#This man didn’t get banned from cooking Turkey dinner no no | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jasontoddiefor · 5 years

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Summary: In all honesty, Hal should have seen it coming. Wally and Dick had already been there when they had started dating. Or: Hal contemplates family in the Wayne-Allen-Jordan household on a chaotic morning.

AN: Bc @amaztim and I have a new OT3 and there are only 2 fanfics so far so I had to fix it.

Hal woke up to screaming. He turned around again in the king-sized bed and pressed his pillow over his head. He was too old to be woken up by fighting children. Or maybe Dick and Wally just hadn’t been quite the terrifying chaotic mess that was Damian and Helen.

After hearing yet another shout on one of Hal’s rare free days damn it, Hal finally got up. Bruce and Barry were nowhere to be seen, but that was nothing new. Barry was stuck on monitor duty and Bruce had traveled to France on Monday, chasing after a lead.

Hal should have taken the offer and gone with him, but no. Someone had to look after the children since everybody was coming over for the weekend. Hal stumbled out of bed with the grace of a hero who had suffered way too many injuries. On his way over to the door, he grabbed a shirt and put it on. It was a little big on him – one of Bruce’s then. He rubbed his eyes and for a split second he contemplated just letting Damian and Helen murder each other for another ten more minutes of sleep.

Then the second was over and Hal threw open the door. Helen and Damian came to a halt right in front of it, both looking appropriately caught.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Damian and Helen shared a look before switching to equally grave expressions.

“We’re fighting for the honor of killing Jason,” Damian explained nonchalantly like he wasn’t holding his training sword to Helen’s neck.

“He committed a serious crime,” Helen added, her glowing nerf-gun construct still aimed at Damian’s forehead.

Hal could still use his ring, go pick up Barry and get into a jet and visit Bruce. Eat some crêpes under the Eiffel tower while Bruce took down his arms dealer. It would be just like those summer months when Wally and Dick, who were the only kids running around the manor back then, went to San Francisco to work with their fellow Teen Titans.

Peace .

Yeah, Hal missed it.

“And what did Jason do?”

“He-“

“HeyguysIfoundthepaintgunsyouaskedfor- oh, fuck.”

Bart came to a stop just a few doors down the hallway, his arms full with paint guns and his shirt basically covered in acrylics. He looked at Damian and Helen, then to Hal and then back to the kids.

“Morning, Hal. I think I’mjustgonnagonowbye.”

“Oh, no!” Hal shouted back. “Don’t you dare run off, Bartholomew! How are you involved in this? And aren’t you supposed to be picking up Tim?”

Hal ignored Damian and Helen snickering at him using the speedster’s full name in favor of acting very intimidating and authoritative while still being dressed in his PJs with deep bags under his eyes.

Bart grinned sheepishly. “I already picked him up. I left him downstairs with Duke and Kyle. He sort of fell asleep on me on our way back home.”

“Kyle’s here?”

Bart shrugged. “He said something about dropping off an artifact, but Jason’s making pancakes for breakfast so he stayed.”

Hal pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. How did the saying go again? Kids are the future? Someone obviously forgot to attach the ‘because they’ll run you into an early grave’. France. Watchtower monitor duty.

“And if Jason’s making breakfast, why aren’t the three of you downstairs eating?”

“Because Jason threw us out of the kitchen,” Helen said. “We were interrupting his ‘workflow’ so he banned us! Uncle Hal, do you see now what terrible offense he has committed?”

Beside her, Damian nodded and once again raised his sword. “The evil has to be defeated.”

Hal had calmed down considerably since he had first become Earth’s Green Lantern. He didn’t rush into battle anymore, he had seen too many of his friends and comrades die. He had been dead, and been dealt an even worse fate for a while, and he had lowered both his lovers and his children into the ground at least once. No, Hal didn’t rush into war anymore and he carefully picked his battle nowadays.

This one he wasn’t going to fight.

“No maiming each other anymore,” Hal said and watched as three faces lit up with identical expressions of delight. “The house is off-limits for everything concerning paint, or you’re answering to Alfred. Outside of the manor, Gotham, Central and Coast are fair game, but not on patrol. Got it?”

“Got it!” They replied and rushed off in the opposite direction, jumping hopefully not straight into a loophole Hal had forgotten to cover. Either way, they were not Hal’s problem anymore. If they made a mess now, that weight would be on their shoulders, and they only had themselves to blame if Alfred’s cold disapproval would make them do chores until they turned eighteen.

Hal checked his watch. It was almost twelve. Jason had come to the manor late, and if he was making breakfast for everybody, he certainly wouldn’t be done yet. Hal made his way downstairs to the kitchen, passing the living room while he was at it.

Duke was playing a game on his Switch while Cassandra and Kyle were talking animatedly about whatever drawing Kyle was showing her.

And Tim was lying on the ground, his head resting on Titus’s body.

“Please tell me he decided to sleep there,” Hal said, already knowing the answer.

“Uuh,” Duke decidedly did not look up from his console while Cass just raised a brow.

When had they all become so sassy? Hal recalled their first weeks at the manor as if they had been just yesterday. Both of them had been so unsure and careful with everybody.

“Just put your brother on a sofa at least if nobody feels responsible for getting him in his room.”

Cass smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up, but didn’t move from her spot. Right, why had he even bothered asking?

Next time, he’d let Barry and Bruce handle the weekend meet-ups. Hal had done the single-parent thing for a year, and it hadn’t been any fun having to be strong for so many grieving children. The least his partners could do was cover the family weekends until they actually died of old age.

The closer Hal got to the kitchen, the louder did the music in the hallway get. Today Jason had decided on classical tunes apparently, or as classic as Jason got. Hal wasn’t even sure where Jason found so many classic instrument covers of current songs, and he’d rather face Parallax than even suggest to Jason that he was recording his own violin plays, but fact was that Barry had found the corresponding scores in Jason’s bag once.

Jason was flipping another pancake when Hal entered the kitchen. The room was neat and orderly still, except for the side of the table Wally and Dick were sitting at. That part of the table was covered in Nutella, sprinkles, gummy worms, chocolate sauce, and fruits.

“Mo’nin’,” Dick greeted, his mouth stuffed with a pancake. Next to him, Wally only raised his hand and didn’t even stop inhaling his share.

“Good morning, boys,” Hal returned and sat down opposite from the duo.

“Slept well, old man?” Jason asked and put a plate with warm an delicious breakfast in front of him.

“I thought Bruce was the old man.”

Jason waved Hal’s comment off and took another gulp from his cup of coffee. “You’re all old, but only you are here this morning. You got any plans for today?”

Hal sneaked a look at the two oldest and, yes, Wally and Dick looked equally mischievously. Fourteen or twenty-four, was there really any difference with them?

“I’m not teaming up with you against the kiddos for Cluedo.”

“Why not?” Wally asked. “This week’s price is deciding the Thanksgiving dinner. Hal, please. We need to win. I need that turkey and Damian will do his best to stop it.”

Hal bit off another piece of his pancake. Out of all of them, minus Alfred of course, Jason could cook the best. If Jason willingly made anything for you, you accepted without hesitance, which was precisely why Hal stole another pancake before he replied.

“I know, which is why Barry, Bruce, and I are working against the rest of you. We’re not eating candied apples for dessert again or tofu turkey or any other monstrosity you kids come up with every year. This year it’s adults against the rest of you. May the better team win.”

Silence followed Hal’s statement before the kitchen’s other three occupants began to complain loudly. Hal could only grin. Okay, yes, this was better than the Watchtower or France.

“Jason! Come out and face us, you coward!”

Even if it came with the possibility of a hospital visit.

#hal jordan #bruce wayne #barry allen #dc #dc comics #batfam #flash family #what is their ship tag #flashbatlantern #batflashlantern #idk #fanfic #I LOVE MY DUMBASS OT3 OKAY

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marinaaniseed · 4 years

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The wars end

Song: The wars end from the album ...And out come the wolves by Rancid.

Summary: Sam regrets bringing his friends home for Thanksgiving.

Characters: A whole bunch of Avengers, Sam’s ma

Length: 789 words

A/N: Sam’s ma being mean (historically). See here for what this is all about.

***

Steve hadn’t really expected to do much for Thanksgiving, most of the team were spending it with family. Those without family had suggested holding a gathering together in the tower, a simple potluck, where everyone brought a dish (although Vision was banned from cooking.)

“No way,” Sam had told them when he found out. “You’re coming with me to my ma’s house, she’s always nagging me about when I’ll introduce her to Captain America.”

There was nowhere to land a jet at Sam’s ma’s house, so they’d hired a camper, taking turns driving. Steve was a little surprised to learn that Wanda had something of a lead foot when it came to the accelerator pedal and was thankful when they all arrived in one piece.

“Ma, we’re here,” Sam called as he led the group into the house.

“It smells incredible,” Wanda smiled, breathing in the smells of fresh baking and cooking turkey. As a European, she’d never experienced Thanksgiving before and was intrigued to find out what it was all about.

“In the kitchen, Sammy!” Mrs. Wilson shouted back and Steve tried to suppress his grin. If Tony ever found out that Sam’s ma called him Sammy, they’d never hear the end of it.

Hanging up their coats and dropping off their bags, Sam took them into the kitchen. It was hazelnut brown, very 70s in design, but homely. Much more homely than the modern, clinical steel of the kitchens in the tower.

“Sammy, baby,” Mrs. Wilson cried, shuffling over in her salmon pink slippers to hug her son. There was flour all over her apron and she pulled away, a decent chunk of it had transferred to Sam’s top.

“Ma, did you have to ruin my top?” he joked, looking down at the white powder dusted all over him.

“Tsk, you weren’t going to wear that old top to dinner, were you? Now, stop being rude and introduce me to your friends.”

“Alright, alright - everyone, this is my ma, Darlene,” Sam said, stopping to let everyone wave and say hello. “And these are my friends, Wanda, Vision, Steve, Nat, and Bruce.”

“No Thor?” Mrs. Wilson asked with a pout, after greeting everyone.

“No, no Thor,” Sam noted. “He’s back on Asgard. He’d eat you out of house and home if he was here, don’t worry.”

“Well Sammy, you need to get changed, so why don’t you show everyone to the rooms and freshen up?”

***

They’d brought a few dishes with them, things that’d keep on the journey down. Even without that though, Mrs. Wilson had put on quite a spread. She must’ve been working all week, prepping things in advance and freezing them so that everything could be reheated at the right time.

After saying grace, everybody began tucking in and making small talk. Mrs. Wilson asked them about their backgrounds and what they did. She was very surprised to learn that the mild-mannered sat opposite her was also the Hulk.

“So,” Steve started. “What was Sam like when he was younger?”

He wasn’t trying to find out anything embarrassing, unlike Tony, if he was there, he was genuinely interested in knowing what Sam was like, what had interested him.

“Little Sammy was a punk rocker,” Mrs. Wilson explained, causing Bruce to choke on a candied yam. Steve’s eyebrows were raised high in surprise, and even Nat, who knew everything about everyone, seemed to have been previously unaware.

“Ma, stop embarrassing me in front of my friends,” Sam mumbled.

“It’s true,” she continued, ignoring Sam’s plea. “I’m glad he grew out of it though, he was scaring me. I smashed his Billy Bragg record, didn't want him to hear that communist lecture.”

Steve made a mental note to ask Sam about Billy Bragg later.

“I wish I could’ve seen you as a punk,” Nat said.

“Oh, I’ve got plenty of photo albums,” Mrs. Wilson enthused. “Would you like to have a look after dinner?”

“Yes,” Nat and Wanda responded in unison.

Sam buried his face in his hands. He was never introducing his ma to his friends ever again, especially not Tony. He’d have a field day if he saw pictures of Sam in his studded leather jacket with his spiked up hair.

“I’m sorry I asked,” Steve said as he leaned across to Sam.

“It’s fine, man. She’d have found one excuse or another to show you old pics of me.”

At least Sam’s old photos weren’t in a museum. Any photo anybody had ever taken of Steve was in one somewhere around the world, or so it seemed.

Steve’s parents were long dead, but he was sure they’d have embarrassed him in front of his friends too. Some things never changed, especially not at Thanksgiving.

#366songshots #falcon #sam wilson #thor #mcu imagine #wanda maximoff #steve rogers #bruce banner #natasha romanoff

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cassercole · 5 years

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the one with the tupperware

SHIP: NOT QUITE OZ CROSSOVER ( NOT QUITE REALITY ) RATING: TEEN WORD COUNT: 1k+ PROMPT: @whindsor requested: one more one more i want whatever crossover ficsgiving lights your soul TAGGING: @thegalanerd

It had been a long time since Ximena had ever been to a Thanksgiving dinner. She really couldn’t remember the last time she had such a feast. A long time ago for sure. But now that Bucky’s weird grand niece had found them, she had been informed that they would be attending one such feast at the new apartment that Q and Steve had started renting. Ugh, weirdos.

That being said, she wasn’t quite sure what exactly Thanksgiving entailed. Sure, she saw it on the tv shows and commercials and magazines. A big group of people, all dressed fancy-like with big smiles that seemed fake but didn’t feel fake. But did Q even know that many people? And all of them surrounded a big table that was decorated with fancy china and a massive turkey that could feed her for months right smack dab in the middle. Yet Q was a terrible cook. Though she was a stickler for the rules and doing things the Right Way. So since the magazines and tv shows told her that there was so much food, too much food even, Ximena was planning on bringing every Tupperware container she had saved so she could take everything that was left over. She just hoped it was edible.

Lugging one of the reusable Trader Joe’s bags into the apartment, she was suddenly hit the smell that could only be described as Thanksgiving. Oh man, her mouth had started to water at the thought of a giant turkey sitting in the center of the table, ready for her to devour.

“You made it!” Q greeted them rather excitedly. She had an uncharacteristic grin on her face, wearing clothes that were much more fancy than the ones Ximena had seen her wear before. And makeup. And earrings. She looked like a real human being for once, “What’d you bring?” she asked, eyes zeroing in on Ximena’s Tupperware bag.

“Uh, containers, Q-ball.” she raised the bag up and shook it once, speaking as if Q were the dumbest person on Earth. Sometimes, it was almost like she was.

“Oh, right.” Q responded with a nod, having learned a long time ago to just go with whatever came out of Ximena’s mouth. It would make sense later. Or it wouldn’t. Either way, it wasn’t worth trying to get her to explain it more.

All in all, Thanksgiving ended up being a pretty cool holiday, despite the historical background to it. Ximena was allowed to eat as much as she wanted and no one cared. In fact, Q even gave her more helpings of whatever she wanted, even before Ximena asked. That weird head of her was pretty great sometimes. Here and there, Crow Man had to remind her to breathe between bites of food, but he said it teasingly, like the holiday had brought out his personality a bit more.

The good, incredible amount of food made dealing with Steve bearable because his mouth was always full so he didn’t really talk to her. But it was fun to talk to Pete again, even if he kept making heart eyes at Molly all throughout dinner. Like, really? Right in front of her cranberry sauce? She forgot the name of Q’s equally weird guy friend who was with some lady who was waaaay to hot for him, but he ignored Ximena anyway so it didn’t matter.

And if the dinner was good, dessert was even better. There were three, three!, different types of pie, and cake. Plus cookies that were immediately stuffed into her pockets before getting more to add to her plate.

“Did you have a good first Thanksgiving?” Q asked her, settling down on the couch next to the younger girl. Ximena fixed her with a withering look,

“This isn’t my first Thanksgiving, yaknow. I’ve been to a ton of ‘em before.” she lifted her nose in the air a bit, offended Q would even assume such a thing.

“Oh, yes, you’re right, yes, I’m confusing you with another person.” Q waved her fork around in the air a bit, trying to suppress her smile as Ximena side-eyed her, “I’ll rephrase then: did you have a good Thanksgiving?” she raised her eyebrows up a bit. Ximena thought for a moment, then dramatically blew out a breath through the small o her lips formed.

“Yaknow, I gotta be honest with ya, I was really nervous about comin’ here tonight cause I remembered when you tried to make us dinner that one time cause you wanted to impress me, and the chicken was so dry it was like you just dumped a bunch of sand on it and then served it, but it also wasn’t cooked all the way through but also burned so I don’t know how you did that, Q-ball, but I think you should be banned from any and all kitchens.” she gave her a pointed look. She waited for Q’s reaction, wondering if she’d be offended but instead the older woman just nodded, stabbing at her pie.

“Don’t tell anyone,” she lowered her voice a bit, as if getting ready to tell her a very important secret, “but there’s a very strict rule that Steve enforces that states I’m not allowed in the kitchen.” she told her with a slight raise of her eyebrows. Ximena considered what she said for a moment, then nodded a bit, curls bouncing as she did.

“Yeah, that’s the smartest decision I’ve ever heard of him making.” she sighed, relaxing into the couch and returning to her plateful of desserts. Q fought the smile on her face, glancing over at where Bucky was watching them carefully -- just in case.

At some point, the food coma pulled Ximena under. Q had long since vacated the couch, intent on filling up all of Ximena’s Tupperware containers so she could take them back to her and Bucky’s place. But a quick glance into the living room proved the younger girl had fallen asleep curled up on Bucky’s lap, one of his arms around her protectively. She smiled to herself, then returned to the Tupperware containers -- giving Ximena pretty much every single leftover they had.

#**writings #not quite reality #rm/nqo crossover #friends ocs #ficsgiving2k19 #cole tag #gala tag #[i hope this was okay!!!]

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pinesconessecrets · 5 years

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Mistletoe

Here’s your super duper uber late secret santa gift, Fri Fri! I hope you enjoy. <3

@sci-fri

Usually, it was dead in Wirt’s florist shop when the holidays began to roll around. His shop flourished in the spring and summer, customers coming in and out to browse his wide variety of flowers and other miscellaneous plants. As fall set in, the once steady flow of customers slowed down considerably, leaving Wirt fairly bored and often alone in his shop.

It was Christmas time now. Business picked up again briefly during the month of December and the first week of January. Everyone wanted assortments of holly, poinsettias, Christmas roses, chrysanthemums, and other Christmas themed flowers. Wirt got good at making wreaths very quick. Word of them got around town quick and the first two weeks of December was spent making the darn things.

After that, things really died down and he was bored. Really bored.

He spun around in his chair, leaned back and staring up at the ceiling. There was a week left to Christmas and boy was he bored. His family was supposed to visit him but their flight got messed up and they had to cancel. Wirt put on his happy face and told them it was fine, that he could just visit in January when the crazy holiday season has died down. Greg took it harder than Wirt did since the two brothers only got to see each other a handful of times each year.

The doorbell chimed, signaling that a customer was walking in. Wirt tried not to flail while straightening himself in his chair. He was a professional that totally didn’t spin around in his chair while he was bored. Nope, not at all.

“Hey, Wirt!”

He looked up, blinking in surprise. “Oh hey, Mabel. I didn’t think you would still be in town.”

Mabel made her way through the shop, setting a cup of something warm on the counter. “We were going to fly back to Washington to see our parents, but my lazybutt of a brother couldn’t get out of bed on time and made us miss our flight. Couldn’t afford another ticket so we decided to stay here. Mom and Dad are pretty bummed that we couldn’t make it but hey, it happens. What about you?”

Wirt picked the cup up, taking a tentative sip. Hot chocolate; he should have known. “There was a glitch in the airport’s system so they never actually booked a flight and they couldn’t schedule any flights until January. It’s not the first Christmas I’ve had to spend alone so it’s cool.”

She pursed her lips, her expression scrunching up. That was a look Wirt knew as Mabel’s thinking face. He had a feeling about what would happen next.

“You should come and have Christmas with us!”

Wirt chewed on his lip, thinking it over. Either way, he probably didn’t have a choice considering this was Mabel who was asking him. “Okay. Do you want me to bring anything? Like a pie or a side dish or something.”

“Honestly whatever is good. I think Dipper is going to try to bake a turkey, which means I’ll end up baking it because he should not be let anywhere near the kitchen.”

Wirt laughed into his drink. “That bad?”

“He almost set the microwave on fire, Wirt. The microwave. Do you know how hard it is to even do that?”

“I’ll take your word for it. I had a roommate back in college who burned everything in the microwave. Needless to say, he was quickly banned from going near it shortly after. Didn’t stop him though.”

“Oh man, that sounds exactly like Dipper. He’s hopeless when it comes to any type of kitchen device.” Mabel looked at the time on her phone, then let out an annoyed huff. “I gotta bounce! I swear, everyone would be lost without me at work. See you soon, Wirt!”

“Later, take care.”

Mabel waved at him as she walked through the door, leaving Wirt alone in his shop.

*****

Wirt sat nervously in his car, fidgeting with his seatbelt. A freshly baked apple pie and a cinnamon butterscotch pie were carefully placed in the backseat, filling the car with their sweet and tempting aroma. He didn’t know why he was so nervous to go to the Pines twins apartment for Christmas. They were his friends; he had no reason to be feeling this nervous.

Okay, maybe he was slightly crushing on Dipper. It was just a little crush, nothing to worry about, right?

Right.

Wirt turned his car off, pocketing the keys before stepping out into the biting cold. He gathered the pies up in his arms carefully, beginning on making his way to the apartment complex. The twins lived up on the top floor and thank god for elevators. He didn’t think he’d be able to go up four flights of stairs, let alone with two pies. Mabel’s spidey sense must have kicked in before Wirt had the chance to knock on the door.

“You made it! Come in!” she beamed, practically pulling him in. “You can put the pies on the counter in the kitchen.”

Wirt yelped and struggled not to drop the dessert. “You didn’t let Dipper in the kitchen, did you?”

“Nope! Chased him out with my trusty wooden spoon anytime he tried to sneak in.”

“You know I can hear you, right? Not cool guys.” Dipper leaned against the wall, dark circles under his eyes.

Wirt hummed innocently, glancing at one of Mabel’s multiple wooden spoons scattered about the kitchen.

“Oh no. No no no. You are not going to do what I think you’re planning,” Dipper scowled.

Mabel leaped at Dipper with wooden spoons in both hands, batting at him gleefully. “I am!”

“Argh, Mabel no! Look I’m leaving!” He quickly retreated from the vicinity of the kitchen, heading back to the living room.

She snickered, brandishing her weapons. “The turkey’s almost done cooking, so feel free to go chill. I’ll hold the fort down.”

“Call me if you need any help.”

“Will do!”

Wirt wandered into the living room, hovering awkwardly in the entryway. Dipper was sprawled out on the couch, one leg propped up on the coffee table as he lazily flipped through the channels on TV.

“You gonna sit down? I don’t bite.”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Wirt shuffled over, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. He tried to focus on the movie Dipper picked, which was some cheesy Hallmark movie because seriously, what else is there to watch during Christmas.

But his mind kept drifting to Dipper’s presence. Oh, how he hated how his mind loved to kick into overdrive, making him overanalyze everything and anything. Did Dipper even like other guys? Wirt never had the courage to ask, let alone hint at bringing up any talk of it. He had a feeling Mabel must have figured he was harboring a tiny crush on her brother but she never mentioned it.

“… you okay, man? Kinda spaced out there.”

Wirt jumped, coming back to earth. “Y-yeah. It’s been pretty quiet at the shop so I’ve been uh, zoning out a lot. Not much to do since pretty much everyone’s out of town or busy visiting family.”

“Really? Figured everyone would be lining up to buy some flowers or something.”

“My Christmas wreaths are pretty popular but the demand dies down once it gets close to Christmas. I guess people forget that flowers exist.”

“Lame. Maybe I’ll write a blog post about the importance of visiting your local flower shop. Buy a bouquet of flowers and get a discount on a tattoo. It’s the perfect deal.”

Wirt hoped that Dipper didn’t notice the faint blush rising to his cheeks. “Would people actually take you up on that?”

“Probably. People love their tattoos.”

“It’d be… nice. Thank you,” he mused.

“‘Course. You helped spread the word of my tattoo parlor back when I was first starting out. Kinda surprised me to have a slew of people come in.”

“Never underestimate the power of a mere florist,” he said slyly.

“Mere? Come on, you’re more than that. You’re like the flower whisperer.”

Wirt shook his head, laughing softly. “Flower whisperer? That’s a bit of a stretch. My mom’s the one who has the green thumb. She can bring plants back from the dead in record time.”

“So can you.”

“Not as well as Mom.”

“Shut up and accept my compliments.” Dipper threw one of the multiple pillows littering the couch at Wirt.

He squawked as the pillow hit him smack in the face, flailing around. Wirt chucked the pillow right back at Dipper, who caught it with ease. Dipper gave Wirt a smug grin, tucking the pillow back in its righteous place.

“If you two are done behaving like children, dinner’s ready.” Mabel poked her head into the living room, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the two.

“Says the other child,” Dipper muttered, low enough for only Wirt to catch.

“What was that?”

“Nothing!”

Mabel rolled her eyes, passing a plate to Wirt. Once they all had a plate, they began piling food onto their plates. Wirt didn’t take too much food, knowing if he got anymore he’d end up in some sort of a food coma and would pass out on the couch for a few hours. The kitchen table was covered in a mess of papers and sketchbooks, Dipper’s laptop and numerous coffee cups, so all three opted to sit on the couch to eat. Mabel and Dipper bickered over the remote, Mabel emerging victorious as she changed the channel to something that wasn’t a Hallmark movie. She settled on Home Alone, tucking the remote between her and the armrest.

Wirt ended up sitting between the twins, painfully aware of how close he was sitting to Dipper. It’s cool, act normal. Everything is perfectly fine. Don’t let your eyes wander oh wait is that a new tattoo? he thought to himself. A few sneaky glances confirmed that Dipper indeed get a new tattoo. It looked like a single vine wrapping around his forearm, varying types of flowers here and there. He picked out carnations, chrysanthemums, petunias, and roses. Wirt didn’t take Dipper to be a flower guy, unless…

“Are you done eating? I can take your plate,” Mabel said, already taking Dipper’s empty plate.

“Oh, no. I can get it.”

“Shh. No. You’re company. Give me your plate.”

Knowing better than to argue, Wirt handed her his plate. She nodded with a smug grin and headed off to the kitchen. Soon sounds of her cleaning kitchen reached the living room.

Before Wirt could get up to help her, Dipper shook his head. “She’ll just chase you out. I wouldn’t try.”

Wirt flopped back down on the couch with a sigh, bouncing a leg. Then, his stupid mind betrayed him and he blurted out, “Did you get a new tattoo?”

“Yeah! Mabel’s been wanting to practice and I told her that I’d let her give me one to stop hounding me. She insisted on flowers for some reason.” Dipper held up his arm to give Wirt a closer look.

Wirt scooted closer, adoring the amount of detail Mabel put into the flowers. She captured their beauty perfectly and not a single line was out of place. “Mabel did a wonderful job on these flowers. If I wasn’t so squeamish around needles, I’d love to get a flower tattoo.”

“I wouldn’t mind holding your hand while you’re getting one. I mean, if you’re cool with that and everything. I wouldn’t want to make you feel awkward or anything and oh my gosh I don’t know if you’d be comfortable with that and look here I am rambling again I’m so sorry,” Dipper stammered out, flailing his arms around nervously as he spoke.

Wirt chuckled, unable to stop himself from giving Dipper a slight smile. “I’d be okay with that.”

“Really?”

“Mmhm. When I can work up the courage to get a tattoo, that is.”

“Y-yeah, of course! Have you thought about what kind you want to get?”

“No, not yet. I know a lot of people get ones that have some sort of meaning to them and it’s the way I’d like to go, but I can’t decide on exactly what I want.”

Dipper nodded, leaning back on the couch. “Take your time. It’s definitely not an overnight decision to make.”

The two lapsed into silence, their attention focused on the movie playing on TV. Wirt remembered when Greg first got into the Home Alone movies. He tried to prank Wirt after that, but their mom put a quick end to it when she caught wind of what he was planning.

Out of the corner of Wirt’s eye, he noticed Dipper fidgeting. It looked like he wanted to say something. As he turned his head to speak, Wirt’s phone rang.

Wirt mouthed ‘sorry’ as he got up from the couch, answering the phone on his way to the door. Mabel was too absorbed in washing dishes that she didn’t see him walk by, not even looking up when the door was opened and closed.

The phone call ended up being from Greg, who wanted to check up on Wirt. He seemed pleased to hear that he wasn’t spending Christmas Eve alone, but was still upset that he couldn’t come to visit. Wirt assured him that they’d get to see each other in a few short weeks, and if the airport’s system got messed up again, he’d take some time off from work to drive back home to see Greg. And that was a rock fact. Soon, Greg had to hang up to go to bed since it was starting to get late, making Wirt promise to call him first thing in the morning.

Wirt slipped his phone back into his pants pocket and opened the door, only to be met with Mabel shoving Dipper towards the doorway. He shut the door behind him and raised an eyebrow at the two of them. Mabel simply shrugged before pointing up and hauling ass.

Oh no.

“Why am I not surprised?” Dipper rolled his eyes. “Of course she planned this.”

A mistletoe hung above them, easy to miss if you weren’t looking out for it. Wirt was feeling all sorts of panic now. She must know of Wirt’s crush on Dipper, or maybe it was the other way around? No, it can’t be the other way around because whoever had a crush on him had to be out of their mind.

“Well, this is awkward. I wasn’t planning on telling you that uh, that I liked you. At all really. But guess Mabel had other plans,” Dipper mumbled.

Wirt’s face burned. Dipper had a crush on him? What? Was he dreaming? He definitely was dreaming. This can’t be happening.

“I like you too.”

Why did I say that? Wirt screamed internally. No no no no no. Abort mission.

Dipper perked up. “You do?”

“Y-yeah. I hope that’s okay?”

“Course, man. God, this is going to sound so lame but I’ve had a crush on you ever since Mabel dragged me into your flower shop like a year ago.”

“Just kiss already, you dorks!” Mabel yelled at them from somewhere inside the apartment.

“Are you okay with…?” Dipper started to ask, his voice trailing off.

Wirt bit his lip but nodded. “Mmhm. Best to y-you know, before Mabel comes in here and shoves our heads together.”

He laughed, stepping closer. Wirt felt his heart thudding in his chest as Dipper grew closer, his cheeks turning redder when Dipper tucked his fingers under Wirt’s chin to tilt his head up. He let his eyes flutter shut, his breath catching in the back of his throat as Dipper’s lips softly brushed over his own. It was a small kiss but had the promise of more in the future to come.

“Took you dorks long enough. You’d still be pining over each other if it wasn’t for me.” Mabel appeared a few feet away from them, smirking triumphantly.

Dipper jumped away from Wirt, both of them equally embarrassed. “Mabel! Personal space!”

“You’re in the hallway. Not really personal space, is it?”

“Oh my god. You’re impossible. Go away.”

Mabel cackled and walked away.

Dipper dropped his head onto Wirt’s shoulder. “She’s going to drive me insane one of these days.”

“Thought she already was.”

“Haha, very funny. We should probably go join her in the living room before she comes back. But first…” Dipper kissed Wirt again with more confidence. Wirt let out a squeak of surprise, causing Dipper to laugh against his lips. “I think I could get used to hearing more of whatever that noise was.”

“Oh my gosh. No. It’s embarrassing.”

“It’s cute.”

“Just shut up and kiss me again.”

#pinescone #pinescone secret Santa #Wirt #Dipper #Pinescon eSecret Santa 2018 #OTGW #GF #Gravity falls #over the garden wall #submission

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omegaling · 6 years

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Allez Cuisine! ~Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen: Deviled Eggs and Leftovers

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

“For the last time, Finn, she said she doesn’t want to, so let’s go! If I miss out on Mami Trooper’s deviled eggs I swear to God I won’t give you a moment’s peace all weekend!”

“But…” Finn started to protest, but Rey lay a hand on his arm before another argument could break out.

“Really, Finn, I’ll be fine. I always appreciate your family including me in their holiday celebrations, but this year I just want to be alone. Besides, you need to spend some quality time with Poe instead of always worrying about me for a change. I’m a grown woman; I can look after myself.”

Finn looked crestfallen, and Rey had half a mind to throw him over her shoulders and carry him fireman-style to Poe’s car herself. Luckily Poe rescued her by placing his hand gently yet firmly on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“I think we should respect Rey’s decision, Finn.”

“Really Finn, I’ll be fine,” Rey insisted, picking up his duffel bag and handing it off to Poe. Finn pouted, but finally allowed Poe to steer him to their apartment’s front door.

Every year, Finn’s grandmother, whom was affectionately known to everyone as Mami Trooper, prepared a Thanksgiving feast of unprecedented magnificence. By the time all her family and guests started to arrive at her brownstone in Brooklyn, her table was already laden with all of her favorite holiday dishes from her childhood in Louisiana: Cajun-spiced turkey, cornbread dressing with andouille sausage and pecans, collard greens slow-cooked with ham hocks, crispy fried okra and oysters, candied yams, ham baked with brown sugar and pineapple, made-from-scratch macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie and, most importantly, her legendary deviled eggs (the spunky old woman loved to proudly boast how she turned down Emeril Lagasse and Paula Dean both offered to by her recipe from her and she shot them both down after pretending to consider it for a week).

What was even more impressive than the food itself was the sheer quantity of it, as Mami Trooper strongly believed that no one should eat alone on Thanksgiving. Not only had Rey been a fixture in the Trooper family since the first Thanksgiving after she moved in with Finn, but his grandmother also opened up her home to the entire block, inviting every overworked single mother, young man trying to get back on his feet after coming out of a rough patch, and lonely senior citizens whose families were scattered around the country and no one could make the trip to New York that year. Everyone who came always brought something of their own to contribute, and by the time dinner was in full swing Rey was amazed that the dining room floor didn’t simply collapse under the combined weight of the people and the food.

The next day, while the rest of the city was caught up in the throes of Black Friday, the Trooper family (complete with Rey in tow) would drive up to Finn’s uncle’s farm upstate for traditions and activities to ring in the start of the Christmas season. Just a few weeks ago Rey had been adamantly looking forward to the Thanksgiving holidays: then everything with Kylo happened, and she worried that her sullenness would only drag everyone down. Making excuses to Finn, Poe and Rose was exhausting enough; she did not want to have to do the same with people she barely knew all weekend.

Poe’s Fiat was full to capacity, making it look like he and Finn were going on an extended vacation instead of a holiday weekend. Even if Rey suddenly did change her mind she doubted there would even be any room for her. Mami Trooper ran a very tight ship during Thanksgiving and only allowed those she trusted the most into the kitchen while dinner was being made, but she had no objection to letting others take over the cooking duties afterward. From the look of it, Poe was planning on taking full advantage of having farm fresh ingredients to play with all weekend.

As Poe tried to stuff Finn’s duffle bag into the last available slot of space in the car, Finn cursed and made a dash back to the apartment building, shouting that he forgot something over his shoulder.

“You owe me five bucks,” Rey said with a roguish grin when Poe joined her on the sidewalk.

“Yeah, yeah,” Poe grumbled, jerking his wallet out of his back pocket. “I made him a checklist and everything. How is it possible for him to still forget something?”

Rey gave him a half-shrug. “He’s your boyfriend. You own that mystery now.”

They waited for Finn to emerge in companionable silence for the next few minutes. People trickled in and out of the other buildings on the street as they went about their own Thanksgiving festivities. The peacefulness was momentarily broken by a chorus of cheers from an apartment somewhere over their heads, no doubt in response to one of the ongoing football games. The breeze picked up gently, bringing the scent of someone’s cooking with it. Saliva exploded in Rey’s mouth; she was going to miss Mami Trooper’s food something fierce this year.

Finn reappeared a moment later, empty-handed and grinning sheepishly. “Turns out I had my phone charger packed after all.”

Poe cocked an eyebrow at Rey. “Does this mean I get my money back?”

“Nope. The bet was he went back to the apartment to get something, not that he already packed it and forgot.”

“Hardy-har-har,” Finn said with a dramatic eye roll. “Come on, let’s get going. The Saints play in an hour.”

“You’re a traitor to all native New Yorkers, Trooper,” Poe said as he moved to the Fiat’s driver’s side.

“Hey, my family’s roots run deep. I have to represent where I can. Besides, you’re one to talk, Mr. Green Card,” Finn shot back.

“Guys, guys!” Rey interrupted them, laughing. “If you don’t get on the road now I’ll call Mami myself and tell her to ban you from her deviled eggs all weekend!”

“You’re a stone cold bitch, Jakken. Maybe that’s why you do so well in the business.” Poe grinned, his eye sparkling with good humor as he at last ducked into the car.

“You only have yourself to blame for that one!” Rey shouted after him.

Finn climbed into the passenger seat, but before he shut the door he looked imploringly at Rey one last time. “If you do change your mind, we’re only a phone call away. That’s for anytime this weekend.”

“But it’s a three hour drive to you uncle’s farm. You’ll be wasting a whole day if you come back for me.”

Finn shrugged. “Maybe. But you’re kind of worth it.”

Rey felt her heart swell with affection for her friend. The backs of her eyes prickled hotly as she gave him one more long hug and thought, in spirit of the season, how thankful she was to have such wonderful friends.

I don’t deserve them, Rey thought as she waved Finn and Poe off until the Fiat turned a corner and disappeared. She knew she had been mopey and distant over the past few weeks, but instead of pushing the issue they respected her need for space and never attempted to coax the information from her. Even when she told Finn she wouldn’t be going to Mami Trooper’s for Thanksgiving he didn’t so much as ask for a reason, even though he looked heartbroken when she broke the news to him.

It’s time to let go of this Iron Chef ordeal and everything tied to it, Rey vowed as she returned to their apartment. Poe and Kylo Ren could claim that she had all the makings of being a great chef in her own right until the cows came home, but after everything that happened following the their now infamous episode Rey firmly decided that the celebrity chefs could go right ahead and keep their fame and glory for themselves. She was perfectly happy where she was in her life and grateful for it. Very few people ever had the privilege to say the same thing.

A sudden epiphany hit Rey, like a soccer ball getting kicked into the side of her head. She might not have felt up to a big family gathering this year, but that didn’t mean she had to confine herself staying home and feel sorry for herself all weekend. A quick Google search provided Rey with the information she needed, and ten minutes later she was headed out of her apartment donned in a fleece coat, scarf and knitted beanie, making her way to the Bowery neighborhood in the crisp November morning.

When Rey arrived at the Bowery Mission homeless shelter her heart sank. The building’s main dining hall was already packed with both people in need and volunteers; she hadn’t even thought about calling ahead to see if they even had any openings for additional help in her off the cuff decision to volunteer for the afternoon. To her relief the smiling receptionist assured her that more help was always welcome. There was a waiting list to work in the kitchen and serve the meals, so until a spot opened for her Rey opted to spend some time with the shelter’s youngest patrons.

Rey was directed to another room off the main dining area, which was filled with about twenty toddlers and younger children being looked after by half a dozen or so volunteers while their parents had the opportunity to shower and rest. Looking out at them, Rey felt her heart clench painfully in her chest, accompanied by a surge of guilt that squeezed the air from her lungs as her mind became awash with memories of spending much of her young childhood in similar places. While unwelcome memories of Unkar Plutt still resurfaced from time to time, she hadn’t given any thought to her earliest years in the system since before she started working for Poe. The last time she had seen Kylo Ren she had railed on him about forgetting where he came from, but hadn’t done the same as well?

A tug on her hand brought Rey back to the here and now. She looked down to see a small boy of about six or seven staring up at her with wide, limpid eyes. Rey smiled at him. “Well, hello there, sweetie. What’s your name?”

The little boy didn’t answer her question, but instead proffered to her an extremely battered copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone . Rey understood immediately.

“Do you want me to read this to you?”

He nodded eagerly.

Rey walked over to one of the furthest corners of the room, away from the louder cartoons and video games, and settled on one end of a small futon sofa. The little boy perched at the other end, like a cat that still didn’t fully trust her. Rey opened the book, mindful of the first few pages that wanted to come loose from their binding, and started to read.

“ Mr and Mrs Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were very proud of say that they were very normal, thank you very much…”

By the time the wizards all raised their glasses to toast The Boy Who Lived, the little boy had moved across the couch to snuggle into Rey’s side. Another four children came over to listen to Harry talk to the boa constrictor, and when Harry’s Hogwarts letters started pelting out of the Dursley’s fireplace her audience swelled to ten. She had to take a break when someone started pounding on the door of the shack on the rock out at sea, her throat dry and scratchy from reading for almost two hours. The children started to protest as she got up, but she promised to be back to tell who was on the other side of the door after she got herself some water. When she reached the volunteer’s break room, one of the Bowery Mission staff members informed her that there was an opening in meal service, but Rey politely declined. She didn’t want to disappoint her audience.

“Um… Excuse me?”

A soft, timid voice made Rey stop in her tracks on the way back to the play area, a bottle of cold water in her hand. Standing behind her was a full-figured teenager of about fifteen or so, wringing her hands together in a nervous gesture. Rey smiled kindly at her. “Can I help you? Are you okay?”

“Oh… Yes, I’m okay… I was just wondering… I mean, I’m sure I’m completely wrong, but…” The girl clasped her hands so tightly together than her knuckles started to turn white. Rey waited patiently until the girl visibly gathered her courage and blurted out almost faster than Rey could follow, “Were you just on an episode of Iron Chef America ?”

The question caught Rey off guard, and she answered that yes, she was, without really thinking. She kicked herself mentally for doing so - the whole point of this weekend was to try to get over Kylo Ren - but the girl suddenly lit up so brightly that Rey forgot her own grievance.

“Oh… Oh, wow ,” the girl said breathlessly. “I thought that maybe it was you because of how you hear your hair, but lots of girls started wearing their hair like that after that episode and…” She trailed off, looking deeply embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I know I’m rambling and you’re busy. I just always loved Iron Chef America but the episode you were in was just so...so good . I mean, Kylo Ren is always fun to watch and Chef Dameron is really hot, but you were my favorite part.”

Now it was Rey’s turn to blush. While her coworkers and the other chefs of the Village complimented her fairly often on her work, she didn’t consider herself particularly exceptional. True, she could imitate any dish down to the exact amount of salt used, but it wasn’t the same as coming up with the recipes on her own. Getting compliments from someone she didn’t know humbled her to the core.

“Thank you. So much,” Rey said, her throat tight with emotion. “Do you like to cook, too?”

“I do!” the girl said enthusiastically, only to deflate a bit immediately after. “When I can, that is. A lot of the homes I stayed in don’t let the kids in the kitchen, so I don’t get to practice a lot. I mostly only watch shows like Top Chef, Chopped and Iron Chef. I don’t think I’ll ever be as good as someone like you.”

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Rey said with a mischievous smile. “The first time I tried cooking for myself I ended up exploding eggs all over my new roommate’s kitchen. The whole front of the apartment smelled like a fart for a week.”

The girl tried to capture her laughter by clapping a hand over her mouth, but her giggles still managed to slip through her fingers. Her reaction prompted Rey’s smile to widen even more.

“And I’ll tell you another secret. I didn’t learn to cook until I was nineteen. That wasn’t even three years ago.”

Now the girl was openly gaping at her, all signs of mirth wiped clean from her face. “But… But what you did on Iron Chef was incredible… It was like art…”

“How about this? How about you come with me and hear how Harry learns he’s a wizard, and afterwards we can talk about cooking.”

For a second Rey was worried that the girl was going to faint on the spot. Thankfully, she only ended up nodding. “My name is Lucy, by the way.”

“I’m very pleased to meet you, Lucy. Now let’s go see a man about an owl, shall we?”

Two chapters and a trip to Diagon Alley later, Rey and Lucy sat at an unoccupied table near the back of the Bower Mission’s dining area with a mug of tea and a glass of soda, respectively. Lucy peppered Rey with every imaginable question pertaining to cooking, jumping from what it’s like working in the kitchen of an upscale restaurant to how certain kinds of meals are prepared to what was it like being on TV (and is the Chairman like that all the time or is it just for the show?). Finally she calmed down enough to ask - at least in Rey’s opinion - the most crucial question of all.

“Where do I even begin? Like, what is the first thing I need to know?”

It took Rey a few minutes to wrack her brains to remember the first lessons she had, way back when Poe gave his cooking seminar at NYU. Everything she did as his prep cook was now so ingrained into her that it was difficult to remember that there was a time when she could hardly tell the difference between one end of a knife and the other. She ran through all the basics that not only aspiring chefs should know, but everyone as they came into adulthood. Lucy didn’t look particularly impressed when Rey told her the importance of learning how to properly prepare eggs and pasta and vegetables, but Rey quickly set the record straight.

“It’s all about the foundation,” she told Lucy, bobbing a tea bag into a fresh mug of hot water. “DaVinci didn’t paint the Mona Lisa the first time he picked up a paintbrush any more than Beethoven composed the Fifth the first time he sat down at a piano. If you don’t have a proper foundation lay down, anything you try to build on top of it will just collapse sooner or later.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Lucy said. “But how do I even start?”

“Like anything else that requires practice: at the beginning. Offer to help your foster parents prepare meals, even if it’s as simple as something as cutting up vegetables or making side dishes. Take a cooking class if you school offers it, or see if there are any programs for high school students you can enroll in. Start looking into culinary schools for after you graduate; there are a ton of them in New York, not just the CIA, and a lot of the city colleges have basic cooking courses you can take while you work on your general education courses. And when you apply to work at a restaurant, don’t turn your nose up at the grunt work, like dish washing or the messier, more time-consuming prep work. It will prove to the head chef that you want to be there because it’s something you’re passionate about and not because of romanticized assumptions.”

Lucy nodded slowly, and Rey could tell by the set of her mouth that she was worrying the inside of her cheek. Rey knew exactly what she was feeling, as clearly as if it was projected into her own mind: a fear and self-doubt born from living a life in the system, that no matter how well Lucy behaved or how hard she studied or worked, she would always be inadequate in the eyes of “normal” society; that being a foster child was a sigma that marked her for failure for life. The ghosts of Unkar Plutt’s hurtful words started to crawl into Rey’s own mind, a cruel taunting slur that dogged her throughout high school. Without thinking Rey’s hand shot forward to grasp Lucy’s. Lucy jumped at the unexpected contact, but she didn’t yank her hand away.

“Hey,” Rey said, looking Lucy straight in the eye. “I was just like you when I was your age. I was in the system since I was five, and it was thirteen years of being bounced between homes of sub-par care, falling behind in school every time I got transferred and living with the certainty that it was never going to get better. And it did, not only because I worked for it, but also because I got help. So I want you to do this: if you need to put down a reference for a college application or a work resume, you give them my name and the number to BB8. I’ll put in a good word for you.”

“But you don’t even know me!” Lucy blurted out, looking very much like she wanted to cry.

“And Poe Dameron didn’t know me, but he took that leap of faith anyway. And someday I’ll take that same leap for you. You just have to promise me one thing.”

It took Lucy a moment to calm down, wiping the tears off her face with the sleeve of her sweatshirt to ask Rey what she wanted her to do. Rey felt her heart go out to her. She wondered how long it was since the poor girl was given even the smallest sliver of encouragement by an adult.

“No matter where you end up, never forget where you came from.”

It wasn’t until later that Rey realized Poe Dameron’s cooking lessons were not the only ones she tapped into while she was talking to Lucy.

Rey might have missed out on Mami Trooper’s Thanksgiving feast, but that didn’t mean that she had to give up a traditional meal altogether. And while she could just as easily make herself an upscale dinner of cranberry-glazed roast turkey and French aligot potatoes, she chose a much more non-hassle option. She could not put her finger on an exact reason why, but there was something deeply satisfying about eating a sandwich made of pre-cooked turkey breast, instant mashed potatoes and stuffing, canned gravy and cranberry sauce on plain white bread. She had picked up all the items on a whim on her way home from work on Tuesday, and now she was glad she did. Preparing Michelin quality food day in and day out made her appreciate the simpler, nostalgic foods and the comfort they brought. No matter how good their food was, that was something that chefs like Poe and Kylo could never replicate in their restaurants.

Rey paused, her sandwich halfway to her mouth. Her last conversation with Kylo rose from the recesses of her mind she banished it to, but now she made no effort to stop it. She had told him that she would rather keep her sentimental memories than trade them for a lucrative career, but wasn’t she already kind of guilty of that? When she came to New York she suddenly had the entire culinary world at her fingertips to explore. Before that she had no idea that so many different types of food existed; she could eat at a different restaurant every night and never go to the same place twice. Hell, there were still places in the Village she’d never been to. And yet there was nothing else she’d rather be eating at that time than her Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich.

A new idea materialized, which was quickly followed up by a plan. She was still of the opinion that Kylo was a pretentious asshole and she doubted now that that would ever change, but she didn’t want to leave things as they were.

Maybe, like her, he just needed a reminder.

Rey finished her lunch, changed into warmer clothing (it was decidedly colder today) and set off for the nearest grocery outlet.

The store was virtually empty when she arrived. The one cashier on duty gave her a smile just large enough to acknowledge her presence before returning to fiddling with their phone.

Rey moved up and down the aisles, tapping into her memories of when she was a college student living on a very limited income. She grabbed pasta, ramen packages and rice that only cost a few dollars for several boxes and two jars of generic tomato sauce; Kraft macaroni and cheese and a few cans of soup; peanut butter, jelly and bread; half a gallon of mind and half a dozen of eggs; a couple of frozen dinners on sale for a dollar each; and finally a small package of ground beef that was marked down two dollars because it was going out of code tomorrow. By the time Rey checked out she had spent just under thirty dollars and had enough food to make meals for the next two weeks, three if she really stretched it.

With her purchases made, Rey called for a Lyft car (she wasn’t even going to attempt the subways, even with the hub of Black Friday shopping on the other side of the city) and went straight to Walker Tower.

Roger was off-duty when Rey arrived, but the doorman who was there knew her well enough to not give her any issues as she walked in. The Tower’s lobby was already adorned with beautiful Christmas decorations, but Rey did not give them so much as a second glance and she went to the elevators. On the ride up to Kylo’s floor, she re-adjusted the note she prepared in the Lyft car so it sat in plain view on top of the bag. When she arrived at Kylo’s apartment, she dropped the bag outside his door, then immediately turned around and went back the way she came.

About twenty minutes later Kylo’s neighbor, fresh back from a refreshing jog, took notice of the lumpy plastic bag sitting outside his reclusive neighbor’s door. Curiosity prompted the man to go over to investigate. He couldn’t see what was inside because a note that read “This is where I came from” lay over the top.

The man’s interest immediately vanished, his mind back on the shower he was looking forward to. He didn’t know his neighbor other than what he heard from the other Tower’s residents, and that the unanimous decision was he was a grade-A jerk.

Rey was reading on Saturday morning when her phone pinged with a new text message. She was sure it was going to be another text from Finn telling her how much he missed her (complete with a crying emoji face) so her heart skipped a beat when she saw it was from a number she was sure she would never see again. The whole apartment felt to tilt under the weight of the two words on her phone’s screen.

“I’m sorry.”

Rey stared at her screen for a full five minutes as she deliberated on the best way to respond, because she knew no matter what, it would send her down a road of no return.

Finally, she made up her mind.

“ Come over to dinner. My roommate it out of town. I’ll cook.”

She held her breath as she waiting for an answer.

Ping.

“I’ll bring the wine this time.”

#reylo #reylo fan fiction #reylo au #reylo chef au #allez cuisine!#omegaling writes

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acrossthemar · 4 years

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Corona Diaries

2/14 - Fly to Arizona for Grand Canyon and Arielle Bach Party. People in airport are wearing masks. I make a comment to my mom about it, not understanding why people are wearing masks or wondering if they are sick.

3/2 - Patient Zero tests positive for COVID19 in New Rochelle.

3/8 - Our Boss at Schoology tells us we can work from home if we feel more comfortable. We think she’s just being lazy and wants to work from home herself.

3/6 - Comedy show in NYC. Kristin doesn’t feel well and we worry she should stay home incase she has COVID19. We go to the comedy show. The comedian makes jokes about COVID19, we laugh.

3/8 - Eric’s School closes School for the following week. I make a comment to him that that’s overkill and a “private school privilege”. All other schools will eventually close of course.

3/11 - Mom flies to Madrid.

3/12 - National Pandemic Announced & Trump Announces Travel Ban between US/Europe. Cuomo declares State of Emergency in New York.

3/13 - Mom flies home from Madrid to NY after Mara books back up flight for Mom from Madrid to London. Mom spent $1400 to spend not even a full day in Madrid, goes back to the airport with thousands of panicked Americans, gets off stand by and comes home. Mara comes over to greet mom and give her some food, flowers, and company.

3/14 - Mara works remotely indefinitely, office shuts down until at least April 7th. Mara and Eric do the NYT crossword, hike the Masters trails with Winnie, and Mara and Eric go to Japanese Restaurant with Susan, Jeff, and Matt. Restaurants will soon close. Earlier in the day Mara goes to Larchmont to check in on mom, goes for a walk with mom and Winnie, and meets up with Kristin, Kevin, and Zoey at Central School.

3/15 - Mara goes to Larchmont and goes to Manor park with Shanni, Maddy, Liana, and Nicole and Nicole’s dog Remy.

3/16 - Mara works from home. Luckily Peloton bike was delivered last week just before the store closures began. At this point all Spin Studios and Gyms shut down. Mara and Eric cook butternut squash risotto and parmesan asparagus. De Blasio announces that NYC Public Schools are closed. Meals will be served at food centers.

3/17 - Eric and Mara are watching Sex Education. Mara Eric and Susan go on trail hike with Winnie.

3/18 - Mara Hallie Eric Winnie trail walk with Winnie. Mara Zoom date with high school friends.

3/19 - Zoom date with MK, Jana, Jason.

3/20 - Mom comes over for trail walk with Winnie and we cook the Shrimp Pasta dish with brussel sprouts.

3/21 - Peloton bike, talked to Elise on the phone, walked to tennis courts to play tennis with Eric’s family. The Masters courts are shut down due to Corona. Dinner at Eric’s family’s house. We sat at the dining room table to spread out. Mara played Ping Pong with Matt.

3/22 - Mara ran 3 miles, used Peloton, went to Larchmont to work on Obama NYT puzzle with mom.

3/23 - Monday, Peloton, worked from home, played SET with Eric, cooked a big salad.

3/24 - Run, work, tennis with Jodi, visited mom, Video session with Aubrey, Elise, Kelly

3/25 - Peloton, work from home, went on walk to store, no one was there and everyone in masks. Order in sushi. Video date with MHS friends. We started a CS team fitness challenge today since no one is moving since only home!

3/26 - Didn’t sleep because reading too much news and it’s so sad. US now has more cases than any other country (82k), NY has 37k cases, and the news is really grim. Had my virtual performance review and got a 3% raise, went on a 7 mile run but tripped on a rock and got hurt, played tennis with Jodi, then went to my mom’s and cooked dinner. I feel scared every time I go to my mom’s house in fear that I’m bringing the virus into her home. A lot of my mom’s coworkers have tested positive for COVID-19. Deccico’s is doing a great job with their grocery store (limiting number of people in store, making people wait outside 6 feet apart, mandated gloves, sanitizing shopping carts, glass wall at check out. Stop and shop is not doing much and so people haven’t been going. Trader Joes NYC closed because too many employees tested positive. Everyone is panicked and at this point it is hard to imagine life going back to normal. Even if legally it goes back to normal, everyone is absolutely terrified of other humans. Everything about this is unprecedented and unimaginable. Trump is a moron. It hurts to think about how much better handled this might have been with Obama. The 2020 Presidential Election is essentially at a standstill, no one going to primary elections, very curious what will happen, will we even be able to vote in November? Bernie and Biden left, Biden in the lead, but Biden is hardly speaking up about Covid-19. It’s been fulfilling to work at Schoology during this time as we are making a real difference in virtual learning and our school districts are eternally grateful. Side note––Amazon is hardly even running! They’ve cut down on their hours and employees, and the average wait on PRIME is 30 days!!! I am going to sleep at my mom’s tonight.

3/27 - Ended up sleeping at my mom’s on Thursday night. Took a work meeting from my mom’s then went back home. First dropped off my right AirPod at a FedEx drop off but you had to touch the box. Tried to do a Peloton class at home but Winnie got into my medicine bag and we found her with an empty laxative and ambien pill container. We took her to emergency vet and had them induce vomiting. We were terrified we killed her. Turns out she didn’t eat any pills and we ended up finding all of the pills when we got back from vet. Poor Winnie. Silly $300 at vet. Pet insurance is dumb because it has such a high deductible. I then went on a walk with Winnie because it was 64 degrees out. Eric and I cooked a fancy meatloaf for dinner and finished Sex Education. I made a lovely cocktail.

3/28 - Weekends don’t feel all that different from weekdays. Trump is discussing a mandatory quarantine on all New York residents since there are now 45,000 confirmed cases (many more unconfirmed). Reading the news is scary and I have been trying to limit it at night because it gives me insomnia and anxiety. Most of my friends aren’t seeing their parents at all. It’s gross out today. I did a few Peloton classes and started Little Fires Everywhere. It was a book turned into a movie but because movies are closed they released it as a TV series on Hulu. Just stepped out of the house for the first time today to take Winnie on a short walk. My team at Schoology is doing a fitness challenge to get some steps in because it’s HARD to find reasons to move! We were going to go to the Shear’s for dinner tonight but Susan had a headache this morning so to be safe we aren’t going. This is the crazy world we are currently living in. I’ve been mostly only wearing sports bras not real bras. We have not been able to locate lysol wipes in weeks. Note to self, I’d like to add some photos here because this really is all so unprecedented and it’s hard to put into words the craziness.

3/29 - Working out every day but gaining weight. Watched Little Fires Everywhere - LOVE it. Gross day out. Peloton inside. Zoom Call with Kristin, Oliver, Parker, Mom. Went on a walk around the apartment. Weekends are worse than week days because no work to do.

3/30 - Work is crazy because Schoology crashed since too many people on the platform. Did lots of Peloton Spin. Amanda moved her wedding to 2021. We are very worried about ours. I haven’t been sleeping. Went to visit mom with Winnie in afternoon for a walk. Passed neighbor Kelly but we couldn’t let her pet Winnie because not supposed to have other people pet your dog. We had a meeting with the Rabbi for our wedding. She is hopeful for July because she can’t stand the thought of not being able to send her kids to sleep-away camp haha. Started this dumb show Tiger King, everyone is watching it. About a man who keeps tigers in his house.

3/31 - Schoology crashed again. Too many users. Work has been busy but fulfilling though because we are so important right now, been nice to connect with my clients. It’s been hard working full days though I take breaks to work out and to do chores so I’m a bit all over the place. Went to the post office today to return a dress for my mom because I won’t let her go, all stood 6 feet apart and I feel scared to breathe in public now. It’s so bad in NY and the Daily Podcast is scaring me.

4/1 - Work has been stressful because of the Schoology outages because everyone is doing school on Schoology now. Went to Deccico’s at lunch to do a big grocery shopping (we are trying to limit grocery store to once max twice per week since it’s unsafe to go). I wore a t-shirt as a bandana to cover my mouth, tried to keep sunglasses on, and wore a glove on my right hand (left hand was for my phone to see the shopping list). The line was wrapped around the entire corner and I ended up waiting 45 minutes. You have to be really careful to stand at least 6 feet behind the person in front of you. It was a bit overwhelming because we had such a long shopping list (also doing groceries for my mom), and they were out of a lot. I couldn’t find bread, orange juice, turkey, etc. Also have not seen lysol wipes in weeks. Unfortunately. I ended up being gone for an hour and a half and couldn’t even finish the shopping. Went to Stop & Shop after to finish the list. No one is going to Stop & Shop because they aren’t doing as good of a job with cleanliness protocol so it’s far less crowded. Under isolation I am 1) becoming a chef with Eric, we are cooking so much! 2) working out a lot and incorporating more floor workouts and strength training 3) drinking almost daily… 4) eating A LOT!!!!! Getting fit + gaining weight at the same time. Today was Greg Lesser’s birthday, so we had socially distant drinks on our lawn, I have a funny picture of all of us sitting that I’ll post above. During the happy hour, Caitlin Casey wanted to use our bathroom so she stepped inside, we deliberated if it was okay. I was too close to the door when she opened it and she alarmingly stepped back, no one gets that close anymore. Winnie turned 9 months today. A few other notes: our Election Primary has been moved to end of June. I will have to likely cancel my bachelorette party. Schoology already closed our office through April 30, with optional WFH through May 31st. I interviewed Hong Kong American School tonight, as they’ve been remote for months. They almost went back to school but when folks came back to China they brought COVID19 with them so now they are back to isolation.

4/6 - We decided to stop going over to Eric’s family’s house because it’s making us anxious and there are four of them and Eric’s mom is still going to the hospital. I got an actual mask and have started wearing it to the store and I feel a lot more safe. It was a beautiful day today, 62 and sunny. I went to my mom’s house and worked from her patio. Then I went on a distanced walk with Winnie and Shanni and then Winnie and Caroline. I’m getting used to working fully remote, I can’t even imagine commuting in at this point.

4/7 - Here are a few things I’m grateful for during this time. Eric, a supportive and loving partner. We get along so well and find a great balance between hanging out together and being independent, so we haven’t been sick of each other at all. Our spacious apartment and easy access to green space and outdoors and running paths. Winnie, truly the love of our life, she is just a saint and we can’t imagine life without her. And the fact that we have a “home gym” ie Peloton, exercise mat, and weights. These four things make this experience far more manageable. And of course the fact that we are both still employed and that our families are still healthy.

4/11 - Went on a walk with friends in LeatherStocking Trail in Larchmont. Was a bit crowded and narrow which wasn’t good. We ran into a random boy from our high school who immediately picked up Winnie. (We aren’t letting people pet Winnie due to Corona but I didn’t act quick enough to stop it). Anyway, turns out his brother who he LIVES with has Corona. Which means he probably has it too. And he was out on a walk not social distancing and PET MY DOG!!! I was absolutely livid.

4/15 - Cuomo requires all people wear masks in public in NYC. Cuomo says likely that there will be no large gatherings through the summer. Very sad about the wedding. Colleges are making online learning plans for the fall just incase.

4/28 - Silver lining of quarantine: I get to hear Eric’s work, not just his teaching but his deanship how eloquently and professionally he handles parent conversations, managing faculty that’s older than he is, and student situations. He is currently leading a parent forum book discussion on the book White Fragility on race and whiteness

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paniccord-ff · 7 years

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35. Part 3

I have such a backache that is really making me want to just sit but I can’t, I know Chris has banned his family from coming but Chris and I are eating Christmas dinner. I have messaged Mijo and he said he will do something so he might have a little surprise, it’s not nice being like this because it’s about family. Chris doesn’t want to do anything, he hasn’t slept either and is just sat in his games room. I have been awake so early too cook this, I want to eat Christmas dinner and we about to do that. Rubbing my back walking out of the kitchen “you don’t have to cook you know, we can just eat out” he’s left the room, finally “I don’t think so, it’s fine. The Turkey is getting done, I just have a few more things. I don’t care, we will do Christmas” Nia had the nerve to post a picture of Royalty on Christmas, she has hurt my man so much and I want to beat her ass so bad. Holding the side of the table “what are you thinking?” he’s been looking a little lost “thinking about going to sleep” nodding my head “well that is fine, you can go to sleep. Maybe you need it, you look tired” moving away from the table, tiptoeing up and kissing his lips.

Looking down at my toes, wiggling them because my feet hurt “so, do you like it?” Kyrie is a brat “yes, how did you know I like that football team?” he questioned me “because you told me stupid! You got all of their signatures now so be happy. Give the phone to mom now please, is she sat down?” I spent an hour just hearing Blake talk about how much he loves me and my gift, I mean I just bought him sneakers and I didn’t think it would make such an impact in his life, Chris was talking about these limited-edition sneakers and I was like Christmas presents, so I got Chris to get their sizes. I paid of course “shit” I don’t have anything for Chris, I am such a bad wife to him “Merry Christmas baby” my mom said “oh mom! How are you? I miss you” my mom laughed “I miss you too, I am fine. Just laughing at your dad cooking, I had to help him but I am sat now. I think you made Christmas for both Nathan and Blake over a pair of sneakers, I find them ugly though” laughing at my mom “they are expensive mom, stop it” I find them ugly too “how is Christmas over there, how was the day with the little princess?” sighing out wishing my mom didn’t ask “awful, she didn’t come” feeling deflated as fuck for Chris “oh no baby, why? That is awful, so much joy was around that moment” even my mom knew that “bad people in the world mom, Chris has taken it pretty bad and doesn’t want to do anything but I am of course making the food. It is just us two” the joy in the home has left “oh, I am so sorry. That could change, you checked yet?” raising an eyebrow “what?” I questioned “my baby having a baby” rolling my eyes “mom please, honestly. I just do not want to know. Last time I felt like this it was a period, you know I do not have a set date for that” wish she would let that go.

My mom groaned out “fine, I will wait for you to say sorry to me soon. Did you manage to get Chris anything? You were complaining about that?” she is reminding me of all my failures right now “nope, I failed. Everything is just ruined and I am trying to make it right, I think I am doing a bad job at this. Like Chris hasn’t seen Royalty, he has no presents, he has no family here and he just has me and I am just like I don’t know, I am just failing but I am trying not to” sighing out “use your vagina Rylee, make it work” my eyes bulged out “mother!” I spat “men are easily pleased” she said “but he is not in that mood and I feel disgusting, I have spots on my face. I am sweating and my back has gone. I don’t think I can handle back shots right now” my mom laughed “I cannot wait for you to call me apologising but baby, I believe in you. You can turn this around. Just continue to make it a Christmas, text me later and check on your food, don’t burn it” smiling a little, she has a point let me check it.

The food is coming on nicely, I think I will get ready now and look a little nice “Rylee I am sorry” I gasped holding my chest “Jesus Chris! I thought you went to sleep” my heart right now “creeping on me like that” taking in a deep breath “why are you sorry?” clearly I thought wrong, I thought he would sleep “because I ruined Christmas, I made you stay for nothing. I should have just let you stay there, I am used to this. Just a little shameful you have to see it. This shit was supposed to be like a real ass Christmas for me, I have a fiancé for the first time. I had a clean home, I was supposed to have people that love me come. I know I was getting Royalty yesterday but it was supposed to be special, she was supposed to be in my home this time unlike last time. I thought wrong and dragged you into it, your family probably out there being lit like always but look at this, empty home” he is hurting me so much, shaking my head at him “it’s not empty Chris, there is a lot of love in this home. I am happy I am here, I am hurting for you. I know Chris, I know you and I know how happy you was about this, trust me I do” holding onto Chris’ hands “please no more tears ok? I got you with this, we will fight this. Just cut the money off. Do not say anything, speak to Mark and then by the time she notices we will be gone. She will come running to you, then you will tell her speak to your lawyer. You spoke to Mark again didn’t you? What did he say?” I refuse to see him cry anymore “he said that she didn’t hold her side of the deal, he said for me to cut the money and then take it from there. The deal is to share equally, which includes breaks away. She broke the deal” smiling at Chris “and so are we, she will be the one crying when she needs her botox done again and can’t pay. I can always get Blake to find some shit out about her man? I will actually do that, I got you. She fucked with my man on his day” Chris smiled, finally he smiled after being so sad “I don’t deserve you man, I love you” Chris said hugging me close, kissing my cheek.

Chris pulled me along “open your gifts, come. I know shit is sideways right now but fuck it, let’s just open some shit” pulling my hand away from his grip “Chris, but I didn’t get you anything and I feel bad. No” this is so wrong “I also ruined your Christmas” I added “nah, you made it better for me and Rylee you took me away. Also our Anniversary is coming up, you can make it up to me. Come, let’s see what the turner family got you, I actually have a little secret too” Chris said, squinting my eyes at him “really?” he nodded his head “I haven’t really got you anything, but come” I feel better that he hasn’t “there is a reason to this” Chris walked off to the tree, I want to know now. Following behind Chris “Chris I hate secrets, this is making me feel all nervous” I want to know now.

Chris placed the bag on the table full of the presents my family got “to be honest my brother’s gift seems really light and cheap, I want to open that first” digging into the bag, picking out the box “feel that, it’s light” Chris took the box from me “it’s the thought that counts Rylee” he has a point “this actually has your name on it Chris” it seems like a frame, something framed is in there “for me?” Chris said all confused “uh yeah, I didn’t even notice that actually” holding it out to him, my family never told me they got Chris something “it says here form your father in law and mother in law” Chris read out, I cooed out “it’s going to be something useless, they don’t know how to shop” I am excited “well I appreciate it, I don’t mind it” Chris ripped it open, dropping the wrapping paper to the ground “oh wow, I couldn’t have asked for a better thing” looking over at the picture, it’s a picture of us at the award show “I mean your brother’s are missing but this is sweet, I feel like I belong in your family” that is so sweet “they really put thought into the gift, you really do. Look at Royalty, she is always so goofy like you” that was a precious moment to have my parents on the red carpet, just to have them part of the day. Chris looked behind the frame “there is a message” he turned it around fully “couldn’t have asked for a better son in law, rose and Harvey. Awww shit, this is the best gift because Rylee couldn’t get me one” side eyeing him “I am joking” I am happy his joking side is coming back.

I know my brothers, they are so tacky “he legit used a shoe box? Like, I hate him. He said he spent money, on what!” I spat, Chris snorted laughing “he is funny” I am annoyed with Blake already, opening the box and seeing a note “wow, this is an I owe you! That bastard, I swear to god. That liar” stupid ass brothers, Nathan stayed quiet and now I know why “read it then” picking the note out from the box “see you on the twenty second of July” looking up at Chris “that is it, what the fuck” Chris licked his lips, a smirked played on his lips “this is on them, this is our surprise to you. twenty second of July, we will be in St Lucia getting married” I froze in shock “what?” I said in shock “your brother’s gift to you is buying your wedding dress, they wanted to pay but also they are paying for our honeymoon” what is even happening “I ain’t even explaining this right, so your family and I set a date and chose St Lucia. Your brothers said they want to get something meaningful and then said they would buy the wedding dress, they want to do that for you and they also paid for our honeymoon in Bora Bora. This is like a big present to you, we have a wedding date and everything else. I said to your brothers I would pay but they wanted too, they said they have one sister and they want it to be the best day for you. I guess Blake just wanted to be Blake with that shoe box” jumping onto Chris, wrapping my legs around him “oh my god!!” I yelped out, I couldn’t contain my tears at all “thank you so much, oh my god. I am getting married in a place I never thought I would see, oh Chris. I don’t deserve you” moving my head back pressing kisses to his lips.

I am still in shock by all of this, I am getting married in St Lucia “least you ain’t crying about pizza, but surprise. This is something we all thought on, and yeah that date is perfect. No tour dates or work, I am a happy man Rylee” I am just in shock, I am getting married “wow, I am actually going to be Chris Brown’ wife” I blurted out “I am about to be Rylee Brown, that is something I never dreamed about. I have so much planning to do now, oh god. I got to thank my brothers, thank you so much Chris. You make me the happiest girl in the world, best present ever. We have a wedding date Chris, thank you” I squealed in excitement.

I still feel delated about shit but Rylee is doing her best so I am going to try and put that aside, she is doing everything to make me happy and I appreciate her. She deserves the happiness. Now she out here singing, she is so damn happy. Tapping the photo of Rylee and I when we was at Paris, I like this picture because this is her first time there and it was romantic. Captioning the picture ‘I asked you to be my wife on June 25th, some people said it was too soon and I couldn’t have known you enough to know I wanted to marry you but I knew, when you know, you know. July 22nd is when you will officially be Mrs Brown, thank you for being my lover, fan, girlfriend, wife. You are my support because if it wasn’t for you I would have broke, I love you’ pressing send, give them something else to speak about other than my daughter.

Scrolling down my Instagram timeline, Nia is posting pictures of her Christmas but I am not going to let that upset me because she wants that from me. Scrolling by the picture and then stopping at Rylee’ Instagram post, my smile grew. She posted this a couple of hours ago now, that was when Royalty saw me at my concert. Reading the caption ‘The happiness in her little face to see him, I don’t really do social media but when Chris said she kidnapped his daughter, she did that. Royalty may not be my blood but she is Chris’ and I love that girl just as much as Chris does, I will fight this with him’ smiling at the caption and adding a comment ‘Thank you for always believing in me, I love you x’ I believe in Rylee, she is gives me hope in this “Chris, come here!” Rylee shouted, placing my phone at the side of me getting up from the couch.

Making my way through the dining room to the kitchen “come here” Rylee shouted again, she is near the door. Turning the corner “Mijo?” I said shocked to see him “hey nigga!” he pointed, seeing Mylen and Maleah “Uncle!!” Maleah screamed at me, she hugged my waist “we came to see you fool and also Mylen wants you to show him how to do draw, I got him some things” Mylen hugged me also “on Christmas Day? This is a shock” dapping Mijo “well you my family and Rylee text me, I saw the shit and I wanted to see you. As long as Rylee does not poison me” picking Maleah up “yeah, we about to dish out now. Good to see you nigga and you two! Y’all like the gifts” Maleah nodded “I asked dad to get it me and he didn’t but you did” she wrapped her arms around my neck “Woah, Rylee. You gone all out, that Macaroni and Cheese looks sexy” Mijo stared at the food “this smells real good, at my crib they all out of sync and late as fuck. I was out with the kids” Mijo sat down, he is ready to eat “all I am going to say bro, don’t need them. Family be the worst and fuck that bitch. I am sad for little Royal and you, she disrespected you and she will learn” Mijo knows what my family are like.

Rylee is always thinking of me, I am glad Mijo is here and the kids “We are saying grace, if Mijo eats then he needs to leave” Rylee said, Maleah giggled “dad put it down!!” she pointed at him “man, ok fine. Hurry” smiling at them, hurts a little because my home was supposed to be filled with my family. This table was supposed to be filled with happiness, holding Rylee’ and Maleah’ hand. Bowing my head closing my eyes “For the meal we are about to eat, thank you to Rylee that made it possible, and for those who are about to share this food, we are thankful. Amen, let’s eat” Rylee snorted laughing “you are the cutest” she said “so are you, I saw your post about me. It means a lot, you got my back” she nodded her head “we will get her Chris” Rylee makes me believe, I am thankful that she is so positive.

#Chrianna #Chrianna FF #Fanfiction

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weditchthemap · 5 years

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Top 6 Things To Do in Sanliurfa, Turkey - The Birthplace of Agriculture and Beyond

Arriving in Sanliurfa (Urfa)

Sanliurfa, or “Urfa” as the locals call it, it one of the oldest inhabited regions on Earth. It’s the birthplace of agriculture and was even home to civilizations predating agriculture, evidenced by Göbekli Tepe, a 12,000 year old temple near Urfa more than 6,000 years older than Stone Hedge! Needless to say, Urfa’s history is vast and the city earned a well-deserved spot on our itinerary. It also doesn’t hurt that our favorite Turkish dish, cig kofte, has its origins in this city.

We arrived in Sanliurfa, Turkey by bus after attending a Kurdish wedding in Diyarbakir, a city 2-hours east. Almost immediately we noticed a more conservative dress among the women in Sanliurfa. Whereas in other Turkish cities we observed some women wearing head scarves, a portion of the women walking the streets in Urfa were wearing niqabs, covering their faces, with the exception of their eyes, in black fabric. A handful of men also wore long white tunics and baggy pants called salvar. Arabs comprise a visible minority in the city and Arabic writing is noticeable on store fronts giving the city a Middle Eastern vibe. We also noticed a few intriguing chin tattoos peeking out from a handful of older women’s headscarves and decided to research these mysterious markings. Turns out we were lucky to spot these tattoos as deq facial tattoos are an almost extinct beautification tradition once practiced among some nomadic, Kurdish and Arab peoples.

A Very Brief History of Urfa

Urfa is a spiritual center and pilgrimage sight attracting visitors from all over the world. It is believed to be the birthplace of the prophet Abraham making it an important religious destination. Urfa was fought over by the Persian and Roman Empires and became a center for Christianity until the Arabs took control of the city in 637. The city was originally named Edessa by Alexander the Great, then Urfa in 1637 by the Ottoman Empire, and ultimately renamed Şanlıurfa (Glorious Urfa) in 1984 in the aftermath of the Turkish War of Independence. Urfa is currently home to thousands of Syrian refugees from its war-torn neighboring country.

What to See and Do in Sanliurfa

1. Stimulate Your Senses at the Gumruk Bazaar and Try Some Local Urfa Foods

On our first evening in Urfa we ventured to the Gumruk Bazaar, said to be one of most authentic bazaars remaining in Turkey. We walked through the wood carving and metal welding stalls where sparks flew and machines whirred. Towering piles of crushed red pepper and spices were scattered throughout the marketplace. While staring intently at a curious food item that looked like strands of hair, the vendor, noting our bewilderment, pulled some wisps apart and encouraged us to try it. We tasted the odd treat and the yellow strands clung to Scott’s beard as if he’d eaten a barbie doll. It turns out that Pişmaniye or “fairy floss” is a cotton candy-like dessert but, unlike cotton candy, pismaniye contains butter and flour giving it a rich flavor.

We entered a large covered courtyard in the middle of the bazaar which houses several cafes where you can linger and people watch. We tried a local coffee called Mirra coffee. Only thimble-sized, it’s not a drink to sip on. It’s thick, dark, and super concentrated - what it lacks in flavor in makes up for with the jolt of energy it provides. Fittingly its name comes from the Arabic word “mur” for bitter.

Lamb spleen kebab - yep, that is the local dish that Scott insisted we try for dinner. On the outskirts of Urfa’s Gumruk bazaar we sat for dalak kebab. As is customary (and the best thing ever) additional plates of food accompany meals in Turkey. We were served mint, parsley, onions, lemon, and grilled pepper as condiments for our kebabs. The innocuous looking grilled pepper turned out to be sadistically spicy. So painful in fact that we hurriedly ordered the gooey salty yogurt drink, ayran, that we usually avoid, hoping the dairy would cut the spice. It worked! No wonder this drink is the drink of choice with kebab. Urfa is also renowned for Urfa kebab (less spicy than it’s cousin the Adana kebab) and eggplant kebab. Something to note: because Urfa is a pilgrimage site and a religious destination it is almost impossible to find beer or alcoholic beverages.

2. See the Sacred Fish at Balikli Gol

Balikli Gol, or The Pool of Abraham, is a magnificent manicured lake with a biblical tale. This site is religiously significant as it’s believed that, a long time ago, King Nimrod sentenced Abraham to death but when Abraham was thrown into the burning wood pyre, the flames miraculously turned into water and the logs into fish. The lake is filled with thousands of sacred carp that are well-fed by tourists (you can buy fish food from lake-side venders). Legend has it that if you spot a white carp amongst the grey ones you’ll be blessed but, if you catch or eat a carp from the lake you’ll go blind. The lake is surrounded by a large tidy park and rose gardens. It’s a nice shady place for a stroll and you can grab tea or food from several carts and cafe restaurants on the grounds. We stopped to eat roasted corn from a stall but felt unsettled when a group of needy children begged persistently for the ear of corn.

Cig kofte, or “raw meatballs,” are also believed to have originated during the time of Abraham. Folklore states that when all of the wood was collected to make the pyre to burn Abraham a hunter’s wife prepared raw venison without fire. Raw venison, bulgur, spices, onions, tomatoes, red pepper paste and herbs were kneaded together creating spicy raw meatballs. Cig kofte with raw meat was deemed a health risk and banned for consumption in Turkey in 2009. As a result it is difficult, though not impossible, to find cig kofte with raw beef or lamb. Although we love this “now” vegetarian dish we unknowingly tried the meat version in Diyarbakir and dare I say, it was sensational.

3. Crawl into the Cave of Abraham (Ibrahim Halilullah Dergahi)

Abraham, known as Prophet Ibrahim to the Muslims, is believed to have been born in Urfa. The cave where Abraham’s was born is now a pilgrimage sight for those across many faiths. It is believed that Abraham was born in the cave and remained there for the first few years of his life because king Nimrod commanded that all newborn children be killed. Scott and I entered separately into Abraham’s Cave as the cave has different visiting areas for men and women. Most of the cave is submerged in water. As I ducked to enter the stone prayer room, an extension of the cave, I was handed a head scarf. Women drank and splashed water on their face from a faucet of ‘holy’ water (further confirming my belief that in Turkey people like full sensory interaction with historic and religious sites) and peered into the cave behind a glass wall. I noticed that to leave the women ducked and walked backwards to exit the cave, not entirely sure why (but hoping to appear less ignorant), I followed suit.

4. Go to Göbekli Tepe, the Oldest Known Temple in the World

15km northeast of Urfa, in what was known as the fertile crescent, lays the ancient temple of Gobekli Tepe. This historic sight is estimated to have been built around 9500 BC, pre-dating hieroglyphics. It also pre-dates farming and settlements, revealing that religion was around before the establishment of villages and towns. It’s still an excavation site in which only about 5% of the ruins have been uncovered. At the site tall rectangular limestone pillars are engraved with the shapes of animals and arranged in circular formations. These massive pillars, weighing several tons each, were carved before metal tools and pottery were developed! This fascinating temple is changing the way in which archeologists understand history.

While eating breakfast one morning in Urfa we met a friendly english speaking doctor in the restaurant who helped us to communicate with the server. After chatting with her for a while she asked about our plans for Urfa. When we mentioned that we planned to visit Göbekli Tepe she offered to drive us there without a moment of hesitation. This is reflective of the hospitable sentiment you can expect to find in Urfa. Unfortunately, our schedule didn’t match up with her kind offer but we were able to take the bus without any trouble. Bus '0’ goes directly to Göbekli Tepe from Urfa several times a day.

5. Get Lost in History at the Sanliurfa Archeology and Mosaic Museum

We visited the Sanliurfa Archeology Museum, an extensive three story museum which carefully and chronologically displays artifacts from hunter gathers during the Paleolitic era up through the rise of Islam. The museum requires a few hours in order to do it justice. The findings on display include everyday objects like cooking utensils and jewelry but also fascinating items like the Urfa Man, the "oldest naturalistic life-sized sculpture of a human." It’s an incredibly engaging and well-curated museum.

Entrance to the Haleplibahce Mosaic Museum, located next-door to the Archeological Museum, is included in the ticket price of the Sanliurfa Archeology Museum. This small museum was never intended to be a museum at all - in fact this Roman villa complex was accidentally discovered in 2006 when the land was cleared to build a theme park. The highly detailed mosaics are worthy a visit.

6. Witness the Controlled Chaos of Sanliurfa’s Outdoor Produce Market

We happened to be in Urfa on a Wednesday and stumbled into an frenetic farmer’s market, held every Wednesday and Saturday. There was a lot of commotion and we were captivated by the sights, the smells, the energy and the transactions of the marketplace. Scott photographed the happenings with great interest but the locals and farmers, not overly accustomed to tourists, took an even greater interest in Scott. Many people instead that Scott take their photos as they smiled in participation. He was approached by at least a dozen people and asked a ton of questions in broken english. He was offered a freshly cut melon and took part in several pleasant exchanges.

After spending a quick three days in Urfa we reluctantly left the city to head to our next destination, Antakya, which lured us with the promise of a cheesy dessert called kunefe, a local speciality. While riding a local bus to Urfa’s regional bus station the bus driver asked where we were from, sized-up our perception of Trump with a thumbs up/down, pulled the bus over, got up from his seat, walked over to us and tore off a piece of his breakfast simit to share with us. This seemed like the perfect conclusion to our visit in Urfa as his kindness will forever memorialize our pleasant time in this historic city.

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