#and also electric razors will get you a close shave but probably not a completely smooth face

[elftwink]

my pro tip if you're on T and starting to grow facial hair and you were at first really excited but as it grew in you start to feel like something nebulously "looks bad" in your appearance: you should try styling or shaving your beard. not like shave it off but square it up and make some clean lines. obviously you don't NEED to do this and plenty of cis men do not and it really doesn't impact your appearance that much— but this is about how you feel about how you look. and especially if you learned to shave on your own i think you sometimes miss out on/are slower learning some of the smaller things like the different ways you can shave or about how long you feel comfortable going between shaves (and how long other people are typically going between them) or in what ways caring for facial hair is the same/different from caring for head hair or what kind of razor you like/is best for the shave you want or anything of the like.

you probably have a sense of about when you want to shave. the problem is that if you aren't used to shaving, instead of thinking "man i need to shave" you think "man i look like shit" & one of these things is actionable and the other is just going to make you feel like shit. and you only discover that it was the shave when (or IF) you finally do shave & the fog lifts and youre like ohhhhh i wasnt fundamentally unlovable and ugly i just disliked this minor thing about my appearance and did not have the experience yet to detect my dislike was about this specific thing.

one thing about living with dysphoria for many years is you can end up alienated from your body and develop avoidance behaviours about even considering how you feel about how you look, because it is so painful. these behaviours will persist even if the dysphoria itself starts to lessen or subside in the course of transitioning (thinking "i hate myself and if i think about my body for longer than 10 seconds i'll throw up" every single day for many years will have an impact on you even after you have started changing all the physical things that made you feel that way), and it will take a lot of time to work through this and slow your brain down enough to try to identify what is actually bothering you before jumping to immediate shutdown of thinking about your body. also you probably have regular insecurities about how you look that previously were completely overshadowed by the all-encompassing dysphoria hell. it can sometimes feel like you're doing something wrong if you don't love everything about your body all the time after you start pursuing transition, but that feeling is a lie. you are a human being, and nobody loves everything about how they look all the time.

hormones are a boost to getting you to be the person you want to be, but they won't get you to the finish line. for that you gotta do the same thing as everyone else: really think about your body and how you want to look, and try a bunch of stuff out if you're not sure. a decent shave is one of those things that is often overlooked but can dramatically change how you look and feel. learn from my life lessons & try a shave before you spiral. okay love you goodnight sleep tight dont let the bedbugs bite

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Hey! This is extremely late but I feel like you'd adore this prompt.

Character study: Ed's beard caused sensory issues, required tedious upkeep, and was a source of performative masculinity. Finally, he's shaving it, and seeing "Ed" for the first time in decades. Super healing, cute, positive 💜

You're right, I absolutely adored this prompt!! This took a minute because I wound up going in a completely different direction at first, wasn't satisfied with it, and it sat in my drafts, and now I actually fuckin' love it. This one's set in a modern AU with a trans Ed, because that's a delicious little wrinkle. Bon appétit.

(Never too late to send me prompts for 1k word fics, by the way! I can't promise they'll all get done but if they inspire me, I'll do 'em eventually. These are great for writer's block)

--

No one could accuse Ed Teach of disliking hair care.

That was something his mama had instilled in him from a young age. His hair was also his pride in his heritage, in where he came from, and taking care of it was an important way Ed could take care of himself and stay true to himself. His worst argument with Stede, to date, was over which of them was taking up too much space on their shared bathroom counter with all the hair care products (they’d wound up putting up more shelving). The first time he’d let Stede help him wash his hair, after Stede had listened through Ed’s explanations of his hair care, was probably one of the most intimate moments he’d ever shared with another man.

His beard, though. That was a different story.

Ed didn’t hate the beard, most days. It had started out as a band-aid solution when he’d been struggling to be taken seriously with his baby face, and he’d wanted to prove he was as much a man as anyone.

Then he’d grown up, and he’d stopped looking like he’d just glued a few random hairs to his chin, and it became…him. It was big and striking and masculine.

“You know,” he’d confided in Stede a few nights ago, cuddled up under the covers together, one thigh and an arm thrown over Stede’s middle while Stede traced little patterns over Ed’s bare hip with a forefinger, “I don’t even like the beard.”

Stede blinked down at him. “You don’t…like your beard?”

“Honestly?” Ed ran his fingers through it. He liked how soft it was, liked putting little bows in it, liked how everyone saw him and knew without a doubt he was a man. “It’s itchy, and it’s easy for things to get stuck in it, and it makes my face all hot, and hair gets in my mouth, and -”

“Hm,” Stede said, shifting his hand up to scritch his fingers along Ed’s jaw, and Ed leaned into the touch. “You don’t have to keep it.”

It was Ed’s turn to pause in surprise.

“But I’m Blackbeard,” he said, a bit lamely.

“You can be whoever you want to be, beard or no,” Stede shrugged. “I’ll love you just the same, with or without it.”

Huh.

This morning, Ed woke up early, plugging in Stede’s electric razor and locking the bathroom door behind him. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted Stede to be part of this moment, but…he hadn’t seen his whole face in literal decades.

He wanted his reaction to be his and his alone.

Ed hesitated before he could touch the razor to his face for the first time. What would everyone think? He’d literally named his entire brand after this thing.

He took a deep breath. It didn’t matter what everyone else thought. It was about what Ed wanted. He could do what he wanted with his own body to help himself feel more himself and more comfortable.

At the very least, he told himself, it would save him time in the mornings. You don’t keep a beard that big looking that good without a very time-consuming beard care regimen. 

He used a hand mirror as he worked, looking at himself at too close an angle to be able to see his full face before he was ready for that. When he splashed water on his face, he shivered at the coolness of it against his sensitive skin.

He swept up all the clippings, taking care to avoid looking into the mirror over the sink. “Bye-bye, Blackbeard,” he whispered, tipping the clippings into the trash can.

Ed took a deep breath. Stede had said he’d love him, no matter what. He lifted his head, and he saw -

Oh.

His first reaction was that he looked a lot like his mother. He’d started trying to grow his beard out right after he’d first started taking T, and he hadn’t even realized how scared he was that he’d shave his beard off and see his dad under there until he got to see the opposite was true. He had a sharper jawline, but the rest was all her.

And he’d been scared he wouldn’t look enough like a man without it, too, but he looked…pretty, actually, and literally fine. He’d probably want to keep at least some stubble, because he really did just like how affirming facial hair was, but this was proof that he didn’t need the full beard to look like a man. He was a man, no matter what he looked like - the beard had just been his way of daring anyone to tell him otherwise.

“Hey, Ed,” he whispered, watching in the mirror as he brought his hands up to feel, tracing new wrinkles, soft skin, birthmarks and little freckles he’d long forgotten.

It shocked a quiet giggle out of him when he realized how nice it would be, to eat food without worrying about something getting into his beard. How nice it would be to feel soft things against his cheek, to -

There was an idea!

Ed darted out of the bathroom and practically launched himself back into bed, grabbing Stede’s hand to hold it against his face. He shivered in delight - Stede had touched his face before, of course, but he’d never felt it so clearly, his soft palms and warm fingers against his cheek.

“Mmf,” Stede mumbled, burying his face in the pillows in protest against being woken up.

“Babe!” Ed collapsed down onto his side so he could snuggle close and rub his clean-shaven cheek against Stede’s.

“Wh-aah!” Stede yelped as he opened his eyes to see Ed like three inches away. “Your beard fell off!”

“Shaved it,” Ed corrected, looking away. He hadn’t expected Stede to fucking scream at him -

Stede reached out, gently, cupping Ed’s chin to tilt his face for a better look. “Oh, Ed,” he whispered. “Aren’t you beautiful?”

Yeah, Ed thought with satisfaction. He sure fuckin’ was.

[princesscandijane]

Males Reasons to Shave with some tips

A quick guide for those wanting to shave, but cannot seem to find the reasons to.  As well as some tips on how to shave.

Groin

As a favor for someone going down on you. Think about how much you enjoy pulling pubes out of your teeth. I shave my groin every morning, as part of my morning routine. Takes me no less time to shave my face if you do it daily, and I could probably go every other day without notice.

Shaving Groin

From various blogs and articles

Trim—Bust out your trimmer and prep the area by trimming off a good chunk of the bush before you dive in with a razor. This helps ensure that you have total visibility and don’t miss any important areas. Take your time, trimming in small sections starting at the bottom and working your way up to the stomach.

Shave—Generously apply shave cream that you can see through, creating a layer of cream about a millimeter thick on top of the areas where you want to shave. Holding the skin taut with one hand and taking it extra-slow with the other, lightly shave IN THE DIRECTION that the hair grows. Avoid using too much pressure. Rinse the razor with every pass and, when completely done shaving, rinse the body with warm water.

Use a new/sharp razor– DON’T use a dull blade or disposable razor.

Shave Your Balls—The golden rule of ball-shaving is to always hold the skin taut so there are no wrinkles or curves that could catch skin or cause cuts. 

Rinse with Cool Water—Make sure you give your junk a good rinse in cool water after you’re done shaving to soothe the skin and close the pores. This will also help prevent any ingrown hairs or irritation.

Asshole

Dingleberries. If you have ever had to wipe away a dingleberry, that should inspire you to at least trim around the asshole. Full shave can be difficult, but again, how attractive do you find a hairy ass? So consider trimming. I don’t shave completely because I’m worried about nicking something, so I wear a butt plug and shave around it.

Guide to Asshole shaving

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/27dh1x/how_do_i_shave_my_asshole/

Use a moustache/nose hair trimmer to trim off all the excess hair until it's short enough to feel like 2 day old stubble, and then apply good hair conditioner or shaving gel and exfoliate using a loofah or washcloth. The idea is to get all the hair up and on end and stimulate the skin while opening the pores; this avoids ingrown hair and razor burn, which you do not want on your butthole.

Now wash your butthole. Intensely. You do not want to leave any stone unturned, so to speak. Shove your soapy finger up there and really get your sphincters squeaky clean. Don't hurt yourself, just make sure you don't have any icky fecal matter or tiny sharp hair nuggets trapped in the mysterious crevices of your anal caverns.

Use a BRAND NEW 4-blade disposable razor/razor blade cartridge. Don't use a dull blade or you will regret it. Shave with the grain, first, not against it. Rinse after each and every stroke of the blade against your skin. Re-apply conditioner/gel and shave again, this time against the grain and again be sure to rinse after every stroke. Rinse completely and then give it a quick wash with some plain antibacterial soap (kills bacteria on the open skin so should avoid irritation from fecal matter etc that you may have missed during your butthole cleansing).

Now comes the rough part - preventative care. Grab a bottle of witch hazel and spritz it on a washcloth, and pat the fuck out of your butthole with that shit. IT WILL BURN LIKE HELL FOR A SECOND IF YOU DO IT RIGHT. It is not the end of the world. Your butthole is not on fire and you will live to poo another day. After witch hazel-ing the hell out of your ass, lay tummy-down on your bed or on a towel on the floor and either:

When your butthole has been sufficiently aired out and dried, apply non-scented women's roll-on deodorant. This sounds stupid and weird but trust me, it helps. Dove no-scent is the best I've found. This will avoid chafing while walking, irritation as the hair grows back, general stink, and will provide you with some cushioning.

Chest, Back, Arms, Armpits

Do you think any of them are naturally smooth? Once a week I take a nice hot bath, relax with a bowl and shave everything below my neck. Takes me an hour at most.

I think we can acknowledge that a smooth body is sexy regardless of gender.  How weird would it be for there to be hair

Vs. how is this for hair?

Once a week shaving. The more often you keep up with it the easier it is and the less time it takes.

Shaving Chest Tips

various blogs

Before beginning to shave, be sure to trim any long chest hairs to make the process easier.

Apply plenty of shaving gel over your chest and any other areas that you intend to shave.

Begin shaving, using short, gentle, and slow strokes for a clean shave without any nicks or cuts.

After each stroke, rinse the blade to avoid getting it clogged and causing a messy shave.

Once you’ve completed shaving and removed all unwanted hair, rinse your chest thoroughly and apply an aftershave product, such as the one that you use for your face.

Remember to also exfoliate the area twice a week with a quality body scrub to reduce the risk of ingrown hairs.

As the nipple is really sensitive and may not want to risk a nik, I recommend using a tweezer. Before you tweeze, take a hot shower—the heat will open up hair follicles, so it’s easier to grab the root—and pat the skin around your nipples dry. Pull each strand quickly and firmly in the direction your hair grows.

Shaving Armpit

from Men’s Health

Trim Your Armpit Hair First

If you’ve never shaved your underarms before, chances are you’ll need to trim those patches down for the easiest and most comfortable shave . It’ll make less of a mess in the shower as well (because nothing is worse than a clogged drain full of man-hair).

Exfoliate Your Under Arms Before Shaving

Sure, you don’t have to exfoliate, but you should to avoid pesky, painful ingrown hairs. A loofah or exfoliating body scrub will do the trick to remove dead skin cells and bacteria (along with any deodorant gunk) to help you achieve the smoothest shave without razor burn.

Shave Your Armpits Wet in the Shower

You can cut it dry, but Whitely recommends to do it in the shower. Hot water softens the hair and reduces the risk of pulled hair or nicks, he says. Shave towards the end of your time in the shower and use shaving gel for added moisture to prevent irritation.

Shave Slow and With a Good Razor

It's not a race, folks. To avoid razor burn and skin irritation, take it slow with your razor blade to make sure you get the closest shave. Unlike the hair on your face, underarm hair grows in all different directions, so make sure to shave sideways, as well top-to-bottom. Toss your old dull razor, and opt for one with a sharp blade and a pivoting head to move with the curves of your armpits for a more effective, easier shave.

Legs 

First shaved legs feel amazing.  Everyone deserves to know the feeling of freshly shaved legs. Second how are hairy legs, feet, and toes sexy?

Quick guide to shaving legs

Taken from Glamor and Cosmopolitan 

1. Trim

If it's the first time you're removing your leg hair, you might want to carefully trim the area with an electric razor. This will stop your razor clogging up, causing you to miss patches of hair.

2. Soak your skin before shaving

“Hydrating the hairs makes them up to 60 per cent easier to cut”, says Dr Anita Sturnham, Venus Ambassador. “Soak your skin for two to three minutes before shaving.”

Use warm water when you're bent over the bathtub in the middle of winter with goose bumps on your legs, it's tempting to have the shower on boiling hot. But hot water is not your friend when it comes to shaving because it closes your pores. Warm water opens your pores, allowing your hairs to soften (making the whole shaving process a lot smoother).

3. Do not lather your legs with shampoo

Dr Sturnham says using shampoo or body wash as shave prep can, “increase your risk of redness and irritation, and blunt your razor blades.”

4. Don't go ham on the shaving cream

You really only need a thin layer of shaving cream to do the job. Too much will clog up your blades, slowing down your shaving time and making it impossible to see where you already shaved. Of course you don't really need to buy shaving cream in the first place, hair conditioner works just as well (if not better).

5. Always shave against the direction hair growth

To get your closest shave possible, shave against the direction of your hair growth. For the legs, start at the ankle and work your way up towards the knee.If you’re using a good blade, this won’t cause any irritation and will cut the hair right at the root for a longer-lasting shave.

6. Don't apply too much pressure to your razor

Your razor shouldn’t make a dent in your skin in order to work.“ The razor should glide across the skin, not drag”, says Adam Boulding, Venus Scientific Communications. “Remember to use a light touch, exerting as little pressure as possible.”If you need to press your razor firmly to work, it can be a sign your blades need changing.

7. Short strokes

If you're shaving from your ankle to your knee in one long stroke, you are guaranteed to have missed hairs. It's just impossible for your razor to keep contact with every single hair for that long. That's why you need to shave with short strokes. Short strokes = less missed hairs.

8. Change your razor blades regularly

A blunt blade not only increases friction against the skin, but also the likelihood of missed hairs. There are many factors that can impact blade life, including your hair type, how much of your body you’re shaving and how you store your razor.  Roughly every ten shaves. If you shave daily then about every 1-2 weeks, if you shave 2-3 times a day then every 3-4 weeks. You should also change your blades whenever you start to feel tugging or pulling during your shave.

9. Don't use razors with less than four blades

The number of blades you use is actually super important. The less blades you have, the higher the chance of cuts and nicks.

“A razor with more blades means that the pressure is distributed across more evenly”, says Boulding. “Therefore less pressure is applied to any one spot of skin during the shave, reducing the probability of cuts.”

10. Use a manoeuvrable razor head

The second thing to look for in terms of razor quality is the manoeuvrability of the razor head. When it comes to the backs of knees and areas like ankles, where the bone is close to the skin surface, you need a razor that moves with the curves of your skin to glide over trickier areas. A stagnant blade will only increase the chance of missed hairs or cuts.

11. Always bend a knee

Knees are notoriously the most tricky spot to shave. The solution? Sarah says to slightly bend the knee.

“This will pull the skin tight before shaving, as folded skin is difficult to shave.”

Try propping your leg up on the side of the bath.

12. Don't forget your aftercare

If you suffer from red bumps after shaving, rinsing properly is a must post-shave. If you can bare cold water, this is even better to ensure the pores are closed.

Sarah also recommends leaving the skin to rest for at least 30 minutes before applying lotions or moisturisers, to avoid inflammation.

“If you must moisturise immediately following shaving, select a cream formula rather than a lotion, and avoid exfoliating moisturisers that may contain alpha hydroxy acids,” she adds. If not, it will sting!

[superfanficnatural]

Maybe the apocalypse isn’t so bad after all

Pairing: Negan x Male!Reader

Summary: Negan finds you having some fun with some walkers, resulting in some unrequited attraction to intertwine the both of you. Deciding to go back to the sanctuary with him, the both of you couldn’t hold yourselves back any longer.

A/N: This is my first Negan fic so I really hope that you guys like it! I tried to make Negans personality as accurate as possible so there is a TON of f-bombs in here haha, also I know the summary sucks but I couldn’t think of anything to write xD, enjoy!

A/N 2: Spoilers for TWD seasons 6 and further but if you are reading a Negan fic then it’s not a spoiler lol.

Warnings: Heavy Cursing, Smut, NSFW 18+, Oral Receiving (Male), Dirty Talk, Anal Sex, Bondage (Rope and Blindfold), Daddy Kink, Slight Fingering, some others.

Word Count: 3.5K

Italics are thoughts

Gif isn’t mine

Negan’s POV

“God DAMN it’s been SO long since I’ve been able to let out some steam.” 

“Who the hell was that?” asked one of the four soldiers behind me.

We backed up and hid behind a wall, I peeked my head over to see some random fucking guy walking up to the gas station next to us. I counted a dozen walkers, he can’t be serious, I thought to myself. He took off the backpack he was wearing and to my surprise, he didn’t grab the pistol by his hip, instead reaching behind him to grab a machete that was hooked onto his back. 

“Now, who’s first.” the guy said, walking up to the walkers. 

Two of them walked up to him side by side and he swung his machete, beheading two of the fuckers at once, damn he’s good.

“Oh come on, you guys can do better.” he teased, inching closer to another three.

They were decently spaced out, walking in a single file line, cars on their sides making their path narrow. He shoved his machete into the first one's stomach, pushing him back until his machete hit all three. The walker at the front tried to grab him, flinging its arms out at his face. I was about to go help the poor son of a bitch until I saw him cut both of it’s arms off in seconds, swinging his machete once again, this time connecting with its head. Whoever this guy is, he’s fucking good. I was considering taking him in, seeing if he could help the sanctuary. 

“Damn, sucks for you.” he said sarcastically, coaxing a small chuckle to leave my lips, now this is the kind of person I want around me.

He shoved his machete through the second one's skull, piercing it and getting the third one as well. Seven left.

One was trapped in a car, another trapped underneath one, the other five in a group a few feet in front of him. 

“Come on you fuckers, come to daddy.” he joked. He’s a badass AND funny? Well fuck me.

He dropped his machete and I was about to yell out and call him a dumbass until he reached behind him, grabbing two medium sized knives strapped to the back of his belt. He approached the group, throwing one knife, he connected it with one of the fuckers heads, running up and tackling the second, his other knife going into it’s eye socket. He ripped out the knife and walked up to the other walker on the ground, taking the knife out, he ran up to the last three, simultaneously killing two of them. Turning to the third, he motioned him to come closer with his pointer finger. The walker was at biting distance and that’s when he shoved both of his knives into the sides of his head. He turned around and that’s when I saw the smirk on his face, blood covering it and his clothes, my pants tightened and my breathing got heavier, wait what the fuck? I’m not into- forget it.

He easily finished off the two remaining walkers and grabbed his machete off of the floor, walking over to his backpack and picking it up, I was tempted to walk out, try and get him to come back to camp with me. 

“You gonna come out or...?” he said, glancing over in our direction with a grin, we all instantly jumped behind the wall. After a few moments I decided to walk out, taking my chances.

Your POV

You knew there was a group of guys behind that wall this whole time, how else would you have survived this long without picking up a few skills?

“I’m not going to wait forever ya know?” you finished, growing tired of them hiding. You were about to make your way over to them until a man walked out, fuck. You hadn’t seen any attractive men since this entire fucking apocalypse and there he was, salt and pepper beard, slick black hair, a black jacket and baseball bat wrapped with wire, a complete fucking dilf. Attractive AND dangerous? Fuck me. 

“Don’t mean you any harm, was just walking through here until I saw you fuck UP those sons of bitches.” a foul mouth too? Damn, I guess some good things do come out of the apocalypse. 

“Right... anything else you need?”

“People, honestly, you got a camp or something?” he asked, testing you.

“No, I don’t have a camp, I also know there are four other guys behind that wall so you have a camp.” he was about to open his mouth to speak but you cut him off, “Don’t worry, I couldn’t care less if you have a camp or not, I’ll just be going on my merry way.” 

“Wait!” he urged, turning you back around.

“You need something, daddy?” you joked, not realizing the power behind your word until after you said it, a slight blush threatening to flash across your face. 

He smirked and his eyes grew darker, “Actually, I do. I want you to come back to my camp, I need tough sons of bitches like you,” he admitted.

Wait, he smirked?? He doesn’t look gay to me at all, I mean he looks like he can probably fuck whoever he want’s but he definitely does not swing that way, he was probably just laughing at my joke, yeah, that.

“I’ve always been solo, what makes you think I want to join up with you guys?” you asked, already considering it just because of this perfect vessel in front of you. 

“Can’t be solo forever, eventually you’re going to need some help. Plus, we got food, running water and electricity, clothes, anything you could ask for.”

“Electricity? As in I can shave my pubes after however many fucking years? Along with this ridiculously unfashioned beard?” you asked, perking up.

He chuckled, “Would I ever fucking lie to you?”

You chuckled to that in return, damn a sense of humor too? Who the hell is this guy?

“I’m Y/N, you?”

“Negan, and this here is my baby, Lucille,” he said, swinging the bat around.

“Oh god, you were definitely one of those guys who named his car some kind of name before all of this weren’t you?” you asked with a jokingly disgusted face.

He full body laughed at that, resulting in you letting out a small chuckle as well, “Something like that, so, you wanna join up with me?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Fuck it, why not,” you responded with a smile, him giving you one in return.

You both made your way over to the other men, introducing yourself and them doing the same, you already forgot their names except for the one who looked important, Simon. They had a truck a few hundred feet down the road, “What were you guys doing out here anyways?” you asked.

“We came to this gas station looking for some gas, but from what it looks like, there’s nothing left.” Simon replied.

You nodded in acknowledgement, hopping on the back of the truck while the rest got in, Negan in the driver's seat with Simon next to him, you had a feeling he was his right hand man. 

After about an hour on the road, you reached a huge factory, fences with walkers hung up on them, smart, keeps the rest away. After a whistle from Negan, the gates were opened by two men, driving past them you saw they were fully armed, damn, this place is fortified. 

Parking in front of what seemed like the front entrance, you all got out and Negan motioned for you to come over to him. Walking into the building, you noticed a bunch of stalls and what seemed like people selling stuff, “On the first level, we have the point system, they sell what they have for other people in need and get points to buy stuff for themselves.”

“Seems a bit flawed but it’s better than nothing I guess.” you shrugged.

Walking past the hundreds of people, you noticed they all basically got on their knees as he walked past them, “What are you? God?” you joked.

He smirked, “To these people? Fuck yeah I am.”

Chuckling, you made your way up to the second floor with him, noticing long hallways with multiple doors.

“Up here the point system doesn’t exist, it’s where all the soldiers sleep, eat, and probably fuck, no points necessary.”

“Damn, sign me the fuck up.”

“Why else do you think you’re here smartass?” he nudged your shoulder.

“Fuck off, where are we going?” you asked, nudging him back.

“To your room, so you can settle in and cut those pubes that you were talking about.” 

You laughed, continuing on with him. He stopped at the end of the hallway and opened a door, a huge room that looked nice as fuck came into view, “There’s no way this is mine.” you said in disbelief.

“This one is mine, but yours is similar, come here.” he said, walking over to another door a bit further down the hall. He opened the door and you saw a room that was barely decorated, all of the essentials in place.

“Damn, last time I had a place this nice was in my dreams a few months ago.”

He chuckled and walked you over to the bathroom, you noticed a shower with a razor on the counter, along with some shampoo and body wash.

“I would normally tell you to not take too long with the hot water, I have a feeling you’re gonna go and stay as long as you fucking want anyway, so go ahead and take your shower and shave, I’ll be waiting in the main room.” he said, walking out and closing the door behind him. Wasn’t he the leader of this place? Does he really have the time to wait on me?

You stripped down, turning on the shower and getting in. Holy shit the water felt amazing, you didn’t even wash yourself for a few minutes, simply enjoying the amazingly warm water before eventually washing yourself thoroughly. Getting out of the shower you felt refreshed, the best feeling you have had in the past six, seven years? 

Grabbing the razor from the countertop along with the shaving cream, you shaved off all of your pubes, already feeling so much better. You didn’t want to get rid of your beard, it actually suited you very well, it just needed a trim and size-up. Grabbing the electronic clipper, you trimmed your beard about an inch, it not being too long anyways, and lined up your cheeks, cutting the area around your ear as well. Learning how to cut hair from your friend before all of this started, it helped out a lot. Trimming your hair down as well and shortening the sides, you looked like a new man. Probably ten times more attractive as well, your face finally shining.

Wrapping the towel around your waist since there weren’t any clothes inside the bathroom, you walked out and were met with Negan laying on the bed, Lucille perched up against the wall.

Negan’s POV

Why the hell did I get hard earlier? And why the fuck can’t I stop looking at him? So many questions were going through my head as I was laying on the bed waiting for Y/N. He was taking a while but I know shaving is a pain in the ass. I heard the bathroom door open and I was met with Y/N in nothing but a towel. Fucking shit he is sexy as hell. I could finally see his face clearly, beard and hair trimmed down, was he a fucking model before all this shit? His body was covered in a few scars, only serving to make him look more intimidating and sexy, his figure still lean, six pack abs, toned arms, legs I wanted to kiss and bite. I’ve never even considered fucking a dude, why the hell am I now? I was brought out of my head by Y/N clearing his throat, a smirk on his beautiful lips, “Got any clothes I can fit into?”

Your POV

You walked out and saw that Negan was checking you out, you fought your hardest to suppress your blush and instead put on a confident smirk, “Got any clothes I can fit into?” you asked, bringing him out of whatever he was thinking of. Without saying a word, he got up and stood in front of you, eyes darkened with lust, breathing heavy.

“Unfortunately we don’t, so you are going to have to fucking wait till we find some.” he slowly gravelled. Reaching out, he tugged at your towel, no fucking way this is happening.

“Negan, what-”

“Shhhhh, just let me see.” he cut you off with a whisper. Pulling your towel apart, it fell into the small space in between you two. You were already hard, the simple close proximity of him arousing you. He glanced down and you heard a low moan from his chest. He pushed you against the wall and buried his face in your throat.

“Why the fuck are you so goddamn hot, I never thought I would like another guy but the only thing I can think of around you is how fucking good your tight little ass will feel around my cock while I bend you over and fuck you.” he growled, nipping on the skin of your neck.

You felt your knees grow weak, mind going hazy from his dirty talk. He backed up and took off his jacket, his shirt following. There were multiple tattoos covering his skin, hair on his chest and stomach, if the world ending brought me to this moment, I wouldn’t change a thing. Before he could take off his belt, you grabbed his hand and stopped him, sucking on his neck and leaving a few hickeys, you removed his belt and pushed his pants down, leaving the underwear you got on your knees. Licking and sucking his cock through the thin fabric, his hand grabbing your hair, “Fuck that feels good.” he moaned.

You smiled and removed his underwear, his thick cock bouncing out, you licked your lips in anticipation, you knew he was going to burn just the right way. You teased him a bit longer, licking the tip and tasting his precum, fuck he tastes good. He pulled on your hair and you looked up at him, “Stop fucking teasing me and suck my goddamn cock.” he commanded. You smirked and took him into your throat, inching your way down until he bottomed out, another skill you kept, your cock sucking skills. You started bobbing your head up and down, licking the underside of his cock as you were going, feeling the vein throb. His grip on your hair got tighter and he started moaning, it was the sexiest thing you had ever heard. You wanted to taste him, pulling off, “Cum in my mouth daddy, let me taste you.” you huskily whispered, using the nickname from before. His eyes darkened even further if that was possible and you knew the name turned him on. Resuming your task, you started going faster, twisting your head as you sunk down on him, hollowing your cheeks. He started pumping his hips into your mouth, keeping his hold on your hair tight so you wouldn’t be able to escape. Pumping his hips a few more times, “Fuck I’m gonna cum down your throat, fuck yeah, you want my cum don’t you, my dirty little boy.” You hummed around him, the vibration triggering his release. 

“Oh fuck yeah!” Feeling his cum coat your tongue, you eagerly swallowed it all down, his taste arousing you further, making precum leak from your tip. 

He let out a huge sigh and took a moment to compose himself before grabbing you by the arms and tossing you on the bed. He reached into a cabinet next to the bed, pulling out a blindfold and some rope, “So, every room just has sex toys in them?” you jokingly asked. He chuckled darkly before responding, “Something like that.”

He climbed on the bed next to you, roughly grabbing your arms and tying them together, bringing them up to the bed frame. Putting the blindfold on you, he slowly backed up. You had never done this before and saying you were nervous was an understatement. You couldn’t see anything and barely heard any movement, you almost thought he just left you there until you felt his lips on your inner thigh, “Shit.” you hissed, the feeling intensified since you didn’t know it was coming. You felt him smirk against your thigh, his lips inching closer and closer to your throbbing cock, “You were made to suck cock, good little cock slut aren’t you? Well daddy is gonna be nice enough and return the favor.” 

You felt his breath ghost against your cock, feeling his hand wrap around it and slowly start to stroke it, the simple movement threatening to make you bust, the tension already too high. You felt his lips wrap around the head and you let out an appreciative sigh, his warm mouth enveloping you. He bobbed his head up and down and you wished you could see him, just imagining him sucking you off made you squirm in place. He brushed his finger against your rim and you let out an involuntary moan, him ceasing his actions for a second, then returning to it with his finger rubbing and tapping your hole. 

You started tensing up, “Fuck Negan, I’m gonna cum.” you moaned. 

He instantly pulled away, “What the fu- Keep going!” you whined.

He chuckled, “You’re only cumming when daddy says you can.”

He lifted your legs up and balanced them on his shoulders, you could hear him spit down on his cock to lube it up, feeling the tip press against your rim. You could already feel how thick he was, moaning in anticipation. 

He slowly started to push in, stretching your walls to their breaking point, “Oh fuck!” you shouted. You could feel the vibrations of his chuckle against you, your arms slightly hurting from the amount of force you were struggling against the rope with. Inching in, he finally bottomed out and you let out a loud moan, feeling completely and utterly full. 

“Today is your lucky fucking day, daddy is gonna fill you up with two loads, and you’re going to take this one deep inside of you.” he grounded out, voice low and husky.

He pulled out almost all the way until nothing but the tip was left then rammed his cock inside of you, “Oh fuck, Negan!”

He started relentlessly pounding into you, leaving no room for you to even breathe. The breath being forced out of you with each thrust, you could hear the bed creaking with the force behind each one, the sounds of his cock entering and exiting your hole filling the room. 

“Damn your ass is fucking perfect, warm and tight, perfect for my cock to fill and stuff with cum.” he growled, reaching down and nibbling on your ear. He was hitting your prostate with what seemed like pinpoint accuracy, each thrust bringing you closer to your release. His hips started stuttering and you could tell he was close. Wanting to return the dirty talk, “Fuck daddy, your cock feels so good inside of me, filling me up to the brim, cum inside me, breed me and make me yours.” you moaned in his ear, clenching the muscles in your ass to make it tighter. 

He let out a guttural moan and slammed into you, the force behind it greater than before, sending you into your orgasm, shooting all over your chest. He pumped his hips a few more times and released, grunting your name into your ear. You could feel him shoot string after string of cum into you. Pulling out, there was a trail of cum following his cock, your ass completely filled. He licked a stripe up your chest, collecting all of the cum there and taking off your blindfold, he claimed your lips and shared your cum. You moaned, intertwining your tongues together and sharing the taste. 

“Fuck you even taste perfect, how the fuck did I not find you before?” he asked rhetorically. 

He unwrapped the rope from your hands and reached for the towel on the floor, cleaning up the cum dripping from your hole and both of your cocks, plopping down on the bed next to you. Both of you let out huge sighs, more than satiated with what just happened. You turned towards him to notice a soft look on his face, damn, this man is incredible, you thought, gazing at his handsome face. 

He was wearing a huge smile, “What?” you asked with your own smile.

“Nothing, was just thinking that maybe the apocalypse isn’t so bad after all.”

Tag List: @negan-the-cat​ @negans-network​ @negandarylsatisfaction​ @magssteenkamp​

[darkloire]

Would you mind giving us an explanation on how exactly you picture Will and Mike from "A caged bird stands on the grave of dreams" and "The Tempests created this Tide"? Like, their hairstyles, maybe some (facial) features, mimicking etc.

I'm curious as to how you picture them for yourself while writing because these are my favourite stories from you and I'd love to know how you'd view them/their looks in detail! Have a nice day!

Thanks for the ask, Anon. As far as how I picture them in 'The Caged Bird' series, I'd say Mike (at the beginning at least) is underweight, has severe features/sharp lines, and boney hands/slender wrists. I like to picture his hair as somewhere below his ears but above his shoulders and completely unruly curls since Will doesn't make him put a ton of product in it or force it into being tame/under control. I see Will as a little softer in both facial features and physical build, with more gentle lines and curves to him. I think Will probably looks more professional with what was obviously an expensive haircut at one time but that is now a little grown out now because making an appointment with a barber probably makes him nervous so he keeps putting it off. Joyce was probably the one who made him get a haircut in the first place so he looked professional for his interview. Now that he has the job and doesn't have his mom to force him to go, his hair is a bit more grown out but still shorter than Mike's. I'd say both of them have stubble since Will took away all the blades and neither of them can get a close shave with an electric razor. For 'Tempest', Mike is bigger than a human would be from tail to head-fringe and much more beastial than a person would look. The idea I had when writing him was more based on sirens and deep sea animals than on the traditional mermaid(man) imagery. I imagine him with long, delicate ears with webbing where the cartilage would be, webbing between his fingers, claws to hunt and fight with, and teeth long/sharp enough to shred flesh. I also imagine his pupils would be vertical and his irises would be larger with very little white (if any at all) showing. Think alligator eyes. I don't think of Mike as having any body hair at all, but scales, spines, and frills similar to a lionfish, but probably connected by a membrane. I imagine he'd be muscular from swimming and living in an aquatic environment. I think his coloring would be dark blues, reds, black, etc with a slightly lighter colored underbelly so he'd be camouflaged to anything looking up at him from below. Will probably looks average in every way imaginable. I think his hair is slightly uneven and a bit overgrown (again, I doubt he's going to be making appointments for a haircut) because I imagine he cuts it himself, he's maybe a little pale because he works and night and sleeps during the day, and maybe a bit willowy. I think if he was sick, he probably didn't have an easy time taking care of himself and might have lost weight either through self neglect or just general lack of appetite. I don't think he'd be emaciated, just slim and he probably brushed it off as finally growing out of any baby weight he might have had as a teenager. If you're curious as to how I envisioned him in the final chapter, very similar to Mike but with more blues and purples than reds and blacks in his coloration. Thanks for the ask, Anon! That was fun trying to describe the vision I had for them in these stories!

[golddaggers]

untouched || chapter one

not mine but god he pulls it off

pairings: alpha!thor x omega!reader, natasha x reader (friendship folks tho i was really tempted to add something more ugh hahaha)

warnings: hmmm, cursing, i suppose (?), lots of knuckles kissing by thor and a lot of background on her, which is not that pretty. well. 

a/n: took me long enough to finally finish this hahaha, i always wanted to keep adding stuff and adding and adding. well. i hope it turned out well? lemme know!

word count: 8,7k+

song to this chapter: i wanna be yours by arctic monkeys

The night went by incredibly sweaty and hot, she flipped under the thick sheets, trying to find a better way to sleep. Nonetheless, her mind could only spin around thoughts inspired by that Alpha. Around Thor. She was curious about him, about that thunderstorm smell that made her feel like he's home. Like he’s that childhood place she'd go to hide from the rain.

As soon as the sun sneaks through a rift in the curtains, she stands up, deciding it was useless to dwell much into it. This feeling… It was hormonal, the normal reaction of an Omega towards an Alpha, nature making sure the species would continue. That was it, she pleads with herself.

Shrugging off the navy blue t-shirt she had slept in and the pair of underwear, the girl walked to the small bathroom of the quite big room Natasha had settled her in. It had a full sized bed in middle, its purple sheets, which were reeking off of lavender, messily sprawled all around it, two nightstands by each side, one even had an antique candlestick on, scented candles slowly melting. There was also a small couch by the large windows, framed by carmine curtains. Overall, it sort of reminded her of what a royal bedroom should look like.

The bathroom, however, was simpler. A white, porcelain tub on one corner, the toilet facing it while the sink stood on its left. Under, a nice cabinet, which was the first place she looked for soap and shampoo. A good shower to finally clean herself from the dust that stained her cheeks still. Possibly other bits of her body as well. Regardless of still being early in the evening, as soon as she was established, the girl quickly dozed off, sleeping so soundly and for so many hours that when she woke up, between yaws, she found a tray filled with food on her nightstand to dine.

She sighed, wondering who had been on her room in the middle of the night, despite being perfectly able to feel the faint thunderstorm scent still pungent in the air. There's no way he would have bothered to bring her food personally. Perhaps her nose was lying, still high on that intoxicating odour.

At last, she grabbed everything she needed, a little bit excited to find a razor blade as well. It had been a while she was granted all those luxuries, her poor heritage almost screaming for her not to abuse their hospitality. Honestly, she couldn’t believe her own luck that they hadn’t thrown her out in the spot.

While the water warmed up, she rubbed the soap on her calves, running the blade up to remove the body hair, banging the razor against the tub's surface to properly clean it. With shaved legs, she tasted the water using her feet, groaning when feeling it so warm and delicious, slipping under easily. Her body floats for a minute, in torpor. It was so relaxing she even forgot there was life outside.

After she thanked the heavens again for all that kindness, the woman went on with her shaving, peeling off the hair under her armpits. In the meanwhile, her mind swirled into unsettling thoughts, questioning the reasons why they haven't told her to go away yet. Yes, werewolves are really into all that "you are one of us" thing, but she didn't belong to that pack. She didn't belong anywhere if she was entirely honest.

With the razor lying on the flat surface next to her, the girl went under the water, drenching all of her hair at once. A shower head would be way more effective, but since there was none, not that she was complaining, she'd have to work things out the way they were. Applying a little bit of shampoo on her scalp, she began rubbing, trying to untangle while doing so.

A minute or two in, she dove back inside the tub, trying to take all the white foam. It would take a while to completely rinse it off, though. Groaning in frustration, she allowed her body to float for a while again, going up with a head heavy from the soaked hair. There was a moment of silence, her bottom lip resting between her teeth as she stared at the razor and the spot between her legs, realising she was down one region.

Finally, ignoring altogether the splashing water when she moved, the girl sat on one of the bathtub edges, spreading her legs and gripping the razor blade. Something roared inside her, her brain shooting images of a certain Alpha bent forward, those pink lips swollen from kissing- If it ever came to that, she wanted him to be pleased with what he’d find underneath her clothes.

“Don’t be stupid”, she scolded herself. Not that she was ugly or anything, she was actually kind of nice looking, but that man? She was convinced that if those myth gods from the tales her mother told her as an infant, he would be one of them, with that blond hair and blue eyes, a body so muscular and thick. From all of his features, what intrigued her the most, however, was his scent, the way it undid all worries and broke down all of her guards, it was all new. She’d never felt anything like it.

Of course, in the past, she had come close to many Alphas, one, in the matter, came really close to claiming her. She couldn’t be any older than fifteen when her father tried to ship her off into a marriage with a mid-thirties man. He had mean eyes, his smell annoyed her to the bone. Purely out of luck, her mother was able to intervene, otherwise, she’d be forever stuck to a man she didn’t love. Oh, how she missed her mother.

A small pile of hair puddled where she gently tapped with the razor to remove the excess. It was almost done. Once she finished showering, she would go look for Natasha to ask if there was anything she could do in that house, cleaning, cooking, taking care of animals or the kids. Anything. It was the payment for all the niceness they had given her. It was the least she could do.

As she was about to strip the last part, a noise came from the room, someone fumbling with the knob. The girl slipped into the tub, the razor opening a fairly big cut on her inner thigh, blood gushing while water flooded the tiled floor. Ugh. For a werewolf, she lacked the steadiness and grace of one.

“Little wolf, are you okay?” Thor’s voice filled the room, concern dripping from it. “I smell blood.”

“I-I, uh-” The bathroom door was flung open, electric blue irises scanning her thoroughly. “-I was taking a shower and, well, I am okay. Don’t worry. I mean, not that you are worried.”

“Where are you bleeding from?” He asked, wearily looking away, once he realised how very much naked she was.

“My thigh.” It was so low, she thought he’d miss it. Apparently, he didn’t, his features relaxing as he knelt in the same cabinet she took the things to shower, an aid kit between his hands.

“Get out of there so I can help you.” The demanding tone of his voice almost made her comply without question, though the bashfulness got the best of her. “What is the  matter, little wolf?”

“You… You don’t have to do this. I mean, it’s really just a small cut and I’m, well, naked. I’m sure you have seen plenty of naked women, but you haven’t seen me naked, so-” Her rambling urged a chuckle out of him, Thor leaning against the wall as he inspected the mess she’d made. “What is it?”

“You’re adorable.” It made her insides twist, a low gasp slipping. “Come out, little wolf. We need to talk."

"Yeah, I know. Gimme' a minute? I'm almost over. Promise."

"I'll be waiting outside."

After a short nod, she was left alone, slightly dizzy from the heady, intoxicating scent he had left all around the bathroom. It had even her oblivious shame that he had seen her without any clothes on fade away.

Head thrown back, she did her best to speed things along, finally finishing the bath, feeling very refreshed. It was good to have warm water for once. Wrapped around a towel, she marched back into the room, finding Thor on the grey upholstered storage bench. It had totally passed through her senses she'd forgotten to make her bed. By now he was probably thinking that she couldn’t clean up after herself.

"I take you're well settled?"

"Very much, thank you." Struggling to get air into her lungs, she spots the clothes folded and placed on her bed, going over to snatch them. "I, um, I have absolutely no way to pay you back for all of this. I can work for you if you please. There must be something for me to do-"

"Oh, no. I wouldn't accept that." Thor exhales deeply. "Natasha said I shouldn't come over here because you might feel uncomfortable."

If it was anybody else, she probably would. Her efforts to push the memories from yesterday to the depths of her mind were consuming much of her energy so she wouldn't be able to deal with other people so early in the morning. Except him. His presence made her feel at ease, it helped her rather than get in the way.

Her suddenly relaxation doesn’t go unnoticed, a minimum smirk pulling the right corner of his lip up. She gives her back to him, slipping on the set of knickers, loose cotton grey shorts and a mush-green tank top. The lack of a bra made her feel somewhat exposed, but she wouldn't wear the clothes from the day before again. Not ever.

"But I don't make you uncomfortable, do I?" There was a slight urgency underneath his voice. "I can ask her to have this conversation with you if you think it's better."

"No. You are fine." She sat beside him, shoulders grazing lightly. "I'm sorry for the mess."

"Not a problem, little wolf. Sorry for what happened yesterday."

She shrugs.

"It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't be out, so that's on me."

"No, it's not your fault," Thor states eyes widen. There's sympathy swimming on that blue sea. "They have been dealt with, so you don't have to worry."

"Are they…?" The words die out on her mouth.

"Dead? No. But they won't be bothering you or any other Omegas."

"That's good, I guess."

She looks away, focusing on one yellow spot on the white wall, trying her best to refrain the compulsion to plop down on his lap and bury her nose into the crook of his neck, taking all of that petrichor, all of that wet green leaves, all of that thunderstorm. Ever since she could remember, she adored them, the rippling of thunders and bolts of lightning in the sky, so it seemed a little ironic that his scent became her favourite. It was the best she caught, the one that affected her the most.

Throughout the years, she found herself smitten by men, by Alphas. She was still relatively young, so there weren’t many as one might think, but not one of them got to her like Thor. And she didn’t even harbour feelings for him. The girl cursed her own biology for that, concluding that her Heat might be closer than she calculated it to be. That was the only obvious explanation for this sudden spark.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she allowed his taste to swirl carefree across her taste buds, her mind spinning. It was strong. Strong enough to make her dizzy. Her inhibitors pitching low and making her throw her head back, wondering if he was purposely making you feel like that or if it was out of his control. Wondering if he felt the same. If he felt hot. Bothered.

“Thor.” She whimpers, lowly. “I-I…”

“Sorry, little wolf. Just trying to make you feel calm.”

“I’m thankful, but I-I… I won’t…”

Her chest rises and falls in a frantic pace, the girl struggling to breathe normally. It felt like she had run a marathon, sweat hoarding at her hairline. She had no idea when or how things escalated so quickly, still, the will to straddle him, feel the stiffness within his jeans trousers, was way past a will, but become a bruising need.

“I should go.” Thor mumbles, pupils were blown out, a predator gleam beneath the thin blue lines around the black. “We can talk later.”

“N-no… I just need a minute.”

He pulls back for an instant, giving her the space needed and lifting the spell his scent placed on her. The girl pressed her thighs together, clawing the skin of her forearms to focus on reality rather than the bubble suddenly created between them. She couldn’t let it control her, no matter how good he was to her, she needed to pull through the craving.

She gazes up at him, finding the tall figure resting his back against the wall, near the room’s door. The blue of his t-shirt enveloping what she knew were strong muscles caught her eye, it was a point of focus to bring her senses back.

It was scary as hell to feel like this. So out of control.

“I’m really sorry, little wolf.”

“It’s fine, I’m just not used to it. Not this strong.” The smile on his lips is apologetic, blue irises bleeding through the black of the pupils. "What did you want to talk?"

"Your stay." She agrees with a head movement. "Do you have somewhere to go? You're not bitten, but do you have a family?"

"I, well, I live alone. In a tiny room in the city, which I pay off by working at a nursing home. It's a horrible job, but at least I earn enough to survive and the ladies are fairly nice. You don't want to know this stuff, I know. Okay, I'll just stay quiet now."

A bright smile reveals his white, straight teeth underneath. Her breath falters for a split second, forcing her to look away.

"It's okay, you can talk as much as you like."

"No, my father says men don't want to listen to women wailing." It's a shameful whisper, her brain reprimanding herself for being so chatty. From the corner of her eye, she catches Thor shaking his head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise. You are not wailing and I am willing to hear you talk." Kneeling, he puts a strand of hair behind her ear, using his index and thumb to grip her chin and make her look up at him. He's lost on those sweet, innocent eyes. "Do you want to stay, little wolf? I will take care of you if want me to."

"You're not…?" She doesn't need to specify for him to understand what she's asking.

"No. I'm not bonded to anyone, but it wouldn't matter. I want to care for you."

The impulse to touch him strikes again, only this time she doesn't fight back, her hand cupping his cheek, the nicely trimmed beard scraping the skin as she rubbed. Thor leans into her caress, rumbling as he does so. She had soft, delicate hands that make filthy thoughts come up to his head, which he had to brush it off before things got out of hand again.

It was true. He wanted to take care of her, his insides were pushing him into taking the responsibility, even though he had met her not much more than twenty-four hours. She just had those puppy eyes that nearly forced him to engulf her in his arms to protect that little wolf from all harm.

"What's your decision, little wolf?" He brings her knuckles to his lips, kissing them lightly and respectfully. "You can go back to your family and to your beloved ones. This is not a prison."

"I know." A low purring sound slips from her as she leans in to press her cheek against his neck. "I want to stay. I don't have anyone else either way. But I’m okay doing work, seriously, I don’t want to feel as if I am taking advantage of your hospitality."

"Hmm, you're not, but you can do whatever you please." It comes out in a harsh gasp, his raspy voice even deeper. "You'll be busy either way. Natasha will come by later to get you ready for your lessons."

"Lessons?"

"You need to learn how to take care of yourself." His tone shifts to something more austere, blue eyes burning her alive. "This pack… I am supposed to watch out for the others, each wolf that swings around."

"Does that mean you are a supreme Alpha?" The realisation that she was in front of the highest class of the werewolf hierarchy sends a fearful chill down her spine. "My mother told me about them when I was a little girl."

Thor snickers at the image of a tiny child with ponytails listening to bedtime stories about wolves. The sense of protection tightens inside him, a strong force washing him entirely. This girl lacked so much in her life it made him guilty he hadn't found her sooner.

"Yes, I am. Been since my father's demise." His voice gets lower when mentioning his father, only to shrug it off and gaze down, sinking into her neck, arms unexpectedly around her waistline. "You smell pretty good."

A soft whimper pushes through as she tangles her fingers in his blond hair, finding out it was even better and smoother than she thought. Carefully, she puts her own arms around the broad shoulders, diving into the hug. It felt good. She, in one of the rarest moments of her life, felt safe.

There was this humming sound coming from his chest as his nose trailed up her neck, taking in her scent, feeling himself get drunk in it. His mind fought to get control back but it couldn't, not when the instincts were this strong. The bud just at the crook of her neck called him out again, how he wanted to bite it.

"Um-" She whispers unsure. "-Thor,"

"Yes?"

"I think someone's coming." With her nose in the air, she recognised the azaleas odour quickly. "Natasha."

"Good nose, little wolf." There's a lingering when he kisses her cheek. "You'll stay then?"

"I will."

Not a little after he reluctantly releases the wrap on her, a gorgeous red haired woman walked inside, carrying a tray with much more food than she had had in a week, which was saying a lot, considering she barely had enough to pay for rent.

Natasha cocked an eyebrow, glaring up from the newest pack addition to her Alpha, wondering to herself how she'd clean up his mess this time. Not that he was much of a womaniser, but he also wasn't the settle down sort of man, which was why she was always comforting the Omegas that fell for him.

Dammit.

"Didn't know you were here, Boss."

"Just checking in with her, Natasha." Thor towers her, one large hand on her shoulder. "She's staying with us after all."

"That's good, Feisty." She winks at the girl still sat on the upholstered storage bench, who smiles shyly, gazing down. "I could've done that for you, you know."

"Yeah, but I wanted to talk to her myself." His shoulders drop. "Get her to meet everybody else and be sure to start training her."

"Train her? You don't seriously think she's got in her to be a fighter, do you?" Natasha's astonishing green eyes were wide. "She's sweet and innocent, Boss, she should be taking care of our children, not in the field, fighting."

"Do as I tell you to do." It comes out so harshly, Romanoff shrinks a little, all of her instincts telling her to bow to her superior when her mind screams to shove a punch on that stupid bloody jaw of his. "I need to go to the city, duty calls. I'll be back for dinner."

"Sure thing, Boss."

As soon as he leaves the room, Natasha huffs, placing the tray on the left nightstand. The other woman had stayed quiet, simply observing them discuss, the pair had such a silent intimacy when talking she could guess they were lovers at some point. Despite knowing it was crazy, everything about the last day was, she felt herself a little jealous.

Smacking her lips, she stood up, going over to pick up an apple, Natasha still watching her, analysing and thinking how she could turn that girl into a warrior. Thor was crazy. Really, completely insane.

"Can I give you a piece of advice?"

"Sure, Ms Natasha."

"Call me Nat, Feisty." With an eye roll, she chuckles. "Don't get involved with Thor."

"Are you two…?"

"No!" There's a burst of laughter all of a sudden. "I'd never… I have my eyes on somebody else."

"Oh."

"What I'm saying is he's a complicated man and I don't want you to get hurt."

Of course. The thrilling that was still pumping across her veins started to die out, his presence no longer speeding up the adrenaline production, her mind snapping back into place, clawing its way back from the pit it had been thrown inside when that thunderstorm walked inside her room.

"Sure. I see."

"Now finish eating and come with me, we have got a lot to do today."

The mansion was far prettier than she remembered it to be from what she saw the day before. It had many rooms, most of them already occupied by the house wolves of all kinds, Alphas, Betas, Omegas… Natasha explained to her that it was Thor’s responsibility to watch out for them, the less favoured, the pack-less ones, to nurture them as long as they needed it. Some left after a couple of months, others after a few years, but there were always some who stayed. Like herself.

It was a lovely morning outside, the sun bathing every living thing. From the tall trees, wildflowers and chirping birds to the moist soil. A summer day indeed, her senses vibrating to the good energy. She enjoyed those the most, especially as a kid, when she could watch the white clouds take different shapes in the blue, clear sky whilst her skin tingled to the radiating heat coming from above.

Circling the house, there was a quite nice backyard, where a couple of people were exercising. Some were doing laps across the green field, some were wrestling in a corner and the rest was just enjoying the good day, sitting in picnic towels to chat. They lived so peacefully in there she couldn’t fathom how could some leave that place.

“Hey, Nat.” One tall, blond man jogged towards the two. “Who’s this one?”

“This is Steve, Feisty,” Natasha says, smiling. “She came here yesterday, the Johnny and Louis situation.” The name of her assaulters makes the girl sway in her steps, suddenly nervous, which doesn’t go unnoticed. “Oh, sweetie, don’t worry, really. Those guys, they didn’t really belong to our pack, they were just doing business for Thor, low-class soldiers.”

“It’s fine.” The woman whispers, still adjusting to the place where she can actually vocalise what she feels. “It’s not your fault, anyway.”

“She looks sweeter than feisty, Nat.” Steve smiles comforting, sustaining the distance to make sure she would calm down and changing the subject. “But I suppose you see it in her.”

“He wants to make her a fighter.” She trails off, not bothering to specify whom she was talking about, Steve already knew, apparently. “Wants the whole training.”

His blue eyes shift between the two, taking a moment to scan the new girl. Much like Natasha, Steve seemed to think she also couldn’t be a warrior, which was starting to make her uncertain. Perhaps they were right. Maybe she didn’t have it in her to be a fighter... But she wanted to learn. She wanted to be able to defend herself so those filthy men couldn’t lay a hand on her ever again.

Of course, she didn’t dare to say something, keeping her eyes down meticulously.

“But has he asked her if she wants to?”

“I do.” It was soft, low sound. “I want to learn.”

“Okay, maybe she is feisty after all.” There’s a bright, beautiful smile on his kind face. “Do you want me to teach her, Nat?”

“On Thursdays, I suppose.” Nat sighs. “You know it’s the day he ships me off to hunt. The others, I’ll be with her. I think it’s best if she sticks with me for now.”

“Alright.” Her ears warm up when he looks at her again, she can catch the Alpha scent reeking from him. Not like Thor’s at all. He was more like old parchments and ink, a fresh new book and, oddly, Tulips. It wasn’t usual for Alphas to have a flowery odour. “It was nice to meet you, Feisty.”

She nods, sheepishly snickering at him before following Natasha through the people, whom the red hair made sure to introduce to her. The slender, gracious girl in the picnic towel was Wanda, she was a lovely Beta who looked out for the much younger children, the newborns Morgan and Harvey were her new concern, although they were the sweetest babies. Their heads smelt like powder and apples.

With a little bit of effort, Natasha got her moving, if it was up to her, she’d stay there the whole afternoon rubbing her nose on those little, soft heads. Despite being an Omega, meaning she knew she was born to be a mother, the desire was never really strong on her. Perhaps it was the fact she never found an Alpha that brought such desires within her.

The path was not over yet, so they kept walking, finding three of the most different men amidst themselves. Bucky was tall, handsome and smelt rough. Like he could single-handed curl a whole human body into a ball and toss it around like a basketball. Tony was shorter, a greyish beard covering his slim cheeks. A little weird, she thought, but he looked nice, his hands were warm when they shook hers. He also radiates confidence. Bruce was the last to be introduced. Opposed to Tony, he had a nervousness going on. It was so strong her nose crinkled to the smell.

Natasha spoke briefly with them, giving them tasks, for what she could discern. That woman should be the supreme Alpha’s right hand in ruling that place. Thor should really trust her, the girl presumes, to entitle her with so many responsibilities. She could see why, nonetheless - Natasha was strong, her presence alone imposes respect to anyone who looks at her, the way her chin is always up and shoulders always squared, no one would dare to cross her.

A couple minutes later, they stopped in front of a closed metal door, to which the red hair promptly opened with a small key that was tucked under her belt. The room behind was astonishingly nice, a large mirror covering the front wall, a fading grey ground with two sets of orange mats precisely apart and a few heavy sandbags in one corner.

While the girl was still in awe, absorbing the new surroundings, Natasha kicked off her shoes and the sweatshirt she had on, getting comfortable to practice. She’d start with focus, some light yoga classes to bring out the awareness and sense, also to warm up the muscles. Perhaps then she’d show her how to throw a powerful punch. Kicks would be nice as well.

The red hair went over stealthily towards the girl, both hands on her shoulders, correcting her stance, which got Feisty startled, her body jerking forward in fear. There was a soft laugh as she spun around to meet the green-eyed gaze from behind.

“Lesson number one? Never let your guard down.”

“Duly noted.”

“The key to being a good fighter is to be aware, Feisty.” It’s a fast movement and before she can tell, Nat pushes her to the ground, resting above her while pinning her hands up above her head. “Each flinch counts to save your life on the field.”

Squirming, she tries to break free, something that proves to be useless because the woman knows how to use her weight to keep her grounded, restrained. It is only when a low, frustrated grunt slips past Feisty’s lips that Romanoff lets her go, coming off of her to a sitting position, gently asking her to do the same, obtaining a religious result from the girl’s instinct to obey.

“Close your eyes.” Joining their hands, Nat watches her lids fall shut, chin still up, a flawless position. “Good. Now tell me. What do you hear?”

There’s a minor hesitation as the girl focuses on what her ears are telling.

“Fighting. There are two men panting, one is more injured because his breath is faltering.” Perhaps teaching her wouldn’t be as hard as she thought, Natasha’s mind wanders. “There are three kids running, one is heavier than the others because the footsteps sound harsher on the mud. Tony is complaining about the sweat and scolding Bruce for not bringing water.”

“Okay. Nice, Feisty. Good ear.” The girl opens her eyes to find her trainer’s features filled with satisfaction. “I’ll need you to focus on your breathing, forget the other sounds, pin yourself to this place, to the lift and fall of your belly. You can close your eyes if you want.”

It was a nice, comforting thing to do. Despite doing heavy work, Nat’s hands were smooth, so she chose to focus on that and the sound of the inflating of her own chest and how the air seeped through her nostrils so loudly. An awareness of her space began growing as the breath deepened, muscles stretching on her back, legs strong to keep her in place.

All the noise went mute, the ones in the room conquering her mind entirely. It also gave room for her to deliberate on how much her life changed in the past twenty-four hours, one day she was sleeping on a thin bed, barely enough to sustain her weight, and the other she was in a mansion, being nourished and welcomed by those wolves who didn’t even know her.

Before she could even settle to what was happening, Natasha lurched at her, dropping her to the ground once more, palm strongly against her sternum. It was a swift, gracious movement, one that many soldiers lacked, possibly giving the upper hand to her in a confrontation. Feisty groans, cursing herself for being distracted.

“I’m sorry.” An apologetic whimper comes through, whinier than it was intended to be. “It’s just so much to take in.”

“I know.” She’s gentle when she answers. “Being good at this doesn’t come naturally.”   

“I sure hope it doesn’t.” The joke is greeted with a laugh, Natasha rolling to the right and coming to a sitting position beside her, legs curled so she could hug them tight, cheek pressed on her knee. Her green eyes were nearly liquid. “Who taught you?”

“No one important."

“Do you think I can do it?”

“You can do whatever you want, Feisty.”  

“No,” Shaking her head, she toughens her glare, wishing to know her thoughts. “Do you think I can be good at this?”

A wave of guilt washes over the red hair, she never meant to bring such insecurity into that girl. When she questioned her boss as to why he wanted her to be a warrior, it was more in a protective way rather than a diminishing one.

“With training, yes. Of course.” She swallows hard, suddenly serious. “But really, do you want this? Do you want to fight?"

“I want to.” It’s a shy sigh. “I want to be able to stand up for myself, to not let people bully me or treat me like I'm nothing."

"It's not going to be easy, Feisty. You need to seriously commit."

"Ms Natasha-" There's a scowl on that gorgeous face. "-Nat," They giggle together. "I don’t have anywhere else to be. Don’t have any family, never really belonged to a pack. Committing to this place won’t really be hard.”

“How did you end up here? In this town, I mean.”

There is a silent juncture as she thought of the reasons that actually brought her to that city in particular. Honestly, it had been a random place, anywhere would be good as long as her father was far away from her. With her mum’s demise, she knew for sure that he would finally ship her off into the hands of a horrible old Alpha. So she ran, in the middle of a stormy night, clothes soaking wet when she walked inside the bus, not enough money in her pocket to last an entire week.

A tear streamed down, followed by many others. The bitter memories flooding and bringing out the emotions she fought hard every day to keep buried.

“You don’t have to talk about it, Feisty.” Nat nudges her shoulders, pulling her into a side hug. “I was just curious.”

“It’s fine, Nat, really, I just don’t feel comfortable yet to talk about it.” There’s understanding infused in the green of her eyes. “Can we go back to training?”

“Absolutely. Let’s work on your posture.”

She frowns, unsure of what she means. Up until now, she thought there was nothing wrong with it. Romanoff smiles, stretching her hand to guide her so they could stand in the middle of one of the mats, then swivelling around so she could be behind her, one hand over her tummy and the other between her shoulder blades.

“It’s really important to know where you stand and have some balance,” Nat explains. “That has a lot to do with your posture.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. You need to realise the weight of your body and shift it into your favour, so when you’re punching or kicking someone, you don’t end up with broken bones or distended muscles.” Her breath fans over the nape of Feisty’s neck. “Inhale. Exhale. Deeply.”

More breathing cycles and she starts to realise the energy flowing inside her, the weight each of her limbs represent. No doubt as to why Thor trusts her. Natasha really knows what she’s doing, what she’s teaching. Sure, there is still a long path ahead for her to become somewhat good at it, though she had a feeling that being mentored by Nat would certainly speed things up.

“Curl your hands into fists. That’s it.” Velvet hands instruct her arms to take the correct place, one slightly higher than the other, both beneath her chin. "Bend your knees." A delicate pressure from her own makes the girl bend. "Good. Hold for a moment."

Twitching on the muscles of her thighs makes her sway, Natasha going back behind her to ground her into place. It takes a while before she can do that alone, but as soon as she can, her trainer commands her to throw her first punch, the air whooshing as she does so. "Again". Another. And another. She kept punching the air until the Nat looked pleased with the precision.

Then, after a short break for a sip of water, it was time to finally get it going with the heavy sandbags. The warning that she’d be sore the next day wasn’t necessary. Natasha wrapped the girl’s hands with some white bandage to somehow protect the fingers and knuckles from the damage punching the bags could cause.

“Remember to put your weight into the punch, it’s more your arm than your fist.”

“Okay, I think I got it.”

“It’ll hurt.” The warning comes one second too late, her fist had already met the bag and a sharp pain was spreading quickly.  “You did good, don’t worry.”

“But it hurts!” She stutters, a gush of blood pooling on her neck and making it warm. A sign of embarrassment.

“Normal.” A slow massage eases the pain, soothing fingers touching the bruised skin. “What you have to do is pull through the pain, let it flow to the back of your arm, then you won’t feel so much.”

“Okay.”

The practice went on until it was almost two pm and the two women were definitely starving, stomachs growling rebelliously to get some food.

As they made their way back to the huge mansion, Feisty thought about Thor again. How he changed her life so much in so little time. If he hadn’t insisted for her to be trained, she wouldn’t be feeling that satisfied about her accomplishments, she wouldn’t be feeling this powerful, even though all she had learnt, and barely, was to punch a sandbag. It still felt big for her, so she made a mental note to search for him as soon as he gets home and thank him for all of that.

The wet green leaves, petrichor and thunderstorm scent came to her brain quickly, bringing along a huge smile. She was in trouble with that Alpha. Big trouble.

Night fell slowly, a mixture of pink, purple and orange still colouring the sky when she walked inside her bedroom, kicking off her shoes while putting her hair up in a bun, wiping the annoying sweat off of her forehead. It was crazy how hot it still was despite being close to ten pm.

A cold shower would be nice before sleep, she thinks, starting to undress herself, noticing a minor discomfort due to the new activities she had been doing throughout the day.  She hadn’t had a minute of rest, because as soon as lunch was over, Natasha took her back to the training room, easing her into the defence techniques. Feisty had been thrown on the ground more times than she could count that afternoon.

When dinner time came, her heart filled with hope and a longing to finally see those comforting blue eyes again, the sweet, but tough face. And to smell him. She came to know most of the scents in the house and not even one matched the effects Thor's had on her, even the Alphas. It felt to her that heady odour had been made for her, to calm and entice her at the same time. However, much to her disappointment, he never came. Never returned home.

Nat’s words thrummed within her head. She knew him for over six years now, that was how long she had been part of his pack, had been his friend. Of course, she was right about him, no matter how strongly Feisty’s gut pushed her into opening up her emotions into caring for Thor. Into opening her emotions up to welcome the Alpha gladly.  

Ugh.

Tossing the worn out outfit into a messy pile over the couch by the window, she quickly made her way towards the wardrobe, amazing herself upon finding stacks of new clothes inside it. They had been recently bought because they still had the labels from the shop, she was quick to pick one cute pyjama, loose grey shorts and a carebear white t-shirt. It’d be perfect to sleep on that hot night.  

Determined to inspect more of the piece of furniture, she got down on her knees and opened the bottom drawers only to find a variance of knickers and bras, of all colours, shapes and taste. Whoever bought all of those aimed to please her.

There was a moment of analysing before she finally chose one that'd be comfortable for sleeping, nestling it between the soft flannels PJ's. Only then she went to the bathroom, feeling icky from the sweat coating her back, arms and face.

The towel from the morning had been hung on a metal hanger by the door, possibly already dry from the warm temperatures. She snorted, not minding if it was or not, her room felt like an oven, so maybe she should skip the whole wiping the water off of her body.

Once under the cool water, hair bundled at the top of her head, Feisty moaned in pleasure, the water washing away the dirt. Her hands trailed down, rubbing gently the skin, the soap she had squished minutes before bubbling up. Two baths in one day? Heaven, her mind hummed, in full appreciation.

Between toes, under the arms. Bit by bit she cleaned herself up, feeling refreshed each second further into the shower. Once there was nothing else to wipe off, she stepped out, firmly decided to indeed not go for the towel, walking out very much naked.

What she wasn't expecting was to find a majestic man slouched on the couch, long legs wide while he was thrown back, lids heavy. Thor was handsomely asleep. She refrained the urge to trace the creases along his face with the tip of her fingers, abruptly realising how bare she was, the second time of that day he'd barged inside her room while showering.

A chuckle slipped as she got dressed quickly, being extra careful on her steps to not wake him up. He looked so peaceful, gentle. If anything, she wanted to pull him to her chest and undo the knots on his long, blond hair at leisure. Hear a soft moan of appreciation from him.

She sat beside him a few minutes later, just watching him. The soft wrinkles under his eyes, a grown out beard framing the most beautiful set of lips she'd seen, so pink and full. A gentle whimper fell off her lips, a tug at her lower abdomen forcing her legs to clasp together.

The sound startled him awake, electric blue scanning her whole to make sure she was okay. Thor had never experimented that before. Never had such a need to watch out after an Omega, an overwhelming pressure of his instincts.  

His hands found their way into cradling her face, pulling her closer to him, thumbs trailing up the cheekbones.

"Are you okay, little wolf?"

"Yeah." She says, lost in the sea of his eyes. "Are you?"

It was naive of her to ask, she realised soon. Of course, he was, despite looking tired, okay. He was mighty, it would take an immense power to even scratch him.  

Thor's booming laugh filled the room.

"Yes. I am okay." Soon enough he buried his head in the crook of her neck, taking in her inebriating scent. Not an ounce of shame in his features, like it was something he did on a daily basis. Like they weren't strangers. "You're so sweet, little wolf. Were you worried about me?"

"Y-yes." The vibration of his voice made her stutter. "I wanted to thank you, but you didn’t come for dinner."

The arms wounded around her waistline tightened, protectively inching her closer, in a way that forced her cheek into his strong shoulder, a surprised squeal falling from her lips.

“I don’t want you worrying about me.” His voice pitched low, lips now pressed on the top of her head. “I care for you, not the other way around.”

“Thor…” It’s nothing but a mellow whisper, but something inside him stirs, a grumbling coming from his chest. “I-I… Why do I feel like this?”

“Like what?” The question is more rhetorical than an actual doubt. He knows what she’s on about. If she feels an inch of what he feels when he’s around her then they’re both in trouble.

She sighs, wiggling out of his sheltering hug only to stand on her knees, arms wrapping around his wide shoulders in a motherly way, huddling him against her chest, his face nuzzled on her breasts. Thor didn’t complain, humming instead in a pleasing way.

“Like what, little wolf?” He urges voice muffled on the t-shirt.

"I don't know. I can't explain it. It's just, we met a day ago and your scent is so overwhelming… I've never felt like this before. Never so soon and never so strong."

Thor lets out the air in his lungs in sharp exhale, pushing her away delicately so he could look into the so very much innocent eyes. Her hair fell from her bun framing her face like a painting, or so it was how he saw it.

In a swift action, she was sprawled in his lap, his head once more on her neck. He didn't want to think about it, didn't want to think about how fast and how easy it had been for him to grow addicted to that sweet girl. To the smell that lit a fire within him.

She felt to him as a gift the universe was giving him after so much loss, even if it meant a liability for the powerful undefeatable Thor.

"Did you like it?"

"Uh?" Lids were heavy when Feisty replied, the tips of her fingers swirling around the prominent vein on his bicep.

"The clothes." Thor mumbles. "I bought them for you and had them delivered."

"Oh." A sudden warmness fills her up once she realises he had taken time to worry about that. To think about her. "Yes, I like them. You shouldn't have though."

"Nonsense." Something in his laugh gets her eyes open again. "Has Natasha treated you well?"

"Yes." A spark of excitement washes through her. "She taught me a lot today."

"Did she?"

Feisty nods, grinning genuinely at him, the fond memories of the afternoon flowing behind her eyes, shared laughs and a new intimacy that she never knew she could experience with someone else. More than helping her build fighting skills, Natasha was teaching her what it meant to be somebody’s friend.

They stay sit for a little while, neither willing to break from the torpor their scents lulled them into. Thor's fingers sneaking into her hair, toying with the strands in a soft manner that got her sleepy quicker than it should have, her eyes hefty.

"Nat really tired you out, didn't she, little wolf?"

"Hmmm, yes." She slurs, clinging to his clothes like a baby. "It was nice."

"I'm glad it was."

"She said-" By now, Feisty's half asleep. The heat coming from his body cuddling her like a warm blanket. "-Said I shouldn't get involved with you. You're trouble and you'll break my heart."

Those words sting him, the mere thought of causing pain to her being unbearable.  He could hear the wolf inside howling for him to squeeze her further into his embrace, to protect her from any harm. She was his Omega to look after and that was what he was going to do. At all costs.

A soft tug on his collar forces him to gaze down, his insides spiralling from how defenceless that little wolf looked, index finger tracing careless patterns on the skin of his shoulder.

“Will you?” She asks then, one eye open.

“I would never hurt you, little wolf.” Thor’s large hand nestles her face, urging their glares to bore on one another. “Never.”

Nodding slowly, she stares at him a little longer, then hides her face on his neck again, breathing deeply, his exhilarating smell sending her into a gratifying haze. She didn’t know if it was a dream or not, but not a single cell in her body wanted to wake up if it was. Thor felt like home all over again, Natasha’s words were long forgotten now.

Tenderly clutching her into his chest, he got back on his feet, the woman’s legs quick to clasp around his waistline, snuggling her nose further into the crook of his neck, moaning to the strength it got to her. One day she hoped to understand how was it possible that it was so good, not today though. Today she just wanted the thrill it gave her.

When he tried putting her down to the bed, she groaned, tightening her arms around his shoulders, pulling him to lie with her. Sure, she wasn’t as strong as him, she would never be, considering he was a supreme, nonetheless, Feisty wanted to stay skin close to him still. He couldn’t leave her. Not when she felt so good.

“You need to sleep, little wolf,” Thor mumbles, kissing her forehead. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“No.”

“Little wolf…”

“Stay.” There’s demand beneath her voice. “Sleep here with me.”

His nostrils flare as the blue unexpectedly disappear, black pupils back, taking control. She’s not sleepy anymore, all her senses are very much aware to the greedy vibe he’s letting off, the alpha stench that gets her core to itch, empty and craving. For him.  

“Can’t do that.” Feisty squirms, clasping her legs together as she reaches for his arm, hand ridiculously small when in comparison to the size of his bicep. “You need space, need to be alone.”

“That’s not what I need.” Her inhibitors were nearing a tenuous line, actions filled with lust and driven by instinct. “Stay.”

“You’re not-”

“I’m not asking you to mount me, Thor.” The sentence erupts a stir within his trousers,  a picture taking shape in his brain. “I couldn’t sleep well yesterday, so stay with me. Your smell calms me.”

Low blow, he thinks.

“I can leave anytime you ask me.” It slips smoothly, eyes switching back to glorious blue. She smiles, standing up, and palms softly the stiff abdomen, slipping underneath to find the strong muscles tensing up under. “What are you doing?”

“I like touching you.”

Thor snickers, his own hands finding hers, bringing them both to his face, cheek pressing the mellow skin, scraping it with his beard. Lastly, he kissed her knuckles, exchanging a confident gaze. Anyone close enough could catch the intimacy in the air, regardless of them not ever having had one kiss.

Not necessary. At least not yet.

“You’re always honest like that?”

“No.” Her nose flies to his chest, opening her mouth to fully taste him.  “With you, I feel I can though. I am not embarrassed by you.”

“Is that good or bad?”

It’s Feisty’s turn to snicker, looking up at him.

“It’s good, Thor. Means I trust you.”

"How can you?"

A sigh escapes whilst she is again conflicted by the rush of emotions she's feeling. It's a question she lacks an answer, so she shrugs, clutching to him like a puppy, such a warm, tender hug she felt like she would melt inside it.

Thor kisses the top of her head, pushing her to lie down again, she grunts when he pulls away to undress, kicking off his black leather boots and tossing away the shirt. He was hesitant, however, on taking off his pants, catching her glare locked on him, eyes hungry.  

"You can't look at me like that, little wolf."

"How am I looking at you?" He can taste the innocence in her words.

"You're looking at me-" A sudden pause as Thor finally disposes of his jeans, joining her in the bed. She curls herself on him, legs mingling together while her head rests on his wide chest. "-Dammit. You're looking at me like you need me."

The air pushes out of her in a gasp, propping herself up in his chest, gazing at him curiously. His blond hair was loose, scattered across the pillow, eyes like a peaceful sea. He seemed like he was at home too, and that thought made her heart shake, pumping faster.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, little wolf," Thor says mindlessly, tugging her hair, caressing in a way that made the tips of her toes tingle. "Come, sleep."

There's a brief silent moment after he pulls her to lie down, cradling her.

"Thor?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks." She speaks sweetly, pressing her lips to the side of his body. "This much more than I could've ever wished for."

Feisty feels a shift under her as he chuckles, still in awe with that beautiful creature lying with him. It was by far the most precious who had ever taken that place. Who had ever touched him like that.

It scared him. And her. Both so frightened of what that could mean. Yet, none of them had the strength to prevent it, to push it off. It was inevitable.

tags!

marvel: @frenfics

thor: @lancsnerd @odinson-barnes

untouched: @slutlanna976 @rahma29417 (for some reason the tag won’t work) @truthdaze @innerpaperexpertcloud

[lindaafy622302-blog]

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Note that correct moisturizing can also reduce irritation. With a safety razor, you only require to change the inexpensive blade. Make certain that you alter blades on regular foundation or when you feel it becomes boring. If possible, alter blades after two or 3 shaves. Use sharp blades since boring edges are most likely to set off discomfort. Avoid shaving with dull razor blades. Rather remove the hair with new and sharp razor blades. Dull blades have been discovered to reduce the hair unevenly, scrapping the pores and skin, consequently causing irritation of the pores and skin and ingrown hairs. Replace your razor blade frequently. razor blades get worn out with use pretty rapidly, and if they are not in optimum situation you will not be able to get great outcomes. Maintain replacements at hand and give your blade a maximum life-span of two weeks, otherwise probabilities of suffering from nicks, cuts and irritation will improve. Some individuals think that it may cause severe damage. But it is very not likely that a person can cut any important like the trachea, jugular veins or anything else with a Comment Se raser simply because shaving is done with the blade at approximately an angle of thirty degrees to the pores and skin. A deep incision is needed by both the blades to be nearly perpendicular to the pores and skin. The reasons for the switch are many. For most individuals, they want a closer and irritation totally free shave. Maybe they endured from razor bumps. Some males want the self-sufficiency a Comment Se raser can offer. This kind of males consider up the artwork for the sole reason of being able to sharpen their own razor on their own. Other males do it for the manliness element. It is undeniable that open up razor shaving is the manliest way to shave. Still other people do it to save the environment. It is plain that utilizing a reduce throat razor produces a lot much less squander than any other technique; near to zero in reality. Barbers had been educated in the artwork of providing a near, quick shave. Males didn't commonly shave on their own - this was a service that was employed out. With the improvements to the disposable safety razor, King C. Gillette began American Safety Razor Company in 1901, later contacting it the Gillette safety razor Business.

[razor-tothe-rosary]

How to Get Rid of Annoying Razor Bumps - Full Guide 2020

Razor bumps are ingrown hairs which develop after shaving or utilizing other hair removal methods, such as waxing or plucking.

Ingrown hairs grow when hair begins to grow back into the skin, instead of out and up. Since the skin cells grow across the entire scalp, it will become trapped and results in a bulge to form.

In this guide, learn about the best way to take care of razor bumps quickly and how to keep them from forming in the long run.

Razor bumps can vary in size from small to big, and they are sometimes reddish or possess a snowy, pus-filled bulge.

Though nothing could make them move away immediately, there are numerous strategies which may help eliminate them quicker and permit the skin to heal. We discuss these approaches in the sections below.

1. Use salicylic acid

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid which will help exfoliate, or peelskin cells. It may penetrate oil glands within the skin to unclog pores in Addition to fight

This permits the ingrown hair to create its way from the pore. Additionally, it decreases the appearance of the bulge.

Salicylic acid may also help cure snoring, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), therefore it might be a fantastic solution for those that undergo both acne and razor bumps.

Numerous products include salicylic acid, such as cleansers, toners, and creams. These products Can Be Found in drug stores and

2. Try lactic acid

Glycolic acid is also an alpha-hydroxy acid.

Glycolic acid might help eliminate those cells from the way and permit the hair to arrive at the surface.

Since it accelerate your skin's normal sloughing procedure, a lactic acid product might help razor bumps clear up faster and give the skin a smoother look.

Products which contain glycolic acid are all readily available to purchase online.

3. Tweeze In the event the hair is observable, it could be valuable to use sterile, pointed tweezers to pull out it.

Eliminating the trapped hair can eliminate the razor bulge immediately. Someone ought to fix the tweezers with alcohol and also cleansing skin and hands with water and soap prior to tweezing.

If the hair isn't observable on the surface of the epidermis, using tweezers can make the issue worse.

Someone should not try to squeeze or pick the lumps, as they can get worse or lead to discoloration.

4. Use lotions with care When a individual has sensitive skin, then they ought to use scrubs with care. From time to time, a mechanical or bodily scrub can eliminate dead skin cells which plug in the pores and retain hairs trapped indoors. These kinds of skincare wash may include salt, sugar, ground fruit pits, or even small beads.

Scrubs can remove debris and loose ingrown hairs from physically sloughing off dead skin cells.

Some folks could have a skin reaction to the rough feel of lotions, particularly those who have sensitive or inflamed skin.

Skin care lotions can be found in many drug stores and on the internet.

5. Gently brush skin Another choice for eliminating dead skin cells and debris clogging the pores is having a soft brush at the regions a individual shaves. Some people today use a skincare brush or a soft toothbrush.

A brush will help direct the hair from the pore so it doesn't become trapped beneath.

Cleaning the region every day might help eliminate present razor bumps and stop new ones from forming.

Individuals are able to buy exclusive skin brushes in certain drug stores and on the internet.

6. Implementing a hot, wet washcloth into the skin might help soften skin and draw on the hair outside, particularly when a man pairs this procedure with a few of the additional remedies above.

Similarly, someone could want to steam the region at a hot sauna or shower.

Razor bumps aren't exactly the exact same thing as razor burn.

Razor burn is a kind of skin irritation the friction of this razor induces.

Razor burn may happen if somebody does not properly moisturize their epidermis with shaving gel or lotion before shaving. It might also happen if the individual employs a razor that is dull or has skin that's sensitive to rust.

Razor bumps, on the other hand, can grow a couple of days following hair removal, when the hair has had the time to grow in the skin and create a blockage.

Anticipate in-depth, science-backed toplines of the finest stories daily. Tap in and maintain your curiosity satisfied.

If none of those measures help, though, a individual might want to find a doctor so that they can assess the bumps.

Some prevention suggestions include:

Shave less frequently When at all possible, a individual should make an effort and shave every other day, or even less often. This may minimize the danger of hairs becoming too brief to grow from their skin, thus decreasing the chance of ingrown hairs.

Shaving near the skin cuts your hair quite short. This increases the odds that the hair will get ingrown since it begins to return.

Someone could use an electric razor on a low setting to maintain the hair slightly more. This makes it less probable it will turn back into the epidermis.

Consider a retinoid merchandise It takes a few weeks to get a retinoid merchandise to achieve its complete outcome, therefore it isn't a quick fix. But, it might help stop razor bumps in addition to acne.

Retinoids arrive in over-the-counter lotions, serums, and cleansers. Someone may also get more powerful retinoids using a prescription.

Prepare correctly A individual could use a shaving lotion to reduce their risk of razor bumps. Before shaving or plucking, a individual could reduce their risk of razor bumps by simply obtaining skin prepared. These measures may help:

Cleanse skin with something which has salicylic acid or lactic acid to help clean pores and remove excess skin cells in the surface. Shave only when the epidermis is quite moist, either during or immediately following a shower. Or, put a hot, wet towel around the region for 5 minutes prior to shaving. Use a shaving lotion or gel suitable for the individual's skin type. Individuals who experience acne might want to elect for a shaving cream that's secure for skin that is moisturizing. Those with dry skin should pick something which includes moisturizer. Prevent skin care products which contain irritating ingredients, which might make inflammation worse. Utilize a new, sharp razor. Attempt another hair removal procedure Some folks might want to try out hair removal lotions, or depilatories, which irritate the hair and lower the possibility of razor bumps.

Dermatologists and other health care providers may carry out this technique. The AAD condition that laser hair removal requires multiple treatments to create results, however, the hair will grow back finer and lighter than previously.

Razor bumps typically do not cause significant health issues but their appearance may be bothersome and may impact a individual's confidence.

If home remedies don't work, think about visiting a physician or dermatologist to explore different possibilities, like a prescription skincare or laser epilation.

The Way to Eliminate Annoying Razor Bumps

O matter how many decades you have been shaving, razor bumps can occur to the best people. To reach the bottom of the lumps pop up and the way to Eliminate these, we talked with Sai Demirovic, esthetician and co-founder of GLO Spa NY, and Lily Talakoub, a dermatologist in McLean Dermatology and Skincare Center.

Why Is It That RAZOR BUMPS HAPPEN?

Razor bumps form when hair is nicked irregularly or if hairs are curled beneath the skin and also be swollen, explains Talakoub. She states that they happen more frequently in areas of the human body which fold, like the underarms, due to the skin-on-skin contact along with the greater moisture which occurs in that region. Demirovic adds that the majority of us get razor bumps where hair develops the thickest, such as the face, neck, bikini area, and underarms since thick hairs cause more aggravation and oil generation compared to finer hair. This may result in inflammation and even disease.

Demirovic additionally says hair feel plays a part, and lumps happen more often when you have naturally rough hair and darker skin tones. "Hair which develops to a curl has a bigger chance of being trapped to the skin than the usual straight hair may," she states. These lumps can last up to fourteen days, which may make it a never-ending struggle when you shave regularly.

Talakoub proposes using a topical antibiotic alternative (such as Neosporin) or topical steroid (such as cortisone) within the area with lumps. Try to refrain from shaving to get a few times before the aggravation melts down. She also proposes wiping the skin with a witch hazel mat post-shave and then employing a 1 percent hydrocortisone cream.

She then reaches aloe vera to soothe the region and calm the lingering inflammation.

You will also need to avoid leaving your razor in the shower since the dampness can make it collect bacteria and mould.

If you can not recall, it has been too long. Aside from having a sharp and clean razor, then you will find a couple different techniques to ensure to get a close shave with no annoyance. Talakoub claims to shave --not againstthe grain and also to shave at a steamy shower to soften the hairs. You will also need to avoid leaving your razor in the shower since the dampness can make it collect bacteria and mould.

In terms of products, Demirovic proposes mixing Vitamin E oil using Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion to nourish your skin and urges something such as Fur Oil to your bikini area.

If each the above fails, then you might want to check into laser epilation. "It calms the hair all the way down to its origin," states Demirovic. "Basically, if there's not hair growth, there is nothing in the best way to create an ingrown hairloss. Laser can also reduce the hyperpigmentation and scarring brought on by ingrowns."

[schneiderbernard85-blog]

Plumbing related Recommendations That Can Help You Save Big Money

Plumbing related has numerous options in regards to what you may use, do, and ways to apply it in your individual domestic plumbing tasks. It can be unusual to find another person which has domestic plumbing demands such as you, so why not take full advantage of that and excellent your own personal? This informative article can help you. Steer clear of iced plumbing this winter season! Have a modest trickle of water leaking from taps, and cover your uninsulated water lines with foam or newspapers. If possible, keep the entry doors open up among unheated and warmed up rooms. In a unheated region such as a garage area or laundry space, keep a little heater next to the pipes. Recall to achieve this before the initially cool click strikes. To avoid any plumbing within your home from cold, you need to in no way enable the residence heat get below very cold. Usually insulate Start Using These Ideas To Handle Plumbing related Circumstances to aspects. Naturally, if it is beneath very cold outside the house, the piping will be put through the same temps. It could take a while for the pipes to thaw out to help you have running water. The worst is that they broken, making water damage along with a major repair bill. If your drinking water is arriving out black colored, then probably you own an iron and magnesium matter in your normal water. You need to talk to a normal water softener firm, and have these to turn out and assess your normal water. They should be able to repair the problem by having a water softener. Be sure that your resource package is ready for any project you happen to be preparing to do. The last thing you desire will be knee deep within a career only to discover that you are missing the main one resource you should accomplish. Make HVAC: What You Need To Know Before You Begin to have a variety of measurements of tube wrenches which you can use to complete any work. A good way to prevent pipes from cold during the winter is usually to maintain case doors in your house that contain the piping open. This will insure which they get sufficient heating to keep warm. Be sure also, to unhook and kind of garden hose outside and operate a tiny water to get rid of the plumbing associated with a staying h2o heading exterior. When you have grout deposit within your pipes, it is just about impossible for an novice property owner to correct. You can consider to get rid of it up to send it on down the road. This performs better with plastic piping than it can do with steel. This typically requires specialist men and women to can be found in to help you get free of this challenge. Should you be looking to get new piping at your residence, try to keep away from copper ones. Copper is likely to have issues, because of water and garden soil deterioration. It is also more challenging to setup these types of plumbing. Steel or steer piping tend to offer the finest quality and therefore are the most tough. Ensure that any uncovered piping in your home are insulated, specially those located in crawl places on the outside walls of your property. This will assist place them from very cold and triggering you plenty of problems. Frozen plumbing is sometimes disastrous and leave you with things that are expensive to solve with out normal water in the middle of winter months. During the cozy conditions, you will notice that you will have a lot of pet bird nests developing in and around your domestic plumbing vent pipes. It is essential to crystal clear these out, as they can use a destructive result on the quality of your domestic plumbing and also the circulation water at home. To be certain there is no automobile accident or unexpected hurry water once you deal with a pipes project, make sure you are all set to get a clean-up. In the event you enter in the employ a massive stack of bathroom towels and comforters able to absorb drinking water, the prospect of having to do it is going to help keep you warn adequate to avoid triggering the crash in the first place. When searching for a great local plumber it is best to examine recommendations. You can easily go using the least expensive cost, but you need to do your quest and make sure the local plumber has a good reputation with all the folks they have accomplished help in past times so you may not have a bad plumbing service. To reduce the quantity of locks going to your house plumbing, thoroughly remember to brush head of hair and use a entire body brush to take out free physique hair before entering the bath or shower. If it's been a while given that you have shaved your thighs or experience, utilize an electric razor to get rid of the longer head of hair, just before shaving from the basin or shower area. When looking for a local plumber, you might have a good number of alternatives. Request close friends for tips of who they use. Check on A Great Deal Of Suggestions For HVAC Success for local plumbers with very good critiques and referrals. Make use of your phone book and look less than "Plumbing Companies" or "Plumbing, Deplete and Sewer Cleaning". Make certain you get in touch with multiple plumber before you make a decision. To summarize, you are looking for guidance on your plumbing venture but want to ensure that the info you are making use of continues to be tested with time. Ideally you will find this to be real in the information and facts in the following paragraphs. Take advantage of this wonderful assistance nowadays and you will probably be than satisfied.

[adam405smith]

How Head Shaver Works: The Simple Guide to Safe and Effective Head Shaving

When you think of head shaves, the first thing that comes to mind is maybe not so pleasant. You probably think of it as a pretty gross and uncomfortable way to get a heads up on your day-to-day responsibilities. Many people are put off by the fact that it requires cutting your hair. But regardless of how you feel about it, shaving your head can be an effective solution for a variety of problems. If you’ve ever been to school or work and noticed that your bangs are covering one eye, chances are that you’ve experienced this problem before. It’s annoying when something interrupts your view of the world, and even more annoying when you can’t do anything about it. Fortunately, there are many ways to tackle this issue gracefully—even if you’re a total control freak like me!

What is a head shave?

A head shave is when you shave your head in an attempt to remove the hair from the front of your scalp. This hair is responsible for producing both sweat and sebaceous glandular secretion, which is why it’s so important to keep it clean and free of body hair. The primary difference between a bald scalp and a shaved scalp is the angle at which your razor is cutting. When your scalp is completely hair-free, it’s called a “sag.” A sag happens when your hair is pushed forward over time by the weight of your head, causing the hair to fall out in clumps. A head shaver is a quick and easy way to get rid of this hair and return your scalp to its pre-shaving state.

How to do a head shave

When you’re ready to begin, don’t worry if you’re not exactly sure how to proceed. There are many different methods to head shaving, and it’s important to find the method that works best for you. Some people prefer to start at the crown of the head, Others like to start at the temple because the hair there is more greasy and produces more oil. Maybe you like to save your best shaves for the forehead? The possibilities are pretty much endless—this is just about finding the method that fits your preferences best. When it comes to how to do a head shave, there are a few different things to keep in mind. Your main concern will be how to hold the razor while you navigate your way around your scalp. There are many different types of razors, and depending on your preferences, you may want to try using one, a close-cutter, and a foil or a single-edged razor.

The benefits of shaving your head

Shaving your head can have a variety of benefits. It’s quick and easy, and it can help you get a jump on your day in order to get things done. When you have missed a day or two of work because of a shaver emergency, you will be glad you did. Not only is it easier to care for your head shaver for men, but it’s also easier to keep your head clean. Since you aren’t “loading” those hair follicles with hair, they won’t get clogged with “trophies,” and you won’t end up with a skin infection.

The benefits of using an electric shaver

If you’ve tried all the conventional shaves and they seem to be making no difference, or you’ve tried using an electric shaver but weren’t happy with the results, it’s worth a try to see if a shaver purchase might be the solution. There are many different types of shavers on the market, and you can decide which one will work best for you. For many people, the benefits of an electric shaver are too numerous to list. If you’ve been on the fence about buying one, just remember this one tip. The closer your skin is to the shaver, the closer the shave. This means the closer you are to having no hair left on your body, the closer you will be to having a perfectly smooth body—plus, you’ll be less likely to nick yourself with an open hand while shaving!

Conclusion

The benefits of shaving your head are almost too numerous to list. It’s a quick and easy way to get rid of coarse, unwanted hair and return your scalp to a healthier state. Plus, if you’ve ever been to school or work and noticed that your bangs are covering one eye, you will be glad you tried this out.

[mp100secretsanta2017-blog]

Haircut

From: Rin (dubious-cactus.tumblr.com)

To: Match (matchpapers.tumblr.com)

Message: Merry christmas! I’ve been really into rairpairs lately, so fulfilling your request was really fun, thank you! I went for some Shoumob with implied Teruritsu, hope you like it!

Without further ado, lets get to the fic :)

*

“I think hanging out with him is relaxing, actually,” Mob said thoughtfully.

It was a rainy afternoon, and Mob was playing video games with Ritsu and Teru. Shou couldn’t make it; he said he had to get a surprise ready. His voice was fast on the phone, excited - Mob couldn’t tell whether the crackling in the line was from a bad connection or if Shous excitement had flared his powers and accidentally messed with the electricity in the phone itself. The memory made him smile; Shou’s enthusiasm was, as ever, infectious.

Not that Teru or Ritsu seemed to think so. Teru had just mentioned, in that careful way of his that always seemed to include a small knowing smile, that while naturally he enjoyed Shou’s company just as much as everybody else and Shou was an asset to their band of friends, it was also a nice change to get together without him, for once. Because, well, he could be a bit …tiring.

“You mean exhausting,” Ritsu had responded, while knocking Teru’s cart off the track with a well-aimed turtle shell. “As his best friend, I can attest to that.”

Teru had grimaced, thumbing the controller aggressively to get back to the front of the racing line. And Mob had responded with his own opinion on Shou.

The other two were incredulously staring at him now, the game forgotten, if only for the moment. “Why?”, they chorused, disbelief etched into both their faces.

Mob frowned, unsure of the answer himself. It was true that Shou was often all over the place, talking so rapid-fire it was hard to follow, leg bouncing up and down as he planned another one of his dangerous “adventures”. But even so, Mob found it all rather refreshing, because… “Well… because he always says what he’s thinking.”

For someone who’d planned a whole revolution in secret, Shou was remarkably open with his thoughts. Mob always knew what he was thinking, because Shou would always voice it - unlike Teru or even Ritsu, where he often had to read between the lines and try to interpret (read: guess) what they were really trying to tell him. Even Reigen tended to talk in such a complicated way it went straight over Mob’s head, though Mob could see he made an effort to simplify his thoughts for his student.

It was simply tiring. Mob loved all of them deeply, but sometimes he just needed someone whom he could instinctively understand. Someone who made Mob feel at ease with his own social awkwardness, and cheered him up when he felt bad, and who made Mob’s head swim when he smiled -

A knock on the window made them all look over. It was a tradition at this point, that Shou would only enter the Kageyama house through the window; Mob wasn’t even sure when it had started, but he couldn’t imagine it ever stopping. Even when he was at school, a knock on the classroom window would always make a warm, happy buzzing shoot through his stomach until he remembered that considering his location, it probably wasn’t Shou.

Well, this time it was, and he looked hyped. “Guys, guys, guess what I did,” he blurted out, as soon as Ritsu had crossed over to open the window. “You got a hat?”, Teru asked dubiously, eyeing the beanie covering Shou’s hair doubtfully. “You should’ve asked me to pick one, this one goes terribly with your complexion.”

Shou rolled his eyes. “No, not the hat, this!”

He took the hat off. Everyone stared.

“You… got a buzz cut?” Ritsu asked, completely baffled. Shou nodded proudly. “Yeah. Impulsive decision, but totally worth it. I look really cool, don’t I?”

Teru just raised his eyebrows and walked around Shou to inspect the haircut from all sides. “I mean, the style suits you, but it seems a bit… uneven… “

Suddenly, he gasped loudly. “Wait, don’t tell me you did this by yourself?”

Shou frowned at him, hands fiddling with his discarded beanie. “Well, duh. Do I look like I’d pay a hairdresser fifty bucks for something I can do in five minutes with Serizawa’s electric razor?”

Teru clutched at his chest dramatically and sunk onto the couch. “Why are the fashion gods punishing me like this.”

Ritsu sighed with resignation, and patted Shou’s shoulder. “Our dad has one too. Come upstairs, I’ll fix it.”

“Ah, no, let me do it,” Mob said quickly. He wasn’t even sure why he said it, everyone else certainly looked surprised. But then his eye caught on the TV screen, where Teru’s and Ritsu’s unattended carts had slowed to a stop, dropping to 11th and 12th place. “You’re still playing. I was just watching you play, so it makes more sense if I go, and you continue.”

Shou pouted. “I really don’t think this is necess-”

“Yes it is, shut up,” Ritsu and Teru interrupted  simultaneously, then snorted and high-fived as Shou looked almost, but not quite, offended. “You’re right, brother,” Ritsu said with a knowing smile - though what Ritsu seemed to know, Mob wasn’t quite sure. “You do it, we’ll stay here.”

He shot Shou a warm grin as well. Teru scowled, grabbed his controller and revved the engine, his cart leaving Ritsu’s in a cloud of exhaust fumes. “Hey!”, Ritsu protested, turning back to the screen hastily, and Teru cackled evilly. “You snooze, you lose.”

Mob and Shou left them to bicker and headed into the bathroom. Shou sat down backwards on the closed toilet lid, facing the wall, as Mob got out the electric shaver. “Ooh, fancy,” he noted when Mob put a towel around his shoulders. Mob simply responded, “Your T-shirt shouldn’t get hair on it. It’s new, isn’t it?”

Shou turned his head with surprise, looking faintly embarrassed. “You noticed?”

Heart jumping in his chest, Mob gently turned Shou’s head back to face the wall as he started up the razor. “Of course. It has hamsters on it. You’ve been wanting to get one for ages.”

Shou was uncharacteristically silent as Mob shaved the uneven patches of hair. But then, so was Mob, lost in the pleasant feeling of the spiky stubble under his hands. “…Shigeo? Are you finished?”

Mob blinked, then took his hand away, setting down the razor with the other. “Ah, sorry. Your hair is a really good stim.”

Shou turned his head to grin at him. “Totally, right? I knew you’d love it.”

The thought of Shou taking Mob’s opinion into consideration when choosing his haircut made Mob’s heart stutter. “Um. Thanks-”

Shou’s grin softened - and then he leaned back against Mob’s chest, and pressed a kiss to his lips. “No, thank you.”

Mob blushed, eyes wide, lips burning. “Uh?”

Shou, slightly red-faced himself, laughed, and kissed Mob again. “This is okay, right?”

Mob nodded, first hesitantly, then enthusiastically. “Yeah.”

Shou made everything simple, it seemed - even dating.

[nickgerlich]

Color My World

Sales of consumer goods go through peaks and valleys, reflecting either seasonality or whether an item is on-trend or off-trend. The seasonality of most items is generally predictable, especially with the benefit of hindsight. Some items have steady demand year-round, and new items with no history can rapidly find their place on shelves and display a regular demand in little time.

Forecasting a trend, though, is a little harder, because it depends on the whims and fancies of the buying public, what sticks and what doesn’t. Often those are completely unexplainable even long after the fact. Fashion can be funny like that. I’m looking at those parachute pants in your closet.

Naturally, there are also random spikes caused by external factors, like the inevitable rush on milk, bread, and eggs once the word “snow” has entered the weather forecast. But what if the random external factor is one that just won’t let go, the likes of which only a handful of extremely old people among us has ever witnessed in their lives?

I’m talking about the current pandemic, of course, and we are all now helping write future text books with our current buying behavior. We are now in Week 5 of the COVID-19 era, and in completely uncharted territory. The previous four weeks have witnessed a wide variety of panic buying, from hand sanitizers and disinfectants to toilet paper, followed by baking goods and even spiral hams.

Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess. But for the moment, a Walmart executive says we are now in the hair coloring phase. People are starting to look a little shaggy, and for some, their roots are beginning to show.

While I really don’t have a whole lot of hair left to color, I get it. Women primarily are the panic buyers here. In fact, memes started circulating a few weeks ago about how by early April most of the blondes will have been outed.

Men, too, are buying grooming items, but mostly trimmers. As for me, I was actually a little bit ahead of the curve. I bought my electric hair trimmer 13 days ago on a shopping run, and set my daughters to work shearing my #covidhair. They did a pretty decent job for their first time, but then again, since I can get away with wearing a cap in this new life, I’m not too worried about one ear being a little higher than the other.

OK, not really, but my hair on the sides is a tad uneven, and I suspect a lot of guys are suffering the same fate.

Like many men I know, I have not shaved in weeks. Well, not with a blade and shaving cream, mind you. I have opted instead to use my electric stubble razor every two or three days to keep the whiskers in check, yet still yield a nice coarse finish rivaled only by 40-grit sand paper. It’s my COVID look. Why am I doing it? Because. I. Can.

As for the women (and maybe some men, I suppose) in need of a quick touch-up, they’re on their own, since salons are closed. Unless you have a close family member who can do it for you, coloring your hair today is as much a home improvement project as painting the kitchen. It’s just that the kitchen can probably wait. I also know better than to tell a woman her hair looks OK when, in her mind, it doesn’t.

So be supportive, guys. Thankfully, we can still buy these products from any grocery that also has a personal care products department, from hair coloring to trimmers and razors. Make the best of it, everyone, and look your best, even if only for each other.

And what happens in Week 6 is completely up in the air right now. All I know is that when the restrictions are lifted, the line at the salons is going to be longer than anything we saw in the toilet paper aisle.

We all gonna be in serious need of having our hair fixed. I mean, unless accidentally asymmetric haircuts and botched dye jobs become fashionable, in which case all bets are off.

Dr “Hair Of The Dog“ Gerlich

Audio Blog

[geeksfromfuture-blog]

Can Technology Save Doctors?

Is technology really helping doctors to save doctors? Technology can make things easier and more efficient in the medical world, but the question that is being asked these days is can it make things more expensive? Medicine has changed drastically over the last few decades. During the time when home medicine was a thing, the cost of living was lower and patients were healthier. But today, the cost of medicine keeps going up, and the number of patients is dropping. There are so many different ways to keep costs down, but many of them are very expensive. Often they take a lot of time and are very inefficient. Sometimes it takes a doctor to do a procedure and it is often called "instrumentation". A doctor who is using a bit of technology for more expensive surgery or an electric scale is not necessarily saving doctors money. Some people think that is just the way things are. If you look at it, this is a way of keeping costs down and also saving money. In the long run, doctors should use technology for things like digital scales and laparoscopy. But that does not mean that a doctor should not use any other kind of instrumentation at all. One good reason for doctors to use some type of instrumentation is that the physician can see things that the patient can't see. Even if a doctor uses an instrumentation that is not digital, the patient can still have a picture of what the actual procedure looks like in the back of their mind. So there is definitely a case for using some type of technology when doing things like x-rays and CAT scans. They are not that costly in the end. Another good thing to say about this is that most doctors use a computer and tablet when they use the technology. They can do everything on the computer and then print out what they want and send it off to the patient. Some of them can even do what the patient will do. For example, a CT scan could be done by the physician, and the patient could bring his or her own laptop to the exam. The main difference between computers and laparoscopy is that the computer is much faster and more efficient. The only exception to this is for cardiac patients. If you have a patient with coronary artery disease, you might need to use a laparoscope. It will save the doctor time and money, but you will need a cardiac monitor to go along with it.

Will Technology Save Doctors?

This is an interesting question and one that will likely be looking at for many years to come. However, the prospect of technology replacing Doctors has some interesting implications, and I think we should take a close look at how this is likely to happen. Here are my thoughts. Medicine as we know it is rapidly changing. Consider that some countries are no longer allowed to use razors to cut their hair anymore. Some countries have completely banned shaving altogether. The common practice of barbers now will have been replaced by computer programs. Those people who need to be in a pub or tavern will probably not even notice that you have a haircut. If a barber cannot produce the required techniques, they will be replaced by computer programs. They may also replace the barbers in places such as schools. You may even see them replacing physicians. Remember, doctors will only be able to refer to certain specialties, because they will have computer programs that will allow them to do this. The reasons why doctors might lose their job, and the reasons why technology may save them may not go together. In fact, doctors could actually lose their jobs as the result of technological progress. This is really an important point to consider. The times are changing, and new ways of doing things are emerging that will change our lives and our profession. One important point to consider is the type of work that doctors are used to doing. Physicians may see new things in their future, which could put a strain on the profession. Physicians will need to learn new skills, and perhaps even new techniques. We also need to consider the types of hospitals and clinics that are available, and the huge numbers of doctors that might be needed in these facilities. Large corporations might have doctors that will not necessarily match the needs of the needs of smaller companies. Computers will likely become as much of a part of medicine as any other equipment, and the reason for this is due to the fact that there are a lot of computers involved in research. I would expect that doctors will only be able to find very basic information on computers. That's not to say that you can't get very complicated information on computers, but certainly we will see computers in a lot of medical research. Medical researchers might be using computers in order to create new drugs. There are few practical uses for human cells, but they have produced some amazing discoveries, and the possibility is very exciting. This type of research will not only mean that doctors will be making more discoveries, but also that they will not need to spend a lot of time studying individual cells and their results. Computerization is going to change the way we study medicine. Doctors will be able to use the internet to do their research, without having to travel far away from home to do so. The computer has changed the way medical research has traditionally been done, and the new methods will probably be more efficient than what they are used to. It seems that the need for Doctors will continue to increase, and the advances in technology will continue to make certain things possible that have been impossible for many years. In the end, the question "Will Technology Save Doctors?" may have the answer we all wanted.

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[spideycents]

B-Roll // Shawn Mendes - 5: sound speed

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Michael's still asleep when I come back. I don't wake him. I sit and eat in silence while I read on my phone.

When a couple PAs and casting assistants start setting up for check-in, I take that as my cue to go set up at one the lighted mirrors that are on two folding tables for the hair and makeup people.

I bump Michael's chair with my foot and he groggily lifts his head and I gesture to check in before walking away.

I'm really glad the production's taken the liberty of putting bar-height director's chairs in front of each mirror because I completely forgot to bring my own.

A few other makeup and hair people arrived while I wasn't paying attention and already set up their things, so I find an empty mirror on the makeup side and open my bag.

I lay out my pallets and brushes and a battery-powered electric razor for the idiot men who think they don't have to shave to play high schoolers or who just expect makeup to shave them when they get here. I made a checklist so I wouldn't forget to bring any of my makeup and tools. I should've added a chair.

By the time I'm ready, the first few extras have been checked in and are filling out their paperwork so I sit in the chair at my mirror and pull out my phone.

"I don't think I've seen you around before."

I look up and a redhead woman at the mirror on my right is glancing at me while she cleans a blush brush.

"Is this your first production?" she asks.

"For crew, yeah," I nod. "I used to do extras work."

"Oh okay," she nods. "For how long?"

"A couple of years," I say.

"So you know how this goes then?" she smirks.

"Yeah," I chuckle kinda awkwardly. "This isn't my first rodeo."

"Well," she shrugs one shoulder. "It's a different kind of rodeo..." She trails off and we both laugh lightly.

"Yeah, I guess it kind of is." I agree, then add, "but it's okay. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm getting myself into."

"You probably do," she nods and sets down her brush. "My name's Sarah, by the way."

"Lyla," I hold out my hand and she shakes it. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," she says. "If you do run into any trouble or have any questions or anything, don't hesitate to ask. I've been doing this for...seven years now." She hesitates before saying seven, probably counting the years in her head. "So I should have an answer for anything you might want to ask."

"I'll be sure to remember that. Thank you," I smile kindly.

Before Sarah or I can say anything more, Angela, the head of the makeup department, comes over and welcomes us to the production and gives us the rundown of the kind of looks we'll be doing today. It's just everyday makeup for high schoolers so we can and color to some people and even out skin tones and cover blemishes and bags under eyes and make everyone look youthful and awake.

Before she leaves, she hands us our paperwork and tells us where to go to check in every morning and that the PAs can wrap us out at the end of every day.

We have a few more minutes before the first extras wander over, so Sarah and I sit and chat while we fill out our I-9s. We talk about different productions we've done, our favorites and the worst sets we've ever been on. We laugh about set mom's and how they're literally some of the worst women on the planet. We keep talking through the first extras until we get distracted working and the occasional extra strikes up a conversation with us.

I don't get many talkative people. Michael is okay'd by another person down the line, but swings by my chair to get me to even out his skin and brighten his eyes.

He obviously doesn't shut up once while he's in my chair, which thankfully sets some kind of example to everyone else and people start to talk to me more. I meet lots of lovely people who'll hopefully come back to me tomorrow. I'd like to start making some friends. That would be cool.

Julie-Anne is snatched by Sarah while I'm working on covering the neck tattoos of a man who looks like he's in his 30s, but told me he's booked as a student. She asks Sarah about her day and her life as a makeup artist so I don't interrupt them or talk to her until she gets up to leave, then I make a gremlin face at her and she pulls one back.

"There are so many kids today," Sarah exclaims beside me. She puts her hand on her forehead, over her eyes, and scans the line stretching across the gym. "It never ends."

Of course it does, but she's not exaggerating by much. It does seem like they grabbed every available extra between the ages of 16 and 25. The line for makeup and hair mixes into the costume line so it's impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. Both lines are at least 50 people deep. When the single file line bunches up into groups, it makes it seem like even more people.

It's really weird to hear Sarah call them "kids." I think she's in her late 20s, maybe early 30s, but I'm just out of college. I'm the same age as a lot of the extras and I look younger than most of them.

"At this rate," Kevin, the head of extras makeup, chimes in. "We'll be here until lunch."

"Don't say things like that," I cringe. "I'm fragile." And also now determined to be the first person done and to get through this line as quickly as humanly possible.

I know I just had breakfast, a surprisingly good breakfast, but I really want some food right now.

Just give me a piece of bread.

Or an apple.

Or a stick of gum.

Or an ice cube.

I'll eat anything. I'm so fucking hungry.

I credit my stomach for why we finish the last person half an hour later. The second I finish cleaning up my station, I make a beeline for the crafty table.

Both Julie-Anne and Michael are gone to set, so maybe I should grab some snacks for them before the wave of extras comes back and empties the place...

I should.

Michael'll hate me if all the gummies are gone later and he finds out I could've swiped him the whole box.

I grab a few bags for him, some crackers, and the good Quaker Oats granola bars.

Hopefully, that's enough...

Fingers crossed they don't kill me.

I hide their snacks in my backpack then go back to make myself a PB&J.

Peanut butter and jellies are a godsend. I've literally never had anything more delicious in my entire life. This is so fucking good. I might cry.

"Lyla!"

I'm mid-bite, my cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk, but I instantly look up at Kevin.

His eyes widen, but I'm too hungry to be embarrassed.

"We have to go to set." He gestures for me to follow after him. "Touch-ups."

My eyes bulge. How the fuck did I forget about touch-ups?!

I look at the half-eaten sandwich in my hands. Should I just pitch it?

"Bring it with you," Kevin shouts. "Hurry up."

I take a massive bite so there's not much sandwich left, then rush over to my mirror, grab my see-through makeup bag that has all my stuff packed back into it, sling it over my shoulder so it crosses over my chest, and speed walk after Kevin.

He's holding open the back door of the gym, waiting for me.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." I hurry through and he lets it fall shut behind us.

"It's okay," he huffs. "It's not like we've got places to be or anything?"

I duck my head slightly. "Sorry."

He rolls his eyes. "Have you ever done this before?"

I shake my head.

"Jesus take the wheel," he mutters under his breath.

"But," I almost shout and instantly lower my volume. "I have been on sets before and I know the job. I know what to do."

Kevin raises an eyebrow. "If you insist."

We follow the arrows pointing to set around the school, toward the main entrance. We head for video village where the rest of the makeup and hair people are camped off to the side, but still in view of some monitors. Most of them are either already sitting in lawn chairs or setting them up.

Gah, I really need to remember to bring one with me tomorrow.

"Second team rehearsal!" The first AD shouts.

I chill with Sarah and finish eating my sandwich while they walk through the scene. From what I can see, all the extras look okay right now and no needs touch ups yet, since they literally just got their makeup done.

"Thank you, second team," the first AD calls. "First team coming in."

I watch as the cast makes their way to their marks. They're all split up right now, with their character's friend groups.

"Picture's up!" The AD shouts and it's echoed by the PAs

Zendaya is talking very animatedly with Tony Revolori while they cross the sidewalk toward the flagpole. I see Lana Condor weaving between people with a drink in hand. I don't recognize a fair number of cast members, but I'm fairly positive most of them are day-players. They're all followed closely by their hair and makeup teams.

"Last looks!" The AD, again.

Kevin hops up to go do checks with the day-players and Sarah clicks her phone shut and gets up so I follow behind her.

We make our way toward Zendaya and Tony's friend groups and double check that they're makeup is good. Which, of course, it is.

I bump into someone tall while we make our way back to video village.

"Sorry," I say quickly, flustered.

"Sorry," a man says at the same time, but neither of us stops moving so I don't see his face.

The morning goes by fairly quickly and smoothly. We spend five hours shooting this one scene of all of the students going into school in the morning. There are multiple angles and choreographing over 100 people milling around a small area in specific patterns requires quite a bit of maneuvering.

"Cut! Moving on!" The AD yells eventually.

After a brief pause for what I can only assume is someone checking the time and deciding whether or not they want to start the next scene or break for lunch, someone, I'm not sure who yells:

"That's lunch!"

To say there's a bit of a stampede is a gross understatement.

The PAs are screaming at the background to stop before they take them back to holding.

Sarah and I laugh to ourselves about the madness while we walk over to crew catering. I have to run to the bathroom and, thanks to a line outside the trailer, by the time I come back she's gone off to eat and most of the food has been picked clean.

I manage to snag some stuff I know Michael and Julie-Anne will appreciate and get myself a salad, another sandwich, and a cup of ice water then go back into the gym to eat with them.

"Thanks for saving my chair," I say as I set my plate and drink down on the table and move my backpack and some of Julie-Anne's things to the floor.

"No problem," she smiles.

It feels like Michael waits for me to take just one bite of my food before quickly asking me what I know he's been dying to know since we broke for lunch.

"Did you see Shawn?"

"Nope," I say.

"So he didn't say anything to you?"

"Nope."

"Then what the fuck am I supposed to do about this bland ass chicken?!"

I shrug. "Go find Shawn and tell him about it."

Michael makes a face. "I don't wanna."

Julie-Anne's gaze ping-pongs between both of us. Her eyebrows are knit together and her mouth is slightly agape.

"Did I miss something?" she asks.

Michael's head whips to face her, his eyes ablaze while the corners of his lips turn up. "Have we got a story for you..."

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If any of you have any suggestions for people to cast in my pretend movie, let me know cause I have a few ideas but who doesn’t love a healthy dose fan service

[worryinglyinnocent]

Fic: Extraction (8/16)

Well, here it is at last! Sorry for the ridiculous wait, but the fic is now complete and will update weekly from now on.

Summary: Intelligence Agent Belle French has been given her most challenging assignment yet – one that will provide her agency with absolutely vital information on a practically untouchable arms dealer.

In addition to all the usual dangers any assignment carries, Belle also faces the edifying task of convincing Rum Gold to return to help the agency one last time. Agent Gold left the world of international espionage years ago, after an assignment went terribly wrong and ended in his imprisonment and torture, and he vowed never to return, but the agency cannot complete their mission without him…

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Quick recap since it’s been so long since the last update: 

Belle has successfully persuaded Gold to come on the mission by means of a classifed file given to her by her superior, Agent Blue. They, along with Belle’s colleague Emma, have arrived in Avalon to extract Regina and met the resident agents - Mal, Leroy and Aurora. The day before they’re due to meet Regina, it is revealed that she has a secret boyfriend, Daniel, and this has thrown a spanner in their plans... 

Also, gratuitous bed-sharing and fake-marriage has made Belle realise she’s got more than a little bit of a crush on Gold...

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Read the previous chapters here on AO3.

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Eight

Grey light was inching its way around the curtains when Belle woke, and the first thing that she noticed on stretching out her arms and legs was that Gold was no longer in the bed beside her. She glanced around the room, wondering where he could have got to when something caught the corner of her eye and she turned her attention towards the bathroom. The door was slightly open, probably so that he could use the dim light from the room instead of turning on the bathroom light and fan and waking her with the sound, and Belle could see the mirror and Gold’s reflection in it as he shaved. He was naked from the waist up, his concentration sharp as the razor he was holding as he worked in the limited light, and as Belle focussed through the gloom, she saw the full extent of what had been done to him on his last visit to Avalon. Extensive scarring webbed across his chest and abdomen, and Belle’s stomach turned as she recognised the tell-tale marks of branding and electrical burns. Some of the worst marks had been covered in tattoos, bits and pieces of script in Latin and what she presumed was Gaelic. She wanted to ask him what they meant, but she knew that she had not been meant to see this and she could not in good faith talk to him about it. She drew her knees up to her chest beneath the covers, not wanting to think about the horrors that he had endured throughout his imprisonment, and wishing that she didn’t want to map his battle marks with her fingers and try to kiss away all the pain. He was a colleague, nothing more, and such idle thoughts could end up getting both of them killed, or worse.

Presently he finished, splashing the last traces of shaving cream from his face and his reflection moving away from the mirror. A moment later she caught a glimpse of his back; the scarring there was worse than his front had been, marks from some kind of lash striking stark white lines across the skin. Then he put his undershirt on and everything was once more hidden away, out of sight and out of mind. Belle shook herself out of the melancholy train of thought, focussing on the assignment. This afternoon they would be meeting with Regina, and there was really nothing to do until that time arrived except keep an eye out on the hotel and make sure that everything was safe. Emma and the residency were handling the back end technical work, all Gold and Belle had to do was wait and pray that everything went according to plan. They still had to work out the best way to approach the subject of Daniel without scaring Regina off, and what to do if she arrived with some kind of extra entourage in tow. Emma would also be there at the meet as backup, but three of them against Cora’s resources were not odds that Belle liked to bet on.

Gold left the bathroom then, buttoning his shirt, and he smiled when he saw Belle was awake. Now that she could see him more closely, she could see the dark circles under his eyes, and she wondered if he’d got any sleep at all last night after his nightmare. She wouldn’t blame him if he hadn’t, but at the same time she needed him to be at his most awake and alert today. This was it, all their preparation work would pay off this afternoon.

“Hey,” he said. “Good morning and welcome to judgement day.”

Belle snorted. “Yeah, when you put it like that it doesn’t seem like we’re faced with an impossible task at all.”

“I wouldn’t say that it was impossible. Just difficult. Everything that we do is difficult.” Gold sat down on the end of the bed as Belle slipped out of it. “Shall I order us some breakfast?”

It seemed like such a mundane thing to say after they had just been talking about the daunting task ahead of them and Belle had to laugh.

“Sure, she said. They couldn’t very well start the day on empty stomachs after all, and getting breakfast from room service would not attract all that much attention. According to the hotel they were travelling for business and probably had a gruelling schedule ahead of them. When Belle emerged from the bathroom having dressed and completed her ablutions, Gold was just putting the telephone receiver down.

“It’ll be about fifteen minutes.”

Belle nodded and went over to the window, peering around the curtain just a fraction, so that no-one outside the building would be able to see her face, just the fabric twitching. Normally she hated hiding out in hotel rooms and having to keep the curtains closed against possible prying eyes; she enjoyed having the natural light in the room, but in Avalon there was really no exciting scenery to take in, and the light outside could barely be called light. More… not dark, but not really light either.

There was nothing to see outside, nothing obvious at least. The buildings on the street opposite the hotel were all fairly innocuous businesses and although long years in the security service had shown her that the enemy could really be hiding anywhere, there were no obvious spots that they had to be worried about. She let the curtain fall back into place and went back over to Gold, who had since migrated to the sofa and was setting out the surveillance photos from the Mills estate on the coffee table, taking pictures of them with his phone.

“Just testing out the gadgetry,” he said. “If Regina brings any documentation to this meeting I want to be able to get it out to the residency as soon as possible. Just in case.”

Belle nodded, as grim as the thought was, it made sense. The app that Jefferson had designed and installed on Gold’s phone immediately encrypted any images or scans and sent them via the residency’s secure VPN before wiping the memory.

There was a knock at the door and the call of ‘room service’. Belle raised an eyebrow; the voice had sounded suspiciously like Leroy, and she padded quietly over to the door, looking through the peephole to see that it was indeed the resident agent, standing outside wearing a hotel waiter’s uniform and looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. Belle suppressed a snort of laughter and let him into the room.

“All right,” he said once the door was locked and bolted behind him, and he took the covers off the dishes on his trolley. “We’ve got toast, scrambled eggs, fruit salad, and firepower.” The last plate contained service weapons. They’d had to enter the country unarmed for obvious reasons, and Belle knew how antsy Gold had been in the absence of something to protect himself with in this dangerous country.

“Thank you, Leroy.” Gold shrugged off his jacket and put on the shoulder holster, checking the pistol with a practised hand before stowing it. Belle took the other gun, slightly smaller and more discreet, and having performed the same checks, strapped it to her calf where her wide-legged slacks would hide it.

“Have you got the actual waiter knocked out and stuffed in the bottom of the trolley?” Gold asked lightly. Leroy rolled his eyes and lifted the tablecloth, there was nothing to see there.

“No, I just used my incredible persuasion skills to get the actual guy to let me take his place,” the shorter man said. “What? I went through all the same training as you guys did.”

“We weren’t knocking your ability to win friends and influence people, Leroy,” Belle said. “We just weren’t expecting to see you here, that’s all.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes you draw the short straw. Mal was getting twitchy and wanted to make sure you two weren’t left unarmed for longer than necessary, but she’s got Blue talking her ear off on the phone at the moment and Emma can’t be seen with you to maintain deniability. And Rory’s off meeting with assets and making sure the fall backs are in place, so muggins here was left on delivery duty.”

“Well, we’re very grateful to you, Leroy,” Belle said. “Do you want to stay and have some breakfast?”

“No, I’m fine thanks.” He paused. “Sorry about your bacon, Gold. You know how it is. Something’s got to give when you’re trying to look legit, and in this case it was the bacon.” Leroy didn’t sound all that sorry and Belle suspected that the bacon had in fact ended up in Leroy’s possession, but it was a small sacrifice to make to get them armed again.

“I can live without bacon for a day,” Gold said. “We’ll keep in touch.”

“Do. I’ve never seen Mal so antsy about an assignment. Working out here for as long as she has, she’s seen pretty much everything there is to see and she’s done most of it too. There’s something about this one that’s making her nervous. She cares about you a lot, Gold. Not in that way, I mean, obviously, but as a friend.”

“I know,” Gold said. “Believe me, I feel the same way.”

Leroy nodded, and the two men seemed to come to an understanding in that moment, united by their friendship to a woman who had done so much for them both over the years.

“Well, I’d best be off, if I hang around in here too long people are going to start getting suspicious.” Leroy wheeled the trolley back out of the room and once Belle had locked up again, they sat down to breakfast. The food was good, for all that it had gone a little cold during their conversation, and it felt strange to Belle to be sitting here enjoying a leisurely meal when there was so much at stake.

All the same, there was nothing left to do except wait.

X

“Testing comms.”

The sudden message in Belle’s earpiece made her start. She’d been expecting to hear Emma’s voice all afternoon so it shouldn’t have come as a shock, but having someone speak to you directly in your ear without any warning was still a surprise.

“Copy,” she replied.

“Copy.” Gold’s voice echoed a little, hearing it through her earpiece on one side and from his mouth on the other where he was sitting beside her in the small area of the hotel lobby that was generously called a lounge.

“The safety signals are in place and I’m all set up.”

Belle glanced across to the restaurant on the other side of the reception desk; Emma was seated at a table near the entrance with her laptop set up and a pot of tea on the table with her. She wasn’t looking in their direction but gazing around the restaurant, turning her head slowly and pointedly. The glasses she was wearing were one of Jefferson’s latest acquisitions with the same technology as the phones, recording everything they saw and transmitting it back to the residency and an off-site data store whilst keeping nothing incriminating in the glasses themselves.

“Guess that’s our cue then.” Gold got up out of his armchair and held out a hand to help Belle up. She grabbed her briefcase and took the offered hand.

“Thank you, darling.” They had to sell the idea that they were husband and wife, after all, but subtlety was key, if they went too over the top then everyone would know that it was just an act just as much as they would recognise too much distance or awkwardness between them. They made their way over to the restaurant where a table had been reserved for them for afternoon tea. And discussion of state secrets, Belle added mentally as the maitre d’ showed them to a table at the edge of the room, away from any windows and with clear exit routes in two directions. Emma gave them no notice as they passed her table, continuing to type and occasionally glancing down at the smartphone on the table beside her, working its magic.

The tea was brought, and Belle poured herself a cup, settling down to keep watch for Regina’s arrival.

She was a lovely young woman, still fresh-faced and with the blush of youth in her cheeks, her long dark hair braided down her back making her look younger than her years but the air of worry in her expression aging her a little. She entered with Daniel, speaking a few words to him before he went over to sit in the lounge, his watchful eyes moving between the main entrance doors, the restaurant, and Regina herself as she went over to the maitre d’. Belle saw the moment she took a deep breath and bolstered her confidence, becoming an inch or so taller as she made her way across the restaurant towards them. Emma picked up her phone as she went past, tapping the screen a couple of times.

“She’s clean,” Emma’s voice said in Belle’s ear. “Scramble anyway.”

Belle put Jefferson’s flip phone on the table, neatly hidden behind the teapots. Although they would always have misdirected anything that was listening in, it was good to know that Regina wasn’t wearing any kind of wire or earpiece that Emma’s phone had detected. It gave Belle the confidence that this was a legitimate assignment and that they were not walking into another trap. She and Gold stood as Regina approached them, shaking hands and completing all the normal formalities of a business meeting before sitting down and letting their actual tradecraft do its work.

“I brought some information that I thought you might want to look over,” Regina began, extracting a couple of files from her large designer handbag, but not handing them over. “But before we get started, I just wanted to know how serious you were about my proposition.”

“We promised that we would help you, Regina,” Gold said, his voice soft and soothing. “And I always keep my promises.”

There was no kind of reassurance that they could give her other than their word; anything that could show who they were or betray their intentions of getting her out of the country and away from her mother would be potential leverage, so Regina was just going to have to trust them. Now that she was right in front of them, Belle could see just how scared Regina was at her precarious position, starting on such a dangerous and illegal course of action out of sheer desperation to be free. Belle glanced across at Gold. There was something paternal in his eyes when he looked at Regina, and she wondered if he was thinking about his own child and what he perceived as his failure to his son.

Regina gave a slow nod and handed over the folders to Gold, letting him have a read of them and scan them surreptitiously with his phone. They were the bottom halves of the intel that she had sent through the agency in the preceding weeks, just as she had promised. The fact that she was sticking to her original plan made Belle think that now was probably the right time to broach the subject of Daniel with her. Regina was watching her closely as Gold worked, not entirely trusting yet, and Belle sensed that she was probably going to have to play into the bad cop persona if she was going to get anywhere. She was the lead on this assignment and she was going to have to be blunt.

“Does Mr Ostler know why you’re here today?” she asked.

“Oh.” A slight flush coloured Regina’s cheeks. “Erm… No. Not exactly.”

“How much does he know?”

“Not a lot,” Regina said. “Not everything. But… He knows I’m doing all this behind Mother’s back, obviously. And he knows…” She looked around the restaurant nervously.

“As long as you’re sitting at the table you can speak freely,” Gold said.

“He knows I want to leave,” Regina finished. “So I think he suspects that this might be related to that.”

“Regina, I don’t think that there’s any way to sugar coat this so I won’t. We have to ask you what your intentions are for Daniel after we get you out of here,” Belle said plainly. “We know that he appears to mean more to you than just being your bodyguard.”

Regina looked over her shoulder at Daniel, who was still sitting in the lobby keeping an eye out.

“I knew that it would be too much to try and ask you to get him out as well,” she said. “And it might cause more problems if it looked like he’d kidnapped me or something. So I thought I could perhaps just give him the slip and then he could come over legitimately later, once it had all calmed down.”

“Regina, you know your mother,” Gold said. “We both know her. If you leave as planned, life will not be plain sailing for the man who was supposed to be protecting you.”

“Stopping me from running away, you mean?” Regina said bitterly. “I know. I thought that I could, I don’t know, give him the day off or something so it would look like it was all my idea. Which it is.”

“Don’t panic,” Gold said. “And don’t turn around again,” he added as Regina began to glance over her shoulder towards Daniel again. “The more you do that, the more you’ll look like you don’t want to be here and draw attention to yourself and us. We can work out what we’re doing about Daniel at a later date although I trust he has his own passport.”

Regina nodded. “Yes. I…” She sighed. “We were so discreet, how did you find out about us? Because if you can find out, then Mother could find out, and then I dread to think what would happen.”

“Let’s just say that we’ve been keeping an eye on your situation for a while now,” Belle said. “We don’t know what your mother knows. We only know what we know, and what we know is that you two are both in a very dangerous position right now. Our focus has to be on you. You are the one who can give us the information that we want.”

Belle was about to speak again but Gold stopped her with a swift cutting motion of his hand, his entire frame going stiff beside her.

“Abort and fall back,” he hissed through his teeth, before getting up from the table and moving through the restaurant. His pace was casual and to all intents and purposes he would blend into the scene as the waiters moved around bearing trays and coffee pots, but Belle knew that something had gone very wrong.

“What’s happening?” Regina asked as Belle gathered up her handbag, and at the same time Emma asked in her ear “what the hell just happened?”

“We’ve been compromised,” Belle said, quickly putting all their documents and equipment into her bag and sweeping the table for anything she might have missed. The strapping around her shin felt suddenly very heavy with the possibility that she might have to use it. “We have to fall back. The contact who set up this meeting gave you a fall back point, didn’t they?”

Regina nodded. “Six pm at the Mother of Mercy chapel.”

“Good. You know the safety signals, and we’ll see you there.” She shook Regina’s hand again. “I’m sorry that this meeting was cut short, Miss Mills, but I’m certain that our partnership will be profitable in the future.”

“Belle, Gold’s gone into the gents,” Emma’s voice said in her ear as Regina left the table and made her way back over to Daniel.

“Great,” Belle muttered. “The one place I can’t follow him.”

“The one place that half of the rest of the population can’t follow him as well,” Emma pointed out, before asking for the bill. Belle glanced over to see that she was packing up her laptop and phone as she handed the waiter a couple of notes to pay for her meal. “Whatever it was that made him abort, I’m thinking it was a woman, but the only one I can imagine who’d cause such a reaction is the Queen herself and she’s definitely not here.”

Belle waited at the table for a moment to see Regina and Daniel safely out of the restaurant and check that no-one followed them, and to see if Gold would respond on comms, but he appeared to be following a blackout protocol and had probably ditched his earpiece on his way out of the restaurant. She couldn’t say she blamed him for his paranoia, but she wished she knew what it was that had triggered the abort. It was standard practice that if someone on the comms channel called to abort then you aborted with no questions asked, but a small part of Belle wondered if perhaps this particular shut down had been unnecessary. She knew she shouldn’t be questioning Gold’s ability, but she had already seen the effect that being back in Avalon was having on him.

“I’m falling back to the residency, call me as soon as you can. And trust Gold to follow procedure if nothing else.”

Belle nodded. Confident that Gold knew what he was doing and that his paranoia would keep him alive, and that Regina and Daniel were in no immediate danger, she charged the restaurant bill to their room tab and made her way back there, still wondering what it was that could have happened.

[sarahburness]

What to Give On Valentine’s Day: A DumbLittleMan Gift Guide

Finding the perfect Valentine’s Day gift is not that easy. No matter who you are giving a gift to or what stage of romantic relationship you’re in, you’re bound to spend a lot of time thinking about your present. That means hours or even days of asking around and browsing the internet for gift ideas.

Now, if you’re still undecided about what gifts to give your special someone this Valentine’s Day, don’t worry. Below, we’re sharing with you some really awesome Valentine’s day gift ideas. We’ve categorized the gifts for your convenience, too.

For Her

Spa Kit: Body & Earth Spa Gifts for Her

Does your special someone rarely have time to relax and unwind? If your answer is yes, then this makes the perfect gift this Valentine’s day.

This spa set comes with a body mist, body scrub, body lotion, bubble bath, shower gel, massage soap, and bath salts which are all formulated with nourishing ingredients. Additionally, the items are also formulated with floral lily essential oils. The scent helps in calming the mind and promoting overall well-being.

Eternity Flowers: Ling’s Moment Artificial Flowers 50pcs Real Looking Dusty Rose

Fresh flowers are great for Valentine’s Day but they don’t last that long. So instead of giving away fresh flowers on such a special event, consider eternity flowers. They don’t wither and they won’t cause allergies, too!

This particular product is made of soft but high quality latex foam which makes the flowers look like fresh ones. They are handmade and the resulting variations in color and sizes make them appear like real flowers.

Jewelry: MyNameNecklace Custom Made Pendant Jewelry

This name pendant has a romantic feel to it and anyone who receives it for Valentine’s Day will surely feel special. Even with a cursive font, the letters aren’t that hard to read. The edges are also perfectly rounded so you won’t have to worry about irritating your skin.

Scented Candles: Yankee Candle Large Jar Candle, Balsam & Cedar

No Valentine’s Day gift list will be complete without scented candles, particularly if you’re thinking of a gift for a woman. This Yankee Candle is a treat to the senses with its aromatic cedar wood and juniper berry blend. It’s a festive fragrance that can make anyone’s day feel so much better.

Bath Bombs: LifeAround2Angels Bath Bombs Gift Set

Oh, bath bombs! These ones are unlike your usual bath bombs. For one, they don’t stain the tub. That means you won’t have to spend a lot of time cleaning your tub after your bath. They are also therapeutic and moisturizing, particularly if you have normal to dry skin.

Luxury Robes: Richie House Women’s Plush Soft Warm Fleece Bathrobe

There’s probably nothing cozier than slipping into a really comfortable bath robe at the end of the day. If you know someone who feels that way, get her this soft warm fleece robe.

Made with 100% polyester fleece fabric, it’s comfortable, durable, and easy to take care of. It even has two oversized front pockets for keeping your mobile phone or even the TV remote!

Makeup Kit: Docolor Makeup Brushes

These brushes don’t just look nice but they are also feel luxurious against the skin. There’s no shedding so you can expect them to last long. Plus, they don’t fade or get scratched easily.

And the best part? They are actually vegan brushes.

Lingerie: Avidlove Women Lingerie Lace Babydoll V Neck Sleepwear Strap Chemise

This gift idea isn’t for everyone but if you know someone who loves to feel extra gorgeous, then this makes an ideal gift. This lingerie is very flattering that it’ll look good on just about anyone. It has adjustable spaghetti straps to allow one to get that perfect fit.

Shawl Wrap: GERINLY Lightweight Scarf

This scarf isn’t just a scarf. It can actually be worn in multiple ways. You can use it as a summer shawl, a bandana, a wrap skirt or a head scarf. With that, it’s the perfect accessory to wear all year round.

The design is simply feminine. It can add a modern touch to just about any type of outfit.

Hair Tools: Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer & Volumizer

With unique airflow vents and multiple heat settings, this particular hair styling tool from Revlon can give your hair the shine and volume it needs in just one step. It’s the perfect gift for anyone who likes styling her hair without spending a lot of time. Plus, with its Ionic Technology, it can actually minimize heat damage.

For Him

Cuff Links: UHIBROS Mens Cuff Links

These cuff links are made of solid brass which guarantees strength. They are quite long lasting, too. With a rhodium-plated design, they won’t fade or get dents easily. You can expect them to stay looking like new even with continual use.

Neck Tie: Set of 3 Elegant Neck Ties By Mens Collections

To complete just about any business attire, get this set of neck ties. They are quite versatile as they have designs for the classy, bold, and casual. With two striped and one paisley, they are great for pairing with solid color shirts and hard-to-match shirts.

Hip Flask: BarMe Stainless Steel 8 oz Hip Flask

For a hip flask that makes drinking on the go really easy, get this one. With a stainless steel flask funnel, it’ll make sure that no drop gets wasted. Designed with stainless steel, you won’t have to worry about it getting rusty over time.

Shaving Kit: Schick Hydro Sense Razors for Men

For men who like to keep themselves looking neat all the time, this Shick shaving kit makes a practical gift. It comes with two types of razors, refills, and a shaving cream. What’s really nice about this one is that it’s able to adjust to provide a really close shave with less irritation.

Wallet: HIMI Wallet for Men

Thinking of getting your man a wallet? Choose this!

HIMI Wallet for Men is made of genuine leather. It feels soft and comfortable to touch. Plus, it has an RFID blocking security feature to keep critical information safe from unauthorized scanners. It has 2 ID windows and a total of 10 card slots.

Bartender Kit: Expert Cocktail Shaker Home Bar Set

This bartender kit has almost everything you need to create a basic at-home bar. It has all the staple bar supplies, such as shaker tins, cocktail strainer, cocktail jigger, and shot glasses.

The items don’t retain odor or stain as they are made with durable stainless steel. They have this chilling effect that greatly amplifies flavors.

Bluetooth Speaker: Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker

For the music enthusiast, you can never go wrong with a Bluetooth speaker such as this product. It has a 24-hour battery life and a 66-feet Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity. You can use it to play music at home, at the park or anywhere you want.

Compact Multi-Tool: LEATHERMAN – Squirt PS4 Multitool, Black

This compact tool comes with almost every tool you need when you’re on the go. It’s a perfect choice for men who like being outdoors. Equipped with 9 tools, you can cut a fishing line or open boxes and bottles with it.

Bag: NEWHEY Mens Messenger Bag

This bag has a lot of room for storage. With a total of 9 pockets, you can use it to keep your umbrella, wallet, cards, laptop, and even your water bottle. It has this adjustable strap and padded handle to reduce your fatigue when carrying it.

For Him or Her

Romance Journal: Our Q&A a Day: 3-Year Journal for 2 People

This journal is a fun little exercise for couples. From really silly questions to topics that’ll urge you to reflect on your self, its content can easily make you look forward to opening it each morning.

Himalayan Salt Lamp: Himalayan Glow 1301B Tall Round Natural Salt Lamp

This salt lamp doesn’t just make a great accent home decor but it also brings warmth to any home or room. It features an adjustable brightness to allow you to create the ambiance you need to relax.

Card Games: Our Moments Couples: 100 Thought Provoking Conversation Starters for Great Relationships

Card games aren’t going away anytime soon and this particular product is one good reason why. It’ll encourage you to interact with your partner and be closer than ever. It’s also a fun way to relieve stress and look back at what you went through as a couple.

Reed Diffuser: Chesapeake Bay Candle Mind & Body Reed Diffuser

This reed diffuser has a clean, minimalistic feel. Whether you are giving it to a female or male friend, you won’t regret it. The diffuser can last for 3 months and it comes with a small bottle of fragrance oil you can use.

Pedometer: Realalt 3DTriSport Walking 3D Pedometer

Since it’s important to keep an active lifestyle all year round, why not get your friend a pedometer? This particular product is easy to set up and use even for those who have never used one before. With 3D Tri-Axis Sensor Technology, it’s one of the most reliable pedometers around.

Sleeping Bag: Abco Tech Sleeping Bag

For people who like traveling, camping or hiking, this is an excellent gift to choose. It’s lightweight, comfortable, and extremely portable. With a waterproof and weather-resistant design, it can keep you warm even when you are exposed in extreme weathers.

Wine Set: Vremi VRM020018N Wine Accessory Set

This 9-piece wine accessory kit includes an electric cork remover, foil cutter, vacuum pump, aerator pourer, and airtight stoppers to keep your bottle of wine in mint condition. With its black and silver design, it can easily match any kitchen decor.

Massager: Naipo Massage Pillow Neck Back Massager

With massage nodes that mimic the motions or a real therapist’s hand, this massager can help you de-stress and relax right at the comfort of your home or even your office. It allows you to massage specific body parts whenever and wherever you like.

Weighted Blanket: YnM Weighted Blanket

Made with 100% premium cotton, this weighted blanket provides just the right temperature control for your body. It’s really useful for when you are feeling anxious or you just can’t sleep well. With a 7-layer system, it’s designed to surround and form according to your shape.

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