides to give him an awkward side hug before he walks into the classroom.

He isn’t late, people don’t stare at him, but a few give him weird looks when he flings himself into a desk and the chair screeches on the dirty floors. Everyone looks away after a quick glance, going back to reading or talking or playing on their phones, whatever normal kids do before class, Dan thinks.

And he hasn’t breathed in a while. He’s sure his face might be red from the lack of oxygen, and he’s damn sure that he might pass out if he doesn’t do it quickly.

Dan stares at his bag and thinks about what’s in it. For one thing, people could find out. And he really doesn’t want that. Now others would think that if you had such a condition as Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, you’d like others to know so that they aren’t rough or anything, and they know not to be offensive.

But he doesn’t want that. He doesn’t want sympathy, he doesn’t want to be the sick kid. The cancer kid. He doesn’t want to be known for that.

Yet he’s doing it. Of course Dan checked first, to make sure no one was looking. He unzipped his back pack, quickly got the flow going, then pulled his hoodie over his head and leaned down. Dan put the nasal cannula on, then waited a few seconds before breathing in. He let out a sigh of relief, smiling slightly as he concentrated on controlling his breathing rhythm.

“What’re you doing down their, drugs mate?”

He jumped, dropping his bag and scrambling to throw the tubes into the pocket, turning off the machine before zipping it quickly. Dan looked up, embarrassed and slightly scared. The girl standing over him stared at him for a second before her face softened and it looked like she felt bad.

“Oh my god, are you...?”

“No! No, no, I am not doing drugs I swear!” Dan whisper shouted as the girl sat down in the desk next to him.

“I know! Calm down. Did you have a breathing machine in there?”, The curly haired girl whispered back.

“I- what? No! Definitely not a ‘breathing machine’. Or anything that helps me breathe. Asthma! I have inhalers, that’s what you saw.” He rambled, watching as her features grew more concerned. She quickly shook it off though, and smiled as if they didn’t just have that conversation.

“I’m sorry, let’s restart. Hey! I’m Carrie. You must be new here, how’s it been?”

Dan was still, his head tilted as he stared at her. He held his hand out after a bit, grinning.

“Daniel, Dan for short. And it’s been ok so far. Only been here since yesterday though.”

Carrie shook his hand then put a strand of curly blond hair behind her ear, showing her teeth.

“Well why don’t you sit with me at lunch today?”

“I can’t, I’m sorry, I’m sitting with Phil. I don’t know if you know him.”

Her face feel, but she redeemed herself quickly. Dan’s smile faltered slightly, and immediately questions ran through his mind like a film roll. But he’d just met her, he wasn’t gonna screw this up.

“So, Carrie. How long have you been at this school?”

She seems relieved by his change in topic, and her smile blooms back.

“A couple years. Like, six? A while actually.”

“Oh wow. That’s a long time.” It’s Dan’s turn to falter, his mind turning to think about the hospital, and how long he’s spent in there.

Carrie definitely notices, but she doesn’t question him about it, and he’s grateful.

“Let me get you caught up on this class.” She nudges his shoulder, slightly rougher than he minds, but he doesn’t care. Dan rubs his shoulder and grins at her,

“Sounds like a plan. Start talking.”

——————

They talk about Shakespeare for a while, and the day goes by fast after that. Lunch feels speedy, and Phil acts all too kind for a normal human being. Gym hurts, as expected. And he’s been told to join the band, as he was playing piano and messing with the drums when he was caught on his free period. Needless to say, Dan’s questioning his sanity by the time he’s gone to wait for his mum to pick him up.

He picks up one of his many sanitizer bottles from his back pack and squeezes a glob onto his hand. He’s just about to start rubbing it on his arms and hands when he feels a hand on his neck, and he turns so throw the glob at whoever it was.

Turns out to be Phil, and he had thrown hand sanitizer all over his glasses and mouth.

“Whoops.” Dan mumbles, then Phil grimaces as he opens his mouth to speak, instead the stinging taste of the sanitizer gets in his mouth.

Dan laughs, and he doesn’t even apologize. He thought it was funny, and after Phil was done digging all the sanitizer out of his mouth with the end of his shirt, he laughs as well. They look like maniacs, laughing hysterically and leaning on each other.

It’s mostly Dan, but Phil’s in on it too.

Phil looks disappointed when Dan’s mum shows up, cutting Phil off again and honking her horn at Dan.

Dan laughs again, and without any words he pulls the straps of his bag over his shoulders and hugs Phil around the neck before waving and walks away to his mum in a blur.

Phil’s genuinely confused, but he’s happy when Dan’s gone and he still has the feeling of his arms around his neck.

————

When Dan gets home he’s still smiling, even after his mum pestering him and asking how his day went the whole way home. His father is calling him when Dan walks into the living room, and Dan’s little brother is trying to wipe the smile off his face with innocent insults and hard pats on the back.

He only succeeds in making Dan cough and his mother angry, and his smile is wider as Dan laughs at Adrian get yelled at.

As Adrian gets in trouble and his father watches his sports, Dan skips up the stairs and tosses his bag next to his door when he enters his room. He closes the door and jumps on his bed. Dan grins at the ceiling for a bit before eating a few crackers from his night stand, probably a few weeks old.

He drinks a bit of water from the night before and strips, laying on his bed with just his underwear. Dan’s giddy, but he’s damn tired. He turns to plug his phone in for the night, but then his eyes land on his night machine and his breath hitches. Dan coughs, loudly, and for a second he forgets how to breath.

He’s never really been good at it anyway.

He finally gets up to turn off the lights, then he sits on the edge of his bed and stares at his machine. Dan picks up the tubes and places them behind his ears, putting the cannula in his nostrils. He flips the switch and oxygen fills his lungs with a relieving and fulfilling feeling, but he doesn’t let it last. Dan takes them out about as quickly as he had put them in, turning it off and flinging himself under his duvet.

And Dan is aware that sleeping without it in is a bad idea, and it’s hard to. But so was stopping his treatments, and so was his parents actually letting him. It was what he wanted though. He just wanted to be independent, live for a bit without control. Or maybe he wanted to have control.

Dan doesn’t really know.

So he turns around, closes his eyes and forces himself to breathe. Soon after his mouth falls open slightly, his body relaxing and his mind shifting off to sleep.

[fiinalgiirls-a]

MUSE: neve channing OPEN TO: all genders CONNECTION: it can go wherever we like, but right now it’s strangers SETTING: neve has been living in a hospital following a zombie apocalypse with a small group of survivors. your muse is a new arrival.

the hospital sheets are nothing like the ones she’s used to stretching out in at home, but they’re not as bad as some of the hotels she’s stayed in either. bleached a thousand and one times, the fabric carries a strange sort of softness and she buries herself deeper within them, fighting off the sun’s rays that call to her from the window.  a night owl by nature and a night nurse by trade, a normal circadian rhythm feels unnatural. she can tell that robocop feels it too as he buries his face against her, cleaning her cheeks with a warm wet tongue.

“no rest for the wicked,” she whispers to the siberian husky–a black bundle of warm fur that makes crawling out from under even the worst sheets a disappointment. he lets out a low whine in resignation and follows her nonetheless to the common area in the breakroom. stale folgers instant coffee cools itself in an old airpot and a woman who is used to black coffee eagerly dumps a couple packets of cream and sugar to mask the taste.

“what i wouldn’t do for a decent cup of coffee,” she sighs to no one in particular before grabbing a handful of a hodge-podge breakfast and joining another survivor she hasn’t seen before at one of the worn couches, likely decorated with the biodiversity of a high school class petri dish. it’s not uncommon for traders or the occasional independent survivor to end up staying in one of the open rooms overnight–waiting for the warm rays of sunlight to make their journey home. she offers the woman a smile and, despite her desire to crawl back into bed, remembers her manners, extending a hand. “i’m neve. are you visiting someone or here on business?”

setting her mug down, neve breaks into one of the premade, nonperishable snack packs from the emergency fridges. the graham crackers and peanut butters that sated her hunger when she couldn’t get a lunch on busy nights are still her friends. “i still can’t get used to being up during the day like this.” she confesses to the other; the reasonable excuse for sleeping in late on occasion. “i think this is the most i’ve seen the sun in like six years.” that’s sure looking on the bright side considering that the reason for her recent switch is the reanimated dead.