#so i had to call my mom and tell her to tell my grandmother to leave me the fuck out of it

[isfjmel-phleg]

!

#random personal stuff #was on the phone with my mom and she was telling me about a phone call she had with *her* mom #in which my grandmother was telling her that she (Mom) would have been so proud of me for the way I read tributes at my aunt's memorial #back in January #and Mom wanted me to know that she told Grandma that she is *always* proud of me #....and wow #wow that meant a lot #when I was growing up it was always 'don't say you're proud of your children because pride is a sin so say well-pleased instead' #(and let's be real - no one's really saying 'well-pleased' either) #so for her to say that and then want me to know she said it - that was something special #very grateful for that #I needed that today

[cannot-copia]

this year so far

#tw death #once again saying things into the void on here bc i dont know where else to say it #went on a trip for a couple days for my moms birthday a couple weeks ago now #they called to tell us my dads dialysis had pretty much stopped working shortly after we were got there #insurance gave us 4 days notice to find somewhere for him to go (2 of which we were 1200 miles from home) #also was told by the place I work at i am not needed until further notice the same day #so I have no source of income until they get the necessary machine fixed and even then I am skeptical they will say to come back #since dialysis stopped working he had to be moved to hospice #which was a week ago now #so he has very little time left #my half brother and his wife came to visit him a couple days ago #now his brother is here from another state #and we took them to eat at the place they’ve always gone when they are here for as long as I can remember #on the way there we were told my grandmother was taken to the hospital in an ambulance #they don’t know what is wrong with her yet but she is 94 so her being not ok either is very plausible #we are only like 3 weeks into the year and I’ve already been soft laid off my grandmother could be dying and my dad is dying #I feel like I have been seconds away from having a complete panic attack for a week #packing up and cleaning out the assisted living (he only ended up being at 3 months) felt so wrong #it was his coffee mug and green cup of all things that got to me most #he always had them #and knowing he would never use them again #I bought his dog a new name tag today #so it has a tag when we give it to them to put in the casket with him #and i almost cried in a fucking petsmart #and now I’m here over sharing on the internet about it bc if I do not keep myself distracted I will just get more nauseous and cry more #delete later

[lokilickedme]

ELDER SPEAKING AT FIL’S MEMORIAL SERVICE TODAY:  Bob was a good man, a righteous man who was loved by everyone who knew him -

ME, SITTING IN THE FRONT ROW THREE SEATS DOWN FROM MY MIL AND STARTING TO FEEL THE 10MG OF THC I INGESTED ON MY WAY TO THE SERVICE:  *snort*

.

LADY I DON’T KNOW WHO SHOOK MY HAND SYMPATHETICALLY AFTER AND TRIED TO HUG ME:  I’m so sorry for your terrible loss, Bob was so wonderful, you must miss him terribly

ME, SUCKING ON ANOTHER 10MG AND READY TO POP A THIRD WHILE LITTLE RUNS CIRCLES AROUND ME WHIPPING UP THE HEM OF MY DRESS:  Eh it’s cool, I can send my kids to their grandma’s now.  Thanks tho

.

MAN TALKING TO MIL AS EVERYONE IS LEAVING:  You’ll see him again very soon, you’ll be together in Paradise forever, we have God’s promise of the resurrection

ME, LEANING AGAINST THE BUILDING LIGHTING A BLUNT:  Yeah no

.

#I don't do funerals anymore #not since three-quarters of my entire family died untimely deaths in the space of just a couple of years #the last one I've been to was my grandmother 17 years ago #I only went to this one to support my MIL because she's got no one left but us #lemme tell ya I hated every second of being in that so-called place of worship #so much trauma and bad memories #I couldn't wait to get out of there #I had to be stoned to even go in #my kids were like Yeah mom's high don't talk to her she gets weird #and then FIL's stepson got all flirty with me and it was all I could do not to just leave #I was like Cartman when I was leaving #Screw you guys I'm goin home #pardon my behavior but I owe you people nothing #you've been blessed with my unexpected presence for an hour now blow kisses at my ass as I walk away because you won't be seeing me again #I wore a sigil of the House of Dracul and nobody noticed LOL #husband said I was gonna start billowing smoke before the first prayer was over #bless you Loot Crate you send my kids cool stuff every month and I use it to do blasphemy at my former church #that's worth the subscription price

[feretra]

as one indigenous mun to another? go give love to @postguilt, please. they’re putting up with some bullshit today because how dare they share their experiences and it not be centered on white voices.

#ooc #[ my family escaped to america to avoid sterilization and residential schools aka genocide ] #[ let’s call it what it was ] #[ and my mom and most of her siblings were taken away by the state of Minnesota ] #[ my mother and uncle were taken after great grandma died ] #[ my mom’s baby sister was taken when she was two under the threat of all of the remaining kids going if she wasn’t taken ] #[ they were marked as wards of the state and sent to schools where they were bolted and strapped to chairs ] #[ for most of the hours of the day ] #[ my mother was sent to a facility near the canadian border and she never would tell me what happened there ] #[ she just told me she escaped by lighting her mattress on fire and using it to escape ] #[ she never had a chance to graduate ] #[ but neither did my grandmother because my mom was probably a product of being r*ped ] #[ by like a 40+ something white man when she was 16 ] #[ which is why she never told us who he was ] #[ and I never did either ] #[ so many miles for a better life and we’re still crawling ] #[ ‘but you look white!’ yeah because it’s lie there and take it or die world for indigenous women ] #[ so thanks I guess ] #[ well this was not where I meant to go with the tags but okay dokey ]

[harrystylescherry]

.

#so my parents are finally getting divorced #except my father doesn't know that #and like in pure eldest daughter fashion my mother is treating me like a confidant #and i set a boundary last month and its been working #no stress no anxiety #but now my GRANDMOTHER is asking me if he's been served yet #and i didnt know that was even happening #and my father is insane #like has serious problems #and it's not going to be good when this happens #and now im on the verge of tears at work filled with stress and anxiety #and im pissed #so i had to call my mom and tell her to tell my grandmother to leave me the fuck out of it #bc im not her keeper

[kilibaggins]

/ vent. again. death of family member talk

#so my grandmother is getting worse. #ive known this for a while #like i've known shes sick and getting worse and dying but now it feels so much more real because the nurse told my dad that we arent sure #how long she has #either a day. two days. a week. we dont know #and my dad told me today and i just... #i never called her enough. i never talked to her enough. i never took that time to talk to her like i should have and now it's too late. if #i call her and my aunt my grandma wont be able to respond to me. i took too long to finally call her and now it's too late and i lost my ch #chance to have a conversation with her again #the last time i called her was CHRISTMAS. #over two months ago. #well i probably talked to her between then but not much #and it just hurts because i regret not talking to her enough #but shes not actively in my life and wast before that either and i dont have like any memories with her #and idk its just. its so hard because i feel bad for not talking to her. #i wish i talked to her more #gosh i wish i just CALLED HER when i had the chance. my dad TOLD ME TO so many times ! my aunt practically begged me to call them! my mom t #told me i should! people were telling me to and i was so focused on my own life that now its too ate #im so tired of being sad all the time why is my life so. #i just wish it was easier. #gosh why cant lfe be easier

[foldingfittedsheets]

Most parents I think worry or wonder when their kid might finally start repeating swear words they hear. The tale of my initiation into the world of cursing was the subject of family lore however.

First, to set the scene, my nana spent a lot of time with me when I was young. She lived with us briefly and I firmly cemented my place as number one favorite grandchild by climbing up into her attic room to cuddle on the regular.

She’d take me on errands and watch me when my parents were at work. She even once lured me away when she ran into my dad watching me as a store. She didn’t think he was keeping a close enough eye and called me over to her a few aisles away.

I happily complied since I loved and recognized her then we watched my dad for several minutes before he finally looked down, saw me missing, and panicked. “That’ll teach you to keep a better eye on her!” My nana scolded him, convinced that every babynapper was slavering for her precious redheaded grandbaby.

So one day my mom had me in the car. We were driving along and from my back seat I chirped, “Can we play pretend?”

My mom smiled, imagining I’d start narrating some silly adventure or something. “Sure.”

“Shit shit SHIT SHIT SHIT!!!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

My mom sat stunned in the front seat, baffled momentarily by the stream of cursing.

After careful questioning it was pretty obvious what had happened. My nana had sworn up a storm in front of me but didn’t want to come clean about it to my parents when I started repeating it. She’d instead invented a fun game and the rules were that I could only curse when we were playing a special game.

My mom was furious, and my nana got a sound dressing down both for the cursing but more importantly for the lying.

My favorite time telling this story though was to a girl in high school. She listened with wide eyes then asked, “Did your mom fire her?”

“What?”

“Your nana? Did she get fired?”

“My…. Grandmother? Did my mom fire my grandmother??”

“Ohhhhh. Not the nanny then.”

#ramblies #funny #ffs foibles #writing #story #shit kids say #I’m sick and channeling lore

[dramaticteenagepoetry]

I love you

But how much of that was taught

And how much of that is real?

Don’t think I’ve forgotten

How cruel you could be

Nothings changed since I’ve been gone

Five years later I’m still who I was

When can I be more than you made me?

When can I be more than what you raised me

Made me to be?

They’ll write “beloved daughter” on my tomb

With the name you choose

I’ll be in death as I was in life

Through it all, through the distance

You’re daughter

Not a fate I could escape

#finished the last pf my exams #i dont even want to know how i did #ans on top of that my parents are mad at me #ig?? theyre usually more passive agressive than anything #so sometimes they soeand weeks not talking to each other to calling each other love or some shit #and then they get mad at me when i dont tell them jack shit #when my dad literally runs away the moments theres a bit of emotion in a comversation #ugh #its like im not allowed to get angry #the last time i had an attitude my mom got her older sister my aunt to talk to me #istg i fucking cried #and ghen we sleapt over at my grandmothers house and here i was thinking i would go alone but noooo #i feel so pathetic

[sinfulpanda16]

JJK Men x Foreign Reader

Gojo Saturo, Toji Fushiguro, Kento Nanami, Suguru Geto x gn reader

For the most part, you and your bf live everyday life through his culture. So how would he react if he sees a glimpse of yours?

You two were doing origami together, you were making a cute swan and he was making you a flower. It was such a cute moment the two of you laughing and him occasionally giving you a few quick pecks on your face and then you get a phone call.

You look at the number "Oh it's my mom." you say smiling at your phone.

Gojo smiles "Oh it's my future mother-in-law! Go ahead and answer I'll be patient." he says giving you a smirk.

You blush and answer the call. Gojo listens to you as you say hello in your native language. You two only speak to each other in Japanese so hearing you speak your first language is so rare.

He rests his chin in his palm still listening as you continue to speak. You sound so beautiful. You look beautiful. The way you talk with your mother in her first tongue makes him melt, your voice has a different ring to it due to the different pitches. And that Accent! OMG he's fanboying now.

After the phone call ends you turn to see him looking at you in awe. "What?" you ask giggling.

He smiles "You should speak in (n/l) more often. I think you sound hot as hell." he says enjoying your reaction to that.

Your face grows red. Really? No one has ever told you that and hearing that from him made you appreciate him more because it shows that he loves you for you.

You smile at him and he kisses your cheek again and gives you a paper rose. Then in your language he said "I love you".

You were laying on the couch just staring into space. It's officially been five years since you've moved to Japan. When you were younger you're dream has always been to move to Japan and you did it. You moved to Japan, grew to live comfortably, made some friends and even met your boyfriend.

However just like everyone else who moves away, you get homesick. You think back to when you were a kid and lived with your family back at home. It seemed so long ago and then you think about the yummy food you and your family would make. You smiled softly to yourself thinking about the nostalgia.

You get up from the couch and go to the kitchen. You checked to see if you had all the ingredients you needed for your favorite dish your grandmother made for as a kid. You do, so you hurried to get started on making (f/d).

As you cooked you realized something was missing. You think about how when your grandmother used to cook she would tell you to turn on her music. You laugh softly "Aww grandma. Even now you still manage to make me play your music." you say to yourself and start playing some, with memories flowing back.

Soon after a tiring day Nanami comes back home, he sighs and takes off his coat. He hears some music coming from the kitchen but then he freezes when he realizes he can't understand it. Then he smells something good, he doesn't know what it is but he'd like to see what it is.

He heads to the kitchen and finds you there. Thats what the smell is, its you're cooking. "Y/n." you turn around to see him. He looked a bit confused, and you smiled. "Hey lover, I'm making (f/d). It's a dish my family back at home eat. Do you want to help?"

Nanami stands there for a moment, he's never tried some of the traditional food from your country or ever heard of the music, buts it's all you. All of it is your blood and honestly, he's loving this side of you. He smiles softly at, "Sure love." he says and pulls his sleeves up so he can help you.

He's walking to meet up with you. He's not paying attention to much but then he sees you from his peripheral vision. He stops and turn to look at you and you look, wow.

You stand out from the rest, you really do. He's proof lol every time someone see's you they can't help but to admire you. Geto stood there looking at you smirking.

You're (h/t) (h/c) hair is beautiful and your (s/c) skin looks so soft and delicate. You were talking to two other women who were actually asking about you and where you're from. They seemed genuinely interested and curious about your culture. The way you spoke Japanese in the cutest accent made Geto let out a chuckle. It was just too cute.

It's funny because it's obvious that you're not from around here and yet you have such a way of making the people here adore you. They complement your eyes, your voice, or your hair. If he had to pick his favorite would be your eyes. Such a beautiful color and shape. Damn, you're gorgeous he thinks to himself.

You turn to see Geto is already here. With an excited smile you say your goodbyes to the two women and head to him. "Hi my love!" you yell as you run towards him.

He smiles "Hey gorgeous" he says with wide arms for you. Yes, that's right this beautiful foreigner is his partner. You jump into his arms, and he picks you up. And this is exactly how he thinks about you every day.

The first time Toji saw you he was infatuated with you. Even he had to admit you look so beautiful and from there he didn't care. He was gonna make you his.

And he did lol.

He was sitting on the couch on his phone. Endless scrolling of nothing interesting and he started to get bored. He was about to get up but then you enter the living room wearing something he was unfamiliar with.

With a blush on your face you ask, "What do you think love?". He honestly had no idea what you were wearing but it looked cute on you.

"What is it my love?" he asks leaning forward on the couch. You tell him the name and explain to him that it's what the people in your culture wear when there's a certain occasion.

Toji smirks "Do a turn for me beautiful." he orders. Shyly, you obey and do a spin for him. You can't help but giggle when you look at his face. You can tell he approves.

He chuckles "I think it looks beautiful on you" he states. He gets up "But you know..." he makes his way over to you. You start getting uptight, you love his dominance, but you have to admit it's kind of intimidating. Soon he's towering over you. He leans down to your ear "I think it'd look better on the ground by our bed." You shiver and let him pick you up and carry you to the bedroom.

So yeah, he loves you so much and loves learning about your home and its culture.

And bruh, how did they all already know what the word for Daddy was in your language?!

#gojo saturo x you #gojo x reader #geto x reader #nanami x reader #nanami x you #toji x reader #toji x you #gojo satoru #toji fushiguro x reader #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk nanami #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #jjk gojo #jjk satoru #toji jjk #nanami kento #geto x y/n #jjk x y/n #jjk x gender neutral reader

[bittershins]

See i am never going to 'come out' - i will casually sprinkle in the fact that i am queer in conversation, as though that had already been agreed upon, elaborate no further and leave them to their own devices.

Let THEM try to figure out if they're just forgetting me mentioning before. (Thank you mom for just rolling with me all the time)

Also?? Older folks in my family are queer and it just makes such a difference having people talk about it? Like my cousin has been GNC since age 5-6, and some are catching up faster than others but it's not something that gets swept under the rug ya know?

#if you can't tell i like to talk about queer theory and my mom is chill but i have never explicitly said 'you know im queer right?' #UNLIKE MY SISTER CIRCA AGE 12 #so JUST got off a phone call talking about gender nonconformity as a whole and managed to semi casually say it #shitty memory for the win every 2-6 calendar weeks #doing this with my friend L who is. rather catholic?? but also a chill guy as a whole (and like one of my closest friends since age 14) #so I'm just. floating the idea. easing him into it #ALSO!!!!! Cousin A (maybe 10 years older than my mom??) and her partner got married recently and!!!!!!!! #or i love how much my mom likes my dad esp. in his non-traditional sorta masculine thing #or my grandmother (who is still sorting out some stuff - just in the 'heyyyy thats kind of a stereotype/assumption/none of your business') #but my Friend S has helped her out with some farm work every once in a while and she was asking after them #and i mentioned they go by a different name and she didnt even blink an eye #had the phone contact updated pronto #like folks aren't gonna be perfect! but they're trying!

[jjungkookislife]

New Year With You (M)

pairing: hfth!jungkook x f. reader

genre: established relationship, fluff, light smut [18+]

summary: Ringing in the new year means saying goodbye to Grandmother Jeon, lots of alcohol, and a devastatingly handsome Jungkook.

wc: 2.8k

warnings: alcohol use/mention (body shots), implied smut (unprotected sex, hickeys, sexual thoughts/conversations), food mention, Tae is a flirt and Seokjin is shy about it, oc scratched the hell out of JK's back (with consent), teasing

a/n: thank you @btsgotjams27 for helping me again 💜💜

read home for the holidays

date: January 19, 2024

Grandmother Jeon had left early this morning with the Jeons and Parks in tow. She had pulled you into a tight hug as Dae loaded her suitcases into the trunk.

“You two have a good new year, and if I don’t see you before Spring Break, make sure to call,” Grandmother Jeon instructs as she releases you to hug Jungkook just as tight.

“And you,” she smiles. “Make sure you check the house out before you return to school. I’ll make arrangements for renovations if you want to change anything up. Do what you want with it, okay?”

“Yes, Grandmother Jeon. Thank you,” he says as he hugs her tighter, and she kisses his cheek before releasing him.

“Don’t get into too much trouble tonight while your parents are away,” Grandmother Jeon raises a brow. “I’m gonna be overseas, and your parents are going to be out of town so we can’t bail you out of jail.”

“I’ll keep him in check, Grandmother Jeon,” you promise as you wrap your arm around Jungkook’s waist. His sweater is thicker than yours, and the wind rattles you to the core, but your goodbyes are more important than a few chilly minutes.

“That’s what I like to hear, honey!” Minji laughs. “We’ve got to be tough with these Jeon men!”

“Mom!” Dae calls from the car as he shuts the trunk. “We’re all set.”

Minji smiles again. “You watch out for that Park boy, too. Jimin and that mouth of his. I’m sure I’ll be hearing about tonight from his grandmother. We’re gonna play shuffleboard and find us some dance partners before midnight! Don’t worry about me.”

“Get ‘em, Minji,” you giggle as you hug her one last time, promising to call soon. She waves as she links her arm with Jungkook’s as he walks her out of the house and toward the driveway where his parents wait for them. Luna is buckled in her seat, barking her head off when she finally spots her mother.

Across the street, Jimin is helping his grandmother get into his parents’ car. He waves when he spots you in the doorway, and you grin.

The eight of you had plans to spend the New Year together. The weather was still rough. Snow still covered the streets and you weren’t in the mood to be stuffed in a club like a sardine.

Jungkook had invited everyone over. Jimin, Joon, and Tae would probably walk home, and Seokjin, Hoseok, and Yoongi would either sleep over or go across the street.

The plans for tonight involved games, alcohol, and plenty of food. The home was still decorated for Christmas, and Aera promised to put everything away once she returned. Before you could offer to help, Jungkook shook his head.

“Mom likes to keep them up a little longer. She decorates for Valentine’s Day and so on. We should come back for Halloween. You’d love it.” Jungkook smiled.

“I’m gonna miss her,” you tell Jungkook as he joins you on the front porch. He wraps his arm around your shoulder, kissing your cheek.

“Grandmother Jeon will be fine,” Jungkook assures you. “My parents will be back in a couple of days and then we can go look at the house.”

“It’ll be nice to party with Minji on Spring Break,” you giggle as you head back inside and shut the door after Jungkook. 

“If we can keep up,” he chuckles with a shake of his head. 

“I’m glad this all worked out, Koo,” you admit as you wrap your arms around his waist. He rubs your back as you rest your head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. It soothes you. 

“Me too, baby. Otherwise, I would have waited until we got back to school to say something,” He giggles, his nose scrunching the tiniest bit. 

You smile, kissing the mole beneath his lip. “Come on, babe. We have the house to ourselves and a few more hours before our friends come over.”

“Oh, and how do you suggest we pass the time, baby?” Jungkook smirks.

“Oh, I don’t know,” you say coyly as you walk two fingers up his broad chest. “I’m sure we can think of something.”

Your laughter fills the home as you take off running toward the stairs with Jungkook right behind you. His laughter and yours grow louder when he catches you and leads you to his bedroom, where you spend the next few hours wrapped up in each other. 

You shouldn’t stare.

You shouldn’t.

You’re not.

Honestly, you’re not.

But you so are!

“Are you part of some male dancer association?” you blurt, covering your mouth with your hands. You did not just say that!

Jimin cackles, shaking his head. “No.”

Seokjin smirks. “Hoseok picked our outfits.”

Your eyes look over at Hoseok, the menace. He smirks when you eye him up and down. He lowers his sunglasses to drown you in his dark look. Fuck, fuck, wow! 

“Don’t you look ravishing,” he comments as he sets his sunglasses on his head. “Gotta say, you look just as hot as I imagined.”

“Hoseok!” you giggle, shaking your head.

Hoseok shrugs. “It’s a nice dress. Still had the tags on when I found it in your closet.”

“Has Kook seen it yet?” Seokjin asks as he rakes his eyes over you. 

“Not yet,” you explain. “We decided to get ready separately.”

“Oh, he’s gonna die,” Jimin chuckles as he walks past you to the kitchen, where Yoongi finished cooking the food.

Alcohol fills the refrigerator and the counters. Jimin has a bottomless stomach when it comes to alcohol, and Tae always tries to keep up.

You’re excited to see Jungkook, but after the stunt Hoseok pulled, you’re not so sure you could handle it.

“Darling,” Jungkook calls from the stairs.

Hoseok chuckles as he watches you turn around slowly, gasping when you spot Jungkook. 

Jungkook’s dark hair is coiffed in a slicked-back manner. The blazer is too big for his frame, but the black mesh shirt hugs him in all the right places, showing off his taut chest and ripped abs. Silver jewelry adorns his ears, neck, and hand, but what you really love is the one pierced into his bottom lip. 

You swear your brain malfunctions as it does for SpongeBob when all he needs to remember is fine dining. You don’t think you could even remember your name right now if somebody asked because all you can think is how fucking hot your boyfriend looks. You don’t even think you’re breathing, your voice caught in your throat as your eyes take in every delicious inch of his body. 

Were you two alone, you’d have him beneath you already. His chest would get covered in your lipstick, and his cock would be inside you, making you cream around him as you bounced on him. 

Jungkook isn’t faring much better. The dress you’re wearing leaves little to the imagination. He’s breathless as he admires your radiance. The smile on your face is bashful but directed right at him. 

Jungkook should send Hoseok a personalized thank you note after this trip. Perhaps even a bouquet of peonies, freshly picked from a field they visited as children not too far from their home. He knows Hoseok wishes he had more time to make something for you. He’s very talented, and no doubt would create amazing clothing for each of you if given the chance. Jimin wore a suit made just for him, a gift for his birthday just a few months ago. 

Smirking, Jungkook takes the last step as he eyes the necklace sitting perfectly on your chest. It’s on a thin gold chain with his initial. There’s an accompanying one on your thigh that glimmers in the light when you move toward him, the slit on your dress dangerously high up, and your heels click on the floor as you meet him. 

“You look gorgeous,” Jungkook whispers when you grab his suit jacket. He notes how you bat your lashes, eyes sparkling when you look at him.

“And you look good enough to eat,” you respond, not noticing how your friends give you a moment alone. 

To be honest, Hoseok was a little worried you’d jump each other in front of everyone. You wouldn’t lie.  The thought had crossed your mind.

“Do I?” Jungkook smiles as he cups your face. His lips look very tempting as he toys with his lip ring. 

What you wouldn’t give to strip him naked where he stands. The thought alone sends a tingle down your spine as his fingers move downward to the necklace you’re wearing. 

“Perhaps there’s something I can do about that later on,” he whispers as he releases the initial and locks eyes with you. You blink, left breathless as his gaze locks you in place. 

Should you take him to his room? Forget all about the evening planned with your friends and welcome the new year tangled in sheets, his name on your lips, and his hands on your hips.

“If you guys are gonna fuck, can you do it somewhere else?” Namjoon asks with a brownie in one hand and a champagne flute in the other. 

Jungkook chuckles as he steps away from you. He takes your hand in his and leads you to your friends in the kitchen. 

It’s no surprise that Jimin’s already got the alcohol open. Yoongi turns the stove off and moves a pot off of the eye before calling everyone for dinner. 

The dining room is filled with laughter. Joy spreads from one person to the next as the alcohol and fond memories flow. 

Taehyung and Yoongi suggest moving the party to the living room. The table gets cleared by Seokjin and a tipsy Namjoon, who’s had too many brownies and flutes of champagne. 

Hoseok has cleared the living room coffee table and set the liquor and glasses on it. Each of you has a different glass straw to not get confused, but you know you’ll end up sharing with Jungkook and possibly Jimin by the end of the night. 

The TV is on in the background, a show on mute as they prepare for the new year. The countdown flashes on the screen, still two hours away. 

Fireworks blast off outside from the neighbors and their kids. Despite the cold weather, gatherings still take place. 

Jimin smirks when you take a seat on the couch beside Jungkook. Your hand rests on his thigh, and Jungkook toys with the small chain on your leg. 

“How about we start with body shots?” Jimin suggests, feigning innocence when his eyes connect with yours. 

Jungkook scoffs. “As if, Park.”

Jimin chuckles. He knows Jungkook well enough to know when he’s pissed him off. 

“Don’t worry,” Seokjin giggles. “We won’t do it off your girl.”

“Already making him mad?” Yoongi asks as he sets down a bowl of perfectly cut limes for the tequila. Yoongi normally sticks to whiskey and Tae and Jimin love tequila. Hoseok and you loved cocktails, and Jungkook and Seokjin will have what’s available. Namjoon keeps a flute of champagne in his hand most of the night, sipping in between sweets. 

“Can we just drink already?” Taehyung pouts as he eyes the bottle of tequila sitting untouched on the coffee table. “Please?”

Everyone laughs as they open bottles. Yoongi sits in a recliner with a glass of whiskey in his hand as the music plays from a speaker on the mantel. 

Hoseok sits on the loveseat, a sketchbook in his lap as he watches you. He’d have to get your measurements later, perhaps in a few days or once you return to campus before the semester gets too busy for everyone. He’d like to make something for you and Jungkook. Perhaps matching outfits if time allows, but if not, matching accessories are just as good. After all, nothing is better than a gift given from the heart. 

An hour l and a half later, everyone is giddy and tipsy. Seokjin, Jimin, Taehyung, and Namjoon play cards on the floor. They grow louder, and curses and groans of dissatisfaction escape them when Seokjin lays down his winning hand.

Yoongi hums along to the song playing, and Hoseok puts the finishing touches on his sketch. 

Jungkook has shed his suit jacket, as have most of your friends. The fireplace roars brightly after getting started by Jungkook and Yoongi. 

Hoseok insisted everyone pose for pictures for his Polaroid camera, which caused Taehyung to ask everyone to pose for him. 

“Memories,” he had said with a stern look. “Precious memories that you will thank me for twenty years down the line when your kids ask how you spent your first New Year's Eve.”

It was hard to say no after that.

The countdown seems to fly by once you’re done taking photos. Jimin and Taehyung demand one more shot before heading outside to watch the fireworks and ring in the new year. 

“Oh, come on,” Jimin chuckles. “One body shot.”

You laugh. “I’ll do it off Koo if he’ll let me.”

Jungkook nods, eager to get your hands on his body. He’s been pretty tame due to company but he’s been eyeing you all night, wanting to get you alone to kiss you as much as he wants. 

He hopes he can see you in that dress again when both of you are completely sober. He clears his throat as he lies on the couch after removing his mesh shirt. He’s done a good job of covering the hickeys left on his torso from your past few romps.

 You kneel in front of him while Jimin shoves a lime wedge in Jungkook’s mouth. 

“Lick around his belly button,” Yoongi instructs with a cheeky grin. 

“You guys are the worst,” you grumble. 

“You can back out whenever,” Seokjin assures you. “No judgment.”

Taehyung’s nods. “I’ll do a shot off Seokjin next if it’ll help.”

“No,” Seokjin huffs. “The last time you let it go down into my underwear.”

Taehyung shrugs. “I would have gotten it.”

Seokjin blushes. “Shut up.”

“Can we do this before we miss the clock striking twelve?” Hoseok frowns. 

“Okay, okay,” Jimin says as you lick around Jungkook’s navel. Yoongi puts some salt around the circle and moves out of the way. 

“Come on, Seokjin,” Jimin says as he moves to the older man to get his shirt off. 

“Wait, you were serious,” he laughs as he takes his shirt off, and the friends get distracted for a moment while they tease him. 

You do your shot seamlessly, kissing Jungkook’s hip before moving toward the lime wedge. You grimace when it touches your tongue, and you spit it out into a napkin.

“Ugh, that never goes down easy for me,” you complain as you get on your feet. 

Namjoon and Yoongi have left to fill flutes with champagne in the kitchen while Seokjin put his shirt back on. 

“Get your coats on,” Taehyung claps as he starts handing coats to your friends. Jungkook gets off the couch, turning around to grab his shirt when your friends freeze, and you cover your face with your hands. 

“Geez,” Jimin said your name in between bouts of laughter. “Did you have to maul him?”

“Oh, lord,” you murmur into your hands as your face grows hot. 

“What?” Jungkook asks as he puts his shirt back on and then his jacket. 

“Keep your shirt on around your parents,” Taehyung giggles.

“Unless you want them to see the claw marks on your back,” Seokjin cackles as he leads his friends toward the door. 

“I’m so sorry,” you apologize, mortified. “Does it hurt? Oh, fuck. I’m sorry.”

“Darling, it’s fine,” Jungkook assures you. “I asked for it, remember? I kept asking you to do it harder and harder?” 

You bite your lip, nodding. Jungkook grins, kissing your lips. 

“Maybe tomorrow we can do it again?” Jungkook kisses your cheek as he leads you to the door to get your coat. He helps you into it before you join your friends on the porch. 

Jimin hands you a flute, and Yoongi hands one to Jungkook. 

Hoseok nearly jumps in his spot as he counts down from thirty. 

Giddiness fills your body as you look at your friends. When all of this first started you never imagined feeling joy like this. True friendship that would last a lifetime surrounded you; and included you. 

Jungkook’s hand goes to your hip as he pulls you closer. The wind is brutal but the fireworks burst with color in the air, and their beauty makes being cold worth it. 

“3! 2! 1!”

“Happy New Year!”

You smile brightly as you raise your flute with your friends, taking a sip before Jungkook’s lips are on yours. 

A new year, a new chance to make wonderful memories with the man beside you. 

Nothing could be better than this. 

© jjungkookislife - I do not allow reposts or translations of my work on any platforms, this includes Youtube.

#bangtanarmynet #jungkook smut #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fanfiction #jungkook x reader insert #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook fluff and smut #jungkook drabble #bts cchristmas au #fake dating!jungkook au #bf!jungkook

[mochinek0]

Family Secrets

Damian couldn't believe his eyes. He had seen pieces of that costume when he lived in the League, but never did he expect to see his mother, disguised, in Paris! He carefully kept an eye on her as she walked into a bakery. He felt his own breath hitch as a young girl came and hugged her.

"Nonna!" she cried.

'Grandmother?'

"Hello, My Leetle Fairy." his mother replied, hugging her back.

"Are you having fun on your travels?" the girl questioned, "Where did you go this time?"

"Egypt." his mother declared.

The girl smiled, "Did you see the pyramids?"

His mother brought out a keychain of a pyramid and handed it to the girl.

"It's great!" the girl smiled, "I'll keep it on my desk so when I see it, I can think of you."

"I wish you could come with me." the disguised Talia declared.

"Maybe when I'm older?" the young girl answered.

Talia tapped the young girl's nose, "Possibly, but we know very well how hard you work."

"Mom!" announced a man, who seemed the size of Bane, "How are you?"

Damian watched on in shock. He was aware that his mother was much older than she appeared. Hearing someone around his father's age, refer to his mother as a maternal figure was unsettling.

"I'm fine, Tom." she answered.

"Would you like to put your bag down and rest?" he asked.

"Nonsense." his mother replied, "I may look older, but I'm fine. I wanted to see if Marinetta would like to take a ride around the city with me."

"Yes!" the girl cried.

Damian watched as they both got on a motorcycle and drove off.

It took awhile, but Damian finally spotted them near the Seine, eating ice cream. The girl was looking down at something, in her lap. His mother's eyes connected with his and he knew he had made her.

"I'll be right back." Gina spoke, kissing Marinette on the head.

Gina walked in Damian's direction.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Do you plan to kidnap her, Mother?" Damian questioned.

"Of course not!" Gina snapped.

"Who is she?" he asked.

Talia sighed, "Your niece; she's your age."

"So the man who called you mother-"Damian began.

"Your grandfather wanted me out of the way. He was looking for a male successor to take over." Talia began to explain, "He kicked me out of the League, briefly, and I had some semblance of a normal life. I fell in love with a baker. Tom is our son, before I ever met your father. Essentially, he is your older brother."

She sighed, "Everyhting was fine and I was happy, until he sent someone to exterminate us. Before I killed him, I learned my death was a test. Kill me and become successor to the League. I returned with his head and threw it at your grandfather's feet. He looked at me and said he would allow me back on one condition."

"What was it?" Damian asked.

"I had to leave my family." she admitted, "I said I understood and would be back in three months. I knew he would never stop coming after us."

"Why three months?" her son questioned, "You were already there. Did they not know of the League?"

"Tom was getting married and no, my family knew nothing about the League. I returned and told my family I would be 'traveling in my old age'. A few years after he got married, I came back to a three year old granddaughter. Your grandfather found out and forbid my return."

"Grandfather is dead." Damian spoke.-changing subject

"I've been stopping in more." she declared, "They aren't like us. They're not like your father. They know nothing about my past, aside from divorcing a man, who made me happy. I tell them I'm traveling around the word. I wear a wig and makeup. At some point, I will have to stop visiting all together since anyone else will grow old and pass on. The League........you lose sense of time when there. Two years ago, I thought she was still three. She was turning fourteen."

"What about the man?" her son asked.

Talia smiled, "Reminds me of your grandfather, actually. He's all about 'traditions', so perhaps it was for the best."

"Nonna!" Marinette cried out.

"Please, Damian, leave them alone." his mother whispered.

Damian watched as his mother walked away. He had never known her to beg for something.

"My Leetle Fairy, are you ready to go back home?" Gina asked, "Do you have new inspiration for your designs? I can't wait to see the clothes you create this time."

Damian watched as the girl put her sketchbook away.

'Clothes? Designs?'

He smiled softly. She was an artist, like him. He watched as his mother got on the motorcycle with his niece. What surprised him was seeing his niece glare at him. Damian chuckled.

'Mother may not see it, but she is a lot like them. A little fairy.'

"Damian, a Fairy is someone who helps people who are lost in the dark. It's not always in a literal sense; it can be figurative."

The young Al-Ghul turned and walked in the opposite direction.

'Fairy is a suitable name for my niece. I wonder how Mother would feel learning her true nature? A Fae who lures in her prey.'

TAG LIST: @animeweebgirl @a-star-with-a-human-name @meme991001 @vixen-uchiha @abrx2002 @alysrose-starchild @fandom-trapped-03 @dood-space @moonlightstar64 @saltymiraculer @marveldcedits20 @09shell-sea09 @icerosecrystal @animegirlweeb @insane-fangirl-of-everything @blueblossombliss @nickristus-dreamer @megawhitleycalderonpaganus @missmadwoman @meira-3919  @princessdaisysolosyourfaves @blep-23 @fangirlingfanatic @darkhinauniverse @ravenr22 @im-a-satanic-ritual @ravennm84  @bianca-hooks123 @a-slytherinish-gryffindor @starling218

#Damian Al Ghul #Damian Wayne #talia al ghul #marinette dupain cheng #gina dupain #tom dupain #sabine cheng #ra al ghul #family secrets #platonic daminette #marinette x damian #damian x marinette #mlb x dc #dc x mlb #maribat #league of assassins #miraculous ladybug #ladybug #mochinek0

[starkwlkr]

Is there coming a part 3, then maybe where Charles becomes worldchampion? And celebrates with his daugther Ruby and his wife yn?

cool dad | charles leclerc

more baby leclerc content!! manifesting this happens irl if not i will be jumping off the nearest cliff 😝🫶🏼

Ruby couldn’t contain her excitement. She danced around in the hotel room to music coming from her mom’s phone, Y/N making sure her phone was locked before leaving it around Ruby.

“And I am a material girl!” Ruby jumped in the bed as Y/N finished her makeup in the bathroom. Charles was already gone. He was nervous, anyone could tell. Today was the last race of the season, the race that would determine if by the end of the night he was going to be world champion.

“Mama! Play it again!” Ruby said as she continued jumping.

“Ruby Jules, did you find the dress you want to wear?” Y/N asked. Recently Ruby was going through that phase where she didn’t want either of her parents to dress her, she wanted to do it on her own. Her clothing hooves mainly consisted of mix matched socks, bright colored shirts and once she even wore her fairy dress that she always wore on her birthday to the Spanish Grand Prix.

“I want grand-mère to dress me.” Ruby stopped jumping.

“Oh, okay. She should be here soon so just pick out your clothes and she can dress you when she gets here.” Y/N said and grabbed her phone from the night stand. She hoped Charles wasn’t too busy to answer her call.

“Yes, my lovely wife that didn’t give me a morning kiss.” Charles spoke into the phone.

“You’re so dramatic, Perceval. I’m just calling to let you know that we’ll be at the paddock in an hour. You have everything you need, right? You’re not missing anything? Lucky socks? Lucky shirt?” Y/N listed off as she continued her makeup as she put the phone on speaker.

“Just my lucky wife and daughter.” Charles replied.

“Aw that’s cute. Didn’t know you had another one. Is she cute?” Y/N joked. From a distance she could hear Ruby talking to herself about which dress she wanted to wear.

“Yeah, Pierre is cute, but not as cute as you.”

“Mama! Grand-mère is here!” Ruby yelled as Pascale opened the door to the hotel room, Lorenzo, Arthur and Carla entered behind her.

“I have to go, Love. I’ll see you soon, world champion.” Y/N said.

“Stop, you’re going to jinx it.” Charles chuckled.

“No, I’ve been manifesting. I even went to a crystal shop before this trip. You’re going to be world champion, Charles Leclerc.” Y/N said witch much confidence.

“I love you, mon amour.” Charles replied. He hoped his dream would come true. It would mean so much to him seeing his daughter watch him become world champion.

“I love you the most, Perceval.” Y/N said then ended the call. Ruby then ran into the bathroom to show her mom a dress that Pascale has bought her so she could wear it to the race. “It’s beautiful, baby.”

“That’s what I told grand-mère!” Ruby smiled and ran back to the room. It was still too early, but there was no stoping the little girl.

Y/N stepped out of the bathroom, all dressed up and ready to go. “Hi, how are you?” Carla asked, kissing Y/N’s cheek to greet the mom.

“Nervous, but excited. Ruby’s even more excited.” Y/N nodded as she went up to every single member of the Leclerc family and kissed their cheek.

Pascale chuckled. “Did you see the dress I got Ruby? I saw it last week in the store and I just knew she would love it!”

Everyone looked at Ruby who was still jumping on the bed, but this time she had the dress in her hands.

“Ruby, careful. Come on, you said you wanted grand-mère to help you put your dress on. We have to go see papa race.”

Ruby took Pascale’s hand and led her grandmother to the bathroom so she could change. Carla and Y/N catched up on their lives while the two Leclerc men kept up with pre-race interviews on their phone.

“Y/N, they’re asking Charles about Ruby.” Arthur showed the phone screen to his sister-in-law.

“You’ve got a little girl, Ruby Jules-” Charles interrupted the interviewer.

“Right. But everyone knows her as baby leclerc and she loves the name. I was the one that gave her that.” Charles smiled proudly.

Charles had spoken to Y/N after Ruby’s whole instagram live video. Of course everyone knew Ruby’s name by now and that was something Y/N never wanted to be out in the first place. She at least wanted her daughter’s life to be private since hers and Charles was far from it.

“And is she excited about today? Does she understand that her dad could be world champion?”

Oh, Ruby understood more than that. In school, she had told her friends and teachers that her dad was already world champion. Of course that wasn’t true, (Not yet at least) but the little girl was so proud of her dad that she knew he could be world champion.

“Yeah, she has watched most of the races. She knows quite a few things actually, which surprises me because she mostly watches cartoons and listens to pop songs. But yeah, she even caught on with the whole forza charles and says it to me before every race even if she’s not here she makes her mother call me.” Charles explained.

“Forza Charles or Forza dad?”

“A bit of both. Charles when she’s excited so mostly I hear forza Charles coming from my daughter. It’s funny.”

The first time Ruby ever said that to her dad was in Silverstone. After hearing his daughter say those meaningful words, he pushed through and ended up on the podium.

“Mama! Look!” Y/N stopped looking at the screen to turn around to see her daughter in her new dress. Ruby twirled and did a pose which caused both uncles to take their phones out and snap photos of their niece.

“Where’s your grand-mère?” Y/N asked when she noticed Pascale wasn’t out of the bathroom yet.

“She wanted to ask you something. I think she wants to borrow some makeup.” Ruby ran to tackle her uncles by jumping on them.

Y/N nodded and went into the bathroom to see Pascale waiting for her. “Ruby said you wanted to ask me something.”

“Yes, I know I shouldn’t have looked around but Ruby wanted a little makeup from the bag so I grabbed some of yours and I found this.” Pascale handed her a pregnancy test that had the words positive on the little screen. “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t how you wanted me to find out.”

“Pascale, don’t be sorry. You had to find out sooner or later. I put it here because Ruby knows not to touch my makeup bag.” Y/N chuckled. “I’m planning on telling Charles after he becomes world champion.”

“And he will.”

Charles would think that the two mothers made some kind of magic to make him win or that Y/N was actually serious about using crystals. Whatever it was, he was grateful because it got him an unforgettable moment.

“Charles Leclerc, you are world champion!”

Fireworks went off making Ruby cheer at the bright colors. She pointed at the right lights in the sky as Lorenzo held her in his arms. She was amazed until Lorenzo pointed at the Ferrari crossing the finish line that belonged to her father.

“That’s papa!” Ruby screamed.

Charles couldn’t wait to hug his family. After years and years of hard work, his dream of becoming world champion had finally come true. This moment was for him, for his father, for Jules, for Anthoine.

“When can I see papa?” Ruby asked her mom, who was standing beside Lorenzo.

“I’m not sure, chérie. Papa has a lot of people congratulating him. We’re going to see papa celebrate.” Y/N explained to the girl.

The family walked to get a good spot to see the podium ceremony. Checo was given his third place trophy while Max received his second place trophy. Finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for, Charles receiving his world championship trophy. Lorenzo raised Ruby a bit higher so she could cheer for her dad. Arthur made sure to capture everything on video.

That night hearing the Monaco national anthem was something special. This was different. A good different.

Y/N stared at her husband with proudness. He worked extremely hard every year just for that moment. She clapped alongside everyone as Charles celebrated. Y/N wiped away a tear once Charles spotted his family. He blew several air kisses to where they were.

“Mama, he saw us!” Ruby excitedly said.

“And for the last time this year, the celebration!”

Les Toreadors started playing as all three drivers grabbed their bottle of champagne and started spraying each other. After a few seconds, Charles made his way to where the Ferrari team were and sprayed them.

“Is that juice?” Ruby asked.

“Yes, but it’s the kind that you can’t drink.” Arthur tried explaining.

“Why?”

“Because you can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s for adults.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Uh-huh!”

Having Arthur around was like having another child. At least Ruby didn’t get bored with her uncle Arthur.

It felt like hours trying to get ahold of Charles since everyone was congratulating him on his championship. Ruby was the first to hug him since she ran to him at full speed.

“You did it, papa!” Ruby smiled brightly at her dad as she hugged him.

“It’s because of you. You gave me forza, remember? This is all you.” Charles hugged her tighter as he walked to his family waiting for him.

“Forza papa!” Ruby yelled. Charles set the girl down.

“mon beau garçon!” Pascale cried out as Charles hugged her. “Your father is proud of you forever.”

Charles couldn’t hold his tears in. This special moment was supposed to be celebrated with his whole family, but one special person was missing.

“Congratulations, little brother!” Lorenzo joined in on the hug as well as Arthur, Carla, Y/N and Ruby.

“Ice cream after?” Ruby suggested making everyone laugh. The hug was broken up, but Y/N still held onto her husband.

Pascale knew what the woman was going to do so she whispered to her sons and Carla to let them have a moment. “Come, Ruby, let’s go find ice cream.” Arthur grabbed Ruby’s hand.

The couple stayed in each others arms for a bit. Charles certainly didn’t want the night to end. He eventually let go of his wife to kiss her lips. “I did it, mon amour.” He said after kissing her.

“I’m beyond proud of you, Charles. Everyone is. You deserve this more than anyone.” Y/N kissed Charles once more.

“This feels like a dream.” Charles admitted. “Be honest, on what lap did you take out your little crystals to make me win?”

Y/N laughed and playfully smacked his arm. “I didn’t. I knew you wouldn’t need any type of crystals to help you win. You’re Charles Leclerc, you’re world champion.”

“That sounds so beautiful coming from you.” Charles whispered as he grabbed ahold of her waist. “Would it be bad if we leave Ruby with maman and you and I can properly celebrate?”

“Calm down, world champion. If we go out, I probably won’t be much fun.” Y/N said. Charles raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Just to remind you what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas.”

“I am still trying to understand-”

“I’m saying Ruby might fight her new sibling over the baby leclerc title in nine months because I’m pregnant.”

“Oh!” Charles understood.

“Yeah, we are never going back to Vegas if it ends up with me being knocked up.”

“It’s Vegas, baby!”

#formula 1 #f1 x reader #formula 1 imagine #f1 imagine #f1 x you #charles leclerc one shot #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc #cl16 x reader

[dduane]

That paprikahendl recipe

So the first thing to be said is possibly the most important: this is a paprikahendl recipe. (And in this case, it was made with duck, because we were out of chicken... so it's probably paprikaentl, if anything.) :)

Everybody's mom or grandmother would've had her own version of this, which would naturally be the best one in the mind of the person you were talking to. The original dish, though—as @petermorwood has pointed out—would have been a peasant dish of the use-a-moderate-amount-of-flavorful-and-spicy-meat-to-season-a-lot-of-noodles-or-whatever kind. If you're a peasant, after all (and maybe even if you're not, of late...), meat is expensive, so in dishes of this kind it's used as more of a seasoning for what you have plenty of—in this case, the tiny flour-based noodles-or-dumplings called spaetzle. (In its rural beginnings, of course, the meat probably would've been a laying chicken that was too old to lay any more... or even a cockerel that had started shooting blanks, and whose morning racket was starting to get on your nerves.)

Later, though, a small tender chicken (or two) was seen as preferable. Paprikahendl became very popular in Hungary and other parts of central Europe, and in the process—over time—got taken somewhat upmarket. The recipe I used as my basis for this version is one that apparently was (and who knows, maybe still is) served at one of Vienna's famous Sacher establishments. As a result it contains elements I'm none too sure about—such as the last-minute apple—but otherwise seems to me to hold water.

The full recipe is here. Now let me tell you what I did to with it.

(inserting a cut here, so those who don't want to watch a bunch of video clips of things frying and cooking won't have to...)

Normally in the initial stage of this recipe, you'd cut up a whole small chicken (or two) into pieces, color them in your preferred frying fat (in Hungary, possibly lard, but at very least butter) and then set them aside to make the sauce. In this case, since the meat I had to work with was duck, I cooked that as directed and put it aside while we went off to do some other stuff. I also made spaetzle to go on the side, as it's the kind of thing you'd be likely to run into regionally. These we can fortunately buy ready-made, like most other kinds of pasta. Or you can make them from scratch. Since I now have a Magic Spaetzle Machine to do this, I'll show how that's done some other time. (Or you could look at this video...)

Then, to make the sauce, I pulled together:

The zest and juice of a lemon

Half an onion or more, chopped fine (I have to be careful with onions, as too much will set off my IBS)

Off to one side, I asked Peter to do the dry paprika mix for me. This was two very heaping tablespoons of paprika, and about half a teaspoon of cayenne, to mock up the heat of the hotter paprika that would have been used in small villages in the Carpathians.

Then I clarified some butter in the microwave, about three tablespoons of it (you melt it in a tall glass and set this aside until the milk solids settle out, then pour off the clarified butterfat) and dumped that in the big cookpot along with the onions.

When those had hit the cooked-until-translucent point, I cut the duck up into chunks and got them ready to go in: then added the paprika and (when that had fried a little) the lemon juice. (Paprika can taste a little raw in a sauce if you don't fry it a bit first.)

Then in went 125 ml of rose wine (I'd have used white if I'd had any, but whatever...) and about 500 ml of chicken stock, and everything got stirred very well together.

After that, the duck got chucked in and the pot was covered and left to simmer for 45 minutes or so. Normally this would be the time a raw chicken would need to cook, and naturally the duck was well cooked already: but it seemed to me that another 45 minutes getting even more tender couldn't hurt it.

So that was what happened. At the end of 45 minutes, the duck was removed and set aside while I got busy with finishing the sauce. You lower the temperature in the big pot until the pre-sauce liquid is just barely simmering. Then to thicken it, you use about a cup of the thickest sour cream you can lay your hands on, with a third of a cup of flour beaten into it very well with a fork. At which point you should be able to do this with the fork:

Now you find a big balloon whisk and start whisking this mixture into the pre-sauce, sort of a tablespoon or two at a time...making sure each dose of sour cream + flour is very well beaten in, leaving no lumps, before adding the rest. When it's all in there, you very gently raise the heat, stirring or whisking occasionally, until the sauce starts to thicken. Then add the meat back in and let it warm through in there for a little while longer: ten or fifteen minutes should do it.

Assuming that people are ready to eat, you heat the spaetzle (and toss it with some butter), plate it up, and add the paprikahendl on top. And dig in.

...Anyway, that was my take. If you go googling for "paprikahendl", you will find many, many more recipes: some far less complex than this approach, some far more so. Pick one that suits you and see what you make of it. This one worked really well, though: so you might like to take a shot at it.

If you do: enjoy!

#paprikahenldl

[janeyseymour]

Scrubs

Summary: Melissa's nonna is in the hospital and you just so happen to be the nurse assigned to the woman.

WC: ~3.2k

The last thing that Melissa Schemmenti expects when she picks up the phone that day is to hear her mother crying into the phone that Nonna had a stroke and was in the hospital. 

“Ma? What do you mean Nonna had a stroke?” Melissa rushes out as she’s grading papers in her classroom.

“She- she had a stroke, I don’t know!” the older Schemmenti hisses into the phone. “The point is, she’s in the hospital, and she’s asking for you- so you better get your ass down here and be here for her!”

“I-” Melissa glances up at the clock. She still has half an hour of her prep, and if she acts fast, she can pull together sub plans, arrange for coverage, and run out. “I’ll be there as soon as I sort everything out with my kids.”

“Please,” her mother whispers into the phone, and it breaks the teacher’s heart the way she can hear her mother falling apart inside.

“I’ll be there, Ma. Just give me a bit of time.”

As soon as Melissa hangs up with her mother, she’s dialing Ava.

“Melissa, what? I’m watching The Bachelor,” the principal answers the phone, clearly pissed at being interrupted.

“And I don’t give a shit,” the redhead retorts into the phone as she pulls up a document to start making her plan for the rest of the day. “I have to go. Family emergency. My kids are at music, I’m leaving plans on my desk, and I honestly don’t care if it goes well or not. I don’t even care who my sub is.”

At the note that she doesn’t care who her sub is, Ava is intrigued. “Girl, is everything okay?”

“No. My nonna is in the hospital for the first time in her life, my mom just called me in tears, and I have to go be there,” Melissa rushes out. “Please, just get me a sub.”

The desperate tone that the tough teacher uses sparks something within the principal, and she sits up a bit straighter and close out of the hulu tab she has open on her computer. “Go. I’ll handle it.”

“Thank you.” She hangs up after that, types at rapid speeds to finish her plans for the rest of the day, not even bothering to check it for any spelling or grammar errors, prints it, and runs out of her room. 

Before she heads out, she does stop down to her work wife’s room. Barbara is in the middle of teaching though, and it makes the other veteran teacher raise a brow at her friend unexpectedly dropping by.

“Miss Schemmenti, how can I help you? I am in the middle of a lesson.”

“Just letting you know that I’m running. There’s ziti in the fridge, and it’s yours,” the redhead states. She knocks once on the doorframe before sprinting down the hall and out to her car before Barbara can get a word out.

She’s at the hospital and in the building far faster than her mother had expected.

“Melissa, dear,” the woman’s mother runs to her. “You got here fast.”

“When you call telling me to get to the hospital for Nonna, I run a few lights,” Melissa shrugs as she embraces her mother. “How is she?”

“As feisty as ever,” the teacher’s mother groans. “Claiming that she doesn’t need to be here, they’re treating her all wrong, and she’s threatening to leave while hooked up to all of their machines. I’m sure she could use seeing you right now to calm her down.”

“Where is she?”

Melissa is led back to the room, and she can hear her grandmother before she can see her.

“Dammit to hell, I am fine! Would you quit poking me?” she’s yelling at the abundance of nurses in her room and personal space.

“I’m sorry,” you tell her. Then you crack a small smile “The doctor orders. I just have the pleasure of doing his dirty work.”

“Nonna,” the redhead sighs as she makes her way into the room. “The nurse is doing her job. They have to check your vitals and blood oxygen levels to make sure that you’re okay.”

“I don’t even know why I’m here,” the matriarch of the family grumbles, but she does lighten up just a little with her favorite granddaughter in the room now. Then, Melissa crosses her way over to the bed and takes her Nonna’s hand in her own. “You’re damned mother dragged me here.”

“Because you were having a stroke,” the mother exasperates. “You were having a stroke, Ma. And I wasn’t about to let you die on my watch.”

“God couldn’t take me, even if he wanted to,” Nonna states. “He ain’t taking me off this earth until I see my Melly fall in love again.”

At that little comment from the woman in the hospital bed, you have to let out a soft chuckle. This woman really was something.

“What’s so funny, Miss…” the grandmother squints to read your name off of your badge. “Y/N?”

“Nothing, ma’am,” you bite back your laughter. “You’re a fiery one, you know that, right?”

“You ain’t the first one to call me that,” the woman tells you. “Hey, you’re pretty. What do you think of my granddaughter?”

“Nonna!” Melissa reprimands.

You do look up though, temporarily pausing what you’re doing. The woman now sitting by the bed is absolutely stunning. Her hair is beautiful, her green eyes sparkle in a way that you don’t think you’ve ever seen before, and her body is… wow.

And when Melissa sees your face for the first time, her jaw almost drops. You’re… you’re beautiful. If she didn’t know you were a nurse, she would think you were a model- you belong on a magazine cover in her opinion. 

“Well?” the patient asks, rather impatiently.

You chuckle softly. “She’s a good granddaughter for getting here so quickly for you, Mrs. Schemmenti,” you tell her, and you do mean it.

“Yeah, yeah,” the woman waves you off, but that isn’t what she wants to hear. “What do you think of her though?”

Knowing you won’t get out of this one, you relent. “She’s very pretty.”

“You hear that, Annette?” the grandmother asks. “Y/N thinks our Melly is pretty! Melly, what do you think of Y/N?”

“Nonna, I ain’t-”

“What. Do. You. Think?” the woman grits out each of her words. “C’mon, just give me this one.”

“She’s very pretty, Nonna,” Melissa gives in to her Nonna’s pestering. “Now will you quit it?”

The grandmother just grins and shrugs. Then she winces as you begin to draw her blood.

“I know,” you say sympathetically. “But this is the last of the tests, ma’am, and then they do want to keep you for a few days to keep an eye on you.”

The grandmother sighs. “If you must. But enough of this ‘ma’am’ and ‘Mrs. Schemmenti’ shit. My name is Bea.”

“Okay, Bea,” you smile at her. “I’ll make a note of that.” If her sudden change in demeanor at the thought of staying in the hospital is odd to you, you don’t mention it. Neither do her family members- it’s abundantly clear that her being more open to the idea of staying is much easier than fighting her to stay.

“And don’t send in those other shit nurses,” she tells you. “If you’re around, I want you- the only woman here who isn’t trying to kill me, I swear.”

“Nobody is trying to kill you, Nonna,” Melissa rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “They are quite literally doing the opposite and keeping you alive.”

“I didn’t ask for that,” the grandmother huffs.

“You literally just told us that God can’t take you from this earth until I find love again!” Melissa groans. Then her eyes widen slightly at her realization. “Oh God, Ma! She’s gonna outlive us all!”

You just laugh as you quietly make your exit. 

“She’s really pretty,” Nonna tells Melissa quietly.

“I see you’re feeling well enough to meddle in my love life,” the redhead notes.

“I already told you, I don’t know why I’m here,” the grandmother retorts. “It was just a little hiccup, and your mother freaked out over it.”

Annette puts her head in her hands. “Ma, you were slurring your words all over the place, and the doc already told you you had a mini stroke.”

“Eh, what do they know?” Nonna rolls her eyes. She turns her attention back to her granddaughter. “You should ask her out. She’ll be in my room a lot, and you and I both know you’ll be here for the next few days keeping your ol’ nonna company.

“Nonna, I’m not gonna ask the nurse out,” the teacher laughs. “She’s probably in a relationship as it is- nobody that pretty is single.”

“You is,” Nonna points out.

Those green eyes glare at her grandmother. “I am not nearly as pretty as she is.”

“Don’t sell yourself short there, Melly. Youse quite the looker, if I do say so myself.” Melissa took after her grandmother in the best possible ways.

The next time you come into the room, it’s to bring Bea her lunch, and Melissa is still sitting there.

“Ah, there’s the pretty woman,” the patient chuckles from her place in bed.

“Hi Bea,” you chuckle as you set her tray up for her. “I see you’re feeling better.”

“I was feeling fine when I first got checked in,” Bea laughs. “Now, what do you say you take a load off and sit with me while I eat since my granddaughter over here doesn’t much feel like talking to her old sickly grandmother?”

That gets the redhead to look up from the papers that she’s grading. “Nonna, are you sick, or aren’t ya? Make up your mind.”

“Quiet, you,” the woman in bed guffaws loudly. “I’ll be whatever the hell I want to be. Melly’s too busy grading her kids’ papers to talk to her dear old grandmother, and Annette is out takin’ a smoke break, so what do you say?”

You glance down at your watch. Your supervisor had given you a bit of time to handle Bea, knowing she was more difficult, but with her being so complacent at her request to have you come in more than the other nurses, you have the time. “I have about fifteen minutes,” you tell her with a smile as you sit down in one of the chairs there for visitors.

“That’s more than enough time for you to get to know Melly!” Bea grins.

“Nonna, I’m grading,” the redhead sighs as she bites the marker cap between her teeth.

“What do you teach?” you ask, clearly interested. You weren’t lying when you said that Bea’s granddaughter was very pretty, and if you have the time, maybe you should get to know her.

“Second and third,” the teacher huffs out as she marks an answer wrong on one of her student’s tests. “Down at Abbott.”

“Two grades?” you ask her, surprised. You had never heard of one teacher with two different grades at the elementary level.

“Budget wasn’t big enough to hire another teacher, and I’m the best second grade teacher there, so they gave me an extra ten third graders,” Melissa sighs.

“I’m sure you do a great job,” you assure her with a soft and warm smile.

Bea finds her way into the conversation. “Melly is the best teacher there is. It’s always a blast to go in as a mystery reader and watch her do her thing. The kids love her, and they should. She ain’t nearly as tough as she plays.”

“You ain’t nearly as tough as you play either, Nonna,” the granddaughter snorts as she sets aside her papers. “Where d’you think I learned all my tricks from?”

“Your mother,” Bea narrows her eyes, but they sparkle with mischief.

You chat with the two of them for the remainder of your fifteen minute break before you sigh and stand. “I have to get back to my rounds, but it was lovely to chat with you both.” You make sure to look at both of them, but your eyes do linger on the stunning woman sitting in the stuffy and uncomfortable chair next to the bed. “Call if you need anything.”

It’s a bit later that you’re called back into the Schemmenti room. Melissa is asleep in the chair, and Annette is conveniently out for another smoke break.

“What’s goin’ on, Bea?” you ask the patient. “Trying to cause more trouble for me?”

“Not this time,” she chuckles as her eyes stay glued to the soap opera on the television. “Just wondering if it would be possible to get another blanket, dear.”

You nod, head into the hall and grab another knit blanket before heading back in. You go to drape it over the elderly woman, but she shakes her head and points to the redhead.

“For her,” Bea instructs. “She’s freezing, as much as she won’t admit it. I’ve been watching her shiver through her entire nap.”

You shake your head and roll your eyes playfully, but you do gently set the blanket overtop of the sleeping woman. 

When Melissa wakes, she’s warm. She remembers drifting off to sleep practically freezing as she pulled her Abbott Elementary sweatshirt as tightly to her body as she could.

“Good mornin’, sleepyhead,” Nonna chuckles.

“Where’d the blanket come from?” Melissa asks as she stretches just slightly, loving the way that her whole upper body cracks at the movement- it feels so good after being cramped in the chair for the day.

“I had Y/N bring it in for you,” the woman smiles. “Sweet girl. You should ask her out.”

“I ain’t lookin’ for any romance right now, Nonna,” the redhead rolls her eyes. “And ‘sides, I don’t even know if she’s gay.”

“She is,” the grandmother confirms. “We were chatting a bit earlier about her own love life when she came in to check my vitals.”

“How do you know?” Melissa raises a brow.

Nonna shrugs. “Mentioned something about an ex-girlfriend dumping her because she was always here… sounds like the perfect relationship for you- you workaholics seem to get along well, and you should know. You and Joe worked beautifully until he let himself go and wasn’t the driven man you thought you knew.”

“Don’t remind me of that time,” the granddaughter sighs.

“All I’m sayin’ is, you should ask her out,” Nonna grins and reaches a hand out. “She’s gorgeous, she’s a sweetheart, she has a good head on her shoulders… was telling me about how she works well with the little ones who come in and helps calm them down, so she’s good with kids. Everything you’re looking for.”

“I already told you, I ain’t lookin’,” Melissa rolls her eyes.

Nonna rolls her own green eyes. “You never want me to die,” she sighs dramatically.

The next few days, you spend quite a bit of time with the Schemmenti family because Bea practically refuses all of the other nurses on the clock. In that time, Melissa is almost always there. You find yourself looking forward to seeing her each day.

The day that Bea Schemmenti is discharged from the hospital, she pinches your cheeks and thanks you for your kindness and help over the last couple days- as much as she didn’t need it.

“Of course, Bea,” you chuckle as you shake her hand gently. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know you and your family.”

Melissa is holding onto the wheelchair to push her grandmother out of the facility when the older woman turns around and smacks the redhead’s arm. “Well?”

“Well what?”

���Don’t you got something you want to ask Y/N?” Been prompts.

The teacher sighs. “Do you want a free grandma?”

“That was not the question, and you know it- you pain in my ass!” Nonna smacks her granddaughter’s arm playfully as she’s wheeled out.

“Thanks for taking care of crazy lady,” Melissa calls over her shoulder.

Once Melissa gets her grandmother settled at home, Nonna sighs dramatically. “I thought you said you were going to ask her out!”

“I said I would think about it, Nonna.”

“And that to me, means that you were! Come on now Melly!”

“Well, you’re out of the hospital, so there’s no reason for me to go back there again,” the redhead tells her grandmother.

“I could have another stroke,” the older woman suggests with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

“That would be dramatic, even for you,” Melissa rolls her eyes.

Nonna shrugs. “Your reason to go back there could simply be to ask her out.”

“Will that really make you happy?” the redhead finally begins to crack. She grabs her keys and circles them around her finger a few times.

“I’ve been trying to get you to ask her out for the past three days!” Bea nods frantically. “C’mon now. Don’t make me wait any longer for grandkids!”

“Nobody said anything about grandkids, Nonna!” Melissa tells her grandmother as she makes her way out the door.

You’re just about to take your twenty minute break when you see familiar red hair standing at the desk.

“Hi, Melissa,” you smile at her warmly. “What’re you doin’ back here?”

The woman runs a hand through her gently curled hair. “Makin’ my nonna happy.”

“How so?”

Melissa runs a hand over her face. “God, I can’t believe I’m letting my grandmother pressure me into this, but… do you wanna go out with me for dinner one night? Or I can cook?”

Your eyes widen at her question. “What?”

“My nonna took a liking to you and has been trying to get me to ask you out for the last three days… I thought about it, and here I am. What do you say?”

“I have…” you look down at your watch. “seventeen minutes left of my break?”

Those green eyes sparkle. She takes your hand gently and leads you outside.

Those seventeen minutes are the best that you’ve had in quite some time. The timer on your phone goes off all too quickly, and you let out a disappointed huff as you stand from the curb just outside the hospital doors.  You dust yourself off before extending a hand out to help her up from the low stoop. She takes it with a smile.

“I don’t know about you,” Melissa tells you as she squeezes your hand. “But I would love to see you again… the next time you have a night off.”

“I have off tomorrow if that’s not too soon,” you laugh softly. You pull your phone out of your scrubs before handing it over.

“I’ll pick you up at six,” the redhead winks as she starts to make her way back to her car.

You watch her go before heading back into the hallway with the bright lights and smell of disinfectant. 

When Melissa comes home, Nonna looks at her knowingly. “So?”

“Shut it,” the redhead laughs as she makes her way into the kitchen to start on the next meal.

TAGS, and let me know if you want to be added: @schemmentis @thesapphictimelady @marvel210 @itisdoctortoyousir @morgana-larkin @thesamesweetie @doesthatsuggestanythingtoyou @marvels--slut @gwennybriggs @megamultifandomtrashposts @lemz378 @http-sam @melissaschemmentisbranzino @imaginesmultifandoms @sexysapphicshopowner @lilfartbox1 @maybe-a-humanbean @imlike-so-gaydude @sapphicxrat @a-queen-and-her-throne @sunsol-22 @notinmyvocab @melanielaufeyson @dvrkhcld

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[ladykailitha]

Grief (A Friend Indeed) Part 1

Hello! Sorry it's been nothing but one-shots lately, but as I said in this post here I haven't abandoned anything, my life has just got a little crazy lately.

This was conceived because my sister's former mother-in-law passed away due to massive heart failure a week ago and I chose to write this story as a way with dealing it. I didn't know her well, but I did know her and that's enough I think to feel some grief at her passing. She was a year younger than my dad.

Summary: Eddie and Wayne have to go back to Kentucky when Eddie's grandmother (and Wayne and Al's mother) passes. Steve comes along when Eddie suggests that he would feel better if he came. Along the way they learn about each other's pasts and find out that they are each other's future.

***

Eddie walked into the Family Video and had to stop and gaze fondly at the sight before him. Steve was draped over the counter reading a magazine and steadfastly ignoring the bell above the door that announced his arrival.

He got up to the desk and greeted affectionately, “Hey, Stevie.”

Steve bolted straight up and ran his fingers through his hair. “Oh hi, Eds. I didn’t realize that it was you.”

Eddie smiled for the first time in days.

Steve grinned back. “You know, a boy could start to think you were avoiding him. You know, since I haven’t seen you around in days.”

Eddie winced, shoving his hands into his jean pockets. “Sorry, man. I had family stuff.”

Steve’s teasing grin slid off his face. “Shit. I’m sorry. That was a dick move.”

Eddie waved his hands. “No, no. There was no way for you to know. In fact, that’s why I’m here. To make sure you don’t think that I’m avoiding you. Because I wouldn’t. You see Wayne and I have to go back to Ashland for a funeral.”

Steve’s already contrite expression softened further. “Oh, Eds. That’s awful. Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

Eddie’s eyes welled up and before the first tear could fall, Steve was over that counter and wrapping him up in his arms.

“I’ve got you, Eds,” Steve murmured. “I’m here now.”

Eddie sobbed and sobbed as Steve just gently rubbed his back until he calmed down enough to talk.

“It’s Uncle Wayne’s mom, my grandma,” he explained, clutching Steve’s shirt like a life line. “She was just the sweetest old lady and now she’s gone. I’m going to miss her.”

“Oh, Eds,” Steve murmured. “I’m sorry. That must just be awful for you. If there is anything I can do, just let me know.”

Eddie chuckled into Steve’s work vest. “Too bad you can’t come with. I think I’d feel braver about seeing all Dad’s family again if you were there.”

Steve grabbed his biceps and pushed him back gently. “Done.”

Eddie stuttered and sputtered. “Stevie, no...”

Steve picked up the phone on the counter and dialed a number. “Stevie yes.”

And Eddie watched in awe horror as Steve’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears and he rubbed his nose.

“Keith?” Steve said, his voice rough as if he had been doing the crying. “Yeah, I just got a call from my mom. My grandmother has died and I have to go to Kentucky for the funeral.”

Eddie’s jaw dropped. He didn’t even know that Steve knew where Ashland was.

“Yeah, my mom is from Lexington,” Steve said with a wink at him. “A real southern belle. I’ve seen pictures of her debutante ball and everything.”

Eddie snorted, because of course she was.

“I would need at least a week,” Steve was saying. “With the reading of the will and all.”

Eddie scoffed. If there was a will, he very much doubted there would be anything as formal as a reading of the damn thing.

“Oh thank you so much,” Steve sniffled. “I’ll even call Robin and let her know about her needing to pick up a few shifts.”

And like that Steve had gotten the week off.

“And the award for best crocodile tears to get out of working goes to Steve Harrington!” Eddie said, waving his hands back and forth. “Holy shit, man, how did you do that?”

Steve snorted. “As any good actor will tell you in order to cry on command, you just need to think about something that makes you cry.”

Eddie frowned. “What did you think of?”

Steve just shrugged. “What time are you guys leaving?”

“Tomorrow, early,” he said. “But serious, dude, even after that stellar performance, you don’t really have to come. Take the week off. Enjoy life for a change.”

Steve shook his head. “I would just be at home worried about you. Don’t make me stay. Please. Not when you said you would feel better with me there.”

Eddie’s shoulders slumped as he gave in. “Of course I want you there, but I would be selfish to take you away from your family for so long. Robin, Dustin...the rest of the them all need you too.”

Steve sighed heavily. “You’re part of that family, Eds. And I’m not dumb enough to think that they aren’t going to make a run for it the second they’re able to. As they should. I have to live my own life and not be afraid to go places.”

Eddie threw his arms in the air. “I hate when you make sense.”

Steve grinned. “Now the only remaining question is which vehicle we’re taking, Wayne’s truck, your van, or my car?”

Eddie laughed. “God, Stevie. I am so glad you’re coming with me. I needed that. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Steve’s grin turned soft and fond. “Let’s hope you never have to find you.”

“Damn straight.”

*

“I can’t believe you’re leaving me,” Robin groused when Steve called her after Eddie left.

“What was I supposed to do when he asked?” Steve questioned, twirling the phone cord around his fingers. He leaned against the counter, keeping an eye on the door.

The last thing he needed was Keith finding out he fucked around after giving him the week off.

Robin scoffed. “Not go?” she questioned. “He obviously wasn’t serious about you coming with.”

"You know I would do the same for you," he said with a sigh. "For any of you. Plus his life has already been turned upside down enough, don't you think?"

Robin sighed. "I'm not really mad," she said. "It's just that this will be the longest we've been apart since the Russians under the mall."

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just think of it as a trial run for when you go to college."

"Yeah okay," she said resigned. "Just call me before you leave and again when you get there, okay?"

"Aye, aye, captain!" Steve said with a grin.

Robin giggled. "Shut up!" She paused for a moment. "I'll miss your stupid face, dingus."

“I’ll miss yours, too,” Steve said with a sigh. “I’ll call as often as I can okay?”

“You better.”

They talked a little bit longer until a customer came in and he had to hang up.

*

When he got home he started calling all the kids and packing for a week long trip. He wasn’t sure what he should bring in terms of clothes and ended up calling Eddie.

Eddie who laughed when he asked. “Just bring what you would normally wear this time of year.”

Steve chewed on his lip. “So I won’t get mercilessly teased about my preppy clothes?”

“Oh no, you will,” Eddie confirmed. “It’s just you don’t have to change yourself to fit in with a bunch of assholes who would make fun of you. Okay?”

Steve let out a slow breath and his anxiety went with it. He could handle that. Those assholes had never met a bitch like Steve Harrington before.

“Yeah, okay,” he said after a moment. “You and Wayne decide which vehicle we’re taking?”

“Yeah, he suggested we take his truck and your car,” Eddie said. “He knows he’s going to be taking a lot back and thinks your car will make it better than my van.”

“Sounds good,” Steve murmured, a little disappointed. “So who will you be riding with for the trip down?”

He could almost feel the grin from here. “With you, of course, darlin’.”

Steve laughed. “Yeah okay. What time do you need me at your house?”

There was a beat and then two before Eddie said, “I was thinking that you should spend the night so we could leave first thing in the morning.”

Steve’s heart sped up as his breath caught in his chest. “Yeah. Sure. That’s a good idea. I’ll show up at eight tonight, give myself a little bit more time to pack.”

“Sounds good,” Eddie replied. “Wayne suggested it because it’s a six hour drive and we want to leave as early as we can so it’s not too late when we get there.”

Steve felt a jumble of emotions at that statement. It was a relief that it was a practical reason, but at the same time it was a disappointment that it wasn’t Eddie’s idea.

He took a deep breath. “I hear that. I remember the trips to Lexington when I was kid before we started flying. They were a bitch.”

“It really surprises me that you have family in Kentucky. I don’t know why, a lot of people in Indiana do, it’s just...”

“Harringtons are so entrenched in Hawkins it’s weird to think we have connections outside of it?” Steve supplied.

Eddie laughed. “Yeah, that.”

“My parents met in college and I didn’t move to Hawkins until I was eight,” Steve said.

“Wait,” Eddie said. “No way. You aren’t a Hawkins native?”

Steve chuckled. “Nope. I’m more like you and Dustin then the Wheelers and the Byers. And the Sinclairs.”

“Huh,” Eddie said after a moment. “You certainly have hidden depths, my friend.”

“You have no idea,” Steve teased.

“Then I’ll just have to use this trip to dive deeper,” Eddie teased back.

“I have to pack, you dork,” Steve said fondly. “I’ll be over at eight.”

“See you then, Stevie.”

***

Part 2|Part 3|Part 4|Part 5|Part 6|Part 7|Part 8|Part 9|Part 10|Part 11|Part 12

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