#so today i took my regular pancake recipe

[ainawgsd]

I'm excited to give my coworkers their Christmas bags this week! In addition to the gingerbread pancake mix (complete with a tiny jar of molasses in case they don't have any at home) they're getting a mini fruitcake, a jar of applebutter made from the apples we harvested from our own trees, and some beef jerkey bites.

[themonotonysyndrome]

REDACTED verse - Those that stood above the rest

Summary: Everyone in D.A.M.N simp for the power couple at least a little bit - the Vampire Prince of Dahlia and the Electro Energetic. Gavin and the Freelancer would be lying if they said they haven't been watching them... respectfully. 

TW: [Swearing], [Profanity], [Explicit implications courtesy of Gavin, of course] & [Oblivious narrators]

Apologies for any grammatical or spelling errors because I wrote this the whole night and only edited it once. I’ll do the editing process again tomorrow morning.

-

Life as a student in D.A.M.N is nothing like regular colleges or universities. While the environment is hectic with exams, assignments and teachers with sticks up their asses - there's also a hint of craziness thrown into the mix. You can never really predict how your day would go here in the academy, and to most of the students, it's the typical college experience you'll get everywhere. Just... taken to the next level. 

That's what you get for a magical academy, after all. 

An Air Elemental would accidentally shatter the windows in a classroom with a powerful gust of wind on a random ass Tuesday because she was laughing too hard. A Graviton Energetic would sneeze, and suddenly, the gravity in the music room would stick the instruments on the ceilings. The entire soccer team would fall flat on the grassy field, snoozing because the Serenity Daemon playing as the Goalkeeper uses too much magic to calm their anxious Sweeper during his first play with the team. 

With so many Empowered creatures of all kinds attending D.A.M.N, there's never a dull moment. You learned that the moment a loud growl came from the Debate Club on your second week as a student. A Wolf Shifter had gotten into a heated argument with a Vampire about the toppings that should and shouldn't be on a pizza. 

So yeah, typical college life with magic thrown into your daily shenanigans. 

Today, you can't help but wonder what sort of excitement would occur as the large clock above the lecture hall ticks by, counting down the second before the class is over. 

You check the clock and sigh. Just ten more minutes to go, but it feels like time is creeping forward at such a snail-like pace. Tapping your pen on the open notebook laid before you rather irritability, you just want the lecturer to stop yammering already so you can grab lunch at the food truck parked outside of campus. 

Something gently knocks against your knuckle. You tilt your head to the side and meet with Damien's unamused stare; it looks like this is the third time he caught you losing focus in class. 

"I told you to grab a snack before class started." Damien whispers, mindful to keep his voice even so the lecturer won't catch them chatting. Sadism Daemons are scary when you piss them off, and the way the lecturer's eyes sweep through the students is more than enough to have them all shut the hell up the moment he begins their topic of the day. 

"I was meeting up with Lasko and we lost track of time." You hiss back. Yesterday you made a promise to catch up with the Air Elemental before your first class started to organise the date and invitations for the next game night. Once Lasko starts talking about the things he's comfortable with, he loses his stutter and launches into an animated one-sided conversation. You didn't have the heart to stop him, not when he looks so happy and cute. 

Buying that Arkham Horror board game was the right purchase to surprise him with. 

While your mind replays the morning you spend with Lasko, Damien rolls his eyes. "Of course you did. Here." He pushes his coffee cup towards you. His fingers linger on the cup for a few seconds to make sure that the coffee remains hot enough to drink. 

You grab the cup, grateful for his consideration, and take a big swing. The coffee settles pleasantly in your stomach as warmth spreads within your body. 

You're more a tea drinker - the classic Early Grey and Gunpowder Green - but at this instance, coffee would hopefully kick your focus back into gear. 

"Thanks, Damien." You said before passing the cup back to him. You peeked at his notebook and wasn't surprised to find that it's packed with notes written in different coloured pens. "Hey, want to grab lunch together after this?" 

Damien switched the yellow pen for a red one when the lecturer mentioned something about a topic for the upcoming test. You absentmindedly wondered if it's worth your life stealing his notebook. "Sure. What are you in the mood for?" He asked. 

Finally, the lecturer dismisses the class. Chatters erupt as students pack up while some scurry over to the podium to ask a few questions.

You lean against your seat to stretch your back; your notebooks and stationery are already in your school backpack. You're just waiting for Damien now. "I'm craving for a burger and some cheesy loaded fries with a boba tea." God, just thinking about it is already enough to make your mouth watered. 

Being a health nut, Damien throws you a judgemental look at your food choice as you two made your way towards the main campus entrance. He easily follows your lead through a crowd of students, and Damien even gently pulls you closer to his side when a student whizzes by on her skateboard. 

With so many people talking and laughing around you and Damien, you can't help but hear the conversations hovering around you. 

"...had class with them yesterday? Dude, you're so lucky! Did you sit beside them!?" 

"Are you fucking crazy? No! I sat two rows behind them, but it was enough to smell their perfume. God, they're so gorgeous - I couldn't focus the entire time!" 

"I've heard a few players from the Earth Elemental team tried to invite them to their party this weekend, but they were shot down. Apply cold water on burned area." 

"Well, duh. You can't just walk up to them like that! They're one of the hottest people in this academy."

"Yeah, but those players are in one of the most well-respected sports teams in all of Dahlia, and even they can't stand a chance against them!"

Students parted ways as you and Damien approached the gates. Rows of food trucks parked across the street with tables and chairs placed about. The conversations tapered off behind you, along with the hubbub of the academy. You have a pretty good idea of whom those students were talking about. It's been a topic surrounding the academy ever since the start of the new academic year. 

Even as an introvert who prefers to hover to your few but close group of friends, you couldn't escape the latest academy gossip.

"Finally, I thought my ears would've fallen off before we could escape," Damien mutters. It's a cloudy Wednesday; dark clouds are rolling above them with an occasional burst of strong breeze cutting through. "You'd think they would just give it a rest already." 

The food truck you and Damien stop by displays a menu with a wide variety of food and drinks. From burgers to pasta and desserts ranging from ice-creams to Thai banana pancakes, your stomach begins to growl. You place your order in a hurry, whereas Damien selects a hearty sandwich stuffed with juicy and tender slices of slow-smoked beef brisket with veggies of his choice and chipotle mayo in between two crusty loaves with a bottle of water. 

You and Damien grab your meals to sit at one of the vacant tables and enjoy lunch together. Good food and good company - what more could you ask for? Well, other than Damien's tsk-ing and wiping the barbecue sauce that smudged the corner of your cheek like the mother hen he constantly denies to be. 

"Can't you eat your food properly, Freelancer? You're getting your fingers dirty too. Give me your hand." Damien demanded halfway through his sandwich. You grin impishly and offer your left hand for Damien to wipe with some tissue while the other is holding a burger. The thick sauce begins to drip. 

Soon enough, a familiar voice shouts at them from across the street. 

"Yo, Damien! Freelancer! Are you guys, like, having lunch? Can I join!?" 

You can't help but beam and wave your hand (that was still holding the burger) high up when Huxley crosses over. Damien squawked with eyes wide in horror when the barbecue sauce got all over the table. He hurried to wipe the table clean while you greeted Huxley. 

"Hi, Huxley! Are you grabbing lunch too? Take a seat, man!" 

"Thanks a bunch, dude. It's been a while since I hung out with you two." 

"We literally had a class together two days ago." 

"Two days too long, Damien. I miss you guys." 

"Aww, that's super sweet of you, Hux!"

"Oh, for the love of - just go buy something already before the next class starts." 

Huxley happily gives Damien two thumbs up before grabbing his food and drink. When he returned to their table, he brought a tray of smoothie consisting of kale, spinach, banana, orange, and vanilla blended into green mush in a plastic cup and a plate of vegan quesadillas. 

The moment Huxley sat down, you took a sip of his drink and made a face. 

"Yeah, I ask them to hold back on the honey because I like the vanilla more," Huxley explains before tucking in. "Oh! But I can ask them to add more honey if you want. That’s like, totally cool." 

You quickly shake your head and clean your palate with your sweet boba tea. "It's cool, Hux. Just wanted to try a sip. You're really into these crazy healthy smoothies." 

"They're the bomb, dude. My Mums introduced a few recipes to me when I was a kid, and I basically hooked ever since." The Earth Elemental explains after gulping down a good chunk of the green goo. 

"Yeah, well, with the calories you burned up during practice, I guess you can't go wrong with smoothies," Damien added thoughtfully. His sandwich is all gone. He props an elbow on the table and cradles his face in one open palm. "Anyway, what's up, Huxley? Anything new happened?" 

"Nah, it's been nothing but the same shit lately. Classes, assignments and practices for the upcoming Elemental & Energetic Games - normal stuff. What about you guys?" 

"More or less the same." Damien replies, soundly ignoring your "We're hitting the tournament arc!" outburst. "Planning to organise a study group for the upcoming tests. I expect the two of you will be joining, by the way." 

At Damien's words, Huxley beams brighter. Any brighter, you'd need a pair of sunglasses. "For real, dude!? You're like, the best friend ever, Damien! C'mere - lemme give you a hug!" 

You snicker when despite Damien's frantic protest, Huxley shoot up from his chair and quickly hugs the Fire Elemental tightly before he has the chance to weasel away. 

Also, you didn't miss the chance to snap a quick picture of them to show Gavin tonight. 

Unaware of your phone, Damien grumbled when Huxley finally released him, and they sat down again. The three of you continue to chat about everything and anything. Soon, the topic shifts from tests to plans for the weekend. 

Huxley snapped his fingers when you mentioned Lasko's gaming night and the tabletop game you recently bought for him so they could all play together. 

"I totally forgot about the party! A few guys in my team are having a party this Saturday, and I want to invite you guys and Lasko. Oh! Gavin too! It's going to be a blast, and on Sunday, we can play that new board game."

You and Damien exchange a glance. "Sounds fun. Actually, we've heard about the party just now. How many people are your team members inviting?" You asked, curious. 

Huxley takes a moment to ponder before shrugging. He's nearly done with this food. "It's supposed to be just with a few close friends. Nothing too crazy, you know? After the last party that ended with fireworks exploding in someone's bedroom, they want to keep it lowkey." 

"Huh. Close friends, but they tried to invite a certain Energetic," Damien interjects. "What's up with that?" 

"You heard about that too?" Huxley replied, surprise coloured his tone. "Word travel like, super-fast around campus! It happened, like, yesterday morning!" 

Damien let out an annoyed groan and ran a palm down his face. "I think it's safe to say that everyone in this fucking academy is talking about it and nothing else. God, no matter where you go, you can't escape it." 

You pat Damien's arm in a comforting manner. "They're hot and popular; people will be talking about them until we all graduate." 

"And if it isn't them, people would be talking about their boyfriend," Huxley pointed out, stirring his smoothie languidly. Huxley smiles and offers it to you when you critically stare at it for a tad too long. Against your better judgement, you try again. 

Blek! It still tastes the same! Huxley just chuckles and finishes the rest of the smoothie while you seek solace with your boba tea again. 

"Besides, it's not often you see an Energetic and Vampire couple walking around," Huxley continued. "I think they're living together too. I mean, that's what I heard." 

"Don't tell me you also have a crush on them."  

Before Huxley could say anything, you tentatively raise your hand as if you guys are in class. Now you bear Damien's annoyed glance. "I was kinda hardcore crushing on them and their boyfriend before Gavin and I officially got together. They keep to themselves and their boyfriend most of the time, but they're super nice in classes." 

The Elemental and Energetic courses often have classes that intermingle every week. However, they're primarily compulsory lessons like magical history, laws regarding coverts and taxonomy of various Empowered creatures. 

So you're practically classmates with the hottest Electro Energetic in the academy and had even sat beside them a few times during class. Unlike many of the students who simp for them at a distance. 

The power couple of D.A.M.N is certainly interesting, to say the least. 

You narrowed your eyes at Damien when he refused to let up his disappointed stare. "Don't lie to me. You simp for them too." 

Damien huffs and crosses his arms. "Both of them look good, alright. Anyone with a working pair of eyes could tell from a mile away. They're gorgeous, and the Vampire is hot - so what?" 

"They're both super strong too." Huxley unknowingly throws more wood into the fire. 

By the time their lunch ended, Damien had demanded they talk about something else, so you jump into plans for the weekend. Party on Saturday and a gaming session on Sunday. 

Typical college life.

-

When the time on your phone displays 10.30 PM in glaring bright light and you're still on campus, you know what death feels like. 

It's quiet in the cafeteria, save for a small group of students huddled together around tables scattered in various places. Their heads are hunched down as they go over textbooks and assignments. One of the students happens to be a Vampire judging from the blood bag beside his laptop. 

A red swirly straw juts out of the bag, and for a brief moment of exhaustion, you entertain the image of the student sipping the blood bag as if it was a Capri Sun. 

Just like those students, the reason why you've stayed late in the academy's cafeteria is because of assignments. You know that if you bring your homework back home with you, you won't get any of it done. It's better to stay here and slough through them instead. 

Damien would scold and drag you home if he knew. Huxley would be sad and plead for you to rest, and Lasko would put on his guidance counsellor voice and advise you that a good night's sleep would help you think better. 

The boys mean well, and you love them for it, but you know yourself better than anyone. If you don't finish these assignments tonight, you would just procrastinate until the deadline punches you right in the face. 

You sigh and rub your temple in frustration. You've made good progress so far, but there's still a few left and you want to complete them all before going home. So you resume writing down the essay about the importance of convert and the Department on your laptop, fingers deftly flying all over the keyboard. 

Nighttime at D.A.M.N is not as busy as it is in the morning. The students that are going in and out of classes are mostly Vampires and nocturnal animal Shifters. The academy's faculties are also lesser in terms of numbers compared to their morning counterpart. 

Twice you've experienced the nightlife at D.A.M.N, and tonight would be your third. You wondered if Gavin is at home already. Hopefully, you can return to the apartment before him. Better wrap this up, then. 

The steady rhythm of your fingers on the keyboard and quiet discussion from the group of students slowly lull you to sleep. Hang in there just a little more! 

The sound of a Daemon Rifting into this world startles you awake. 

"Here you are, Deviant," Gavin said, his ordinarily seductive voice laced with conceal anger. Oh shit, you're in trouble now. "I thought we talked about this." 

You have no choice but to face him. Gavin looks devastatingly as sexy as ever; his black t-shirt snugly fits his body to the point that it showcases his biceps tastefully. A pair of dark blue jeans that he just so happens knows will get your heart racing and accompanied by a pair of shiny black Doc Martens boots. A rainbow-coloured bead bracelet is on his right wrist; a gift from Caelum. 

You would've swoon at the sight of him if you weren't seconds away from face planting on your laptop. 

So instead, you greet him with a, "Whaaa... Gavin?" You rub your eyes and blink at him. "W-What are you doing here? I thought you'd be - " You break out a yawn before sighing. "At home by now." 

"Funny. I thought the same thing about you but colour me surprised when Caelum reached out to me while I was grocery shopping — saying that you aren't home even when it's close to midnight." Gavin explains and tilts his head to the spread of books you have before you. "So, want to explain why you're at the campus cafeteria right now instead of in our bed?" 

The gears in your head are scrambling to come up with an excuse that's good enough to appease Gavin. So lost in your thoughts that you didn't hear the whispers coming from the nearby students. 

"That's the main boyfriend..." 

"Holy fuck, an Incubus? Damn, they're insatiable!" 

"How often do you think they have orgies? Twice a week?" 

" - collecting them like Pokemon!" 

Oh fuck it, you can't come up with anything decent. "I'm nearly done with my assignments, Gavin." You assured the worried Incubus. "Just need to write down a few more paragraphs..." 

Gavin is undeterred. "Freelancer, we talked about this. It's not healthy that you're making a habit of staying over at campus late at night because of assignments. You're going to burn out like this." 

Well yeah, you could feel your body is already seconds away from collapsing but like hell would you admit that to your boyfriend. It's been a long day and an even longer evening. It's a good thing that tomorrow's the weekend. 

Gavin startles you once more by leaning against the table and cupping your face in his large hands, so you're forced to look straight into his eyes. He's many things, but to those he deeply trusts and loves, his eyes would always betray the worry and concern he has for you and Caelum; even if his words aren't as forthcoming at times. "My stubborn, enticing Deviant... Are you being a brat again? Not listening to your Dom like you should be?" He purrs. 

All of a sudden, your throat suddenly feels like sandpaper, and your heart skips a beat at Gavin's tone. You're very familiar with that tone - it always promises punishment and pleasure mixed together until nothing else exists except for your boyfriend. 

But the question now is, how far can you actually push him. So with Gavin still refusing to release your face, you swallow and reply as nonchalantly as you can, "Oh, I don't know about enticing, Gavin. I-I mean, I've been running around campus the whole day. Probably have some barbecue sauce stain on my jacket and - Ow!" 

You puff out your cheeks when Gavin pinched them. 

"Are you purposely trying to test me, Freelancer? You know that just means more fun for me, and you tie up and helpless on the bed, right?" Gavin is all too happy to remind you, cocking one eyebrow at your impertinence. No doubt he already has your punishment in mind when the two of you are home. 

But you're not going to budge that easily. Sensing your stubbornness, Gavin lets you go and unleashes his ultimate move with a sigh. 

"I can see the Knots on you, Freelancer, and if I can see them, Caelum can too. I'm not covering your ass when he comes over for breakfast tomorrow and starts crying." 

You gasp and immediately recoil. "Low blow Gavin!" You counter, but you know that he speaks the truth. Your heart will literally break if you're the reason that Caelum cries. 

Gavin smirks when you switch off your laptop. He helps put your things away and offers a hand to you. With a small smile, you let yourself be gently pulled up by him and sling your backpack over a shoulder. 

"Are you hungry?" Gavin asked as the two of you stepped into the large hallway, hand-in-hand. "I didn't manage to make anything when I put the groceries away, but I can whip something up real quick when we get home." 

It's a sweet gesture, and you made sure that he knows how much you appreciate it by squeezing his hand. Ever since you two started living together, Gavin is determined to feed you properly. According to him, it's only fitting since you've constantly been feeding him too. "I'm more sleepy than hungry." You reply after a yawn. "I'll just eat a big breakfast tomorrow." 

"I'll hold you to it. Also, look alive, Deviant. Hottie approaching at 12 O'clock." 

That got your attention immediately, and snapped your eyes forward. Your jaw would've dropped if it weren't for Gavin lightly nudging your side when you saw who was walking towards the two of you. 

It's them — the Electro Energetic that became the talk around campus. 

They're as breathtaking as ever, even after a whole day of classes and club activities. Not a single hair out of place and clothes unruffled. Their body language stood out to you; their gait is a little hesitant but friendly, while their eyes are kind. 

It's easy to see why so many people harbour crushes on them, and you've always been a sucker for cute faces. 

When they finally approach you, they pull out a pair of wireless white earbuds from their ears. That's when you hear intense music playing:

It's the Pumpkin Patch King 

With the corpse with the ring

And she'd fuck my best friend if I die here today...

"Um, hi. Good evening. I'm sorry for bothering you guys so late like this. Are you heading home?" They inquire tentatively. 

Gavin waits for you to take the lead. "Hey, man. Yeah, we kind of are, actually. Want us to walk you home?" You could feel how pleased Gavin is beside you. The offer just crosses your mind, and besides, it's not nice to walk alone this late at night. 

That's what you're telling yourself despite the small part in your brain whispered that walking them home would be a great step of getting to know them better. It's just a harmless crush anyway. 

Unfortunately, they decline the offer. "I'm waiting for someone, actually, but when I saw you, I wanted to talk for a bit." 

Your heart skips a beat for a second time tonight. They specifically sought you out? You? When they've never done so towards anyone before? 

"O-Oh," You embarrassingly squeak, clutching Gavin's hand tighter.

The Electro Energetic nod. They tilt their head like an indulged, curious cat and god, that simple gesture shouldn't look so hot. "I don't know if you notice me, but we share Covert Laws - "

If you notice them? If you notice them!? They have a stronger presence than the lecturers themselves! They radiate magic like thunderstorms - intimidating, powerful and commanding that you have no choice but to submit to it. 

Sitting beside them was an experience and a half! There's no way an Empowered creature could ignore them despite their quiet demeanour! 

" - and I was wondering if you would like to be partners for the final project this year? Um, I heard that you're really good in that class, and I promise to pull my weight with the research and - "

You don't know how to react. Is this really happening? One of the most popular students in the academy wanted to be your project partner? You thought this sort of situation only occurs in animes! 

"They'd love to." Gavin smoothly answers when you're too shocked to say anything. "It's always nice to make new friends after all. Especially with a walking wet dream such as yourself." Here, he purposely pauses to appraise the Electro Energetic. 

Just like his Freelancer, Gavin has heard all about this Empowered human and even basks in the delicious energy coming from the thoughts and emotions his partner has for them. As an Incubus and their boyfriend, it's hilarious that his Deviant thought he's not aware of their crush. It's cute. 

Hmm... it'll be nice if he and the Freelancer could invite the Energetic and their Vampire lover into their bed one of these days. Regardless if they've been Marked; honestly, that just made the couple as appealing as the biblical Forbidden Fruit. 

And besides, Gavin has a strong feeling that the Freelancer wouldn't oppose the idea. It'll be the perfect anniversary present for his Deviant. 

"...Was that supposed to be a compliment?" They ask warily. Oops, looks like he's coming on a little too strongly. Time to take it down a notch. 

"It's whatever you want it to be. Anyway, now that you guys are... partners, what say you get to know us better, hmm? My lover has been eager to be friends with you." Gavin explains. You whip your head at him incredulously. Is he seriously doing what you think he's doing!? "I'm Gavin, by the way. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." 

The Energetic look confused, and you can't blame them. You need to save them before Gavin proposes something as crazy as an orgy on your behalf! 

You laugh awkwardly, bringing their attention to you. "Right! Partners! I'd love to be yours - I-I mean, uh, for school stuff! Yeah! Can we exchange numbers?" 

"Smooth, Deviant." Gavin teases. Something caught his interest, not that you notice as you and the Energetic trade contact information. They compliment the cute picture you have as your Home Screen (it's a selfie shot of you and Gavin, Lasko, Damien and Huxley during the previous game night. It's a shame that Caelum couldn't appear), and in return, you ask where did they buy their sick phone cover. 

While they still feel like the human embodiment of a fierce thunderstorm, it's nice to have a casual conversation with them. They're thoughtful, kind and fun that you soon find yourself calming down a little. 

"Not to cut this riveting conversation short, but are you sure that you don't want us to walk you home? It's getting really late, and we're more than happy to have you crash at our place for the night." Gavin interjects with a seductive grin, eyes half-lidded. 

"Umm..." 

Whoa, what happened to being friendly, Gavin!? You shoot him a look; he's going to drive them away! 

"We have an extra guest room at our apartment." You hurried to explain. "So it's totally cool if your place is far away or something." 

Their hesitation melts to understanding. The last thing that you want is a misunderstanding between you two. 

"You guys are sweet, but I'll be alright. Actually, I'm about to leave the campus too. I'm just going to hang out at the cafeteria until he arrives." They said. You have a pretty good idea who 'he' is judging by their soft smile. 

Gavin, for some reason, amp up his game. With a smirk, he cajoles, "Since he hasn't shown up yet, how about you hang out with us for a bit? There's a bar not too far from here - "

You flinched, and Gavin automatically shuts up and pulls you close to his side when a Vampire appears behind the Electro Energetic. It was so sudden that his appearance was a blur at first. 

"Vincent? You're done with class already?" They blink. An arm snaked around their waist as the Vampire pulled his Mate close to his chest. The Energetic had to crane their head up slightly to look at him. 

He's as tall as Gavin. Dressed in a casual black coat that screams money with a dark grey shirt accompanied by a pair of black jeans and boots. His silver studs, rings and watch glimmer underneath the fluorescent lights. Everything about this man reminds you of a panther sizing up its prey. 

You gulped. He's currently glaring daggers at you and your boyfriend. You're itching to stutter out a, "This isn't what it looks like!" for some reason. 

Now, ever since you learned about the existence of magic and Empowered creatures, you did your best to be open-minded. Even that whole ordeal with Vega didn't stop you from reaching out to the various Daemons attending the academy. 

However, you haven't managed to befriend a Vampire due to their night classes, and even the few times you stay back like today, most of them are running back and forth through the hallways to catch their next lesson. 

So to be the target of a pissed off Vampire made you uncomfortable. You want to fidget, but Gavin's arm secured around you ease some of that tension. 

"Mm-hmm. I'm on break right now, so I can drive you back home. You done with that talk with your guidance counsellor?" The Vampire inquired, eyes still glued at you and Gavin. 

"All done. We lost track of time when we discussed next semester's timetable for the Energetic course and potential careers once we graduate." His lover explains, unaware of the displeasure rolling off like waves from their boyfriend. "I think I need some time to go over them again. It's a bit much to take in."

The Vampire hums in acknowledgement. "We can go through them together this weekend if you like, Lovely. Maybe we can ask Will for help since he's coming over on Saturday for dinner too." 

Oh, you suppose that's why they reject the Earth Elemental players' invitation to the party. 

But the Vampire wasn't done. He assesses you and Gavin with narrowed eyes as if you were stains on the bottom of his boots. What the hell? "By the way, are these guys bothering you?" 

A chill sweeps through you, sending goosebumps crawling on your skin at the sudden shift of tone. He was warm and affectionate when speaking to his lover, but now? It's colder than ice.

Gavin, whose smirk turns into a shit-eating grin, is utterly unfazed at the Vampire's hostility. In fact, you would go as far as to say that he's relishing it. "We're just keeping your gorgeous Mate company while they're waiting for you. I was just about to propose that we move the conversation to a bar so we could all get to know one another a lot more... intimately." 

Oh god, they're so fucked. You have no idea why your boyfriend is trying to start shit up, but you're too tired to deal with this drama. So again, you try to salvage the situation. 

"Just as friends!" You quickly butt in. "We decide to be partners for an assignment in Covert Laws, so hanging out at a bar sounds like a good idea as friends." You're sprouting bullshits at this point, but you hope it's enough to save both of your asses. You also made sure to emphasise the word 'friends'. 

The Vampire quickly looks at the Energetic for confirmation, and they readily nod. His aggressive body posture relaxes somewhat, but he's still wary of you and Gavin. 

Maybe this is the best time to introduce yourself to him. 

"Uh, it's a little silly that we didn't introduce ourselves right away, but I'm a Freelancer." You mutter out rather awkwardly. Should you offer a hand to him? 

Gavin saves you from doing so. "And I’m their boyfriend, Gavin. An Incubus." 

"...Vincent Solaire." The Vampire - Vincent - reluctantly replies. 

Wait - his surname sounds familiar, though. You think you heard it in one of the classes about the supernatural factions in Dahlia... It's on the tip of your tongue... 

"Oh, we've heard all about you, Your Highness." Gavin slyly quips. "You and your lover are quite the celebrities around here." 

Holy shit. Solaire! The most powerful Vampire clan in the city! You remember now; the King has two progeny - A Vampire Princess & Prince. You didn't expect the Energetic boyfriend to be the Prince himself! What a twist! 

"Celebrities?" The Energetic - Lovely, as Vincent calls them - pipes up in confusion. The way their eyebrows furrow is adorable, but you wisely keep that to yourself. 

They really are a mesmerising couple. You detect the perfume that lingers around Lovely is sweet and misty. It's calming yet so light that it dances just out of your reach; like a coy lover. Slowly driving you mad with desire. Vincent's cologne reminds you of husk and cedar. Subtle, but once you catch a whiff of it, it'll stay within your mind for hours on end. Wondering if that particular scent will ever return - like the perfect one night stand. 

It says a lot about the couple. 

"We haven't done anything wrong." Vincent Solaire stated, voice as hard as steel. "I don't know why you're trying to rile us up, Incubus, but I don't appreciate you and your lover hitting on my Mate when I made it clear that I Mark them." 

Ooooh, he's jealous! Wait - did you come across as flirty to him!? Did Gavin purposely flirt with Lovely to make Vincent jealous? You've completely lost the plot. 

"Consider it as an act of public service," Gavin answers, easily brushing off the Vampire Prince's irritability. "Besides, how can I not when you both are half of the student body's recent fantasies." 

Lovely 'eeped' when Vincent bare his fangs at your boyfriend. "Back off, Gavin. Lovely is mine. Not yours or the Freelancer's." 

Whoa, whoa! A severe misunderstanding is boiling here! No one is stealing Lovely away from him! 

Fortunately, Lovely has gotten tired of the conversation. With a put-out sigh, they pat the arm around their waist to capture Vincent's attention. It worked. "No one is stealing the other's partner, Vince. It's all good; chill. You know you're the only one for me, right?" Here, they peck his cheek. "When did you get so possessive?" 

Vincent grumbled but didn't explain himself, so Lovely just shook their head. 

"Anyway, we better get going before Vincent's next class starts. It was nice meeting you two. I'll text you soon so we can plan on how to tackle that project." 

You give a shaky smile and a thumbs up. "Looking forward to it." 

Immediately after you said that, Vincent bares his fangs to you next. Oh my god, this guy needs to fucking relax! 

"We're going! We're going! C'mon, Vincent. You're driving me home. Now." 

And with that, you watch as Lovely drags the Vampire Prince to the parking lot. It's a strange yet comical sight. You only sigh in relief when they're out of your view. 

"I thought I saw my life flashing before my eyes!" You complain. Those were the single most stressful moments that you’ve encountered— second to Vega invading your home. 

"I think that went well, Deviant." Gavin objected, very pleased with himself. "He's pissed now, but he and his Mate will be thanking us soon." 

So you were right; Gavin purposely flirted with Lovely just to rile Vincent up, and for what? Possessive, sexy time later tonight? Oh, whatever. That's enough drama for one night; you seriously just need to pass out now. 

And with that, the two of you head home without realising your interactions with the power couple of D.A.M.N didn't go by unnoticed by the several students who were hovering close. 

-

"Are you hurting anywhere, Lovely?" 

"I'm alright, Vincent. The hickeys and bruises are healing nicely; my body still feels a bit sore but not enough to cripple me, so stop hovering near the door." 

Vincent guilty did as he’s told and takes a seat on the corner of the bed. He watches you apply some light makeup on your face and neck in front of the vanity table as you're getting ready to head out to the academy. Your outfit compliments your look and, most importantly, hides any patches of skin except for your hands. 

Vincent really went all out last weekend after his night classes ended. It's obvious that Gavin unleashed something within your lover, and you will freely admit that an unrestrained Vincent makes for a very fun and wild night. 

The moment Will came over and realised that Vincent re-Mark you an hour before he arrives, he graciously decided to take a rain check and promise to have dinner with the two of you some other time. 

Once Vincent gets it out of his system, he teased before leaving you gobsmacked and Vincent a blushing mess. 

"You know, your guidance counsellor wouldn't mind if you're absent from classes today, Lovely. Probably." Vincent tries; a part of him doesn't want his Lovely to attend their lessons while their body is still healing. Then again, that part also whispers that the Incubus and his lover would be around them without his supervision. 

Nope. No. Bad Vincent. Lovely is more than capable of taking care of themselves. They don't need him acting like a jealous, clingy boyfriend. 

However, something that the Incubus bothered him. 

"You and your lover are quite the celebrities around here." 

What did he mean by that? He and Lovely had been playing good students the entire time they've been on campus! Their assignments are always delivered on time, grades nothing but above average, and they keep to themselves to avoid any typical college dramas.  

Is it because of his status? For some reason, Vincent feels like it's more complicated than that. What a headache. 

"Maybe, but I did promise the Freelancer that I’ll catch up with them to discuss our project," You commented and spritz your favourite perfume on your wrists and neck. You love this scent, despite it being cheap and common. "Vincent, honey, you're making that face again." 

"It's my face, Lovely." 

"Yeah, well, you have your happy-snappy-neck face again, Vincent." You dryly point out before sitting beside the Vampire. "Did that Incubus really rub you the wrong way?" Your voice is gentle. You didn't get any bad vibes coming from Gavin and the Freelancer - just genuine, harmless, friendly flirting. In a way, you welcome it as their attempts helped you drive your anxiety away. 

God, walking up to them was hard enough. You always feel a little intimidated whenever you're around charismatic people. 

"I don't know... I thought they were making you nervous, and the words that kept coming out of that Daemon's mouth? He knew what he was doing; I just can't figure out what or why." Vincent admits, frustrated. 

Seeing him look so frustrated saddens you, so you propose a suggestion. "How about this, I'll ask the Freelancer what that whole thing on Friday was all about, and if it's anything gross, I'll give you a call so you can deal with them. How's that?" 

It assured Vincent. Seeing his tiny smile urge you to peppered his face with kisses until he laughs. With your boyfriend now properly appeased, you leave the apartment for D.A.M.N. 

It's a bright Monday morning. You hope that this week will be a little kinder to you than the previous one. However, the moment you arrived on campus, everyone was glancing at you curiously. When you made eye contact with the stares, the students couldn't walk away fast enough. 

Weird. 

Your first class of the day is on the second floor, so you didn't waste any time heading for the stairs. Students mingle around as they go about their day; some grab breakfast at the convenient store, while others chat with their friends at the cafeteria and lounge room. A Water Elemental is performing simple tricks at the marble fountain to an adoring crowd.

Just as you rounded a corner, the crowd parted ways with a subtlety of a serial killer in slasher movies, which is to say, absolutely none whatsoever to reveal your new friend. The Freelancer is flanked by their boyfriend, Gavin, on the left and on their right, the famous player in the Earth Elemental team Huxley and one of the academy's guidance counsellors, Lasko. 

You couldn't help but notice that everyone is giving them a wide berth. Not that it matters when Gavin's body is positioned to shield the Freelancer from bumping into any of the passing students. Huxley passes a bottle of orange juice to them while Lasko is staring at something behind the Freelancer. He mutters something under his breath.  

A loud voice suddenly bounces off the walls. "What happened to my water tumbler, Freelancer!?" 

You and every other student in the area watch as the Freelancer turns around and loudly replies, "Don't worry! I already got you a new tumbler, Damien! It looks exactly like your old one. Except it's pastel pink with kittens on it, and the shape looks like a really fat snowman with bunny ears for straws." To make a point, the Freelancer rummage inside of their backpack and proudly present the weirdest looking water tumbler you had ever seen in your life to their boys. 

"AAAAAHHHHH!" 

"You know you could at least see it before you judge it, Damien." The Freelancer grumbled and shoved the tumbler back. Huxley gently pats their shoulder in a comforting manner. Lasko laughs nervously while Gavin continues to protect his lover silently, all the while looking at ease. 

Everyone knows of the Freelancer and their boyfriends. They're the most popular group in D.A.M.N for a reason. Friendly, yet no one can be a part of their group due to the tight bond they have with one another.

The Freelancer is quickly shaping up to be a remarkable magical individual in their own right, marching to the beat of their own drums rather than the world's. Unwaveringly kind and friendly, constantly making sure the people around them are comfortable and safe. 

In terms of academic performance, Damien remains unchallenged among his peers. Everyone could tell that he would undoubtedly change their world for the better the moment he graduates, especially in governing. He's also known for his fiery temper, yet that fire becomes a hearth when it comes to the Freelancer. More than once, students have stumbled upon them huddled close in the library, softly discussing the future they wanted. 

If Damien is known for his academic excellence, then Huxley is famous for his prowess in the field. His mastery over his element made the younger Earth Elementals look up to him as their role model while his teammates view him as their ace. Charming, cheerful yet a bit absentminded at times, and even then, you can't help but be fond of him. You can find the Freelancer cheering him from the bleachers during his matches, and once Huxley won the game, he would immediately launch himself at them. Sweats, dirt and grass all over him, but the Freelancer would laugh as he hoisted them up in his embrace. 

Lasko is an odd addition to their group, but once he drops his stuttering, he shows just how capable he is as one of the academy's guidance counsellors. Acknowledged as one of the most powerful Air Elemental of his generation, Lasko is well on track to graduate D.A.M.N with honours, and while the future might be uncertain, students like to speculate that he will remain with the Freelancer and the others no matter what. Sometimes you can even catch a glimpse of them hanging out at one of the local cafes and see how bright and alive Lasko can be when around the Freelancer. 

Gavin came with a mystery trailing his saunter. See, no one knew how exactly he and the Freelancer first met. Speculations range from a cute, accidental meet up in a random convenience store to the Incubus boldly inviting them into a threesome when the Freelancer stumbled upon him mid-feeding. Lovely wonders if there's a betting pool going around the academy. The seniors would recognise Gavin, for he was their peer before he suddenly dropped out and vanished for a while. But judging by his frequent presence around the Freelancer, some say that he's looking forward to retaking his previous course. But whatever the reason may be, no one can deny the chemistry he has with the Freelancer. How fiercely protective he is of them when the Freelancer isn't looking. 

They're certainly an intriguing group, that's for sure. 

And when Gavin notices you were watching them, he winks at you. No doubt as an Incubus, he could scent what you and Vincent had been up to the entire weekend. 

That's what you get for a magical academy, after all. 

-

PS: Everyone in D.A.M.N (including Lovely & Vincent) hilariously assumes that the Freelancer is in a poly relationship with Gavin, Damien, Lasko & Huxley when in reality, they're just with Gavin. BBBBuuuttt... Gavin could detect the romantic/lustful feelings the other bois harbour for the Freelancer but kept it to himself for now. He's just waiting for the Freelancer to feel the same way so he could give them all The Talk™ and then go buy a bigger bed!

Anyway, I seriously had a lot of fun writing for this oneshot! It's been a while since I had that writing fever again so I hope you guys enjoyed it!

[andrastesknickerweasel]

I managed to make another thing before my weekend comes to a close, because damn it I wanted some kind of baked good for breakfast today!

Check out the Master Post to see what this wacky project is all about and get the cookbook to join in the fun!

Dalish Red Crossing Pan Cake

Difficulty: 4/5.  Ok so here’s the thing, the actual mechanics of making this are not complicated, however I have never made a “dutch baby” pancake and the cook book instructions only describe how to make it in a campfire dutch oven (expensive and hard to find equipment) on a literal campfire!  No oven temperature or cook time for those of us not living a nomadic Dalish lifestyle!  So this took a fair amount of youtube research.  You can use an oven safe skillet (cast iron is the traditional way but I don’t use it personally) or cake pan of any material and shape, preheat in the oven at 425 F, take out the hot skillet/pan melt the butter in it and pour in the batter, and bake for 15-20 mins?  I have a question mark because most recipes said 18-25 mins, but I suspect my oven might run a little hot because it was done and getting a little uncomfortably brown on the edges after 15 mins.  Also I halved the recipe, as the one it in book could feed an entire Dalish clan!

Ingredient cost/accessibility: 2/5.  Not too bad, just raspberries might be a little harder to find or costly depending on where you are and whether they are in season.  You could really use any berry you want I guess, or maybe even like a diced up peach?

Taste: 4/5.  Very good!  Not super sweet so the raspberries really help it out.  I did a taste test of syrups.  The book recommends maple or raspberry syrup, but I didn’t have raspberry syrup.  Instead I tried a piece with maple syrup, regular pancake syrup, and honey.  Honey was actually my favorite, but it’s all down to personal preference.

Suggested pairing: Breakfast drinks.  I have iced coffee.  I bet the Dalish “Breakfast Drink” would be good with it, but I need to get a new Antivan Crow blender before I can make it.

Suggested pairing: Sera/Dagna.  I just think Sera would like how the pancake gets all poofy, and since I like honey on it, it makes me think of beeees!  And I just think this pairing is cute <3

[redrobinfection]

Alfred’s Favorite Barbara

Babs & Alfred || Read on Ao3 || Happy Birthday, Barbara Gordon! ❤

<< A sequel to last year’s “Batgirls’ Favorite Mentor” 

~*~

Barbara leaned forward and spit out the toothpaste Cass had let her use, on one of the many spare toothbrushes Alfred kept in the guest toiletries stockpile, then leaned back in her chair with a sigh and considered her mostly-put-together-again reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Wow, that had certainly been a party of a night, she mused, ruefully lifting a strand of her sleep-mussed auburn locks before deciding that pulling it back in a bun was really the only dignified solution.

Steph and Cass had kept her up all night--not like that was all that much different from her usual schedule, but mani, pedi, facials, horrible (great) superhero movies, and gossip until dawn had worn her out more than she would have expected. Although, the wine that had snuck into the mix right when the mani-pedis were left to dry and the third movie went in might have had something to do with it, she conceded with a smirk at herself in the mirror. It wasn't a bad sort of tired, she admitted as she tucked few stray hairs into her messy bun, but she was more than ready for a day to rest, recover and recharge.

Just after dawn, Alfred had invaded the sanctum of their home theater encampment to invite them up to the kitchen for a hearty breakfast. There he had laid out toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, juices, teas, coffee, pancakes and even some of the real cake from the night before--a rare breach of protocol from the prim and proper butler that Barbara took as a one-time gesture of affectionate indulgence of their whims--which eventually drew out the other occupants of the house, turning breakfast the morning after into as much of a party as dinner the night before had been.

After that, Alfred had shooed Steph and Cass off to bed and shown Barbara up to her regular guest room where the bed had already been turned down, the pillows fluffed and the blackest of blackout curtains tightly drawn, bless that man. After a few hours of much needed sleep, it was now just past noon, most of the manor's occupants were either still sleeping or out living their daylight personas, and Alfred had offered to drive her back to the Clocktower after she had "freshened up a bit".

Satisfied that she had done as much as she could to make herself decent for the drive of shame, Barbara gathered her things and made her way down the hall to the elevator. Alfred was waiting for her when the doors opened on the civilian garage.

"Ah, Miss Barbara, I take it you're ready to depart?"

"Yes. Thank you for driving me back, Alfred."

"Of course, it's my pleasure."

He led the way toward their several limousines, opened the door to one very special vehicle and began extending and lowering a long ramp. Barbara pressed her lips together to hide a smile as Alfred stepped to one side and let her wheel herself up the shallow incline. He retracted the ramp, closed the door and slid into the driver's seat while she positioned herself in the sleek interior and locked the wheels of her chair.

"Thanks again, Alfred. For everything," Barbara added as they pulled out of the garage. "Last night, this morning...it was all amazing and it must have been so much work--extra work--for you. I really appreciate it."

She saw his eyebrows rise in the rear-view mirror as he replied, "Of course. It was no trouble; I would hardly label hosting a small dinner in honor of and giving accommodations to one of my favorite persons "work". It was a pleasure, Miss Barbara."

She raised an eyebrow in turn. "Oh really? A fairly large dinner, putting up with the mess we all made in the theater afterwards, and putting together a big breakfast in the morning--and driving me back after letting me stay over, even when I'm sure you've got plenty of cleaning up to do? 'Favorite person' huh? If I didn't know better I'd think you were buttering me up for something, Alfred Pennyworth," she teased, sharing a knowing look with him in the mirror.

He didn't laugh out loud, but his eyes twinkled in that way Barbara knew meant he was amused rather than offended. "My word! Is it so hard to believe that an old man would take pleasure in doing what little he could to celebrate the birthday of his favorite Barbara."

Barbara did laugh out loud. "Your favorite...huh! First Jason calls me his favorite, then Tim and Dick, then Steph and Cass... and now you? All of you in less than twenty-four hours? Did you all have a meeting to discuss the topic or am I about to go home to one of the hardest cases of all time and you're all buttering me up to it?"

"I believe the subject had come up recently," Alfred replied evenly. "You do so much for this family and receive so little appreciation..."

"That's my line," Barbara muttered incredulously with a minute shake of her head.

"...and I'll have you know that of all the Barbaras I've had the pleasure of knowing, you most certainly rank supreme."

Barbara huffed a laugh through her nose. "And how many Barbaras is that exactly?"

Alfred met her eyes in the mirror and fixed her with an impressive look. "When you've lived as long as I have, served as long as I have, you come to know a great many people. Among all of those... you are rare soul indeed, Barbara. Surely one to celebrate and to venerate."

That gave her pause. What are you supposed to say to something like that? She didn't know, so she let the silence stretch and turned her gaze to the traffic speeding past her window while her true focus turned to beating down the bloom of color that had flooded her cheeks at Alfred's unexpected pronouncement. 

They rode in silence--not an uncomfortable silence, but Barbara still felt the weight of those words still hanging heavy between them--for the rest of the drive. They'd caught the lull between the lunch-hour jam and afternoon rush-hour traffic--likely a strategic choice on Alfred's part--so it only took about twenty minutes to make the trip into the city. 

Alfred graciously helped her disembark, escorted her to the ground level door to the tower, and--to her surprise--asked to walk her in, pulling a cooler bag from somewhere with leftovers from the revelries. Barbara invited him in, sending him ahead of her with repeated thanks, but the words of appreciation died in her throat as she rolled over the threshold and took in the interior of her homebase. 

She wasn't a slob, per se, but Barbara knew she didn't tidy up around the Tower quite as often as she should, and she cleaned the place even less frequently. It was a lot of real estate for one person--a person with certain mobility issues, at that--and a small army of specially programmed Roombas and some casual dusting here and there could only do so much. 

But today, her foyer was spotless. All the coats, umbrellas and other detritus were neatly hung or stacked in their places. The tile was a shade lighter than she remembered and the grout was actually white--she'd actually thought it was tan up until now. 

Moving into her apartment showed the same story. Shelves of books and knick-knacks were freshly dusted, the rugs had been deeply vaccuumed, and personal items had been put away or neatly arranged. Every surface gleamed.

She turned to Alfred with an accusing look. "Alfred... did you...?" One look at his quietly pleased expression was answer enough. "When did you even find the time to come over here and do this? Did you clean the whole Tower?" She wouldn't doubt it. She didn't bother to ask him how he got into her super-secure, high-tech lair--this is the ex-MI6 agent who raised Bruce, after all--but given the timeline of events, it shouldn't have been possible for him to clean all this by himself and do everything he did for them while she was at the manor. 

"We did, in fact, clean the entire tower--and we took great care not to disturb any of your things in the command center, mind you--but it hardly took any time at all with Masters Damian and Timothy along to help. In fact, we were in and out well before you rose from your nap this morning."

Barbara's eyebrow rose into her hair. Alfred had wrangled Tim and Damian--in the morning, of all times--into cleaning? Together? Without killing each other? 

"Wow, Alfred, you got Tim and Damian to work together to do all of this...? At eight in the morning? You're a miracle worker, for sure. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this.

"Really, Alfred...this--" she gestured to rooms around them "--the party, the sleepover, and then breakfast... you've done so much. Thank you. It means a lot to me, but, really, you didn't need to do all this. It's... it’s too much..." 

Alfred looked away for a moment, his expression uncharacteristically sheepish. "Ah, well. Yes. I admit, I may have gone a bit overboard..."

They entered the kitchen and Barbara came to a complete stop. The appliances shone, the stove was spotless, and, for once, the sink was completely free of dishes. But that wasn't what stopped her dead in her tracks. 

On the polished kitchen table, laid out elegantly on a freshly washed and pressed table cloth that Barbara had forgotten she even owned, was a handsome tea set in lustrous lavender and gold--one pot, saucers, cups, sugar cellar and creamer. To one side sat a few varieties of Alfred's favorite teas, and on the other a plate piled high with Alfred’s signature tea cakes, one of her favorite things about visiting the manor for pre-patrol briefings or post-patrol debriefings, back in the day. A recipe card stuck out under the plate.

Barbara turned to Alfred, her vision going misty. "Alfred..."

Alfred graced her with a rare smile, beaming down at her, his expression fond, but his voice was quiet, "For when you need a break from Master Tim's gift of espresso or a moment of peace after along night."

Barbara broke out into a teary smile of her own and raised her arms, reaching out for a hug before she thought it through. Alfred surprised her yet again, leaning down to accept her embrace. 

"Really, thank you, Alfred. For everything," Barbara murmured into his shoulder before he could pull away again.

He didn't. Instead, he replied, so quietly Barbara almost missed it,

"Anything for one of my favorite granddaughters."

[jhoudiey]

Did something cute for Floyd's first father's day with Mido! 🥺🥺🥺 Chaos fam owns my whole frickin life. No warnings 1700 words

Floyds hands searched the cold sheets where he’d normally find his wife and daughter sleeping and let out a groan. It was father’s day and they’d left without even waking him up to say good morning. He rolled in bed pouting hoping they would come back, but after half an hour decided to go look for them himself. He didn’t want to spend the day alone, that wouldn’t be any fun at all. He picked a tshirt off the floor and smelled it, he’d only worn it a few times so it was perfectly fine to wear again, the stains on the front barely visible. 

The door creaked loudly as he opened it, startling one of the castle staff as he cleaned.

“Good morning Leech-san” he nodded, continuing to dust the ornate frames that adorned the walls. 

“Do you know where Yoru and Mido went?” 

The man shook his head with an apology, bowing slightly before moving along down the corridor. A grin crept across Floyd’s face, maybe they’d disappeared to set up a game of hide and seek. He had always liked to chase them. Floyd laughed and took off running down the hall towards the library. Yoru was fond of books, back at NRC he’d found her hidey hole on top of the shelves and crashed her study sessions often. She was probably teaching Mido the best way to hide amongst the stacks. When he arrived it was silent, as a library normally was. He spied the boring bunny girl from Yoru’s old school at one of the tables and ignored her. Mido wasn’t capable of staying quiet this long, they weren’t here. He tore off down the hallway again, the library door closing quietly on it’s hushed frame. 

“Aha!” He shouted, throwing open the door to the aviary, frightened birds flying from their perches indignantly. No Yoru or Mido here either, if they were surely Mido would have cheered at the flight of so many birds at once. He stopped for a moment in the doorway as the birds slowly returned to their places, grinning once more. He knew where they’d be. 

Floyd heard them before he saw them as he crept quietly down the hallway to the kitchen. 

“Hey Mido-chan, do you think your papa will want some of these?” a dry shake of some sort of ingredient rattled in it’s container.

“YAAAAAAA!!!!” a wet slapping sound and a giggle. 

Yoru was facing away from him as he tiptoed into the kitchen behind her, Midori sitting on the counter, the bowl of what he assumed was breakfast in front of her as she slapped her tiny hands into it, laughing when it oozed over her tiny webbed fingers. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and though he pressed his finger to his lips to ask her to keep his presence a secret she threw her hands in the air and shouted

“PAPA!!!!” before he could get into scaring range. Yoru turned to him with a smile, spatula in hand. She was wearing the tacky ‘kiss the cook’ apron Lilia had gotten her for Christmas and he was happy to oblige. He wrapped his arms around his wife and leaned on her, resting his chin on the top of her head. 

“Ne Yoru, I thought you went somewhere without me” he pouted, watching Midori slap the batter as hard as she could manage before plunging her arms in as deep as they would go. Yoru shook her head

“We wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed, but these are harder to make than I thought”

Floyd looked at the counter top in front of them. Yoru had a recipe book open, the words “Pyroxene’s Pancake Perfection!” blazing across the top of the page. He scanned the ingredients list… nothing weird here that would be difficult… then looked at the counter. The regular ingredients were present, however Yoru, for whatever reason had decided to add to the recipe, despite never having successfully cooked anything without instruction. She was nearly as bad as Lilia without supervision. 

“...Yoru...did you put the whole egg in?” he asked, noticing the white flakes floating around Midori’s fingers

“Hmmm? Yea. Mido liked the crunch and how the yolk came out so I put a few in there”

“...A few?” He dropped his head beside hers to stare into her face as he teased her. “How many is a few?”

Yoru stuck her tongue out at him and placed another in the bowl in front of Midori, now screeching at the top of her lungs in excitement.

“CRUMSH! CRUMSH! CRUMSH!” Midori shouted as she crushed the egg into runny batter.

“Ahahhaha these are going to be reaaaally~ gross” Floyd chuckled, dipping a finger into the bowl. “Here, try it!” He smeared his hand across Yoru’s face with a laugh as she laughed and struggled to get free of his embrace. 

“Ooops sorry, missed your mouth, lemme try again” Floyd reached his whole hand into the bowl as Midori cheered and tried to feed Yoru a handful of the eggy batter. To his delight, some of it actually made it into her mouth, but she bit his hand so most of it slopped down her apron. 

“Oh hey! We made this for you…” Yoru struggled against Floyd, he gripped her wrists as she struggled to get handfuls of the batter to pay back the favour “You should eat it too!”

“Nah I don’t wanna, I told you they look like they’ll be gross”

“PAPA! YUMMY!” Midori laughed, pancake batter dripping from her mouth as she patted his hands with hers. She tried to stand but was unsteady on her little bird feet, the edge of the bowl wobbling as she tried to use it for balance. 

“Mido-chan~ don’t eat that kay?!” He let go of Yoru’s struggling hands and reached for her as she toppled face first into the bowl. “Hey Mido-chan, you okay?!” He pulled Midori out of the mixture, the smile on her face nearly reaching her ears. 

“WET! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!” She reached for Floyd and he hugged her against the side of his face, Midori finally dealing the pancake mixture deathblow Yoru hadn’t been able to manage. She was drenched in it. It dripped off of her all over his face and hair, dripping down passed them both and landing on Yoru. The kitchen staff found the three of them laughing hysterically locked in an embrace, scooping whatever they could from the nearly empty bowl onto each other's heads. 

“Leech-san. Crowley-san. Midori-chan. We need to prepare for lunch now… would you please relocate your…” They looked in horror at the mess they had made of the kitchen “...whatever this is somewhere else. We’ll handle the cleaning, please just leave us to it” 

“WADDEBER! WADDEBER!” Midori shouted, squeezing Floyds cheeks to have him make faces at the staff

“Aha! ...You know.. Waddeber kinda sounds like water…. LET'S GO SWIMMING! COME ON!” He pulled away from Yoru and grabbed her wrist, cradling Midori to his chest as he ran out of the kitchen, dragging Yoru behind them cackling like a madman. He ran them to the lake, only letting go of Yoru’s hand when he ran to the edge of the dock and jumped, Midori still safely wrapped in his arms. Their laughter was cut off when they sunk below the surface of the water. Yoru sighed and carefully climbed down the ladder at the dock, she didn’t want to get her wings too wet otherwise they’d be damp for hours. She was one rung away from the surface when Floyd rose from the depths below her and pulled her in completely. 

“WADDER WADDER!” Midori shouted as she swam in circles around them. She’d been swimming ever since she was born and loved it. Floyd reached his hand out and caught her to wipe the remnants of their breakfast out of her hair. Yoru did the same for Floyd as he looked after their daughter. When Midori was finally pancake-batter-that-was-mostly-egg free, Floyd turned to Yoru and helped her wash the sludge out of her hair. 

“Wow Yoru, you’re really bad at eating, you got it everywhere!” She glared at him but had to suppress her grin as he scrubbed at the stubborn egg. 

“MAMAAAAAAAAAAAA” Midori shouted as she zoomed towards the pair of them, hands full of seaweed. “LOOK BREADFIST!” She placed the tendrils gently into Yoru and Floyds hands as they offered them and dived back into the lake to get more. 

“Oh. I guess we didn’t actually eat did we?” 

“Nope, oh! There’s that restaurant on main street that said they had special waffles today! We should go! I’ll get Mido!” Floyd dived under the water, surfacing seconds later with his laughing daughter on his shoulders. She had somehow dug up a clam and was trying to pry it open on his head. 

“Come on Mido-chan! Let’s go get waffles! Hold on tight!” She cheered and threw the clam back into the water with a splash, tightly wrapping her arms around his forehead to secure herself. He waited for Yoru to climb up the ladder before following behind to begin the walk to the village. They arrived at the restaurant shortly after it opened before a line had managed to form. The staff stared wide-eyed at the three of them, laughing and sopping wet, dripping water all over the ornate carpet. 

“Table for three, please” 

***

Later that evening Floyd found himself laying in bed, Midori fast asleep sprawled out across his chest. 

“Hey Yoru?” He hummed quietly as she joined them in bed. 

“Hmmm?” She cuddled against him with her head on his shoulder, her hand draped across his chest to hold onto Midori’s tiny hand. 

“Today was really fun” Yoru looked up at him and smiled 

“It was. I love you, Floyd. Happy Fathers Day” She kissed him softly and settled back into the crook of his arm. He sighed happily and wrapped his hand around her waist, the other hooked around Midori’s other hand. He gazed down at his family affectionately, knowing he held the entire world in his arms. 

[mypimpademia]

Bakugo, Todoroki, and Shinso quarantining w black s/o

Bakugo x Todoroki x black!reader x Shinso

TW: Swearing, refers to sexual activities at the end of each of them

Note: Yes, I did do most of this stuff in quarantine. [And they're aged up as always]

BAKUGO

He honestly feels like he's losing his shit

And he probably would if he did have you with him

You guys are staying up all night and watching Wild n Out, Basic to Bougie, 90 Day Fiance, all that shit

And of course Bad Girls Club

He claims he hates 90 Day Fiance and BGC, but he stays watching that shit, even if he has the remote or youre on his phone

His sleep schedule is fucked up

And by fucked up, I mean its a few hours past the old man's bed time

He goes to bed at 1 am now instead of 9 pm

But still wakes up at 9 am

He took a leave on hero work because of covid

He loves his job almost as much as he loves you (aw💖)

But hes not gonna risk his health for it

"Fuck all that bullshit, as much as I love my job, I'm staying my ass in this house. And you are too. I'll be damned if you catch it, especially if its from me."

Yall only go out once a week

He could minimize it to once every other week, but he tried that and it almost drove him crazy

There aren't any exceptions unless there's an emergency

Makes you wear gloves and use a reusable mask that he washes as soon as yall get home

And you get mostly essentials but he'll ask you if you want candy or anything and he'll buy a big box of brownie mix if you like brownies just to hold you over for a while

Also stocks up on meds like pain killers and allergy pills

No fucks given, he will hit up different stores for toilet paper

"WHY ARE ALL THESE FUCKIN IDIOTS TAKING THE TOILET PAPER?? I KNOW DAMN FUCKIN WELL YALL DONT SHIT THAT MUCH, AND HALF OF YALL PROBABLY DONT EVEN WIPE."

Hes gonna experiment with cooking more now that he has time

Writes down all the recipes that work out

Youre his taste tester so you best believe you bouta be eatin good 😌

If you want your hair done he'll order it online unless yall are already out

Hes gonna make sure that you're eating good and feeling okay because these are tough times 🥺

But hes gonna do it in his own way and act like he's not concerned

"Hey idiot, do you wanna pass out? You haven't been drinking water today, I can tell. I'm getting you a full cup, you better drink it all."

"You haven't eaten anything today, I'm making you dinner."

"Your hair is dry, come here so I can help you put oil on it. I keep telling you to take care of it, ill laught at you if you go bald." He wont

Also has you work out with him do you can stay in shape

Libido?

Yessir

Every other day, anywhere (except in public because hes not about to get sick), at anytime

It goes 50/50

Sometimes its just because hes in the mood

Other times hes feeling really soft and wants to show you that he loves you

All in all its a mixture of Bakugo losing his shit and loving you all in one

TODOROKI

He's pretty chill about it

Just super bored

Starts watching BGC, binges Basic to Bougie and 90 Day Fiance

Oddly enough he really enjoys watching Love & Hip Hop????

He finds it interesting

Especially likes Cardis season because its funny and hella memes came out of it

Don't get me wrong tho I aint a Cardi stan but you gotta admit that she's mad funny im a barb at heart tho

His crackhead really comes out over quarantine

He'll start referencing random ass memes

Hes mostly on leave for hero work unless they really need him

In that case he wears a mask and gloves out

When he gets home the first thing he does is reference BGC

"WHATS UP BAD BITCHES"

And thats how you know he's home

Goes to bed at like 1:30 - 2 am

Only because he doesn't want to be passed out if he's needed for hero duties

Goes out every other week

Mainly for basic essentials, but if you want a little extra he'll buy it

Anything else he'll buy online

Also goes to other stores to buy more toilet paper

Figured out that hes really good at crochets

So if you want your hair done he'll order any crochets you want off Amazon and do them for you

Takes care of you and makes sure your doing well all together

"Did you eat today baby?"

"How much water have you had today?"

"Have you been putting oil on your hair?"

Lotsss of cold soba

But he cooks a few other things so that its not the same thing 24/7

Asks Fuyumi for help when he doesn't know how to cook something super well

If you're the type to go to bed hella late, he'll make sure you sleep a full 8 hours

Even if you wake up after 5 he'll ask you to take a nap with him

Has you work out with him every now and then so you can both stay healthy

Not too much libido

He didn't get in the mood like that even before quarantine

Its not every other day like Bakugo though

More like twice a week

Anymore than that and it'll probably be because you needed it rather than him

If its after a mission it'll be slower just so he can show you how much he loves and appreciates you for being someone he can come home to and just being you

If its more spontaneous he'll be slightly rough but still a pretty slow

But it's a lot of crackhead Todoroki and soft Todoroki

SHINSO

He's doing fine

Just more bored than usual

I feel like Shinso likes cartoons so hes rewatching a bunch of childhood cartoons

Steven Universe, Adventure Time, Regular Show, all that good shit

Lotsss of cartoon quotes

Yall are having a pillow fight and he grabs 2 pillows and claps you?

"Cheatin ass bitch."

"Street rules, man." (Regular Show quote for those who don't know)

Please sing the bacon pancake song (Adventure Time) with him while yall make breakfast

He'll be so happy

If you do something stupid hes gonna do a lemon grab (Adventure time) quote

"UNACCEPTABLE"

On leave for hero work

Really doesn't care about getting himself sick unless he gets super sick or dies

But hes not about to get you sick

He'd genuinely rather get himself sick and die than get you sick

Yall go out twice a week

Once to get essentials and another just to get out

I feel like shinso is a decent cook so he'll cook for you

Write down recipes that you like

Also gets some off the internet

Works better with natural hair than braids and crochets

So he'll do slick backs for you and maybe give you a ponytail or something if you ask but he'd rather do 100% natural just because hes better at it and he likes natural black hair

Can also do half wigs

Takes care of you more than himself

So you have to take care of each other

"Did you drink water today, Doll?"

"I did, did you?"

"Did you eat today?"

"No, and you haven't either. What should we eat for lunch?"

"You havent been putting oil on you hair. Do you want me to help you, kitty?"

Small work out sessions

Maybe like 15 min a day

Full body tho because hes too lazy to split up days

Does to bed at like 4 - 6 am

Mostly just watching YouTube and binging cartoons and eating

Insomnia Cookies? (If you dont know, its a cookie place that delivers till 3 am and theyre so good-)

YESSIRRR

Yall gain back any weight you burned off from exercising earlier that day

Pizza, cookies, chicken nuggets, fries, fried chicken, etc.

Basically just a constant sleep over

Libido to the max

Once or twice a day

Nothing public because germs

Normally rough

But every now and then he'll get soft and just tell you how much he loves you and appreciates you

His aftercare for times like that consists of a bubble bath, lots of hugs, food and cartoons😌

[rawchefyin]

Yesterday I took a walk and I was thinking to myself "I hate marketing". This was in relation to the launch of my NEW online raw vegan course Penang Food Reimagined. And then my inner voice told me: Well, if you keep saying you hate it, you're gonna have a tough time doing it. Why don't you reframe this? I realised my inner voice was correct. How about looking at it as a fun way to let people know how I can help them make delicious, interesting raw vegan Asian recipes? So that they won't be bored with their raw vegan lifestyle? How about helping others to realise they don't have to miss Asian food just because they want to be raw vegan? Especially since the launch offer gives people the opportunity to save 20% off the regular price. Telling people about it should be seen as good news, not as a chore! So here you go, the Penang Food Reimagined course is launched today and for 4 days, you get to enjoy 20% off the course. So you save 💰. Click LINK IN BIO to enrol now and save. Enjoy making all these diverse Penang dishes the raw vegan way! 💚 Breakfast: Penang Chee Cheong Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls) 💚 Lunch: Asam Laksa (Tangy Rice Noodle Soup) 💚 Dinner: Char Kueh Teow (Fried Flat Rice Noodles) 💚 Supper: Oh Chien (Oyster Omelette) 💚 Snack: Apam Balik (Fluffy Pancake) 💚 Snack: Buckwheat Muar Chee (Glutinous Rice Balls) 💚 Snack: Black Sesame Muar Chee 💚 Snack: Almond Muar Chee 💚 Drink: Ais Tingkap (Window Sherbet) 💚 Condiment: Cheatin’ Choi Poh (Preserved Radish) 💚 Sauce: Chilli Sauce 💚 Sauce: Hae Koh (Shrimp Paste) 💚 Sauce: Hoisin Sauce 💚 Filling: Creamed Corn 💚 How To Sprout Buckwheat 💚 How To Make Irish Moss Paste You'll immediately get: 🔴 A 44-page PDF course booklet containing recipes, photos, tips & techniques on how to make every raw vegan Penang dish taste fantastic. 🔴 Bonus recipe card on fun ways to use the Hoisin Sauce. 🔴 24 Video Tutorials to guide you in recreating the magic of Penang in your own kitchen. Don't miss out. Launch offer ends on 2 January 2022! #rawvegan #rawveganfood #penangfood #veganpenangfood #veganpenang #veganasian #rawveganasian #rawveganasianfood #rawveganasianflavours #rawveganchef https://www.instagram.com/rawchefyin/p/CYGdi9vJQMc/?utm_medium=tumblr

[hanbff]

stray kids reaction: you being vegan

requested: yes “Hiiiii, skz reacting to vegan s/o pleaseee! Ty❣”

genre: fluff ?

a/n: i’ve never written something like this, this was an interesting request! thank you for requesting and i hope you like it! also some of these got a lil short bc i really couldn’t think of any ideas, i’m sorryyy

note: apologies for how long it is😭 i’m on mobile and i don’t know how to add “read more” so if anyone could tell me that would be great!

Chan:

chan wouldn’t really have a reaction? like nothing would change due to you being a vegan. but it did become a problem when you went out to eat or went to parties because most places around weren’t vegan. chan decided to take matters into his own hands and make sure, in advance, the place you were going to was vegan.

“hey felix, do you know if the restaurant we’re going to is vegan? i just want to make sure because...” his voice trailed off as he got up to do a few things in his room. you smiled at what you had heard, he cared enough to make sure you could have a good time at the party too.

he obviously couldn’t always do that and you knew that but seeing him so focused on finding a vegan place nearby made your heart burst. you heard him say his goodbyes and let out a loud sigh. you thought “maybe he didn’t find one”, so you walked into his room and waddled up to give him a back hug. he let out a yelp before turning to see you.

“god, you scared me!” he chuckled before placing a kiss on your forehead. you smiled before saying,

“you’re the best, i love you.” he was a little shocked at the sudden confession but happy nonetheless.

“well i love you more, angel”

Minho:

min would probably think nothing of it but if it was okay with you of course, he would sometimes tease you with things you used to love but now didn’t eat. like one morning, the boy was up making pancakes for himself as you both usually had separate breakfasts. you walked into the kitchen to see him eating some of the slightly messed up pancakes and he caught you looking.

he smirked before asking, “do you want some?” you let out a small chuckle before waving your hand in dismissal.

“no thanks, love” you replied. he hummed before drizzling maple syrup on his alright looking pancakes. you then whined as you thought about how much you missed pancakes. then you realised... you could make them yourself!

you decided to find a vegan recipe and get on with it. minho looked at you in confusion before following you to the fridge.

“what are you doing?” he asked, maple syrup still in his hand.

“making my own, much better, pancakes” you replied back, giving him a small smile. he smiled back before whispering in your ear,

“can i help you?”

Changbin:

bin would be slightly confused as to why you would voluntarily stop eating meat and whatnot but still would be supportive. he would pout slightly and feel a little bad when you said you couldn’t join the boys since they were going to a meat place that had absolutely no vegan options.

“it’s fine love, go and eat” you reassured him. he still seemed unconvinced but nodded before kissing you goodbye.

“please make sure you eat something before i come back!” he shouted before the door shut.

you smiled to yourself, getting up to make yourself a meal.

Hyunjin:

after walking around, you both decided it was time to eat. walking into a nearby restaurant, you both sat down and began looking at the menu. you scanned through the menu and were delighted to find a few vegan options. you went with (insert vegan options bc i’m clueless) and hyunjin went with a classic burger and fries.

hyunjin’s food arrived first and you couldn’t help but stare at it when the waiter placed it on the table. hyunjin looked at his food with joy before digging in. you had a small pout on your face while you scrolled through your phone. you then felt a finger poking you and when you looked up hyun was holding half of his burger, pushing it towards you. you looked at him with confusion, was he expecting you to eat that??

he looked back, with the same confusion, until it hit him. he nearly dropped his burger on the table before he covered his mouth in shock.

“babe, i went blank and completely forgot you can’t eat that, i’m so sorry!” he was rambling, apologising after every sentence or so. you had to stop him before you went mad, so you kissed his cheek.

“hyun, it’s alright you forgot, now carry on eating dumbass,” you giggled at his now red cheeks as he continued to eat again.

“did i say i’m sorry?”

“hyunjin!”

Jisung:

jisung would be really interested? like he’d ask you loads of questions like why’d you become one or what food do you miss eating the most, innocent questions like that. he would also try his best to find vegan recipes he could make since he did eat a lot of animal products. jisung sometimes felt a little bad for eating it in front of you, but you reassured him that it was fine.

“babe, should i make burgers?” he asked you. you shook your head, “nah it’s fine, i’ll order something”

“but i have a vegan substitute?” he walked over to you, showing you the packaging.

“see i made sure, i wanna have a meal with you again... like we usually do.” he whispered and you saw the sincerity on his face. he really wanted to have a meal with you, it had been a while and you can’t say you didn’t miss it too.

“alright show me what you got, chef jisung” you said as you jokingly bowed in front of him.

“babe, i don’t remember anyone having to bow down to a chef-”

“oh whatever, let’s make food!” you said happily running back to the kitchen. he smiled as he watched you, before following after.

Felix:

lix is very sweet and supportive about it, he would be very interested so he decided to try veganism for a week.

it went well... partly. he got through half of the week fine, the both of you finding vegan substitutes for nearly all of your favorite snacks. but felix completely forgot when the boys bought food after practice. he was starving so he dug in straight away, basically finishing his bowl in 5 minutes.

“lix, are you on some diet with y/n?” minho asked, stuffing his face with food.

felix’s eyes widen as he placed his bowl on the practice floor.

“no! i completely forgot!” he said, covering his face as the other boys laughed.

“it’ll be fine, i’m sure y/n won’t kill you,” jisung giggled as the other boys agreed. this slightly put felix at ease although he still felt a little bad for it. he decided to stop eating as he was full anyways and get back home after waving goodbye to the boys.

“bye felix, pray y/n doesn’t kill you!” says changbin as the other boys continue laughing at his worried but smiling expression.

as he got home and opened the door, he instantly smelt food. he walked to the kitchen where you were, stirring a pot while cutting up some vegetables.

“hey lix,” you said not turning around. he walked towards you before wrapping his arms around your waist.

“hey, what are you making?” he questioned, trying his hardest not to make it obvious. you smiled, feeling his breath against your neck and felix instantly knew you realised.

“well, since you’ve already eaten, this is for me.” you said, finishing your cutting.

felix pouted, “i didn’t mean to eat the meat! i was really hungry and decided to eat and completely forgot that- hey!” he was rambling o you decided to shove a few pieces of carrot in his mouth to shut him up.

“lix, it’s completely fine it’s not like you’re actually a vegan.” you giggled at his shocked expression before he tried to speak forgetting there were still carrots wedged in his mouth. he nearly chocked, quickly chewing and swallowing before trying to speak again.

“so... you’re not mad?” he questioned as you shook your head and he let out a deep breath he was holding for God knows how long. you turned to him, kissing his pink lips.

“i could never be mad at you, angel”

Seungmin:

seungmin knew you were vegan long before you told him as he just shrugged when you decided to finally tell him.

“i already knew y/n. it was a bit obvious, i haven’t see you stuff your face with all the junk in weeks!”

“hey, i do not stuff my face with junk!” you pouted as he just laughed. okay, maybe you did but thay was besides the point. you chose to tell him today because his family invited you both for a dinner later that day.

after you both arrived you sat opposite his sister, seungmin sitting right next to you. once everyone was there, people began looking through the menus and ordering. you found what you wanted and so did seungmin.

a while had passed and your food was finally being sent out. the waitress placed your food and you thanked her before she left. you looked into the silver tin that came with it and there was meat? you looked at seungmin who saw the tin and took it.

“let me eat that for you,” he began, eating half of it in one go. you smiled at him but smacked him on the thigh. he looked at you in confusion.

“you told me i stuff my face with junk but look at you! you look like a squirrel!” you laughed as he blushed before he nudged you.

“hey, if you must know this meat is not junk.” he said, trying to be serious but began laughing once he saw your smiling face.

“thanks for this, i love you.” he quickly said, stuffing the rest of the meat in his soft looking cheeks. you giggled before kissing his full cheeks.

“i love you too, kim seungmin.”

Jeongin:

jeongin would try his best to be respectful so sometimes he wouldn’t eat meat or anything animal related (?) in front of you, just incase you were uncomfortable. you found out at a regular café you two always went to when you saw him looking through the menu.

“yennie, when did you need to look through the menu? you always get the cake and coffee?” you questioned looking up from your phone.

“i decided i’m not going to eat anything that’s not vegan in front of you.” he said with a smile on his face.

you quirked a brow, before speaking again. “when was it a problem, love? you can eat whatever you want in front of me, you know that.”

“i just... thought it would maybe make you uncomfortable... i don’t know,” he trailed off, looking back at his menu in embarrassment.

“baby, it’s okay i promise i don’t feel uncomfortable when you eat all that in front of me, okay?” you said, placing your hand on his.

he looked up from his menu and gave you his signature smile. you smiled back before you both decided to finally order.

[of-all-irrelevance]

Traditions

Self-Para 002

September 1st came around faster than he was expecting. Fane wasn't sure how he felt about his birthday this year. Usually, he enjoyed his birthday, and while he never made a big deal about it, it was still a special day. This year was different.

His Ma wasn't around to make the strawberry shortcake she always made. It wasn't a traditional birthday cake, but she'd been doing it for so long for him that he was sure his birthday wouldn't be the same without it.

This year, his dad wasn't there to ask him what he wanted for his birthday dinner. The question was superfluous. He'd asked for the same dinner every year since he was nine-years-old. Boxty, bacon, and that potato cheddar soup his dad made.

His birthday was different this year, without his family to spend it with. Instead, he'd gone home to Bay Ridge, sheepishly asking Win for a ride. He thought about asking the other boy to stay with him, but right now, he thought he was better suited to being alone.

He'd ordered pancakes and bacon from the local diner to go, bought a container of potato soup from the deli, and packed it all up before getting on the train.

He kept his head down as the R thundered through stop after stop, trying to keep the tears held at bay. He wanted to cry, but like hell was he going to be someone that cried on the subway. Hell no. Instead, he dug his teeth into his lower lip and kept his focus on the containers of food held on his lap.

Fane got up at his stop, stepping off the train and moving out into the light. He sighed at the cloudy skies, glad that it wasn't raining, but thinking the rain might have been suitable. It would have matched his mood.

Stopping at the gate of the Green-Wood Cemetery, Fane took a shaky breath. He didn't want to go in. He wanted to call Win, ask his friend to come and pick him up. He didn't want to be alone right now, but he couldn't help but remember that he was alone. He was the only one left.

He took that first step.

Then his feet moved on their own, taking him to Sylvan Cliff, to the shared headstone bearing his parents' names. He stopped when he reached the grey, Celtic cross that marked his parents' graves. Sitting before the stone, Fane set out his meal.

He looked at the lily carved in the centre of the cross and felt the tears slide down his cheeks. "Hey Ma, hey dad," he said softly, eyes moving over the words carved on the shield-shaped base.

'In loving memory of Seoirse and Darina O'Fannaín. 

Died January 4, 2020. 

Beloved father and mother. 

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

And rains fall soft upon your fields.

Until we meet again.'

He opened the container with the soup, stirring it lightly with the plastic spoon. "It ain't your cheddar potato soup," he said, taking a bite of the soup. "Doesn't even have cheddar, but it was the best I could find…"

Fane sighed, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "You've missed a lot," he said quietly. "I graduated high school, missed you both at the ceremony… I'm starting college real soon. I got into the new Luxor University. We're doing an exchange program. I get to go to France soon."

He stopped talking for a moment, focusing on eating the potato soup. It was far from his dad's recipe, wasn't even that great. There was a fleeting moment where he wished he'd told Win about his favourite birthday meal. Win could have made something that tasted better. But then… he didn't want to bring Win down with him. He just wanted to be alone right now.

"Oh, you'll never guess who came back," Fane murmured, finishing the last of the subpar soup. "Win's back. He came to finish his school with me. He got into Luxor University too. I think he might be even more excited about going to France then I am. Bet you guys woulda loved to see him again…"

He trailed off as a soft sob wracked his frame. He opened the box of pancakes and bacon, letting a soft, watery laugh. "I couldn't find good boxty on short notice," he admitted, using the plastic fork to separate a bite of pancake. "But I have diner pancakes and bacon."

He took a bite of the pancake and shook his head slightly. "I should have told Win about the birthday meal tradition," he admitted, chewing on a piece of overcooked bacon. "He likes to cook. He'd probably have loved to learn all your recipes, both of yours. I wish he'd have gotten the chance…"

Fane swallowed, teeth digging into his lower lip. "According to Kenzie," he began, a watery smile on his face, "you both probably knew this already, but I love him. I'm in love with him. I just… don't think anything's going to happen. I think he sees me like family."

He shook his head slightly. "I know you both raised me not to be scared," Fane admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I am. I know Kenzie thinks I should tell him, but I'm scared. What if I do, and Win decides not to stay friends with me? That scares me more than anything… I can't… lose anyone else. I don't think I'm strong enough for that."

The tears started anew. Fane knew he was disappointing his parents with his cowardice. He had to be. They never wanted him to be afraid, least of all of his own feelings. But he was. He genuinely did not think he could handle it if he lost someone else. Losing his parents was hard enough. He couldn't lose Win or Kenzie or Sutton. He just couldn't take that.

"I made a new friend though," Fane told them, lower lip trembling slightly. "You'd like them, I think. They're called Sutton. They feel like a little sibling. I think they look at me as their brother too." He couldn't help the smile as he thought about the almost accidental meeting with Sutton, sent to find someone that Win texted thinking that Fane would be a better suited to talking to the younger student about virginity and sexuality. "Next year, I'm gonna take them to Pride with me. They're like me, and I think they coulda used someone like you guys…"

Fane sighed softly. "I miss you," he said softly, hunching in on himself as he started to cry steadily. "It's my birthday… I'm nineteen today, and I miss you today more than I've missed you in a while. I'm doing okay though, I think, just trying to keep on going, try to make you both proud.

"I'm going to school to get a teaching degree," he went on, just babbling at this point. "I want to be a music teacher and teach kids about music."

"I–" His words failed him as a soft sob escaped him. He curled in wholly on himself, just letting himself grieve. He hadn't cried like this since the night before graduation. It felt good.

He stayed there for god knew how long, crying. He was shaking when he felt a hand on his back. Turning his head, he saw a familiar head of blond hair and felt the other boy settle next to him, arm moving around Fane's shoulders. Fane didn't say anything, just leaned into Win's frame, and let the tears fall freely.

He felt warmth in his chest. He'd felt so alone earlier. It was nice to remember that he wasn't alone. He had family, even if he'd lost his parents. Fane turned slightly, rested his cheek on Win's shoulder. "Can you…" he trailed off, swallowing back more tears. "Can you make strawberry shortcake? Instead of regular cake?"

Win’s voice responded, softly in the quiet of the cemetery. "Yeah," the blond murmured, "of course, I’ll make strawberry shortcake."

[hanaridulsetcheese]

The Cotton-Floss Man

Han Jisung X Reader

Plot: It was your 3 year anniversary with Han and you wanted to do something special for him. You decided to recreate the first time you met him as a reminder of the best day of your lives.

~~~

You woke up to the smell of pancakes cooking, this caused a smile to come up on your face. You turned around in your bed to find the spot Jisung slept in empty, so you walked out of bed and to the kitchen.

You were met with your shirtless husband standing next to the stove, flipping the golden disc of happiness while quietly humming. 

You snuck up behind him and snaked your hands around his waist. He smiled, shutting off the stove and turned around in your arms, giving you a kiss.

"Happy anniversary baby. " he wraps his arms around you, giving you a big Hannie hug, specialised for you and only you.

"Happy anniversary Hannie. " you both shared a sweet kiss before pulling away, smiling like kids in a candy store.

"I made you breakfast. " he lifts up a plate full if golden, delicious pancakes.

"You didn't have too. " you said, looking at him with love in your eyes.

"I wanted to treat you today, it's a special day and you're my special person. We agreed on not doing gifts so I thought I could do this.  " he winked.

"Hannie~ " you smiled.

The both of you sat down and ate the amazing breakfast Jisung had made for you, you were a little jealous because you could never cook as well as him, it was his special hidden talent.

After breakfast, Jisung insisted that you two cuddled while watching one of your favourite movies, it was a simple gesture but sweet nonetheless.

You and Jisung have been close friends ever since he was a trainee, you actually met him at a fun fair one day, he snuck out and came to see the opening of the fair and got placed with you on the Farris wheel since you couldn't go alone.

It was fun with Jisung, he was a stranger but you felt like you knew him for a long time, you both admired the view from the height of the Farris wheel when you were at the top, the light from the setting sun illuminated his face allowing you to take in all his features. He was a really good-looking stranger.

After two years of knowing him, he had asked you out and you had dated for four and a half years before Jisung decided it was the perfect time to make you truly his.

When ever you and Jisung would cuddle, just like this very moment, your mind would always slip back to the fair. It was the greatest day of your life.

The both of you were alone at the fair, your friend ditched you for her crush and he came alone so you two had decided to stick together, you got to know Jisung a little and found out you had the same passion for music.

Later that night you both had went your separate ways, forgetting to exchange phone numbers. You were saddened at the fact that you might not see him again, but that didn't stop him from always being on your mind, the same went for Jisung, he couldn't stop thinking about you, it went to the point where he actually wrote songs about you.

You were sure you wouldn't see him again, but destiny had other plans. You were scouted but a JYP manager and you had decided to take the opportunity so you auditioned. It was possibly the greatest decision you made, you were so shocked to see Jisung there as well, he hadn't noticed you until you started singing.

Your angelic voice caught his attention, causing him to look up and see you, he smiled so wide as he watched you sing.

"(Y/N)- " you heard Jisung call out to you.

"Y-yeah? " you snapped out of your daydream.

"I thought I lost you for a second. " he laughed. "What were you thinking about?"

"The day we first met. " you said, blushing slightly.

"Sneaking out of my dorm room was the best thing I ever did. " he smiled, remembering the day as if it were yesterday.

"I'm kind of glad you snuck out too. " you giggled.

"And we have to thank (Y/F/N) for ditching you that day. " you both laughed. "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been asked to join you on that Ferris wheel. "

"I have an idea. " you said, a light suddenly lit up in your head.

"What is it? " he asked, pushing his hair back.

"It's a surprise, go out on a hoodie and jeans with your high tops. " you said, smiling widely.

"Why, where are we going? " he asked again.

"It's. A. Surprise. " you say, kissing him after every word.

"Fine. " he smiled and runs up stairs to change.

You made a few phone calls to make your plans comes to life before heading up to change as well.

When you were both done, you got out pulled out a blindfold, the silliest one you could find of course, and handed it to Jisung.

"Put this on. " you gave it to him.

"I can't drive if I can't see. " he says, dangling the car keys in his hands.

"You're not driving today boo, I am. " you smiled sheepishly at him, snatching the keys from him.

"Just tell me where we are going! " he whined, using his squirrel like visuals on you.

"Not gonna work today Hannie. " you put the blindfold on him and placed a small kiss on his nose making him laugh at the ticklish feeling.

You helped him out the door and into the car before getting in your self and driving off to your suprise location.

When you arrived, you couldn't help but feel nostalgic at the site in front of you, you wanted to cry at the memories it held but you didn't want to spoil the surprise for Jisung.

"We're here. " you told him. You helped him out if the car again and walked him to the entrance before stopping.

"Can I take of the blindfold now? " he asked eagerly.

"Okay, in three, two, one..."

He pulled if the blindfold and looked at the place in front of him. You saw a smile form on his face before he looked at you.

"Is this- " he started slowly, before turning to you.

"The fair where we first met? Yes it is. " you smiled.

"I can't believe we are back here, this is amazing. " he said, giving you the biggest hug in the world.

"Come on let's go! " you grabbed him hand and pulled him toward the ticket booth.

"I didn't being any money. " he said as you approached the man inside the booth.

"Shush, this is my idea, so I'm playing for everything. " you smirk at him.

"But (Y/N/N)~ "

"But Hannie~ " you mocked him. "I want to spoil you for once, let me please. "

"Fine, but only this once. " You squealed and bought both your tickets.

You both ran into the fair like little kids, looking around at the familiar place, everything was just like how you remembered it.

"Where do you want to go first? " you asked him.

"Remember that candy floss guy who gave us that crazy fortune? " he said, while you two were at the fair when you both met, Jisung bought you candy floss and the man told the both of you that he could sense that you two would be inseperable when you heard the sound of glass shattering.

You didn't want to believe him then, because he was just a candy floss man that was just saying random things until the day you became an official trainee for JYP, there was an accident in the practice room next to you and you heard glass shattering, you went to check it out and saw that the mirror had fallen due to there being a loose screw, Jisung entered the room at the same time having been the another practice room you both wondered how the screw had lossened.

You didn't know what was happening so you decided to go and report it to Park Jinyoung, when you remembered the room to show him, you accidently stepped on a piece of glass and bliss started gushing out of your foot, you screamed in pain and Jisung came after shearing the sound, he immediately took you to the nurse after seeing you.

He didn't want to leave your side when he found out you needed stitches because the cute was deep, he helped you walked everywhere, even carried you because he didn't want to strain yourself. After that day, he always stuck with you and you two became closer and closer.

"We should see if he is still here, I guess we have to thank him. " the both of you walked towards the middle of the fair, trying to find the man and the candy floss stand.

"What was the name of the stall again? " you asked him.

"Moon Jihoon's Floss I think it was. "

You two walked around a little in search of the stall, but it was no where to be found, until-

"Jisung, is that it? " you pointed to the bright pink stall at the fair end of the fair.

He squinted trying to get a better look at the stall, "I think so, let's go check it out. "

You walked toward the stall ready to the face the man who had somehow knew you two would get together, bit you were disappointed when you reached the stall.

"Hey guys, can I interest you in anything? " a middle aged man asked, he was definitely not the one who you remembered.

"I'm sorry, is this Moon Jihoon's Floss? " Jisung asked the man.

"It:s named after the creator of this devine recipe himself- " the man gestured the a small frame on the counter, it was an old looking picture of the same man you were looking for.

"Jisungie that's him. " you said. Jisung looked at the carefully.

"Who is this man? " Jisung asked the man politely.

"That's my great grandfather, I named the stall after him. " the man said.

"May we speak to him? Is he here? " you asked him.

"He died fifty years ago. " the man said looking down at the picture.

"Excuse me? " Jisung looked at you, not knowing what to believe.

"He died fifty years ago. " he repeated.

"That's impossible, a few years ago he told my wife and I something. He was here and we spoke to him. " Jisung said in disbelief.

"I think you're getting confused with someone else because he was definitely not alive a few years ago, the only reason I opened up the stall is in honour of his memory, he taught my grandfather the art of candy making and my grandfather taught me. " he said in a slow tone.

"This is really strange. " you said.

"I'm sorry? " the man said.

"Um, thanks anyway, well just have a regular candy floss. " you said and handed him the money, noticing Jisung pout as you did.

You took the candy floss from him and thanked him before walking away with Jisung.

"I clearly remember that man talking to us. He was definitely alive too. " Jisung said, stuffing some candy floss in his mouth.

"Maybe we saw someone else, maybe it never happened. " you said, not fully believing the words coming out of your mouth.

"We couldn't have been seeing the same thing together. " Jisung said, you nodded knowing that something was off.

"I honestly don't know what it was, but you have to admit, it feels like one of those movies. " you laughed.

"It does. I'm waiting for the secret service to pop up from the ground and kidnap us, telling us to go on this secret mission and find treasure. " he said, 'looking' around for the secret service.

You two continued to walk around the fair, stopping to play games and here and there, genuinely having a good time. Before you knew it, it was almost sunset and you had the final piece of your plan to execute.

"Let's go in the Farris wheel. " you said and Jisung nodded, holing your hand and walking to the ride that started it all.

You waited in the line until it was your turn to go on the ride.

"Next. " the man at the Farris wheel called out.

You saw the smile smile at you and you smiled at him back, giving him the signal.

"I'm sorry ma'am. " he said to you.

"Excuse? " you played along.

"This ride is meant for two people, you can't go alone. "

Jisung looked at the man confused, he was about to say something before the man interrupted him.

"Ah, this young man seems to be alone as well, how about you both go together. " he opened the cart of the both of you and let you both go in.

Jisung suddenly realised what was happening and he laughed. "I can't believe you did this. "

"Did what? " you asked innocently before giggling.

"Did you really just recreated our first meeting? "

"I'd wanted it to be special. I thought you'd get a kick out of this. " you saw Jisung with the cutest smile on his face.

"Buckle up love birds. " the man took of his cap that covered his face, revealing himself to Jisung.

"Moon Jihoon?! " he looked at him in complete shock.

Moon Jihoon smiled at the both of you before pressing the button, the cart slowly ascended into the air, taking you higher and higher.

"I'm always right Han Jisung. The next sound you would hear will be crying, but it will mark the beginning of your new chapter in life. "

Jisung looked at you, hoping you would explain to him what Moon Jihoon had said, but instead you grabbed his hand and kissed it before placing it on your stomach.

Tears formed in your eyes as you saw Jisung slowly start to comprehend what was happening. He looked at you with the brightest smile on his face, tears threatening to spill from his own eyes.

"Are you serious? " he whispered.

You nodded and watched his smile brighten, "You're gonna be a daddy. "

Jisung hugged you tightly, burying his face into the nook of your neck, you felt his tears on your neck so you slowly broke away from the hug and wiped his tears.

"You are the greater thing that ever happened to me. I can't wait for our new life with this little precious, " he rubbed your stomach. "I promise you, I will do my absolute best to help you with this pregnancy, I promise I will be the best dad ever. " he kissed you sweetly.

"I know you are going to be the best dad, you are already the best husband and best friend a girl could ask for. "

You cupped his cheeks, kissing him again.

"I'm really glad to have you in my life. "

[kohanayaki]

Caught in the Middle (Steve Harrington x Reader x Billy Hargrove) Ch 4

Links: Ch 1   Ch 2   Ch 3  Ch 4  Ch 5  Ch 6  Ch 7

_____________________________________________________

Ch 4 .:A Date?:.

Sunlight streamed in through your window, ribbons of light cascading across your bed sheets. You could hear the faint sound of birds chirping as the morning greeted you.

And you felt like complete and utter shit. 

You groaned, your head pounding, as you tried to block out some of the light with your pillow. You'd gotten home last night at 2:00 on the dot, feeling fine. In fact, you even caught up on some homework before you went to sleep. Now you just felt like you'd been hit by a truck.

You looked over at the time, reluctantly getting out of bed when you saw how late in the morning it was. The kids were biking over in half an hour to go to the mall and you looked like hell.

You padded down the hallway, mustering up a weak laugh when you saw your brother passed out in his room, knowing he'd probably wake up to the same fate as you. 

As you made your way downstairs the smell of breakfast food made your stomach rumble on instinct. You were 'hydrated' plenty last night, but there wasn't much actual food. Your eyes lit up as you rounded the corner and saw your dad plating up some eggs, bacon, and pancakes. He grinned as he saw you, setting the plate down on the table in front of you. 

“And how is my daughter doing this fine morning?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

“Swell,” you said sarcastically.

He laughed, walking over to the cabinet to get you some Tylenol and a glass of water. 

“Trust me, I know the feeling,” he said, “I can't really say anything on this one, I'd be lying if I said I haven't done worse when I was your age. That hangover is punishment enough. Just drink water throughout the day, and go on and eat something greasy while you're at the mall too. But get your blood sugar up right now, I don't want you back in that car until your head's clear, you understand?”

“Will do,” you said, already stuffing your face, “Thanks, dad.”

“You're welcome,” he smiled, “Love you, drive safe.”

“Love you too,” you said through a mouthful of bacon. 

As he retreated back into his office you savored the taste of the feast he made for you. You smiled fondly as you did. Your dad didn't really cook until he became a single parent. When he took on the full responsibility of raising you and your brother, he tried his best to fill your mom's role, following the old recipe books she'd left behind. His first attempts were a general health hazard, but as time went on he actually turned out to be a great cook.

The sudden ringing of bicycle bells outside your house made you scarf down the rest of your plate, snatching your car keys off the table. 

You opened the front door to see the whole gang waiting for you.

“I swear, the only time you guys are on time for anything is when you're leeching off of me,” you said, unlocking the car and leaving them to figure out the seating.

“You know us so well,” Dustin said, hopping into the shotgun seat before anyone else could take it. 

“I forgot to ask earlier, but how was that summer camp you went to, Dustin?” you asked, turning on the engine.

“It was so cool,” he beamed, “Our counselor taught us how to make all kinds of inventions. I made a self-nailing hammer, a wind powered clock, and a radio tower so I can talk to my girlfriend whenever I want since her parents monitor her phone calls.”

“Girlfriend?” you turned to look at him. He smiled back at you, bright as anything.

“Yeah, we were surprised too,” Max said from the back.

“Although we're not sure she actually exists,” Mike chimed in, “Apparently she's as hot as Phoebe Cates.”

“Hotter than Phoebe Cates,” Dustin corrected, “And she's a genius too.”

“Riiight,” Lucas said. 

“Well I think she sounds great, Dusty,” you said, “It's pretty romantic you built that radio tower just to talk to her.”

“It's the strongest communications network in Hawkins across 150 channels,” he said proudly.

“Well, that's certainly impressive,” you grinned, ruffling his hair. 

Soon you pulled up to one of the many entrances to the mall, stopping at the curb. 

“Well, this is your stop, guys,” you said, “What are you gonna see?”

“The Stuff,” Mike said excitedly. 

“Isn't that rated R?” you questioned, a brow raised. 

All of them looked at each other, slightly panicked.

“Well, we'll see you later, (Y/n)!” Lucas said, flinging open the back door and getting out as fast as he could. Everyone else quickly fled after him, running towards the theater. You shook your head. They got themselves into a lot of shenanigans, but admittedly you were the one instigating it most of the time when you were younger, even if you were the babysitter. 

However, as soon as the kids left for the movie you were painfully reminded of the throbbing headache you had. You groaned as one of the strobe lights around the movie theater glared in your face, not helping matters in the slightest. 

You knew eating a bunch of greasy food technically didn't do anything for a hangover, but it sure made you feel a hell of a lot better emotionally. With that in mind you decided to walk over to the Burger Chef located inside the mall for a little pick me up. 

Luckily for you there wasn't much of a line. Only a few people were scattered around the seating area at the food court. You were looking over the menu hanging on the wall when a familiar voice broke your train of thought.

“(Y/n)?”

You looked around at the sound of your name to see Steve looking back at you, just as surprised. 

“Hey,” you said. You took a moment to look over him. He looked just as awful as you did, if you were honest. The deep-set bags under his tired eyes aged him an eternity, and he looked a bit green as well. 

“You too, huh?” You bit back a grin as you gave him a short laugh through your nose.

“Yeah,” he admitted, “In hind sight I probably shouldn't have mixed liquors, but hey, there's nothing I can do about it now. Figured some fries might help.”

“They always do,” you said, “What are you doing here, anyways? Aren't you on your shift at Scoops?” You noticed he was still in his work uniform.

“Lunch break,” he explained, “I don't really have long, but we can grab a table if you want.”

“I'd like that,” you smiled.

Steve was a little surprised at his own forwardness. Apparently he was hungover enough to not overthink everything that came out of his mouth. However he was even even more surprised at you agreeing to sit down with him. He didn't know why his brain was making such a big deal out of this; you ate lunch with him every day and hung out together all the time, but then again that was also including a group of other people. You and Steve had never really spent time together when it was just the two of you, except for when you iced his busted face after the basketball stunt, which hardly counted as a first date. 

He felt uncharacteristically nervous as he slid into the booth next to you. A year ago he would have been pulling out all the stops to make you his, but now he just wasn't so sure anymore. He was never afraid of rejection before, but when he thought of you as the one rejecting him he figured it would be better to not say anything at all. 

'Get yourself together,' Steve thought to himself, 'It's just lunch with a friend. Friends do that!'

“Penny for your thoughts, Popeye?” you said, flicking the fabric of his sailor hat. 

“Huh?” Steve said, snapping out of it, “Oh, nothing, just, uh. . .” he quickly picked up a menu, hoping to cover the majority of his reddening face with it, “Looking at the XXL Supreme. 2Lb beef patty with bbq sauce, ranch, fried pickles, beer cheese and. . . yeah, that sounds pretty gross.”

“I'll probably stick to a regular burger,” you laughed, glancing at the menu over his shoulder. 

You were so close he could feel the heat coming off your body and smell the sweet scent of your perfume. He scolded himself for being so weak, forcing himself to concentrate only on the food. 

Right at that moment a waiter strolled up to you, writing pad in hand. 

“Hi. Welcome to Burger Chef,” he said, sounding just as dead inside as he looked, “How may I serve you today?”

“A double patty melt with cheddar,” Steve said, “And a coke, please.”

“I'm trying to decide between-” you stopped yourself as you looked up, staring at the waiter. You thought he looked familiar and it was then that you realized he was one of the guys that bullied your brother in middle school. Your eyes narrowed as you recalled how he and his friends cut the strings on Kyle's guitar when he brought it to school one day. 

You saw a flash of recognition in his eyes and your lips curved upwards.

“The classic burger, simple,” you said, the fakest smile you could muster on your face, “But on a sesame bun instead of the brioche, no mayo, extra mustard, add caramelized onions and extra cheese, and don't forget the pickles. If you could add shredded lettuce instead of the whole leaf that'd be great. Oh, and a Neapolitan shake with chocolate syrup and no whipped cream.”

“We don't have a Neapolitan shake,” he said irritably and slightly panicked, trying to write everything down. 

“Well I heard in your commercial if you just ask, an employee would be happy to mix any of the milkshake flavors together,” you said, your smirk widening. What could you say? Being a bitch was fun sometimes- especially when the person on the receiving end was a total dickhead. 

“Coming right up,” the waiter said through his teeth.

Steve looked between the two of you before the waiter stormed off to the kitchen window, slamming his hand down on the bell with more force than necessary.

“So, what'd he do?” Steve chuckled.

“Bullied my brother really bad in school,” you said, “What goes around comes around, though. In a few years Kyle will be off to LA to start touring with his band and this guy will still be here covered in fry grease wearing a burger shaped hat.”

“Well I hope that's not my fate,” Steve said, only half joking as he took his uniform hat off, twirling it in his hands. 

You could tell even though he tried to hide behind the humor it was something he really was concerned about. 

“Hey, don't worry about it,” you said, nudging his shoulder lightly, “You're not an asshole. . . anymore.”

You managed to get a laugh out of him at the end and you smiled, glad you were at least able to cheer him up some.

“Seriously, though, it's fine to not know what you want to do with your life yet,” you said, “Hell, I know grown ass men who still don't know what they're doing. You don't have to go to some fancy college to do something great.”

Steve looked at you, thinking over your words. He thought it was crazy how you were his age but you were so much more mature and optimistic than he was. The way you thought was unlike anyone he's met before in Hawkins, and it only further intensified his wanting to get to know you.

“Thanks, (Y/n),” he smiled.

Meanwhile, your little crew of gremlins had finished their film, now making their way to the food court for lunch.

“What do you think The Stuff tastes like?” Lucas asked to no one in particular.

“I bet it's like Betty Crocker frosting,” Dustin said dreamily.   

“Um can we not talk about how sentient parasitic goo tastes? Because we're literally about to go eat,” Max said.

Suddenly Dustin stopped in his tracks, making Will run into his back. 

“Dustin, what the hell?” Mike said, screeching to a halt before he could collide with Will. 

“No way,” Dustin said, staring far off some place the others couldn't see.

“What's wrong?” El asked, confused. 

Dustin pulled his friends behind the shrubbery next to the fountain, ducking in the cover as he peeked his head out slightly. 

“They're on a date!” Dustin said, a little too loudly. He ignored the stares he got from passersby as he continued to watch you and Steve laugh over your burgers in your shared booth.

“(Y/n) and Steve?” Mike said, “I thought he was still hung up over Nancy breaking up with him.”

“Well clearly the man's moved on,” Lucas said.

Max rolled her eyes, hitting him on the arm.

“Ow!” Lucas exclaimed, turning to her, “What was that for?”

“Just because a guy and a girl are hanging out doesn't mean it's a 'date',” she pointed out, “Maybe they're just good friends. I've seen them around each other a lot at school.”

“I think he finally worked up the courage to ask her out for real,” Dustin started theorizing, ignoring Max completely. 

“What do you mean for real?” Will asked.

“It's so obvious he's into her but he's scared of striking out,” Dustin said, “That whole Nancy situation really struck a blow to his self confidence.”

Mike tried to get a better look at what you two were doing, leaning over El's shoulder and squinting at the burger place. Suddenly his footing slipped from under him as he accidentally took a step on the wet tile near the fountain and fell on his ass into a bush. 

“Shit!”

You and Steve stopped eating your burgers and turned around at the sudden noise, but saw nothing but a ruffle in the plants nearby. 

“That was weird,” you said, looking around. 

“Yeah,” Steve said, “Well, it's bear season, you never know when they'll sneak up on you.”

You laughed at that, the sound making Steve's heart flutter. He loved your laugh, even more so when he knew he was the cause of it. 

Suddenly Steve remembered his shift was probably starting, his lunch break was less than an hour long.

“Shit, I should've been back ten minutes ago,” Steve said, looking down at his watch, “My shift already started.”

“Oh, sorry,” you said, “I didn't mean for this to go on for so long.”

Steve looked surprised, shaking his head vigorously. 

“No, no, I liked it,” he said, not fully registering how the sentence sounded out loud until your cheeks flushed.

“I-I mean-”

“I get it,” you laughed softly, “I liked it too.”

Steve felt like his heart was just shot through with cupid's arrow as you smiled up at him and offered to walk him back to Scoops. He hadn't felt this way since Nancy. After she broke his heart he was convinced he would never get over her, but now you were here, occupying all the free space in his mind despite only knowing you for a short while. What the hell was going on with him?

His mental debate came to an unceremonious stop when he realized you were already in front of the ice cream shop.

Steve turned to you and did his best to sound indifferent. He had a really good time, but he didn't know if you felt the same way.

“Well, I better get back to it,” he said, clearing his throat awkwardly, “You know, suit up, sling ice cream, appease the masses-”

“We should do this again sometime,” you said, effectively flipping the 'off' switch on his rambling. 

Steve seemed to freeze in this plane of existence, staring at you with wide eyes.

“Yeah! I mean, that's what I was gonna ask you, but I didn't know if you wanted to, and. . .” he trailed off, kicking himself again.   

'When you talk you just make it worse,' he mentally scolded himself.

You laughed a bit at his flushed face.

'Adorable,' you thought. For being the former king of Hawkins High, he was still a giant dork.

“Well I'll definitely see you around this time, then,” you smiled, reminded of your first day back. Things were different between you two now, but that wasn't a bad thing at all.

You walked out of Scoops Ahoy feeling lighter, a smile on your face and your headache long forgotten. With your disastrous dating history, maybe Steve Harrington was the kind of guy who could be good for you right now.

The very thought made you feel giddy inside, but as you said yourself before, life had a funny way of changing your plans completely.

Read Chapter 5 here!

Taglist: @in-my-dreams-2000 @ggclarissa @iris1697 @5sosxgrethan @ohnoniella @sarcasticalphaofthelooserspack @aspiring-fangirls-world @wow-im-so-tired @hopesxxhigh @justanothercrazyassfangirl @too-many-lanes @whimsylavender @bish-ima-clown @amarachoren @mosiacbrokenheartstf @mcuvlxgs @xapham @metuel18 @immirandaq @nellaphine @multi-madison @gingertalksshit @jojo-buttercup @kyberhearts @mvdelaine @minnie-marvel @caitlin-rose28 @zandaleekrz @r3inventedd @void-fire-rose @macymafia @wanna-be-idle @newtsshelbys @kimmydespell @weyheyokay @r4ttusr4ttus @cynthianokamaria

[self-proclaimed-chaotic-good]

Is That Bibinka? | Cassian Andor x Filipina!Reader (one-shot)

Words: 2799

A/N: I don’t know why, but the two one-shots I wrote has best friends-to-lovers trope. Oh, well. Who doesn’t love that trope? Slow burn, mutual pining, and best friends to lovers. That’s that good shit right there, that holy trinity. Also, I’ve been wanting to write a filipina!reader ever since I read @propertyofpoeandbucky ‘s filipina!reader inserts and loved them. Mine’s nothing much, but...

-

Kayto sighed as he pushed the wagon alongside his friend, Cassian, and wondered why he was dragged into this. Apparently, your birthday was coming up and baking a cake for you wasn’t enough. No, Cassian wanted to bake you bibinka, a Filipino dessert that you had gushed about several times when you’d talk about your childhood and home. Although it won’t be as good as your mother’s baking, he could damn well try it. Kayto didn’t even know what mochiko powder was until Cassian showed it to him. They gathered the ingredients for both the bibinka and the cake, hoping to get all of it and reach their apartment before you could bump into them.

“Why do I have to help you shop, Cassian? You are perfectly capable of finding them yourself,” Kayto complained as he pushed the now full wagon to the cashier line.

“Because (Y/n) is your best friend, too, and you also want to make her happy,” Cassian said, loading the conveyor belt.

“Not in the same way as you do,” Kayto said, earning a glare from Cassian. “Please, Cassian, it is obvious that you harbor romantic feelings for a mutual friend and neighbor. If you want my honest opinion, you best make your move soon, or else she sets her eyes on someone else.”

“We’re just friends,” Cassian insisted.

“Sure.” Kayto rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you’d think living in the apartment across from the woman would encourage you to ask her out. To put some motivation in you, I heard Bodhi is also interested in her as well.” It was a lie, of course. He knew that Bodhi was interested in Jyn, but Cassian doesn’t need to know that right now.

“Bodhi from the engineering department? In the end, it’s all (Y/n) decision. She can date whoever she wants,” Cassian said casually, hiding the hint of jealousy.

“But wouldn’t your chances be higher if she knew that you were an option?” Kayto pointed out.

Cassian sighed, knowing that his friend was right, but what can he do? He didn’t want to ruin the friendship you had with him and what if you rejected him? It would make things awkward between you two and could never go back to the way things were. All he knows to do is find ways to make you smile. For that week, it was to bake a cake and a Filipino dessert. How hard can it be?

Their first attempt of a small three tier cake didn’t go so well. Cassian crossed his arms and frowned, wondering what went wrong while Kayto scraped the thin layer of cake, that looked more like a burnt pancake, off the circular cake mold.

“Perhaps we put too little of… something,” Cassian said.

“How about, instead of looking for three tier cake recipes, we just use one regular cake recipe and then repeat it until we have enough batter for each layer,” Kayto reasoned. Cassian nodded, but it didn’t seem to go register properly in his head. Kayto sighed. “Fine, I’ll deal with the cake, since I’m more competent in it. Why don’t you figure out how to make that butter mochi thing that (Y/n) loves so much?”

“Sure, I can do that. The recipes seemed easier than cake anyways.” Famous last words.

“I don’t understand. Why is it so floury? Do I need to put more vanilla inside?” Cassian muttered as he chewed on the small sample batch of bibinka he made. “Is it supposed to taste like this? (Y/n) always described it as having a simple but sweet taste. This isn’t sweet, but just… floury. There’s no sugar in this recipe, either. Should I put more butter?”

“Any more butter and you’ll be like Paula Deen,” Kayto commented, carefully stacking the perfectly shaped cake layers together. Kayto looked over at the slightly burnt butter mochi and took a bite. “Cassian, have you ever baked before?”

Cassian scoffed, offended, crossing his arms. “Yes… I have baked before. I’ve made cookies and such.”

“But were those pre-made?”

“… yes.”

“Okay, baking 101…”

-

“… and then I said, ‘Sir, you cannot make a return without a receipt.’ And then he goes, ‘But can’t you see that I’ve never worn it? I can go to Macy’s and get a return without a receipt’. I just stood there dumbfounded. Then he goes ‘Can I speak to the manager?’. Of course, he’d say that ‘cause he just can’t accept the policy we have,” you rambled to your roommate Jyn as you two made your way back to the apartment.

“Oh, god, this is why I try to avoid retail,” Jyn said, rolling her eyes. “There’s always a customer that – (Y/n), do you smell something burning?”

You paused, sniffing the air. Your nose led you over to Cassian and Kayto’s apartment where the fire alarm was going off. You turned to Jyn who had an expression that was mixed of worried and exasperation at the boys’ shenanigans.

“Guys? You okay?” you called out, knocking on the door.

“Shit!” you heard Cassian shout, followed by a loud banging that sounded like pots being dropped. The door swung open, revealing a disheveled Cassian. “Hi, everything’s fine,” he hastily assured you two.

Jyn raised an eyebrow. “What is your definition of fine? It sounds, smells, and looks like a disaster,” she said, peeking over Cassian’s shoulder to see Kayto opening the windows to let the smoke out.

“This is all Cassian’s fault!” Kayto quickly pointed the finger.

Cassian shook his head. Before he could defend himself, he froze as you stepped forward, sniffing the air inside the apartment. Unbeknownst to you, since Cassian had been blocking the whole doorway, you had to lean against him to get a view inside. His body stiffened as he felt your body heat radiating off you, your scent would have flooded his senses if the burnt smell wasn’t so predominating.

“Do I smell burnt… cake and… is that bibinka?” you asked. You turned and raised your head, your face inches away from his, but you don’t move.

“I, uh, um, I was…” Why weren’t there words coming to mind every time you were in front of him?              

Jyn gave a knowing smirk, pulling you away from Cassian. “Let’s leave the boys alone to clean up their mess and get ready for our little party, birthday girl,” she said.

You pouted, sending a smile to Cassian before turning. “I hope you actually mean little this time, Jyn. Last time, you practically invited the entire class,” you said, letting Jyn drag you back to your shared apartment. You toed off your shoes by the door and placed the groceries on the kitchen counter. “I’ve already had plenty of experiences where sixty percent of the people attending my party weren’t even invited by me, but by the people I invited and those people invite more people, et cetera, et cetera. I ran into someone a few years ago who said they recognized me because they were at my graduation party, invited by my cousin’s friend’s boyfriend. I don’t even know which cousin it was, ‘cause some aren’t actually related to me.”

“I promise that it’s only going to be close friends, alright? Me, you, Cass, Kay, Bods, Han, and the twins,” Jyn listed off with her fingers. “Chirrut and Baze aren’t able to make it, but they’re going to drop off a present for you later today.”

“That’s nice of them” you said, unpacking the paper bags. “I’m kind of glad Lando’s not coming. He’s a cool dude, but he’s just going to end up inviting everyone.”

Jyn nodded, then turned a mischievous smirk to you. “You know what’s also nice? Cassian going out of his way to bake something for you. And not just anything, he’s trying to bake your favorite dessert.” She playfully shoved your shoulder.

“Yeah, that’s very nice of him,” you said offhandedly, busying yourself in stocking the fridge to hide your smile.

“Yeah, that is very nice of him” Jyn mimicked you, “but Cass doesn’t just bake for anyone, (Y/n/n). He obviously doesn’t bake at all.”

You sighed, closing the fridge. “What do you want me to say, Jyn? ‘Oh, that’s great that Cassian not only remembers my favorite dessert, that he’s also baking it. It truly shows that my feelings for him are reciprocated.’.”

“Yes, and it’s true.”

Meanwhile, Kayto pulled himself away from the door, having just heard enough of the conversation to come up with a plan. He sent a text to Jyn and made his way back to his shared apartment with Cassian where he was making his third attempt of bibinka. Jyn agreed to Kayto’s plan, already setting things in motion.

-

Jyn made you wear a tiara and your favorite dress for the party, having strewn ribbons around the apartment and balloons floating around the place. Dinner was ready and laid out on your longest table, the desserts being kept all the way at the end. Bodhi arrived first, handing you a small rectangle sized gift wrapped in simple brown paper with twine tying it together. Han and the Skywalker twins came next, with the former carrying a paper bag stuffed with gifts from all three of them. Kayto and Cassian, despite living right across from you, came last, with a tall box and a aluminum foil wrapped cake pan. Jyn ushered them to the dessert area and grabbed their presents for you away.

“Glad you guys are finally here and haven’t burnt down the entire apartment complex,” you told them.

“Nonsense. The fire wasn’t unstable enough to consume the apartment. We had everything under control,” Kayto said.

You raised an eyebrow. “Right, well, now that everyone’s here… Food!”

“Finally!” Han shouted, shooting up from his seat on the couch. Leia pursed her lips, slapping her boyfriend’s arm. He scratched the back of neck sheepishly. “Alright, alright. After you, princesses.”

You filled up a plate first, followed by Jyn and Leia, the latter asking about some of the dishes that was made special for your birthday, as they were popular Filipino dishes found at almost every party back home. Pancit, pinakbet, lumpia, and you even managed to find longganisa. Han and Luke fought over who could go next while Kayto simply cut in front of them. Bodhi laughed in amusement over their antics, watching on the side with Cassian.

“What’s this in the foil?” Luke asked, pointing a fork at the pan Cassian brought. “It says it’s for (Y/n) on it.”

“I want (Y/n) to try it first. It’s my first time making it and I’ve never ate it until today,” Cassian said, looking over at you who shot him a bright smile that stopped his heart. He could do nothing as you waltzed over to him and gave him a tight hug.

“Thank you! I’m sure it’s edible,” you said, nudging him over to the dining table to get food.

“I hope so.”

You laughed, then walked over to the couch next to Jyn and the twins, going through Netflix to find the right movie. He sighed, his shoulders sagging as you walked away. He made his own plate and looked around for an available seat, debating whether he should take that empty seat next to you or settle on the floor. His options flew out the window as Bodhi casually sat down next to you, chiming in to something Jyn had said, making the two of you laugh. Cassian’s jaw tightened, not wanting to direct his jealousy to his kind friend that always meant well.

“Aswang? What is that?” Luke asked you.

“It’s like a shapeshifting vampire creature thing. My mom told me about them before. Apparently, her sister encountered one when they were visiting the Philippines,” you said, selecting the movie.

“The reviews don’t look too good,” Han commented as he looked it up on his phone.

“That’s because it’s a remake.”

Cassian sat down by your legs, stuffing himself with the food that you’ve cooked with extra care and practice. His plate was practically empty when he heard you giggle. He tilted his head up, to see you smiling down on him. Your warm hand rested under his neck and he had to suppress the urge to gulp.

“Good?” you asked him.

You had been watching him in between your conversations with Jyn and Bodhi, the thought that he was enjoying your cooking made you happy. When you first met him, he seemed to have a perpetual frown and it took some time for him to open up to you and smile.

“It’s delicious,” Cassian managed to say.

“Well, feel free to grab more. There’s a lot and I don’t want to have too many left overs in our fridge.”

“And you should try the apple and grape cider (Y/n) and I picked out – oops!” Jyn started to say, leaning over to the coffee table to grab her drink when it ‘accidentally’ splashed onto poor Cassian. “Sorry, Cass.”

She wasn’t sorry, of course. To think Jyn Erso, who had one of the best reflexes in the room, would simply splash a drink on accident was absurd. Kayto came over with a bunch of paper towels as if on standby, shoving it into Cassian’s hands. You jumped up and help him, moving him into a more open area to wipe as much of the liquid off of him.

“Oh, no. You should change your clothes before it stains,” Kayto said as Bodhi and Jyn shot a conspiratory look at each other. “Maybe you should go with him, (Y/n). I think I forgot your present in the kitchen.”

Kayto, having one of the best memories, forgetting something? You crossed your arms and at your friends, feeling something off. Jyn grinned innocently at you, waving a hand for you to get going. You followed Cassian over to his shared apartment.

“You don’t have to,” he began to say as he ran a hand through his soft brown hair.

“I think they’ll force me to anyways,” you said, noting how they trailed behind. You spun around to shoot them a suspicious glare as Kayto and Bodhi stopped in their tracks, suddenly finding the counter top and the wall clock fascinating.

Cassian was too preoccupied with cleaning his shirt that he hadn’t noticed. He unlocked his door and lead you inside, heading straight for his room. You gave Kayto the benefit of a doubt, scanning their kitchen counters only to find nothing but the remnants of their baking struggles. Cassian had pulled down a new shirt when he came back out, giving you a sheepish grin when he realized what you were looking at.

“Baking is a science that I haven’t studied or mastered,” Cassian admitted, grabbing the knob.

“I’m sure your bibinka turned out fine,” you assured him.

Cassian pulled on the door, hearing a thud as it didn’t budge. He frowned, pulling on the door again. Giggling could be heard from the other side, followed by Kayto’s hushed chiding to quiet down.

“Kayto? Bodhi?” Cassian called out. Their footsteps receded, followed by your apartment’s door shutting. He sighed. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why they’re like this. I mean, I know why, but… I guess you’re stuck here with me.”

You shrugged, stepping towards him. “It isn’t all that bad,” you said softly, brushing his hair away from his forehead. “So, you know why they’re doing this?”

“I, um, yes. Yes, I do,” Cassian said, mustering up his courage. He is the captain of the Rifle team and the Soccer team. His job was to encourage and inspire and hype his teammates, and right now, he needs all of that. “(Y/n)…”

“Yes?” You stepped closer to him.

“(Y/n), you are one of my best friends and it wasn’t until last year did I realize how much I… How much I’ve fallen in love with you, but I didn’t want to ruin anything and if you don’t feel the same, then- “

You cut him off by pulling him down for a kiss. He stood there in shock, then relaxed into your touch, wrapping his arms around you and made the kiss deeper. Your heart swelled with happiness, one hand brushing his jawline, your bodies pressed together feeling each other’s heat. Your make out sessions lasted for a few more minutes, not realizing that Kayto had taken the chair from underneath the doorknob away.

After coming out for air, Cassian turned to try the doorknob again. The door finally opened, and he lead you back to your apartment by the hand. Your friends looked up from their plates and grinned at the sight of your joint hands.

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “Is that bibinka?” They looked away sheepishly, being caught red handed. “That’s supposed to be for (Y/n)!”

[thelastspeecher]

Spy AU - Toxin, pt. 3

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a follow-up to this scenario in the Spy AU, where Ford gets hit with a toxin while on a mission, and said toxin later de-ages him to three years old.  The previous installments (in chronological order) are here, here, here, and here.

              Ford was woken by something wet being shoved into his face.  He opened his eyes.  It was the dog Stan and Angie had gotten for their daughters a couple years ago, Apple.

              “Apple, get off,” Ford whined.  He pulled the blankets closer around himself.  “‘m tired.”  Apple let out a small huff and licked his nose.  “Noooo, leave me alone.”

              “Apple,” a voice called.  Apple raised his head.  “C’mere, boy.”  Apple’s tail began to wag.  The person clapped their hands.  Apple bounded off Ford’s bed.  Ford raised his head.  Angie beamed at him from the doorway.  “Mornin’, sleepyhead,” Angie said.  Ford rubbed his eyes.

              “Good morning, Angie.”

              “I think Apple misses the girls,” Angie said.  “So he went to find the next closest thing.”  She smiled fondly.  “The only other lil one in the house.”

              “I’m not a ‘lil one’,” Ford muttered, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.  “Despite all appearances to the contrary.”  Angie merely nodded.

              “Okay,” she said diplomatically.  Apple, standing by her side, started to move toward Ford again.  “Uh-uh, poochie.”  She grabbed Apple’s collar.  Apple barked.  “I’ll let ‘im into the backyard fer a bit, so he can burn off some of his energy.  In the meantime, get dressed and head to the kitchen.  Stan made breakfast.”  Ford nodded. Angie left and closed the door to the bedroom most of the way, leaving it open just a crack.  As Ford puttered around the room, locating the clothes that had been purchased the day before, his mind focused on that detail.

              She left it open.  Why?  Did Stan tell her that I couldn’t reach the doorknob in the middle of the night? His face flushed red with embarrassment. No, Angie’s observant.  She might have realized I can’t reach the doorknob on my own.  He slowly took off his patterned pajamas and pulled on the Loch Ness Monster sweater Angie had found yesterday, along with a pair of jeans. My instinct shouldn’t be to doubt her motives.  He exited the guest room.  The noise of radio chatter carried from the kitchen, along with the scent of food. Ford made his way down the hallway.  The house seems so much larger than usual.  Granted, I’m not usually this small.  There was a loud bark as Ford was tackled by Apple.

              “Apple, no!” Angie scolded, marching over to drag the dog off Ford. She picked Apple up.  “I’m so sorry, Stanford.”  Stan poked his head out of the kitchen.

              “What happened?”

              “Apple keeps goin’ after Stanford,” Angie said.

              “Huh.  Doesn’t he normally hate you, Ford?” Stan asked.  Ford nodded.  “Weird. Guess he misses the girls.”  Stan frowned.  “Or…”

              “Or what?” Ford asked.

              “Well, we got Apple from the pound, and they said he was trained as a therapy dog.  He comforts people who are going through a rough time.”

              “You think Apple is trying to be therapeutic toward me?” Ford asked.  Stan shrugged.

              “Maybe.  Anyways, come on in and get some Stancakes.”

              “Stancakes?” Ford queried as he walked into the kitchen.  He sniffed the air.  “It just smells like regular pancakes.”

              “Yeah, but these are my own recipe,” Stan said proudly.  He flipped a pancake on the stove.  “Also they probably have a bit of my hair in ‘em.”

              “I’ll pass, in that case.”  Ford climbed onto one of the dining chairs.  His eyes were level with the table’s edge.  “Um, Stan?”  Stan looked over.

              “Oops.  On it.” Stan grabbed a thick cookbook off the counter and walked over to the table.  He lifted Ford up with one hand, put the book on the chair with the other, and then set Ford down on top of the book.  “Better?”  Ford nodded. “Good.”  Stan went back to the stove.

              “Would you mind turning on the coffee maker?” Ford asked.

              “Nah.  I’m not in the mood for coffee, and Angie doesn’t drink it.”

              “Yes, but I’d like a cup,” Ford said.  Stan laughed.  “…What?”

              “A toddler just told me he wanted coffee.”

              “I’m an adult.”

              “Ford, you’re not gonna get coffee.”

              “But-”

              “Angie and I don’t want you to even lock the door when you take a bath. Do you really think we’re gonna let you have coffee?” Stan asked. Ford wilted.

              “When you say it like that, it does sound ridiculous,” Ford mumbled. Stan looked over, his expression guilt-ridden.

              “Shit.  I didn’t mean to be that harsh.”  Stan rubbed the back of his neck.  “It’s- I keep forgetting I need to put on the kid gloves.”

              “Pardon?” Ford asked.  Stan glanced away.  “What did you mean by putting on kid gloves?”

              “Not criticizing you,” Stan said.  “Kids your age, they- they’re sensitive.  Still figuring out the world, y’know?  Angie gave me an earful about it when the girls were about three.  I made a joke, Danny didn’t realize it was a joke, she started crying, it was a big mess.”

              “I’m not ‘sensitive’, Stanley.”

              “When I said you couldn’t have coffee, you acted like I just kicked your dog.”

              “It was the way you said it-”

              “Exactly.  That’s why I gotta use the kid gloves,” Stan said.  Ford was silent.  “I’m not upset with you, Ford, I’m upset with myself.”

              “I don’t want to be looked down on.”

              “How many times have we been through this?” Stan asked.  He placed a few pancakes on a plate and brought it over to the table.  “How many times have you been a kid and I was an adult and we had to keep things professional?  I’m not looking down on you.”

              “I don’t know if I believe that.”

              “…That’s your choice,” Stan said after a moment.  He set the plate in front of Ford.  “Gimme a sec.  I’ll get syrup and stuff.”  He walked over to the fridge.  

              “I told you that I didn’t want-” Ford started.

              “Just eat the damn pancakes, okay?” Stan snapped.  An awkward silence fell.  Angie poked her head into the kitchen.

              “Stanley, take Apple outside and watch him fer a bit,” she instructed. Stan turned off the stove and left without saying a word.  Angie sat next to Ford at the table.

              “I don’t understand what set him off like that,” Ford said.  Angie rubbed her eyes.

              “We’re goin’ to do our best to accommodate you, Stanford,” she said after a moment.  “We don’t want to put any of the pressure of this sit’ation on you.  Well, any more than there already is.  But…”  She trailed off.

              “But?”

              “But it’s hard on Stan.”  Angie clasped her hands.  “It’s definitely harder on you than it is on either of us, don’t get me wrong.  But that don’t mean Stan isn’t kickin’ himself every single time he sees you look upset.”  Ford looked down at his pancakes.  The one on top had a smiley face made of chocolate chips.  “He’s a good dad.”

              “I know.”

              “Yes.  And it’s somethin’ that Stan knows, too.  That’s the main reason he felt like we could take care of ya while HQ whips up a cure. He’s tryin’ to use those dad skills he learned, only they don’t translate quite right when the kid is actually an adult who don’t want to be treated like a kid.”

              “You’re doing well,” Ford said.

              “Yer not my twin brother,” Angie said calmly.  “I can distance myself a bit from this.  Stan can’t.”

              “Yesterday he-”

              “He was doin’ better yesterday ‘cause he was in full-blown dad mode,” Angie replied. Ford thought back to Stan’s behavior. Stan’s instincts the day before had been to treat him like one of his own children, only to be visibly guilty upon remembering the reality of the situation.  “He decided to try to balance it out today, to make you feel better.” Angie reached out to stroke Ford’s hair. “It’s a tightrope walk, but Stan wants to do it fer ya,” she said, untangling a few knots.  She let out a small huff.  “You didn’t brush yer hair at all this mornin’, did ya?”

              “No.”

              “Daisy’s hair gets just like this when she sleeps in pigtails.”

              “Hmm.”  Ford continued to stare blankly at his breakfast.  Angie abandoned the hopeless task of untangling his hair.

              “Stanford?”

              “Yes?”

              “Is somethin’ wrong?”

              “No, I-”  Ford cut himself off.  “That’s a lie.  Of course there’s something wrong, I’m three!  I- I can’t do anything on my own, I can’t even sit at a table!  And Stan’s the one who feels bad?  That’s-”

              “Stop.”  Startled by the harsh tone of voice, Ford fell silent.  “Look at me.”  Ford met Angie’s gaze.  “I didn’t tell ya that to try to brush over yer problems, Stanford.  I told ya that to explain why Stan snapped.  He’s tryin’ his best to balance bein’ a dad with bein’ a brother.  He got frustrated with himself fer not balancing it right, and that frustration spilled over.  We are here fer you.  We want to make sure you are comfortable and safe.  But if you lash out at Stan-”

              “I didn’t mean to,” Ford interrupted.  “I’m just...well, frustrated.”  Angie nodded.

              “I think we all are.”  She smiled weakly.  “Once we get ya on a schedule, though, things should settle down.”

              “Right.  A schedule.”

              “Mm-hmm.”

              “What exactly is on the schedule for today?”

              “After breakfast?  We’re goin’ out.”

              “Out where?”

              “The farm.”

              “Your parents’ farm?” Ford asked.  Angie nodded.  “Why? Isn’t that a long drive?”

              “We’re not drivin’.  Ma is flyin’ us out.  We won’t be able to be there fer a long visit, just enough to sit down and chat. She wants all of us to meet there to discuss the sit’ation.”

              “Why there?”

              “It’s safe.  And you’ll have fun.”  Angie grinned.  “You’ll get to chase all the chickens ya want.”

              “I don’t want to chase chickens.”

              “When ya see ‘em, ya might change yer mind,” Angie said playfully.  Stan walked into the kitchen.  “I was just tellin’ Ford ‘bout how we’re headin’ to the farm after breakfast.”

              “Good.”  Stan hovered uncertainly in the entryway.  “Look, Ford, about earlier-”

              “It’s fine,” Ford said.  “You were under stress, and I wasn’t helping things.”  Angie beamed at him.  Stan seemed relieved.

              “Yeah?”

              “Yes.”  Ford cleared his throat.  “Um, if I could have some silverware?”

              “You got it.”

              “And since I can’t have coffee, perhaps a glass of…”  Ford trailed off, trying to think of non-caffeinated beverages.

              “How about milk?” Stan suggested.  Ford nodded.

              “That sounds good,” he said.  Stan began to rummage in the fridge.  Angie stood.

              “And I’ll grab a hairbrush to tame that rat’s nest on yer head.”  She strode out of the kitchen.  Stan set a glass of milk in front of Ford, as well as a knife and fork.

              “Is she really going to brush my hair?” Ford asked.  Stan shrugged.

              “Unless you brush it before she comes back, yeah. She’s got this whole thing about tangled hair.”  Ford opened his mouth.  “I don’t know why.  All I know is that you should brush your hair first thing in the morning, or she’ll come at you with a comb.”  Stan ruffled Ford’s hair.  “Eat up, pipsqueak.  You’re gonna need energy to deal with the flight.”

[milk-moonlight]

Hey guys!

So I have something new today that I wanted to share with you guys! This morning I was getting up and getting ready for my school day, when my mom showed me these cute little waffle makers. The one in paticular she showed me made the waffles in a pumpkin patter! So I finished up what I was doing and made us some pumpkin waffles. I figured I would share the recipe I used, and show the results!

The recipe I used I found at https://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2010/11/pumpkin-spice-pancakes.html

But I will rewrite the ingredients out for your convenience.

1 1/4 cup flour

2 tbsp. Brown sugar

2 tbsp. Baking powder

1/4 tsp. Salt

3/4 tsp. Cinnamon (though I used a bit more for flavor)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Dash of ground ginger

Dash of ground cloves

1 cup milk

1/2 cup pumpkin purée

1 large egg

2 tbsp. Vegetable oil or melted butter

Now there are steps to making the batter on the website if you wanna check that out but for me, I just put all the ingredients in a bowl and mixed them together and it came out just fine!

As you can see I mixed all the ingredients together, then scooped 3 tablespoons of batter into the waffle maker for each waffle

If you don’t have this waffle maker that’s fine! These can or course be made as regular pancakes or waffles

It took maybe a minute for each waffles to cook and this recipe gave me 10 tiny waffles, but if you were to cook normal sized waffles you’d probably get 6-7

I did calculate calories if anyone was interested, for a normal size waffle it would be 99-115 calories,

For our tiny waffles it is 69 calories.

So Yeah! Kinda a fun post, I love cooking and baking of any kind so I thought I would post about what I did. They came out really cute looking and taste really good so I totally recommend!

[lotsofdogs]

Our Tuesday + Biggest Baby Product Flops

Hey, hey! What’s cookin’ with you guys today? I’m checking in this afternoon with a recap of our day yesterday. I managed to snap pics of the madness around here all day long so if day-in-the-life style posts with an emphasis on food, fitness and family are your jam, hop on board and join me on our crazy train!

Morning

My morning began at 4:30 a.m. when Ryder began crying from his crib. He usually sleeps in until around 7 a.m. but a leaky diaper had him up extra early, so I stripped his crib, nursed him and rocked him for a bit in his nursery and somehow he miraculously went back to sleep. Phew!

Once I had Ryder settled back down for the day, I headed downstairs and ate a muffin topped with almond butter and said goodbye to Ryan before he headed out to meet up with a friend for a workout before work. (My muffin was a sweet potato muffin that I made by following my recipe for Chase’s favorite whole wheat pumpkin muffins. I simply swapped canned pureed sweet potato for the pumpkin and they turned out great!) I used the rest of my kid-free pre-dawn morning time to respond to time-sensitive emails and schedule a handful of social media shares.

About 90 minutes later, Ryder was up for the day and I nursed him again and brought him downstairs to play in his activity jumper while I made myself a cup of coffee. I’ve been making a mix of decaf + regular caffeinated coffee lately and topped off my cup with some foamy coconut milk.

I much prefer coconut milk from a can to the coconut milk that comes in a carton because it’s 10 times creamier. I just store the remaining coconut milk in a mason jar to use throughout the week and it works like a charm.

Chase was up around 7 a.m. and Ryder joined me in Chase’s room where we eased into the day by reading some books before we all got dressed and headed back downstairs for breakfast. On the menu for the boys = Eggs scrambled in coconut oil, waffles and a banana, plus some puffs to keep Ryder occupied while Chase helped me make the eggs!

After breakfast, Chase entertained Ryder while I packed his lunch for school and loaded up the car. I did the whole preschool drop off + settling Ryder down for his morning nap routine before making myself an egg white oatmeal protein pancake and a smoothie for breakfast 2.0. (FYI, I’ve been adding a tablespoon of ground flaxseed to my egg white protein pancake recipe and think the pancake is even better that way!)

And yes, I forgot to flip my protein pancake on the stove top as I was making my smoothie, hence its less-than-desirable appearance. At least it still tasted good!

My smoothie, on the other hand, looked and tasted good. I added Califia Farms’ probiotic drinkable yogurt to the Daily Harvest dragon fruit smoothie base before blending everything up and loved every last sip!

I’m still ordering regular deliveries of Daily Harvest cups and while I generally opt for the Harvest Bowls over the smoothies (simply because smoothies aren’t all that hard for me to make on my own), I do thoroughly enjoy the smoothies made with ingredients I don’t usually have on hand like dragon fruit, acai and lychee. (The mint + cacao smoothie will forever be my favorite! I cannot for the life of me replicate it at home which drives me a little bananas since the ingredients aren’t all that unusual.) If you’re looking for Harvest Bowl recommendations, two of my favorites are the Butternut Squash + Chimichurri and the Cauliflower Rice + Pesto bowls. They’re both fantastic and I usually add chickpeas, leftover chicken thighs or shrimp the bowls to give them a little more staying power for lunch. And just a reminder, if you want to give Daily Harvest a try, you can use my affiliate code pbfingers and get three free cups on your next order!

I polished off my smoothie and protein pancake while I worked on the computer and Ryder slept. Ryder took a decent nap which was wonderful and allowed me to get a bunch of work done.  Once he was up, I nursed him and set him up in his high chair for a snack.

He’s into grabbing and tasting anything and everything these days so I used his curiosity to help me get through a little dinner prep. While I chopped veggies for a curry dish, I gave Ryder some leftover roasted broccoli and passed spoons, baby shakers and other toys his way to entertain him. It worked like a charm and I ended up having enough time to finish off the curry on the stove top before we had to leave for Chase’s preschool pickup.

  Afternoon

By the time we were home from school, Chase was ready for a snack so I re-plated some of the uneaten food from his lunch along with a muffin and we headed upstairs for “picnic + stories” before the boys’ naps. I really, really try my best to get Chase and Ryder’s afternoon naps to sync up and lately I’ve been lucky and get about 45 minutes of afternoon nap overlap which is fantastic. I used this time yesterday to complete a quick garage workout with the baby monitor in tow and it felt good to sweat a bit.

My workout for the day started with 10 minutes of incline walking on the treadmill and concluded with about 20 minutes of upper body strength training. I followed my Everything One Minute Upper Body Workout and completed the exercises while I streamed part of the latest episode of The Bachelor.

Once I was done with my workout, I had just enough time to take a speedy shower and scarf down leftovers for lunch before Chase was up.

In my bowl: Moroccan marinated tofu, black lentils, corn, roasted broccoli and roasted Brussels sprouts.

Chase was up from his nap first and not long after, Ryder joined the party. We hung out a home for a bit while the boys played and I did some laundry. I wanted to wash the lining of Ryder’s two Rock ‘n’ Plays so we could store them up in the attic and of course I couldn’t help but have a mom moment when I realized we officially have a baby who is too big for the Rock ‘n’ Play now. How did this happen!?

It also made me think about how much we LOVED our Rock ‘n’ Plays for both babies and how similar Chase and Ryder seem to be when it comes to their baby product preferences. They were both all about the Ollie Swaddle and Merlin Magic Sleep Suit for sleep and the Baby Einstein Activity Jumper is, without a doubt, Ryder’s favorite playtime jumper just like it was for Chase.

Unfortunately this means the stuff Chase didn’t like was also a big-time flop with Ryder. Let’s just say the 4Moms RockaRoo was my biggest waste of money for both boys and I actually ended up passing it along to my sister whose daughter thankfully loves it! This made me wonder if any of you out there with multiple children noticed the same thing. Did your kids have similar preferences or were they totally different? Also, I’m curious to know what baby products everyone else’s babies seemed to love that your little one just didn’t like at all? What baby stuff works varies so much baby to baby so it’s always interesting for me to hear about what works and doesn’t work for certain kids!

Eventually the afternoon sunshine outside called to us and I figured we all could benefit from some fresh air. I leashed Sadie up and loaded the boys in the double stroller and we headed out off on a walk around the neighborhood.

It’s back to rainy weather again today so I’m glad we took advantage of the gorgeous sunshine when we did yesterday. Afternoon walks are my favorite and I am feeling very, very ready for spring.

Evening

By the time we made it home, Ryan was on his way home from work and everyone was ready for dinner. I reheated the curry I made earlier in the day and we dug in!

After dinner, I settled Ryder down for the night while Ryan and Chase played downstairs and then I said goodbye to my boys before driving off to a local coffee shop to meet up with my small group. We’re almost done with our latest study (we’re doing the David study from Love God Greatly) and it was really nice to get together and chat over a hot mug of tea.

I made it home for the night around 9:30 p.m. and Ryan and I caught up for a bit while I made myself a cup of Four Sigmatic hot cacao topped with frothy whole milk before bed.

I spent some time reading my latest book, Along the Infinite Sea, the third book in the Schuyler Sisters series I’m loving, and read until my eyes could no longer stay open. And now we’re all caught up! I hope you guys are having a great week so far!

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/our-tuesday-biggest-baby-product-flops/

[the-expert-zone]

Keto Pancakes Recipe | The Keto Cookbook

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The Best Keto Pancakes Recipe in the World

You haven’t tried proper keto pancakes until you have tried these!

Once upon a time, keto pancakes didn’t exist, and being on a diet meant you had to give up pretty much all of life’s culinary pleasures. Cakes, cookies, crisps, chocolate. The list is endless – and for some strange reason the food always seems to begin with the letter “c”.

Time to move on!

As the ketogenic diet got more popular, people began to experiment with their recipes more and more.  Thankfully nutritionists discovered wonderful substitutes that experimental chefs could use to create something new. And, no, it’s not the cronut! (although that mightn’t be a bad idea!). But instead, keto friendly of comfort food we all deserve to enjoy.

With the creation of wonderful ingredients such as Liquid Stevia, and alternative flours such as Coconut Flour and Almond Flour becoming more popular, it became easier to create for those on a keto diet to enjoy a nice plate of fluffy keto pancakes on a Sunday morning!

But I don’t just want to give you keto pancakes. I want to give you pancakes that make you scream “Hallelujah!” when you realize it’s 6:30am on a weekend and you can’t get back to sleep. So, just for you, I’ve experimented and experimented and finally come up with the best keto pancakes recipe in the world.

My Pancakes

I’m not going to lie to you. It took a lot of time cleaning up my messy kitchen before I finally cracked it. Sometimes the recipe was too eggy, too cream-cheesy, or just plain dry. And that wasn’t good enough. But now by moderating some of the ingredients, I’m proud to say, that these are the healthiest, tastiest keto pancakes I’ve ever tried.

As well as being super low carb, these are also gluten-free, which is perfect for anyone suffering dietary intolerances. Have I already mentioned that they’re also delicious? They’re very easy to make, and use regular keto ingredients such as cream cheese, eggs, coconut flour, and almond milk. The flavor comes from a little sweetener, vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon.

Coming in at 70 calories, 3g of fat, 6.1g of protein, 2.2g of carbs and only 1 measly gram of sugar, these pancakes are perfect for ANYONE. Counting calories? Lowering sugar? Upping your protein? No problem. These pancakes are perfect for you.

Trust me when I say these delicious pancakes are very similar to the real thing. They’re perfect for serving with tasty, crispy bacon and topping them with peanut butter really helps increase the quantity of protein too. My favorite toppings though, have to be sugar-free maple syrup. Sound too good to be true? Google Joseph’s Maple Syrup and you’ll believe me.

So, if you’re after the healthy, quickest and most delicious around, look no further! These fluffy keto pancakes are a force to be reckoned with.

Enjoy!

P.S. If almond flour isn’t your thing, we make these keto pancakes with Carbquick instead.

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