#do I make Gatorade bread sticks

[stealingyourbones]

Hey if you're still in your food crimes era id like to suggest something I want to try, but alas my college dorm is not equipped with an oven.

Gatorade bread.

Or really any beverage since bread is essentially just flour yeast and liquid. I'd be interested to see what you can come up with considering the various horrific alcohols and the way you predicted Stardew 1.6 in the worst way possible

Woke up, opened my phone, and saw this after a horrible nights sleep… ya know I think the day is gonna be a good one.

My personal favorite bread recipe to use is the No Knead Bread by The NY Times. It takes a day or so but the bread it makes is basically pseudo sourdough. It’s delicious and I’ve made countless bread bowls from it.

You know what? Fuck it. The time is worth it.

The real question is what type of Gatorade do I use?

[dollsonmain]

I’m also just kind of annoyed at That Guy in general right now.

On Monday I put things on the shopping list, then we get to the store and either I will take off to Goodwill for a moment or to look at toys while the boys go around and do whatever, then catch up to them later.

If I don’t double check what’s in the cart, That Guy will skip stuff from the list on purpose because he doesn’t like spending money even/especially if it’s on food for his family and then I have to run all over the store and grab what he skipped.

Sometimes I wonder if he does that on purpose so I feel a need to stay with him at the store instead of getting a few blissful moments of By Myself AND Not Trapped in the House once a week at the fucking Walmart.

- This past week I’d put drink sticks (pre-portioned, sucralose instead of sugar electrolyte mix-ins that are Red-40-free) on the list even though we still had like 5 of them. They come in a pack of 8 and Son has decided he gets one every day which I’m really not going to complain about because he doesn’t eat a wide variety of foods and those drink sticks have some vitamins he’s missing.

As you can see, that means none for anyone else.

At first I was getting two boxes per week so I could also get those extra, easily consumed vitamins, and then randomly That Guy decided we were getting one box per week even though we easily consumed two and it’s dry goods that keep so a surplus isn’t going to rot.

I also got a big tub of sugar-Gatorade powder a couple weeks back to make sure that I had some sort of electrolyte source that didn’t require denying it to Son, but That Guy’s using it all up.

Anyway.

We had a few extra drink sticks left this past week and I saw an opportunity to go into a small surplus so I could get maybe one or two a week.

Got home, looked for the box to add it to the cup they’re kept in, couldn’t find it, That Guy skipped it because we already had less than a week’s worth at home.

- This past week I also put Cheez It on the list because we were almost out. That Guy had said last week that he doesn’t want to eat them anymore. It was the FIRST time he’d asked if anyone else was eating them instead of just saying “I don’t want to buy that anymore.” and I was surprised. Both Son and I said yes, we eat them, so we should still buy them.

That put the onus on That Guy to not eat them.

We get home from the store, I’m looking for Cheez It to munch because I’m having a hard time with food lately and only wanting to eat bread and crackers, and there’s an empty spot on the shelf in the pantry where they live. I ask Son where they are and he says “Dad doesn’t want to buy them anymore.” and I was like “DAD IS NOT THE ONLY PERSON IN THIS HOUSE,” a point I made WITH That Guy when he initially said he didn’t want to eat them anymore (which I only mention because if I don’t, people assume I haven’t bothered to try).

- 2 boxes of drink sticks and a box of Cheez It are back on the shopping list for next Monday. I also bought a bag of frozen pot stickers for the first time in ages because he’d done the same thing with those. He decided he didn’t want to eat them anymore so instead of him just not eating them, he stopped letting us buy them.

He does this sort of thing a lot where he acts like anything that’s not explicitly for him is not for anyone, no one should have it, and it’s stupid that it even exists/no one should make it. It’s very frustrating.

[creacherkeeper]

im certainly no health expert or anything but these are just a few basic things ive picked up on over the years that have helped me feel a lot better 

if youre tempted to skip breakfast a lot, just shift all your meals later. its a lot better to have breakfast at noon, lunch at 4, and dinner at 9 than it is to have fewer meals 

set regular times where you drink something. if youre bad about remembering to drink, its a lot easier to get into the habit of having a glass of water Every Day right when you wake up, then another one right after lunch, then another when you feed the dog, etc etc 

some meds work better with or without food, so do research to figure out which works better for you and stick to that. i find my meds are much more effective if i drink a full glass of water and have a light snack. unless otherwise specified you should probably be having a full glass of water with your meds (not juice or soda and def not alcohol (no judgement. ive been there. but your meds wont work)). avoid foods with citric acid or that are very fatty, because they can soak up or neutralize meds 

if youre not good at drinking enough water, or if you drink plenty of water but still feel thirsty, replace some of it with milk, juice, or sports drinks. from some things ive seen, water isnt actually the very best thing to hydrate you 

if you have a caffeinated beverage, drink an equal amount of non caffeinated right before or after (same goes for alcohol)  

if you dont spend a lot of time outside or it isnt very sunny, vitamin D pills really do wonders for keeping me clear and alert all day. i take mine every day at 3pm and i only have to have one glass of not-strong caffeine in the morning and i feel great all day (after having a lifetime of grogginess). youll have to figure out when the best time for you to take it is (i sleep in late and eat late so i take it around lunch) but when i took it in the morning i would crash really hard in the afternoon. i havent had that problem at all since shifting it 

if youre feeling really fuzzy and have a small headache, get some electrolytes in you. i usually go for half a bottle of gatorade or a pickle. i never throw out the pickle juice because even a few sips of that can help (but avoid a ton because there’s so much salt) 

on that note, some medical conditions require you to eat more salt. if you have something like POTS or EDS you need a much higher salt to water ratio. if you exercise a lot or live in a hot place where youre sweating you need more salt too. one symptom is irregular heartbeat so if your heart is feeling a little funny try eating something salty 

eating more smaller meals makes me feel a lot better than fewer big meals 

even a few bites of something is better than skipping. dont feel bad about just eating straight (edible) ingredients if you dont have the spoons to actually prepare something. just get food in your body, even if its just a slice of bread and a cheese stick. yes, even eating chips or a cookie is better than skipping a meal 

spicy food helps pain from inflammation and congestion. if you can tolerate it, eating something spicy when you have a cold can really help

again im not really a health expert or anything, these are just very basic tips learned from my own research and experience. i was like chronically unhealthy for a very long time but these things have helped me feel a lot better. if any of these things are just like factually incorrect feel free to add on to the post, but th/nspo or diet people will be blocked on sight 

[cactuskissez]

Haikyuu boys as smokers 🍃

I got this idea while I was high~

Tendou Satori ✨

music in the background

snacks ready at all times

usually craves something crunchy

small cooler full of all sorts of drinks

never pressures you to continue smoking if you don’t want to

always offers to you, he prefers to smoke with someone

brags about the time he got Ushijima to smoke with him

specific smoking playlist

keeps his knee touching yours

loves to talk about any and every theory

lights candles for the vibe

likes to play smoker games like baseball T-T rip to your lungs

makes his own edibles, he’s made some really good ones too

Sakusa Kiyoomi ✨

rolls you a seperate joint, he doesn’t share his

doesnt care whether you join him or not, but when he invites you? He likes you

sometimes smokes with Komori after they win a game

Lo-fi type of music in the background

the longest he’ll have his mask off

prefers edibles over smoking

he brings air freshener cause he hates the smell

likes to cook while high, the food tastes better that way

naps HELLA hard after the sesh

Bokuto Koutarou ✨

somehow he forgets the snacks every time..

his joints are too wet, so you have to roll it for him

sativa makes him even louder than before, while indica will make him stare blankly at the wall for an hour

once he starts talking? Good luck

he tried to hit the bong once and almost coughed half to death

he will Superman the roach.. no doubt.

LOUD MUSIC LOUD MUSIC

loves rap music, will rap to and for you, snoop dogg is his favorite

with the right people in the sesh, by the end of it, you’d have gotten a lap dance from him

cuddle bug when it’s nap time

Tanaka Ryūosuke ✨

fuck joints, y’all rolling a phat ass blunt

story teller for daysss

he’ll bring up some random ass memory from ages ago

don’t let him smoke with Kiyoko, he’ll almost die while trying to show off

tough guy, he hits the bong easy

he and Noya once rode bikes to the gas station and crashed five times each trying to get there

jokes on jOkes. This man will send you into orbit. By the time you leave, you’ll feel like you’ve busted your appendix

listens to rappers like YG when he smokes

he has a “smoking hoodie”, no matter the weather he’ll have it on

he can do a bunch of cool smoking tricks

holds the blunt while he talks and Suga has to tell him to pass it

Sugawara Kōshi ✨

you already know this boy is packed with snacks

catch him singing “SWEEEEET CAROLINEEE BUM BUM BUMMM” to you just about every time

definitely will call anyone out for holding the joint too long

definitely likes cooking some desserts with you

hypes you up to take a phat drag

dedicated a room just for smoking, so everyone will be comfortable

will beat your ass in Mario Kart, high or sober. This man is just that good

gets sleepy really fast

tells everyone how proud of everyone he is

loves to dance with you, even if there’s no music playing

Oikawa Toru ✨

his rolls are always pretty~

likes to record himself lip syncing to the music on Snapchat

selfies with everyone!!

likes to smoke with a window cracked or the door open, he doesn’t wanna smell like it

prefers edibles cause they taste better

complains heavily when a piece of bud sticks to his tongue

pretty designs on his lighters

the amount of milk bread this man can go through after the sesh...

don’t play said music or Oikawa will get in his feelings

he’s a light weight so he can’t even finish half before he’s desended

he will get too lost in your story and zone out

Iwaizumi Hajime ✨

rolls in front of everyone too show off like some cOol gUy

likes to drink Gatorade specifically

most contagious laugh ever, his laugh will send everyone rolling

he’s coughing from hitting the bong too hard

likes old Drake the rapper music in the background

has a fan on cause he gets too hot when he smokes

invites you more than Oikawa cause while you add to the vibe, Oikawa can be a buzz kill sometimes

goes to the gas station before, for the snacks.

Kuroo Tetsurō ✨

usually only smokes with Bokuto or Kenma

the amount of nerd jokes this guy says.. it just- it MULTIPLIES when he’s high

once constructed an entire blue print for a plane, it was perfect design.

any music with a good beat he vibes with, he loves sharing the aux

ready to tell you a scary story when you two smoke at night

once you found him asleep and fully clothed, he was too high to figure out how to unbutton his pants

always sways to the beat of the song

will sing you an entire song while still holding the joint

him and Bokuto once sang the boat scene from Rapunzel to each other

craves ice cream every time

Terushima Yūji ✨

always has a joint in him, ready to smoke anytime and any where

LOOOVES SMOKE TRICKS

if you can do a trick he can’t, he’ll smoke all his weed trying to do it

he loves putting people on to weed, he likes smoking buddies

if you don’t pay attention, he’ll have you stoned on accident. He has so much fun smoking with you, he looses track of how much you both smoked

Cross faded is his favorite, his drinking and smoking buddies come together

likes having songs like money machine by 100 gecs

loves to compete on who can hold in the hit the longest

only invites fun people to smoke with him, so feel a little special

[rafivadafreddy]

I Wonder

A Rafael Barba and Amelia ‘Emma’ Herrera Story.

Summery: Amelia ‘Emma’ broke up with Rafael when he was 18 and she was just 16. He left for Harvard and Emma left for Italy two years later when she graduated. Fast-forward Fourteen years when Emma and Rafael run into each other again. Will there still be sparks between the two or have they both changed too much to be together again?

Word Count: 1,727

Chapter Two!

chapter one can be found here

Warnings: Uhm. Spanish? I honestly don’t think there are any warnings for this. Lol

To say that having Rafael back in her life was easy, that would be a lie. Probably one of the worst lies she would ever tell. It wasn’t easy having him suddenly calling her, texting her, even running into each other at that stupid little café where they first saw each other. Emma told herself that she needed to find a new café to stop at, but she could never bring herself to do so. Thanksgiving soon came and gone, Christmas was finally over and New Year’s was just another day where people drink too much, make resolutions they’ll never keep and get into fights or accidents.

The ER was packed, Emma had her hands full. Her kids were all okay up in the Pediatric ward, so she was down in the ER helping those who came in since it was such a busy night. By the time morning came and Emma found herself on her 10th cup of coffee. She was fighting off the need to close her eyes and take a nap. She had been waiting for her patients’ exams to come back. But as she leaned against the counter at the desk. She couldn’t help but close her eyes.

 “Amelia! Don’t you dare!” Emma saw Rafael scold her as she stood before him holding a water balloon in her hand. A small smile on her face, looking as innocent as possible.

“Dare what, Rafi?” she asked the man, a small pout on her lips. “You mean… this?” Emma giggled as she threw the balloon at her boyfriend and watched as it hit him in the chest and the balloon burst. Covering him in water, soaking his shirt. Before Emma knew it, she was running away from Rafael.

It was late one afternoon; middle of July and they had been dating for a month. Emma was nearing her 16th birthday and Rafael was 17. Things were so perfect between the two of them. So in love, Emma already knew her feelings for him. She just couldn’t bring herself to say those three little words just yet. It was too soon, she knew that.

 Jumping awake when someone called out for her. She looked around and blinked a few times. Quickly, Emma was back to work and before she knew it, she left the hospital to head home.

On her walk home, needing to clear her head. She looked around as she walked, passing by crowds of people who kept making the same damn joke. “Oh, its been a year since I’ve last seen you!” Ha-ha-ha. Not funny anymore. Maybe when you’re drunk, sure.

Shaking her head, Emma waited for the walk signal give her the okay to cross the street when she watched a young couple walking hand in hand. The boy twirling the young girl around, making her laugh.

 Amelia was giggling nonstop as she and Rafael walked out of the theater. “Rafael! It was good! Stop complaining.” She poked her boyfriend as she cuddled into his side. It was the first of December and the two had just watched Three Men and a Baby. A cute comedy, even though Rafi tried to act like he didn’t like it. She knew him, she had seen him laugh during the movie.

“I’m not complaining. I’m just saying, it wasn’t all that good.” He eyed Emma and held her close with his arm around her shoulders.

Snorting, she just let out a small, ‘mmhm’ instead of answering. As they passed stores playing Christmas music, Rafael stopped walking and Emma eyed him, “What’s wrong, mi vida?” she asked, only to giggle when he pulled her in close and started to sway to White Christmas together right there on the sidewalk. Ignoring those passing by the two, nothing else existed in that moment as they looked into each other’s eyes.

“I… I love you Rafael…” Emma whispered to him and grinned when he smiled, the two sharing a soft kiss as they stopped dancing.

“Well, I love you too Amelia Herrera.” He said as his lips still brushed against hers.

Cursing as she was pulled out of her memories, Emma looked up and quickly dashed across the street. “Stupid Rafael… messing up my life… again.” She mumbled and shook her head.

Entering the café as if on schedule, Emma stood in line and waited for her turn. Scarf off and gloves being shoved into her coat pocket. By the time she went to order, Emma got herself a hot chocolate. Not sure if she could take more coffee after the night she just had. Asking for a bagel with cream cheese as well. She waited for her order before finding a seat and starting to eat her breakfast.

 Under the covers, Emma didn’t want to move. She felt like crap. She should have known better than to walk home in the rain. But she loved the rain, so she did so anyways. Now here she was, stuck at home on the weekend sick. Fever, runny nose and a cough that felt like she was trying to cough up her lungs. She had called Rafael that morning and told him she had to cancel their plans to go into the city. Hanging up after a nasty coughing fit, she got back into bed and laid there. Her mother had left for work and so Emma was just in and out of sleep.

When she fully woke up to banging on the door, she pulled herself out of bed and wrapped her comforter around her shoulders and went to answer.” I’m coming Puto! Stop banging on the damn door!” she called out, her voice breaking halfway through her yell, making Emma roll her eyes and pulled the door open. Only to frown, seeing Rafael there.

“Puto? Really? I’m hurt.” He teased and held up two bags. “I brought Mami’s chicken soup, some bread and Gatorade so you can drink something other than water.” He stepped into the apartment.

Emma just felt her eyes fill up with tears. “I love you… but you’ll get sick if you stick around me.” She sniffled.

“I don’t care... let me take care of my girl.” Was all Rafael said and the two spent the whole weekend on the couch. Even singing to her in Spanish to get her to sleep peacefully.

A few days after Emma was better, she found herself at Rafael’s apartment, holding a Tupperware of soup, bread and Gatorade for him. Just like he had done for her.

 “Penny for your thoughts?” a voice startled her, and Emma jumped before looking up.

“Rafael! DO NOT sneak up on people like that!” she narrowed her eyes and sighed.

He just raised an eyebrow and looked around. “Amelia… I called your name two times.” He said, humor laced his voice as he watched her and sat down across from her and Emma just huffed.

“Yes well… still.” So she didn’t have a remark, but can you blame her? After the shift she had. She could be sleep deprived and out of comebacks. “Don’t you need to go to work?’ Emma changed to topic and sipped on her hot chocolate.

“Nope, I was stopping here for coffee before heading over to the Bronx to see mami.” He shrugged and Emma grinned.

“Well! Tell her I send my love and that I hope she got her Christmas card I sent.”

Rafael just frowned. “You send my mami a Christmas card?”

Emma simply shrugged her shoulders, “Mmhm, I do. Its addressed to the both of you. But you moved out and I never knew where you lived after so.”

It was quiet after that, both taking sips from their cups and Emma slowly eating her sandwich.

“You know, I never did understand why you broke up with me all those years ago.” Emma looked over at Rafael as he spoke. A pained expression on his face for about a split second. But Emma had caught it.

“It was for the best, Rafi.” She assured him and reached over to hold his hand softly. “You went to law school without any distractions. I know you were planning on not going because of me. I couldn’t let that happen. I lived my life as well… I lived in Italy for gods sake… that alone was amazing. We wouldn’t be where we are today if we stayed together all those years ago. We would have stayed together and end up hating each other.” She sighed and finished her food. Drowning the rest of her hot chocolate. Emma stood up.

“Happy New Year Rafi…” Emma said softly and placed a kiss to his cheek before pulling her coat, scarf and gloves back on. Only to walk to the door and walk back out into the cold weather of New York.

Shivering, she made way to her apartment building. The apartment she now lived alone in since her roommate left to live with her fiancé.

 Laying in bed together, naked under the sheets. Emma felt her face grow hot. It had been their first time and to her it had gone perfectly. Emma had gone to Rafael’s prom with him and he had gotten a room at a nice hotel. Her mother never cared where she was, and Rafael’s mother thought he would be staying over Eddies house. With her head on his chest, Emma closed her eyes happily. Listening to his heartbeat.

“Eu ti amo mi amor...” she heard before falling asleep in his arms.

The next day when they went home, Emma was going to take Rafael his suit jacket back since he let her use it. Stopping as she neared his bedroom door, Emma frowned.

“Rafael don’t be stupid! You got a full scholarship to Harvard! You gonna give that up for some girl? A girl like Amelia?” She heard the voice of Alex.

“I love her man; I just know she’s the one for me!” Rafael shot back, Emma biting down on her lip.

Stepping away from the door, she left the suit jacket over the couch and ran out of the apartment. Knowing what she had to do. She would not let Rafael throw his future away because of her.

 Wiping her eyes, Emma arrived home and took a quick shower before getting into bed. Looking at her messages with Rafael, she grimaced before falling asleep.

                                                                                                       Three

Tagging- @the-baby-bookworm​  Reblog and Heart! Chapter 3 will be up soon!

[pbandjesse]

I had a really terrible head ache since like. 3pm. But I am sipping on gatorade now and its helping. I think it was a combination of heat, not enough sleep, and a lack of water and caffeine. But today was still a really good day. 

James and me got ready this morning but we were both kind of exhausted. Which made him very tired, and me very worried. But we got out of the house on time, James drove me out to camp. We got the cabinet I got for CJ out of the car, and he headed out. Took the car to the shop for a check up, and he went to work. 

And I worked on trying to have a productive day. 

It was a good day though. I made myself a little to do list. And I got a good amount of it done. I worked on making The two different looms for the kids to work with. But there is still much to do! Joe, the grounds keeper, brought me nails and cut wood for me to make the beading looms. They will work very much like my bead loom at home, but they will use big pony beads instead. Its going pretty well in practice, so well see how it goes with the kids. 

I also made samplers for embroidery. I need to draw out more, but so far so good on that as well. I think what my plan will be is wishbone stick looms for the under 7s, beading for the 8 to 10s, and then 11 and up do embroidery? Unclear. I got my kid counts today from Heather so I will work more on figuring that all out tomorrow. James is going to try to maybe come visit, so I will put him to work. But were not sure he's going to come because when I checked with Alexi at the end of the day she wasnt clear. I sent an email telling her that if its not okay that I wont be upset. But yeah well see. 

I spent the morning working on all those projects. And at 1130 I wandered to the office to heat up my lunch. I ate on the porch and then went back to the art shed to lay in my hammock. 

I slept for a little while. It wasnt exactly that I didnt feel well. I just felt so tired. 

I had a good nap. I woke up and worked on setting up for the YSL kids I would have this afternoon. I went to the office to scan some papers. And then went to wait for my class to come. 

I was excited to work with the teens. A little intimidated but they were great. We did the plaster casting project, and then the sampler. I think the biggest take away was that they were really focused and worked really hard, but were incredibly needy! Like not in the same way, but some of them got really upset really easy when something didnt work out. It was great though. And they all did so well. One girl had some issues with her clay and I had to make a second batch of plaster and I messed up the consistency (first to thick and then to thin) but when they come pick them up from me tomorrow it should be all good. 

It was really fun teaching them the embroidery though. We did 8 stitches. Only 2 of the girls got to the chain stitch, but everyone did a running stitch, a knot, and a back stitch. It was great. I was so proud. And I got a big compliment when one of the girls said she must really like this because she wasnt worried about going swimming which was their next program. Made me feel really good. 

But once they were gone, and I was cleaned up, my head was just pounding. 

I went for a walk. Collected for wishbone sticks for looms. Stopped at the trading post and got a soda to see if that caffeine would help. And it did for a while. But my head still really hurt. I got my sticks and went to set those up. Felt accomplished. As I was finishing up that James texted me that he was on his way. Excellent. I went to the office to wait for him and get some counts for things. 

He got there and I went and closed up the art shed. Walked over to him. We drove back towards to office to say bye to Charlotte and to check in with Alexi which is when she was like. Unsure if he could visit. But she didnt say no. So I sent an email saying I wouldnt be upset if she did say no, but if he does come he'll just be with me in art helping out there. So well see. We have had other visitors but everything is weird because of the ongoing pandemic that we are pretending isnt happening. 

At least Pennsylvania has made masks mandatory for  being out in public. Everywhere else should do that. I wore the tube neck scarf style today and while I liked parts of it, it made me a little to hot and by the end of the day I was having trouble getting it to stay up. I used a hair clip but it was not ideal. Ah well. 

I was super tired in the car. And I could feel how tired James was too. I was super glad to be home. I found another set of plastic drawers in the trash across the street. So we grabbed those. I had a really good package of stuff when we got in. Including some face products I was excited to try. 

We got on the couch and caught some of the new bugs and fish in animal crossing. It was fun to just spend that time together being excited about bugs. James made me a flat bread pizza but it didnt taste right. So I had veggie chicken nuggets instead. And eventually came and laid down. 

I took a shower and now I am chilling, watching videos and listening to James play games with his friends. Its a nice night. 

I hope tomorrow is a good day. I am excited to do a little embroidery with some of the older kids as a mini project.  But I really just hope I sleep well. 

Goodnight everyone!

[yuhimananimegurl]

Myutanto No Jikan

Part 2 of: Kiba Mukidashi No Kemono

Same rules apply. The words in Japanese are bold. This is Part 2 to my original story. Please go check that out if you have not seen it, this will make a lot more sense if you do :) I don’t really know if people will like my story, but hey whatever. Enjoy the story! Please don’t be afraid to send feedback :D And i’ll let you guys figure out some of the myths included, like for one Howaito Man is not a direct answer. ;)

Tsunoki was awaken quite rudely. “TSUNOKI GET UP FOR SCHOOL, OR ILL DRAG YOU!” Of course he knew his mother was joking around, but he also knew if he didn’t he would be in for a treat. As tired as he was, he somehow managed to get up, and get ready for school.

When he went downstairs he would be welcomed by a big, warm breakfast. Maybe fluffy pancakes with, fresh strawberries, and butter on top, with long lengths of maple syrup, fresh from the sickle tree’s in the forest, glazing down the pile. If only he knew how wrong he was. He went downstairs and on the table, was a bowl of cereal not even fully prepared. He poured the cereal, and then the milk, and ate as fast as he could. As he went outside and was greeted by Hina, who was grabbing Tetsu’s ear for teasing her about being 5′5. Of course he had to tease her! What other entertainment was there for a 6′0 teen? Nothing. Not in his book.

“Hey Tsu! Come on we’ll be- SHUT UP TETSU! We’ll be late!” Hina exclaimed. “STOP PULLING ON MY EAR HINA!” Tetsu shouted back. No use. All he got in return was a smack to the back of his head. “Coming!” He said as he started running towards his friends, visibly rolling his eyes in the process.

“Alright listen up nerds. We have an exam today. So Tetsu, stop running into classrooms screaming, that this is all just the matrix.” Hina calmly, with a tint of annoyance said. “No promises!” Tetsu confessed. Tsu laughed at his friends. wait... what? WAIT? WHAT?! They had an exam? Which one was it? He didn’t even get to study! “Which exam do we have today?” he said, trying to contain his worry. “Myths and Legends. Why?” He awkwardly chuckled. “No reason, no reason at all!” Tetsu saw right threw the lie, while Hina was completely oblivious. As Hina shrugged it off, Tetsu broke the silence. “ohhh~ i see! Tsu. Did you study last night?” Honestly, Tsunoki was not surprised his friend saw right threw him. But either way it was none the less embarrassing. “What? Of course I did!” If he had tried a little harder, it would have been believable. “Really? Then which myth took place during, Howaito Man?” Tetsu questioned his friend. “Oh my god. Don’t act like you actually know Tetsu. You’re too dumb for that.” Hina said in disappointment. “True that.” Tetsu confessed. “Um..Well you see.. It was.. Um..” “Wow Tsu, that’s like the easiest myth on the exam!” Hina exclaimed.

He was bound to get an F if he didn’t even know that.

So of course as his friends had thought, he had failed yet again another exam. It only came to him 20 minutes after Myths and Legends, which myth was in Howaito Man. “OH COME ON!” He shouted in the middle of Chemistry. “Hamazu! Stop screaming! Next time, it’s detention for you mister!” He looked around and chuckled slightly before getting back to working on making electricity.

His day wasn’t going very well, but to make it worse, there was a giant rumble, that made the floor shake gravely. Chunks of the ceiling were falling, and soon other teenagers. “Everyone, DO NOT PANIC. Get down underneath the desks now!” The teacher yelled. Everyone was screaming. There was so much blood. Many were either falling from above, dying from sharp plaster, impaling their bodies. Others were being crushed by the falling debris. Either way the stomach churning stench of blood filled the room. Tsunoki was paralyzed, hiding underneath his desk, slowly watching half of his peers die. He wanted to throw up, to cry. But he couldn’t. His body couldn’t. It wouldn’t let him.

As he finally found control of his body again, he found himself darting to find his friends.

As he reached Tetsumono’s classroom, he heard this blood curdling roar. No not roar, screech. The sound pierced his ears like a needle, causing tears to be brought to his eyes. Pushing away the urge to drop and the floor and cry, he opened the door, and found Tetsu hiding in a closet, balling his eyes out. “WHAT’S HAPPENING?! I DON”T WANNA DIE!” The look on his friends face killed him. “I don’t know! But we have to find Hina!” The look on Tetsumono’s face when he realized Hina has on a lower floor, was intense. “LETS GO! SHE’S ON THE 5TH FLOOR!” They sprinted down the stairs, knowing full well they could die in the process. By the time they were halfway down to the fifth floor, they heard the same terrifying scream from before. When i say they they sped up, i mean they started bolting.

They reached Hina’s classroom and the door flew open. What they saw on the other side, will scar them forever. A creature as big as the empire state building, with a half burned face, eyes out of its sockets, veins sticking out of their natural places, blood overflowing its face. “WHERE’S HINA?!” Tetsu screamed in concern, for he did not see his friend in the classroom.

“She went to the bathroom! She never came back!” One of her other friends screamed, tears running down her face.

They started running to the nearest girls bathroom on that floor, and sprinted in. “HINA?! HINA?! COME OUT! PLEASE ITS US!!” Tetsu sobbed. “GUYS?” A feminine voice screamed back. Hina! They thought. They smiled as their friend came running out of the stall. They had no time to waste. They had to hide from whatever that ‘thing’ was. Otherwise they wouldn’t live to see the end of it. Paying no attention to the the rotten smell of flesh, bones, and blood, they ran out of the school. When they saw the creature again, they ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction of this monster. They had found a store with a basement to hide in. They dropped and started crying incredibly hard. For the next few hours, they had to bear the horrifying screams of this, half dead creature. They couldn’t sleep even when it hit 3 in the morning.

For days they were scared to even try to exit the basement, in fear of dying. No matter how scared they were, they were starving, and parched. They had to find something, anything to eat and drink, otherwise they’d perish. So eventually on the third day, they finally talked after, living in silence ever since they made it. “Guys we need to eat.” Tsunoki spoke. “No thanks. I’d rather die of hunger than by that.. you know what i mean.” Hina shakily answered. “Hina, but would you really die, not knowing whether or not, you could have lived?” “Alright then. Lets all go. so that way if we die, we die together.” Tetsu offered. They all nodded to each other, and with the most caution they ever had they left the basement, and quickly scurried to gather as much food- well snacks- as they could. Hina grabbed some Honey Buns, Doritos, Water, Lemon Tea, Onion rings, the freshest Cold Cuts she could find, some bread, and Gatorade. While Tetsu, grabbed band-aids, Sleeping pills to sleep threw those screams that were still occurring frequently, some aspirin, sanitizer to keep from getting sick, and an asthma pump, as he desperately need it. And Tsunoki was gathering, all the electronics he could find, radios, cellphones, computers, headphones to try to prevent from hearing the screeching- He knew they would probably fail, but as long as it’s not as loud- and lastly, firecrackers, to scare away rodents.

They all headed back down to the basement and placed everything on an old dusty table they found in an old corner filled with cob webs.

To lighten the mood Hina broke the silence. “That’s disgusting, more disgusting than when my brother farts.” They all chuckled a bit before getting serious again. “What did you guys get? I got electronics so we could contact people. And not die of boredom. Heh” “Oh my god, thank you. If we even have wifi.” Tetsu thanked. “I got some food, its not much and mostly just snacks but I got some cold cuts and bread. There’s way more up there that i couldn’t get though... I wanted to get back down here ASAP.” Hina answered. “And I got some stuff for our health i guess, like i got some sleeping pills, and some band-aids, you know, that kind of stuff.” Tetsu followed after his friends.

After a couple of minutes they found some wifi, and set up the phones. Of course they had tried to call the police, but they didn’t pick up. They tried numerous times but failed miserably, so they decided to use the phones to watch tik tok. No one in japan really used tik tok, so the tik tok’s they watched were mostly made in America, or in general the United States. There were alot of tik tok’s on the creatures scream, but they hadn’t seen it.

They kept themselves entertained for the majority of it. And after a couple of days, they finally heard the scream again, but this time it was louder...

[bentaylorrogerhardy]

Lily of the Valley - Part 7

Joe Mazzello! x Reader!

Summary: Being a young, single mom that worked full-time was hard. When you weren’t working, you were taking care of your five year old daughter, Lily. You had given up on dating after many failed attempts. That was until after a rough day of dealing with your ex boyfriend, your best friend introduced you to Joe.

Word count: 1931

Warnings: FLUFF. JUST STRAIGHT UP FLUFF. 

A/N: I was on my way to work one day and was listening to The Greatest Showman soundtrack, and got an idea, so this is what came out of that! Also, this is kind of a filler chapter before things get wild, but it’s still really cute in my opinion. ENJOY! Leave me some feedback if you liked it! Reblog/comment/like/send me an ask or DM. Anything!

Joe decided it would be a good idea to spend the night at your place, so he could help you with Lily when needed. With his help, you managed to get a few hours of sleep, in between having to wake up whenever Lily did to give her some medicine. It was a long night, but with Joe’s help, you don’t know what you would’ve done without him there.

The next morning, you and Joe were both wide awake at 8AM. You had taken the day off from work, and Lily was staying home from school. You were in the kitchen making some coffee for you and Joe, pouring it into two coffee mugs and handing one to him.

“I literally don’t know how to thank you for last night,” you yawned, taking a sip of the hot coffee, “I don’t know what I would have done by myself.”

“It was no issue,” he smiled, taking a sip of his coffee as well. “That’s what boyfriend’s are for.”

“No, seriously,” you said, looking over at him, “Chad hasn’t done in two or three years what you’ve done in a month. I can’t remember when the last time was that he wanted to see her for more than thirty minutes.”

“She’s a great girl,” he smiled, looking at you, “I’m happy to help.”

“And I’m happy you’re here,” you said, getting up and wrapping your arms around his neck, kissing the top of his head.

“When am I gonna meet this Chad, anyway?” he asked, grabbing a hold of your hands, placing soft kisses to the top of them. You hadn’t really thought about that. Eventually, they were going to have to meet. But, when? How? Would Chad have his shit together long enough to meet Joe? Well, the answer to that was most likely no, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

“Umm, don’t know,” you laughed nervously, letting go of his hands and picking up the two empty coffee cups, walking over to the sink and setting them in, “he’s got...issues.”

You washed the two mugs and dried them, then put them back in the cupboard. For the time being, you and Joe decided to head into the living room and watch some TV, while you waited for Lily to wake up. The two of you sat on the couch under a large, warm, fuzzy blanket; your head nestled against Joe’s chest as he rested his chin on top, tracing his finger up and down your arm.

“I really like you,” you said quietly, tilting your head up and pressing a kiss to his jaw, “a lot.”

“I really like you,” he said, nuzzling his nose against yours, “a lot.” You smiled and pecked his lips sweetly, toying with the hair on the nape of his neck. His hands moved to your hips and rested there as you laid your head back down on his chest. A few minutes went by as you relished in the moment, here in Joe’s arms, and you were still in shock that he was now, officially, your boyfriend. How lucky could you be?

---

Thirty minutes had passed, and you and Joe were still in your same position on the couch, when you heard the shuffling of two little feet making their way out of your room.

“There she is,” you smiled when Lily appeared, her hair in full bed head mode, as she sleepily rubbed her eyes and walked over to the couch you were on. She climbed up on the couch and crawled into your lap, laying her head on your shoulder, “how’s my girly?”

“Hungry,” she said groggily, reaching for Joe’s hand and holding it.

“That’s better than yesterday!” you said, rubbing her back, “what do you want to eat?”

“Food,” she said, giggling and sitting up to look at you.

“Obviously,” you laughed, “what kind of food, silly?”

“McDonald’s?” she questioned, looking at you with pleading eyes.

“How about I fix you some toast, and if you can keep that down, maybe we can have McDonald’s for lunch, yeah?” you asked, kissing her forehead.

“Okay,” she giggled, climbing down and heading to her room.

“She feels better,” Joe chuckled as you got up and headed to the kitchen to make her toast.

“Much,” you laughed, popping two pieces of bread into the toaster. A few minutes later, the toast popped up, and you added a little bit of butter to them and sliced them both in half, putting them on a plate and setting it on the table. Lily wandered out of her room and into the kitchen, Joe following behind her, and sat down in front of the toast. You and Joe sat back down at the table as she took small nibbles of her toast.

“What are we doing today?” she asked, looking between you and Joe.

“Whatever you wanna do,” Joe answered, “it’s your day.”

“I took the day off from work, and you aren’t going to school today, so you can do whatever you want,” you said. Lily’s face displayed great joy as she took more bites of toast.

“Whatever I want?” she asked, giggling enthusiastically.

“Well, don’t go crazy” you laughed, “but, yes.”

“We can watch movies? And cuddle? And eat cookies?” she asked again.

“Whatever you want to do,” Joe said, glancing over at you and smiling.

“I don’t think we have any cookies, but I can run to the store and get stuff to make them,” you suggested, and Lily squealed with delight.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” she giggled, clapping her hands together.

“I can go get them, baby,” Joe offered, standing up from the table and grabbing his keys.

“You sure?” you asked him, “you’ve already done enough.”

“I insist,” he smiled, pulling you into him and kissing you, causing Lily to squeal even more.

“Okay,” you smiled, “hurry back.”

“Of course,” he chuckled, then walked out of the door to head to the store. Lily finished her toast, and drank a whole bottle of Gatorade, and managed to keep it down for the half hour Joe was gone.

“I’m so happy you feel better, babe,” you said, pushing her hair out of her face. The two of you had now migrated to the living room, waiting on Joe to return.

“Mommy, can I ask you something?” she asked, looking at you.

“Sure,” you said, raising an eyebrow.

“Is Joey your booooyfriend?” she giggled, and you laughed in response.

“Yes, he is,” you smiled.

“Are you gonna marry him?” she gasped, her eyes widening. You laughed again and shook your head.

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, “we’ll have to see.”

“Can we stay in our pajamas all day?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Of course,” you said, “if you want to.”

“Uh huh,” she nodded, “I do.” A few minutes later, Joe arrived back at your place, with all the essentials for baking cookies, along with a few other miscellaneous items.

“What all did you buy?” you asked, sorting through the bags and finding multiple different candy bars, “Joe, we have enough candy.”

“You can never have enough candy,” he chuckled, “right, Lily?”

“Right!” she yelled, walking over to the counter where you were standing, peeking into the bags.

“Okay, let’s get these cookies started,” you said, and started to get various mixing bowls and kitchen utensils out of your cupboard to start measuring everything.

---

Not even ten minutes in, Lily lost interest in the baking process, leaving you and Joe in the kitchen with all the dirty work. You were mixing the chocolate chips into the dough mixture when Joe walked up, stuck a finger in the bowl, and ate a small portion of it.

“Hey!” you laughed, shaking your head at him, “they’re not done.”

“Still taste good,” he shrugged, going back in for another finger-full, but you pulled the bowl away before he could.

“We actually need some of the dough to bake,” you laughed, finishing mixing the dough and started scooping some onto a pan.

“Joey!” Lily called from the other room, shortly making her way into the kitchen, a DVD in hand.

“Yes?” he asked her, looking at her.

“Can we watch this movie?” she asked, holding up the DVD, revealing it to be The Greatest Showman.

“Sure!” he smiled, “I love that movie.”

“We can watch it while we eat our cookies,” you said, finishing up the pan and sticking it in the oven, “shouldn’t take long, only about ten minutes.”

“YAY!” Lily squealed, running back into the living room, waiting impatiently.

---

Ten minutes went by and the cookies were done, so you took them out and put them on a plate to cool while Joe got the movie ready. When the cookies were cooled down, but warm enough to eat, you put a few of them on a plate and brought it into the living room and set it down on the coffee table, taking a seat on the couch next to Joe with Lily sat on the floor in front of you. Joe pressed play on the remote as you nestled back into him, back under the large, warm, fuzzy blanket from earlier.

As the movie went on, the three of you belted out every song, from A Million Dreams to The Other Side to Rewrite the Stars, Lily doing so with a mouth full of cookies majority of the time. The movie got to the scene with the song From Now On, and Lily let out a loud squeal.  

“THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG!” She yelled excitedly, turning to you and Joe.

“Really? Mine, too!” Joe laughed, watching as Lily got up and walked over to where the two of you were sitting.

“Dance with me, Joey!” she said, pulling his hand.

“I’m not much of a dancer,” he laughed, shaking his head.

“Pleaaaaase?” she begged, sticking her bottom lip out.

“C’mon, babe,” you said, nudging him and sitting up, “show us your moves.”

“I guess I can,” he said, getting up. Lily pulled him to the middle of the living room and started ‘dancing’, which for her was holding Joe’s hands, swinging them side to side, and jumping up and down.

“Look at those moves!” you joked as you watched the two of them, ‘dance’ around the room.

“Mommy! Dance with Joey!” she said, letting go of Joe’s hands.

“But, you two look so cute dancing together already,” you commented, pulling the blanket off of you and tossing it to the side.

“Come dance, baby,” Joe said, holding his hand out to you. You smiled and took his hand, pulling you up and leading you over to the center of the living room where him and Lily just were. You wrapped your arms around his neck, swaying side to side as the movie continued to play.

“AND WE WILL COME BACK HOME, AND WE WILL COME BACK HOME,” Lily belted out, jumping around you and Joe, a cookie in hand.

“Hooooome agaaaain!” you and Joe sang out in unison, with him dipping you, causing a squeal to emit from your lips.

“Joe, don’t drop me!” you laughed, holding onto him so you didn’t fall.

“I’ve got you,” he chuckled, pulling you back up and kissing you, “always.”

The song faded out, and the movie continued. Lily took her spot back on the floor in front of the couch, while you and Joe took your usual spots, snuggling back under the blanket; him running a finger up and down your back; laying there in perfect contentment with life as you knew it.

Tags: @hargreevesgrace @deakyspuff @okiegirl24 @joalsglasses @toger-raylor @panicatttckiss @cheeseedreams47 @shesakillerquueennn @cruelnatalie @mrsmazzello @rogerina-owns-me @johnricharddeaconn @jiswoogannon @loveofmychips @v-o-o-d-o-o-c-h-i-l-d @littleliv1 @walkingwheels @cryinq-mazzello @ramibaby @queeniesteiins  @inthelapofthe39 @caborhapch

[chasholidays]

Clarke texts Bellamy terrible things she's cooking, such as Gatorade rice

how do people cook

The sound of the text notification pulls Bellamy away from the papers he’s grading, and he rubs his face, trying to figure out what time it is and how long he’s been at this. He signed up to TA for a summer term, which was a good idea for his finances and resume, but the professor seems to think of him as nothing but a machine that grades and answers emails, which isn’t good for anyone, pedagogically speaking.

He figures out, from studying his phone for a second that, one, he’s been grading for three straight hours and, two, Clarke is doing that “not using punctuation makes me look casual” thing again when she texts, even though she doesn’t know how to turn off autocorrect, so she has to manually uncapitalize her letters, which is the opposite of casual.

Me: Cook what?Or are you just wondering how it’s possible that people cook?

Clarke: both i guessi did not do well with dinner

She attaches an image of a very undercooked pork chop covered in what looks like paper mache; he’s not sure what she was trying to make, but it’s safe to say she didn’t make it.

Me: I can tell you cooked parts of it

Clarke: yeah?which partsbe specific

Me: The part of the meat that isn’t pinkWhat were you going for?

Clarke: artichoke stuffed pork chops

Me: For your first meal ever?

Clarke: it looked easy!!what are you up to?

Me: [image]Grading for the rest of my life apparently

Clarke: aren’t summer classes supposed to be easier?did I make that up?

Me: You did, yeahThey’re shorter and more intenseAnd this one is writing intensive so Diyoza has them turning in papers every dayAnd has me grading all of them

Clarke: good thing you don’t have a social life or that would really suck

Me: Thanks for understanding Did you start the new job yet?

Clarke: not yetnext weekbut this was when i could move into the new place so here i am

Me: How much effort are you putting into making your phone not capitalize the letter I

Clarke: i’m on my laptop right now so noneraven said my texting should be more casual if i was going to try online dating

Me: Did she tell you no capitals was casual? I think it’s more of a tone thingAnd are you trying online dating?

Clarke: trying or trying to try i guessworking on my profile now

Me: I don’t know why you’d want to be someone you’re not in online datingIf using capitals and punctuation makes someone not to date you, that’s a good sign you guys wouldn’t be good togetherAnd plenty of people like following stylistic rules

Clarke: do you have a source on that

Me: I do and I’m pretty sure you doSo that’s twoAlso I’m grading right now and I’m struggling not to correct all the errors in your texts

Clarke: OopsSorry

Me: Why online dating?

Clarke: Because it feels like the logical thingI’ve been single for a while, I’m in a new city with no real social group, I don’t want to date coworkersSo if I sign up for an app, I’m at least trying

Me: Yeah, that makes senseI’m just planning to die alone

Clarke: PleaseYou cough and people fall over themselves asking if you’re single

Me: Which is a fetish demographic I don’t care about appealing to so yeahDying alone

Clarke: [eyeroll]At least you can cook

Me: I’ll send you some easy recipes when I get homeBut yeah for now maybe just order a pizza

Clarke: Already done[screenshot]ETA twenty minutes

Me: GoodOkay, I need to finish this and get dinner tooBut keep me posted on the cookingMaybe send me pictures of meat before you eat it so I can approve it

Clarke: So if you’re away from your phone for a minute I can’t eat?

Me: Safety firstI’ll send recipes tonight

*

Bellamy met Clarke Griffin the first day of junior year, when they were moving into the dorms. She had the room directly above his, and for the first few weeks they had an ongoing pitched conflict because she was loud and he was trying to study, but then she broke up with her girlfriend who always wore heels. Bellamy made an asshole comment about how her new shoes were a huge improvement, Clarke snapped back that they weren’t her shoes, and suddenly they were bonding about being queer–bi in her case, pan in his–and breakups and school, and before he knew it, they were friends, and then best friends, and then one afternoon she smiled at him in the library and he realized he was in love.

In theory, they also should have been finishing college and going into the world at the same time, but he was in the BA-to-MA history program, so he had an extra year at school while Clarke moved home for a couple weeks before finding a job in Boston.

And now she’s texting him about cooking fails and online dating and he misses her more than he can stand.

“You could just tell her that,” Roan suggests. Roan is in the history PhD program and his mother knows Clarke’s mother, which means that he has seen Bellamy and Clarke together for more than ten minutes and therefore knows that Bellamy has a thing for her. That seems to be the standard amount of time it takes people to figure it out. “I miss you and I want to try long distance. People do that.”

“I’m aware that long-distance relationships are a thing, yeah.”

“I couldn’t tell if you were aware that relationships were something that you could be involved in, or if you just thought they happened to other people.”

“They do just happen to other people,” he says. “They’re not happening to me.”

“Which is shocking, considering you’re hung up on a woman you won’t talk to and turn down every offer that doesn’t come from her. Truly, your singleness is a mystery.”

His phone buzzes with a text from Clarke–Why are there so many kinds of olive oil? Why do I care how much sex my olives have had? Purity culture is out of control–and he waves the phone at Roan. “We’re talking right now.”

“I’m just saying, complaining that she’s not dating you when you’ve put zero effort into getting her to date you isn’t particularly sympathetic. You could at least try asking her.”

I don’t actually know why it’s called that but most recipes want extra virgin, he texts back quickly, then adds, How do you not have olive oil?

“I don’t even know what I’m going to be doing after this,” he says, turning his attention back to Roan. “If I want to go on to get my PhD or what.”

“Because you couldn’t possibly get your PhD in Boston.”

“I know.” He sighs. “I’m not mad she’s doing online dating. If she finds someone, I’m not going to be a dick about it. But I’m not going to tell her to wait for me or whatever.”

“Are you sure you understand what long distance means?” he asks, dry.

“I’m not ready to tell her yet,” he admits. “If that means I miss my chance–” He shrugs. “Then it sucks to be me.”

“Not the attitude I’d take, but I suppose I can’t stop you. I wouldn’t tell you to do this,” he adds, “if I didn’t think it would end well for you.”

“I know.” He taps the rim his mug, thinking it over. It’s weird, confiding in Roan, of all people, but he’s never willing to start conversations about his stupid crush, and Roan’s one of the few people who actually asks. So here they are. “I’m waiting to see if it lasts. Maybe with her gone, it’ll just go away. And if that happens, I don’t want to be dating her when it does.”

“There’s some logic to that,” Roan admits. “Not necessarily convincing logic, but logic nonetheless. Still, if you were dating her, I don’t think it would just fade away like that.”

“Maybe. Maybe I’ll decide I want to tell her.”

Roan raises his coffee. “I’m rooting for you.”

“Thanks,” says Bellamy, with a smile. “Means the world to me.”

*

Bellamy is working on his own dinner when his phone buzzes with a picture from Clarke. He was expecting meat, but based on the preview picture it’s something else, something much weirder, and the follow-up message doesn’t really help.

Clarke: Trying something out

Bellamy: Yellow rice?

Clarke: Gatorade rice

Bellamy: What

Clarke: I’m making a rice bowl and it wanted me to season with lime juiceI forgot to buy lime juice but I do have lemon lime gatoradeSo I figured I could just replace the water when I was cooking the rice to get the flavor

Bellamy stares at the words for a second, his brain trying to protect him from the reality of what Clarke has done, but the words burrow in deep and refuse to leave.

He’s not sure he’s ever called her on the actual phone before, but he’s dialing before he can think better of it.

“It doesn’t taste that bad!” she says, in lieu of a greeting.

“What the fuck, Clarke.”

“What? I’ve seen Chopped, I know you can substitute things.”

“Yeah, but those are people who know how to cook. You’re going to burn down your apartment.”

“Plus my rice bowl tastes really weird,” she agrees. “But it got you to call me. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good. Summer semester’s over, so I’m done with grading for a while.”

“Still working at the coffee shop?”

“Yeah, picked up some extra hours. I’m actually making dinner right now.”

“Yeah?” she asks, brightening. “What are you making?”

“Nothing very exciting. It’s hot so I didn’t want to cook and I had some leftover chicken, so I’m making chicken salad.”

“How did you learn to cook? I always knew you could, but now that I’m trying to do it myself I really don’t get how you got the skillset.”

“O’s dad was a good cook,” he says, trying the chicken salad and adding a little more salt and pepper. “I used to like helping him. After he died, my mom didn’t have time to cook, so I took over. He had cookbooks and stuff, but there was definitely a learning curve.”

“I think I just don’t have the cooking instinct.”

“You cooked rice in gatorade, so yeah, I agree,” he teases.

“It could have been really good!”

“Uh huh. The instincts develop,” he adds. “You make chicken and figure out what spices you like with chicken, you figure out what tastes good and use more of it.”

“You put gatorade in your rice.”

“You learn not to do that.” He grabs bread and sticks it in the toaster. “Do you have a rice cooker?”

“My roommate does, she said I could borrow it as long as I clean it. I’m going to clean it really well.”

“You better. How is she? As a roommate.”

He imagines her shrugging in the short pause, can almost see her doing it. “Fine. I honestly don’t see her much, we have totally different schedules. Any time we’re actually home together we make awkward small talk and then she goes into her room and closes the door.”

“Honestly, that could be a lot worse. She could want to be your best friend.”

“Yeah, god forbid anyone wanted to be friends with me,” she teases.

“How’s that going, by the way? The whole friends thing?”

“It’s going. I went out for drinks with my coworkers, they’re cool.”

“Any dates?”

“Not yet. What about you? Still just hanging out with Roan?”

“For now, but once fall semester starts up I’ll have other friends.”

“Really?”

“Hopefully.”

She laughs. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I wish I was there to keep you from putting gatorade in your rice.”

The words seem a little awkward as soon as they’re out of his mouth, but Clarke just says, “I wish you were here so you could taste it.”

“Never mind, I don’t wish I was there anymore. Did you try any of the recipes I sent you?”

“I did the chicken alfredo pasta, it came out pretty well. And I want to do the chili tomorrow. I was going to have it with more of the rice.”

“If you eat my chili with gatorade rice, never tell me.”

“You can follow my instagram. I think I’m going to be big.”

“What is it? Clarke Cooks Crap?”

There’s a pause. “It wasn’t, but it is now.”

“You’re really going to make that, aren’t you?”

“I’m registering as we speak.”

“I can’t believe I have to sign up for instagram now,” he says, with a sigh.

“You don’t have to. I’ll text you everything.”

“Thanks for crossposting for me.”

“I know you hate social media.” She pauses again, finally says, “I should let you eat.”

“Yeah, I should definitely eat. But I’m free tonight if you want to Rabbit something.”

“I could definitely watch something. Give me like an hour and I’ll text you?”

“Sure, sounds good. Enjoy your rice.”

“I’ll send you pictures,” she says, and he gets one almost as soon as they hang up, Clarke with a big spoonful of yellow rice halfway to her mouth, with the caption exclusive content not for instagram.

He sends back a picture of his own sandwich labeled actually good food and grins for the rest of the night.

*

Bellamy never thought much about Clarke and cooking, but if he had, he would have assumed she would be one of those people who followed recipes to a T and googled things like how much is a splash of olive oil to make sure she was measuring out the correct amount.

Instead, every text she sends is something that she seems to have come up with herself specifically to horrify him. When she sends an orange blob with two white eyes, she explains that she couldn’t decide between sweet potatoes and regular, so she just mixed them together, setting aside two small balls to serve as the eyes. Which, okay, it’s probably not bad as combinations go, but Bellamy would use them as sides for two totally different meals. And that’s the best of them. She seems to delight in using gatorade as much as possible, in sauces and glazes, once in salad dressing. She’ll text him things like “out of milk can I just use cream mixed with water?” and “I only need one kind of vinegar, right? They’re all basically the same” and no matter what she says, she seems to think he’s saying yes.

“You haven’t cooked for anyone else, have you?” he asks. He’s taken to calling her after she sends him particularly concerning messages, which happens at least twice a week.

The crush isn’t going away; cooking nightmares seem to be a turn-on for him.

“I’m getting a lot better.”

“You asked if V8 was a replacement for vegetable stock.”

“It was on sale!”

“I’m just saying, you say it didn’t taste that bad and I don’t really trust you. I want a second opinion from someone else who’s tried your cooking.”

“My roommate ate some leftover chicken and I think she’s still alive.”

“Wow, glowing endorsement.”

“That’s the point of food, right? It keeps you alive.”

“Sure, Captain Holt.”

“Obviously you just have to come visit. I assume you’re going home for Christmas?”

“Yeah. I missed Thanksgiving so I figure I have to make Christmas. Spring break is still open.”

“In March?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s so much time for me to plan an all-gatorade meal.”

“All the greatest hits of your instagram together at last.”

She snorts. “Like you have any idea what my instagram’s greatest hits are.”

“I’m assuming the balsamic vinaigrette you made with white vinegar and red gatorade has to be up there.”

“I guess you’ll find out over spring break.”

It’s early December, so break is months and months away. He hadn’t even been planning to do anything, just take a week off and relax. Of course he wants to see Clarke, but he always wants to see Clarke. He hadn’t known how to just say to her, though, hadn’t wanted to invite himself over where he might not be welcome.

Now it’s all he can do to not book flights right away, to be cool and normal.

At least she can’t see how much he’s smiling.

“Yeah,” he says. “I guess I will.”

*

“So, I’m thinking I need to tell Clarke how I feel about her.”

To his surprise, Roan’s eyes narrow, and then he punches himself in the arm. “Ah, I’m not asleep.”

“You have dreams about my love life? I didn’t know you cared that much. I hoped you didn’t care that much.”

He waves his hand. “I dream about a lot of things. What changed your mind?”

“It’s been more than six months and I’m still in love with her. After I graduate, I want to be where she is and I want to be with her. So I should say something.”

“That’s what I’ve always thought. Congratulations.”

“Don’t congratulate me, I haven’t told her yet.”

“Honestly, at this point I’m proud of you for even thinking about it. I thought you might have given up.”

He probably would have, if he’s honest. He knows it’s not romantic, but if Clarke had graduated and they’d fallen out of touch, like he did with so many of his friends, he probably would have moved on. But not only have they not fallen out of touch, Clarke’s been reaching out too, keeping him in the loop with her cooking like he keeps her on the loop with classes. They’re both putting in the effort to not lose each other.

Hell, she’s texting him redundant content just because he doesn’t like Instagram. He could already get all of this stuff, but she sends it directly just to him so that he’ll call her.

He thinks he really might have a shot.

“I just don’t want to tell her over the phone, I guess. I want to make sure that once we’re in the same place again, it’s still good. Maybe I’m just really bad at reading tone over text.”

“As always, I will be shocked if Clarke doesn’t reciprocate your feelings before you’ve finished confessing them, but I assume it’s more difficult for you.”

Bellamy fixes him with a look. “Shouldn’t you know?”

“Know what?”

“Do you not bug Clarke about this? Why just me?”

“Clarke’s no fun.”

That does check out. Even her whimsical cooking is less fun and more terrifying. She’s probably really shitty to gossip with.

“So, you’re guessing but not sure.”

“Even if I wasn’t, she doesn’t text me meal updates. I haven’t talked to her since before graduation.”

“Well, I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m expecting you to hold me accountable if I don’t tell her.”

“I’ll text you for daily updates.”

“Terrifying, thanks.”

Roan shrugs. “All your favorite people seem to terrify you.”

It’s hard to deny. “What can I say? I’ve got a type.”

*

Clarke doesn’t meet him at the airport because it takes forever to get there on public transportation, so she tells him to just grab a cab and she’ll cover half the cost. It’s nicer than bringing his stuff on a couple of different trains, but he can’t help the waves of anxiety as he gets closer and closer to Clarke. It would have been nice to get over seeing her right away, to spend a long train ride talking to her, getting comfortable with her again. It was bad enough being on the plane, but now that he’s in her city it feels like they should just be together.

Once the cab lets him off, though, he still hesitates. All this time and all this way and he’s still not quite sure how to see her.

Then he takes a deep breath, marches to the door, and rings the buzzer.

She doesn’t unlock the door but comes down herself, the sight of her knocking the breath out of him for a second. She doesn’t look different, but she doesn’t need to. It’s not as if he wanted her to be different. She opens the door and pulls him into a hug and that’s everything.

“Hi,” he says, holding her close.

“Hi. Sorry I didn’t come meet you.”

“It’s okay. The cab was a lot easier.”

“Still. I feel like a bad host.”

He makes himself pull away, gives her a smile. “Don’t worry, it’s the all-gatorade meal that’s going to make you a bad host.”

She laughs. “That was the other reason to not come get you. I could get started on dinner.”

His stomach drops. “I figured that was later in the week. We aren’t going out tonight? I’ll pay.”

“Nope.”

She unlocks the door and he follows her up the stairs, trying to figure out what to say. “What are you expecting from me?” he finally asks.

“Sorry?”

“Honest reaction, or–”

She flashes him a smile over her shoulder. “I’m not expecting you to pretend gatorade rice is good, Bellamy.”

It’s a deliberate answer, for all her expression is easy, but she opens the door before he can formulate a response and he’s hit with the overwhelming, mouthwatering scent of roasting chicken.

Clarke’s cooking, and it smells amazing.

“Um,” he says, and she grins.

“You really don’t follow my instagram, huh?”

“No. Am I supposed to?”

“No. But if you did, you’d know that I’m actually getting pretty good at the cooking thing. You’re the only one who sees my gatorade experiments.”

“You’re doing real cooking,” he says, brain still catching up.

“Using the recipes you sent me, and then the Internet. I signed up for Hello Fresh, that was really helpful. It kind of sucked to cook for just myself, but I had you and instagram, so it worked out.”

“Did you actually eat all the stuff you sent me?”

“At least some of it. Honestly, I think it helped. Seeing how different ingredients changed the taste, what worked and what didn’t. Honing my instincts, like you said.”

“So gatorade rice made you a better cook.”

She looks nervous for the first time. “I guess you’re going to find out.”

He offers to help, but she waves him off, tells him to relax while she finishes up. Instead, he wanders around the apartment, checking out the decorations, guessing what belongs to Clarke and what belongs to her mysterious roommate, and then settles against the counter, quizzing her on her job and the city, getting updates he mostly already have.

They really do talk a lot. It’s nice.

“So, roasted chicken, what else? Mashed potatoes?”

She grins. “Potatoes and sweet potatoes. It’s actually really good! It adds some good texture and flavor.”

“Looking forward to it,” he says, and she looks so happy he almost kisses her right then.

Of course, she did spend months planning an elaborate surprise about how she really can cook just to troll him, so she probably wouldn’t mind if he did kiss her.

But it can wait until after dinner. She worked so hard. And he’s really excited to try everything.

Clarke doesn’t really have a dining room table–the apartment is small and space is limited–so they take their plates over to the coffee table and settle in. Given the setting, it’s not quite adult, but it’s a real meal, and an amazing one. Even the potatoes work.

“I can’t believe you were holding out on me,” he says.

“Deliberately deceiving you,” she corrects.

“For the big reveal?”

“Yup. As long as you never found my instagram, it was going to be fine.”

“Is it actually Clarke Cooks Crap?”

She looks down. “No, it’s Cooking 101 with Cara. Clarke’s pretty distinctive, I didn’t want anyone to know it was me unless I told them.”

“So I couldn’t have found the instagram even if I went looking for it, huh?”

“You could now.”

There’s something purposeful in her tone, like she’s daring him, and he wants to, but–

“After dinner. And I’m cleaning up, since you cooked.”

She smiles. “There’s dessert, too.”

“You really went all out.”

“I’m really happy to see you.”

“I’m really happy to see you too.” He clears his throat. “Did I tell you I’m looking for jobs here after graduation?”

“You know you didn’t.”

“I didn’t. I wanted to tell you in person.”

“Like me and the cooking.”

He has to smile. “Kind of, yeah.”

“Any good prospects yet?”

They’re done with food, so he fills her in on the research he’s been doing on the places he’s been looking for openings, the applications he’s working on. There’s no sign she’s anything but thrilled with the news, and Bellamy lets himself–quietly, tentatively, slowly–start to believe that this could be his life. Living with Clarke here, making dinner and doing the dishes and talking about the little details of his life that don’t make it into phone calls.

“What was the instagram again?” he asks, once the dishwasher is loaded and running. It seems more pressing than dessert; there’s something on there Clarke wants him to see.

“Cooking 101 with Cara,” she says. “The username is caracooks101.”

“Cara with a C?”

“Yeah.”

He plugs it into his phone, finds the account. The style is familiar–all of Clarke’s awful meals are photographed perfectly, taking full advantage of her art minor–but the actual content is completely new, even knowing she was lying to him. She’s made a lot, and all of it looks amazing. He scans a little, just taking it in, but then he scrolls back up to the top, where there’s an image of what looks like today’s meal, the chicken ready to go into the oven.

Okay, wish me luck, the caption reads, when he clicks it. B’s coming over, so it’s time to see if the way to a man’s heart really is through his stomach. Which is shitty and heteronormative, but whatever. I’m bi, I can like a boy. And I’m hoping he likes chicken.

Clarke is watching him, nervous, and all he can do is laugh. “Roan’s supposed to text me every day at two to ask if I’ve asked you out yet.”

She laughs too, all relief. “That was your plan?”

“He can be very annoying.”

“He can.”

“I’m so in love with you,” he admits. “I have been for years. I’ve missed you so much, I–”

She kisses him, which is nice for a lot of reasons, including, of course, that they’re kissing, and she’s warm and close and has apparently been sharing her food-based seduction plan on instagram for almost a year. She’s been putting in so much effort he almost feels bad for not trying harder himself.

But he’s got time to make it up to her.

“Are you ready for dessert?” she murmurs.

“Is that a euphemism?”

She bites his bottom lip. “Nope. I made red-gatorade popsicles. With real fruit flavors.”

He collapses against her shoulder, laughing so hard he feels like he might never recover. “Fuck,” he manages. “I love you.”

“I know,” she says. “So, dessert?”

“Please.”

And somehow, it really is the best thing he’s ever eaten. His girlfriend’s got a gift.

[freckle-trash]

Advice for Periods/Endo Periods:

I have always grown up knowing I have Endometriosis since I was 11. Most people do not figure this out until their late 20′s or 30′s since doctors generally will not believe you. I just got lucky in the fact that there is a familia occurrence of it and that my doctor herself had it. 

Due to the Endo I actually have muscle relaxers for the absolutely god fucking awful days. But if you're like me you do not like having to be dependent on medicine unless you rly need it. That is why I learned to track my period and changed my eating habits while during it. Also why I found certain products to help me through the pain instead of depending on muscle relaxers.

The Method I used to go about helping with my period:

  Now a major change I made that is the hardest for everyone is that I changed my diet for my period. I’ll usually eat whatever I want the rest of the month but I change my diet to be period and cramp friendly about half a week before my period starts and for about 2 days after it. Why do I do this? Because by doing this i’m removing food and drink items that would actually cause my endometriosis/period cramps to get WORSE. Now, there are certain foods that make it worse that I just absolutely crave during my period but thats when you need to set yourself some food boundaries instead.

A major thing I crave on my period is obviously chocolate and cheese. Problem with that? I’m severely lactose intolerance and these two items of food cause very bad gastrointestinal problems for the majority of people. So not the best foods to eat on your period since gas cramps can actually make your period cramps feel 10x WORSE. 

My method to working around this? I actually go to the store and buy gas medicine and take it before each meal, and then I buy probiotic juice. The gas medicine helps greatly with the gas cramps most females/males with ovaries get when on their period. The probiotic juice is there to help you keep pooping normally because the one thing we generally won't admit is that it hurts to poop on our period. The probiotic juice makes the poop come out for you with no problem, you don't gotta force it or get backed up by a week. Letting yourself get backed up will make the period worse too, trust me.

Now what specific foods am I talking about cutting back on? Here is a list for you:

- DAIRY PRODUCTS

I know we all love ice cream and chocolate on our periods but we have to completely get rid of it during our period or set a measurement of how much we can have a day. I set it to be 5 pieces of chocolate and only a cup on ice cream a day because thats the sweet spot for me. I feed my craving just enough, but I won't screw my body over with more pain by overeating. 

- Bread

We all love bread but BOI does it back you up. backed up intestines means intestinal cramps. intestinal cramps equal worse period cramps. Just completely cut out the bread if you can. If you can't then just have one piece of bread for breakfast so you aren't over eating it.

- SWEETS SWEETS SWEETS 

i mean come on, eating to much of this off your period will upset your stomach to much. Having candy near you on your period is a recipe for disaster since we will just keep eating and eating and eating and eating. Stick to only hard candy or mints.

- C H I P S

Only two bowls of chips a day. Chips do not fill a person, they are expensive, and honestly you feel bad after eating them. I crave doritos dipped in chocolate like nothing else on my period but I also cry after realizing I ate an entire bag in 10 minutes and that I'm still hungry. Just pls save yourself that hurt and don't get chips, or pre-portion them out into baggies so you don't over eat them.

- acidic drinks

This includes soda AND juice. Now my guilty pleasure during periods is Cream Soda. I love it, its all i want to drink on my period. But that is a rly rly RLY big mistake. You'll fall into the craving of wanting something bubbly or acidic and cause yourself so much stomach pain. ALWAYS drink water or gatorade on your period and nothing else. KEEP HYDRATED. Constantly drinking acidic drinks or soda will dehydrate you during a time where you are dehydrated more than usual. Please be kind to yourself and stick to drinks with electrolytes in it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, if you stay away from those foods and follow the gas medicine and probiotic routine, you'll actually cut your period pain down by a third. I use to have the most DEBILITATING cramps to the point where I couldn't even move without vomiting, but then i started pre-training my diet before my period and now I can mostly go through the day with just painful ass cramps but not “vomit if I even twitch” cramps. 

The next most important thing to have and take on your period is Iron supplements. 

Most of us don't even think about that honestly. We are just so tired, and lethargic, and dizzy, and in pain that we don't bother to think about it. Why is that? We are low on iron y'all. trust me when I say do yourself the biggest fucking favor ever and buy iron supplements for your period. I use to practically be in comas during my period but now i have more energy during my period than i have normally because of the iron supplements. 

Another Item of advice that I know works for others I know but doesn't exactly work for me is a minor workout routine during your period. It’s never helped me but it helps others I know. The physical activity I have to do though is actually deep cleaning stuff. It keeps me busy and gives me a little bit of exercise while also helping me feel like i actually accomplished something. Some of my friends switched to that method instead of exercising and have said it makes them feel better because they were a bit active and they can see the results of said activity. If you exercise ur just well....exercising. If you clean you are making your space cleaner for yourself and removing some of your anxiety. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This last section is going to be dedicated to a list of items that I and others have found useful to have on our periods. If it helps us hopefully it could help you.

- IRON SUPPLEMENTS

- Gas medication (3 times a day with food)

- PROBIOTICS 

- heat pad stuffy (This thing here specifically --->https://www.amazon.com/Intelex-CP-TUR-1-Turtle-Cozy-Plush/dp/B07D9ZKMTP/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=period%2Bheat%2Btoy&qid=1564873457&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1)

These heat toys are a god damn blessing let me tell y'all. 

- epsom salt baths (I specifically get the rose petal epsom salts because its my favorite scent and the epsom salts are doing their job of releasing tense muscles at the same time.

- Aromatherapy bubble bath/body wash 

you’d be surprised how much aromatherapy actually helps with period cramps. I generally will get anything lavender since a major issue i have is sleeping and staying asleep on my period. 

- Livia period pain device

This item is made for people like me with endometriosis and anyone else with a uterus issue. it works wonders for us so I should help anyone with even just a regular period cramp. 

- get the softest or silkiest pajamas you can find

I know I always feel a fuck ton better being in silk pajamas or wearing a cuddly hoody on my period. find yourself a specific period outfit that you will feel absolutely comfortable in. 

- Get an ice pack. 

This may seem weird since we generally want heat on our uterus during periods but thats not what the ice pack is for. It ice pack is for your neck and face. If you're like me you get terrible headaches and fevers on your period. The ice pack will be a life saver.

- neck pillow.

its good to have support on your neck if you need to curl up in a ball, just sayin.

- tank top with built in bra

this one also seems weird but i fucking hate wearing actual bras on my period, but i also have extremely sensitive boobs so they can't just be hanging or they hurt S O MUCH. So i bought some of these well padded bad bois so I don't have to feel like i’m wearing a bra but my boobs won't hurt either (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q1FT1VD/?coliid=I2EDPG7QCZ7F4R&colid=FY4LAMPX1G21&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it)

Last but not least, a fun fact. Pads and tampons have fucking chlorine bleach in them. u wanna know how i figured that one out finally? I’m god damn allergic to chlorine. Vomiting all over a movie theater bathroom while feeling like you are dying isn't a fun experience - all because I wore a tampon for 5 fucking minutes. But I've fixed that problem because they are finally coming out with bleach free pads and tampons. So if you ever feel extremely sick during your period its probably because of the chlorine in your pads. Do yourself a favor and find the pure cotton bleach free pads and your local store. 

[fastsalad]

Things that I’ve heard/seen in my theatre class

•”I am not ok.” *recording* “Anna is not ok!”

•”I seriously think my legs are turning into cars.”

•”Are we going to serve the fake bubbly wine?” Director: “You mean seltzer?”

•*super deep voice* “IRON LUNGS.”

•*director teaching us our music for Newsies* “And this is where Jeremy Jordan just LOOSES IT.”

•”Before I do that, I’m going to need some sort of payment from you. It’s... a protein.... bar... but it’s not a protein bar.”

•”Go in the corner if you’re coughing you’re quarantined.”

•Director: “I thought you were going to throw that and I was going to yell st you.” Kid: “I was going to but then I thought it might bounce and hit you.” Director: “That would have been your last move, sunny boy.”

•Director #2: “Please fundraise the crap out of that bread because we need to buy a printing press.”

•Director #2: “I’m going to give you a shape, color or number. One. Square. Periwinkle. Pickles. That’s not a shape, number or color.”

•“I’m always motivated because I have these sparkly folders. Look at these, how can you not be motivated?”

•“I am a liTTLE ORANGE MAN.”

•“I was DOING THE BREAD!”

•Director #2: “I was little Mary Macintosh and I had measles.” Kid: “Do you remember how you got them?” Director:”...no.”

•Director: “We need a printing press.” Kid: “I’ll be a printing press!”

•Director: “We could do The Wizard of Oz and make the dancers be monkeys again.”

•Director #2: “See how we are literally rectangles? Be the box. Not the kind of triangle trapezoid.”

•”I saw him come out of the vault and I was like, is that the reeeeaaaaal Corey? Is he a clone?” Sparkly folder kid: “Yeah we’re like DO A TOE TOUCH he can’t do it IMPOSTOR!!”

•“You are long neck. Long neck dark voice.”

•“Liv come here we’re watching the meme.”

•Choreographer: “We need a barrel of some kind.” Printing press kid: “I’m a barrel!”

•“Coooooorn of the skyyyyyyyyy!”

•*finger guns* “Marcy Park!”

•Director: “That’s what my YOUTUBE STATION is for!”

•Director #2: “I see Talia and Anna staring like DEAD DEAD YOU ARE DEAD MEAT!” Sparkly folder kid: “I’m eating you for luNCH TODAY!”

•*tall kid riding on the back of short kid* Printing press kid: “no that’s not safe.”

•*kid bottle flips* Director: “I FORBIIIIIIDDD!”

•“You know that stuff can kill you right?” “Uh huh.”

•“Honey, where’s my Gatorade?”

•“Is this a fried seahorse?”

•*kid coughs* Director: “Who’s dying?” Quiet kid: “All of us.”

•“Hi guys, welcome to Huck’s cooking show. Today we’re going to start with a knife, a glass of water, and 19 toothpicks.”

•“Oh no look they’re conjugating- I mean no- conjuring.” “I’m pretty sure both of those are wrong. Conjuring is when you’re like, summoning demons.” “Conjugating is when you’re fixing verbs.” “They’re congregating.”

•”You guys wanna see my friend eating Mac and cheese while dancing?”

•Director: “Where is everyone getting BEEF STICKS?!?!”

•Kid with the Mac and cheese friend: “Guys I don’t like leaves cause I’m gay.”

•”Guys I’m the oldest one here. I’m only seven.”

•”What if we didn’t have time to change? Like we run out in our dresses like PULITZER AND HEARST!!!!”

•”There’s the tea! There’s tea- there is literal tea spilled everywhere downstairs don’t go down there.”

[sweetasteriaa]

So my teeth. Teeth teeth teeth teeth teeth. Those finicky little bastards. I had several days of relatively no pain and it was amazing. I slept on my side. I only had to take painkillers once. I ate food that was slightly warmer than room temp and slightly colder than room temp without crying. I didn't have to use a straw to drink things.

I stopped eating super crunchy foods - chips, crackers, cookies, celery, pretzels, nuts, burnt toast (it's delicious I swear), cereal. I had been trying not to eat these for awhile, but I am weak, I love crunchy things. I stopped eating really sugary foods, and that included drinking Gatorade. I kept up brushing with Sensodyn and wearing my night guard. Then today I thought, hmm. Let's experiment. I ate a few iced animal cookies, and drank a ginger ale. Within an hour the pain started creeping back, and I had the overwhelming urge to tear my jaw out and throw it like a frisbee across the swamp. So that seems to be a pretty solid conclusion to my experiment, no? Which is awesome on one hand, and not awesome on the other. I can keep the pain down to a manageable level by restricting my diet even further. Hahaha, oh boy. After figuring out all the things I can eat and stocking my kitchen with them. I mean, obviously I'm going to not eat the things that make my mouth hurt. It's a no brainer, just like when I had to adjust to the ic diet. Cold turkey bye bye second tier tasty foods. I'll miss you. And I already do. I am so freaking hungry. The no pain because of no good food definitely made me feel that. Like wake me up early because my stomach is growling so hard hungry. I can only eat mashed potatoes and shredded chicken for so long without fantasizing about tacos or those gross crunchy bread sticks. Because I can be bad about not eating if my options aren't appetizing. I don't have a really great track record of eating three meals a day. Sometimes I'll eat once a day and be done despite what signals my body is giving out. Hey dumbass, eat something. It's probably not something to be proud of, how long I can ignore hunger pangs. I recognize the stages of it and I know how they last and how long I'll need to push through them. And I do it for what is not a healthy amount of time. I've been worried about the amount of painkillers I've been taking, but at the same time, I'm not dumb enough to take them on an empty stomach. So that has been forcing me to eat. When I was taking them constantly, I was eating constantly. But now I'm not needing them so much. Because of the dietary changes equaling less pain. So awesome, not awesome. I have to do the whole balancing act again. I have to find new recipes that cater to texture and diet so I don't make myself sick one way or another. And I will, I know I will. Jeeze this got really long. I guess that's one of the good things with writing, it just all oozes out and makes you realize things you hadn't. Like the fact I'm not eating right. I didn't even think about that. God bless my train of thought. 🤞🤞🤞it's all gonna work out, yes? Yes.

[nszypher]

Then It Got Better

I wrote up a bit of an emotional piece going over the timeline of my last couple of weeks involving my top surgery. It’s long, and I don’t expect most to read it, but I thought I would share all the same.

Tuesday, we drove down to Dallas. It was a half day affair. Mom went to work until just after noon so she could try and get them into a better place before leaving for just over a week. It gave me a chance to finish up anything I needed to do at the house before we left. We gassed up the car and then stopped for lunch before heading out of town. We accidentally ordered grilled chicken when we wanted breaded, and apologized as soon as we realized the mistake and asked if there was any way they could swap them out. They just gave us new breaded chicken. We both felt a bit bad but I did actually pay more for the grilled stuff. We drove through small towns, talking some and listening to a podcast mostly. The weather was nice. Our hotel was experiencing a problem with its keymaker, which meant that we were stood outside our door with half of our bags trying to get in, or waiting for a new key. The front desk person finally just let us in with her master key and promised she would have one working when we got back from dinner. We told her it was no problem, that it wasn't her fault, and went to dinner at the Magic Time Machine. We were served by a guy dressed up and acting like Nacho Libre, a movie I've never seen but do know a little about. Mom discovered she was allergic to Mahi Mahi, but otherwise, the meal was great and we did have a working key when we got back to the hotel, which was good because we also decided to stop by Walmart and pick things up before going back to the hotel.

Wednesday was the pre-op appointment. As uncomfortable as I was about things, and they were all things I knew was coming, they made it as nice and painless as possible. The surgeon, Dr. Dulin, was very professional, explained things very well and what they were going to do and why. He did have to touch my chest, and measure to see for sure what he was really working with since he had only seen pictures up to now. But he did with respect, I could tell, and it was over quickly. He even recognized that I would need a nipple reduction, something I had wondered about and was going to ask, but didn't have the chance. He already decided before I could. The nurse, Kristin, took before photos, asked me all about my medical history, which made me glad mom was there, and even gave us a very informative booklet with almost every bit of information we could possibly need about the procedure and what to expect before and after as well as risks and anything else. Dr. Dulin was nice and Kristin was nicer. And then they sent me off with prescriptions, telling me to make sure I walked away with four and that they'd be in touch to tell me, for sure, when I needed to be there in the morning. We went to Walmart to fill the prescriptions and waited so long for them to get filled. And then it was left overs from the Magic Time Machine for lunch and off to malls, on the way to which we got the call telling us to be there at 7:30 in the morning. We were enchanted by Northpark, a fusion of mall and museum, and fell in love with the Lego and Disney stores there. We are still, after all, just children. We got dad a Lego Batman keychain as thanks for watching all my animals while we were away. A Barnes and Noble across the way distracted us but we did end up at Galleria mall, which was also nice but not as cool. Dinner was at the Rodeo Goat and after that, it was home to try and get some rest before the big day, but not before a call from the anesthetist just to introduce herself to me and make sure I was feeling as good about it all as I could.

Thursday was the day.

They told me that would be the worst day. In many ways, it was. I didn't sleep well the night before, I got up entirely too early, I was very nervous, possibly for the first time really for this. They had a hard time getting an IV in me, and it was wholly unpleasant the two times they tried, the first blowing out a vein. Not their fault. I have finicky veins. And then I woke up and that was the worst. I couldn't see well for a while, and got very nauseous suddenly, which the care nurse was quick to take care of. I didn't catch her name, but I'm glad she was there. They waited to call my mom to pick me up until I felt better after that. It fortunately passed quickly but I was still miserable Of course I wasn't happy right after. I was in pain, I felt terrible. I wanted to curl up and go home and sleep and I was instead put in a car and our five minute drive back to the hotel turned into fifteen because mom got lost and I couldn't help her. But I did remember all the instructions they gave us, occasionally better than mom, and the shining light is they didn't know what my preferred pronouns were in the recovery room, so when they talked to my mom, they referred to me either as Kai, which everyone at the clinic had done, or "they/them" since those were neutral. The fact that even they cared in the recovery room, nurses I would only ever see once, meant a lot. And the rest of the day was filled with pills and Gatorade and uncomfortable shifting and not moving and even more sleeping than I'm used to. Mom bought ice packs while I was in surgery and made a point to go back to the hotel and get them frozen and ready for me in such a thoughtful measure only to be told don't use them. I think she thought it was forever, but looking back, I think they just meant that night. Not that it mattered. I don't know there was much that would've really made me feel any more comfortable or okay.

But then it got better.

Friday I went back for my first post-op. They asked how I was doing and remarked that I looked surprisingly well. I credit the Gatorade. They took me and removed the ace bandages they had wrapped around and on top of everything. And suddenly, I wasn't in so much pain or discomfort. I didn't realize that something so minor could make such a big difference. Kristin gave us maxi pads to help keep the binder from cutting into my skin, and showed mom how to cut little crescents out of them so they would fit around my arms. Kristin also loaned mom a pair of scissors to cut the pads with since all we had were tiny ones, like one on a pocket knife, and an extra binder when she heard we were in a hotel and didn't really have easy access to a washing machine or drier. I still only could manage to eat apple sauce and broth, a little cereal dispersed throughout, still fell asleep several times, still only had the brain space for Netflix movies. Mom and I got up ever few hours and walked the hallway on our floor. Mom even started writing down the pill schedule, when I took one and could take the next, since they had time restraints and had to be taken so long between each. She's much more organized than I often am.

And then it got better.

Saturday was a nice day, and we decided to walk around our hotel outside a couple of times. It was so nice to get out of the building and breathe some fresh air. I ate something more than just applesauce and cereal. I played video games until evening time, when we went back to Netflix. I was feeling pretty good. Still a little painful, but overall pretty good. Still couldn't do a lot for myself, but things weren't so bad anymore.

And then it got better.

Sunday we went to Target. Mom needed some things like a new bar of soap because hers had run out. She also wanted to get a CD. I wanted to get out of the hotel, even if it was only for ten minutes. We got our stuff and both agreed we didn't want to go back just yet. Getting out of the hotel was uplifting. We both were getting a bit stir crazy. So we slowly walked around the Target. She found a set of plush Porg and Porglets, and we both fell in love and she bought us both a set. Mom had never seen Moana and it was no longer on Netflix, so I bought the Blu-Ray. I found card sleeves I had wanted before Christmas but that were no longer sold in our Targets and got a set. We spent an hour or so in Target, and went we left, I bought us both coconut Bais to drink just to change it up. Later, when I realized my period had started, we walked to an Alberston's that was just around the corner, stopping in at the GameStop first. We got what I needed along with some new drinks to change it up as well.

And then it got better.

Monday, we hit a few malls. I don't remember which ones they were. They didn't make as big of an impact on my mind as the ones we went to before the surgery, but we went to a few. Mom and I, for the first time in a long time, moved at about the same speed, and had to stop just about as frequently to rest. We took my pills with me in case we needed to do any of them while we were out, but strategically waited until after lunch so we hopefully wouldn't have to. We stopped by the Half Price Books flagship store, which was massive, and spent hours in there just looking at the stuff. I bought an Italian soda, my first one ever, and it was really good. We spent too much money there, but I found something I've always wanted at a price I could actually afford. Mom was also on the hunt for a new purse, so after the bookstore, we made one last stop to a JC Penney, which to our surprise, was a stand-alone store and not part of a mall. And she found a purse that was just perfect and on sale for a price she didn't feel bad about paying for.

And then it got better.

Tuesday, we went to the zoo. It was always something I had wanted to do in Dallas ever since my first A-Kon down there when we rode past the exit for it on the tram at least twice a day. The zoo was so nice. The weather was perfect. We didn't even need jackets. In the children's zoo, there was an aviary where you could go in and interact with some birds. You could feed them stuff on a stick for a price but mom and I agreed we didn't need to do that. Still, as soon as we came in, one flew down and landed on my hand and just hung out with me for a while, almost as if he was happy I wasn't a screaming kid. They had so many cool exhibits, and their enclosures looked so nice. They even had one place where you could feed giraffes. Even if you weren't, you were allowed to go in and get right up next to them. I could've reached out and touched one. It was amazing. I've never seen anything like that. I've never experienced that with a giraffe before. We were so enamored with it that we missed the last part of the zoo, which was a bit sad because I would've liked to see the baby gorilla and lions, but the giraffe experience was something new. We stopped back by Half Price Books because a friend wanted something that I had gotten, promising to pay me back. Luckily, they did still have one for her too. For dinner, I was sick of the food we had in the hotel so I treated mom and I to the messiest crab legs I think I've ever eaten. It was a bit pricey, but she's worth it.

And then it got better.

Friday was my second post op appointment and the one where I would get to see, for the first time, the results and look at my future. We checked out of the hotel before going, and everyone was happy to see me. Dr. Dulin had, after doing all the things in the operating room, adhered foam onto my chest, then put a binder over it, and for 24 hours, wrapped that in an ace bandage. No wonder that first day was so miserable. And pulling the foam off was also miserable. I couldn't watch. I could barely even breathe. They did it as fast as they could, and mom said Dr. Dulin smiled when he saw the results of his work. And I smiled and uttered words of disbelief when I did too, which made him smile even more. He was pleased with the result, which is good since he is a perfectionist by everyone's account, and I was beyond words. I was seeing, for the first time, my body as I always thought it should be, albeit bruised and swollen and with a bit of marker still from the surgery so he did it all correctly. Kristin smiled with us, talked with us about this and that, our cat, the zoo, while also giving us all the supplies she thought we would need to at least get us through the next few days. Adhesive remover, tape, gauze. She loaded us up. We made plans for me to send photos in a month to check progress so I wouldn't have to try and make it back down to Dallas. And then we were out the door, checked out of the hotel and going to head back to normal life. We stopped back by Northpark because I wanted a keychain from the Lego store, and we decided to eat lunch there as well. We also attempted to find a compression shirt because Kristin told us we could use that instead of the binder if we found one that was snug enough. We couldn't. But we tried. We made one last stop by the Disney store where they were having a crazy sale on their plushies, so I bought a Koda and mom bought a Pua. Lego store trip then netted me a keychain, but I also bought mom one more thing as a huge thanks for being my rock this week. I couldn't have done it without her.

And then it got better.

I've been home for a few days now. Things are returning to normal. I've finished my course of antibiotics, dad acknowledged the letter I wrote and left for him. It might be the only discussion we have about it, but at least we had it. My pain is so much less now. I can drive and be mostly independent again. I think the swelling is going down. Surely. It's hard to tell for sure, but I already like what I see in the mirror better than what was there before, lingering bruises, marks, bits of foam, and swelling aside. I cannot accurately describe how different and happy I feel now that it's over. Over a year of planning, and half a life time of wanting, and it feels like it came and went so fast and yet, there's a whole future ahead now that looks a bit brighter than before. I know this won't fix all my problems. Dark days are still ahead, but at least I won't also hate myself on top of them. I'm not saying I wanted more fanfare. Really, that seems terrible, but for all the build up and wanting, it's hard to believe it's over. I had been focused on it for so long that I feel just a little empty now. Just a little. There's still so much more to do and see. And I'm ready for them just as soon as I'm done physically healing. But emotionally, and mentally, I've already done so much over the past few weeks. It's done, and I'm still happy to the point of tears about it.

[drlaurynlax]

How to Prep for a Colonoscopy Naturally?

Preparing for a colonoscopy is no fun task—especially if you want to do it holistically or you follow a Paleo or Autoimmune Protocol (AIP diet). 

If you’re wondering “what to eat” or what to expect the day before a colonoscopy (and how to survive with a holistic colonoscopy prep), here’s all you need to know. 

Standard Colonoscopy Prep Instructions 

In the big scheme of things, colonoscopy prep and procedure really only involves about 48-hours of your time. 

In order for the doctor to be able to fully see clearly into your colon with the scope, all needs to be clear, which means: 

Fasting for about 24 hours prior to the colonoscopy 

Ingesting a large amount of special “poo juice” (i.e. stool softeners and laxative)

And making friends with the toilet for the latter part of the day

Some doctors will suggest you eat a softer foods diet at least 3 days prior to the appointment in order to make things easier to pass and this can be helpful, but may not be 100% necessary to do.

Unfortunately, however, colonoscopy prep ALSO typically includes some non-holistic rituals that can make one who is used to eating a real food, Paleo or AIP-based diet think twice.

Additional (Non-Paleo Friendly) Colonoscopy Prep Recommendations

Non holisitc colonoscopy prep instructions the day before your exam may include:

Drinking Gatorade and Propel to re-hydrate with electrolytes

Sucking on sugary popsicles and candies

Eating Jell-O 

Drinking Kool-Aid and sodas

In other words: Starve. 

You Can Do Anything for a Day

True, your fasting colonoscopy prep diet is really ONLY for a day (you can do anything for a day—even buck your usual “norm”!), but, if you’re NOT used to blood sugar rushes, food dyes and artificial sweeteners, even one day of these things can feel long and agonizing. 

If anything, the MAIN objective of your colonoscopy prep is ONE thing:

Stay hydrated and keep your electrolytes in balance.

—Which is EXACTLY where I personally went wrong. I’ll briefly share with you what I did “wrong” during my Colonoscopy Prep—and how it went down—then give you a play-by-play of steps to take and what to eat in order to have an amazingly easy Colonoscopy.

My Colonoscopy Prep Gone Wrong: What NOT to Do

Long story short: My colonoscopy prep went south QUICKLY because I missed ONE step—I failed to ingest ENOUGH electrolytes during the day!

The result? A midnight trip to the local Emergency Room where I spent 3 hours with  my body in “shock” from dehydration as the ER staff nourished my electrolytes back to balance with an IV pump.

I’ll admit, when I saw the words “Gatorade” + “Miralax” as part of my colonoscopy prep, I did not think TWICE about substituting out water for the Gatorade. 

I don’t remember the last time I drank Gatorade.

However, looking back on it, I understand WHY the docs prescribe the artificially sweetened beverage—electrolytes.

Electrolyte 101

Your body loses a TON of water, sodium and potassium during the Prep do to all the poo you will be doing. If you DON’T have enough of these minerals, then you can bet your bottom dollar that your body will be in shock!

I Went into Shock

Somehow, I managed to make it the whole day, just fine, no real difficulties, minus hating going #2 every 45-60 minutes near the later hours of the day.

However, come 10 pm as I laid my head down on my pillow to rest, it all of a sudden hit me:

Lightheaded and dizzy

Cold sweat on my brow

Heart beating faster

Shortness of breath

I thought I was having a “low blood sugar” dip from not eating all day, so I raced downstairs to try to get some last minute nourishment in before I was restricted from all liquids at midnight for am 7 am procedure. 

Ten-minutes later, I began walking back up the stairs to climb back in bed, and the next thing I knew, I knocked on the door to my mom’s room who was in town to help me out, saying, “Mom, I don’t feel well…” and…

Passing out. On the floor.

To say the least, the event was very traumatic, as I began shaking and convulsing on the floor. 

“Lauryn! Lauryn!” my mom cried, and the next thing I knew, the paramedics and ambulance was there to “save the day.”

The prognosis? Severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.

I was rushed to the ER where I was “rehydrated” and nourished with IV fluids, while hunger pains and lightheadedness still continued (I couldn’t wait to eat) and I was encouraged to stick out the procedure—only a few more hours to go. 

I managed to “make it through,” find out some much-needed information about my own gut health that’s been awry for a LONG TIME —and decide I don’t want to go through that for a LONG TIME.

However, looking back on it all, had I followed the following advice I am about to give you here, I would have been just fine!

The Moral of the Story

In short: Bring on the coconut water, sea salt and Ultima powder! (hydration and electrolytes)

The good news? Yup, you (or I) don’t have to turn to just Gatorade to get these electrolytes.

Don’t let my colonoscopy prep story scare you, but INSTEAD use it to encourage you in HOW to prep for your colonoscopy holistically—especially if you are looking for a Paleo or AIP-friendly approach to doing so. 

Holistic Colonoscopy Prep in 3 Steps—Paleo & AIP Friendly

Step 1: Begin Eating Easy-to-Digest Foods 1-3 Days Before Your Prep Day

This step is not ESSENTIAL, but most folks don’t complain when they DO eat with “easy digestion” in mind 1-3 days leading up to the Colonoscopy Prep Day.

Essentially, this means, avoiding some harder to digest foods like: 

Nuts & Seeds

Raw Veggies & Raw Fruits

Breads, Crusts, Crackers & other Grains/Glutenous Foods

Pork (slower digesting protein)

Aim to eat:

Smoothies

Bananas, cooked apples or pears/apple sauce

Cooked, sautéed and steamed veggies (cauliflower mash, steamed broccoli, sautéed greens, etc.) 

Starchy tubers (cooked and cooled)

Shredded and flaky meats and fish

Pastured eggs (if you tolerate eggs)

Healthy fats (avocados, ghee, butter, coconut butter, etc.)

Some directions will tell you to “AVOID” meats, coconut, avocado and leafy greens, but I found by prepping these well, I had no issues personally with keeping to my usual diet.

Step 2: Stock Up on These Goods & Prep Any Foods You Need

Hit the store a day or two before your prep to ensure you’ve got the goods you need.

Grocery List

Coconut Water

Vital Proteins Collagen Protein or Equip Protein Powder  

Cold Pressed Green Juice

Ultima Lemon Electrolyte Powder  

Bone Broth  

Gelatin & Fresh-Squeezed Juice (NO red, blue or purple)—to make “Jell-O” or popsicles

Sea Salt (add liberally to your broths and juices)

Foods you love for your Post-Colonoscopy meals since you’ll be taking it easy that day. Some ideas:

Green Smoothie: Coconut Milk, 1/2 Banana, 1 Scoop Protein, Greens, 1/2 Avocado

Shredded Chicken, Sweet Potato, Greens, Coconut Butter

Canned Wild Salmon, White Sweet Potato with Ghee, Asparagus

Ground Turkey (sausage), Butternut Hash, Steamed Broccoli

Pastured Eggs (scrambled), Mushrooms, Avocado, Spaghetti Squash

Meatloaf Muffin, Cauliflower Mash

AIP Pumpkin Muffin with Coconut Butter, Chicken Apple Sausage

Chicken & Veggie Bone Broth Soup 

After your grocery run, take an hour or so to prep a few goodies to have on hand for your “Prep Day.” Here are some ideas:

Holistic Recipes for Colonoscopy Prep Day 

Easy Paleo Jell-O by Wellness Mama

Homemade Popsicles-AIP, Paleo

Golden Milk Popsicles by My Heart Beets

The Ultimate Coconut Popsicle by Coconut Mama

Bone Broth Soup by Phoenix Helix

Green Juice by Stupid Easy Paleo  

Step 3: Eat & Drink THIS on Colonoscopy Prep Day

Technically, you are told to stick to liquids only on prep day. In my personal experience however, I ate my typical breakfast of turkey sausage, avocado, pan fried greens and roasted carrots before 9 a.m. on my prep day—and am glad I did because I don’t think I would have made it.

The good thing? I was fully clear by that time and prepped for my 7:00 am procedure. 

Here’s a sample idea of what to eat in the 24-hours leading up to the procedure.

8:30 a.m, (20-24 hours before): Eat a balanced real-foods meal 

12 p.m,: 8-12 oz. Coconut Water or Lite Coconut Milk with Collagen/Protein Powder; Green Juice Prep: Take Ducolax Tablets

1 p.m.: Begin Miralax Prep in Water with Ultima Powder. Drink 8 oz. of the prepared prep

mixture every 15 minutes for a total of 32 oz. (HALF OF PREP MIXTURE). Add a pinch of sea salt to your mix.

3 p.m.: 16-20 oz. Bone Broth with Collagen & Sea Salt, Gelatin “Jell-O” or Popsicles (made with Green Juice)

4 p.m.: Take 2 Ducolax Tablets with some Coconut Water & Sea Salt

5 p.m. Prep #2: Drink 8 oz. of the prepared prep mixture in Ultima every 15 minutes until the last 32 oz. are finished. Add a pinch of Sea Salt to your mix. 

6 or 7 p.m.: 16-20 oz. Bone Broth with Collagen & Sea Salt, “Jell-O” or Popsicles

9:30 or 10 p.m.:Ultima Powder in Water or more Jell-O or Bone Broth if “hungry”

Aim to “eat” every 2-3 hours, and drink liquids with electrolytes throughout the day. You will be “liquid full,” but to keep hunger at bay, incorporate collagen and protein via broth or powder in the day. 

Bonus: Day of the Colonoscopy 

You can’t eat or drink anything (except maybe suck on some ice chips), the day OF the colonoscopy (at least 2-4 hours before the procedure) so your food doesn’t mess with the anesthesia. 

That said, I KNEW I was pretty hungry going into my colonoscopy, so went ahead an prepared my post-procedure meal—one of my faves:

Post-Colonoscopy Meal

Ground Turkey Patty with smashed Avocado

Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Pan-Sauteed Greens in Coconut Oil

—My doc said I could go back to eating regular foods as tolerated, and I was able to tolerate this just fine. 

As a back up, I kept a Banana with Coconut Butter, Green Juice and simple Beef Isolate Protein Powder to mix up on hand IN CASE I couldn’t stomach food…but I was golden (and never as happy to eat again as I was after everything was said and done).

The End

Voila! 

Before you know it, your colonoscopy will come and go, and you’ll be back to your norm—doing what you love to do. 

My GREATEST colonoscopy “mishap” was NOT drinking enough electrolytes during the day (since I thought water could replace Gatorade). Had I ensured I got my electrolytes in through coconut water and more holistic powders (like Ultima), I believe my experience would have been a breeze!

After the procedure, I slept for about 2-3 hours on the couch at home after eating—so thankful to be well-fed—and then popped up, ready to start the day!

While I did take the day off from my usual routine (driving, gym, etc.), I did go to town with spring cleaning my apartment, stretching at home with my own yoga practice and working on my latest book outside in the beautiful spring sunshine. 

You will be JUST FINE and live to tell about it…just don’t forget to hydrate 🙂 

The post How to Prep for a Colonoscopy Naturally? appeared first on Meet Dr. Lauryn.

Source/Repost=> https://drlauryn.com/hormones-metabolism/how-to-prep-for-a-colonoscopy-naturally/ ** Dr. Lauryn Lax __Nutrition. Therapy. Functional Medicine ** https://drlauryn.com/

[spidertots]

Double Helix [ 1 ]

Pairing: Peter Parker / Female OC Word count: 1,730 Warnings: Fluff, swearing Summary: Dinner, red cheeks, and a red and blue suit.  A/N: Zinnia ( @delicatetony ) and me ( @starksparker ) have been working on this series for months and now it’s here. This is the first book in the series. Yeah there’s more to come. Anyway, if you want to be tagged in this book, comment, reply, send an ask, whatever works and we’ll tag you in the upcoming chapters. We update every Thursday starting today. Follow this account for updates, etc. Drop a line in our ask box if you have any questions and/concerns.  prt. 2, prt. 3 Series masterlist

The sun was still shining brightly above the New York city of Queens as MJ made her way to her best friend, Peter Parker’s, house. The sun was still warm against her skin as it was just nearly the fall. She walked down the sidewalk, cars passing by, the hum of the car motors being a faint noise just above the music playing through her earbuds. Walking to Peter’s was always something she enjoyed, especially after a day of the robotics club. She’d go to Peter and brag about whatever she had done to improve what her group had been working on and Peter always listened, even when he didn’t quite understand what she was rambling on about.

This day would be different.

MJ reached his apartment building. Taking in the sight of the stories high, brick building. Small shrubs line bits of the entrance with flowers that would become dormant until the following spring. Her feet hit the worn sidewalk as she entered the building, making her way to the elevator she’s been in a thousand times in the time she’d been friends with Peter. The elevator creaked and jolted as it rose to Peter’s floor, MJ’s palms growing slightly clammy as the elevator came to a stop.

Her heart sped up as she reached the brown door to Peter’s apartment. She closed her fist and knocked three times only for the door to swing open a few seconds later. May was beaming down at her with a soft reflection on her glasses.

“MJ! You’re here. Come in,” May opened the door wide enough for her to enter. “Peter! MJ is here.”

“Right, right. Coming, Aunt May!” Peter hollered from his room, his voice only being followed by a loud thud. Both MJ and May let out a sigh as May closes the door behind them. “I’m fine.” Peter groans as he walks down the hallway, rubbing his forehead. “H-hey, MJ.” Peter smiles, a pink hue decorating his cheeks.

MJ smiles softly, “Peter.” She turns towards May, who was watching them intently. “So, uh, thanks for having me over Aunt May.” She raised an eyebrow at the bemusement in May’s eyes but ignored it to avoid an awkward conversation.

“Of course! I know your parents have to work and you’re here all the time anyway.” May lets out a soft laugh as the three of them make their way to the kitchen. “You might as well just have dinner with us.”

“Thanks either way. It’s nice coming to a place that isn’t completely barren.” MJ takes a seat across from May and next to Peter.

“I’ll be right back,” May announces, walking over to the stove to get the food, leaving MJ alone with Peter.

“So, how was your day?” MJ asked, her fingers tapping a tune on the mahogany dinner table. “How was your internship?” She asked in a faux apathetic voice, a poor attempt to disguise her excitement and curiosity.

“Oh, my internship.” Peter diverts his eyes anywhere and everywhere besides MJ. “It was good.” He nods, trying to act cool, calm, and collected.

“Just, good?” MJ questions, her eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion.

“Yep,” he answers. “Hey, you need any help May?” Peter stands abruptly, leaving behind a very annoyed but slightly confused MJ.

MJ huffs, “Weirdo.”

A minute later, Peter walks in holding a large bowl of spaghetti and places it in the middle of the table, a green pronged spoon sticking out from the dish. May follows right behind with a small pot of red sauce and a basket of garlic bread. Once May and Peter take their places,  MJ is first to get her food since she’s the guest. Peter followed suit as MJ pours red sauce over the top of her plain spaghetti. After May gets her food, the three are finally able to start digging in.

“This is really good, May.” MJ smiles after taking swallowing her first bite of her first homemade meal of the week.

“Thank you, MJ.” May sends a sweet smile to MJ, glancing to Peter.

“Yeah, really good, May.” Peter nods, his mouth still partially full of food.

The rest of the dinner passed by without any issues. MJ noticed the odd looks May kept throwing at her, she looks over at Peter to see if he knew why only to have him blushing down at his plate in response to her questioning glance. It was rather endearing, but it annoyed her to be out of the loop.

Once done, she offered to help clean the dishes but May shook her head.

“It’s getting pretty late. If you’re going to head home, you should go soon before it gets darker.” May looks over her shoulder, “Peter can walk you to the subway.”

Peter sputtered in the background but agreed.

“Hey,” MJ walks up to Peter, leaving May to finish the dishes. “Do you have a hoodie or a sweater? It’s gonna be cold since there’s no sun…” MJ looks over to one of the windows were the blinds were still partially open.

“Uh, yeah, just in my ro-room.” Peter stutters as he jerks his head in the direction of his room.

The two of them make their way to Peter’s room where he opens the closet door, MJ watching his every move thanks to his and May’s strange behavior. Before Peter could close the door, MJ spots a familiar article of clothing.

“Hey, what’s that?” She quirks a brow and pushes past Peter to grab the blue and red clothing piece. Her jaw drops as her eyes nearly bulge out of her head with the sight of the suit. “You’re Spider-Man?”

“What?” Peter almost yells. “No!” He yanks the suit from her hands. “Wh-what makes you think I’m Spider-Man?”

“Well, the fact that you’re getting defensive over the red and blue onesie hidden inside your closet.” MJ attempts to grab the fabric, Peter clutches it close to his chest. “Dude, come on. Is it a costume?”

Peter nodded stiffly, “Uh, yeah. Just getting ready for Halloween..”

“It’s not even Fall yet, Peter.” MJ crossed her arms. “Try again.”

He finally sighed and threw the suit on his bed. MJ walked over to it, examining the fabric with curious eyes. Her fingers itching to touch the suit but not doing so in case it crosses the line in boundaries.

“So,” MJ slowly turns her head to side-eye Peter. “You’re really Spider-Man? I mean this is the suit.” She nods, pointing to the suit, using all the strength in her not to touch it and examine every inch of it. “This is the suit. Like, you can shoot webs and, wait.” She reaches to his nightstand and grabs a Gatorade bottle, whipping it at his head. Peter catches it instantly, it not even moving the loose strands of his hair. Her jaw falls open.

“Look,” Peter rushes to his door and shuts it softly. “You can’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Does Ned know? Who knows? What about May? She has to know. No, she can’t know because she’d-” MJ rambles with wide eyes and disbelief.

“Yeah, she’d kill me and she wouldn’t let me do it anymore.” Peter’s words rush out of his mouth cutting her off. “You’re the only one who knows, and uh,” Peter stutters, hesitating to tell her knowing she would immediately bombard him with more questions. “And Mr. Stark.”

A squeak escapes from her mouth. “You were there.” Her voice is full of awe. “You were there in Germany. You fought alongside Iron Man and- holy shit, Peter.” MJ walked over to his bed and sat, her fingers hovering over the suit. “Are you, like, an Avenger or something? Wait! No, did you make this suit?”

“Uh, n-no. Mr. Stark made it.” As soon as the words left his mouth MJ was practically bouncing on her heels. “What?” He raised an eyebrow.

“The Mr. Stark made your suit! That’s what!” She yells, tossing her hands in the air. “Holy shit! What.” A million questions rush through her head as she tries to find just one to ask. “How did it happen? Like, how did he find you? And what does your suit do? I mean, obviously I saw in like videos obviously, but what’s it do? And Tony Stark made your suit! You are wearing something that Tony freaking Stark made!” She walks up to Peter and places her hands on his shoulders. “Tony Stark, Peter. Why are you not freaking out?”

“Uh,” Peter’s eyes widen as he tries to find any word to fill in the blank but nothing. “Uh, I, well-”

“Peter!” She bounces on her toes, shaking him slightly with all of her excitement bubbling too much to sit still. “You have to tell me everything!”

“No one is even supposed to know.” Peter’s voice cracks with a soft whine.

“Okay, cool story, but now I do so now you have to tell me everything! And you have to tell Ned! Do you know what Ned-”

“No!” Peter yells. “No one else can know, MJ, please!” His jaw clenches with touches of panic.

“But Ned is your best friend! I’m your best friend and he’s gonna be so pissed if I know and he doesn’t!”

The sound of dishes clattering in the background caught their attention. A muffled ‘oops!’ was heard.

“Fuck, that scared me.” MJ exhaled. “Look, I get it. You’re not supposed to tell anyone. It’s your secret to tell, not mine. I’m just suggesting you allow Ned to know. I mean, it’s eating you alive, Pete. You can’t even look me in the eye half of the time.”

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. Peter’s cheeks started to turn a darker shade of red. MJ bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing. It was sweet. He’s sweet, but knowing Peter, he’d assume she was laughing at him for all the wrong reasons.

With a sigh, Peter crossed his arms. “Fine, I’ll tell him.” Before MJ could cheer, he cut her off. “But you have to be there for it.”

MJ laughed; she wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Dude, do you honestly think I would miss that? No way, I’m there with popcorn and binoculars.”

Peter rolled his eyes, “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow.” MJ nodded. “So… tell me about Tony Stark.”