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vnderoos · 4 years

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better than butterbeer ✷ cedric diggory

(gif is not mine, credit to the owner) warnings / language(?), a barely steamy scene at the end word count / 2.8k

masterlist in bio ↴

THE CORRIDOR WAS FILLED with students, all of them rushing every which way as they all transitioned from one class to another. "Watch where you're walking, you bloody—" Y/N started to snap when she slammed straight into the chest of another student, but she cut herself off when she looked up and her eyes met the beautiful grey's of Cedric Diggory. Her stomach did a backflip and her cheeks immediately flushed red at her previous words. She cursed her quick tongue silently. "I'm sorry, Diggory, I thought you'd be someone else," she told him, feeling guilty for trying to bite his head off.

Cedric, on the other hand, was quick to shake his head and flash her a toothy smile. "No problem, Y/N/N, just read this, will you? I've got to get to class," he hummed, holding a folded note out to her, and she took it in her hands softly. She didn't have time to ask him questions about it—in fact, she didn't have time to say anything else at all—before he patted her once on the arm and stepped around her.

She cast a quick glance over her shoulder, watching as he disappeared into the flood of other students, and she looked back down at the piece of parchment between her fingers with furrowed brows. She felt a little uneasy thinking about what was on it as she started towards her own next class, as Cedric normally tended to speak with her in person and not through exchanging notes, but she was curious about it nonetheless. She thumbed it open delicately and her eyes flickered over the paper.

Come to the Great Lake after your classes. I want to show you something. — From: Ced :)

Y/N couldn't help but grin down at his message after she'd read it, tracing his smiley face with her thumbnail. This wasn't the first time that Cedric had wanted to show her something. He'd taken her on handfuls of spontaneous trips, actually—like the time he brought her to a field outside of the castle grounds to see a bunch of light blue wildflowers, or when he snuck her up to the Astronomy Tower after curfew just so he could point out the constellations with her—and she couldn't help but feel excited that he'd thought of something else.

She folded his note back up and tucked it neatly into one of the pockets of her leather bag, for safe keeping, of course.

—

Y/N's classes hadn't seemed to end quick enough that day as she'd sat through the rest of her lectures with Cedric's message pinging around in her head the whole time. All she could think about was what he wanted to show her at the Great Lake that she hadn't already seen before. It was just a lake—filled with nasty little Grindylows and a giant squid, sure—but it was just a lake nonetheless. At one point during her day, her head had been so clouded with possibilities that McGonagall had even gotten onto her for neglecting to write any notes for the entire first half of the class.

Miss Y/L/N, I do hope you realize that daydreaming all class won't help you pass your OWLs. Plus, I'm sure your parents didn't buy you such a pretty quill for you to tap it against your chin all year, she'd said. The red that had tinged Y/N's cheeks after that had been brighter than Ron Weasley's hair, especially since almost every head in the class had spun to face her.

All of that had been forgotten, though, as she hurried down the dirt pathway to the Great Lake, her hair and her leather bag bouncing as she ran downhill. The path soon faded into the rest of the grass, and as she neared the lake, she spotted a figure laying in a patch of sun on the grassy slope that led down to the bank. She recognized the familiar mess of his brown hair and his Hufflepuff robe and she was quick to identify him. One of Cedric's knees were bent, keeping him laying steady on the slant of the ground, and the other was extended out in front of him.

He was looking up at the sky when she walked up behind him, a small smile tugging at her lips at how concentrated he looked. "Hey, Diggory," she called from a few feet away, with a playful lilt in her voice and her green robes swaying with the gentle breeze.

At her greeting, Cedric pushed himself into a sitting position and he turned to smile at her over his shoulder. His cheeks were dusted pink from the slight nip in the air and it was all she could do to notice how good he looked in that moment, especially with the warm light of the sun rays shining behind him. She'd always found herself captivated by him, though, as most girls did. He really was a good-looking boy, but something inside of her always made her feel like it was better that she kept that to herself.

"Hey, Y/N."

Y/N flashed him a light smile in return, choosing to ignore the way that her stomach swirled when her name left his lips. "You know, we could've gone to get butterbeer instead," she told him as she made her way towards him, setting her bag next to his in the grass, and he shook his head softly.

"I wanted to show you something, though, remember?" he told her and she nodded once. How could she forget it when it was all that she'd been thinking about since she bumped into him in the corridor? He patted the space beside him in the grass. "Lay next to me," he instructed and she waited until he moved his hand away to take her seat, lowering herself down onto the ground.

She folded her hands over her chest and Cedric rested his over his stomach as they looked up at the sky. Nothing about it looked out of the ordinary or particularly interesting to her. "So, what'd you wanna show me?" she questioned, curiosity prickling under her skin as she studied the familiar, blue sky and the same, white clouds for something new.

Cedric let out a breath of amusement, a smile breaking out onto his lips, at her eagerness. She was always like this when he took her to see these sorts of things—impatient and overly excited—but he blamed himself for that in part. He loved a good buildup. "Just wait a bit and you'll see," he promised, tapping his thumbs against his stomach, and she nodded. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they laid still in the grass until the sun started to set. As the sun went down, it painted the sky with so many pretty colors—shades of pink, orange, and yellow streaking between the clouds. Since they were sitting on the side of the lake, with no trees looming over their heads, the view was beautifully unobstructed, too. "This," Cedric said, grinning up at the sight. "This is what I wanted to show you."

When she'd come to meet him, she hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly wasn't this. She'd heard from Fred and George a long while ago that on particularly sunny days, the giant squid would bask in the shallows of the water for warmth, so the thought of that being Cedric's surprise crossed her mind once, but she hadn't even considered such a spectacular sunset.

"This is beautiful." Her voice was a breathless whisper as the sight had left her in awe. She found herself lifting one of her hands up to the sky, pointing her finger at a specific place where the sunlight looked like trickling gold behind the clouds. It was so vivid that part of her thought she might be able to coat her fingers in it if she reached out far enough. "That's my favorite part. It's so pretty, isn't it?" she asked him and she could see his hand enter her field of vision as he pointed up at the same, molten cloud.

"That one?" he asked and the side of his hand grazed her own in the close proximity. His skin left tingles against her own that shot all the way down to her elbow, and she looked over at him with newly flushed cheeks. She nodded her head. She had noticed when she walked up that Cedric looked nice that day, with a bit of color in his skin from the cold, but only then, while they were laying face-to-face, did she realize how handsome he really looked. His walnut hair spilled into the grass and a little over his forehead, some of the strands sleek with the reflection of the sunlight. His skin looked so warm beneath the orange lighting that the sun cast across him and she could see patterns in his irises when her eyes came to meet his. Her breath hitched in her throat when his full lips parted before he spoke. "It is pretty," he muttered with his eyes never veering from her own and she could barely hear him over the drumming of her heart in her chest.

It was like time seemed to stand still in that moment as the fingers on their hands, both still suspended in the air, fell relaxed. She saw his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed thickly, moving the back of his hand to graze over her own softly. She sucked in a breath and his knuckles rustled over hers, before he began to trail them down her arm slowly.

Cedric's eyes were locked on hers the whole time he did it, like he was looking for a sign that she didn't want this, but she was frozen still. His touch left goosebumps in its wake as it travelled the length of her arm and she shuddered.

When his hand reached Y/N's face, he hooked his forefinger beneath her chin and swiped his thumb over her bottom lip. She couldn't stop herself from grabbing his wrist lightly and pressing a kiss to the pad of his thumb. He blinked once and his tongue darted between his lips, running itself over them as he watched her. She managed a small smile at him, and she folded his hand into a fist, peppering a kiss to each of his knuckles.

"Diggory?" she asked and he hummed curiously. "I've got something to tell you," she whispered against his skin. His eyebrows lifted, as if to encourage her, and she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath before she opened them again and she gave his hand a squeeze. "It's been on my mind for a while, but I think I really like you," confessed Y/N, her voice as quiet as ever. "I realize that we're friends and it's probably stupid of me to even think of you like that, because it might ruin everything, but—"

Y/N stopped talking when Cedric leaned in to kiss her. His lips planted a soft peck against her own, leaving the sweet taste of caramel and her heart pattering after they'd gone. "I really like you, too," he responded with a grin.

She could feel her cheeks flaring, probably just as pink as the setting sun, and she smiled softly. "Oh." Her heart was thundering in her ears and her stomach was swarming with butterflies at his similar confession. She never would've thought that her sly, Slytherin heart would beat so quickly for a happy, Hufflepuff boy, but she'd be damned before she ever found herself complaining. "That— That's nice," she stuttered out, still in a state of disbelief, and his honeyed laugh filled her ears.

Cedric, whose hand was still in her clutches, pulled her hands over to his own lips and he kissed the back of her hand. "'Nice'?" he repeated. "Just 'nice'?" he asked again, his voice obviously teasing, but her face was on fire nonetheless.

She shot him a look of mock annoyance—the smile tugging on her lips giving her away—because he'd always known but how to get under her skin. "Shut up, you know you make me nervous, you prick," she told him and another laugh spilled from his lips, but it didn't last long that time because he caught her staring at his lips. His laughter died down as her eyes moved back to meet his, her hands falling from his own. With the thought now in his head, his eyes flickered to her mouth, only for a second, and she reached out to grab one of the sides of his robe. She ran her thumb over the fabric nervously, shifting her eyes to her fingers and back up to his again. "Would you... Would you kiss me again, Diggory?" she questioned, clearing her throat, and a smirk crossed onto his lips at the question. He was quite cocky then, and part of her hated it, but the other part of her thought it was the hottest thing.

"Diggory? Really?" he muttered, pretending to ignore her question as he plucked at a piece of grass between them, and she sighed in frustration, still playing nervously with his robe. "I thought for sure you'd use my first name by now," he teased and she rolled her eyes.

"Is that what you want?" she asked.

"I don't think I've ever wanted anything more," he joked, touching a hand to his chest and tightening it into a fist to make it seem like it wasn't all just a ploy to tease her—which it was.

"Fine," she hummed. "Would you kiss me again, Cedric?" she repeated her question and his name fell from her lips like a whisper, the cockiness on his face falling clean off after it did. She could see a flicker of something pass in his eyes and she furrowed her brows. "What?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I think I might like it when you call me Cedric," he said with a small smile on his lips, and before she could answer, he propped himself up on his elbow. He reached out to cup one of her cheeks softly in his hands, leaning down to press his lips against hers.

The kiss started out slow and sweet, just two longing mouths melding into one quiet moment, but the second that Y/N sighed against his lips, the mood shifted. Cedric's hand slid from her cheek and he knotted his fingers in the locks of her hair, pulling her mouth roughly against his by the back of her neck, and he poured more passion into the kiss. Her fingers were still clasped around the sides of his robe and she pulled his body closer to her own.

Cedric's balance teetered at her actions and he grunted against her mouth, his hand leaving her hair and slamming down on the other side of her. His lips broke from hers at the quick motion and their eyes met for a second. His pupils were dark as he looked down at her, his chest heaving, and they only stayed apart long enough for him to slot one of his legs between hers. His lips attached themselves to hers once more and her hands let go of his robe, sliding up the muscles on his chest and coming to tangle themselves in his hair. He lowered himself down closer to her body, using his hands to keep himself hovered over her, and his tongue swiped against her bottom lip in his next kiss.

From then on, the two were a mess of lips and tongue, and they'd even cracked teeth at once on accident, but when they'd gotten their fix, Cedric pulled away. The two were both red, and not just from the cold anymore, and they were panting like dogs. Cedric started to laugh softly, pulling his arm up from the other side of her and falling back onto his side as she joined in. "I take back what I said earlier." She lifted a hand to wipe the saliva off of her swollen mouth and she pushed herself up onto her own elbow. "This was way better than butterbeer," she hummed.

Cedric chuckled and he threw his head back. "You're telling me," he agreed. When he let himself fall back into the grass again, Y/N did the same and he set his hand, palm-down, in between them. She tucked her hand beneath his and intertwined their fingers, sending him a soft smile.

For the rest of the sunset, she stared contentedly up at the sky, sneaking glances at the beauty laying beside her, but for him, it was the other way around.

He found her far more stunning.

↴

taglist / @pvintbreak @umpoedameron @h4ppydancing

#harry potter #harry potter x reader #harry potter imagines #cedric diggory #cedric diggory imagines #cedric diggory x reader #robert pattinson #robert pattinson x reader #robert pattinson imagines

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cherry-gemz · 3 years

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Open Book: Part I

Summary: As the Assistant Librarian for a small town in Florida, you find yourself intrigued with an extraordinary little girl and her charming uncle. As each day goes by, you teach the girl about adventure and mystery with your love of books. Little do you know what's in store for you next.

Pairings: Y/N and Frank Adler

Rating: PG, all fluff

Word count: IDK, failed at the assignment 2k+ lol. So I split the fic.

Challenge Prompt: Write a story about someone trying to find the perfect birthday gift.

A/N: Happiest of birthdays dear @a-little-counter-esperanto. You are the bees knees and really a true gem! I'm so happy we've become friends - we have so many things in common it's cray. I'm wishing you all the love and happiness, sunshine! May you continue to have a fantastic birthday sleepover and enjoy being loved by all! Hope you enjoy the fic xx - Cherry

"Did you get the flowers?" Mary asked as she sat on the couch flipping through the tv.

Frank patted his chest and then his jeans in search of his keys.

"What?"

Mary kept changing the channels without a beat,"Frank. You're supposed to buy a girl flowers on the date."

Frank furrowed his brow, "Uh...no. Have you seen my keys? Really?"

Mary rolled her eyes, "She's not gonna kiss you goodnight."

He searched on the kitchen table and rummaged through old mail when a knock at the door interrupted his concentration. As he bee-lined to the door, Mary turned off the tv and hopped off the couch to grab her latest book she'd chiseled her way through for the week.

Frank swung the door open abruptly and started you as you stood at their doorstep.

"Hey! You made it, great!" Frank exclaimed. "Sorry, my head's a mess."

Mary now situated herself at the kitchen table and shouted over her shoulder, "It's because he hasn't been on a real date in over six months."

Frank turned red," What? No...I mean yes, but jeez, Mary. Remember we talked about how to read a room?"

He turned back to you, "Come in, come in. I'm just trying to find my keys."

You chuckled and nodded to the doorknob which held his set of keys and he smacked his forehead.

As you walked into the house, you noticed little knickknacks here and there on shelves. And books. Mountains of books everywhere. Piling on top of each other.

"Hi Mary," you smiled as she kept her back to you, nose deep in her book.

"Mary…" Frank scolded as he put his hands on his hips.

"Hi, Ms. Y/N."

You smiled as you approached her, "May I sit?"

She nodded in agreement and you pulled out a chair.

"I brought you something…" you say as you rummage through your canvas bag for your book on crabs. "Well, actually I was hoping you could help me...see…"

Frank smiled as he saw the two of you bonding. He caught himself admiring you more than he'd like to admit as he needed to head off to his date soon. He appreciated your assistance with babysitting Mary as the two of you first met at the local library. His date, Justine, was a waitress at the bar he would visit from time to time. While there was a chemistry between them, it was really just through vanity. With you, he had come to know you at a deeper level: the way you’d squint or furrow your brow when reviewing your clipboard. Or how adorable you’d look chewing on the cap of your pen when trying to finalize an email at your desk. He saw that you loved the color yellow, considering how many skirts and cardigans you’d paired together. And that you were a romantic at heart - the classics were your fave to read and how’d you get lost in historical facts when he had first asked you what your hobbies were. Seeing how a beautiful person you were, inside and out, he now regretted asking Justine out with you on his mind.

Mary's eyes scanned the books of quantum physics and mathematics. At first you thought perhaps she had another book instead, but as you watched her day in and day out, you were astounded at the tiny prodigy and her ability to ascertain such knowledge at her age. You'd correct the cataloging errors for the day and find her reading for enjoyment it seemed.

Then one day Frank arrived. Mary had always left on her own, but as if it were any old regular day, the handsome uncle came to retrieve his stellar niece. He had a warmness to him. His dark brown hair and beard complemented his face, one that was obvious in an overall attractiveness. And he was kind, he showed that by adopting his niece after her mother had passed away and truly nurturing her gifted talent. You learned he fixed boats for a living and lived not too far from the library. You smiled at the odd pair together, they somehow seemed to work however.

As you checked their books out, Mary tiptoed over the large walnut desk and glanced at you.

"You're pretty," she stated.

"Mary. What did we say?" Frank tsked, embarrassed, but didn't disagree with her observation.

"What? Frank, you told me that I need to state facts, rather than assumptions. And I am stating a fact that Ms. Y/LN is pretty. Do you think she's pretty, Frank?"

Frank coughed into his fist and blushed, you smirked, half wanting to know his answer, half laughing inside of how Mary was so blunt.

"Yes, Ms. Y/LN is very pretty," he replied and gazed at your eyes. He licked his lips and you had to turn away feeling flushed. You closed the last book and placed it in Mary's backpack.

"All set," you replied. "These are due on the 23rd."

Frank zipped up the backpack and slung it over his broad shoulder. "Thanks, we'll see you tomorrow."

"Oh?" You replied as Mary looked at you both attempting to assess the flirtation occuring before her eyes.

"Well, yeah, she loves it here, I mean. And we have a few other books to return."

"Yes, we'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Mary."

"Bye," Mary replied and skipped off.

Frank showed up every day after that. You found it endearing, but not wanting to read into something that wasn't there, you focused your attention on Mary. That only seemed to peak his interest further. While he had a knack for attracting women, his heart was never in it for the long haul since the minute they found out about Mary, they'd either run away from the possible responsibility, or Mary would run them off herself. But with you it was different. You were genuine and kind to Mary. Knowing quite well of her mathematical abilities, you would challenge her in other areas: art, zoology, history. You found that while she could read more college level books than any person you met in the small town, she still was a child wanting to learn about all other aspects of life. You'd sit together at a table: you, reviewing inventory spreadsheets for the latest book fair and her, immersed in some book that would put you to sleep at night.

"Frank, you should ask Ms. Y/LN out," Mary stated one day as the three of you sat at a table together. Frank practically choked and you shook your head, secretly wanting to say yes.

"Aw, Mary. Well, I bet Ms. Y/LN has guys lined up at her door every night."

"No, she doesn't," Mary replied as she turned a page of her book. Frank laughed and placed his hand on Mary's shoulder, pretending to shake her.

"Well, actually Ms. Y/LN…" he said as your heart skipped a beat.

"Y/N," you interrupted. "You can call me Y/N. I feel we're on a first name basis now considering you're here everyday."

“Y/N,” he smiled. His hair was more combed today. You had noticed that he seemed to be disheveled when you first met him, however either Mary’s tactics were rubbing off on him, or it was your pure imagination.

“Yes?” you piped. You haven't been regularly dating lately. There just weren’t many prospects these days. Not ones that could keep up with conversation, let alone intellect. So instead, you found yourself immersed with your favorite fictional characters in the sea of books you’d grown to know and love.

His brow furrowed, he seemed nervous and he picked at the edge of a book as he attempted to gather his thoughts.

“Do you have a favorite book?” Mary interrupted as Frank turned to her, but seemingly glad she saved him from embarrassment.

“Do I have a favorite book? Hmmm...” you thought and a childish smile appeared on your face. “I have many favorite books, Mary...The Velveteen Rabbit, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe…”

“Yeah, but what’s like your most favorite book?”

You extended your hand out to her and she willingly accepted. Frank perked up his interest as he watched the two of you scamper off into the fiction area. Curious, he stood up and decided to follow. The two of you giggled quietly as you made your way around the columns, your free hand lightly ghosting over the spines of the books. The subtle scent of paper and dust permeated Frank’s sense of smell. He was more of an outdoorsy person nowadays as he had left behind his scholarly days teaching in Boston. It’s where Mary learned most from, his appetite to keep learning, vernacular, and wit . You slowed down and perused a row until you found your favorite book.

“Aha!” you exclaim and hid the book behind your back as Mary jumped up and down with excitement. “Now, I’m not sure if this is something you’d be interested in, it’s more for ten year olds in my opinion. However, I know you’re a very mature young lady and I find that you’d quite enjoy the story if you give it a chance.”

Frank smiled, perplexed as to what book could possibly be your favorite. You pulled the book from behind and showed Mary.

“Little Women,” she stated. “By Louisa May Alcott.”

“Yes. It’s a beautiful story, really. About sisters and the trials they endure during the American Civil War. There’s friendship, love, and growth.”

Mary bunched her nose, you could tell she was on the fence about whether she’d enjoy a story about fictional sisters and yucky love stuff. You started to pull it away, however she grabbed it from your hands. You laughed and looked at Frank who leaned onto the columns and folded his arms.

“Seems someone is wanting to expand their horizons,” he chuckled.

“So it seems,” you smiled back as Mary skipped off to return to the table leaving the two of you behind.

“I’m more of a Lord of the Rings man myself.”

“Really?” you responded playfully. “The Hobbit included, right?”

“Of course,” he scoffed. “I think I actually just read that one to be honest, I just wanted to impress you. I spent my time reading Calvin and Hobbes more, probably how Mary learned my sarcasm.”

You laugh and touch his forearm as a reflex, but quickly realize and pull away. The spark that you felt when you connected was undeniable. You felt butterflies with him standing next to you and you hoped he hadn’t noticed your inability to remain calm.

“Y/N…” he started to say nervously. “Would it be alright if I called ya? Maybe we can get together sometime?”

“Oh, umm,” you replied, caught off guard. While you definitely had caught feelings for the handsome man, you never would have thought it’d be reciprocated. You stuttered, trying to gather your response.

Your hesitation threw him off, and he quickly replied, “I mean...like to sit for Mary or whatever. She really likes you.”

“Of course...yes,” you reply defeated in hopes that he would have asked you out. Instead of asking why he didn’t, you started to walk back to Mary. Frank scrunched his face in frustration in knowing he missed his shot with you and blurted out the most platonic question instead. He realized as well and quickly shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and followed your lead.

Frank watched as you comfortably plopped yourself next to Mary on the couch, dreading that he had to meet up with Justine. He’d much rather relax on the couch with you and the rugrat, enjoying some silly kids movie together.

You peered over the couch, “Is it okay if she has popcorn?”

“What? Yes,” Mary said flatly and jumped off the couch to the kitchen.

“Okay, miss. But not too much sugar. Bedtime is still at 9,” Frank replied as you shrugged your shoulders.

“It’s the weekend, Frank,” Mary called out from the kitchen.

“Yes, but-“

“Will you be late?” you asked.

He looked at you in surprise, “Um, no. Probably before ten?”

“Okay, have fun.”

“It’s Y/N’s birthday,” Mary replied, carrying two coke bottles and a bag of jelly beans.

You shook your head in regret of ever telling the child when your birthday was. She was so inquisitive that day, asking about all your favorites: food, animals, books, and now birthday.

“It’s your birthday?!” Frank asked.

“Yeah, no big deal.”

“How old are you?” Mary asked as she set the drinks on the coffee table and then remembered how Frank would scold her about leaving water rings. She grabbed the coasters and placed them under the bottles.

“Mary!” Frank detested and placed his hands on his hips.

“How old do you think I am?” You tease, waving off to Frank that it was okay.

“Older than Justine, that’s for sure. She said she was 24, but looks 34. But she acts like she's 12. She hasn't even read anything on quantum physics, she thought wave mechanics was something Frank was working on with a boat,” she said coolly and popped a few jelly beans into her mouth. She nestled herself back into the couch cushions and wiggled her feet.

“Mary Elizabeth!” Frank’s voice boomed as he entered the living room.

Mary leaned over to whisper to you, “Frank says I'm not supposed to correct older people. Nobody likes a smart-ass.”

“And a busy body,” he huffed.

You nodded and laughed quietly, entertained at his expense.

“Well I am 32,” you smiled and looked at your watch, “As of one hour ago as a matter of fact.”

“That’s good. You’re much more mature than Justine and a better fit for him. Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you.”

“Mary…that’s it. You’re on your last warning,” Frank bellowed. “Don’t make me let Y/N go home and then you’re stuck with me tonight.”

“What? No! Okay. I’m sorry,” she lamented and folded her arms.

Frank’s demeanor changed as he turned to you, “I hadn’t known it was your birthday. Don’t feel pressured to sit for her tonight if you have other plans.” Secretly he wanted to cancel on Justine and spend the night celebrating you instead.

“Oh it’s okay! It kind of appeared out of nowhere. I usually go back home and celebrate with friends and family, but my schedule didn’t permit it this year. Next year, perhaps.”

“What’s your favorite dessert?” Mary asked as she chewed on another handful of jelly beans.

“Red velvet cheesecake,” you smiled. “I have a sweet tooth.”

Frank couldn’t concentrate on his date with Justine. His mind was elsewhere. On you. Justine grazed her hand as they sat next to each other at the bar. He seemed unfazed by her gesture and looked at his watch, 9:14pm. Would it be too obvious if he cut the date short that he was into you? He coughed and took a swig of his beer.

“Do you wanna come back to my place?” She cooed and bit her lip in anticipation.

“What? Oh actually I was gonna head out. The sitter needed me home by 9:30,” he lied.

“Oh, sitter?”

“Yeah, Mary. Remember? My niece?”

“That’s right. How old is she again?”

“Seven,” He said, annoyed. He recalled they had met once before. The bartender approached them and handed Frank the receipt.

“Hey, do you have any desserts on the menu?”

Justine’s ears perked in curiosity of where he was going with asking about dessert.

The bartender grunted slightly and threw a mangled tri-fold menu and Frank grabbed it quickly.

“Buddy, ring me up for the red velvet cupcake.”

#Laurens birthday challenge #Lauren's birthday sleepover #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans x female reader #chris evans x you #frank adler #gifted #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fluff #♡ frank adler ♡#open book

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mila-nott · 4 years

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**about mila nott.

I want money and all your power, all your glory. Hallelujah, I wanna take you for all that you’ve got.

basic information

Full name: Mila Louise Nott

Nickname: Mimi - only by Nikolai

Gender: Cisgender Female

Sexuality: Bisexual (not out to her parents)

Species: Witch

Date of Birth: January 6th

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn sun, Sagittarius moon, Leo rising

Languages Spoken: English and Spanish

Nationality: Cuban and Mexican

Blood status: Pureblood

appearance

Hair Color: Black

Hair Style: It depends on the outfit but she’ll usually have her hair up whether that’s in a ponytail, a bun, or a braid. When she’s not working that’s usually when she’ll have her hair down.

Eye Color: Brown

Tattoos: The Dark Mark on her left forearm

Piercings: She has two holes in each ear and her nipples pierced. She wears a stud and hoop in both ears then just regular silver bar jewelry for her nipple rings.

Skin tone: Tan

Height: 5′6

Clothing Style: Mila loves clothes and anything that has to do with fashion, she doesn’t have a distinct clothing style but she never wears the same clothes twice in the same week. She’ll never be seen wearing sweatpants, pajamas, or flat shoes out in public.

Other Distinguishing Features: The small gap in between her front teeth and she has multiple scars on her hands and forearms.

personality

Positive Traits: Confident, efficient, independent, and observant

Negative Traits: Aloof, calculating, decadent, and malicious

Character Alignment: Neutral Evil - A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for himself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those he kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. She has no love of order and holds no illusion that following laws, traditions, or codes would make him any better or more noble. On the other hand, she doesn't have the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has. Some neutral evil villains hold up evil as an ideal, committing evil for its own sake. Most often, such villains are devoted to evil deities or secret societies. Neutral evil is the best alignment you can be because you can advance yourself without regard for others. However, neutral evil can be a dangerous alignment because it represents pure evil without honor and without variation.

Likes: Fashion, successfully learning a complicated spell, money, when her parents tell her they’re proud of her, massages, skincare

Dislikes: Being talked down to, being treated like she’s less than, watching quidditch or anything quidditch related, horizontal stripes on clothing, and dogs

Hobbies: Reading, practicing spells, shopping, doing facemasks, playing chess

Fears: Being poor, marrying a muggle, being a housewife

Ambition: To restore the Nott’s reputation and be an extremely wealthy woman

family

Father: Theodore Nott Mother: Mariana Nott ( neé Pérez ) Sibling: Nikolai Nott, older brother by 2 years Paternal grandparents: Aldrich and Imogen Nott Maternal grandparents: Alvaro and Benita Pérez Uncles: Mauricio Pérez, None on his Father’s side. Aunts: Amada Diaz ( neé Pérez ), None on his Father’s side. Cousins: Fernán Pérez, Estefania Pérez, and Santanna Diaz Pet: A siamese cat named Alfred, he’s three years old Other noteworthy relatives: N/A Family home:

The Nott family estate is located in the country side of Englad. Their estate is cloaked from muggles, airplanes that pass by only see an illusion of a house in ruins. It’s a two story estate with a basement and 8 bedrooms and 7 and a half bathrooms. It has been in the Nott family for generations when they settled to England during the Renaissance.

After the war, Theodore’s parents went to Azkaban and he was forced to travel around Europe to escape the Aurors who were rounding up Death Eaters after the war. Theo found himself in Havana, Cuba where he met his wife. After being pardoned by the Ministry, with his wife and new child, the new Nott family returned to London. However, because the Nott’s assets were seized. They were forced to move to a suburban house. The new Nott family home is a two story house in the suburbs of England. It has 4 bedrooms and 3 and a half bathrooms. It’s also cloaked to keep muggles away.

Blood Status: Pureblood Social standing: Part of the Sacred 28, had a good standing as a powerful family the generation that his father was born, their standing went down after the war and their penchant for the dark arts came to light. They’re in an okay standing now, they’re not in the public eye as much. Family background: The Nott’s date back generations. They settled down in England around the Renaissance period, claiming land in the country side. They were a big family but swindled as they lived through generations due to only having 2 or 3 children to continue the family line. Each generation inherited their estate until the end of the Second Wizarding war.

individual magic

Wand Reaction When First Held: Her wand glowed at the tip when she first held it in her hand and made her hand and forearm feel warm, she automatically knew it was the one.

Wand: 9 inch Walnut with Dragon Heartstring, unyielding

Boggart: Being a beggar on the street and having nothing to her name

Patronus: A siamese cat

Animagus: N/A

Polyjuice: Has never used it

Amortentia: The crisp smell of money, tobacco, jasmine, and cedarwood

prologue

What happened before Hogwarts…

Mila, unlike her older brother, was never one to shy away from people or try to blend. She wanted all eyes on her and everybody’s attention, she was also very loud. At any gatherings Theodore held, Mila wanted to be right in the center of it all which usually lead to her being sent to bed not too long after. Mila didn’t seem to know what an “inside voice” was especially when she was very young, yelling was just her normal volume. It was as if she was a direct contrast to Nikolai which wasn’t a bad thing but it was different than what Theodore and Mariana were used to.

When Mila was around seven, that was when she’d begin to sneak into Theodore’s study and attempt to read all of the big books he had sitting on his shelves. She barely understood a word of it, of course. The words were too big and confusing but Theodore always promised her that one day he’d let her read everything he had once she was old enough. Around this time Mila really started to bond with her father, she loved her mother and brother too - of course. But she really was glued to her father’s side until she went to Hogwarts. She was practically under his feet where ever he went. Mila and Nikolai were never particularly close but there wasn’t any sense of a rivalry. They were just into different things at the time. It was pretty rare to actually see them hanging out when they were younger. However, that doesn’t mean that she completely left him alone she would often try to stick her nose into whatever he was doing just so she knew what he was up to.

years at hogwarts

first year

Sorted into: Ravenclaw Best subject: Transfiguration Favorite subject: History of Magic Worst subject: Herbology Least favorite subject: Flying Quidditch: She went to all of the games that Ravenclaw played in because she felt like she had to but was dreadfully bored during all of the games. Christmas holiday: Went home, she missed her parents like crazy. Other: Mila was heartbroken that she wasn’t sorted into the same house as her brother but she did make it her mission to stalk him out at any time she could. She knew he preferred to be “alone” but obviously, sisters don’t count.

second year

Best subject: Transfiguration and Charms Favorite subject: Potions Worst subject: Herbology Least favorite subject: Herbology Quidditch: She didn’t try out and had no interest in the sport at the time, she’d show up for some games to show her support for Ravenclaw but would’ve rather been in her dorm. Christmas holiday: Went home. Other: Began bonding with her fellow Ravenclaw students more and had a few friends but she didn’t consider them to be “close”. She more or less just spoke to them so she wouldn’t have to sit alone at lunch, she was still upset she wasn’t in Slytherin.

third year

Elective subjects: Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes Best subject: Transfiguration, Charms, and Arithmancy Favorite subject: Study of Ancient Runes Worst subject: Astronomy Least favorite subject: Herbology Quidditch: She went to about three games, max. Around this time, Mila stopped pretending that she was interested in quidditch and would only go if she was absolutely begged. Hogsmeade: She went with a few of her Ravenclaw buddies and had her first butterbeer, she did end up ditching her Ravenclaw friends for her new Slytherin ones. Christmas holiday: Went home. Other: This was the first year her brother didn’t come home with her and she was livid, she of course didn’t know what her older brother was going through so she took it a little too personally. She didn’t talk to him until her birthday the next month which was the longest she had gone without talking to him.

fourth year

Best subject: Study of Ancient Runes and Charms Favorite subject: Transfiguration Worst subject: Herbology and Astronomy Least favorite subject: Herbology Quidditch: She completely stopped showing up for quidditch games by this point, unless it was an important game even then she’d ditch early. She wasn’t concerned with pretending to like the stupid game anymore. Hogsmeade: Mila went with her Slytherin friends and a few Ravenclaw ones, she spent most of her time and money at Honeydukes then the group of them went to the Three Broomsticks before they left and had a butterbeer. Christmas holiday: Went home. Other: Mila and Nikolai began getting closer around this time, they weren’t exactly joined at the hip or anything but they hung out if they both had free time. There weren’t any deep conversations, usually them just sitting in silence and enjoying each other’s company. She was also absolutely terrified about what she had been hearing about the Death Eater attacks. Theodore didn’t tell her he was involved with the Death Eaters at this time.

fifth year

Best subject: Study of Ancient Runes, Charms, and Transfiguration Favorite subject: Charms and Arithmancy Worst subject: Herbology Least favorite subject: Herbology and Astronomy Quidditch: Didn’t go to any games at all her fifth year, she usually took this time to catch up on her school work or go sneaking around with her boyfriend at the time. Hogsmead: She went with a mixed group of friends from Ravenclaw and Slytherin, also with her boyfriend at the time. She had her first date at Madam Puddifoot’s teashop which was absolutely dreamy to her at the time. She went to Honeydukes after and then finished the day at the Three Broomsticks. Christmas holiday: Went home. Other: During her fifth year was when her relationship with Nik really blossomed but she couldn’t help but be disappointed since this was his last year at Hogwarts. But she really tried to see him every chance she got when she had free time. Mila still wasn’t told about her father’s involvement with the Death Eaters at this time.

O.W.L. Scores

Potions: Exceeds Expectations Charms: Outstanding Transfiguration: Outstanding Astronomy: Poor Herbology: Dreadful Arithmancy: Exceeds Expectations Study of Ancient Runes: Outstanding History of Magic: Exceeds Expectations Defense Against the Dark Arts: Exceeds Expectations

sixth year

Dropped subjects: Astronomy, Herbology, and Arithmancy Electives: Alchemy and The Study of Ancient Runes Best subject: Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts Favorite subject: Transfiguration and Charms Worst subject: Potions Least favorite subject: Potions Quidditch: Didn’t attend any games her sixth year, usually used this time to try and keep up with her Potions work since it was really difficult her sixth year. Hogsmeade: She went with a group of her friends and definitely ignored Madam Puddifoot’s since she was broken up with by her boyfriend at the time. However, she did go to the Shrieking Shack with her friends and ended up hexing him when she saw him with another girl. She got detention for two weeks for that but she thought it was worth it. Christmas holiday: Went home. Other: When she came home for Christmas this year, Theodore told her about his involvement with the Death Eaters. He told her that when she was seventeen she’d have to make a choice on whether or not she’d be joining them.

seventh year

Best subject: Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Transfiguration Favorite subject: Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration Worst subject: None Least favorite subject: None Quidditch: She only attended two games for her seventh year, she figured she might as well since it would be the last time she’d be seeing her house play - she only left early once. Hogsmeade: This year Mila went to Hogsmeade alone and spent most of this time reflecting on where her life after Hogwarts would take her. But she made her annual trip to Honeydukes, of course. Christmas holiday: Went home. Other: Mila got the Dark Mark this year.

N.E.W.T Scores

Potions: Acceptable Charms: Outstanding Transfiguration: Outstanding Defense Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding Study of Ancient Runes: Exceeds Expectations Alchemy: Exceeds Expectations

epilogue

What happened after Hogwarts…

Once Mila left Hogwarts she got the Dark Mark like her brother. She knew that if the Nott’s were going to rise back up, all of them needed to be on the same page. While she was living at home, she was definitely struggling to find a job. She didn’t really know what she was qualified to do but she also didn’t want to be stuck in a job she hated or worse, behind a desk doing paperwork. Boring. Which was how she ended up as a Curse Breaker which definitely wasn’t a job that Mila had ever considered before. But she discovered that she really liked it and it also got her to work on her spells, especially her non-verbal ones. Mila lived at home until only last year since she was saving up her money to get a place of her own.

Her home is very ...modest but it’s her own and that’s what mattered to her. Even though she was always close with her parents (her dad more than her mom), she didn’t really make the time to visit them as much as she thought. On the rare occasion she would visit home, she always felt this need to do more and be better. She had to do more to try and get the Nott’s reputation restored, she had to be a better Death Eater but also better in her career. Since her father couldn’t remind her of this everyday since they were no longer under the same roof, it felt as if he had to drill it into her head as soon as she walked in through the door. Although Mila wasn’t really sure what else she could do, she was pushing herself as hard as she could.

Since she threw herself pretty much head first into her career and her life with the Death Eaters, she never really had much time for friends. She’d usually end up bailing on gatherings with her old friends from school or just flat out ignoring them. But Mila always had time for a little romance, even though the last serious relationship she had was when she was a fifth year. Having a nice man or woman (only men if you’re her parents) take her out and treat her to an expensive meal always lifted her spirits after working hard, especially the after dinner entertainment. Mila has little to no social life outside of that and she swears up and down that it doesn’t bother her but - of course it does. After seeing how her father treated her brother for being “weak”, she would rather die with the weight of the world on her shoulders than tell anyone she needs help.

#bio

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anxaanya · 5 years

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Chapter 1

Ok hi, this is gonna be a long intro so no on has to read this. But, very unrelated to what I am posting. I am super down at the moment? I literally have no friends and feel very pathetic rn so I wrote something? My life is literally a downhill spiral rn and I don’t even have anyone to talk to about it. Literally no one so I wrote bc I want to be in a another world so bad(preferably a really chill happy shojo anime where everything is pastel). Its not the best, i just wrote this on a whim and no one has to read this seriously but I want to be a writer and just wanna get myself out there.

But anyways this is a part of a bigger story. I basically created a whole new character that i was debating on making it my own thing or just do a fanfic but I decided on fanfic bc it’s too similar to bp lol. So basically it’s about this girl named Amale who escaped like a slave trade and lost everything but years later she becomes like a warrior who wants to over throw the royal family bc they don’t do shit about it and like it keeps happening. And shes apart of like a girl warrior group like the Dora Malije and Erik comes and helps them lol. Its stupid but its not meant to be romantic. It’ll get there but rn I just want it to be super badass with badass women. And I want this to be comic(bc comics are basically fanfics, they just write different stories for the same characters lmao)

But also Amale is inspired by Sumrider, this cool badass martial artist I love, check her out and also catwoman cuz animals are a big influence(I love animals) used later on and shell be really graceful and I just think catwoman is the coolest ever lmao

So here we go also trigger warnings: blood, human trafficking, rape, murder, death

I smiled as I dug my fingers deep into the bowl of wooden beads. They clanked beautifully against each other and in evidently calmed my nerves. I finally took one out the bowl and marveled at the walnut colored wood that was painted with ascents of red. I glanced in the mirror and met my eyes in the reflection. My cornrows were fresh and neat and ran down head, twisting, turned and overlapping each other along the way. The hairstyle allowed for my round forehead to be on display but I didn’t mind. They were painless yet tight enough to pull my already almond shaped eyes back to a smaller squint. I slipped the last bead on the end of my braid that fell over my ear, allowing it to move freely. I marveled at my bead work, shaking my head, letting the plaits dance as I closed my eyes.

“Amale.” Startled from my trance, I spun my head to the call of my name. My eyes were met with Sa’diyah’s. They were round and kind and shone through the only light in the dim room allowing for me to see her dilated pupil that swam pools of amber. Her locs were rolled into a secure updo and in the graceful way she walked, she began to saunter towards me, and folded her long legs under her as she sat.

“I really think you should have choose a more practical hairstyle,” she laughed as she softly pushed my long braids behind me.

“I did. It’s way more practical than an afro.” I retorted. “Which makes no sense. You know my hero is afro samurai,” I continued and she laughed again, still running her fingers through my braids breaking the quiet of the night with the clacking beads.

“Are you ready for this Amale?” She asked as she dropped her hand from my hair and stared at me again.

I bit my lip and turned away. “You know I have to.”

She didn’t speak. Her unakite stone pendant glistened in the light. The crystal I gifted to her. The crystal that belonged to my sister. The crystal I could no longer hold because of the memories it held.

I remembered the last day I saw her wear it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Amale come!” My sister tugged at my wrist. My ears rung and my sister’s desperate plea voiced. I was frozen. I stood and never took my eyes off of my father’s body that lay in front of our front door. I stood as I watched the blood seep out of his still body. I watched as men in heavy uniforms and thick boots shot carelessly around our village. Their boots stomping on everything. Our crops. Our animals. Or lives. With giant guns strapped to their back, they killed those that were of no use to them and took those that were.

One of those men lay dead on our floor in the living room. He barged in uninvited. We were home alone. I sat on the couch watching afro samurai, one of my favorite shows and in that moment would finally witness merciless murder like those in this show. My sister hated that show and would never understand why our father would let me, a 10 year old girl watch something as violent as this. He always replied with, “Maybe she’ll learn something.” But I knew it was because he didn’t have the heart to tell either of us no. Spoiled was an understatement. My older sister was at the table, brewing a cup of tea for my father for when he returned from work. The sun was close to setting and he loved his cup of tea at the end of a long day. The tea sat on the counter as my sister washed dishes and talked on the phone to her boyfriend. I think they were fighting. He was cheater and I ever understood why my sister didn’t just leave him. Everyone wanted her. She was beautiful or I guess whatever was considered beautiful in these parts. We both shared a signature almond eye shape with a feminine slant and large full lips, two traits we inherited from our mother. My sister had long beautiful locs that contrasted amazingly with her skin. Her hair was as black as night and her edges were often free and curled in naps and kinks. (She didn’t care much for re-twisting.) Our black hair is another trait we had in common, although mine was much wilder, never done, and could barely hold a curl. My sister’s skin was a light golden brown, (that kind of reminded me of a lion’s coat which I would tease her for) and she has a cute button nose. I was told I would eventually grow into my forehead. My skin was a rich mahogany brown, kind of like…the rich beautiful brown of an antelope (My sister also hated my weird possession with animals.)

“Afia, I’m sorry, you know I love you,” I could hear the man on the other end speak as his voice was deep and booming. I could see why she liked him, he was super tall and muscular and I was too scared to ever look him in the eye when he spoke to me. “I hear you Oko just let me think about it.” She was now done with the dishes and leaned on the kitchen counter, playing with the unakite stone in her pendant that belonged to our mother. The stone aids in health and healing especially within pregnancy, which I find ironic as she died right after I was born.

The man that lay dead by our coffee table, barged in. And went straight to my sister, and yanked the phone from her fingers. “You’re a pretty little thing aren’t you,” he spoke through clenched teeth as he held her face tight towards his. I jumped from the couch attempting to pull him away from her. He glanced down at me and kicked me, sending me flying. “You’ll also do well in time little girl,” he spoke as he pushed my sister aside and began stomping toward me.

Out of nowhere I heard a loud boom. I screamed as blood flew from the man’s chest onto my face and he fell with a thud next to me. I shivered in shock as I just witnessed a real life murder. Afro Samurai still playing in the background and the sound made me sick to my stomach. My sister began to run to whoever stood behind me, tears streaming down her face, I heard the figure voice out, “Afia wait,” he called out to my sister.

I turned my head to see my father, shaking in fear. He held a tiny gun in front of him aiming at the man that lay next to me. He bleed out through his hip, the only spot without armor. He wasn’t dead.

“Father! Watch out!” I managed to scream. It was too late. The world moved in slow motion. My hearing was gone so I couldn’t hear myself scream in terror as I watched my father’s body drop. Blood spilling from his head. My sister’s screams were muted and I watched as she ran towards him and cried on his chest. I quickly remembered the man and grabbed my father’s hand gun that was soaking in a puddle of blood. I aimed at this man’s head and pulled the trigger.

My ears rung and the world was silent. Tears streamed down my face and I felt my sister grab my wrist, knocking the gun from my hand. She shook me to and fro as she screamed something I couldn’t hear. Her heavy pendant knocked against my shoulder as she yelled and I turned my attention to my father who I didn’t take my eyes off of. The sound returned and I finally heard my sister urging me to come and get out of here. All I could think of was the tea on the counter getting cold.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“Amale, I’m sorry.”

“Huh?” I unconsciously played with Sa’diyah’s necklace.

“For bringin up-“

“It’s fine.” I cut Sa’diyah off and dropped the pendant.

“I just…please don’t be mad at me.” She continued.

I looked into her large round eyes. “I could never,” I retorted. I meant it. “You’re like my little sister Sa’diyah. I could never.” I glanced down. “My older sister was never mad at me. Or she never made it obvious at least.” I forced a laugh. And she laughed too.

Silence filled the room.

“So as your sister,” Sa’diyah’s began as she broke the silence. Her posture straightened and she smiled exposing her larger, straight white teeth. “I can tell you anything right.” She continued.

“Of course.”

“Um, I’m not gonna tell you now, but it’s about you know...”

“No I don’t know,” I answered trying to hide my annoyance.

“You know the guy that came out of nowhere kind of sorta leading our group in this rebellion.” As she spoke, I wished I weren’t this annoying at sixteen…

“What Sa’daiyah? What about him?” I said with a tone that showed my displease.

“Well it’s just, I was thinking that maybe-“

“He’s an amazing asset to this team. He knows everything about the royal family and he can get us in. Overthrowing them is essential. He’s essential. Remember, they took my sister. They did nothing when my village was taken over. My father died-“

“My village was invaded too,” Sa’diyah spoke with an attitude.

“I know Sa’diyah, all the more reason.” I touched her shoulder but she brushed it off.

“I’m just saying, I don’t trust him.” Her eyes narrowed and her voice shifted to a hushed tone. “You better be right about him. If he-“

We were interrupted by melodic clanks. We both looked to see a large hand move away the beads that hung down the doorway. In walked a tall man, heavy boots, military pants and a tight tee. His weapons decorated his large solid body and his dreads where braided in two cornrows a top his head.

His deep voice boomed. “Y’all ready?”

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blueangelicrose · 5 years

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A New Beginning: Chapter 6: Secret Family History Revealed and The First Day of Work

A very long time ago, even before Joan and her sister were born, a quiet but not so secret war was raging on between two dimensions. These dimensions are called Heaven and Hell. Heaven, as everyone knows, is the home dimension of the Creator of all things, the angels (his loyal workers), and other beings that has either lived or has just been created and cannot die. And Hell, of course like everyone knows, is a unholy dimension that God, the Creator, created in order to hold the first fallen angel, Lucifer, also known as the Devil. Hell is not only the home of the Devil, but also his evil minions, souls of the damned, and other fallen angels. But what everyone didn't know were all the battles that were fought in this eternal war. One of these battles was about to change the tide of the war, and for the better.

During this one particular battle, a Dark Cupid, who he and his family are considered as nobles in Hell, fell from the sky and crashed to the Earth. He was greatly wounded from a stab wound to the side of his stomach from an Angel's sword. That said Angel came right after him to finish him off. And as the Angel was about to execute the finishing blow, the Dark Cupid pleaded to the Angel to please let him live. He told him that he was going to be a new father and he had to be there for his family. He also said that he, his family, and close friends that were practically family never really had total loyalty and respect for the Devil. He explained that they tried various ways of trying to escape his grasp but to no avail. He even tried to avoid going to battle altogether. But the Devil said that since he and his family and friends were on the verge of being eradicated by the Devil himself, due to their many attempts of escape. And if he didn't participate in this battle and war, it would only ensure their fate. He and his loved ones were always dreaming of either living separately from the Devil's rule or even better yet, finding salvation from God and living in peace.

So the Dark Cupid asked if the angel could spare him his life and let him return to his family, then he and his loved ones would swear total allegiance to God. The angel was dumbfounded. He never heard anything like this before from someone like him. The angel wasn't totally for sure if he was telling the truth or not. Dark beings from Hell are notorious liars and can't be trusted. But something in the angel told him that he COULD trust him. Then, the angel had an idea. He told the Dark Cupid that if he helped him in this endeavour, he would not only serve under the name of God but he also wanted him to promise that, when the time comes, one of his descendants would marry and have a family with one of his descendants. It would be proof that things CAN change for the better, and someday, change the way everyone saw things. The Dark Cupid was surprised at his demands, but agreed anyways. Soon enough the angel healed him and helped him evacuate his loved ones to a safe place where even the Devil couldn't get a hold of them.

The Dark Cupid asked the angel if it was okay to do this behind God's back. But the angel told him that He already knows and was quite fine with it. The angel also told him that God is all-knowing and works in mysterious ways. So if He says it's okay, then He has a plan for both the Dark Cupid and his loved ones. The angel held out a box with beautiful designs on it and told the Dark Cupid that if he felt completely sure about this, then he would open the box and part of God's power and blessings would transform him and his loved ones. Making them part of the Heavenly Kingdom forever. The Dark Cupid looked at the box, then his loved ones, back at the box, and then at the angel. All his loved ones smiled and said it was okay. The angel also said that it wouldn't cause him or his loved ones any harm and that from now on, God would always protect them. The Dark Cupid felt reassured and opened the box, and like as the angel said, they were completely transformed and were turned into servants of God.

And as time progressed, the descendants of both the Dark Cupid family and the Angel's family fulfilled the promise that was made oh-so long ago, and as a result came the most beautiful and lovely twins that would change the course of history forever. But even the most perfect looking people have their struggles. Like, for instance, starting a new but temporary job. But in Joan's case, it was a job at the Devil's Casino! The very being that her ancestors tried so hard to escape from! And now she's working for him! But fortunately for her, it was only temporary. As long as she earned enough money to pay back the debt and get her locket back, she would endure it.

King Dice showed Joan and Adrian around and then quickly lead them to their rooms. Their rooms were spacious and very lavish. Everything to the floor, the furniture, the beds, and to the ceiling was gorgeous. The only thing was, was that both their rooms were at opposite sides of two entirely different wings of the building. Dice had let them get settled in and told them to hurry up and get changed then meet him in the lobby in about a half hour. When he left, Joan quickly pulled out a magical telecommunications compact mirror and informed her superiors of what had happened. Let's just say that her superiors were less than pleased, to put it lightly. But as they were about to scold Joan, they suddenly received a message from God. The message said that it was okay, as long as she didn't do anything that would cause trouble for the Heavenly Council. And to keep in constant contact with them and report anything suspicious that the Devil might be cooking up. Joan and, reluctantly, the Council agreed upon the terms that God had set. Then as she signed off, she looked through her closet, and found her new uniform. She sighed deeply and said, "Let's get this over with."

Within the half hour they came to the lobby in their uniforms ready to work. Joan's uniform was a classic white blouse with a deep scarlet red feminine vest with shiny gold colored buttons on the front of the vest. She also had a black feminine styled pants and shiny, classy, but feminine looking black closed toed shoes. And to not attract any attention to herself, she wore her hair in a business styled bun held together with a very strong clip. She also wore her thick glasses so that no one could easily recognize her. And as for Adrian, he wore a men's white long sleeved shirt with a brown vest that had shiny gold buttons on the front. He also wore a men's black long sleeved pants and had black, shiny, and classic looking closed toed shoes. He didn't really need to disguise himself since he didn't have a high risk of being discovered of being an angelic reconnaissance agent.

As they stood there in the lobby, King Dice came over to them and said, "Ah! So both of you CAN follow orders without messing up. At least.....for now. Anywho, these are your fellow colleagues that you will be working with from now on, or at least until you repay your debt." Behind him was a crowd of people(?) all in uniforms. Some of them she recognized right off the bat. Like the Tipsy Troop, also known as the Glass Trio, Mr. Wheezy, Victoria Doll, Phear Lap, Chips Bettigan, and of course, the Cup Bros. There was also a bunch of demon waiters and dealers as well. Not to mention a few imps crawling here and there. She recognized the demon waiter that helped her and Adrian to their table, and gave him a gentle smile. She also recognized the annoying little imp that swiped her locket from her. She gave the imp an sharp but angry looking glare so intense and quick, that even though the imp was only able to catch a glimpse of it, he still shuddered from fear and hid behind the demon waiter that she smiled at. And since the look she gave to the imp was so quick, no one else noticed it but him. Which left the demon waiter confused at why the imp was hiding behind him. Dice himself wondered why the imp suddenly got scared and continued with the introductions. "Ok-ay-? Well then, *ahem*, well these are our two new recruits. Though they'll only be temporarily working here, I expect that you all, regardless of their circumstances, to treat them like anyone else here working for the casino. Is that understood?"

Whispers filled the room, wondering why the boss didn't take their souls if they were in debt. Speculations, accusations, and rumors started to form in hundreds. Joan figured that this would happen and was prepared to endure the worst. Besides, she's been through this numerous times that it's all become numbing to her. The one thing that she was worried about was Adrian. He was pretty sensitive when it came to bullying. He was picked on when he was young by other kids because he was considered as a monster rather than a normal living being. It was very traumatizing for him. It even effects him till this very day. Though he doesn't cry like a baby like he did back then, he still feels like he might throw up or lose it whenever people start to either whisper about him or try to pick a fight with him. And since Joan was the only one who protected him since he was a kid from the bullies, she felt obligated to try to fend off as many troublesome people as she could. Who might either try to make him sick in the stomach or might put themselves in jeopardy just by setting him off and lighting their butts on fire.

Joan looked over at Adrian seeing if he was okay. But he was just barely holding in his anxiety and clenching his fists so hard that it could obliterate a walnut. She was about to reach over to his hand and try to calm him down, when she suddenly heard an accusation that sent her anger through the roof. "I bet the only reason that her soul wasn't taken by the boss was because she must've somehow seduced him into sparing her and that guy's life. She must've used a powerful seduction spell or something. I mean, just look at them. They might look like just normal joes but I bet that's just a ruse. I bet they're so powerful, especially the chick, that they've come here to just to see how they can ruin the business. I mean, did you hear what she did to the machines? She knocked the boss's spell right out of the games! And now that she's in, she's going to make this place go bankrupt! She and her good for nothing friend are nothing but trouble! Not to mention, suspicious looking freaks of nature!" Joan grew silent, then clenched her fists and her teeth in full rage. She located the person(?) that said this and marched right up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and yanked him up so close to her face that not even her thick glasses couldn't hide her black and glowing icy blue eyes. Joan replied to his little comment about her and Adrian with low growling tone in her voice, "You, of all people, have no right to judge in who a person is. Especially on how they look! You ain't no prince charming either buddy! And by the way, the day that I would use a seduction spell on scum like your boss, would be the day that swine takes to the skies! So I don't want to hear any of your crap on how we got here or how we're going to get out! So, if I were you, I would shut your trap before you get in more trouble than you're already in. Got it, pal?!" The nervous demon frantically shook his head in agreement, while shivering with fear. King Dice told her to put him down immediately and walk away. She silently clicked her tongue and rudely but bluntly released the demon from her grasp. As she walked back to Adrian, she took one last glance at the trembling demon. She then silently gave him a deadly and heart stopping toothy sideways smile. And she made sure to show her fang in her smile, while at the same time, revealing her scary demon-like eyes from the uncovered edge of her glasses. And lastly gave a silent but rememberable evil like laugh. The demon was so frightened that he almost passed out. As she returned to Adrian she whispered into his ear a calming spell to help calm his nerves. As the spell took effect, he was able to regain his senses. He whispered to her his thanks and she whispered back to him, "You're welcome, you're like family to me after all. I'll always be there for you. You're like a brother to me. Always remember that." Adrian smiled and whispered, "I will, and again, thanks."

Joan, in turn, smiled back. Then she turned her attention towards King Dice and asked where their station was and what they were going to do. King Dice was hesitant at first, but then replied, "Your first jobs are to wait the tables with the Cup Brothers. And please, try not to kill each other or threaten the customers. (Even if both of the employees and the customers are annoying as Hell)." Joan turned her attention towards the Cup Bros. and fixated her gaze on Cuphead. He had a nervous smile on his face and was nervously waving hello. Joan thought that she must've scared him and gave him the impression that she was a scary person. But despite what she and everyone else thought of herself, Cuphead was actually thinking the opposite. He thought, "Shoot! She was so cool when she did that! I need to say hi to her to make her feel welcome! Uhhh...how do I talk again? Crap! She's walking over to me already! Think idiot! Say something! You're just standing there smiling and waving nervously like a complete idiot! This never happened to me before! I need to get my act together and talk to her! Think Cuphead! Think!" While he was deep in thought, Mugman spoke up and greeted Joan and Adrian and showed them what to do. And at the same time, dragging Cuphead by the arm while he was still in shock trying to think of a way to talk to her. Unfortunately, by the time he was able to gather his senses and courage to talk to her, her shift had ended and already went back to her room. Cuphead paused for what seemed like forever, but in reality was only five minutes. Mugman and King Dice looked at Cuphead and then at each other with this indifferent look on their faces. King Dice finally raised a brow and a cocky smile and said, "Well well~....looks like Cuphead's spring time has finally come!" Mugman looked at King Dice and asked if he was serious. "Well just go over and ask him yourself." Mugman quietly snuck up behind him and did a fake cough/insult to get Cuphead's attention. " *Cough* *cough*, Earth to idiot in love, *cough* *cough*" Cuphead finally snapped out of it and yelled, "You were so cool! What's your name?!"

To Be Continued....

End of chapter 6. To be continued in chapter 7.

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angryrabbit42 · 6 years

Text

Uniquely Alone

Kahlen had heard the rumor in the bathroom from a siren who was telling a Fae girl with mossy hair. A thrill had run through her. Being undead wasn’t as exciting as the movies made it out to be and tonight was supposed to change that. She was going to embrace the weirdness, and get a piercing, or a tattoo or dance with a stranger. She bounced around in the drink line. She was also going to get a drink, an alcoholic drink, for the first time.

“There’s a unicorn her tonight,” Kahlen told the tall brown haired man next to her, excited.

He had the bright sheen to his pale skin that indicated he was either Fae or Incubi. He had been shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip with her for the last five minutes as they jostled for position at the bar. His warmth had seeped into her cold skin, making her feel a bit connected to him in a way she was forgetting after her time undead. His blood would be amazing if she could convince him to donate some. Not that blood donation was the reason he was here. It was a piercing/tattooing event for the Others, the ones that couldn’t go to a human place because of blood colors, skin tones or otherworldly features. It was also a massive party, complete with open bar, loud music, and flashing lights.

“Pfft, that’s ridiculous,” he said and turned to face her. “What are you new?” he asked.

Kahlen would have blushed if her heart still pumped. “Yeah, this is my first supernatural anything.”

Grinning brightly he ordered for both of them, politely asking her preferred blood type. He ordered a drink for sylvans. He tipped the satyr and handed her a glass. Bold, he took her by the elbow. She let him lead her away from the bar and back to one of the corner booths. The music was loud and electronic. Once they slid into the booth, it was tolerable. He lifted his glass and they clinked. Kahlen watched him take a sip of the syrupy looking green drink. It was probably light on the alcohol and heavy on the chlorophyll. He definitely had to be Fae. His eyes were a rich walnut instead of the normal grassy green but she hadn’t met many wood nymphs or Fae or anything before tonight.

“How long since?” he asked and waved at her.

“A year,” Kahlen responded. “Woke up on the football field.”

Grimacing in sympathy, he took another sip and explained why he asked. It was considered rude to ask a vampire how they died. Kahlen had learned that the hard way when she had come across her first old vampire. Her wrist still hurt from the break. “Everyone here knows about unicorn blood,” he murmured, leaning in close in case anyone was close enough to listen. “I didn't want you to embarrass yourself.”

Kahlen reached out a hand to shake his formally. He gripped her hand with his warm one and let loose with a toothy grin. “Kahlen Jenson,” she introduced herself.

“Kahlen! Great name! Very modern,” he enthused. He didn’t give her a name in return. That was very Fae. Names had power. She grimaced. She shouldn’t have given him her name. He noticed and winked. “It’s just hard to pronounce,” he remarked and elaborated when she blinked, “My name, it’s difficult to… You can call me...hmm. What name do you like?”

She rolled her eyes. Tilting her head to exam his bright eyes, straight nose, and silly grin, she thought she’d tease him a bit. “How about Fareed?

The humor drained out of him. “Oh, you might be a bit of a seer, Kahlen. Fine, but shorten it to Reed, alright?”

Kahlen placed her hand over his. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

His smile re-appeared and he said arrogantly, “I am unique, that’s true enough. But I’m not alone right now, am I?”

“No,” she replied and giggled as he downed his drink. His eyes seemed to glow silver for a second before fading back to the same walnut brown. “So, unicorn blood?”

“Right, oh, forgotten that already,” he murmured and looked offended when she giggled again. “Yes, right okay. Can’t bleed in public.” He waved his hand around the dance floor where werewolves, Fae, sprites, and vampires were dancing under the undulating lights. “Smells fantastic, amazingly, wonderfully fantastic, and any number of these would rip one apart to get a taste. You can’t have unicorn blood without the unicorn’s permission. It does bad, very bad things to you.”

“What sort of things?” Kahlen asked.

He rolled his eyes and reiterated, “Bad things. Can’t get piercings or tattoos.”

“Because they would bleed,” Kahlen said, puzzling it out.

“Yup and the poor unicorn would get torn apart,” he agreed. “Let’s dance!”

Her strange new friend had pulled her onto the dance floor before she could protest. He didn’t get too close to her. He kept a hold of one of her hands always as if he was afraid she would disappear if he let go. Kahlen had never been to a human rave before she was murdered. She was forever eighteen and she had been sheltered. The press of bodies around them was exciting as heat radiated off of the live things. A few vampires nodded in her direction. Most of them were islands, dotted around the ocean of people, in the water, but not a part of it. She let herself move with Reed. She grabbed his other hand when he was in danger of being pulled away by an aggressive weregirl. He slipped into her arms gratefully, hugging her.

A rich fresh scent assaulted her. It was like a hot fudge sundae, and chips, and pizza, and she felt her mouth start to water. An image of ripping into his throat flashed across her mind’s eye. She jerked back, but he held tight to her. He whispered in her ear. “So what did you come here for? Tattoo? Piercing?”

Kahlen shivered as his breath brought more of his scent to her and warmed her skin. She missed being warm. Wherever he touched, he left a glorious trail of it. Her fangs descended and he spun her out and back. She blinked, pulling back on the need to feed. Reed watched her with a rueful expression. She fought the urge to apologize. She was trying to make a friend, not kill him. Bloodlust wasn’t something she had ever gotten used to in the last year. It always freaked her out and made her buzz with guilt.

“Piercing,” she replied, resisting the urge to inhale.

He let go and disappeared into the crowd. Kahlen searched for him as he bounced away. Left on her own, she became her own island as the crowd continued to dance around her. Had she offended Reed? Maybe. She had been flashing fang and entertaining the idea of having him for dinner. She bit into her lip in frustration. She didn’t have any supernatural friends yet. She had barely had any live ones left after being turned. She saw a Fae disappear into the back booths as a were came out with a large silver hoop in his ear.

She slipped through the crowd like a shark. If Reed wasn’t coming back, she may as well get the piercing she had wanted. Her mother had never let her pierce her ears. Now she was beholden to none, as sires rarely stuck around after turning someone. It would make her look more grown up. It would at least make her fit better into this crowd.

A bored Fae gave her a once over. “Vampires can’t tattoo. Piercing? Let me guess earrings?”

“Yeah,” Kahlen said, affecting the same bored tone as the pretty Fae with her long pink hair in complicated braids.

“Second booth,” the Fae gave her a light shove but sniffed her as she went.

Kahlen frowned, walking backwards to see the Fae leaning toward her, inhaling again. Slipping into the curtained booth backward, she spun to face a tall elegant vampire dressed in royal purple from head to toe. He even had purple latex gloves at his station.

“Ears please,” Kahlen said, unsure what she needed to do.

He sniffed disdainfully as he approached. The vampire sniffed again in earnest. In a blink, Kahlen was pinned to the table under his powerful right hand. Fangs descended and eyes glowing brilliant scarlet, the vampire sniffed again. “You smell…”

“Thanks?”

“Delicious,” he finished.

Uh oh, Kahlen struggled against the steel grip of the bigger and considerably older vampire above her. Did vampires kill and eat younger vampires? Eyes wide, she kicked out, knocking the older vampire off balance. He was back in an instant, claws slashing into her leg as she scrambled off the piercer’s table. The scent of her own blood, bubbling up thick and dark, terrified her. Kahlen tossed the table of surgical instruments into the vampire’s face.

The privacy curtain was ripped open. Reed stood there gasping. “My fault!”

The tall purple vampire spun to face him.

“Me, not her,” he said. “I’m the one you want.”

“You smell,” the vampire said, eyes red but glazed over. “I have to taste you. I have to-”

Reed glowed a brilliant silvery blue. Kahlen watched that light explode out of him and knock the piercer across the room. He collapsed in a heap. Reed knelt down next to her, radiating the scent of pepperoni pizza and a chocolate milkshake. Kahlen’s fangs descended. She hadn’t had anything to drink but blood in a year.

“You’re hurt,” he cried reaching out to her.

“You’re the unicorn,” she said, fighting to keep still.

“The one and only,” he said. “I only came out tonight because I was lonely. I’m the last one. I’ve been the last one for decades.”

Losing a lot of her blood was helping slow her down but her hunger, her hunger was growing. Hissing, she curled in on herself as the pangs in her stomach made thinking harder and harder to do.

Reed touched her arm. She flinched away. He gripped her arm. “Kahlen, I went to get a drink for you, so you wouldn’t be so focused on me, on my blood. You were gone when I got back. I was stupid. My scent was all over you. I masked it, but I touched you, hugged you…

“I-I don’t want to kill you,” Kahlen hissed, trying to block out the tantalizing scent of roast turkey and mashed potatoes that he was sporting now. “So hungry. You smell like Thanksgiving.”

“Oh, well that’s one on me, Thanksgiving? Really?” he asked, eyes glowing silver.

Kahlen nodded, squeezing her eyes shut to fight harder against her own body. “Now leave before…”

“No. It’s fine, I can heal you. My blood can heal you,” Reed said as he snatched a dropped needle off the floor.

“Bad things,” Kahlen grunted.

“Only if I don’t want you to do it. I give you permission, okay? But it might have side effects,” he said as he stabbed his arm multiple times to get his bright pearlescent blood to rise to the surface. “We’ll worry about that after. Trust me…Oh, okay, you be careful.”

Kahlen latched onto his arm and her fangs sank into his skin, popping it and blood sluiced into her mouth. Reed grunted but let her hold on. The blood, oh it tasted exactly like Thanksgiving, mixed with hot chocolate, and mint chocolate ice cream, and every other food she had been craving for ever a year. It was all sliding down into her stomach and filling her body with so much warmth.

“Stop now,” Reed told her.

Kahlen couldn’t. She needed more. She growled in protest.

“Now Kahlen,” he begged.

She tried, she really tried. Her fangs felt like they were hooked, locked into place. A sharp pain lanced through her and finally, she released, sliding bonelessly to the cement floor and into unconsciousness.

“Probably shouldn’t have done that,” Reed’s voice was worried, and weak near her left ear. “I was trying to heal the leg wound, not get myself killed. How would that help us? Hm? Think you drank too much though.”

She opened her eyes. They weren’t in the underground rave anymore. She rolled her shoulders. Kahlen was on a bed, a soft bed. Reed lying next to her stretched out alongside. His hand was in hers. He grinned when her eyes met his.

“Hello!” he exclaimed.

“Hello,” she muttered, her voice dry and scratchy.

“Here,” he sat up and turned away from her. In a second he was back with a cup. It had a bendy straw in it. “Drink, you had a rough night.”

Kahlen sipped. The taste that exploded on her tongue was not blood. The urge to gag rose for an instant but vanished. It was water. It was plain water. Kahlen pushed the cup away. “I can’t drink water!”

“Think you can,” Reed argued, “think you just did. Side effects, remember?”

Kahlen glared at him before scanning the room. She turned away from him and saw the open window. She was sitting in a bright room full of sunshine. She hissed and held up her arm. No smoke, no pain… “What?”

Patiently, Reed grabbed her arm and moved it into a sunbeam. He had a bandage on where she had savaged his arm. Her skin was warming in the light, but not burning. He took the same hand and placed over her chest. Kahlen felt a beat. It was sluggish, but it was a heartbeat.

“Side effects?” she asked. “What sort of side effects?”

“Healed you,” Reed said smugly.

“Healed?” Kahlen glanced down at her leg, the skin was smooth, if a bit pale and a little shinier like a Fae.

Reed was embarrassed. “I ah, um, gave you permission. My blood has healing properties. I'm not prejudiced. My blood, it ah, it just seems to see vampirism as a disease. So, it cured it. I’m sorry. You’re sort of human again.”

Amazed, Kahlen put both her hands into the sunlight. When it wasn’t enough, she slid off the bed and put her head out the window to stare up at the sun. Clouds obscured it a bit but even they were lovely, all puffy and white in the bright blue summer sky. “You healed me. I’m human.”

“Sort of human,” Reed reiterated. “Close to human, almost human, mostly, almost human.”

Kahlen bounced back onto the bed next to him, giddy. “Fine. I’ll take it, if you promise me I can eat chips again, oh and candy, and ice cream, and a hot fudge sundae with nuts…”

“Sure, but you’ll get a stomach ache. I mean, that’s an awful lot of sugar,” he replied then grinned. “You’re really okay with it? I was sort of afraid you liked being a vampire and I ruined it. Well, I tried to stop you before you drank too much, but you were insistent. Had to hit you with a tray.”

Kahlen grabbed for his bandaged arm. “I’m so sorry! I couldn’t control it. I don’t mind. I wasn’t getting the hang of the ‘creature of the night’ thing anyhow. But what do I do now? My family thinks I’m dead. I was dead. Do I go back to school? Wait, did you say mostly, almost human?”

“Might be a teensy bit unicorn now,” Reed said and held up his fingers to measure out a pinch. “I could help you with that if you want. Show you some stuff, some magic stuff. Only if you want me to do it.”

Kahlen grinned. “Friends?” she asked.

“Yeah, okay,” Reed said, sitting up straight, looking pleased. “I’ve never had a friend before. What do um, friends do?”

“They get pizza.”

“I love pizza,” he told her. “What about your ears? Did you still want to get them pierced?”

“Eventually, think I’m traumatized. Maybe I’ll just get clip-on’s for now.”

“I’m pretty good with a needle,” Reed told her. “Saved you with one, didn’t I?”

“Not a chance,” Kahlen told him.

The End.

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thesundanceghost · 7 years

Text

Not So Starry-Eyed

Day 4: Jealousy/Green

Notes: This is set the summer after their freshman year of college. @stancy-week

It had been a long day. College had just let out for the summer, and Nancy was looking forward to spending a couple of weeks with Steve in Indianapolis. He was sharing an apartment with a couple of roommates while he went to school, but they’d all gone back home for the summer, so it would just be them.

A couple of Steve’s friends had held a party that day to celebrate before splitting ways for summer, and Steve promised them that they’d at least stop by. Nancy hadn’t minded-- though they hadn’t talked much about their college friends, she still wanted to meet the people Steve had been getting to know.

They hadn’t stayed long, just dropping by for introductions like Steve had suggested. He was excited to let Nancy meet everyone, though it was a small party. He’d dragged her around to meet everyone, constantly interrupting to press kisses to her neck or wrap an arm around her shoulders. He always got clingy after they’d spent time apart, and Nancy couldn’t stop blushing.

Steve’s friends were all great, not that she’d been expecting otherwise. But one girl, Liz, stood out in particular. Her and Steve had seemed close, very close. Nancy barely even got to talk to Liz since her and Steve spent so much time chatting and joking with each other. They had all these inside jokes that Nancy didn’t get at all, and from what it seemed like, the others didn’t get either.

It was weird. Nancy didn’t know why it bothered her. Maybe because she’d heard the names of his other friends-- Esme, Daniel, Marcos, Lily-- if only once or twice over the phone, but he’d never mentioned a Liz. She tried not to think anything of it, but judging by their closeness, it seemed unlikely that she would’ve just not come up.

She was pretty too. Nancy tried not to let herself think about that, but it was hard when she was lounging around in a swimsuit by a pool. Liz was tall, almost as tall as Steve, with light curly hair and dark brown eyes that seemed to pull you in. She held herself with a confidence that reminded Nancy of her own boyfriend.

But still, it hadn’t really mattered until they were about to leave. Liz had happily suggested Nancy take some Italian Cream Cake before she left, and Nancy had asked Steve if he wanted some as well. Liz had responded instead, throwing out a “no” before teasing Steve about his walnut allergy.

Nancy hadn’t known what to say to that. Probably because she didn’t know Steve was allergic to walnuts.

They’d left soon after that, wandering around Indianapolis for Steve to point out his favorite spots. Nancy found herself immersed in her boyfriend’s jokes and stories once more, all thoughts of Liz fading from her mind.

It wasn’t until later that night that the thoughts came back to her. Steve was already half-asleep beside her, sprawled out in the way he always did when he’d had a long day. His arm was slung over her, a source of comfort and affection, but suddenly she felt anxious.

“Did you have fun today?” she asked quietly. He opened his eyes barely to look at her before closing them again, pulling her closer.

“Mm-hmm,” he responded back. “You?”

“Yeah,” she answered back, keeping her eyes carefully set on his face. “I liked meeting your friends.”

A smile tugged at his lips, but he still didn’t open his eyes when he replied. “I’m glad. They’re pretty great.”

Nancy bit her lip. She knew she should just let it go and stop while she was ahead, but she couldn’t stop picturing the casual teasing and easy affection that she’d seen earlier that day.

“Liz was nice. You guys seem pretty close,” she finally spoke up. Her heart was beating quickly, and she hoped she sounded nonchalant. Steve opened his eyes, and Nancy worried she’d given something away, but he just seemed amused more than anything else.

“We are,” he answered back, sounding unconcerned, and Nancy felt a pain in her chest at that. She tried to remind herself it didn’t matter, that she was close to plenty of friends like that. It wasn’t like she didn’t know Steve was close to his friends-- both of them were still terribly codependent with Jonathan, after all. This shouldn’t be any different. But nonetheless, there was still a part of her that had been hoping Steve would shrug it off and say not really or something else along those lines.

“Oh,” Nancy continued after taking a breath. “You’ve never mentioned her before.”

Steve propped himself up on his elbow to look at her, sleepy and confused. Nancy kept her face carefully neutral. “Lizzie? Sure I have.”

Nancy frowned at the nickname. “I think I’d remember,” she replied, and damn it, that definitely sounded bitter.

“She--” Steve suddenly stopped, sounding more awake. “Wait a second. You’re jealous.”

His voice was amused, and filled with a smugness that made Nancy curse internally.

She scowled. “I’m not jealous. I’m just curious.”

“No you’re not,” he insisted with a grin. “You’re 100% jealous. You.”

He was definitely enjoying this. Nancy shut her eyes, instantly regretting this entire conversation. “Steve, I swear to god--”

“You complain about me being jealous constantly and here you are, interrogating me about a girl,” he teased, and she frowned at that.

“I’m not apologizing for giving you shit about that. You’re an ass when you’re jealous,” she reminded him.

“I know,” he replied easily. She hadn’t been wrong about that. “But right now you’re the jealous one. Honestly, this is just too exciting for me--”

“You know, if you’re going to be a dick about it, just forget I said anything,” she snapped, feeling angry at herself for being so silly. She turned her back to him, pulling the covers up. She wanted to bury down inside the covers, but she knew that was going too far.

She hated feeling this way. Steve’s jealousy and insecurity had been their biggest problem towards the start of their relationship, Steve always getting antsy when Nancy spent a lot of time with Jonathan. Nancy knew it was a sore spot for him, especially considering his parents’ situation, but they’d worked through it together, learning to trust each other more. And here she was jealous of some girl she’d only met that day.

“Nancy.” Steve’s voice was softer now, less taunting, but she could still hear the smile. She shuffled down further into the sheets. “Nance, I’m sorry. It’s just funny to me.”

“How is this funny?” She demanded. She felt so stupid and silly and he thought it was funny.

“I’ve just never had a girlfriend be so jealous of my cousin before, that’s all.”

Nancy took a second to let that sink in before she turned back over and stared at him. Steve was smiling at her like he was seconds away from laughing, and she felt the color drain out of her face.

“Your cousin?” she repeated back dumbly. “But you’ve told me about your cousins! It’s just Patrick, Andrew, and Eliza-- Elizabeth.”

Oh god. She knew all about Elizabeth-- Steve’s favorite cousin who’d been the most sane member of his entire family. They hadn’t been that close, growing up on opposite sides of the country, but Steve always mentioned how much fun they had at reunions and birthdays. The pieces all clicked together, and Nancy groaned in horror. This time she didn’t stop herself-- she pulled the covers up over her head and stayed there, staring blankly at her boyfriend’s chest.

She heard Steve chuckle slightly from above and wasn’t really that surprised when he yanked the covers down, leaning over her to meet her eyes. His lips were still upturned in a slight smile, but there was a look of slight concern in his eyes.

“Nancy, what’s going on?” He asked kindly. She felt tears prick at her eyes and she shook her head, not able to meet his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, face flushing.

“What the hell are you sorry for?” he asked, knocking their feet together.

“I’m being stupid,” she mumbled, closing her eyes. She opened them again when Steve reached for her hand and squeezed it. Now he was frowning.

“You’re not being stupid,” he argued. “I mean, you definitely don’t have anything to be jealous of, but still. Can you just talk to me?”

She stared at him, biting her lip. She wanted to talk to him-- God knows how many of their problems were fixed in a second after actually, you know, communicating with each other-- but she didn’t even have a grasp on why she upset. She didn’t know where to begin.

“You’re allergic to walnuts,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

Steve blinked, looking at her like she was insane. “I’m sorry?” he asked, clearly assuming he’d misheard.

“I didn’t know.” She stumbled over the words, frustrated with herself. “I didn’t know until Liz said it this afternoon. I just-- I should know that! What if I made breakfast one day and put walnuts in it and you had an allergic reaction?”

Steve’s eyes were flitting around in confusion, still very lost. “You’re going to start cooking again?” He asked after a second. “Because I’m really not sure if we’re ready for that.”

She huffed at the jab at her culinary skills, trying to start over. She knew she wasn’t making sense, but she didn’t know how else to say it. “Scratch that. Just… what if we went out for dinner one night and you ate walnuts and started getting sick and then we called an ambulance and they asked me if you were allergic to anything and I just wouldn’t know.”

She looked at him intensely at the last part, wishing he’d understand, but he just stared back blankly. “Um, you could just ask me? Honestly I just get hives, and I just need to pop some Benadryl, I don’t think we’d need an ambulance. I’m really not getting the whole walnut thing.”

“It’s not about walnuts!” Nancy exclaimed in exasperation, pushing him out of the way as she sat up, trying to gather her thoughts. Steve sat up slowly beside her as she took a deep breath. “Look, what am I allergic to?”

“Pineapple. And cats,” Steve answered back immediately, and Nancy sighed sadly, letting her head fall back against the wall. “Nance, you’re gonna have to walk me through this.”

She ignored him. “And if I asked you what my favorite color was, or my favorite movie, or my first pet’s name, you’d know, wouldn’t you?”

Steve frowned, darting his eyes around in thought. “I mean, yeah.”

Nancy ran her hands through her hair raggedly, feeling absolutely rotten. “Exactly.”

“What are you talking about, Nancy?” Steve sounded completely awake at this point, and she felt terrible for putting that hint of worry in his voice.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. She didn’t know where any of this was coming from. Maybe she’d always felt like this and just never owned up to it before. “Just-- you and Liz, I get it now, you’re family and stuff, but… she knew all of this stuff about you. Trivial stuff, but stuff that I should know. And you had all these inside jokes and you know each other so well, and… and I guess I got a bit jealous of what you have with her.”

Steve was watching her carefully, his face a blank slate. “To be fair, Nancy, I’ve known Elizabeth for a lot longer than I’ve known you,” he replied slowly. “She is my cousin, after all.”

“I know, I know, but that’s not all, is it? It’s not that we don’t know stuff about each other. It’s that I don’t know stuff about you. I just feel like… like you know all this stuff about me, and I don’t know anything about you. Like I never ask or don’t listen or--” she broke off in frustration, taking a deep breath with closed eyes. “You know so much about me, and I don’t even know what you’re allergic to. Fuck, I don’t even know your favorite color.”

She let out a bitter laugh at the end, feeling hot tears burn in her eyes as she thought about it. Steve was quiet beside her for a long moment. She kept her eyes on the ceiling, too frightened to look at his expression.

“That’s what you’re upset about?” Steve asked, but he didn’t sound amused or like he wasn’t taking her seriously, although Nancy probably wouldn’t blame him. He just sounded like he was trying to get things right.

Nancy sighed, raising her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug.

Suddenly, Steve moved beside her, and Nancy opened her eyes just in time for him to pull her down the bed so she was laying down again. He rolled on top of her, holding himself over her with his arm as he looked down at her.

“Who cares about all that stuff?” Steve asked, sounding bewildered. Nancy opened her mouth to protest, but Steve didn’t let her. “Seriously. That stuff doesn’t matter.”

He pressed a light kiss to her lips, letting their breaths mingle between them before he continued talking. “Everything that matters? You know all that.”

She frowned at him, slightly confused. Steve just smiled and began to elaborate.

“You know when I realized I liked boys as well as girls,” Steve muttered, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Nancy pressed her lips together, the answer coming to her easily. Last semester of high school, though he always said he should’ve known earlier. She gave a small nod, and he continued, pressing a kiss to her other cheek.

“You know what I had nightmares about for a year.” That was easy. Showing up to the Byers’ house too late. He’d told it to her one night when they’d been curled up around each other, a breathy confession into cold air.

Steve didn’t wait for an affirmation, instead pressing a kiss to her nose and continuing.

“You know what my biggest regrets are.” The spray paint. Fighting Jonathan in the alley.

“You know about the worst fight I ever had with my parents.” The summer after senior year of high school.

“You know what my biggest fear is.” Turning into his father.

“You know about all the time I wasted in high school being a dick. You know how I still mess up constantly, and how hard I have to try to be better sometimes. You know how to make me better.” He listed off these things quickly, pressing kisses to her eyelids and nose. After that he stopped, looking down at her. “You know about the first time I ever told someone I love you and meant it.”

She blinked up at him at that, biting her lip when she saw the small, intimate smile he was casting down at her. “I don’t know about that,” she whispered.

“No?” he asked, eyes glinting fondly from the light from outside. “I’ll give you a hint.”

He grinned before kissing her, mouth soft and gentle against hers. He pulled back and leaned their foreheads together. “I love you, Nancy Wheeler.”

Nancy let her eyes drift shut as she smiled, feeling a tight contentment in her chest. He’d said the words more times than she could keep track of, but they never lost their touch.

“I love you too,” she whispered back, and she could feel the way his cheeks pulled up in a smile. “I’m sorry I was jealous. Even if Liz wasn’t your cousin, I know-- I know you’d never…”

She faded off, opening her eyes to look at him, and he was smiling down at her. “Good. Because you know me, Nancy Wheeler. Everything else is just facts.”

After a moment of smiling at her, Steve rolled off of her, head flopping back onto the pillow. He swung an arm around her waist and pulled her close, their legs tangling together. He yawned loudly. “Are we good now? Because we can keep talking, but I may end up falling asleep,” he admitted.

She smiled at him, feeling a deep fondness for the man beside her. “Go to sleep” she commanded gently, pressing a light kiss to his neck before settling down beside him.

The quiet that descended over them after that was peaceful, nothing like the anxiety-ridden silence that had frightened her before. She felt herself dozing off, but there was still one thing on her mind.

“Hey Steve?” she whispered, propping her head up on his chest to look at him. He hummed in response, not opening his eyes. “What’s your favorite color?”

He lifted his head and blinked down at her, a smile pulling at the edge of his lips. “Green.”

Nancy smiled and nodded, laying her head back onto the pillow. “Green,” she repeated firmly, committing it firmly to memory before she drifted off.

Notes: I liked writing this, because I think jealousy is something they would struggle with, but as long as you communicate and work on improving, you can work it out!!

Title came from The Decemberists’ “Make You Better” which is clearly a Stancy song.

#this was not mean to be 3k dear god #stancy #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #stancy week #emma writes

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josephkitchen0 · 5 years

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Kitchen Gift Guide: Homemade Bread Recipes, Mason Jar Cookie Mixes and More

As we prepare for the holidays, I always take a day to make gifts from the kitchen to share with friends, teachers and co-workers. One of my favorites is a homemade bread recipe from my grandmother. In the last few years, I have also discovered the fun of making “recipe-in-a-jar” creations. These are creative gifts with endless possibilities.

Homemade Bread Recipe: Pumpkin Bread in a Coffee Can

My grandma was very actively involved in her church, and around the holidays, she liked to bring gifts for people in the congregation. She would save coffee cans for months ahead of time so she had a big supply ready for baking at Christmas. She lived in suburbia, but she felt the spirit of simple homesteading: putting everything to good use and finding new purposes for items that others might throw away. My grandma Bettie passed on her homemade bread recipe to my mother and then to me as well, and I’d like to share my experience with baking it as a gift of the kitchen this year.

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First I had to drink a lot of coffee—not a difficult task for me! I saved three coffee cans, removed the labels from the outside, and cleaned them out well.

I will add a step here, which I forgot to do initially. If your cans have a lip around the top, use a can opener to cut it out.

This is what it looks like with the lip removed.

Removing the rim will allow the bread to slide out of the can when it is cooked. I didn’t even think about the necessity of this until I went to remove a loaf for my family and it wouldn’t come out! These are the little details grandmas don’t write down in homemade bread recipes. If you forget this step, you can remove the lip after the bread is baked, like I did, but it is more challenging with the bread risen up out of the can.

Another important part of the bread coming out of the coffee cans is properly greasing and flouring them. This is something I dreaded as a child because I didn’t like the feel of the Crisco we used.

Start with a big glob of Crisco on your fingers and get in there!

Rub it all around, coating every surface of the inside of the can. When you finish greasing the cans, you will have what I always referred to as “Crisco hands.” Your best bet for getting it off is to rub your hands together like you were putting on lotion. Rub as much in as you can; then get a dry paper towel and wipe off any excess. Your hands will be baby soft! Whatever you do, don’t try to wash your hands with water. You’ll end up with a goopy mess and you’ll miss out on some serious moisturizing.

Then you have to “flour” the cans as well. I made a little video to explain the process I use for this homemade bread recipe in a can:

youtube

So, your cans are ready to go. Put them aside while you make your batter. It’s time to preheat the oven too. Set it to 350 degrees. I used my stand mixer but you can use a mixing bowl and a spoon if that’s what you have available. Start with the first six ingredients you need for this homemade bread recipe: nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, oil, eggs, and salt.

I used our tiny pullet eggs for my baking so I added an extra one since they are so small. As part of our self-sustaining living, we always have a bowl in the fridge for kitchen scraps. When it gets full, we grind it up in the food processor and give it to the chickens. I added my egg shells to this bowl; they provide good calcium for the girls. As long as they are ground up well, they don’t realize they are eating egg shell so (knock-on-wood) it doesn’t lead to egg eating.

Once you have these mixed together, start adding the other ingredients from the homemade bread recipe, one at a time. Usually, I don’t like to use commercially canned vegetables, but I didn’t make any canned pumpkin this year, so I got some at the store. I found an organic store brand pumpkin.

I should take a moment to talk about the walnuts. It is really important that you use black walnuts. They have a distinctive flavor that really defines the taste of the pumpkin bread recipe. These are the ones I used.

Before you add the nuts and raisins to your batter, you need to “flour” these as well so that they won’t sink to the bottom of your bread while it’s baking. To do this, put the nuts and raisins in a large bowl or mixing cup. Add some flour on top.

Now shake it very gently. You can get your fingers in and mix them around as well. They will look like this when you’re done.

Now throw them in too and mix, mix, mix!

You’re ready to fill your prepared coffee cans. Divide the batter evenly between the three cans, and put them in the oven.

The homemade bread recipe says they should cook an hour, but I find they usually take closer to 80 minutes. To check them, stick a sharp knife down in the middle. They are done when the knife comes out clean.

When the bread comes out of the oven, let it sit until it cools. Then cut some squares of plastic wrap to cover the top. Use a pretty fabric bow to tie the plastic wrap down and give it some holiday cheer. You could decorate the can or write a message with a sharpie marker as well.

Recipe-In-A-Jar

Another thing I have gotten into making the last couple years is a recipe-in-a-jar. The idea is that you put all the dry ingredients for a recipe into a pretty jar and give it as a gift. Not only is it beautiful to look at, with all the layers of ingredients, but it is also a fun project for families to do together around the holidays.

When I started, I used prescribed recipes I found in a magazine, but soon I discovered you could do this with many different kinds of foods if you just followed a few rules:

Pick a recipe with mostly dry ingredients. I try to find something with three or less “wet” or fresh ingredients that will have to be added.

Consider the jar. You may be thinking…What is the best canning jar to use for this? You can use any canning jar you have, but vintage or unique jars will only add to the charm of your gift. If you are reusing old jars, just make sure the sterilize them before you add any food.

Consider the size of the jar. I typically use quart jars for baking recipes and pint jars for soups. You may need to size your recipes down so that the ingredients will fit in a jar. I have found that if you cut a typical cookie recipe in half, it will fit in a quart jar.

Consider what will layer well. When you are putting the ingredients in the jar, don’t just add them in order; think about what will stay in separate layers and be visually appealing.

Add ingredients carefully. I use my wide mouth funnel to allow for easy pouring of ingredients into the jar then carefully spread them into even layers. Try not to splash things around too much (especially flour and sugar) or the inside of your jar won’t stay clean and it won’t be as pretty when you are finished.

Allergies. In today’s world, you have to be careful about your ingredients and making sure you put a warning on the jar if it contains allergens, especially nuts.

This year, I made two kinds of jars: soup mixes and cookie mixes.

Soup Mixes

In years past, I made up mixtures of beans, grains, spices and more to put in my jars. This year, I was short on time so I took the easy route: pre-made soup mixes. If you go to your grocery store, you will find many options in the soup aisle.

I chose two from Bob’s Red Mill: Whole Grain and Beans and Vegi. I selected these because I know the company makes a quality product and because they are visually a nice mix of colors and textures.

When I got them home, I divided the mixes between four-pint jars (each bag will fill two). I put on the lids, topped them with a circle cut from pretty cotton fabric, and tightened the bands down. Finally, I took the directions from the bag and made a little tag to attach to the jar. Whoever you give your recipe-in-a-jar to will need to know how to make it. Make sure your directions match the quantity you are providing in the jar. Here is an example of how I translated the instructions on the bag to my tag.

Finally, print and cut out your tag. Punch a hole in it, and use a piece of ribbon to tie it to the jar.

Cookie Mixes

This time of year, if you walk down the baking aisle, you will find all kinds of special items. I got several kinds of chips and candies to use. When I got them home, I modified the recipes from the backs of the bags for my jars. Here are several examples.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I followed this recipe almost exactly, cutting it in half to fit in my pint jar.

Christmas M&M’s Cookies

For this jar, I used the Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe but switched out Christmas M&M’s for the chocolate chips. The red and green M&M’s are so festive. My stepsons always choose this one to take for their teachers.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

This was originally meant to be baked as a blondie bar, but I cut it down for the jar and modified my directions to make a cookie. I also put walnuts in instead of macadamia nuts because that’s what I had in my freezer.

Mint Chocolate Delights

I followed this recipe fairly closely, cutting it in half for the jar. The cocoa powder, along with the mix of green and brown chips make this one quite festive as well.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I cut this recipe in half and simplified the ingredients for my jar (by removing the white sugar and the raisins). The oats give it nice texture variation.

As I prepared my jars, I made labels for each. By typing them as I worked, it helped me keep straight which recipe went with which jar, modifications I had made, and if I needed to add any nut warnings. When I was all finished, I printed my tags and cut them out. Many of the cookie recipes call for vanilla extract. Another fun addition could be to make and include a homemade vanilla extract gift.

These are just a few ideas of easy recipe-in-a-jar gifts that I have made. Depending on the time you have to spend and how devoted you are to simple homesteading, you may make your recipes more homemade, less store-bought. Either way, though, they will be appreciated and enjoyed by the receiver! The possibilities are endless: mixes for tea, waffles, breads, meat rubs…

From Phillips Farm – we wish you a warm, healthy and relaxing holiday season!

Do you have a favorite homemade bread recipe passed down through the generations?

Kitchen Gift Guide: Homemade Bread Recipes, Mason Jar Cookie Mixes and More was originally posted by All About Chickens

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josephkitchen0 · 6 years

Text

Kitchen Gift Guide: Homemade Bread Recipes, Mason Jar Cookie Mixes and More

Homemade Bread Recipe: Pumpkin Bread in a Coffee Can

What Food Preservation Method Should I use?

Learn how to preserve your own food in this FREE Special Report, What is Food Preservation? How to Can Food, How to Dehydrate Food, How to Freeze Dry, and Pickling Food Preservation from Apples to Zucchini. YES! I want this Free Report »

First I had to drink a lot of coffee—not a difficult task for me! I saved three coffee cans, removed the labels from the outside, and cleaned them out well.

I will add a step here, which I forgot to do initially. If your cans have a lip around the top, use a can opener to cut it out.

This is what it looks like with the lip removed.

Start with a big glob of Crisco on your fingers and get in there!

Then you have to “flour” the cans as well. I made a little video to explain the process I use for this homemade bread recipe in a can:

youtube

Now shake it very gently. You can get your fingers in and mix them around as well. They will look like this when you’re done.

Now throw them in too and mix, mix, mix!

You’re ready to fill your prepared coffee cans. Divide the batter evenly between the three cans, and put them in the oven.

Recipe-In-A-Jar

When I started, I used prescribed recipes I found in a magazine, but soon I discovered you could do this with many different kinds of foods if you just followed a few rules:

Pick a recipe with mostly dry ingredients. I try to find something with three or less “wet” or fresh ingredients that will have to be added.

Consider what will layer well. When you are putting the ingredients in the jar, don’t just add them in order; think about what will stay in separate layers and be visually appealing.

Allergies. In today’s world, you have to be careful about your ingredients and making sure you put a warning on the jar if it contains allergens, especially nuts.

This year, I made two kinds of jars: soup mixes and cookie mixes.

Soup Mixes

I chose two from Bob’s Red Mill: Whole Grain and Beans and Vegi. I selected these because I know the company makes a quality product and because they are visually a nice mix of colors and textures.

Finally, print and cut out your tag. Punch a hole in it, and use a piece of ribbon to tie it to the jar.

Cookie Mixes

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I followed this recipe almost exactly, cutting it in half to fit in my pint jar.

Christmas M&M’s Cookies

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Mint Chocolate Delights

I followed this recipe fairly closely, cutting it in half for the jar. The cocoa powder, along with the mix of green and brown chips make this one quite festive as well.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I cut this recipe in half and simplified the ingredients for my jar (by removing the white sugar and the raisins). The oats give it nice texture variation.

From Phillips Farm – we wish you a warm, healthy and relaxing holiday season!

Do you have a favorite homemade bread recipe passed down through the generations?

Kitchen Gift Guide: Homemade Bread Recipes, Mason Jar Cookie Mixes and More was originally posted by All About Chickens

0 notes