#A partner will fill the same function as a weighted blanket and they will have no say in how long

[sassypotatoe1]

No no you're absolutely correct you are so right

Seen this post making the rounds and honestly, as a fandom, I feel like having this as Jon and Martin would just make everything great, right?

I just want to see their content little smushy faces as Jon enjoys his favourite weighted blanket in the world 🥹

[thefanbasewhore]

Accidentally Bare - Preference #2

Summary: A preference/snippet of pedro characters accidently seeing the reader in their underwear. Honestly, ignore the title I suck at them lmao. I also have no idea why I kept mentioning showers. 

Warnings/Content: A little suggestive, dirty thoughts. 18+ please. 

Paring: Din Djarin, Javier Peña, Agent Whiskey, and Frankie Morales/Female reader

I am also taking requests for head cannons and more preferences at this moment if anyone has any ideas!

Din Djarin

Nothing could stop the deep chill that created goosebumps that made your body shiver despite the thick wool of Din’s cape that was pulled tight around your chest. The walk back to the crest was freezing, clothes heavy and weighing you down with every squish your boots made underneath you, the temperature of the stupid desert planet plummeting at night into single degree temps, falling into the lake was definitely not on your to do list.

Water still dripping from your sleeves, fingers shaking where the fabric bundles in the middle of your chest to support the heaviness of the cape as the crushing on dense sand from heavy boots behind you let you know the Mandalorian is still there. He’s silent as ever, mad at himself for letting you even step on the ice but as soon as he saw you fall into the deep pit of water he dived right in after, forgetting the bounty, making the choice to let him escape.

The first step on the Crest is a relief, familiarity and warmness welcome you but it’s not enough to calm the numbing that took over all your senses, voiding any sensation in your trembling fingers. The breeze that falls over the crest as the ramp closes with a gush of wind but you don’t seem to care as the cape wrapped around you falls to the floor. The Mandalorian walks past you silently, which you guess retiring for the night because at the last second before the he climbs the ladder of the cockpit by the way his fingers start to peel of the beskar not caring as it trails and clanks against the floor of the ship, fingers rim the edge of his helmet lifting it just enough to see the ends of his hair curl and stick against the nape of his neck as it drips to his tunic before the cockpit swallows him. 

If it wasn’t for how freezing you were there is no doubt you would be taken back by his openness, even wet you weren’t expecting it to so wavy, a little messy but it touches the collar of the tunic and you honestly couldn’t move as the realization dawned on you. Eyes running over the length of the ladder that rattles due to deep hum of the engine, the imagine burning behind into them. 

The cool shiver reminds you of the current predicament, fingers burning and toes numb at the verge of turning purple. A frustrated huff falls from your lips as you pull at the laces of your boots, fingers too stiff to move but eventually get them off, not caring where they fall. Only functional thought is to feel the warm water of the fresher to regain feeling in your appendages.

Hands grasp the hem of your shirt, lifting it despite the cool air that nipped the skin of your stomach. With only one goal in mind and a stubborn button that just won’t latch from your pants, you don’t notice as the ladder shakes with the weight of the Mandalorian as he gains entrance back into the belly of the ship. He’s out of his armor, but the helmet had seem to find it’s way back onto his head but his upper body in a white, thin shirt, his pants hand dangerously low on his hips, they offer his body more warmth with no doubt lined with some kind of fleece, gray in color and a pair of socks. The wet pants stick to you, with your back turned toward Din who freezes the moment he notices you shimmy them down your legs, revealing the black pair of underwear the hugs your ass in the most delicious way.

He’s red, blushing, no doubt you can see the way his chest spots pink through the white shirt, hands forming fist next to his side as you turn to make a b-line for the fresher but the mass of the man catches your eyes, pausing.

Eyes never leave you, he just freezes up, unable to move as the situation seems to do the same to you. He tries, really tries not to look but can’t help it as he notices how thin the bra is, a pretty pastel pink, cute but the way your nipples harden against it is anything but, he’s speechless, mouth drying as eyes take in the smoothness of curves, drops down to the thinness of underwear, they leave little to the imagination, sticking against skin letting him see every inch and suddenly he wants nothing more than to rub his own -

His eyes lift back up to your own, the embarrassment that paints your cheeks makes him realize just how wrong it is. “I-I’m sorry.” He stutters, eyes casting down to the cotton that covers his toes, ashamed with red cheeks, horrified that it has even happened. “Just came down to use the shower -.”

Desire sirs deep inside his stomach, makes him awkwardly shift his hips as he turns to leave but the smooth hands that catch his fingers makes him pause, turning to face you once again.  “We can both use it.”

Javier Peña

Nothing can still your pounding heart, it’s racing, taking up all the space in your chest that it barely allows room for your lungs to expand, to take one good breath to sustain your frantic body needs, instead it’s broken up into patchy, erratic breaths that make you dizzy, vision blurring as a result. 

It’s a blur but there’s no mistaking the metallic taste of blood, it’s not yours but it seems like it should be by the way it covers every part of you. It dots your face, coats your hands with such thickness, soaks through the shirt to stain your chest pink. There’s so much of it, it takes over and fills all your senses. All you see is red, all you feel is hands rub your face to talk yourself out of this moment of weakness but the way it smears even worse across your skin, fills the pores of your skin, makes bile raise but swallow it down. 

It’s been an hour but fear still makes you shake, not bothering to even talk to anyone the moment you pull the trigger just driving home without a single word, not even to your partner Javi. The door of your apartment is even left open in your own wake, trying to yank the soaked clothes, not caring as your bloody shirt falls from shoulders staining the white carpet of your apartment. 

Finger fumble with pants as well, too shaky but none the less slowly shimmer them down flushed thighs. You suddenly can’t move, no matter how bad the shower calls you from the other room, shaky fingers press to the floor under you for support as you lower yourself to the ground until the rough carpet scratches the back of thighs but your thankful to feel something other then pure terror, relish in the scratch the spreads to the back of your knees as you bring them to your chest, lean against the couch for support with a shaky chest.

“I’m sorry.” You don’t realize how much time passes as the low baritone breaks through the sound waves, Javi averts his eyes, realizing the vulnerability on the situation. “The door was open, I just let myself in.”

“I-It’s okay.” Chest moves with the stutter, unable to realize your in nothing but a thin bra, that leaves little to the imagination and a matching black thong, that shows just how much the carpet irritates the skin of inner thighs, leaves a big rash just on the underside of your cheeks.

It’s not the way he intended seeing you like this the first time, beautiful doe eyes filled with tears that slip past beautiful, full eyelashes. It makes his heart stop, the low light of the lamp in the corner contour the dark shadows of your face, show the sharpness of cheek bones, outlines the shape of your jaw. He hates the way he can’t look away from your heaving chest, flushed breast barely fill the cups of the lacy bra, down the smoothness of skin, still stained a dark red from all the blood, down to the edges of inner thighs. 

You watch as his gaze falls between your legs but when they meet up at your face again, his lips fall, a deep sigh as a thick layer of tension fills the room. There’s nothing you want more then to forget this feeling, distract yourself with Javi.

Suddenly, he’s all that’s on your mind. The way his tongue runs over those perfect lips, wanting to feel the sensation of his moustache against your upper lip, the burns between your thighs. It’s what you think you’re getting as he lowers to his knees, finally give into the temptation of each other but the blanket that falls to your shoulders surprises you. His fist wraps around each end to ball it against your chest as his other hand reaches for a small piece of hair that frames your face, pushing it behind your ear as his lips ghost over it. “Let’s get you in the bath, cariño, yeah?”

Unsure eyes meet his, not trusting your own legs but his gentle fingers that fill the gaps between your own reinsuring. It’s a soft whine of surprise that makes you look up at him, a thankful sad smile that makes Javier return one that shows every scar of his soul, the feeling all too known to him. “I got you, honey.”

Agent Whiskey

It’s a mix up, an annoying one but none the less it’s not like you can kick Whiskey out of the hotel room and besides you’re both functioning adults, staying together in the room should be no problem but it’s a little difficult to feel comfortable with a stranger especially with one as pushy and touchy as the cowboy. 

He’s nice, very polite but smug. There’s always a tight smirk across his face, sexy eyes that test your every move as you bring the rim of the glass to your lips with a soft sigh. The bar of the hotel is loud, a thick cloud of smoke from the passerby's tickles your nose. You try to ignore it, but turn abruptly even catching Whiskey off guard as he adverts his gaze but he’s not as sneaky as he thinks. 

It’s hard to remember exactly why you turned when he offered a sweet smile, elbow against the bar while his hand wrapped around his own glass, other hand spraying over the thickness of his thighs, sitting to face you with that dumb smirk. You really can’t help it as your eyes fall between his legs, “What’s up, sugar?”

It’s either he chooses not question why or is just so used to women checking him out but your throat dries at his peering gaze, the way he wraps his lips around the glass after his tongue pokes out to wet them. It makes your face hot, averting his intimating eyes. “Nothing, thought I saw something is all.”

“Mmmm.” It’s a small hum, hesitant like he wants to ask more but settles with the answer. It’s quiet, not awkward but the tension is heavy, clouding the space between you both. Scooting to the end of the seat, eyes nervously looking at him as you shift onto your feet, standing and muttering. “I’m going to head back to the room.”

“Alright sweetheart. I’m gonna have a few more drinks, head up without me. If you need me.” Two fingers press against the shell of his ear, his way of saying I’ll hear ya. You try not to let it affect you but the heat that crawls up your skin makes you huff, closing the door of the hotel room tightly. 

A shower, to sooth the burning desire for your new partner, it was embarrassing, feeling like a teenage girl for a man that you barely know, all hot and bothered by him simply spreading his legs but it felt like an open invitation just for you. Hands reach for your shirt, pulling it up with little hesitation except for when it catches the onto the ear piece, stepping forward with a yelp as your foot comes in contact with the large bed frame. Pulling the ear piece off with not much thought, throwing it and the shirt onto the bed, fingers pop the metal from the buttonhole also discarding your pants. 

It all happens so fast, the door crashes open, hitting the wall. Pure instinct takes  over, despite only being in a very, very revealing bralette and a matching lacy thong fumbling for the gun on the night stand next to you, pointing it towards the mass of a man but let out a sigh of relief. “What is wrong with you? barging in like that, I could have shot you.”

It goes to deaf ears, smooth lines of your collarbones catching him off guard, dropping to the soft curves of your breast. He steps closer, shutting you up immediately as his fingers spread out across the hem of your underwear, warmness erupting to the lazy trail of his fingers. 

The cocky smirk that overpowers your own confused one as a tick falls from his lips, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth, eyes peering under that stupid cowboy hat, “Now If you wanted me to see you naked you didn’t have to pretend you’re in trouble, darlin’.” 

Frankie Morales

There was never a day Frankie thought he’d be in the deep end of the forest again. The memories are still fresh, the sun doesn’t quite sting his skin like the one in Brazil but it’s a close second, the aching memories still squeeze his heart but it’s a silent burn, one he’ll take to his grave and a life he thought he left behind forever.

Frankie is a man haunted by his past, the memories never let him forget that life he used to lead. He is anything but soft, he’s kind, caring, smart, passionate but a sucker for a pretty face. It’s shown in the way he shameless answers too quickly for his liking at your proposition. To rescue your father, a man that owed a bunch of narcos too much money but you had nothing to offer except to help a single father who seemed to be struggling. 

Maybe it was the way your sad eyes looked at him with an exaggerated expression, tiredness sag your face, large purple bags that crinkle with every sigh. There was no hope, and even if your father was alive, he kissed that life away a long time also, but then again here he is.

Deep in the jungle of Argentina, sun beating down and burning his skin, sweat beading on his forehead, between the valley of his chest as he swings the bottle of water back, the coolness soothing his raw throat. Your stance matches his own, shoulders dropped, heavy breaths but slower, the heaviness of the gun wrapped around your shoulders.

You were slowing him down, it was no lie. He told you multiple times he would do it but specifically didn’t want you to come with him, he would handle it all but sending a man alone to do something like this, despite how experienced he may be it didn’t seem right.

“Go.” You huff, fingers pushing against his shoulder. It had been the third time he stopped for you in ten minutes, clearly frustrated with a crinkle of his forehead, annoyed eyes looking for any sign of danger, even with the thick trunks of trees that camouflage into the color of face paint that decorates both yours and Frankie’s faces. “I’ll be right behind you.”

He looks unsure but nods lowly, turning as his feet to walk up the ledge of the tree as you take a deep breath, fingers trembling as you try to catch your breath, ass hitting the dirt harder then you intend to but it’s a relief to aching feet. It’s a blur of blackness, hand reaching up to pull yourself up but instead pull at something squishy?

Before you could react, big, black bugs by the hundreds run up your legs, crawl under your vest and shirt. The yell that echoes the forest is what catches Frankie’s attention, turning from his short distance ahead to find you. Face hot, fearing the worst as his heart pounds against his chest. Arms flaring frantic through the thick ropes and vines as he slips skillfully past above ground roots of trees.

You are no where in sight but the peaks of dark green clothes along the brush catch his eye, picking the fabric up, clutching your shirt between fingers. With one more look around he notices another piece of clothing, but the sound of splashing catches his attention. It’s not too far, just over a large tree that separates his view from you. It’s not what he expects, practically naked except for the nude bra and matching underwear that makes his eyes widen. If it wasn’t for the panic on your face he would have taken a second to appreciate the beauty in front of him, let desire burn deep on his skin but the way you frantically try to rub the bugs off makes him take action, hands catch your own, comforting eyes meeting your own. “Relax, relax, I’ll get them off.”

“It’s burns.” It’s a soft whine, as his fingers fall to your own, pressing them against his warm skin as he flattens his other hand down the skin of your arm, down your stomach with a delicious sting from the heat of his. 

“I got you, honey.” The words are low, sugary as the realty of the situation makes your own cheeks flush. The bugs are gone, scattering at feet but his gaze never leaves your own. Only inches away from your face, lips so, so close but what really makes you dizzy is the way his hand cups your waist, squeezing so gently as his hot breath fans your face, fingertips trail to the wire of your bra, something in him snaps, giving into the desire as his lips press against yours with urgency.

tags: @victias​ @altarsw​ @coonflix​ @mudhornchronicles​ @buckysalefty​ @capsheadquarters @godohammers​ @ilikemymendarkandfictional​ @rogertaylorsfalsettogivemehives @maileecabudol @itsfangirlmendes​ @mermaidbrina​ @nikkixostan​ @moonlightnumbsthepainifeel @dinsbeskar​ @est19xxshit​ @owloveyounever​ @engie115 @impala1967666​ @akatasukilove​ @nerdalert-andi​ @mailee420​ @you-and-i-deserve-the-world​ @thatonedindjarinfan​ @winter_rxn @Sporadicshoebailifffish

[fan-fantasies]

Partners? (Namjoon smut)

Pairing?: Namjoon x virgin!reader (college! au)

Warnings?: SMUT, fingering, oral, bit of a daddy kink, virgin reader, swearing (i think thats it?)

Word count?:a little over 8k

A/N: Hey guys! Its been a bit, kinda crazy that its now that i wanna write. So just a life update, i’m back at college, we are doing in person classes so I’m not sure how busy i’ll be. Though on a better note i’ve been writing a lot for some reason and am only now feeling inspired to do so. Anyways, someone needs to stop me from writing smut, I suck so bad at it but here I am continuing to write. Anyways, i hope you guys enjoy. Maybe i’ll post something else later in the week or by the weekend, who knows. Thanks for all the love and support you give me and Heather, we really appreciate it! <3 ~Breezy

In the three years, you had been at your university you had honestly believed that college dorm sex was the worst kind of sex to have. Not only did you have to be slightly quieter as to not allude the other students around you of what you were doing, but you had to make sure that you timed it just right so your roommate wouldn’t walk in on you. The number of times you had walked in on your roommate and her boyfriend finishing up was honestly insanely high. 

You and your roommate had been rooming together since your first year, you had moved into her room after your first roommate decided she wanted to party all the damn time. The two of you just seemed to click right away, you two had enough in common that you would stay up all night just chatting away. Usually talking about weird things and just end up going to bed without another word. 

Today was another day, your writing workshop had seemed to take its toll on you seeing as though you were dragging your feet on the pavement, how you hadn’t tripped yet was beyond your logic. You let out a rather loud yawn as you trudged towards your dorm building which seemed to be much farther away then you remember. 

“Hey!”A voice called from behind you, it took you a moment to realize that someone was talking to you. Stopping in your tracks, you turn and see a tall figure jogging towards you. You instantly recognize him by his blonde hair, he usually sits next to you in your workshop class. Namjoon was his name.

When he finally caught up to you, he stopped to catch his breath, “Damn, I’m out of shape,” he pants before standing back up fully. He was tall, practically towering over you. 

“Sorry to just run up to you,” he begins, “but I know we will be having a group project soon and I enjoy your writing so I was wondering if you would want to work with me?” He says looking at you, there was a small smile on his face. 

You had done proofreading on his work before, it was honestly amazing but you weren’t sure what he saw in your work. 

“Y-Yeah! Sure, I would like to work with you,” you smile, “I enjoy your work too!” You follow up as you watch his smile grow and small dimples appear. 

“Awesome!”He exclaims, “Can I have your number? So we can talk about times to meet up or maybe throw ideas at each other.”

You’re too mesmerized by his cute smile to say words, so you simply nod at his question. Both of you exchange numbers before you both go into different directions. 

You were lucky that Namjoon had stopped you to talk because if he hadn’t, you likely would have walked in on your roommate and her boyfriend having their sexy time. Unlocking the door, you enter, seeing the two of them in bed just kinda chatting but you knew they were likely naked under those blankets. You kept your eyes from looking in that direction as you walk towards your side of the room. 

Your roommate had greeted you, which you happily reply with a simple greeting. You knew the two of them would go back to chatting until they either fell asleep or he would get dressed and leave. You put your earbuds into your ears and began to read over the assignment that was given for another class and began to work on it. Engrossed in the music, your head thinking about nothing but the assignment until you felt someone tap your shoulder. 

“It’s time for dinner, wanna go to the cafe?” Your roommate asked, typically you both went together or ate in the room.

“Yeah just give me a second,” you answer as you get yourself to a good stopping point before grabbing all the things you needed for dinner. 

The walk with filled with chaotic chatter as usual, though she did apologize for you nearly walking in on them again. 

“Me and him just have awful timing,” she admits, “and we can’t do anything in his room cause his roommate is literally always around,” she explains with a shrug. 

You nod, “Yes well, please for the love of all things, just text me when you think you’re gonna start anything.” You plead, “Then at least I can wait an hour or something so I don’t have to see any more than I already do.” You both laughed for a few moments before entering the building that seemed rather quiet for the time of day. 

After grabbing your plate of food and finding an empty table you both sat together enjoying each other company more than the food. 

“Hey (y/n),”

You glance behind you, surprised to see Namjoon standing behind you. “Oh hey Namjoon,” he was smiling,

“Do you mind if I join you two? I wanted to run something by you for the project,” you glance over to your roommate who was clearing giving signs to let this poor man sit. 

“Sure take a seat,”you tell him, “Oh Namjoon, this is my roommate,” you introduce both of them. Your roommate seemed more interested in trying to leave you two alone to talk then actually making a friend. She stood up, grabbing all her things, before leaving she whispers in your ear,

“He’s cute! You better be getting some of that,” she giggles before walking off not giving you a chance to explain that it was nothing like that.

“Sorry about her, she can be a little weird,” you apologize to him, he only laughed a little before you both began talking about your project.

“I don’t know about you, but I find myself writing more romance style novels then I do anything,” he laughs nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

You sat there thinking about it, “I’ve never really written a romance style thing before,” you trail, you were more into writing horror and fantasy then you were anything. 

“I enjoy horror and fantasy,” you explain looking down at your hands. You weren’t exactly expecting the reaction you had gotten.

“That's wonderful!,” He began to jot notes down in his book, “Why don’t we try to write the most obscure story? Some sort of romance horror story,”  he suggests. 

There were a few moments of silence while you thought it over, a horror romance novel? That seemed a bit out there but then again, your writing wasn’t too far off from being “out there”.

“That sounds kind of fun~,” you tell him. His beautiful bright smile appeared on his face causing a blush to appear on your cheeks. What a truly interesting project this would be.

You hadn’t even noticed that people were slowly leaving the dining room area, the both of you too engrossed on trying to come up with the perfect idea. It wasn’t until the staff came over and told you it was nearly closing time that you realized how long you had been sitting at the same table. In that period, you had brainstormed five potential ideas. Honestly, you didn’t believe that you could be so productive with anyone.

“Namjoon, your some sort of genius,” you say as the two of you walk back towards the dorm buildings,

He laughs and shakes his head, “Well I wouldn’t say I’m a genius,” he began, “We can work really well together which is just a good thing,” he tries to explain, you figured he didn’t know how to word his statement but you understood what he meant. It was a relief to think someone so great had wanted to be your partner, since you last partner did none of the work and royally screwed you over. 

“Do you want to meet up tomorrow?” He asks, “To brainstorm some more,” he quickly adds . You thought for a moment only to remember tomorrow was the worst day of the week. 

“I won’t be able to till pretty late. My last class gets out around seven,” you sigh glancing up at him,

He just gave you a nod, “Why don’t we meet up tomorrow after your class for a little bit? I don’t mind staying up a little later,” he suggests,

You weren’t sure if your body could carry you that long, “I don’t know Joon~,” you trail, “I’m not sure I’ll be able to function after such a long day,” you try to reason, 

It was clear he understood but he seemed a bit taken back, “Joon?” He questioned, your eyes went wide with shock, 

“O-Oh, I’m sorry… I tend to give people nicknames and I don’t ever ask if its okay,” you blurt out in hopes you didn’t actually offend him. 

He just laughed, “No it’s alright, I like that a lot,” he answer causing a huge weight to lift from your chest. 

“How about this? We meet up tomorrow, a friend of mine works at a small diner right down the street. He would give us a place in the back if we wanted to work and we can get something to eat,” he says, “if the time comes and your tired then we won’t go,” he concludes. You decided to just tell him yes, not like it was a hard choice. 

You both said your goodbyes before entering your building and heading towards your room. Your roommate was sitting on her bed, laptop on her lap as she scrolled through Facebook. Her face lit up when she saw you, 

“Spill it!” She squealed looking at you hoping for some juicy details of a ‘hook up’. 

You raised your eyebrow, “There is nothing to spill,” you tell her, “We sat and talked about our project,”

She groaned loudly, for some reason she was always trying to convince you to sleep with someone. “Come on girl!” She shrieks, “You need to get some of him!” She put her laptop onto her bed and turned to face you. “He’s super cute and I’m pretty sure he likes you,” 

You knew she was happy for you but she honestly tended to be a little over the top about it. 

“Just forget about it, he’s my project partner,” you didn’t say anything else, you got your bag ready for you long day of classes. 

You knew you were asleep, but this dream felt so real to you. The library was quiet, you really enjoyed studying on the second floor of the library cause no one typically ventured down this far. It almost felt like a secret spot to you. 

“You like this spot too?” A voice asked, you knew it was Namjoon, you didn’t even have to look up from your book. 

“Its quiet and no one can distract me,” you explain continuing to let your eyes scan the book in front of you. 

“Can I join you?” You gave him a nod before he pulled a chair up next to you. The both of you studying in silence for what seemed like forever, it was peaceful and calming. That was until you felt his large hand on your knee. 

You froze at the sudden contact, finally glancing up from your book only to see him reading his as if nothing was happening. 

“N-Namjoon?” You stammer trying to keep yourself calm and to not over think it. He glanced over from his book, only to send you a wink before going back to his reading. What in the world was happening? 

You went back to your reading only to feel his hand creep higher up your leg, now reaching your mid thigh. You felt you stomach twist, not in disgust but in excitement. You tried so desperately to focus on your reading. Though his hand just kept creeping higher until reaching the apex of your thigh. You bit your lip, gently squeezing your legs together. His hand squeezed your thigh, he clicked his tongue in displeasure. Using his strength he pried your legs apart, though you didn’t try to fight back, it was easy to say you weren’t apposed to this happening. 

Once again looking up from your book, you finally saw him looking at you. His eyes blown with lust, it took your breath away. 

“Joon?” You whisper softly as he sets his book down. 

He chuckles, “Keep reading babygirl, and remember keep quiet,” he mumbles, “this is a library,” 

You aren’t sure what his plan is until you feel his hand creep up and begin to unbutton you jeans. You cheeks begin to heat up but you don’t protest, it almost turned you on more. You continue to try to focus on your book as he shimmy you jeans down your legs. Eventually his hand found its way between your thighs, his long fingers gently rubbing over your clothed core. You held back a moan, you had never been touched like this by anyone. 

He felt you tense up and could clearly see the wet spot starting to appear on your underwear, 

“Someones excited,” he chuckles glancing up at you, “Have you thought about this, me touching you like this?” He whispers now expecting an answer, 

You nod your head, “Y-Yes,” you whimper out, you wanted more, you NEEDED more. 

“Now be a good girl and start reading to me, don’t miss a word or I’ll stop,” you couldn’t believe your ears, he wanted you to read? You felt him move your underwear aside, his fingers dipping down through your wet folds. You whimper softly, 

“You heard me baby, start reading,” he growls lowly causing a shiver to run down your spine. Slowly you begin to read where you left off, reading something about the Egyptian gods and how the society revolved around them. You had honestly stoped paying attention up until this point. 

As you continued to read, his fingers ran through your folds collecting you wetness before gently making circles on your clit. The low moan that left you lips was unintentional and not something you had hoped would come from you but you continued to read. 

“You’re so wet baby,” Namjoon mumbles as he kisses your inner thigh, his fingers now trailing towards your entrance before he slowly interested a finger into you. 

You couldn’t help but stop reading, you knew if you continued the moan that would have escaped your lips would have alerted the who library. Just like he said, he stoped when you didn’t continue reading.

“What did I tell you babygirl?” He huskily asks, you began to pant unsure if you can answer. 

“P-Please daddy,” you whine, “just give me a minute, i-i’ll keep reading~ I promise,” the fact that you had just uttered those words even surprised you seeing as though you didn’t think that was something you were that into. 

He gave you a curt nod, “You better beautiful, or I won’t move,” you tried desperately to catch your breath but it took a few moments until you found yourself reading again. Once you began to read, Namjoon slowly began to pump his finger in and out of you. It took every inch of you to not stop or to stumble on your words. 

It wasn’t until he added a second finger where things started to go down hill. You began to stutter, soft moans began to leave your lips.

“P-Please, can I stop reading?” You beg hoping to get an answer you liked. 

He just chuckled as he stopped his motion, “Why should I let you stop baby?” He teased looking up at you, you didn’t have an answer to his question. 

“You gotta study babygirl,” he teases as he slowly pumps his finger in and out of you. 

“P-Please daddy, I wanna watch you,” you whine causing him to stop, 

“You like this?” He begins to move his fingers faster, you put your book down. “If you aren’t gonna read you’re gonna look right at me,” he says looking you directly in the eyes. You gave him a nod locking eyes with him. While keeping eye contact, slowly he leans forward leaving a single kitten like on your clit, almost testing the waters. You bit your tongue to hold back the moan that would have escaped. 

Without warning he went straight in, sucking your clit between his lips.

“o-oh fuck,” you whimper as you try to keep eye contact with him, the feeling of his lips harshly sucking on you, while pumping his fingers into you. It was unlike anything you had ever felt before. When he finally inserted a third finger, your head rolled back a moan finally leaving your lips. You felt him gently slap your thigh to gain your attention, 

“Eyes on me babygirl, I wanna see your beautiful face when you cum on my fingers,” you felt yourself get closer to your release, 

“Fuck, are you gonna cum babygirl? I feel you tightening around my fingers.” He groans, “You like doing this in public don’t you? You like the idea of getting caught, don’t you?” He taunts, you moan not able to form words, 

“Answer me,” he growls against your clit as he gently nibbles on it, 

“Yes daddy, I like it,” you whines out softly, he chuckled sending vibrations straight to your core. 

“I knew you did you slut,” his words only pushing you closer to the edge, 

“I’m so close,” you moan, “Please daddy, let me cum,” you beg, he groans at the sound of you begging. 

“Go on babygirl, cum for daddy,” he groaned out move his fingers faster. The look in his eyes was enough to throw you over the edge, your legs began to shake as you finally reached your climax. He helped you through your high, working his fingers slowly in and out of you until you finally came down. 

“What a good girl~”

Your eyes snapped open, you could feel the wetness pooling between your legs, you hated wet dreams…. You grumbled to yourself as you looked at your phone and saw that it was seven o’clock, thirty minutes before your alarm as to go off. 

“God damn it,” you mumble under your breath as you get out of bed, deciding to take a shower to start the day and maybe you might be able to deal with the aching between your legs. 

Your day had honestly started off alright considering waking up earlier than intended.  Your first three classes went by rather well, though you had two more to go. Between walking from building to building you stopped into the cafeteria to grab a quick snack seeing as though you wouldn’t be eating until eight o’clock tonight when you met with Joon.

In your rush to get in and out quickly, you ran into something solid, 

“(Y/n)? You alight?” A concerned voice asked, you nodded before looking up, 

“Yeah, I’m alright Hobi,” you say, “I’m sorry for running into you, I’m in a bit of a rush,” you explain to him, he smiled his bright smile before speaking, 

“No harm done! I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the club meeting!” He say as you rush off. Hobi was president of a dance club that you had been apart of since your freshmen year, but it wasn’t until Hobi came around that you guys ever did anything. You were finally doing shows and competitions, it was honestly the most amazing thing. The both of you bonded over a duet you did together that would be considered pretty risky for just friends to do. Ever since then you two were honestly the best of friends. 

Rushing towards your next class you munched on a piece of toast, you weren’t running late but if you walked slow enough you would be. You just kept telling yourself that you were almost done and soon you would be meeting with your cute new friend. 

Seven o’clock came around and you were trying your best to keep yourself awake, you last class had a quiz that you had completely forgot about and it honestly took everything out of you. 

“Hey (y/n),” Namjoon says as he meets you outside of the school building. 

You yawn and smile, “Hi Joon,” he frowns, he can clearly see that you were tired. 

“Let me take you to your room,” he says with his usual smile, you looked at him in confusion,

“N-No, Joon lets go do our project,” you yawn as you begin to walk, he stops you by gently grabbing your hand,

“Why don’t we go to your room, we can work there if you want,” he says, you nodded sleepily. You must have been that sleepy to invite the boy your roommate shipped you with back to your room. This was a disaster waiting to happen. 

Namjoon walked with you into your room, your roommate was no where in sight. Weird, she must have been at her boyfriends room…

“Make yourself at home,’ you yawn as you set you bag down by your desk and promptly take a seat on your bed. 

“Fuck~” Namjoon mutters as he checks his phone, 

“Whats wrong?” You ask sleepily, you kinda cuddling into your bed. 

“My roommates girlfriend is over, meaning I need to find a place to crash tonight,” he mumbles clearly not happy about the predicament. 

Without thinking you spoke up, “Stay here,” he seems to freeze in his place, “I don’t mind,” you yawn again now laying down in the bed. 

“A-Are you sure (y/n)? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he reasons with you. You pat the empty space next to you, honestly not caring what he did. 

He must have realized no work was getting done tonight, because the lights went out and you felt him lay behind you. You could tell he was trying to keep his distance like a gentleman but you weren’t a fan of personal space. 

A soft yawn escaped your lips  as you cuddled closer to his chest, you had always liked being warm when you slept and he was practically radiating heat. Namjoon tensed up behind you, unsure of what to do mainly because he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. Though he felt himself slowly drift to sleep, his arm gently draping over your waist gently. He could help but feel butterflies in his stomach, it was true he found you cute and that he may have gained a crush on you in the small amount of time you knew each other. Though he wasn’t going to complain about what was happening, no way in hell but he just hoped when you both woke up you things wouldn’t be too awkward. 

You heard the door slowly open, at what you assumed was, early that next morning. You didn’t pay much mind to it seeing as though you were so comfortable and warm in your bed. The soft giggles of your roommate were faint as you slowly began to wake up from your peaceful sleep. You had begun to realize that you pillow was a bit harder then usual…You eyes fluttered open only to find that your pillow was, in fact, the hard chest that belonged to none other then Namjoon. You knew nothing had happened last night, and that this was nothing more. 

“What time is it?” You groan quietly to your roommate, 

“A little after seven,” she says just as quietly, “I see you had a fun night,” she teased, 

You stuck your tongue out at her, “No, he came over to work on our project and I fell asleep, his roommate had his girlfriend over and needed a place to crash.” You tell her as quietly as you could without waking the gentle giant. Your roommate still giggled and went to her side of the room, you assumed to get ready for the class she had today. 

You took this moment to look up at Joons sleeping face, his hair was slightly disheveled and his lips slight agape. Every so often he would softly snore and shift a little. You honestly wished you could have this view all the time. You watched for as he slowly began to wake up, his eyes fluttered open. 

A small smile formed on his lips, “Morning,” he mumbled lowly in his deep morning voice. 

“Morning Joon,” you say just as softly as you slowly try to sit up, instead he slowly pulls you back, 

“Stay for a bit longer,” he groans as he seems to close his eyes again. You honestly didn’t fight him, though you knew your roommate wasn’t gonna let you live it down. It wasn’t much longer until your eyes fluttered shut again and you fell asleep. 

You woke up again, this time to a tickling feeling against your neck. It didn’t take you long to realize that it was Namjoon’s breath against your neck. His face was buried into your neck, his lips ridiculously close to touching your skin. You tried so hard to control your breathing, to ignore the feeling of arousal starting to pool between your legs. Just the idea of his lips on your neck was enough to cause said aching between your legs. 

Namjoon groans in his sleep, shifting closer to you, his lips now brushing gently against the nape of your neck. You bit your lip in order to hold back the whimper that was rising from your throat. This man had no idea what he was doing to you. You continued to feel his lips lightly brush against your neck for a few moment, holding back was becoming incredibly hard. You wanted to move but his arm was securely wrapped around your waist, holding you close to him, maybe he was aware of what he did to you…

You tried to push that thought away from you there was no way he knew, well that’s what you thought. Not seconds later did his lips press against your neck, not roughly but just enough that a the whimper you had been holding back finally made an appearance. His lips didn’t move, it was clear that he was still asleep. 

“J-Joon,” you whisper out in hopes that maybe he would wake up, He just groaned in his sleep, his lips continuing to graze your neck. 

“Namjoon,” you breath out, trying to hide your embarrassment, you honestly couldn’t believe that something this simple was turning you on. Slowly he began to shift, his lips moving away from you now as his eyes opened. 

“(Y/N)?” He groans as he slowly wakes up, you sat there trying to catch your breath. You heart was still pounding in your chest, 

“Are you okay?” He asked, clear concern laced in his voice. 

You nod your head, “Y-Yeah, just woke up from a weird dream,” you stammer out trying to keep yourself calm. He sits up looking at you, he was worried about you clearly. 

“I’m alright, I promise,” you say, “do you have class today? We can do some of our project today.” You say trying to change the subject. He rubs his eyes, before shaking his head, 

“I have a club meeting tonight but that’s about it,” he replies, he keeps an arm wrapped around you as you chatted,

“You’re in a club?” You question, you assumed he was in some sort of ‘smart person’ club but you wouldn’t actually admit that out loud. 

“A childhood friend wanted me to join a club with him,” he says with a nod, 

“Who’s your friend? If you don’t mind me asking,” you ask honestly kinda curious to see if you know them.

“His names Hoseok,” he says with a shrug, 

You sat there shocked for a second, “Wait, Jung Hoseok?” You ask, when he nodded you nearly had a heart attack, “You’re joining the dance club?” You blurted, you really hoped he didn’t take offense to that. 

He laughed and nodded, “Yes, I know it’s a bit strange. He roped a bunch of our friends together to do some sort of dance together,” he laughed, “He even managed to ask our friend Seokjin and Yoongi to come back to join it,” He explained, now you were interested, 

“Wait, Min Yoongi?” You ask, “The music production major, who on the last day literally cussed out the professor?” You squack, causing the both of you to laugh. His laugh was honestly adorable to say the least. 

“Yes that Yoongi,” he confirmed, “We all became friends at a young age and we all just kinda stayed together I guess.” He chuckled, you smiled hearing that. You didn’t have many friends growing up, and the ones you did lost contact and you all just kinda faded away. Not like you really cared seeing as though you never really liked having friends anyways. 

“I didn’t realize he would be someone to be into dancing,” you mutter causing Namjoon to chuckle, there were no other words spoken for a few moments. 

Eventually, the both of you began to work on your project. You both of you throwing ideas back and forth of the strangest thing. 

“Hear me out,” you begin with a giggle, “What about these two friends live together, and one of them becomes possessed by a demon,” you explain, “the demon sees that the friend it’s possessing is madly in love with the other. So it spends all its time trying to get them together,” you conclude looking at his face for any sort of thought. 

A bright smile spread across his face, “Thats amazing! It’s perfect!” He says happily, jotting it all down in his notes. The both of you continued to work for most of the day, it seemed like both of your minds just joined together as one. 

Before you realized it, it was nearly time for you to head to club. 

He began to pack up his things, “So I’ll see you there?” He asked with a happy smile, you gave him a happy nod before saying goodbye. Once he left, you threw on your more dance worthy clothing before grabbing your water bottle and keys, before locking your door and leaving. 

You were one of the first to arrive after Hobi, he was quick to run to you and engulf you into the tightest hug imaginable. 

You were happy to give him an even bigger hug, “Hobi!” You squeal happily, his cute laugh filled the room as you both just stood embracing each other. Though it honestly hadn’t been that long since you had seen him, you both often greeted each other this way. 

It was honestly the one thing you looked forward to. If it weren’t for Hobi, you wouldn’t be the person you were today. As you waited for the rest of the club, the both of you stretched and spoke together about the things you had done over your summer or just random things that you both had been up to. 

Eventually a few stragglers came in before the large group of boys that you were kind of familiar with. The three you recognized was, of course, Namjoon who walked beside Yoongi. You had only seen him a few times, Yoongi was pretty quiet when he wasn’t with his friends. You had nearly worked a project with him, a singer was needed, you had auditioned but the day you were asked to go in they had turned everyone away. He had decided to do something different. 

The last person you recognized was Jimin, you had met him through the club. He was a true sweetheart and was honestly a dance god. You honestly envied his talent, he was an amazing dancer with so much passion. You had both danced together once, you had nearly won a competition his first time doing the club. 

Hoseok’s voice filled the room as he greeted his friends from where he was standing, you could tell he was extremely happy to see that they had actually decided to show up. He waved you over with a wide smile, you cautiously walk over not exactly sure how this would go over. 

“Guys! This is (Y/N), she’s another good friend of mine!” He introduces, you gave an awkward smile and wave as they all introduced themselves. Jimin greeted you with a sweet hug as the others just kinda waved. 

“I’m just so glad you guys are here!” He cheers with a giggle, each person broke into a pretty wide smile. This years club was going to be an interesting one, you could tell. 

A few months had gone by, Namjoon and yourself had gotten closer than ever. If you squinted you would honestly think you were an actual couple, well most people believed that you were anyways. You were always together, either working on your project or just hanging out together.  Hobi had noticed the two of you getting close, so he decided to make you dance partners. It was honestly the most amazing thing to happen, it only brought you two closer together. 

So close that your roommate just wouldn’t stop teasing you, asking when you were finally gonna take things to the next step. You obviously told her that you both weren’t in that kind of relationship, she would just roll her eyes and continue to tease you. 

Today was like any other day, except today you stayed in his room. The both of you sat in his bed watching a random movie that played on his computer. You two often did this on the weekends, it was a way for you to de-stress and just spend time away from everyone. 

Though something was different, Namjoon seemed nervous. He arm was slung over your shoulder, you wanted so desperately to cuddle into his side. 

Recently the stresses of college had really gotten to you, all the work and projects you had to get done where starting to take its tole. You hadn’t been sleeping well, you hadn’t been eating well and honestly you had gone a week or so without interacting with anyone, that included going to your favorite club. 

“Are you okay?” Joon questions snapping you out of your thoughts. You didn’t speak for a few seconds, the only sound to be heard was the sound of the tv. 

“I’m alright,” you finally answer, “I’m just glad to be finally having a break from everything.” You whisper softly, he gave a small nod before pulling you closer to his side. The faint smell of his cologne fulled your nose instantly calming you down. 

“Thanks Joonie,” you mumble snuggling into him more, if that’s even possible. You heard him chuckle a little. You glanced up to him, much to your surprise he was looking at you, his dimpled smile showing. You found yourself glancing down at his lips a few times, honestly wondering if they were a soft as they looked. He seemed to notice you gaze rather quickly, he was always a little slow when it came to the signs but he could see that this was something you might have wanted. He slowly leans towards you, his lips now extremely close to yours. 

“N-Namjoon,” you whisper, looking into his dark eyes. Concern filled them for a second, afraid he had done something wrong. “Kiss me, please,” you tell him, not wanting to wait another second. He seems frozen at your request, so you took the leap of faith. Gently you connected your lips together, it was clear that the both of you were nervous. 

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, before he pulled away slowly, you heart was beating out of your chest. Before you knew it, his hands gently grabbed your waist, pulling you onto his lap you legs straddling him. One of his hands sat gently on your side while the other caressed the back of your neck. He pulls you back in for another kiss, this one passionate and showed all the feelings he had. His hand held you close as his tongue gently snaked his way into your mouth. Was this was really happening?

You couldn’t help but involuntarily rolling your hips against his causing the both of you to moan into each others mouths. You finger tangled in his hair holding him as close as you could get him. Was this actually happening? You’d never done this with anyone before but you weren’t going to stop, this felt way too right. 

You pulled away from his lips, both of you trying to catch your breath. Cautiously his lips trailed down your neck, leaving feather light kisses everywhere that he could. You let out a soft sign, the feeling foreign but pleasant. As he became more confident in himself, his lips pressed harder onto your neck occasionally sucking and nipping at the skin cause soft moans to slip past you lips. His hands began to wander cautiously, giving you an opportunity to stop him at any time. You hadn’t planed to stop him, even after his hands began to wander under your shirt touching your bare waist. He pulled away from your neck, looking you in the eyes asking for permission. You simply nodded, you didn’t have to say words the both of you could practically feel each others energies. 

His lips connected to yours again, you grabbed the edge of your shirt, slowly pulling it up and off of you. The kiss continued for a few moments before he too shed his shirt. Your hands began to trail his toned stomach, he was so well built… 

A groan escaped his lips as a hands began to trail up towards your chest, his hands cupping your cloth covered breasts gently almost testing the waters. Once again his lips trailed down your neck heading towards your semi-exposed chest. Taking this chance, you reach behind to unclasp your bra letting it fall from your chest. He doesn’t hesitate to let his lips wander further down until his lips attached to one of your nipples. You couldn’t stop the moan that trembled from your lips causing him to glance up at you and pull away, 

“You gotta be quiet, we don’t need everyone hearing,” he chuckled with a small smirk causing wetness to pool between your legs. He left a few kitten likes against your nipple before seeing your reaction, “Unless you want everyone to know.” This caused another moan to surface giving him the answer he was looking for. He used his strength to lay you down on your back, him hovering above you. His lips continuing to assault your breasts, leaving small love bites and soft kisses as he worked his way down towards you stomach. 

“Joon, please,” you whine softly trying to keep your voice down. He left light kisses near your navel as he slowly began to pull down your sweatpants. Lifting your hips off the bed to help get your pants off. He wasted no time, leaving light kisses against you thighs leaving your body shaking with anticipation. He silently drank in your form before leaning down kissing near the waistband of your panties, he glances up at you almost silently asking for permission which you happily gave him. He pulled them down your legs carefully, you hear him audibly groan at the sight of you. 

“You’re so wet baby,” he groans as he begins to kiss your thighs again making his way higher and higher. He parts your legs, placing them on his shoulders as he dives in. His tongue automatically finding your clit, you bit your lip silencing the cry that the whole building would likely had heard. Your fingers tangled in his hair, holding on for dear life, his mouth felt amazing. 

“H-Holy shit, that feels so good,” you moan softly, you felt him smile against you, occasionally groaning as he continued to eat you out. The closer you to to your high, which was a lot faster than you would hope, the harder it became to hold back your moans. 

“Joon, I’m so close, please,” you beg trying to keep your voice down as low as you could, your grip in his hair tightened causing him to groan. You hips bucked up against his face, trying to chase your orgasm. He flattens his hands against your stomach, pinning you down so you couldn’t move. This only brought you closer, after a few moments of chasing your much needed orgasm he growls against you, 

“Cum for me, baby,” That was all it took before you were thrown over the edge, the idea of him being able to bring you to an orgasm with just his tongue only seemed to intensify it. 

“Joon,” you whine as you came down from your high but his ministrations didn’t stop. You tried to push him away but he held you down. It was only a moment before he from between your legs, crawling up your body and kissing you lustfully. You could still taste yourself on his tongue as you fought for dominance. His fingers gently touched your sensitive clit causing you to gasp against his lips, he pulls away slightly,

“Relax baby,” he whispers, “I have to prep you for me,” he nips at your neck, as his fingers trail down towards your entrance you grab his hand. 

A faint blush crept on your cheeks, now feeling embarrassed, his eyes softened. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked genuinely concerned about this, you covered your face in embarrassment. 

“I-I’m a virgin,” you mumble, gently he moved your hands from your face. He looks directly into your eyes, you could only see love in his eyes. 

“It’s alright,” he kisses your cheek sweetly, “If you want to stop we can, I don’t wanna rush you,” he begins, “If not, I will be really gentle alright? I would never hurt you,” he whispers, you felt tears well up in your eyes. You couldn’t believe he actually cared that much for you…. 

“Please keep going,” you whisper, “I trust you,” you watch as his smile grew wider, the love in his eyes only grew brighter. 

“Then I will be really gentle, you just have to tell me if I’m hurting you,” he says; you give him a nod of understanding before he continued. His lips connected to yours once more in a quick kiss before he gently laid his forehead against yours, his finger circling your entrance. You gave him a small nod while looking into his eyes. He took the first step, slowly inserting a finger into you. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling to start with, kinda uncomfortable but the longer you adjusted. You knew this was just the beginning though. 

Slowly he began to move his finger, testing the water to see how you were feeling, the moan that escaped your lips seemed to egg him on. His pace slowly quickened, before slowly entering a second finger into the mix. He halted his motions for a few moments, 

“You’re doing so well beautiful,” he whispered in your ear, along with a few other encouraging words that seemed to shoot a tingling sensation right down to your core.  

“M-Move, please,” you whine not wanting him to hold back any more. He took that as his cue, starting a slow almost teasing pace that drove you crazy. Though the slow pace didn’t exactly last too long, it began to pick up. His eyes never left yours, watching as your face would contort in please just by the flex of his fingers. 

“J-Joon,” you moan, “I want you,” he didn’t need to be told twice. He pushed himself off the bed, finding a condom not in his desk but his roommates. This made you giggle, 

“he won’t notice, the guy goes through them like candy,” he grumbles as he pulls down his sweatpants and boxers. His hard cock hits his stomach, the tip already leaking pre-cum as he put the condom on and hovered above you. 

“This will hurt a little, alright? But just for a minute,” he advices as he lined up with your entrance. Once he slowly began to sink into you, holding back tears you pulled him closer to you burying you face into the crook of his neck. He whispered sweet nothings into your ear as you laid together adjusting to his size, the pain slowly turned into a dull ache and eventually nearly nothing. 

“Y-You can move,” you tell him as he pecks your lips. Slowly he pulls himself out and back in, setting a slow pace just to start out. Soft moans continued to flow from your lips, trying so hard to keep quiet but it was proving a harder task than you thought. 

He kept the slow pace for a few minutes, the he began to speed up until he was nearly pounding into you. All you could do was moan his name as you were, once again, building up towards your orgasm. Namjoon left soft kisses against your neck, leaving love bites in his wake, 

“Are you gonna cum, baby?” He growls against your neck, 

You hold back the loud moan you were threatening to let out, “yes,” you moan, “Yes daddy,” you whimper, you felt his tense slightly at the name he was just called. A blush crept up your neck and to your cheeks, you honestly believed you had screwed up. 

“Call me that again,” he groans into your ear as he began to snap his hips forward thrusting deeper than before.

“Daddy,” you whine, “I’m so close please,” you sob trying to keep your cries to a dull roar but you were ultimately failing. He continues to thrust, now rougher than ever but you could tell that the name was really getting to him. You could feel the knot in your stomach endlessly tightening but it wasn’t enough, you needed something else. Almost as if he read your mind, his hand snuck down between your bodies, his finger tips drawing tight circles on your clit. 

“Come on baby,” he groans, “Cum for daddy,” he growls while making eye contact with you. You felt the knot snap, you pull Namjoon down into a suffocating kiss, muting the loud moan that escaped as you found your release. Namjoon followed behind, as he felt your walls tighten around him his thrust got sloppy, he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. 

“Shit, fuck,” he groans into your neck as he released into the condom. His thrusts continued until he nearly collapsed on top of you. The both of you panting, trying to catch your breath. Before he got to comfy he tied the condom off and threw it in the trash. He pulled the blankets over the both of you, and pulled you towards his chest, his heart was still racing. 

“That was amazing,” you say softly, cuddling into his chest. He only nodded in agreement, taking a few minutes to figure out what he wanted to say. That was until the sound of his door unlocking brought you both out of your daze. 

You weren’t prepared for who walked in. 

“Woah, what the fuck…” a familiar voice said, the both of you glanced over only to see your roommate and her boyfriend walk in. 

“No fucking way!” Your roommate squeals in, honest to god, joy. You buried your face into Namjoon’s chest to hide the deep red blush that appeared. 

“Can you guys like, leave?” Namjoon asked, hoping that they wouldn’t over stay their welcome. The both of them laughed, his roommate grabbing a few things before heading back towards the door, 

“So this is what it feels like to be walked in on?” He mumbled causing you and Joon to laugh. When the two of them left, leaving you two alone did he finally speak. 

“I want to take you out,” he mumbles, “Please… I kind of did this in the wrong order,” he rubbed the back of his neck. You giggled at him, his nervousness was honestly the cutest thing. 

“I would love to go out Joonie,” you say kissing his cheek, “Now can we take a nap?” You ask with a giggle. He gave a wide smile before nodding. 

“Of course beautiful,” he whispers as the both of you lay down, he pulls you into his warm chest before the both of you fall asleep.

[makaylajadewrites]

First Day

This is a drabble that I wrote for @ssa-sarahsunshine. It's based off of these headcanons about Spencer and Derek adopting. I hope you enjoy!

Pairing: Spencer Reid/Derek Morgan

Tags: Domestic fluff. That is all.

Summary: Spencer worries about Gale's first day of school.

Word Count: 1321

Read on AO3 here

~

"Do you think he's ready?" Spencer asked nervously, bracing himself against the bathroom sink counter, looking at his husband in the mirror. Derek stood in the doorway, the couple fresh out of the shower. His arms were crossed over his chest as he regarded Spencer with a fond, amused expression, an eyebrow cocked and his shoulder leaning into the wooden doorframe with a towel wrapped securely around his waist. Tomorrow was their son's first day of preschool. Derek was eager for him to get to know other kids not including Jack and Henry, but Spencer was a nervous wreck about sending him off on his own. Gale was a smart but sensitive boy, and even if he played tough at times, he was clearly more of a bookworm, just like Reid.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Derek asked with a small smile, but his voice grew calm, soothing, "He's already four, Spence. He'll be fine."

"I know, I just... I don't want to see him go," Spencer said, and as soon as Derek heard the wavering in his lover's voice, he approached him from behind and wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist, stroking his hips comfortingly as Spencer exhaled shakily. He could understand why Spencer was upset. This was their child, and both of them wanted nothing more than to keep him safe, but they couldn't shelter him from the world forever. But he didn't expect to for Spencer to start crying.

"Spencer, baby..." Derek said in slight surprise as he realized that tears were falling from his partner's dark eyes. Spencer just laughed through a sob, using the back of his sweater's sleeve to wipeout his eyes.

"I just want to keep him here and safe from the world forever... I don't want Gale to go through the same things I did when I was in school," Spencer admitted to Derek, spinning in his arms to face him, leaning back against the counter and resting his hands on Derek's shoulders. Derek cupped Spencer's cheek, his thumb swiping away the tears that continued to slip down his pretty face.

"He'll be okay... Gale, he's... He's a tough kid," Derek said, watching as Spencer just smiled and nodded.

"Just like his Poppy," Spencer said with a hum of a giggle, leaning in and pecking Derek's lips fondly. Derek just smiled against his husband's lips, holding him close and pressing their foreheads together once their lips parted.

"He's smart too, just like his Daddy," Derek said, and Spencer hummed softly once more, and they shared another kiss before heading to bed for the night.

~

"Daddy! Poppy! Wake up, I got school!" Gale yelled, jumping onto the bed, resulting in two separate groans from his parents as their legs were crushed under the weight of their son. SpencerH untangled his and Derek's limbs, pushing himself up and just smiling sleepily at Gale who was beaming up at him, his hazel eyes bright and filled to the brim with excitement. It was still dark outside, Spencer realized, and he turned to look at the digital alarm clock and sighed.

"Gale, it's still really early so why don't we get some more sleep rest, okay?" Spencer hummed sleepily, pushing the blankets off of his bare legs and moving to stand up. He noticed that by then, Derek was sitting up too, and Gale had made himself comfortable in the middle of the bed.

"Baby, just let him sleep in here," Derek hummed, and Spencer sighed once more before just giving in and settling back down in bed. He smiled at Derek tiredly, and Derek regarded him with a similar expression as they laid down with Gale between them. It took a little while for Gale to go back to bed, but when he did, he was out like a light.

"What time is it anyway?" Derek asked Spencer, reaching over across Gale to stroke his partner's hair. Spencer smiled sheepishly.

"Two o'clock," Spencer said and Derek just chuckled, withdrawing his hand and glancing down at Gale who was snoring lightly in his sleep, his round face peaceful and at rest.

"He's so excited for school," Derek murmured, and Spencer just nodded his head, beginning to play with Gale's curls, nothing but love in his eyes when he regarded Gale. He had known from the moment they met that he would love this boy endlessly - Gale clearly felt the same way, since the moment they met him at the adoption center, he had clung to Spencer's leg without letting go. It was simply meant to be.

"I know... I'm still worried about him though," Spencer said.

"I don't think that'll ever go away, Spence," Derek said, and the two shared another chuckle before saying their goodnights - again - and getting a few more hours of sleep.

The next morning came sooner than they would have liked. Both men shared a groan between them as the alarm clock went off, and even Gale whimpered a little. But soon enough, all of them were out of bed and getting ready for the day. Derek took Gale to his room to get ready while Spencer took the first shower. When he was finished, Derek took his own shower and Spencer helped Gale gather everything he would need for his first day of preschool. When Derek was out of the shower, he fixed breakfast for his family since Spencer in the kitchen was nothing but a bad idea. At least he could make coffee though, and that was all he needed to function properly.

Once they had all ate breakfast, they loaded into Derek's car and headed for school. Gale was chattering away the entire time, talking about all of the kids he would meet and saying how excited he was for school. With one look towards his husband, Derek could tell that Spencer was most likely going to cry again, and while Gale went on and on about everything and nothing in the backseat, they held hands across the middle console.

In the parking lot, with Gale unloaded from his carseat, he slung his dinosaur backpack on and held his dads' hands as they walked with him into the school building and to his classroom. They said their goodbyes and both Derek and Spencer kissed Gale before he ran off to join his classmates. Some of the other parents looked at them like they were an oddity, but neither Spencer nor Derek paid attention or even cared. It was their son's first day of school, and they were watching him grow up right before their eyes.

Spencer lasted until they were out in the parking lot again, where he ultimately broke down and leaned against Derek who pulled him into a hug, kissing the crown of his head. While Spencer tried to cover his red, tear-streaked face, they walked to the car with Derek's arm around his waist.

"He'll be okay, Spencer," Derek said softly to him once they were inside. Spencer sniffled and just nodded his head, his lips trembling as he turned to look at Derek.

"I don't want him to grow up," Spencer said with a wet laugh, "I want him to stay little forever."

"I know, baby... But he'll always be our little boy, you know that, right?" Derek said softly, holding one of Spencer's hands and reaching over to stroke his face with the other.

"I know," Spencer said, wiping at his eyes, "I know, I just... I'm worried for him," he said again.

"I know you are, but luckily for him, he has two of the greatest dads in the entire world," Derek said warmly, and Spencer just smiled, his dark eyes slightly swollen from crying. But still, to Derek, he was the most beautiful creature on earth.

"I love you," Spencer said softly.

"I love you too," Derek responded immediately, tucking a strand of hair behind Spencer's ear. "More than you'll ever know."

~

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[regrettablewritings]

Gives nose/forehead kisses, breaks the gift rule and remembers anniversaries fo r Benoit blanc!!!

Some rather tasteful things for the resident gentleman . . . I like that!

Gives nose/forehead kisses: Benoit, being a practitioner of “gentlemanly affection”, has perfected the art of non-liplock kisses. You see, boys think way too small: They tend to think that kisses should be reserved for seduction, or given out of exasperation. If a kiss is done in anything positive, it’s on the lips or the neck. The decidedly more minute kisses should be reserved for when one is in a rush, or when their partner -- especially when said partner is female -- has pestered them about something and the boy needs to try and quiet them down. But men understand that it goes much deeper than that: Kisses aren’t just a means of seduction or equivalent to a lazy pat on the back, they’re a means of assurance. Sometimes even respect if they’re done right. And far be it from the last of the gentlemen sleuths to devoid you of any such kisses. Socially speaking, kisses on the nose or forehead tend to be interpreted as something more innocuous. But there’s just something that lights a fire in your tummy when Benoit does it, even when it’s just because he’s about to head out for something relating to a case, or because he’s soothing you. Because it’s actually never just because he’s leaving or just because he’s calming you down: In every kiss he applies, there’s a warmth. There’s safety. There is a reminder that he adores you and is there for you even in this arguably unconventional relationship. They’re never just simple pecks, either: They linger. They are deliberate. They’re words that flavor his lips and are applied to your skin, writing invisibly on you reminders that all will be well. And just for assurance, it’s in his eyes when he parts from you (assuming you dare look into them). It’s so adoring and splendid that no matter how sweet the intent, you are always left wanting more. But, of course, absolutely nothing beats the kisses Benoit gives you on the backs of your hands. But those are for another time . . .

Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas: When you first started dating, you thought you were under a silent agreement to keep a $25 budget on the gift-giving. You weren’t even sure what make you so certain of that besides just your own mind functioning in a way that assumed enough people thought similarly enough to you, at the very least your oddball boyfriend did. And certainly, while $25 didn’t always lend itself to the most high-qualitied materials, it still allowed for you two to be somewhat on the same page as to how wild the gifts could be. After all, it was just enough to purchase a lovely wooden bow tie with intricate designs carved in the wings. A small gift, admittedly, but imagining the rich wood with the blue tartan middle complimenting whatever snappy outfit Benoit chose to wear with it just excited you! In fact, you were actually quite proud of yourself leading up to the date when you both decided to exchange your very first Christmas gifts to one another . . . And when that day came, the pride got smacked to the ground. A weighted blanket. That beautiful, blond bastard went and bought you a weighted blanket. And not just one whose fillings felt a bit on the cheap side, all gritty and such -- this bad boy was quality. The texture was perfect, not even threatening to set off your sensitivities in the slightest. And it wasn’t even just one with the regular grey coloring -- this one had constellations on it. A glorious, beautiful star map etched in greyish-silver thread. Did -- did he get somebody on Etsy to do this? Did anyone on Etsy actually make weighted blankets!? You weren’t very good at hiding your distress (or pouting face) over the gift-exchange. To your further dismay, Benoit only found it amusing. Adorable, even, as he offered a low, “Aaaww” before pressing a kiss to your cheek. “No need to pout there, darlin’,” he tried to assure you. “I love the bow tie. Really.” “But you got me an entire weighted blanket,” you muttered, glowering at the beautiful cloth in your hands. “Because I remember you saying you always meant to buy yourself one, but it always fell out of your budget.” “But like -- Benoit -- ” You weren’t even sure what to argue. If you should argue, even. Probably not . . . But the worry didn’t go away. Not until your boyfriend took it upon himself to unravel the blanket and gently drape it over your shoulders. To your dismay, the damned thing worked like a charm as it squeezed out all the bad feelings and instead forced your body to squeeze good hormones into you. To the blanket’s credit, its effect did make it a lot easier for you to see that Benoit genuinely did find absolute delight in the gift you gave him. He wasn’t even much of a bow tie man, but he certainly loved the swirls and curls in the wooden accessory. Following that Christmas, you still fell into the trap of assuming he would keep a cap on the gifts. Would it have been smart to just sit down and flat-out tell him to keep it under a budget of some kind? Oh, most definitely. But you had the sinking suspicion that even if he demanded it, he would somehow manage to get his hands on something superior in presentation that you never would’ve thought to have given him. So in a way, it’s probably best to leave him to his devices. Even if said devices simultaneously drive you made and make you super excited against your stubborn will.

Remembers anniversaries: Benoit, to your dismay. It’s not that you want him to forget, per se, but sometimes the way his memory can put yours to shame makes you feel a bit self-conscious. You know you probably shouldn’t expect anything different, though: The man is a detective, after all, so having a profound memory is a part of the gig. . . . But does he really need to remember the day you both met, down to what you were wearing!? Really, remembering anniversaries should be simple: All you need to do is write it down somewhere. Somewhere safe. Somewhere where it can’t be lost. Not like on a receipt like you did the first year you were together. Or on a calendar, which Duke the cat tore up. Or in a planner which, through a series of seemingly impossible events, wound up becoming a part of evidence for a case you technically weren’t even involved in. Hell, even your phone wasn’t safe after, in an act of some sadistic god, it wound up glitching and deleting only a couple cat photos -- and the reminder of when your anniversary was. And only those things. Benoit doesn’t seem to mind your occasional forgetfulness, actually. It makes it easier for whatever he plans to come across as more spontaneous. Sure, it would require planning to set up a reservation at a high-end restaurant following a show for a touring version of a Broadway production you’d been dying to see, but it’s a lot easier to get genuine surprise and delight from you when you entered that weekend without any expectations beyond catching up on episodes of Law & Order or something. Besides . . . With how often you forget certain dates, grabbing good gifts tends to become a bit of a task due to how last-minute it is. Which means you sometimes have to rely on things that come . . . naturally to you . . . Make of that what you will, but just know: Benoit never minds it.

Aaaand that’s a wrap for this round of ship memes! Thank you very much for your participation and patience!!

[evoedbd]

Pride and Swooning

Summery - A potential alternate few hours in Reiner's Castle. Kya makes an effort to learn some basic swordplay, only to find herself overly distracted by Helena. After an accident, Kya talks to Helena about taking unnecessary injuries for her. ********************* “Again.” August’s voice was taciturn. A sharp command that made Kya’s muscles twitch in dismay. Her sweaty palms shifted around the hilt of her wooden sword, gliding across the smooth sanded material as she attempted to correct her grip. “This is so much cooler in training montages.” she groaned, offering a good-natured smile towards the Knight as he lifted his own stick. They crossed their “blades” in a repeating pattern, allowing Kya to adapt to the collisions and motions. The wood throbbed in her hands after every strike. The impact danced along its length, rattling Kya’s body to her teeth as she braced against the blow.   Again and again, cross, high, low. It was almost comforting how repetitive the strikes were. It allowed her mind to roam. August was a dashing young man, with eyes like sapphires, filled with righteous aggression. The messy hair style suited him, rich brown locks adding a rather youthful appearance. His clean-shaven face was not so soft as to be called babyish, with strong cheekbones carrying his masculinity through to a chiselled jawline, softened by an almost adorable Prince Charming nose. The warm afternoon sun beat down on the field, bathing the short grass in orange hues. The grass was evidently trampled, baring the footprints of August’s armored boots and other prints of Kya’s body for each time she had been deposited on her rump. Somehow, despite the fast footwork and heavy strides, the grass had not been upturned. It still looked peaceful, still offered gentle padding for those who were bested. The battle cries and clashing weapons bounced off one of the Castle walls, which was made of a sandy coloured stone. A crisp, elegant colour that reflected the light onto well-kept pathways. Unlike the Queen’s castle, Reiner’s keep felt homely. Its corners did not slice the air, its angles were blunted. There was an undeniable softness. As if it had been painted with the landscape, instead of plastered over the top. “You’d best have your guard up, My Lady. Your pet sorcerer doesn’t have spells to save you!” The mockery from the guards echoed, though their laughter faded at the disapproving tongue lashing that followed from Isuel. Despite Helena’s pledge to serve, Reiner had still insisted on guards accompanying them. Whilst he had been willing to allow both Helena and Kya to train, he had not allowed them armor or proper weapons. Kya had been practicing with August, attempting to learn the basics of swordplay, whilst Helena was kept a short distance apart. The reminder that Helena was not by her side was enough to draw Kya’s gaze towards her Sorceress, who was sparring with two guards. Helena was a vision. Dressed down into simple pants and a sleeveless tunic as she stood against armored men. The Guards had insisted Helena’s arms be bare, so that she couldn’t hide any tricks up her sleeves. She also carried training blades, nothing that could cause enough harm to armored men should she rebel. The Mage’s movements were effortless, as powerful and graceful as everything else about her. She lifted her blades, crossing them to block an incoming overhead strike from the first guard. Kya’s lips parted in a small gasp as Helena stepped to the side, twisting the highest blade to flick the Guard’s aside. As the man’s arm crossed his body, Helena followed with a quick jab to his ribs with her second blade, flexing her arm yet again. The muscles flowed gloriously beneath her skin, revealing themselves down her forearm, along her bicep and through to her shoulder. Normally, that strength remained hidden, which made it all the more distracting for Kya. “-Thank you, unknown fantasy world cosmic powers for giving me this gorgeous woman.-“ Kya’s mind sang, even as she forced her mouth to remain shut. It wouldn’t serve to drool everywhere, after all. Helena never stopped moving, stepping through her motion as her other blade swept across the second Guard. She knocked his weight aside, sending him stumbling before sweeping the feet of the first guard. With both men down, Helena took a brief moment to relax, tossing her head back in an effort to get her hair out of her face. She wasn’t even out of breath, barely challenged by her disgruntled sparring partners. They grumbled loudly as they got to their feet, charging in once more. “-She’s holding back.-“ Kya realised, watching Helena continue to dance through the fight. Her blades flicked, parrying most blows, or deflecting. Helena never allowed herself to be caught, twisting and jabbing around the men’s weight. In the rare cases she was brought to her brute strength, Helena showed how dedicated to her training she had been. Her strength allowed her enough time to slip around her enemies, then let their weight do the rest of the work. “Kya!” Even Helena’s voice was a distraction. Full of warmth and concern as the Mage abandoned her partners and sprinted towards the smaller woman. Kya’s gaze was drawn to the neckline of Helena’s tunic, admiring the delicate collarbones on display. Then to ample breasts, which swayed and bounced subtly within the confines of a lace corset. Gods, the Mage was so comfortable to rest her head on. Neither too firm nor too soft. “-She’s so much better than memory foam pillows.-“ Kya silently swooned as her head was drawn into the tempting cushion of Helena’s bosom.  Helena held Kya’s head to her chest, even as she stepped past the girl. The Sorceress’ cheek rested on crown of Kya’s head, shielding it with her own. Her powerful arms and shoulders caved in around Kya like a blanket. As if cloaking her from danger. They held Kya close, pulling the otherworldly woman into a wall of warmth and comfort. Then, Helena lurched. She swayed on uneasy feet for a moment, leaving Kya leaning into Helena to keep the Mage upright.    August’s voice, a sickly thud and a horribly loud cracknaap resonated in Kya’s head, played out in slow motion as a blur of wood rushed by the corner of her vision. She felt a hiss against her temple, a blast of hot air against her sweaty flesh. “Kya? My love, are you alright?” Helena gasped, rearing back to cup Kya’s face in both her hands. Helena’s callused palms were so remarkably gentle against Kya’s jaw, as if they were cradling a form made of ash instead of solid flesh. Finger tips brushed against Kya’s ears, even as her view was obscured by a curtain of white gold. Helena’s brow rested against Kya’s, lowered and tense with concern. “Um, hi? What’s this about?” Kya questioned, unable to resist leaning a little closer to bump her nose to the Spell Caster’s. For that brief moment they were safe, encased in a curtain of shimmering winter gold. Hot breath brushed Kya’s lips as the Mage panted, gritting her own teeth for a few moments before withdrawing. As Helena withdrew, it was as if a haze was removed, a fog lifted from Kya’s senses as green filled her peripheral. “You should have been paying attention!” August accused, his voice coming from over Helena’s shoulder. Kya blinked, looking down to her feet as a blush formed across her cheeks.   The blush quickly faded to cold horror the moment her eyes fixed upon the upper half of a wooden sword. The wood was cracked up the centre, covered in jagged lightning like lines that radiated form an evident point of contact. The base of the blade was splintered, looking almost like the bristles of a broom instead of a training weapon. “Foolish Knight! If I had my magi-“ Helena begun, her voice clipped and hissing. Kya’s gaze lifted to her face, taking note of the expression. Helena’s teeth were gritted, biting back her words even as her lips peeled into one of her most deadly snarls. Rage and agony danced in her icy depths, tainting them from the loving warmth Kya was used to seeing. “Not even a day and you’re throwing threats around, Klein?” Altea’s voice added to the volatile concoction, full of rage as the pink haired Wizard rushed to her friend’s aid with the other Retainers on her heels. The blaze in Helena’s eyes strongly suggested that Altea’s interruption was not a welcome one. “-This isn’t good...-“ Kya noted. Helena stiffened, her body naturally shifting to guard Kya as her hands began to move, almost as if she might cast a spell. They were helpless, unsure what to do yet desperate to do something. Warmth danced across Kya’s cheeks as she reached out, letting the sword drop from her grasp in favour of taking Helena’s hands in her own. The Sorceress was quick to accept the hands, weaving their fingers together. Helena squeezed firmly, using the touch as an anchor as she rolled her shoulders. A soft hiss escaped her, soft enough to escape the Retainer’s notice but not Kya’s. “Babe, you’re hurt!” The American gasped, putting the pieces together quickly once her brain managed to function. She had been so distracted admiring her girlfriend that she had nearly taken the aged wooden training sword across the skull. Helena had thrown herself between Kya and the blow, and taken it right across the back. “A pain I’d endure a thousand times to see you safe” Helena spoke softly, clenching her teeth to bite back the insults towards the Knight and Wizard. “Alright. Lets go cool off. We’re all on the same side here.” Kya quickly placated, hoping everyone would listen. Tension hung in the air for a few moments, blistering and crackling like static between them. All it would take is one wrong move and Helena might end up in the Dungeons, or worse. One move from The Retainers however was liable to set Helena off, to trigger the Mage’s protective instincts. Nobody could afford to have the situation blow up, especially when it had been Kya’s fault in the first place. “Kya...” Helena began, her voice softened as she spoke to her lover. Even in her protectiveness, the Sorceress was incapable of cruelty towards her girlfriend. Unable to redirect her hatred. The American took advantage of this, gazing up into the icy expanse of Helena’s eyes. Kya put her best puppy dog eyes on display, aiming to disarm the Sorceress further. “Please, Helena. You’re hurt. Don’t punish yourself. Lets just go and sit for a little, perhaps put some magical cream on this before it bruises.” Kya pleaded, lifting her hand to Helena’s face. She had to rise onto her toes, but tenderly she brushed a few stray locks behind Helena’s ear. Afterwards, her hand did not retreat, lingering on the clammy expanse of Helena’s cheek. On the edge of her vision, Kya noticed Reiner herding the others away, giving them a small moment of privacy. The Mage sighed in surrender, though Kya expected she would have more to say, and turned her head. Tender lips fell upon the hammering pulse at Kya’s wrist, lingering there to deliver the gentlest of kisses. “I recall you saying you do not mind bruises?” Helena stated softly, almost as a question. “When YOU leave them on me, not so much. When it’s because you’re hurt, I hate them! A love bite or some scratches when things get kinky isn’t the same as a beating, Helena. One I absolutely consent to, the other is just pain!” Kya pointed out in an equally soft tone, once again reminding the Mage about Consent. Helena understood it, she forever sought it from Kya. The tormented Mage was incapable of forcing her will on her love. When it came to herself, however, Helena seemed unsure where she wished to assert herself. Every boundary she voiced was laced with confidence, the absolute intent to allow precisely that and no more. But, often times, to discover that she disapproved she had to be exposed. Each exposure broke Kya’s heart a little more. When a skim of a touch made the Mage jump in well contained fear, instead of barely restrained pleasure. It was a physical agony on top of anguish. Like ice spreading between her bones until she couldn’t breathe without an ache forming. “Any marks on you should be because you consent, Helena. That includes if I go vacuum on you.” “Go ...? What an unusual statement.” “If I leave hickys. Or scratches. Or handprints. Or ANYTHING. I don’t mind some love marks, I like being reminded I’m yours. But any other bruises? Injury isn’t sexy. Not on myself and certainly not on you.” Kya elaborated, her cheeks flushing despite herself. Her mind flashed to every class she had taken in school, the catchphrases about consent been sexy and abstinence is key. Consent may be sexy, but it sure as hell was awkward to talk about. “You’ve suffered enough, Helena. Don’t let yourself suffer. It isn’t endearing, and it isn’t what I want. When you suffer, I do too. If I miss you’re hurt, I feel guilty. I love you, and that means I want to be there for you. If you’re hurt, I want to help treat every wound. Or at least kiss it better.” Kya continued further, letting the words fall from her lips like droplets of rain across a field. Her tone remained gentle, loving, yet determined. She needed Helena to understand how serious she was. Needed the Mage to learn she was not alone in her pain. “How’s the whack?” “It... smites” Helena confessed after several moments, her expression still bewildered and cheeks flushed with a blush to match. Kya’s heart ached as she stepped closer, stretching her body and balancing up on her toes as much as she could in order to press a kiss as high as she could. Her lips rested against Helena’s jaw for a few moments, simply indulging in the contact before her hands found Helena’s biceps. “-I am a pathetic, thirsty wreck-“ Kya chastised herself as she palmed the Mage’s arms, feeling the ripples of strength as Helena’s hands found her hips. Kya finally found her feet, offering a radiant smile up for Helena.   “I can help” Reiner’s voice cut in from behind Helena. The Sorceress jumped, arms wrapping around Kya defensively even as her body curled like a shield. The Mage’s instinct was clear, if she couldn’t use her magic then she would use her body. Absorb everything incoming. Kya’s heart fluttered, warmth and affection laced with slight exasperation. “-I just told her I didn’t want her to suffer... but I love her for who she is.-“ Kya sighed as she waited, already knowing Helena would wish to withdraw. Perhaps she could ask Solaire to sneak some supplies into their room, if she could find a moment alone, or if not... “-I guess I better get good at kissing bruises.-“

[jobsearchtips02]

What it’s like staying at Hyatt, Marriott and InterContinental hotels during COVID-19

Michelle Gross

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2020-07-06 T18: 31: 58 Z.

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The author, Michelle Gross.

Michelle Gross.

The couple made the drive with their two pets and remained at three hotels along the way: Hyatt’s Peculiarity Hotel Charlottesville, Virginia; The Alexandrian, a Marriot hotel in Alexandria, Virginia; and the Kimpton Arras Hotel in North Carolina, an InterContinental Hotels Group hotel.

After taking notes and pictures to document each hotel experience, Gross says that remaining at a hotel was really various during the pandemic, however that hotels are working more difficult than ever to keep visitors safe.

In compliance with state and county laws and CDC guidelines, every hotel has their own new set of cleaning protocols and procedures to ensure that visitors’ health and safety is focused on.

It wasn’t some extensive moment of clearness or any sort of breaking point. When June rolled around and my household road trip from Paris to Provence– long because scrapped as an outcome of the coronavirus pandemic– loomed more detailed on my calendar, the weight of 95 days (and counting) spent quarantining in a one-bedroom home in Jersey City began to take its toll.

While the lavender-fringed fields and long rosé-filled lunches would need to wait, with COVID-19 cases perceivably on the decrease by mid-June, and cities and states resuming in phases around the nation, my partner and I felt the time was ideal to self-isolate somewhere else and decided to head south by vehicle to North Carolina.

Taking a trip right now is a highly personal choice and I know complete well that it is still a dangerous proposition at that. I’ve been reporting on how the travel market and hotels in particular have been running in light of COVID-19 According to a recent research study by The American Hotel & Accommodations Association (AHLA), while domestic travel has actually continued to tick up in recent weeks, hotel reservation in smaller markets and towns are also rising. Hotels are taking employees and visitors security seriously, developing new cleaning protocols and speaking with leading health specialists to reduce possible direct exposure and risks at every turn.

Knowing we ‘d require to separate our journey, this was as excellent an opportunity as any to do some legwork and see just how hotel brands are measuring up to their commitment to keeping visitors and employees safe. After much consideration and numerous conversations of the “should we, or shouldn’t we” variety, in the days and weeks leading up to our journey, we plotted our route in an excel spreadsheet so carefully that every pit stop and potential bathroom break were represented, together with a tab for local and state laws between here and our last destination.

After testing unfavorable for the COVID-19 virus, my partner and I, together with our two canines, struck the roadway. We stayed in 3 hotels in 3 villages: a Hyatt, an InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and a Marriott. While we still brought plenty of our own supplies including masks, gloves, and enough Lysol wipes to last a lifetime, we discovered that every hotel is running differently and has their own distinct set of cleaning practices and procedures.

Here’s a take a look at what our experiences at each hotel required.

The very first stop on our journey was to the recently opened Peculiarity Hotel Charlottesville in Virginia.

Michelle Gross.

The Peculiarity Hotel Charlottesville is an 80- crucial store that’s a part of Hyatt’s loyalty program.

Prior to arriving at the hotel, I was sent an e-mail from Hyatt Hotels & Resorts with an online check-in invite.

Michelle Gross.

The online check-in invite allowed me to update all of the info for our stay including my verification number, approximate check-in time, hotel address, and contact number.

We came to the hotel late Friday afternoon and upon check in were directed by the valet to the self-parking lot throughout the street.

Jess Gabba, the Quirk front office supervisor, wearing a signature Quirk mask.

online check-in invitation.

The valet was using gloves and a signature Quirk mask which was a thoughtful touch. We we’re informed valet service would not be offered to limit the possibility of contamination, which I valued.

After parking our cars and truck in the parking area, we went into the lobby to gather our space secret.

Michelle Gross.

Monitoring in at the front desk, we were welcomed by the front desk manager who supported a plexiglass wall. In addition to our room key, we were provided a handout that consisted of the hotel’s procedures and cleaning treatments, which the front desk clerk quickly walked us through.

In the lobby leading up to the front desk, there were shown floor markers reminding guests to maintain social distancing while inside the hotel.

Michelle Gross.

When we got to the elevator bank there was a little table with a sign and a box of tissues that was to be used for pushing elevator buttons.

Michelle Gross.

The hotel is serviced by 2 elevators, and we saw there was the same table-tissue established on each floor of the hotel by each subsequent elevator bank.

When we came to our room on the 3rd floor, we discovered there were no ornamental pillows or blankets on the sofa or bed.

Michelle Gross.

Pre-COVID, these are always the first items I get rid of whenever I get to my hotel space as they’re infamously harder to keep clean, so I was alleviated to discover that Peculiarity had made the conscious decision to remove them.

The hotel, which is committed to sustainability, set up shampoo, soap, and conditioner in addition to lots of towels.

Michelle Gross.

As part of their COVID-19 cleaning procedures, housekeeping would only be readily available upon demand and we would need to vacate the space in order to receive service.

While the hotel’s primary on-site dining establishment remained closed, the rooftop restaurant was serving food and drinks outside at a minimal capacity and with all tables at a minimum of 6-feet apart.

Michelle Gross.

When you show up off of the elevator bank, you’re greeted by a poster-size sign that warns about limiting the danger of COVID-19

Food and drink menus were just readily available using a QR Code to remove making use of printed menus.

Michelle Gross.

The roof serves specialty thin-crust pizzas, wood-fired dishes, and drinks. We selected the house specialty, an Appalachian-inspired pizza which comes topped with BBQ sauce, and in your area sourced veggies and meats.

The hotel is also house to an on-site art gallery that starts in the lobby and extends throughout the ground flooring.

Michelle Gross.

It is among the coolest functions of staying at a Quirk Hotel and supplies such a terrific way to experience and value art in a safe and controlled environment.

The hotel likewise houses a cafe and breakfast location and offers lots of outside seating with tables spread out apart.

Michelle Gross.

After Peculiarity, the next hotel on our journey was Kimpton Arras Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina.

Michelle Gross.

The Kimpton Arras Hotel is located in the heart of Asheville.

When we inspected in, we were greeted in the lobby by a plexiglass front desk area and markers on the floor along with signs and plenty of hand sanitizer.

Hotel personnel greeted us using masks, and we were handed a guest sheet laying out the hotels COVID-19 protocols and top priorities from behind the plexiglass shield.

Michelle Gross.

In the primary elevator bank, you have to pick your flooring number on a keypad that will direct you to the matching elevator.

Michelle Gross.

There was an indication on the outside of the elevator bank advising guests to limit the elevator use to 2 individuals or one household. When inside the elevator, you don’t need to push any buttons.

When we got to our room, we discovered the screen queued to IHG’s “Clean Promise” which was readily available to check out at our discretion.

Michelle Gross.

The details offered on our handout noted all of the very same information however was a nice tip for how our stay would look a little different because of the current climate.

In the bathroom, there were no features save for a single bar of soap on the counter for rinsing hands.

Michelle Gross.

There was an indication next to the soap stating we would need to contact us to request any other features during our stay which would be delivered and dropped off for a contactless deal, totally free of charge.

That evening we had light dinner and drinks on the outdoors patio area of the hotel.

Michelle Gross.

The primary restaurant location was closed, but menus were offered on big TV screens on the right-hand side of the dining establishment.

I had a look at of the hotel on my phone after being sent my folio.

Michelle Gross.

In the lobby, there was a big bowl offered for contactless key return, along with an indication about the secrets being sterilized.

The last stop on our journey was The Alexandrian in Alexandria, Virginia.

Michelle Gross.

A majestic Autograph Collection hotel in the heart of Alexandria, Virginia, the hotel belongs to Marriott’s expansive portfolio. We used our Marriott Bonvoy points here, however $125 per night is the rate we were estimated, plus a $25 per night family pet fee.

There’s no valet choice here, so after self-parking in the garage, we made our method to the lobby.

As Soon As once again in the lobby we were welcomed by a large plexiglass barrier at the front desk and handed a one-sheet discussing the hotel’s cleaning protocols and treatments.

On the flooring throughout the hotel’s grand lobby, floor markers highlighting social distancing were positioned strategically throughout.

Michelle Gross.

In the elevator, an indication about Alexandria’s physical distancing was a good touch.

Michelle Gross.

When we got to our space, I was elated to find a handwritten welcome note in addition to a plan of Autograph Collection branded antibacterial wet wipes and masks.

Michelle Gross.

This was the only hotel on our journey to use this type of amenity, which I believe is a great touch.

Our room was as large as it was charming and without decorative pillows and blankets, I was alleviated to find.

Michelle Gross.

Our space was dealing with the hotel’s inner yard and looked down on the on-site dining establishment that had actually simply resumed for outdoors dining just.

Michelle Gross.

On the last night of our trip we had supper at j20, the hotel’s southern themed restaurant and whisky bar.

Michelle Gross.

While staying in a hotel may look and feel different in the wake of coronavirus, there’s something to be stated about taking pleasure in a bit of normalcy in times like these.

We’re back in Jersey City now, going on Day 7 of a state-mandated 14- day quarantine.

.

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/what-its-like-staying-at-hyatt-marriott-and-intercontinental-hotels-during-covid-19/

[laurelkrugerr]

Have a Hard Time Sleeping? The Solution Might Be a Weighted, Cooling Blanket.

Get a better night’s rest with this cooling weighted blanket.

April 19, 2020 2 min read

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

There are several reasons why you’re tossing and turning at night: insomnia, anxious thoughts about the impact of coronavirus on your life, feeling overheated, you name it. And with so many potential issues, it may be surprising to hear that there could be a singular solution. But as research suggests, there is: the weighted blanket. 

A weighted blanket looks like a standard comforter, but instead of being a traditional duvet, it’s filled with anywhere from five to 30 pounds of tiny beads. These beads provide an even distribution of pressure when you burrow yourself under it, mimicking the sensation of a hug. The result is a surge of serotonin and dopamine production in your body (the kind that makes you feel calm and relaxed), which ultimately leads to an increase in melatonin, the natural chemical that makes us tired. Various studies have backed up the weighted blanket’s ability to help people get to sleep faster, stay asleep longer, and ease their stress all at the same time. 

And while many designs stop and start there, the Hush Iced cooling blanket takes the weighted blanket concept one step further by integrating a cooling cover with its sweat-wicking bamboo. The cooling effect makes it especially great for those who get overheated while they sleep or those looking for a way to enjoy the benefits of a weighted blanket even in the dead of summer. 

Each size of the Hush Iced blanket also happens to be on sale right now, too. Its Personal Ice Blanket (which weighs in at 12 pounds) is on sale for $179.99, Queen-sized blanket weighing in at 20 pounds and 25 pounds are on sale for $233.99. The 30-pound Queen-sized blanket is now $242.99, and its two variations of King size blankets, 30 pounds and 35 pounds, are now $251.99 and $279, respectively. Pro-tip: weighted blankets should be about 10 percent of your body weight for maximum effectiveness. 

Additionally, all of the Hush Iced blankets are made with non-toxic glass sand, and a portion of each sale is dedicated to delivering blankets to those in need. 

An affordable price tag, functional design, cooling properties, and it supports a great cause. Those are all the makings of a fantastic weighted blanket if you ask us. 

More from The Entrepreneur Store

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/have-a-hard-time-sleeping-the-solution-might-be-a-weighted-cooling-blanket/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/04/have-hard-time-sleeping-solution-might.html

[douglassmiith]

Have a Hard Time Sleeping? The Solution Might Be a Weighted Cooling Blanket.

Get a better night’s rest with this cooling weighted blanket.

April 19, 2020 2 min read

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

There are several reasons why you’re tossing and turning at night: insomnia, anxious thoughts about the impact of coronavirus on your life, feeling overheated, you name it. And with so many potential issues, it may be surprising to hear that there could be a singular solution. But as research suggests, there is: the weighted blanket. 

A weighted blanket looks like a standard comforter, but instead of being a traditional duvet, it’s filled with anywhere from five to 30 pounds of tiny beads. These beads provide an even distribution of pressure when you burrow yourself under it, mimicking the sensation of a hug. The result is a surge of serotonin and dopamine production in your body (the kind that makes you feel calm and relaxed), which ultimately leads to an increase in melatonin, the natural chemical that makes us tired. Various studies have backed up the weighted blanket’s ability to help people get to sleep faster, stay asleep longer, and ease their stress all at the same time. 

And while many designs stop and start there, the Hush Iced cooling blanket takes the weighted blanket concept one step further by integrating a cooling cover with its sweat-wicking bamboo. The cooling effect makes it especially great for those who get overheated while they sleep or those looking for a way to enjoy the benefits of a weighted blanket even in the dead of summer. 

Each size of the Hush Iced blanket also happens to be on sale right now, too. Its Personal Ice Blanket (which weighs in at 12 pounds) is on sale for $179.99, Queen-sized blanket weighing in at 20 pounds and 25 pounds are on sale for $233.99. The 30-pound Queen-sized blanket is now $242.99, and its two variations of King size blankets, 30 pounds and 35 pounds, are now $251.99 and $279, respectively. Pro-tip: weighted blankets should be about 10 percent of your body weight for maximum effectiveness. 

Additionally, all of the Hush Iced blankets are made with non-toxic glass sand, and a portion of each sale is dedicated to delivering blankets to those in need. 

An affordable price tag, functional design, cooling properties, and it supports a great cause. Those are all the makings of a fantastic weighted blanket if you ask us. 

More from The Entrepreneur Store

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

Via http://www.scpie.org/have-a-hard-time-sleeping-the-solution-might-be-a-weighted-cooling-blanket/

source https://scpie.weebly.com/blog/have-a-hard-time-sleeping-the-solution-might-be-a-weighted-cooling-blanket

[riichardwilson]

Have a Hard Time Sleeping? The Solution Might Be a Weighted, Cooling Blanket.

Get a better night’s rest with this cooling weighted blanket.

April 19, 2020 2 min read

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

There are several reasons why you’re tossing and turning at night: insomnia, anxious thoughts about the impact of coronavirus on your life, feeling overheated, you name it. And with so many potential issues, it may be surprising to hear that there could be a singular solution. But as research suggests, there is: the weighted blanket. 

A weighted blanket looks like a standard comforter, but instead of being a traditional duvet, it’s filled with anywhere from five to 30 pounds of tiny beads. These beads provide an even distribution of pressure when you burrow yourself under it, mimicking the sensation of a hug. The result is a surge of serotonin and dopamine production in your body (the kind that makes you feel calm and relaxed), which ultimately leads to an increase in melatonin, the natural chemical that makes us tired. Various studies have backed up the weighted blanket’s ability to help people get to sleep faster, stay asleep longer, and ease their stress all at the same time. 

And while many designs stop and start there, the Hush Iced cooling blanket takes the weighted blanket concept one step further by integrating a cooling cover with its sweat-wicking bamboo. The cooling effect makes it especially great for those who get overheated while they sleep or those looking for a way to enjoy the benefits of a weighted blanket even in the dead of summer. 

Each size of the Hush Iced blanket also happens to be on sale right now, too. Its Personal Ice Blanket (which weighs in at 12 pounds) is on sale for $179.99, Queen-sized blanket weighing in at 20 pounds and 25 pounds are on sale for $233.99. The 30-pound Queen-sized blanket is now $242.99, and its two variations of King size blankets, 30 pounds and 35 pounds, are now $251.99 and $279, respectively. Pro-tip: weighted blankets should be about 10 percent of your body weight for maximum effectiveness. 

Additionally, all of the Hush Iced blankets are made with non-toxic glass sand, and a portion of each sale is dedicated to delivering blankets to those in need. 

An affordable price tag, functional design, cooling properties, and it supports a great cause. Those are all the makings of a fantastic weighted blanket if you ask us. 

More from The Entrepreneur Store

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/have-a-hard-time-sleeping-the-solution-might-be-a-weighted-cooling-blanket/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/615858600596865024

[scpie]

Have a Hard Time Sleeping? The Solution Might Be a Weighted, Cooling Blanket.

Get a better night’s rest with this cooling weighted blanket.

April 19, 2020 2 min read

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

There are several reasons why you’re tossing and turning at night: insomnia, anxious thoughts about the impact of coronavirus on your life, feeling overheated, you name it. And with so many potential issues, it may be surprising to hear that there could be a singular solution. But as research suggests, there is: the weighted blanket. 

A weighted blanket looks like a standard comforter, but instead of being a traditional duvet, it’s filled with anywhere from five to 30 pounds of tiny beads. These beads provide an even distribution of pressure when you burrow yourself under it, mimicking the sensation of a hug. The result is a surge of serotonin and dopamine production in your body (the kind that makes you feel calm and relaxed), which ultimately leads to an increase in melatonin, the natural chemical that makes us tired. Various studies have backed up the weighted blanket’s ability to help people get to sleep faster, stay asleep longer, and ease their stress all at the same time. 

And while many designs stop and start there, the Hush Iced cooling blanket takes the weighted blanket concept one step further by integrating a cooling cover with its sweat-wicking bamboo. The cooling effect makes it especially great for those who get overheated while they sleep or those looking for a way to enjoy the benefits of a weighted blanket even in the dead of summer. 

Each size of the Hush Iced blanket also happens to be on sale right now, too. Its Personal Ice Blanket (which weighs in at 12 pounds) is on sale for $179.99, Queen-sized blanket weighing in at 20 pounds and 25 pounds are on sale for $233.99. The 30-pound Queen-sized blanket is now $242.99, and its two variations of King size blankets, 30 pounds and 35 pounds, are now $251.99 and $279, respectively. Pro-tip: weighted blankets should be about 10 percent of your body weight for maximum effectiveness. 

Additionally, all of the Hush Iced blankets are made with non-toxic glass sand, and a portion of each sale is dedicated to delivering blankets to those in need. 

An affordable price tag, functional design, cooling properties, and it supports a great cause. Those are all the makings of a fantastic weighted blanket if you ask us. 

More from The Entrepreneur Store

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/have-a-hard-time-sleeping-the-solution-might-be-a-weighted-cooling-blanket/

[joepamter589-blog]

Keto diet guides and tips

Turning to butter and bacon to lose weight and boost health might not scream “winning plan” to everyone. But it makes perfect sense to those on the ketogenic diet (or “keto diet”), the latest “it” regimen that backs high-fat, moderate-protein, and low-carbohydrate eating.

Of course, behind every popular diet there’s controversy. Among the criticisms of the keto diet, skeptics say the plan is too restrictive, lacks nutritional balance, and hasn’t been studied for long-term effects (the keto diet ranked 39th out of 40 for Best Diets Overall 2017 by a U.S. News report).

On the flip side, others—including some medical experts—believe a well-formulated keto diet is sustainable and meets essential nutrient needs; they also point to increasing research linking the diet to potential health benefits.

While it may be new to you, the keto diet has actually been around since the 1920’s, when the Mayo Clinic reported its effectiveness for helping epilepsy (that is still the case). Since then, there’s strong evidence that the keto diet helps with weight loss as well as type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome, says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., RD, professor in the department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and co-author of The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living. what to eat before workout on keto diet http://www.ketogasmic.com/what-to-eat-before-and-after-workout-on-keto-diet

What Is a Ketogenic Diet?

On a ketogenic diet, you’re generally eating a diet that’s high in fat (roughly 70 percent of your total calories come from fat), moderate in protein (about 20 percent of your calories), and low in carbohydrate (about 5 percent of calories). By limiting carbohydrates (to usually less than 45 grams for the average person), your body lacks the glucose (from carbs) that it normally uses for energy, so it eventually switches over to burning fat as its primary fuel source instead; through a metabolic process called ketosis, the liver converts the fat into fragments of fatty acids called ketones, which power the brain and other organs and tissues.

Everyone has to find their nutritional sweet spot for producing enough ketones and staying in ketosis, but “the core principle of the diet is to keep carbohydrate intake low enough, so your body continues producing ketones at elevated levels,” says Volek. “Your body adapts to this alternative fuel and becomes very efficient at breaking down and burning fat.”

Different Types of Ketogenic Diets

1. Standard: This version—the type we’re discussing in this article—is consistently low-carb, moderate protein and high-fat, and the one that has been the most widely studied and shown to be beneficial for therapeutic uses, such as diabetes. 2. Cyclical: Also referred to as “carb-cycling,” this diet involves injecting short periods of high-carb consumption (called “carb refeeds”) into a regular keto diet to replenish glycogen stores for muscle growth. This version isn’t well-studied and is aimed more at serious athletes and bodybuilders. 3. Targeted: On a targeted keto diet, you consume carbohydrates around your workouts to improve athletic performance without knocking yourself out of ketosis for too long. This version is also geared toward hardcore exercisers. dairy free keto meal plan http://www.ketogasmic.com/quick-guide-to-dairy-free-keto-meal-plan

Who Should Not Be on the Keto Diet?

Blanket statement: It’s always best to check with your doctor before starting on this regimen. With that said, “the keto diet isn’t recommended for those with liver or kidney disease, or someone with a medical condition, such as a gastrointestinal issue, who can’t metabolize high amounts of dietary fat,” says Sarah Jadin, a Los-Angeles based registered dietitian and founder of Keto Consulting, LLC. If you’ve had your gallbladder removed, the keto diet may be a no-go. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and people with certain rare genetic disorders shouldn’t try this diet.

“If you’re using the keto diet for medical nutrition therapy, you definitely need medical oversight to be successful," says Jadin. “Though anyone considering the keto diet would benefit from partnering with a medical professional, such as a dietitian, who is well-versed in this diet.”

Ketogenic Diet Benefits

Positive science on ketosis coupled with personal successes passed by word-of-mouth have driven more people to explore the ketogenic diet, says Volek. More recently, the keto diet hints at having a promising therapeutic role in cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Research is still early in many areas, but Volek suspects there will more definitive answers on the wider scope of the diet’s benefits within the next decade.

Benefit #1: Weight Loss

You may experience rapid weight loss in the first week due to fluid loss, but then after a few weeks, you’ll likely notice more pounds peeling away. Many reasons for this weight loss are being investigated, but the journal Obesity Reviews, reveals that ketosis suppresses your appetite, which squashes the desire to eat.

Benefit #2: Control Blood Sugar

Most carbs you consume are broken down into sugar that enters the bloodstream. When you rein in carbohydrates on the keto diet, you have lower levels of blood glucose (high blood glucose can lead to diabetes). A study in the journal Nutrition reveals that a ketogenic diet improves blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics more significantly than a low-calorie diet and can also decrease the dosage of your diabetes meds.

Benefit #3: Improve Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

A review of multiple studies in the journal Nutrients found that ketogenic diets are connected to significant reductions in total cholesterol, increases in “good” HDL cholesterol levels, dips in triglycerides levels and decreases in “bad” LDL cholesterol; there are questions as to whether diets high in saturated fat negate these benefits. The same paper reports that a ketogenic may slightly reduce blood pressure, but science is still very scant on this point.

Benefit #4: Lower Inflammation

With inflammation driving most chronic diseases, the keto diet is anti-inflammatory and may help ease some inflammation-related pain conditions, according to researchers at Trinity College. One mechanism at play: The keto diet eliminates sugar and processed foods that can lead to oxidative stress in the body, a cause of chronic inflammation.

Benefit #5: Longer Life

This may be more of a maybe, but recent studies on mice fed a ketogenic diet lived longer, according to Cell Metabolism. “Not only did these mice live longer, they had expanded health in terms of physical and cognitive functioning,” says Volek. “Meaning, they lived happy, healthy lives.” Obviously, human studies need to be performed.

Common Side Effects of Keto Diet

You can have a completely smooth transition into ketosis, or…not. While your body is adapting to using ketones as your new fuel source, you may experience a range of uncomfortable short-term symptoms. These symptoms are referred to as “the keto flu.” Low-sodium levels are often to blame for symptoms keto flu, since the kidneys secrete more sodium when you’re in ketosis, says Volek. A few side effects:

Headache and Dizziness

Most people on the keto diet need to bump up their daily salt intake by an extra gram or two to avoid side effects like headaches, dizziness and even fainting, says Volek. To eliminate the symptoms caused by salt depletion, Volek suggests drinking broth made with a bouillon cube (which has slightly less than 1 gram of sodium), once or twice a day.

Constipation

When you eat a high-fat diet, you slow down your gastric emptying and your motility, which can set you up for constipation, says Jadin. Making sure you’re getting that extra bit of sodium, eating enough fiber-filled non-starchy vegetables and drinking plenty of fluids (since you urinate more on the keto diet) can move things along.

Heart Palpitations

When you’re lacking sodium, your kidney may wind up secreting potassium and you can end up with a mineral imbalance that leads to problems with your heart beat, explains Volek.

Optimal Ketosis and Macros

Achieving optimal ketosis hinges on finding the right balance of macronutrients (or “macros” in keto-speak); these are the elements in your diet that account for the majority of your calories, a.k.a. energy—namely, fat, protein, and carbohydrates. By the way, it’s often “net grams” of carbohydrates that are counted toward your daily intake; “net” deducts the amount of fiber in a food from its carbohydrate total. To know you’re spot-on dietwise (since the macros mix that launch you into ketosis varies between individuals), you can measure ketones in your blood (with a finger prick kit) or more commonly, through your urine (cheaper, but not as accurate).

Subjectively, the way you feel can also serve as a guide to whether you’re in ketosis. Most people on ketosis are more mentally sharp and energized, and feel less hungry.

The amount you should eat is determined by many factors, such as your weight, gender, and activity levels. Online keto calculators can do the math for you. keto budget meal plan http://www.ketogasmic.com/keto-budget-meal-plan-a-handy-guide-for-beginners

Ketogenic Diet Food List

“The cleaner, the better when it comes to the keto diet,” says Jadin. Focus on “whole” and “unprocessed.” Also, strive for a mix of saturated and unsaturated fats for balance. Note: Tipping the scale toward too much protein is a common pitfall many people make on the keto diet. Mind your protein intake, since too much can kick you out of ketosis, says Jadin.

Foods to Eat

Consider this just a general snapshot of what’s allowed and what isn’t (and there are differences in opinion).

• Meat: beef, chicken (skin-on is okay), turkey, lamb, pork (including bacon), sausage • Tofu • Fatty fish and shellfish: salmon, trout, mackerel, shrimp, scallops • Eggs: ideal when cooked in fat • Berries: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries (in limited quantities) • Non-starchy vegetables: leafy greens, like spinach and kale, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber • Nuts and seeds: macadamias, walnuts, pecans, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, flaxseeds, coconut, peanuts (a legume exception) • Nut and seed butters (with no added sugar): sun butter, almond butter, peanut butter • Full-fat dairy (in limited quantities): heavy whipping dairy, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese • Avocados • Fats and oils: butter, coconut oil, olive oil, hemp oil, flaxseed oil, almond oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, mayonnaise • Sugar substitutes: personal preference whether to include • Dark chocolate (limited quantities) Foods to Avoid • Grains (white and whole): cereal, pasta, rice, bread (except keto-friendly homemade or packaged low-carb bread/wrap products) • Starchy vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn • Legumes: lentils, peas, beans, quinoa, chickpeas • Fruit: most types, because of natural sugar (bananas are especially high in sugar) • Traditional desserts: cakes, cookies, ice cream, candy • Milk and most low-fat dairy, including flavored yogurts • Added sugar, including agave and honey: especially in condiments, salad dressings, and prepackaged sauces and soups What to Drink • Water or carbonated water • Calorie-free beverages (limit artificial sweeteners) • Unsweetened nut milk: almond, cashew • Tea • Coffee • Alcohol (one or two drinks max): wine (dry, not sweet), vodka

[makaylajadewrites]

You already know I am SCREAMING over here cause I'm so happy for you ;u; Congrats on 400 bby you deserve it <3333 I love you!!!

ahem so anyways, I'm gonna demand emojis now. 🍒 <- Literally any of your WIPS I promise I will believe they are amazing and perfect kay? 💎 <- Moreid as dads???? Yes pls. 🖋<- Follow up to the dads thing cause now I can't stop thinking about it.

Ahhh I love you so much ❤️ Also this is going to be pretty long so I'm going to put a cut in it so that it doesn't fill up the entire dash lol.

🍒 -  an excerpt from a wip of mine (they’re all terrible but I’ll try to find a good one!)

Okay so this is from my current wip that I’m hoping to share in a few days. So I’ll give you a little sneak peak lol

He indulged himself in a couple of drinks, chatted away with a few of the other patrons before they got bored and left, but soon enough, he found himself alone. But just as he was about to stand to leave after his failed attempt at enjoying a strip club, the sight of another man coming to sit beside him at the bar caught his attention, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

Derek had always known that he wasn’t straight. He didn’t have a label for it, since he could enjoy anyone’s presence if they proved to be good company, but he typically leaned towards women. He enjoyed the softness of a woman’s skin and the feeling of his hands in their hand. Women just seemed to fit him a little better - he didn’t know why.

This man was gorgeous though. Gorgeous, with messy chestnut curls to his shoulders that seemed to suit his angular face particularly well. He had sharp features, with high cheekbones and a straight jaw, but the feminine appearance of his lips and the subtle curve of the bridge of his nose took Derek by surprise. He was almost androgynous in nature, and from afar, he might have mistaken him for a women. The second those dark eyes turned to look at him, Derek felt the breath leave his body, and he realized that never before had another man made him feel breathless.

💎 - moreid headcanons! + 🖋 - a mini crappy drabble of a prompt of your choosing

So I actually kind of wrote something like this a little while ago here, in which they adopted a boy. So I think what I’m going to do is just write a little drabble about that:

~

"Do you think he's ready?" Spencer asked nervously, bracing himself against the bathroom sink counter, looking at his husband in the mirror. Derek stood in the doorway, the couple fresh out of the shower. His arms were crossed over his chest as he regarded Spencer with a fond, amused expression, an eyebrow cocked and his shoulder leaning into the wooden doorframe with a towel wrapped securely around his waist. Tomorrow was their son's first day of preschool. Derek was eager for him to get to know other kids not including Jack and Henry, but Spencer was a nervous wreck about sending him off on his own. Gale was a smart but sensitive boy, and even if he played tough at times, he was clearly more of a bookworm, just like Reid.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Derek asked with a small smile, but his voice grew calm, soothing, "He's already four, Spence. He'll be fine."

"I know, I just... I don't want to see him go," Spencer said, and as soon as Derek heard the wavering in his lover's voice, he approached him from behind and wrapped his arms around the younger man's waist, stroking his hips comfortingly as Spencer exhaled shakily. He could understand why Spencer was upset. This was their child, and both of them wanted nothing more than to keep him safe, but they couldn't shelter him from the world forever. But he didn't expect to for Spencer to start crying.

"Spencer, baby..." Derek said in slight surprise as he realized that tears were falling from his partner's dark eyes. Spencer just laughed through a sob, using the back of his sweater's sleeve to wipeout his eyes.

"I just want to keep him here and safe from the world forever... I don't want Gale to go through the same things I did when I was in school," Spencer admitted to Derek, spinning in his arms to face him, leaning back against the counter and resting his hands on Derek's shoulders. Derek cupped Spencer's cheek, his thumb swiping away the tears that continued to slip down his pretty face.

"He'll be okay... Gale, he's... He's a tough kid," Derek said, watching as Spencer just smiled and nodded.

"Just like his Poppy," Spencer said with a hum of a giggle, leaning in and pecking Derek's lips fondly. Derek just smiled against his husband's lips, holding him close and pressing their foreheads together once their lips parted.

"He's smart too, just like his Daddy," Derek said, and Spencer hummed softly once more, and they shared another kiss before heading to bed for the night.

~

"Daddy! Poppy! Wake up, I got school!" Gale yelled, jumping onto the bed, resulting in two separate groans from his parents as their legs were crushed under the weight of their son. SpencerH untangled his and Derek's limbs, pushing himself up and just smiling sleepily at Gale who was beaming up at him, his hazel eyes bright and filled to the brim with excitement. It was still dark outside, Spencer realized, and he turned to look at the digital alarm clock and sighed.

"Gale, it's still really early so why don't we get some more sleep rest, okay?" Spencer hummed sleepily, pushing the blankets off of his bare legs and moving to stand up. He noticed that by then, Derek was sitting up too, and Gale had made himself comfortable in the middle of the bed.

"Baby, just let him sleep in here," Derek hummed, and Spencer sighed once more before just giving in and settling back down in bed. He smiled at Derek tiredly, and Derek regarded him with a similar expression as they laid down with Gale between them. It took a little while for Gale to go back to bed, but when he did, he was out like a light.

"What time is it anyway?" Derek asked Spencer, reaching over across Gale to stroke his partner's hair. Spencer smiled sheepishly.

"Two o'clock," Spencer said and Derek just chuckled, withdrawing his hand and glancing down at Gale who was snoring lightly in his sleep, his round face peaceful and at rest.

"He's so excited for school," Derek murmured, and Spencer just nodded his head, beginning to play with Gale's curls, nothing but love in his eyes when he regarded Gale. He had known from the moment they met that he would love this boy endlessly - Gale clearly felt the same way, since the moment they met him at the adoption center, he had clung to Spencer's leg without letting go. It was simply meant to be.

"I know... I'm still worried about him though," Spencer said.

"I don't think that'll ever go away, Spence," Derek said, and the two shared another chuckle before saying their goodnights - again - and getting a few more hours of sleep.

The next morning came sooner than they would have liked. Both men shared a groan between them as the alarm clock went off, and even Gale whimpered a little. But soon enough, all of them were out of bed and getting ready for the day. Derek took Gale to his room to get ready while Spencer took the first shower. When he was finished, Derek took his own shower and Spencer helped Gale gather everything he would need for his first day of preschool. When Derek was out of the shower, he fixed breakfast for his family since Spencer in the kitchen was nothing but a bad idea. At least he could make coffee though, and that was all he needed to function properly.

Once they had all ate breakfast, they loaded into Derek's car and headed for school. Gale was chattering away the entire time, talking about all of the kids he would meet and saying how excited he was for school. With one look towards his husband, Derek could tell that Spencer was most likely going to cry again, and while Gale went on and on about everything and nothing in the backseat, they held hands across the middle console.

In the parking lot, with Gale unloaded from his carseat, he slung his dinosaur backpack on and held his dads' hands as they walked with him into the school building and to his classroom. They said their goodbyes and both Derek and Spencer kissed Gale before he ran off to join his classmates. Some of the other parents looked at them like they were an oddity, but neither Spencer nor Derek paid attention or even cared. It was their son's first day of school, and they were watching him grow up right before their eyes.

Spencer lasted until they were out in the parking lot again, where he ultimately broke down and leaned against Derek who pulled him into a hug, kissing the crown of his head. While Spencer tried to cover his red, tear-streaked face, they walked to the car with Derek's arm around his waist.

"He'll be okay, Spencer," Derek said softly to him once they were inside. Spencer sniffled and just nodded his head, his lips trembling as he turned to look at Derek.

"I don't want him to grow up," Spencer said with a wet laugh, "I want him to stay little forever."

"I know, baby... But he'll always be our little boy, you know that, right?" Derek said softly, holding one of Spencer's hands and reaching over to stroke his face with the other.

"I know," Spencer said, wiping at his eyes, "I know, I just... I'm worried for him," he said again.

"I know you are, but luckily for him, he has two of the greatest dads in the entire world," Derek said warmly, and Spencer just smiled, his dark eyes slightly swollen from crying. But still, to Derek, he was the most beautiful creature on earth.

"I love you," Spencer said softly.

"I love you too," Derek responded immediately, tucking a strand of hair behind Spencer's ear. "More than you'll ever know."

[overcastodyssey]

Arm’s Distance

Prompt: 

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Eh, I’m always scared, I’m used to it. I’ll function, same as I always do.”

 Credit to @corvidprompts for the prompt. This was a fun one. Eventually I’m going to stop writing about reluctant heroes and lifelong friends and complicated lives, but that day isn’t today. As always, feedback is welcome.

Arm’s Distance: By Overcast Odyssey. Word Count: ~4200.

              Mary and Thomas, by all accounts, were having an inexcusably horrible day. Ignoring the fact that the weather was abysmal, what with the constant firestorms and flashes of skin-melting, grass-burning lights coming from the thing traipsing around in front of them, and that the monstrosity had torched their favorite bench on campus, their clothes had been soaked on the bike ride over, and it absolutely chafed whenever they moved. At least, Mary thought, the concrete planters here weren’t suffering, or all hope for restarting this part of the community garden was ash.

Thomas was sensibly terrified out of his mind, clutching to the amulet hanging around his neck like a security blanket. It glowed beneath his clenched fist, power humming from the pentacle as it projected a shimmering blue sphere of energy around the pair. Mary’s was in her hand, removed from her neck and lightless.

              Thomas chanced a glance over his shoulder and around the concrete planter the two were hiding behind, seeing the glass statue twisting and contorting in its search for them. To his relief, it hadn’t spotted them yet, but if it had a weak point, he sure as hell couldn’t find it, not in that reflecting mess of glass and metal. He always thought that the statue was a stupid addition to the front of campus; it was always blinding new arrivals and half of the year it was covered in snow anyway, and because he couldn’t figure out how to say no, he would be stuck cleaning it every time.

              As he ducked back down next to Mary, he caught her staring at him, her dark grey eyes boring into his, and despite himself he felt his heart start to race even faster. Given how fast it was racing from fear anyway, he could hardly imagine that it was possible. Still, it wasn’t the fire or the light that made him start to sweat, but Mary’s undivided attention. He gulped and laughed awkwardly, his mind screaming that this could wait but his mouth moving nonetheless. “So, uh, this is gonna sound kinda stupid, but bear with me. That statue thing’s pretty bright, right, but nothing lights up my life like you-“

              “I just noticed that your shirt was on inside-out.” Mary said evenly, cutting Thomas short. Thomas blushed hard, the color of his cheeks matching the flames currently licking at the energy shell around them. “I thought something looked weird. Glad it wasn’t your hair.” She turned her attention back to the pentacle in her hand, which she squeezed tighter.

              “H-Hey, give me a break! You stormed into my room at the crack of dawn and threw a shirt at me, it’s not like I was in the state of mind to check the inside-out-ness of my attire before chasing after you! Besides, we’ve got a bigger problem on our hands, if you haven’t noticed.” He glanced back up and watched as the glass monster used its large reflective claws to tear apart some nearby shrubbery, probably searching for something to torch or shred. Thomas gulped, imagining what it would be like to be on the receiving end of that.

              “What, like the fact that you still can’t come up with a good pick-up line? You know, you could always just ask me, like normal people do.” Mary said, popping up to see where the glass monster was. The creature, she calculated, was about four times their height and had a stance width about the size of an average SUV. Despite that and everything she knew about the tensile strength of glass and cheap iron that made up that statue, the thing moved freely and didn’t constantly come under threat of collapsing under its own anthropomorphic weight. After it took a step forward, turning its back to them, Mary could see what kept this thing from falling to pieces. A single bundle of silver mana glistened in the small of the beast’s back, right where it would it couldn’t hurt itself on accident.

              Meanwhile, Thomas had heard her, and in response turned rapidly towards her, smacking his knee and scraping his head against the concrete as surprise overtook spatial awareness. “Agh, that stings…”

              She snarked, despite herself. “Really? I thought you’d enjoy hearing it. How’s long has it been, two years since we started hanging out? My roommates bet it’d only take a semester until you worked up the courage. Needless to say, I made a solid twenty dollars that day.” She shot a sideways glance at him, which he met with wide eyes. Mary sighed. She could tell that he was still trying to comprehend that curveball, which was a shame because she really needed his help before she could do anything safely, as was normally the standard issue with their set-up.

“Wait, hang on, did you just say that you guys bet on me?” Thomas said, somewhat insulted. Sure, it was kind of silly how long he had been waiting. They were juniors now, and it hit Thomas like a tank engine how obvious he must have been. Disregarding that, he’s more surprised Mary didn’t just shoot him down earlier if she’d known all this time. Maybe, Thomas dared to hope, it meant that he had a shot? It’s not like it was a big deal either way, if Mary said no, they would just stay friends, right?

              Mary knew from Thomas’s rapid blinking that he was processing something and needed time to do that, which was fine by her. She still had to channel the power in her pentacle anyway, and she couldn’t decide whether a lance or a hammer projection would be better. The lance provided more reach, but the hammer was more satisfying than a simple poke. Weight, of course, wasn’t an issue, as the constructs were always light as a feather to wield, but heavy as a shipping container when struck. They were magical, after all. The decision was simple, yet complex: did she want to be tactical, or fabulous?

              She contemplated fabulously destroying the monster, but then her idiot brain had to go and do the rationally fearful thing and simulate the worst case scenario. Her mind was filled with images of her hammer being tossed aside, followed by an impalement, or an evisceration, or a crushing, after which Thomas would likely follow, stuck somewhere between despair and outrage. He would, inevitably, die if he charged. He lacked the athleticism and the spatial awareness to win a brawl with the glass goliath alone.

              Her old habits reasserted themselves. She imagined forging the hammer again, looking for different angles of attack, anticipating different ways that she could be countered, running calculations as though she were back in her junior year of high school, back when she still played chess religiously and treated defeats like doomsdays that she simply had to learn how to avert for the future. Repeat after repeat, sum after sum, she had caught herself in a logical loop, and as she started to sink into it her vision unfocused and the image in her mind became the only one she could see.

              Faintly, dimly, she registered the fact that the ground was shaking at regular intervals, first very minutely but growing with each repetition. Instinctively, she knew that the sand-cooked soldier was stomping its way over to their location, but she was still thinking. If it would only wait a minute, she would have things figured o-

              “Mary!” Thomas shouted, desperation lacing his outcry. His friend had been staring off into space for a solid minute now, long enough for the charge in his amulet to drop to critically low levels and the creature to find out where they were hiding. It had been long enough for it to stomp right over to them, a massive, glassy limb raised high, poised to crash onto the two and bring a swift end to their college careers. He gave his partner one last glance, grit his teeth and, for a brief moment, felt as though he were seeing the world in slow motion. Without a second thought, he leapt up to his feet, ripping his amulet from his neck and raising it high into the air, intercepting the behemoth’s attack.

              Mary watched from below as her meek friend leapt to her defense, a fire burning in his eyes that dragged her out of her daze with a start. It was the same look he had when she came to him during freshman year, terrified of the guys who were following her back to her dorm nearly every night of the first week. It was the same look he had when he walked back with her and helped her scare them off before things got out of hand. She could see his fear, his worry, but burning over that was everything else he ever gave a damn about. And, like a torch to a pool of oil, it drew Mary’s own anger out from under her skin, a cold, calculating wrath that would give no mercy and take no surrender from the monster threatening them.

              But first, her friend needed saving. Mary started to her feet, watched the cracks form in Thomas’s shield, and moved behind him as they spread out to the edges. In her left hand, held far off to her side, materialized a spear of bright blue light, simple and deadly in form right down to the point. She and Thomas had done this before, gotten the timing down during sophomore year just in case something like this ever happened. She knew back then as she did now that their weaknesses weren’t always going to be overcome alone, but she had her partner at her side. And she knew as well as he did that failure was not an option.  

              Mary breathed in. Glass creaked, and the magical shield sizzled and hissed as its form fractured. Thomas chanced a glance back to Mary, his eyes set with determination, and nodded. With his off hand, he reached out towards Mary, grabbing for her outstretched arm.

              The shield shattered, and they were engulfed in a blinding white light.

--

Mary and Thomas were sitting outside their 8:00 am psych class, both in equally distressing states of undress for what they were about to do. Their shoes, socks, and coats had been removed, lain across the chairs to dry in the few minutes they had. Thomas was fretting over the state of things as he always did, muttering nervously about all the things that have already gone horribly wrong that morning and all of the things left that were probably, definitely going to happen and, oh God, what if his parents found out, he’d be dead by the end of the week. Mary, for her part, was sympathetic to her research partner’s plight. The entire project had been his idea, after all, and making a case for adaptive learning in relation to the early education of mathematics wasn’t easy, especially not on an hour of sleep (two if you counted the brief stint of spacing out while waiting for the coffee to kick in).

It wasn’t as though Mary herself wasn’t scared out of her mind. She did need this grade just as much as he did. If things went south, she ran the risk of dropping her GPA right into the dirt- and her scholarship with it. The burden of payment was already a strain on her family, and the only reason she was able to go for a bachelor’s in the first place was because of the scholarship. She’d be forced to drop out and come back home to work at a minimum wage job she would inevitably hate to support a family that would certainly be heartbroken, and Mary’s stomach felt abyssal at the thought of it.

The guilt would crush her like an anvil, and the frustration she was feeling nearly matched it. Forget research at grad school, you’ll be likely to be researching the best way to hold a spatula for all the burger-flipping you’ll be doing. Yet, when she looked at Thomas, hyperventilating and muttering his mind out, her thoughts weren’t on the simulations of horrible futures that might result from a failure now. They had spent the past night ironing things out, running the presentation over and over until it was second nature, but nature meant nothing if Thomas couldn’t even draw a full breath. No, her mind was tackling the problem of calming Thomas down so that they could give the presentation they had trained for.

It was a tall order, as the stakes for Thomas were just as high as they were for Mary, but Mary was never one to shirk from a challenge. The presentation part would be easy, as long as she could somehow sustain this state of mind until after class was finished. She could explain the neuroscience for hours, talk biological development of the human brain for twice that amount of time, and the inevitable curveball questions that would come after the presentation, whose answers would determine whether she and Thomas earned an A or a B? She glanced down at the notecards, miraculously dry despite the downpour outside, and let out a calming breath. She had her contingencies, spent just as many hours writing those as she had spent practicing.

Now, she just needed her partner, and everything would be alright.

She turned to look at him again, and he was still in the throes of doubt. “But we haven’t prepared information in case they ask…” As he rattled off hypothetical questions, ranging from self-explanatory to loosely related, Mary reached for one of her wet socks, gripped it tight around the neck, and swung it hard down onto Thomas’s arm.

The sound was like that of a freshly-caught fish slapping onto the dock. He jumped and yelped, looking on at Mary with more shock than anything else. They locked eyes and, for a moment, Thomas’s breath froze. “Now that I have your attention,” she said, “I think it’s time that I remind you what you told me yesterday: everything’s going to be fine. It’s just another presentation.”

Thomas’s face scrunched together, doubtful and frustrated. “I don’t mean to be short, but the last thing I need from you right now is for you to throw my words back at me!” Despite the harshness, Mary was unfazed. He had gotten like this before, back when Mary was helping him get ready for prom (which she made sure not to attend) and he started having second thoughts about slow-dancing with his date. She knew to just wait it out until he paused, so she let him go on. “Look, I get that this whole public speaking thing comes naturally to you, but I’m not like that! The only people I can ever talk to are kids years younger than me, teachers years older than me, and you. I can’t go out there in front of a room full of my peers and just rattle off all the shit I’ve been collecting in my head for years! I’d make a fool of myself.”

Mary shot back an incredulous look. “Oh, bullshit, when the hell has that stopped you in the past? You’ve ranted about this shit since high school. Hell, you spent an hour filibustering a test I hadn’t studied for by arguing with the teacher about how their handouts and packets aren’t effective learning methods and, if I remember correctly, you got that test postponed long enough to save my ass. I’m pretty sure that if someone asked you on the walk over about how you’d go about fixing the educational system, you could talk for hours at the drop of a hat.”

Thomas started to turn red. “Look, it was one time-“

Mary continued on without waiting for him to finish. “This isn’t any different. You’re still talking about education to someone who’ll inevitably judge you for what you do and don’t say. That hasn’t stopped you in the past. So, what’s stopping you now?”

Thomas bit his lip for a moment before answering. “What happens if things go wrong? You’re going to lose your scholarship, and I’ll lose y- you get the idea!” His face, Mary noted, was red enough to be alarming. Under any other circumstance, she would be reaching for his inhaler, but she found the sentiment heartwarming. “I don’t know if I can do this with the thought of that weighing on me.”

Despite herself, Mary was somewhat flattered. It wasn’t every day that you got such solid confirmation that someone you cared about also cared about you just as much. A part of her felt guilty that she was so busy thinking about herself while her partner was thinking about the weight on her shoulders the whole time, but the rest thought it was sweet. She put a reassuring hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Then don’t think about what you might do that’ll make us fail. Think about what you can do to make sure we succeed.” The door to the classroom began to open, and the instructor stepped out. She glanced over them, Mary noticed, and immediately adopted a sympathetic expression.

As the somewhat short woman spoke, her hands moved almost reflexively and her hair bobbed with each gesture. “Oh dear, it must be absolutely pouring outside. I’ll excuse the attire, given the circumstance, but we’re running a bit behind, so if you could come in and start immediately, that would be fantastic.” Seven, Mary counted. Seven times her hair had bobbed. It was almost hypnotizing. She nodded, reflected a thankful smile, and rose to her feet. She grabbed the door as the instructor retreated back inside, turning back to look at Thomas, who was still sitting.

He looked up at her. He felt like he was certain what he needed to do, but his decision still hadn’t been made convincing yet. His feet refused to move. “Aren’t… aren’t you scared?”

Mary shrugged. “I’m always scared. I’m used to it. I’ll function, same as always.” She gave him a reassuring smile, extended her hand. “I’m sure you’ll be able to manage it, too.”

--

              Thomas grabbed for Mary’s hand and dragged himself back up to his feet. He noticed with a start that, even now, his legs were still shaking. He laughed grimly, “Well, damn, there goes your cover. Sorry about that. I’m a shit partner, aren’t I?” Mary was nicely surprised by the change in tone. Before her stood a different person than the guy she had to reassure before a presentation, and she couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride and satisfaction.

              A grin danced at the edge of Mary’s lips that pulled a full-toothed smile out of Thomas. The fires were still burning around them, and the amulet in his hand was out of juice, but everything was still alright. “Hey, I’m not the one who just saved my life. If you’re a shit partner, what does that make me?” The titan screeched, a sound like metal scraping glass, and reared up. As it did so, Mary noticed, it revealed its backside- and its mana core with it.

              She grinned, took aim and cocked her arm back as the thing screamed to its hearts content. “Reflect on this.” She whipped the spear construct and it sailed like a homing dart true, piercing the monster’s core. With a sound like a dying man’s scream, the construct wrapped around the core and, with a tightening of Mary’s fist, crushed the core like an empty soda can. As the core crumbled, the giant’s pieces immediately fell to the ground, now lifeless and powerless, and the two staggered back at the force of the wind. It wasn’t enough to knock out all of the flames, but not a moment passed until it began to rain, soft drops striking their skin.

              “That’s almost too perfect.” Thomas said, his head tilted up at the darkening sky. “You think that-“

              “That thing was suspending the local weather.” Mary said, pointing at the now-shattered remains of the glass statue. “I heard this morning it was supposed to rain.” She looked up, watching the storm clouds gathering. “Damn shame. I really liked that statue, too.”

              “Really? I always thought it was an eye-sore.” Thomas said, squinting at the thing.

              Mary pocketed her amulet, shaking her head. “Takes one to know one.”

              Thomas’s lips fell into an incredulous line and she gave Mary a dry look. “Couldn’t resist it, huh? Should’ve seen it coming.”

              Mary started to slip the hoodie she had stashed behind another planter on, and Thomas watched the sky, waiting. “I could say the same thing. Honestly, that was a great save back there. If it wasn’t for you, we’d have been squashed.”

              “Hey, don’t give me all the credit. If it wasn’t for you, I’d still be squashed if you gave me a few seconds, so let’s just say that we both did good today.” Thomas glanced over to her and smiled dumbly, suddenly feeling awkward. “You know, we should really get out of this weather. Let’s get lunch?”

              Mary turned and grinned. “Only if you buy me dinner later, too.”

              Thomas looked at her with raised eyebrows. Even though he was the one that was excited to say yes, he couldn’t bring himself to say it, let alone say it in a comical framing. The words felt wrong as they came out of his mouth, like he was acknowledging an ugly picture frame in an otherwise pristine room. “Are you… still sure you want a guy like me? I mean, I’m not that consistent with communicating my feelings and stuff-“

              Mary stuck her tongue out, catching a raindrop. “You’re doing it right now.”

              Thomas jammed his hands into his pockets and kept his gaze firmly down, “I’m not really handsome, or funny-“

              Mary checked her phone, making sure they were on the right street to catch the bus. “You’re kind of funny-looking, if that counts.”

              Thomas ran a nervous hand through the back of his hair. “And I’m a big mess of stress and anxiety most of the time. I hate to say it, but I’m afraid I’m going to be a lot of work. Relationships are scary enough, but dating me is probably going to be much worse than that.”

              Mary looked up at Thomas, straight in the eye. He was scared. Still. Mary didn’t know whether to be baffled or amused. Course, it wasn’t obvious to him that she felt the same way about him, and that her heart was racing out of her chest at a rate that she didn’t even reach in the heat of combat. There’s no possible way he could’ve known that she had been thinking about asking him, too, since the start of junior year, but couldn’t really find a good time to do it that wasn’t being occupied with his horrific attempts at flirting, or their classes, or their “extracurricular” monster-slaying. Yet, she thought she had been making it so obvious, and it was downright perplexing. “Eh. Can’t be that much worse than me.”

              Thomas raised an eyebrow. He wanted to dispute that on principle, but he couldn’t. Despite how much he already loved her, she wasn’t perfect. She snored when she slept, and unabashedly at that. From the few times she had stayed over, forcing him to sleep on the couch, he knew firsthand that letting Mary anywhere near the kitchen before she got her first coffee was a disaster waiting to strike. Hell, last time she tried to help him make breakfast after crawling out of bed, they had both nearly lost a finger. And, besides that, she would definitely tease and poke fun, even into old age. But, in Thomas’s eyes, she was still wonderful. And he was so certainly not. “That and, well, relationships are terrifying, you know?”

              Mary looked at him quizzically, bordering on annoyed. It was raining harder now, and if it kept up it’d soak straight through her hoodie. Why couldn’t he just ask already? And, for that matter, why the hell wasn’t he worried about the rain, he wasn’t even wearing a jacket! “I thought you were the one who wanted to date me?”

              Thomas’s eyes widened, as if that realization just struck him again for the first time. He hastily raised his hands, palms out. “I do! I still really do, it’s just…” He sighed. He couldn’t believe himself. They had walked through hell and back together. This should be easy. “Aren’t you scared?”

              Mary smiled at him. So she wasn’t the only one. “I’m always scared. I’m used to it. I’ll manage. But, I’d much prefer to manage with you.” She extended her hand out to him, and Thomas looked down at it, hiding a smile.

              “You’ll be stuck with my dad jokes forever.” He said, grabbing her hand.

              She pulled him close, surprising him into a stumble. They were nose to nose in a moment, both of them smiling wide and goofy grins. “And you’ll be stuck paying dinner forever. Now, come on. If we hurry, you can buy me a burrito at half price. Saves you some money for later.” She let go of his hand and sped racing down the street, aiming for the bus stop at the other end of the block.

              Smiling, Thomas shook his head. “What have I just gotten myself into?” He raced after her, thinking hard about what they should do after lunch- and how exactly he was going to pay for the dinner later.