#and she shut the entire business down for january so i had to scramble to get a temp job anyway

[legend-tripper]

pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me pay me

[rogue-durin-16]

THINGS NEVER GO AS PLANNED (Part VI/VII)

"the downfall"

Summary: After Fred's death, George and Y/n lean on each other to carry on. This wasn't the most brilliant idea, though; George was pretty much in love with the girl, and Y/n— well, she had been dating Fred prior to the Battle of Hogwarts.

Pairing: George Weasley x Reader

Genre: angst mostly

Tags:

Suggested by: @crispykittywitch

Things never go as planned: @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @beautyschoo1dropout @s1ut4georgeweasley @sunshineandshadows @missmulti @accioweaslcy @andreaareynoso @georgeweasley16 @dianarte @skarlettmikaelson

Permanent taglist: @elia-the-bibliophile @randomparanoid @karlthecat15722 @thebutchersdaughtersblog @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality

Warnings: language, allusions to sex

A/N: my apologies for keeping y'all waiting for this one darlings, but here comes the next part YAYY! Enjoy <3

Prologue: the aftermath

Part I: sleepless nights

Part II: candy floss

Part III: shock therapy

Part IV: wrong name

Part V: the perfect excuse

Part VII: apart

Epilogue: I still love you

Rogue-durin-16 masterlist

He had left me in the room that morning, alone, with regret and guilt straining my chest, with embarrassment and panic heaving over me, my only company being a terrible headache and a sore body.

I was still waiting for him to come back. Of course, he still lived in the apartment, but the day after, he slept at Shell Cottage because Bill needed help with the chores, and the next night at the Burrow because Molly had asked to keep an eye on 'the kids' —the kids being Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione— while she and Arthur were off to visit Andromeda, and at Lee's because Angelina was away and they were going to have a boys' weekend; in summary, he managed to avoid stepping into the flat while I was in there for an entire week.

I would be lying if I said the idea of moving out hadn't crossed my mind, but I knew I was being dramatic— we were being dramatic; we were adults, even if we forgot about it more often than not, and adults talk things out, so I decided to confront him at the only place I would manage to corner him; the shop.

When I descended from the office on the second floor, I spotted the ginger turning the 'CLOSED' to face the glass door. "Oi!" His head snapped to me as I climbed downstairs and he instantly walked to the shelves on the opposite side. "Can I have a word?" I requested, following him, only for George to move on to another shelf.

"Right now I'm quite busy." He replied, seemingly absent-minded as he pretended to check the products in front of him.

"This is important." I insisted, moving to stand besides him.

Not fast enough, though, because he was off to yet another part of the shop as soon as I got close. "I'm sure it can wait."

"You know it can't," I assured intently, stalking after him, only for him to speed up his own pace, moving from product to product without stopping too long in front of him. "George I'm- Oi, stop! We need to talk about this!"

"Well maybe I don't wanna talk about this!" He exclaimed, taking big steps under one of the stairs in order to shamelessly dodge the hand with which I had reached out to stop him.

"George Weasley don't run away from me!"

"I'm not running away from you!"

"You're literally RUNNING AWAY!"

He stopped circling the counter and stood across from me, slamming his palms over the till. "ALRIGHT, LOVE!" for the first time, I didn't like the way the name dripped off his tongue. "Let's talk about how we accidentally FUCKED! That's what you want so badly, isn't it?!" Flush crept up his neck and ears, and I couldn't tell if it was from anger or from timidness. "Go on, darling, lead the bloody way!"

I felt my own cheeks going red, partly because of his straightforward statement but also because I genuinely had never heard George raise his voice like he had just done.

"Cat's got your tongue now?!" My stuttering seemed to fuel his anger more. "C'mon, Y/n, talk! You wanted to talk!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, GEORGE!" He clenched his jaw as his freckles drowned in a sea of pinkish red. "Yeah I want to talk! 'Cause that's what grown-ups do! We don't know how to act around each other so we just don't spend time together anymore— Fuck, I've barely seen you! AND WE. LIVE. TOGETHER!" I emphasised each word with stomps. "We can either pretend it didn't happen or talk it out to make sure we're on the same page, you choose but for Merlin's sake, don't avoid me!"

"OKAY!" His eyes widened, surprised at his own tone, and then he repeated in a softer, self-conscious one, "Okay." He breathed deeply and then added. "We're on the same page, right?" His eyebrows raised as he looked into my eyes. "It was... A mistake."

I should have noticed the uncertainty and hope in his voice, but I panicked and was too quick to respond, "Yeah! A massive mistake." My words stung my heart and, to my dismay, his own just as much. "Can we go back to being friends? Because I'm going crazy without you." I blamed our watery eyes to the argument we had had, and not to the fact that it had been a mistake.

He circled the counter and walked to me, hesitating before pulling me into a hug. "Can I...?" I tugged him closer, wrapping my arms around his middle. It took a moment for him to ease into my embrace, and I could tell we had fucked up our friendship for good. "It's alright, we'll make it right again." His words made me squeeze him tighter, as if he was about to vanish from my side.

And from then, we tried to make it right, we tried so hard, because it seemed so easy to make it wrong again.

Everytime we stood too close, everytime he leaned on to whisper something, everytime I helped him with his tie, our eyes would fall on each other's lips; I would sometimes drift off the conversation, staring too much at his mouth and hands, wandering if they would feel just as amazing as they had done while we were drunk.

"Y/n are you listening?"

"Uh yeah- I mean, no- sorry, what?"

I was so focused on trying to hide it that I didn't notice George was in the exact same situation, meaning that neither of us could give in, because we would go down together. In all honesty, it was doomed to happen at some point, we were just delaying the inevitable.

The moment came the last night of January, when George showed up in my room due to a really rough nightmare, and I, as always, invited him in so we could lay down together.

"Isn't this... Weird?" He murmured as we scooted closer. We had kept physical contact at bay for obvious reasons, and cuddling had been off the table since New Year.

"It doesn't have to be." I replied, my voice as quiet as his. "We've done this a thousand times."

"Right." He cleared his throat, averting his eyes from mines as we shifted in our places ever so slightly, trying to find a position where the situation turned less awkward.

And it happened, my mind got lost on the way his neck tensed, on the damp locks hanging over his forehead, sweaty due to the nightmare; on his plump lips, which he had just wetted with his tongue in the most subtle way. It was a nervous habit of him, something he would usually do, but that didn't make it any less hot.

"George..." I called his name without noticing, my heart hammering violently against my chest when his gaze landed on my eyes, quickly falling on my lips.

The next thing I knew was that he was holding my thigh over his hip, his other hand on the back of my neck while we shared a hungry kiss that, as soon as my hips involuntarily rocked against his, turned into something more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

GEORGE'S P. O. V.

The next morning we swore to each other that it was just another accident, that it would happen again.

And the next one too.

And the following.

The fifth time that happened, we agreed to call the situation a 'friends with benefits' kind of thing, well aware that it was an euphemism for the downfall of our friendship.

I had longed to be hers for so long, and it that moment, as I lay by her side in her bed, that wish seemed so close yet so far; I could reach out and my fingertips would touch her skin, yet I had never felt that distant towards her.

The moment my eyes were averted from her form, her gaze was laid on me. "You don't have to go."

"I know." I replied in a mumble, already sitting up and reaching for my pants. "But soon we'll have to get up, so I might as well do that and let you sleep." I didn't want to turn around, I didn't want to see her beautiful irises pleading for me to stay by her side, because I knew I would.

I saw on my peripheral vision her fingers attempting to carefully wrap around my wrist, and I was quick to stand up and walk to the door; sadly, I did not miss Y/n burying her face into the pillow, her hands fisting on the fabric ever so subtly.

She tried to hide her tears like that, and I agressively wiped mines as soon as I reached the corridor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Morning, lady!" I light-heartedly greeted Y/n without turning my back to the making of our breakfast when I heard the steps approaching the kitchen.

In the morning it was easier to pretend everything was back to normal; usually, the refreshing sunlight and the drowsiness provided by a night of sleep were enough to wash away the sad truth of our relationship.

"Good morning, sir." She responded with a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she walked to stand besides me, leaning against the counter with her arms folded. "Smells good." She commented, leaning on to take a peek at the scrambled eggs.

I was about to make a cocky, playful comment when it dawned on me what she was wearing; it was my jumper, one of the old ones that I exclusively used for pyjamas.

I knew she didn't do it intently; I had left it on the floor the previous night, and it was probably the first thing she grabbed, but it struck a nerve.

I had seen a similar scene way too many times before; a sleepy, dishevelled Y/n entering the kitchen with an ugly Weasley jumper as only clothing, ready to start the bickering with an almost identical version of me who would be making breakfast.

My head then travelled to the thought that lately crossed my mind more often than not and my heart clenched; In Y/n's eyes, I was, most likely, just a poor replacement for Fred.

"You alright?" That worried furrow appeared between her brows too often lately. We were both walking on eggshells, and it got me on my nerves.

"You don't have to ask if I'm alright every time I'm quiet." I hadn't meant it to come out harsh or curt, but it definitely did.

"You're not quiet, you're overthinking." She responded with a tinge of hostility.

"What's to overthink?" I fought the need to raise my voice.

"Dunno, you tell me." She squinted her eyes with a scrutinising gaze directed to me.

"Can we not do this?" I almost pleaded; heated arguments had become a usual thing between us —yet another sign of the unfixable problem we refused to address.

Y/n was about to reply something that would lead us into a fight when the doorbell rung. "Mister Weasley?" I took that as a cue to go open the door to Verity, already dressed on her uniform. "The Valentine's Day products arrived, should I unpack them or..." Her eyes flickered behind me and her cheeks heated up. "Y/n—" When I looked over my shoulder, I felt my own face flushing out of embarrassment. Y/n was still my employee and Fred's ex, so Verity catching a glimpse of her dressed in my jumper wasn't the best thing for any of us. "I— am I— sorry, am I interrupting?"

"You're not interrupting." I assured her with a reassuring smile. "Leave the boxes on the puking pastries section, we'll be down in ten."

"Alright, sir." Her curious gaze travelled to Y/n one last time, and with that, she was rushing back down to the shop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

READER'S P. O. V.

The ache that had appeared on my chest the day after New Year would end up killing me, or at least it felt like that.

I had a dreadful gut feeling of knowing what caused that pain, but my mind refused to believe it was that, and kept pushing the sensation back into my heart day by day.

George had gone to relocate the puking pastries in the upper level of the shop so I could prepare the section with the Valentine's Day products.

My eyes dawned on the small packages of Amortentia. I knew it was a terrible idea but I needed to know.

I took a look around, making sure Verity wasn't near and George was up still, and brought one of the Amortentias under my nose. It didn't take long for the scents to besot me, and I had to put all my will on not to fall under the potion's spell.

The first smell to reach my nostrils was gunpowder; my heart skipped a bit when the next scent was vanilla.

Then strawberry and chocolate; candy floss cupcakes and George's cologne.

The tiny, heart-shaped bottle fell from my hands, scattering all over the shop's floor. "Shit!" I rapidly kneeled to pick the shattered glass when I realized it had echoed in the empty establishment.

"Oi! What was that?" George descended from the second floor, using the ladder. "Oh shit—" his hands took a hold on my bicep and pulled me away from the pool of pinkish pearl liquid that seemed to be attracting me. "Don't!" He warned Verity, who had attempted to jog in the potion's direction too. "Verity, can you bring me my wand?" The girl complied running up to the office.

In Verity's absence, George took the chance and cupped my cheeks, tilting my head up to check my eyes. "You alright?" I managed to give him a slow nod, my mind buzzing with the newly acquired information. "Getting the Amortentias was a bad idea, wasn't it?" I nodded again, producing a frown between his eyebrows. "No 'told you so'? Are you sure you're alright?" He chuckled nervously, his hands falling to his sides right in time for Verity to rush back to us.

"Here, Mister Weasley!"

"Thank you, darling." He politely replied, taking the wand and restoring the potion bottle in a swift movement. His eyes peeked at me again; I could see the worry growing on him. "Y/n-"

"I'm gonna go wash my face." The words hastily left my mouth before I dashed off to the restroom.

I closed the door behind me and took a look at the mirror; my pupils were blown and my cheeks pink. I ran the tab and splashed the water on my face a few times until the potion's mild effect was gone and my mind clear.

It was in that moment that it dawned on me that I was in love with George Weasley.

[mermaidsneedwater]

christmas with you | chapter two

series page

Last Christmas

The entire ride home from practice, all Mark could think was I’m in deep shit.

When he’d lied to his mom, he’d been hoping to right the wrong by actually bringing a real girlfriend to Christmas the following year. He figured his mother would never even know the difference of his lie. But since finding out that he’d indeed be home for Christmas, Mark had been dreading the call to his family.

As Mark walked to the front door of his apartment, he ruffled around his pocket looking for the key.

Hearing the ring of the elevator, he turned around to see you carrying two big bags of groceries. You thanked him as he rushed to help you with them.

“Oh, thank you Mark.” You smiled.

“Of course.” Mark said, waiting with the bags in his hands as you unlocked the door to your apartment.

He walked into your apartment, setting the groceries onto the kitchen counter.

“So how are you?” You asked your neighbor.

“Oh, I’m alright? How about you?” He smiled awkwardly.

“I’m good. Getting ready for the holiday season” You said excitedly.

“Yeah,” he agreed awkwardly, noting the ring on your finger.

Were you married? Mark was surprised he hadn’t noticed before.

Admiring the ring on your hand, you interrupted Mark’s thought when you spoke again “Thanks for your help, my fiancé and I are hosting Christmas here this year so I was stocking up on food.”

So you were engaged.

As the two of you stood in an awkward pause, you heard Mark clear his throat before inching towards the door. “I should go, but good luck with the cooking.” Mark said.

“Thanks, and happy holidays!” You called out to him as he shut the door.

Mark fished out the missing key he’d been looking for before opening the door. Immediately, Milo was at his feet. As he pet the little dog, he couldn’t help but think about you.

You had moved into the apartment across Mark a little while after he had. Though the two of you weren’t friends, you remained friendly neighbors. He figured your fiancée was the guy he would always see come in and out of your apartment.

Mark was happy for you, he was. But he couldn’t help but think back to his own plight. How would he magically procure a girl to be his girlfriend and come home with him for the holidays?

Choosing to ignore the problem until he was forced to confront it, Mark distracted himself with ramen.

Heading to the kitchen, he prepared the meal for himself before bringing it to the couch and turning on the television.

His mind went numb as he watched a stupid Christmas movie. Those were so cheesy. As Mark felt his eyes flutter shut, he didn’t stop himself from falling into a deep sleep.

+++

The next time Mark saw you was exactly three days later. Well he didn’t exactly see you, he heard you.

“GET OUT!” You screamed. “GET OUT NOW!”

Through the thin walls of the apartment complex, Mark placed his ear against the wall to hear better.

He could hear a male voice yell in reply. “You’re crazy, you know that? You’re fucking crazy!”

Curious as to what was happening, he looked through the peephole of his front door.

He watched you pace in and out of the hallway, throwing out what seemed to be your fiancé's clothes onto the floor.

“Well you won’t get out so I guess I’ll just have to kick your ass to the curb!” You yelled back.

Intrigued about how the situation was playing out, he watched as the man scrambled to pick up his clothes off the floor.

“Here,” You said, your arms full of gifts that your fiancé had gotten you. “I don’t want any of this.”

You then proceeded to throw the handbags, boxes of jewelry, and stuffed animals.

“Seriously babe?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re really throwing a fit over a technicality?”

“Don’t call me that.” You said through gritted teeth. As you threw the remainder of things on the floor, Mark watched your fiancé pick them up in his hands. The poor guy was struggling to hold all the items you were throwing out the door.

“I’m not throwing a fit, I’m throwing you out.” You said angrily, moving to fiddle your hand.

Your fiancé looked at you, in disbelief of what you were about to do. “Don’t you dare-”

You angrily removed the ring and threw it at his feet. “You can keep that. We’re done.”

And with that, you slammed the door of your apartment shut.

Mark winced at the loud sound. Resting on the couch, Milo raced to the front door when he heard the loud sound, barking at the thought of an intruder. Groaning, Mark attempted to calm him down, telling him to shush.

But Milo wouldn't stop.

Defeated, Mark went to grab his leash, intent on taking him for a short walk in order to calm him down. Though, deep down he was itching to go outside and see the damage that had been done.

As he slowly stepped out, Mark awkwardly waited outside his front door as your now ex-fiancé was busy picking his stuff off the ground, including the engagement ring that Mark had noticed the day before.

“Sorry about this.” The man apologized apathetically.

“It’s all good.” he replied awkwardly.

Milo tugged Mark forward, forcing him to walk by the man. Mark was somewhat relieved he’d done so, eager to get away.

After about an hour, Mark was ready to retreat home. He walked Milo back to the apartment before seeing you at the foot of your door, paying a delivery man for pizza.

Dressed in patterned pajamas and glasses, you were almost unrecognizable. Your face looked puffy, as if you’d been crying.

As the man walked away the money you handed him, you lingered at the foot of your door a little longer than usual and watched Mark fumble for his key.

Milo glanced over at you and took advantage of Mark’s loose hold of the leash. He bolted into your apartment, jumping up on your leg. Mark’s eyes widened as he felt the puppy escape him and run straight to you.

“Milo! Milo get back here right now!” Mark yelled.

“It’s fine.” You reassured him, reaching down to pet Milo. “Are you hungry?”

“Me?” Mark asked, surprised that the question had been directed to him.

“Yes you, who else?” You said sarcastically. “Are you hungry?”

“A little.” He admitted.

“I can’t eat this whole pizza by myself.” You told him, “you’re welcome to join me.”

Mark wasn’t sure what he was more surprised with, the fact that you had invited him over or that he’d instantly agreed.

He walked into your apartment and watched as you unhooked Milo’s leash and set it on the counter. You then took two plates from the shelf and grabbed a slice of pizza for yourself before setting the plate on the dining table.

Mark mirrored your actions and sat at the table. He watched as you headed to the fridge before poking your head up.

“Do you want a beer?”

“No thank you,” He said politely.

Shrugging, you grabbed a bottle for yourself, opened the cap off, and then joined him at the table.

The two of you ate in a comfortable silence, enjoying the food in front of you. You watched Mark, silently sipping on your beer.

“So, why no beer? Are you having a comeback or something?” You tried to make conversation.

“I didn’t think you even knew I was in a group.” Mark said. “And no, we’re actually on a break.”

“That’s all the real estate agent talked about when I was looking at apartments.” You told him “I think she was quite enamored with you.”

“Oh,”

“Yeah, anyway. I thought it would be cool to live across a K-pop star. I was under the impression that you lived a glamorous life.” You admitted. “But you turned out to be so dull.”

“Dull?” Mark said, surprised at your choice of words.

“I mean you don’t throw any parties, you barely have any people over, I’ve never even heard the television from your house, that’s how respectful you are. You’re a model tenant.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Mark said.

“It’s boring.” You replied frankly. “So you’re on a break?”

Choosing not to press you any further, Mark answered your next question. “Yeah, until the end of January.”

He watched as you lifted the beer bottle to take a sip, noticing your ring finger now empty. You followed his eye line before deciding to address the elephant in the room.

“That’s good. My engagement broke today.” You announced. “But you probably already knew that.”

Mark silently nodded, not wanting to say a word on the delicate situation.

“Don’t you want to know what happened?”

“It’s none of my business.” He told you, sympathetic to your situation.

“He slept with my sister.” You said bluntly, chugging another sip of your beer.

Mark’s eyes widened. “What?!”

“Last year around this time, we decided to take a break. He ran into my sister at a bar and they got wasted and slept together.” You explained. “We ended up getting back together a week later, and then two months later he proposed.”

So that’s why your fiancé has called it a technicality, you had been on a break.

“That’s… heavy.” he struggled to find the words.

“Yeah.” you snorted. “Happy fucking holidays to me!”

Noticing your misery, Mark decided to keep quiet and have another bite of the pizza.

“So what are your Christmas plans?” You asked.

“Well my mom has been begging me to come home but…” Mark trailed off, suddenly remembering his little problem.

“But what?”

“Well, we only found out we had a break a couple of days ago. We were supposed to have a schedule and it got cancelled.”

“And?”

“Well before that, I kind of, sort of, lied and told my mom I was seeing someone.”

You sat back in your seat, still clutching your almost empty beer bottle and laughing. “Nice.”

“I’m glad you find this funny.” Mark rolled his eyes. “What are you doing?”

“Me? Well I’m sure as fuck not going home.” You said.

“Understandable.” He conceded. “But you’ll be all alone for Christmas,”

“I don’t care. Maybe it’s for the best.”

You got up from the table and headed to the pizza box for another slice.

Watching you, it felt like lightning had struck Mark when he jumped out of his seat.

“Y/N, I have an idea. One that can solve both of our problems.” Mark proposed carefully. “Hear me out.”

You turned around to see Mark walking towards you. “Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“It’s brilliant really.” He started. “Truly, one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.”

“Spit it out!” You said, unable to take the anticipation.

“You should come home with me for Christmas as my girlfriend!”

Your eyes almost popped out of their sockets. “Excuse me?!”

“My fake girlfriend,” he clarified. “That way I can bring someone home, and you can spend the holidays with my family.”

“You’re insane, you know that?” You told him. “Pretending to be your girlfriend? That’s insane!”

“It’s not that crazy.” Mark attempted to ration, “You work in PR don’t you? Think of this as some PR for me, with my family.”

“Those things are not even the slightest bit related and you know it.” You rolled your eyes.

“What about the fact that you don’t want to be with your family for the holidays? You should just come with me and be with mine! No one should be alone on Christmas.”

“I don’t even know you,” you pointed out the obvious. “This is the first time we’ve ever really hung out.”

“Look, just think about it.” Mark said. “You don’t have to give me an answer right now.”

“I’m not thinking about it, the answer is no.” You replied firmly.

“Okay, okay.” He said with his hands up. “It’s getting late anyway, I should get back to my place.”

Mark called for Milo and grabbed the leash off the table. Before he left your apartment he turned back to face you, “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”

He then shut the door behind him, leaving you with your pizza and very interesting proposition to consider.

+++

“What are you doing here?” You crossed your arms. “I’m pretty sure I made it clear, we’re done.”

Your ex-fiancé pried your hand out and held it in his.

“Come on babe, it was a mistake. You can forgive me for one thing can’t you?”

You slipped your hand out of his. “Not when the one thing you did was sleep with my sister.”

“We were on a break!” He exclaimed. “It was one time. A momentary lapse of judgement.”

“You know what? It’s not even the fact that you slept with someone at all. You’re right, technically we were broken up. The thing that hurts the most is the fact that of all the women in the world you had to sleep with my sister and then lie to me about it for a whole year!” You told him off.

“So we can go to couples therapy! We can work through this. We were both wrong-“

You raised an eyebrow.

“I was wrong.” He corrected himself. “Besides you don’t want to be alone for Christmas do you?”

That was the thing that set you off. Unable to control your outburst, you spoke the the first thing that came to mind, “I’m not going to be alone.”

“You’re going home?” Your fiancé raised an eyebrow.

“No, I’m going to this guy’s home… to meet his parents.”

“You’re what?!” He yelled.

“Yeah, you heard me. Technically we’re broken up right?” You reminded him. “So no, I won’t be alone. I’ll be with him.”

“Who is he?” You saw your fiancé’s jaw clench.

“Well, that’s not really your concern now is it? Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to pack.”

“Y/N, wait- We need to-“

You shut the front door, not bothering to listen to him anymore. You watched through the peephole as your fiancé eventually left.

Tiptoeing across the hallway, you knocked on Mark’s door. He was surprised to see you, scratching the back of his neck as he waited for you to say something.

“You still looking for a fake girlfriend?”

chapter one | chapter three

[queenmorgawse]

here we go again

CHAPTER ONE. modern au wangxian ft. family feels, inspired by mamma mia. read on ao3 for end notes.

Wei Yuan's day begins, unusually, with the loud whirring of a landing helicopter.

“Don’t just leave your plate here!” Wen Qing chides, but by the time she pokes her head outside, the boy is already halfway up the hill, shouting back apologies as he crams the last of his toast into his mouth. He stops just short of the landing zone, watching in delight as the helicopter’s rotor blades slow then stop, and three silhouettes emerge from the small dust cloud their arrival created. “Good morning, uncle, auntie! Hi, didi!” he calls, waving his arms in an attempt to clear his sight.

Jin Zixuan, Wei Yuan’s gufu , lifts his sunglasses from his nose and tucks them on his collar before shaking the boy’s hand. “Hello, A-Yuan.”

“Yuanyuan, you’re growing so fast, I can’t catch up anymore!” This is from Wei Yuan’s guma , Jiang Yanli, who’s already thrown her arms around him. He buries his face in her blouse, breathing in the breezy scent of lotuses. She strokes his hair, cooing. “Seriously, you’re getting so tall. You’ll shoot past your dad any minute now!”

“Not that much, auntie,” he protests weakly when she lets him go.

“Pscht. He told me the same thing when he was little, and look how he is now. Ling-er! Come say hi, don’t be rude.”

Jin Ling, Wei Yuan’s favorite (and only) cousin, is still lingering behind his parents, airpods jammed into his ears. He looks up at the sound of his mother’s voice, though, cracks one of his rare smiles, and accepts Wei Yuan’s hug ⎯ which means he stands still enough for Wei Yuan to embrace him, though he jerks away with a muffled protest at the attempt to pat his head.

“Your luggage is already here,” Wei Yuan says, turning back toward his uncle and aunt. “I’ll help carry it to your rooms.” ( Who else could it be? No one brings that many brand name suitcases for a month’s stay, and if they did, they certainly wouldn’t be stacked in the Wei family’s own living room. )

“Thank you, darling, we’ll take care of that,” Jiang Yanli reassures him. “Do you know where your father went? I thought he’d be with you.”

“He’s kind of all over the place these days, with the anniversary coming up.” All over the place is an euphemism ; the list of things to plan seems endless, and as usual, Wei Yuan’s father doesn’t trust anyone but Wen Qing and himself to get things done.

“He’ll get here soon, though! I’m sure he heard you coming!” the boy quickly adds when a worried look crosses his aunt’s face. The entire island probably heard the landing, but then again, given its size, it’s not much of a statement.

Jiang Yanli gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze. “It’s okay, Yuanyuan, we know how it is, we’ll take it from here. We know our way around, don’t we, Zixuan?”

“Of course, of course,” his uncle says, then jerks his chin at Jin Ling. “A-Ling, why don’t you go and catch up with A-Yuan? Weren’t you excited to be here?”

“Don’t tease him, love,” Jiang Yanli chides, her eyes too full of amusement to truly come off as stern. “But yes, you boys go take a walk, stretch your legs a little after the flight. Don’t take too long, though! Come back to say hi to da-jiu, okay?”

“Yes, mama,” Jin Ling mutters at the same time Wei Yuan says “Of course, auntie.” With one last glance to check the adults actually did mean it, they leave Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli to give the last of their instructions to their pilot and run back down the hill, leaving only footprints behind.

---

Wei Yuan has to admire his cousin’s poker face, because Jin Ling morphs into an enthusiastic puppy the moment they’re out of earshot. “So! What’s the super duper mysterious thing you couldn’t even text me about?”

“It’s not that I couldn’t, I wanted to tell you in person!” Wei Yuan protests. They settle in his favorite conversation spot, an old, gnarled tree so sturdy it barely moves at all when the two boys climb into it and find comfortable seats where the thickest of its branches meet.

This is when the first tendrils of what feels suspiciously like stage fright begin to curl in his stomach. Don’t be stupid, Wei Yuan chides himself. It’s too late to take it back anyway! With new resolution, he forces himself to grit out : “I think I know who my other father is.”

Jin Ling gasps, clapping both his hands over his mouth. Wei Yuan can’t tell if he’s genuinely surprised or just being dramatic. “For real?”

“I said I think !”

“Well, you can’t just say that and not follow up! Spit it out!”

“You’ve got to promise you’re not gonna snitch on me. Like, I’ll be grounded for life if you do,” Wei Yuan insists.

“Pinky promise.” They both have to lean a dangerous way out of their seats to lace their fingers together, but Wei Yuan does feel a little more reassured when Jin Ling lets go.

“Okay, so,” he starts again, clearing his throat. “We were spring cleaning last year, so I was in charge of doing the attic because Dad said the rest was too messy and he’d do it himself, and I found this box with old sketches in it. I’m not gonna show you, though, it’s pretty private.”

“But you went through them,” Jin Ling points out. “That’s not very private.”

Wei Yuan flushes. “I didn’t know what they were at first! You know how dad is, he doodles all the time and leaves it all over the house.” He spares a thought for eleven-year-old Wei Yuan, who sincerely thought this was just another batch of his father’s mindless drawings. “Okay, get this, I was just sorting through the boxes because auntie A-Qing wanted to clear the space, so I had to throw things out⎯”

---

Wei Yuan blows a layer of dust off an ancient-looking wooden box and immediately chokes, waving his free hand in front of his face in an effort to clear the air. He gives it an experimental rattle, then, when the contents barely make a sound, spends a solid five minutes digging his nails into the hair-thin line that runs across it before he successfully pries it open.

He only barely keeps the dozens of stacked-up sheets from spilling onto the floor. As things are, most of them fall into his lap. Picking one up at random, Wei Yuan immediately recognizes the style. There, in pencil and charcoal, are the same bold strokes his father puts to paper every other day. He would know better than most ; the protagonists of his childhood stories still decorate the walls of his bedroom, lovingly preserved in hand-painted frames.

But while Wei Yuan's collection is a motley group of characters as different from one another as father and son could make them, all these drawings represent the same person : a young man with long black hair and a face as regal as an ancient god's. As Wei Yuan flips through the sheets, he finds the man looking back at him, bent over a book with glasses perched on his nose, tying his hair back with a cloud-patterned ribbon — even one in which he stares straight at the artist, his smile soft and lovely. Wei Yuan looks at that one for a long time before mustering the will to put it away.

Just behind it, he finds the letter.

He can instantly tell if wasn’t written by his father. There’s no trace of Wei Ying’s messy scrawl here, only script so neat it could have been typewritten. He quickly skims through it and⎯

“I can’t read that,” Wei Yuan moans, quickly shoving it in between the sketches again.

He almost wishes it was something saucy. Instead, it feels like peering into the depths of someone’s heart, so intimate he feels like slamming a non-existent door shut and leaving the words to their business.

( He can still see them in his mind. The sun rises in my chest every time I see you. I never want to look away. )

There’s a signature. There, in elegant cursive, is the name Lan Zhan.

“A-Yuan, lunch’s ready!” his father calls from downstairs. Wei Yuan trips to hide the box behind his back before the man in question pokes his head through the hatch, hair full of rogue dust bunnies and sporting a lopsided grin. “C’mon, I made sandwiches.”

When the boy eyes him warily, Wei Ying rolls his eyes. “There’s no pepper in them, I promise. Come down before your auntie gets impatient, though.”

“I’ll be there in a minute, I just want to finish this pile!” Wei Yuan croaks.

“One minute.” Despite the ultimatum, his father winks at him and disappears again. Wei Yuan waits for the sound of his footsteps to fade to let out a sigh of relief.

The box’s content seem to stare back at him. Feeling only slightly guilty, he takes the letter out again and carefully folds it, stuffing it into his pocket before scrambling down the ladder.

---

It’s an entire afternoon of chores before Wei Yuan can excuse himself from the dinner table and climbs the stairs to uncle Wen Ning’s desk two steps at the time, making sure to shut the door behind him before he turns the computer on.

Lan Zhan , he types. The half-second the search results take to load seems to last eternally. His hand almost slips clicking on the top link, a Wikipedia article.

Lan Zhan, courtesy name Lan Wangji, born January 23 1984 in Gusu, China, is a celebrated singer and songwriter. His most successful single, Inquiry , was sold at more than…

Wei Yuan's eyes derail from the text, distracted by the article's picture. There, pale golden eyes glancing away from the camera, is the man from the sketches — older, perhaps, but more than recognizable in his otherworldly beauty.

His heart rate picks up, drumming in his chest. It's him. It's really him. Dad knew this guy. Dad liked him so much he drew him over and over again.

Just like that, Wei Yuan's enthusiasm deflates like a popped balloon.

His father has never shied away from the extravagant tales of his when-I-was-younger shenanigans, as embarrassing as they can get. If he knew someone so famous - no, if he was in love with him, Wei Yuan corrects himself, remembering the letter's gentle words -, wouldn't he have at least mentioned it?

This is how Wei Yuan’s life has always been : to the million-dollar question ( who’s my other dad? ), he’s always received the same answer, be it from his uncles or his aunts.

I don’t know, A-Yuan. Maybe you should ask your father instead.

That, of course, is an inevitable dead end. Wei Ying will ruffle his hair, maybe drop a casual can’t remember, baby, and change the subject. At this point, Wei Yuan has pretty much resigned himself never to get a straight answer from his father.

The screen in front of him seems like an ancient tome holding all the answers he’s looking for, if only he’ll bother to decipher them.

His eyes drift to a cloud-shaped logo, curling around an elegant character he recognizes as the Lan of Lan Wangji’s name. Cloud Recesses Entertainment, Wei Yuan reads. After a long moment spent staring at the computer, he grabs the nearest notepad, tears a page out of it and starts to scroll down the page.

---

“So, let me get this straight,” Jin Ling says slowly. “You found the guy you think is your dad, looked up his family's company, read their entire website, made a new email to write to them like you were an actual advertiser for the hotel and now they're having their company holidays here ?”

When put like that, it certainly sounds more convoluted (and borderline crazy) than Wei Yuan intended it to be. “...Yes?”

“And you couldn’t just invite him personally? Like a normal person?”

“ No! First, I probably wouldn’t even get past his fan mail. Second, what was I supposed to tell him? ‘Hi, I know you and my dad were in love before I was born because I looked through his stuff, and I’d like to know if you’re maybe my father too’? I’d die before I managed to send that!” He pauses to catch his breath. “Maybe he doesn’t even remember dad! Would you remember someone you met thirteen years ago and then never again?”

“I-I don’t know! Maybe?” Jin Ling splutters. “Anyway, da-jiu is gonna kill you when he finds out. Well, not kill you ‘cause he loves you too much, but you did think about that, right?”

“No! I mean...maybe I'm wrong, and it's just a coincidence. But I think I'll know when I talk to him. If he's not my dad, there's no need to tell him, it'd just be embarrassing.”

“So all of this is relying on a couple drawings and a gut feeling? That's what you're gonna use to explain?”

“Do you have a better suggestion?”

Jin Ling throws his hands up. “Really? You masterminded this whole thing and this is where you’re stumped?”

“I tried, okay?” Wei Yuan protests weakly. “Besides, dad’s gonna be so busy with your mom and shushu coming over. Maybe he won’t notice for a while, I can work something out in the meantime…”

“When’s that guy supposed to get here?”

Wei Yuan squints, trying to conjure up the schedule he scribbled in-between some chemistry notes. “Tomorrow, I’m pretty sure. I don’t have to worry about it right now, I guess.”

“More time to plan for your funeral, then.”

“Hilarious, I’m dying of laughter over here,” Wei Yuan deadpans back. “For real, you can’t tell anyone, okay? Not even your mom and dad,” he adds when Jin Ling opens his mouth again.

“Fine!” Though his cousin is wearing his usual pout again, he can tell the message went through alright. “Can we get ice cream now? It’s so hot on your stupid island.”

Wei Yuan stifles a smile, beckoning the other to get up. “Sure. Dad tried his hand at some mulberry thing, it’s pretty good, actually…”

---

“Jiang Cheng! Hey, Jiang Cheng!”

Some of the locals hide an indulgent smile behind their hands as a silhouette in jean overalls runs down the pier, skillfully avoiding crashing into tourists.

At the other end of the wooden boards, Jiang Cheng runs a hand down his face. The person behind him shakes silently, as if trying to repress a giggle and failing.

Wei Ying stops in front of the couple, beaming, before holding out his arms. Despite his apparent exasperation, Jiang Cheng steps into the hug all the same, though his expression turns long-suffering when his brother gives his back a vigorous rub.

As Wei Ying pulls away, his eyes drift to the other figure and immediately crinkle at the corners. “Huaisang! So you’re the mysterious plus one! What was it like riding the ferry like the rest of us?”

“Exotic,” Nie Huaisang sighs, which sends both of them into a fit of hysterics.

A few feet away, someone whispers, “Wait, Huaisang as in Nie Huaisang ? From the Untamed?”

“Yeah, but no pics, please!” Wei Ying chirps at the tittering tourists. “Leave my guy some privacy, he’s on holidays!”

“He’s not that worried about privacy,” Jiang Cheng grumbles. “I had to stop him from posting about us on every available account he has for three months.”

Wei Ying gapes. “Three months? You’ve been together for three months and you didn’t tell me about it? Jiang Cheng,” he sighs, pressing a hand to his heart as if covering a mortal wound, “I thought you were my brother.”

“He was hiding it from you in particular,” Nie Huaisang oh-so-helpfully points out, then snaps his fan open. “Said you couldn’t be trusted to keep it on the down low.” Wei Ying has the distinct impression he’s concealing a shit-eating grin.

“I’ve been mortally wounded,” Wei Ying moans, and dramatically collapses into Jiang Cheng’s arms, who pushes him back upright while swearing under his breath.

The episode might have turned into a small brawl right there on the pier, if not for Nie Huaisang’s T-shirt.

“Oh my God, you still have it!” Wei Ying all but squeals, grabbing the other man by the shoulders and pulling away his fan to inspect his outfit. “It's the original logo, right?”

Nie Huaisang proudly tugs on the lapels of his sheer jacket to show off the shirt beneath. “The one I drew in professor Hua's class? Yup.”

Wei Ying heaves a sigh, running his fingers over each ray of the sun-shaped logo. Suddenly, he’s back in college, and Nie Huaisang just texted him a rough sketch of their band’s design, oblivious to his art professor’s shadow over his shoulder. “Holy shit, I miss Sunshot. Remember that stunt we pulled at graduation?”

“My brother was on my ass about it for a whole year after  that,” Nie Huaisang shrugs, then snaps his fingers. “It was so worth it, though.”

“Right? Jiang Cheng, aren’t you mad you didn’t do it with us?”

The interested party crosses his arms, glare barely suppressing the smile tugging at his mouth. “Making a show of yourselves like that? No.”

“Your loss, didi.”

Nie Huaisang snickers. “Don’t listen to him, he brought the shirt too.”

“I’ve had enough of you two,” Jiang Cheng gripes. “Is A-Jie here already? I miss having someone sensible around.”

“She and the peacock arrived this morning.” Wei Wuxian stretches languidly, shooting his brother a wide grin. “I’d come and hang out, but I’ve got some murals to redo before the next group gets here and they’re not gonna paint themselves.”

Jiang Cheng mutters something that sounds a suspicious lot like good riddance , but doesn’t pull away when Wei Ying loops an arm around his shoulders. “I missed you, though! Facetime’s not the same, you know?”

His brother seems to brace himself, taking a deep breath before speaking again. “Mom and Dad want you over for Christmas. You and A-Yuan. We can see each other then.”

Slowly, Wei Ying untangles himself from their half-embrace. “They do?” The unspoken question hangs between them : even Mom ?

“Yeah. They’ll probably call you themselves, but I thought I’d give you a heads up.”

Wei Ying’s heart feels warmer than before. In a characteristic display of older sibling assholishness, he ignores the soft, marshmallow-y fondness and reaches for Jiang Cheng to ruffle his hair. “Aww! Thanks, A-Cheng, that’s so sweet of you.”

“How do I ever put up with you?”

Nie Huaisang’s voice snaps them both back into reality. The actor waves his fan at them, smile playing at his lips. “Very tender, heartwarming, yadda yadda. Can we do this somewhere with AC, though? I’m sweating bullets here.”

“Alright, alright, can’t make the superstar wait! Gimme that.” Wei Ying barely waits for assent before grabbing Nie Huaisang’s suitcases, wincing at their weight before pulling them up the slope and toward his car.

“What about me?” Jiang Cheng asks as he readjusts his grip on his own luggage and follows suit.

Wei Ying barely turns back. “What about you? You know the way, didi, carry it yourself.”

“You -”

Jiang Cheng’s outraged protests and his companions’ laughter seems to linger long after the jeep has left nothing but dust in its wake.

Three months ago

The telephone rings, shrill and ears-piercing. Wen Ning picks it up almost as second nature, mechanically bringing it to his ear as he flips through their latest batch of flyers. “Lotus Pier Resort, what can I do for you?”

A few awkward seconds of silence pass. He pats around his desk for a pen, drops it to the floor, and attempts to maintain a more-or-less steady voice as he crawls around on the carpet to find it again. “Ah, yes. Your flight got delayed? By how long?”

The scritch of his newly-retrieved pen on the nearest post-it. “If we can change your reservation? Um...it’s half a day, I’ll see what I can do. If necessary, will you mind different arrangements for the time being? I’ll talk to other hotels in the area, but I don’t think it’ll come to that...”

A pause.

“Okay, to confirm, this is Luo Qingyang, calling for Cloud Recesses Entertainment…?”

Present days  

Wei Ying wipes his forehead, further smearing green acrylic across his face. He’s been at it all day since dropping off Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang in their room, but at least the mural is nearly done. The couple’s features are nothing special, but he likes to think he did a good job at depicting their emotions. One of the silhouettes smiles wide and contagious at the other, half-turning back with their hand held out.

It took him the better part of the afternoon just to paint the field of flowers they’re standing in, though. Even after more than a decade on this island, the heat’s still making him melt on the daily. Just a few more details , he tells himself, then I can go get myself a fresh drink.

The chatter of new guests making their way up to the lobby makes his head turn. Oh right, the group’s arriving today. They really do look like rich tourists, in their all-white outfits and⎯

Wait.

Wei Ying swallows thickly. This stirs up memories of another figure in white, which doesn’t hurt any less, even after thirteen-odd years.

It’s just a coincidence. Normal company-organized holidays, Wen Qing said. Nothing to worry about.

He looks again, and meets the gaze of the man at the forefront of the group. The other’s eyes (molten gold, bright as sunlight and most of all familiar ) widen ever so slightly, and Wei Ying almost falls off the ladder.

He catches himself just in time, sweaty and paint-slicked palms slipping on the rails, and resists the urge to let go again just to hide his face in his hands.

This is the worst. God, why him of all people?

Why, of all guests getting on and off the island all summer - as they have for years -, did it have to be Lan Zhan ?

[eldritchteletubbie]

Miss Katherine Martin

It should have been a dark and stormy night. The kind of night where trees rattle against windows, where neither the stars nor the moon can be seen. Instead the sky was clear. The moon full, casting ghostly shadows on the garden shed, turning the lake to glass. The only sounds were the wind’s whispered warnings. Before a single shot rang out, then a scream.

A young man tore out of the door, into the night, he could see his breath, his bare skin prickling. He held his right arm, blood seeping between his fingertips, his eyes darted about, searching for anything that could help him. He caught a glimpse of his red F150, the moonlight danced across its hood. “Philip, come on honey, one bullet to the head and it’s over. Won’t hurt none. I bet your arm hurts real bad now don’t it?” The voice was sweet, almost patronising but it cut through the air like a knife. Philip yanked at the door handle, another shot rang out, shattering the glass by his head. Philip let out a strangled cry. “It’s no use honey, you’re already dead.” Scarlet lips curved playfully. It had never been like this before. Always over so soon, never been a hunt before.

Philip reached through the broken window, not caring about the deep cuts now littering his left arm. He unlocked the door and scrambled into the driver’s seat. Keys keys keys, where the hell were they? He found the keys, ramming them into the ignition. The truck rumbled to life. Bang! The tire was shot. 

“Shame,” Philip heard a click as the gun was reloaded. “I did have fun tonight honey.”

In a small booth at the back of the dinner sat a man, puffing on a rather large cigar as his coffee (black, no sugar), cooled in front of him. Detective Frank Jones, a bony man with a thick grey mustache, thinning hair and great bushy eyebrows almost covering his icy blue eyes. “You’re late.” Jones addressed the tall, good looking man approaching. 

“Relax Jones, I’m sure you’ve already got this sorted. It’s like I don’t even have to work with you around.” 

“Well,” grumbled Frank taking a large leather briefcase from underneath the table, “we aren’t so sure this time.” He opened the briefcase with a loud snap and pulled out a depressingly thin file. 

“Wha-is that... is that all you’ve got?” Said Jennings, the cocksure smile fading fast.

“Afraid so.” The file was only five pages, one for each victim and one with a few short notes scrawled at the top. 

Mr John McGregor: 

Age: 28. 

Location: Dallas, Texas.

Date: 5th January 1953.

Method of death: Shot once in the head.

Spected murder weapon: 25 ACP baby browning.

Found by his wife Mary, dead in his bed stripped naked. Neighbours report Mr McGregor was seen arriving home at 3am the morning he was found with a young lady he was believed to be having an affair with.

Suspects: Mary McGregor (wife), Dougal Davies (neighbour and known rival).

The victims profiles were mostly the same as John McGregors. All found in the same state, all middle age, attractive men, all shot with the same type of gun, execution style. All within the last two months.

“You think these are connected?” Frowned Jennings, plucking the cigar from Jones’s fingers, taking a long drag.

“If I didn’t I wouldn’t be showing you them together, would I?”

“Alright, calm down. What makes you think they’re connected?”

“The weapon.”

“Jones,” sighed Jennings placing his head in his hands, “you realise that’s a damn popular gun there. They probably don’t have anything to do with each other.”

“We have an interview to get to Jennings, Miss Katherine Martin.” Jones slid a small picture of a very pretty young woman with a coy smile. 

“Wouldn’t mind investigating this fine lady,” smirked Jennings. Jones snatched away the photo, placed the files in his briefcase and snapped it shut.

“Focus Jennings, she’s a suspect not one of your wantin’ harlots.”

Katherine Martin was a good actress. She knew she should smile, give a little giggle perhaps twirl a golden curl while batting her eyelashes. The detectives would buy it wholesale. There was nothing that could link her to Philip Roger’s death. The gun was safely strapped to her thigh. The nightgown she had been wearing had been properly destroyed minutes after Philip's death. It really was a shame she’s had to kill him. He was a decent lover, well financed too. But a woman can never be too careful, never know what a man may spill. Philip had given her a taste of something she didn’t know she wanted. A chase. All her other lovers were dead, yes. But Philip? Philip had made it so much more thrilling.

There was a sharp knock at the door, jolting Katherine away from her thoughts. She smoothed down her golden curls. In stepped an older man, a large cigar drooping from his lips, and behind him a very tall man with pitch hair swept to one side. He eyed her playfully, cool grey eyes meeting hers. “Good evening Detective Jones, Detective Jennings.”

“Please Miss, call me George.” He smiled, showing perfect teeth. He took her hand in his, and raised it to his lips, delicately kissing it.

“Alright you two, stop flirting and lets get down to business.” Snapped Jones, fixing his partner with his icy stare. “Where were you the night Philip Roger was killed?”

“I was right here detective. I’ve been sewing some clothes for my sister Anne, she’s having a baby see?”

“And why did you go to the lake house?”

“Philip and I have been friends for a long time, he wanted to take me out on the lake that day.” Katherine paused, pulling a handkerchief with a lace trimming from her pocket, making a show out of dabbing her eyes.

“It’s alright Miss.” George placed a hand on her shoulder, buying her little sharade entirely. “If you can’t go in today perhaps this we can continue tomorrow?”

Katherine sniffed, composing herself. “I think that would be best thank you.” Jennings glared at George before leaving, muttering under his breath all the while. “George,” she called before he would leave, “You think you could help comfort me?” Her scarlet lips in a sultry pout. 

George grinned, “I think I can do that darlin’.” 

It is unclear when George Jenning’s fate was sealed. Perhaps it was at the very moment he decided to stay with Miss Katherine Martin.

[fanficsofmine]

Equivalent Exchange - Chapter 2

Plot: Amara’s best friend, Kim Junmyeon and her boyfriend, Jeon Wonwoo, despised each other. She always assumed that it was because Junmyeon had become a very skilled Alchemist, and Wonwoo had always seemed against that… but is there more behind this feud that she wasn’t ready to learn?Characters: Kim Junmyeon, Amara Archemides (OC), Jeon Wonwoo

Word Count: 2,591

A/N: Almost smut? But not?

Chapter 1

When Junmyeon arrived at Amara’s house again, it was dark outside. He didn’t even bother knocking, but threw the front door open. He heard Amara yell, “in the study!” from down the hallway, and followed her voice. He walked in to see her standing in the middle of the room, holding a little book. She handed it to him without a word. Her eyes were wide. The moment Junmyeon saw the cover of the book, he gasped.

"This is--" He clamped his mouth shut before he could spill anything dire. Amara stared at him expectantly. She'd called him for answers anyway. “May I?” he asked softly, not wanting to invade her boundaries. She nodded and he opened the cover of the book. In a hand written script on the inside cover it said: “Property of Edward A. Archimedes - The Air Alchemist.”

“Amara, your father was a State Alchemist?”

The question hit her like a wall of bricks. She had lived with an alchemist all along? How had she not known? Surely there had to have been signs. Anything that should have alerted her to what was going on in her own home.

“It looks like he started this about six years before you were born." He flipped through the first few pages, recognizing words and recipes. He pursed his lips together, and said, "Amara… If you read this, you might find out things about your dad that you don’t want to know.” She reached for it without hesitation, but did not open it. Instead Amara looked up at Junmyeon.

“Why did you answer when I called?”

He looked at her, confused. “What does that have to do with anything right now?”

“It just… it's important.” Amara set the journal down and looked back at him. She asked again, “why did you answer when I called?”

Junmyeon stepped up to her. “You’re my best friend, dummy. I’ll always answer when you call.” He was close enough to her that he reached out and cupped her cheek. He rubbed his thumb over a streak in her makeup where she had been crying earlier. His other hand rested on her other cheek and he used it to lift her face up to look at him.

“And because Wonwoo is right,” he whispered, “I’m so in love with you it’s crazy. I will never not answer when you call.” With those words, he finally kissed her. Years of yearning poured out into this one moment and he kissed her with everything that he had.

Amara kissed him back. Her hands flew around his neck and she pulled him closer. His hands wrapped around her waist, embracing her fully. She pulls him backward until her legs landed against her father’s desk, and Junmyeon wasted no time in lifting her and setting her on the desk. He used his body to spread her thighs apart and stood in between them. This was hardly the time nor the place for this, but he was not about to let a moment pass where he could finally physically show her what she meant to him.

He leaned down and placed aggressive kisses along her neck line and ripped the shirt she was wearing open, buttons popping everywhere along the floor.

“You owe me a new shirt.” She teased him between moans.

“I’ll make you a new one.” He nipped back.

“Alchemy can’t be that resourceful or everyone would be out of jobs.” Junmyeon stopped reaching for the button on her jeans.

“Are we going to talk about alchemy’s effects on the economy or are you going to let me make you cum?”

His blunt words only fueled her want for him more. Amara pretended to zip her lips closed as she leaned back and let him remove her pants from her body. He took his shirt and jeans off quickly before stopping to admire her. There she sat, in nothing more than her bra and panties. Junmyeon ran his fingers over the skin at her chest. She was as soft and beautiful as he had always imagined. His hand moved to rest on her chin as he pulled her closer for a softer, more sensual kiss.

“Please?” Amara finally whispered against his lips. Junmyeon was happy to oblige. He went to take off her underwear, but something caught his attention. It was a red mark peeking over the top of the fabric at her hip bone.

“You have a tattoo?” He didn’t remember her ever mentioning that she had gotten one, and that would have definitely been something that he remembered.

“Oh, that. I dunno. I’ve had it for as long as I can remember. I used to tell my dad I had a funny ‘lizard eating his tail stamp’ and he would laugh and tell me I was crazy.” Amara shrugged, pulling Junmyeon's face in close again. But this time, he resisted.

“Lizard eating his tail.” He repeated the words and his heart stopped as he did. He quickly moved the fabric over, and his worst fears were confirmed. “An Ouroboros.” he gasped. Leaving Amara confused, horny, and mostly naked, he scrambled for the journal on the other end of the desk and flipped to the first page.

“January 24, 1984.

Elise told me today that she wishes to have a child. I have been so busy these days that I had not even considered the thought of a family. The longer I thought about it, however, the longer I loved the idea of a little one running around. Who knows? Maybe one day, I would be able to teach him or her alchemy! What fun that would be!”

Junmyeon flipped a few more pages until something jumped out at him.

“September 9, 1988.

Elise can’t conceive. Four years of trying and we have recently found out that her body is incapable of creating life. She is so devastated. I’m not sure what to do anymore. I’m heartbroken, although I cannot even begin to comprehend the hurt that she is experiencing.”

I have to find a solution. I have to find a way to give her a child of her own.

I’m so desperate to help her. I even considered the ultimate taboo. Although, with the legend of the Elric Brothers still being the warning against it, I’m honestly too afraid to even attempt human transmutation. I don’t know if that story is real or not, but if it is, the horrors are too drastic to try.”

“Who are the Elric Brothers?” Amara made him jump, forgetting that she was there.

“Uhh, they're...uhh." He sputtered, half distracted by her still naked body, and the fact that she was...she was...

"They’re supposedly two of the strongest alchemists to ever live. The story goes that they attempted to bring their mother back to life as kids. One lost his arm, and the other lost his body completely. His brother bonded his soul to a suit of armor until they were able to exchange their power for his body back.” Junmyeon glanced at Amara, a new hesitation in his eyes that she had never seen before. “They fought through hell and high water to get his body back. They fought against the first ever recorded Homunculi.” He watched her face for a reaction, but received none other than confusion.

“What the hell is a ‘Homunculi?’” She asked, and Junmyeon sighed.

“They’re fake humans, essentially.”

“Okay. So? Why exactly are you not kissing me? Why did my birthmark make you lose your god damn mind?”

“Just please," He begged, knowing that he could possibly be giving up everything he ever wanted with her, "give me a minute to prove myself wrong.”

“January 11, 1989.

I have obtained the help of a neighbor boy as an apprentice. The boy was in his yard, and he was showing some amazing alchemy for only being three years old. I promised to train him in return for his assistance and silence. A little boy watched me create fire with my hands. He was willing to agree to anything. “

“February 19, 1989.

I have figured it out. It’s happened. I have figured out how to create a Philosopher's Stone. Although I refuse to write it down in hopes that, should anybody find this journal. Whether it be my apprentice or my future, (hopeful) child, I can’t have anybody knowing any of the dark secrets behind it. Along with the means necessary to create a stone, I have also obtained the knowledge that, one day, I will have a child. I will. I will make Elise happy.”

“June 1, 1989.

I have taken the first step toward creating the stone. It was difficult. I can only hope that the end will justify the means to get there.”

“Dammit.” Junmyeon whispered. He closed the book and pressed it against his head. He looked at Amara who looked beyond lost.  He knew that she didn't know what any of this meant, and that made it even worse. His heart shattered the more that he read. “The way to create a Philosopher’s Stone remains unknown to almost the entire alchemic community. It would give someone too much power. They've been known to be the heart of the Homunculi, and gives them life and abilities when they aren’t even actual people. They look like us. They breathe like us. But they're not human.”

“Okay? And?" She sighed, knowing there was no was he was going to make her cum now.

“To create a Philosopher's Stone, Amara, you have to--” Junmyeon hesitated and took a deep breath, “you have to kill people. You have to kill a lot of people.” For a tense moment, they just looked at each other; her figuring she should put on a shirt, and he not daring to even breath. Amara wanted to ask more questions, but, instead said,

“Keep reading.” Junmyeon nodded, flipping several pages forward.

“December 21, 1989.

I think that it’s time. My apprentice, though just a young child, has been working so hard to understand alchemy. His powers are years beyond his age, and I genuinely believe that he will be able to help me complete this task. We are on the verge of success. I can feel it. Soon, we will hold a beautiful baby in our arms.”

“March 7, 1990.

She’s here. She is really, genuinely here. A heart of stone, but a smile so beautiful.

I gave it all up. I surrendered my alchemy over so that she could become and grow like a normal baby. She will experience a full life. She’ll take first steps and she will speak first words. My beautiful daughter will make her mother so happy.

I will never tell her who or what she really is. I can’t. Although the sacrifice to create her would show her just how fully loved and wanted she really was, I don’t know that she could ever really live knowing she was a homunculus. She never needs to know. I can not wait to present her to my wife. This beautiful, stunning, baby girl.

My Amara.”

Junmyeon’s heart sank.

Amara’s would have too, had her's been real. There were no words exchanged. They sat and stared at each other for a very, very long time. What were they supposed to do with this information?

As the shock wore thin, the doubt set in, and Amara snatch the book from Junmyeon's hands, tearing it open to read the words.

"This is some kind of stupid joke." She muttered as she flipped through the pages. Detailed accounts of her creation, her natal charts, and records. "No, no, no, no...I had a mother!" She angrily shook the book at Junmyeon, like she was trying to convince him, like he wasn't looking at her in horror.

"No, Amara...you didn't." He whispered.

"This is just some stupid--" She started to yell again, but he caught the book in her hand.

"Some stupid what? If it's a prank, who pulled it? If it's a lie, why would your father have written it? God this is all my fault..." He ran his fingers through his hair angrily.

"How is this your fault!" She snapped, and even when she was looking for every reason not to believe...it would never be his fault.

"If you hadn't caught me using alchemy, you never would have known what the book was. You could have lived in peace." He stood and started to pace the length of the study in his boxers. The truth was sinking in the longer the refused to look at her. Her world was falling apart all over again.

"...lived?" She whispered, and his eyes whipped to hers. Amara wasn’t real. Well, she was. But she wasn’t. She'd never lived. “I’m not real.”

There was a sound of clapping from the doorway, and both Amara and Junmyeon jumped at the sight of Wonwoo standing there, applauding softly.

“I wondered if I would find you two fucking when I saw Junmyeon’s car in the driveway,” he started, “but this is even better."

"Wonwoo...this...isn't what it looks like--" Amara tried to form a sentence, but his eyes were too menacing for her to think of a decent lie. He scoffed at her attempt and pushed off the door. "It's not? Are you sure? Because it looks like a state alchemist in training finding out the love of his life is the exact thing he dedicated his life to destroying." Junmyeon’s brow furrowed as he tried to piece together everything Wonwoo was saying.

“Wait. How the hell do you know what a Homunculus is?”

“I’m kind of glad that all of this is out in the open,” Wonwoo said, ignoring Junmyeon's question. “It was exhausting having to hide the truth.” He snapped his fingers, and the top layer of skin on Amara's hands began to burn away. She cried out when, under the skin that she was convinced was real, there were two thick black transmutation circles tattooed on her flesh.

Her world started to spin as she stared at them, with a kind of detached confusion. Those weren't her hands, were they? This wasn't her reality was it? None of this seemed real! All of this was too much. Wonwoo was an alchemist?

“I learned alchemy under your father, Amara. He took me in when my own deadbeat dad was too busy being piss drunk on the couch. He was actually the first soul that we took to create yours. Funny how the circle of life works, isn’t it?

“Anyway- when your dad died, he left you to me. He couldn’t stand to imagine his creation be left alone without somebody to care for. He had given me everything. It only seemed fair that I take you in and that I abide by his wishes. He didn’t want you to know about Alchemy, so I hid it. It’s why it was such a big deal when Junmyeon here started his. I was afraid that it would trigger something inside of you that would activate your powers. The good news is that it seems as though yours won’t show up since it’s been so long without them.”

Wonwoo rolled up his sleeves and sighed. “Now, though, I have to kill Junmyeon for knowing too much. It’s going to get messy, Amara. Go to our room so that you don’t have to watch this. I’ll come upstairs and we can talk about where we go from here.”

Sneering, Amara stepped in front of Junmyeon. “I won’t let you kill him.”

[diaspora9ja]

Following the science: the writers who have made sense of Covid | Books

This yr has had the makings of an epic saga: a monstrous illness that took over the world, killing the oldest, poorest and most susceptible, imprisoning the inhabitants in lockdown – and the heroic scientists who battled day and night time to create a miracle vaccine to defeat it. Books are already being written about their quest, and we’ll rush to learn them, hoping to know extra about this horrible pandemic and the way it was ended.

It has been a unprecedented yr to be a science author, watching the previously area of interest topics of epidemiology, virology and immunology take centre stage – a bit like the way it have to be for constitutional legislation consultants when a brand new Brexit element is introduced. Out of the blue, being a scientist – and writing about science – was extra fascinating to the general public than making motion pictures or enjoying soccer (particularly when neither of those was allowed). The scramble to get a grip on this invisible world killer was all-consuming, and writers rose to the problem, producing reams of protection: the illness was solely formally named extreme acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-CoV-2) on 11 February; by June, the primary guide on it had been printed.

To present a flavour of the preliminary tempo of change, on 19 January, I used to be a part of a panel “reading the papers” for BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House programme, and I picked out a story in the Observer a couple of new Sars-like virus in China that was thought to have affected about 1,700 individuals. I proposed that we should always take the specter of this illness significantly, however my two fellow panellists advisable “wholesome scepticism”, saying scientists had been “overreacting” and that they had been “exhausted by subsequent plague tales”. We had been all about to get way more exhausted.

Quick ahead a month, and I used to be talking on the identical literary event as a palliative care physician and a mathematical modeller from the London Faculty of Hygiene & Tropical Drugs, Adam Kucharski, who was giving a speak about his new guide The Rules of Contagion. His presentation concerned graphs exhibiting exponential an infection charges and equations explaining R values. Watching it, I felt just a little pity for him – it was fascinating to me, particularly given the UK had skilled three instances of the brand new coronavirus, however who else right here would have the slightest curiosity in R values?

Nicely, everyone knows how that panned out. Simply a few weeks later, a mum or dad approached me within the playground as I dropped my children off for varsity, chatting about “the R quantity”. Two weeks after that, your entire nation was in lockdown. By the way, the palliative care physician on the occasion, Rachel Clarke, grew to become, like Kucharski, a daily on information and present affairs programmes, offering priceless experience because the R worth rose and, with it, the variety of deaths.

A person waits for a practice to reach on at Finsbury Park underground station in London on 31 March, throughout the first lockdown. {Photograph}: Isabel Infantes/AFP by way of Getty Photographs

Because the world shut down, the veteran infectious ailments reporter Debora MacKenzie was gearing up for the most important task of her life. A longtime correspondent for New Scientist journal, MacKenzie has lined all the things from Sars to Mers to Ebola, so her finely tuned antennae picked up indicators way back to 30 December, when she observed a submit on ProMED (the Program for Monitoring Rising Ailments), describing an outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan. Busy internet hosting a full family in her French residence on the outskirts of Geneva, she saved an eye fixed out by means of the vacations, changing into more and more apprehensive. Earlier than January was over, she had predicted the pandemic.

“I used to be the primary journalist to name it,” MacKenzie says, “and after that, I continued near-constant corona reporting: 14 articles by 13 March.” In the meantime, she had been contacted by the literary agent Max Edwards, who instructed she write a “crash guide” concerning the pandemic, which may very well be printed shortly. “On 6 March I despatched Max the pitch; on the seventeenth, I bought the supply from Hachette,” she says. MacKenzie then entered a writing frenzy, working from 7am to midnight for 45 days straight, to provide COVID-19: The Pandemic That Never Should Have Happened, and How to Stop the Next One. “It coincided with lockdown in France, so my husband was doing his job from the kitchen desk. And my daughter was loudly modifying horror movies within the room subsequent to my workplace.”

Simply as MacKenzie was making ready to write down her first guide, in Washington DC the science author Ed Yong was downing instruments. He was in the course of a 10- month sabbatical from his employees job on the Atlantic journal to finish a preferred science guide about how animals sense the world round us. “I’d been following the information about Covid-19, by means of the primary months of the yr, with a rising unease,” Yong says. “I noticed it unfold world wide and I’m a science reporter who has lined pandemics earlier than.”

Adam Rutherford now suffers from lengthy Covid: ‘Once I was at my very worst the ambulance was known as’

By mid March, Yong might wait no extra. He returned to work and shortly established himself as a number one voice on Covid. His first massive article, printed on 25 March, was titled “How the pandemic will end”. “That was a 5,000-word piece that I reported and wrote in a form of 10-day fever-dream,” he says. “It hit at precisely the time when individuals had began going into stay-at-home orders. There was a lot chaos and misinformation that it appeared this was the query that everybody was asking. I bought 1,000 reader emails within the house of a few weeks. Tens of tens of millions of individuals learn the piece.”

Claudia Hammond, who, like all writers, had seen literary engagements cancelled, “ended up engaged on three totally different BBC radio sequence all concerning the virus. In the meantime,” she says, “due to lockdown, and other people being furloughed, my guide The Art of Rest appears to have taken on new resonance for many individuals.”

Like Hammond, Yong and so many science journalists, I too discovered myself writing nearly solely about Sars-CoV-2 – from the social psychology of herd behaviour to the epidemiology of herd immunity, from genetic sequencing to spike protein targets.

Laura Spinney’s 2017 guide concerning the 1918 Spanish flu, Pale Rider shot into bestseller lists in a number of nations. {Photograph}: Steven Could/Alamy Inventory Picture

For Laura Spinney, whose 2017 guide concerning the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, Pale Rider, anticipated the present disaster, this has been a whirlwind of a yr because the guide shot into bestseller lists in a number of nations, and offered new translation rights the world over. Out of the blue, she needed to drop her present guide tasks to focus solely on Covid. “It’s nearly just like the ‘physique scientific’ has been affected with Covid – like our precise our bodies have – placing all its assets into this one large downside,” Spinney says. An unlimited quantity of analysis has been generated this yr, with a shift in direction of preprints and pace, and other people from different specialities specializing in it as a result of it’s so pressing. “That’s been fascinating to observe.”

That is the primary “digital pandemic”, with individuals in a position to watch an infection and demise charges evolve in actual time however, as Spinney factors out, in contrast with the 1918 pandemic, we’re hardly extra educated concerning the epidemiology – figures such because the an infection fatality fee (IFR) – partly as a result of we’re nonetheless within the midst of it. “We want distance from it, to gather and make sense of the information,” she says. “However how can we ever know the way many individuals had been contaminated, say, again in March, when there have been no assessments and even now, assessments should not utterly dependable?” Spinney herself contracted Covid alongside along with her husband in September, and misplaced her sense of odor for 2 weeks, though, like many, she was not examined.

Nothing brings a worldwide pandemic into sharper focus for a author than almost dying from it. Broadcaster Adam Rutherford was selling his guide about racial pseudoscience, How to Argue With a Racist, in mid March, when he began to really feel a bit run down and developed a cough. He known as the BBC to allow them to know that, like his producer and several other others within the Science Unit, he in all probability had Covid and wouldn’t be coming in. The following day, throughout a cellphone interview for the Immediately programme, he advised Martha Kearney that he anticipated to be over it shortly. In actual fact, Rutherford was gravely unwell for weeks, and now suffers from lengthy Covid.

‘I assumed I used to be going to die’ … Adam Rutherford. {Photograph}: Richard Saker/The Observer

“Once I was at my very worst the ambulance was known as,” he says. “I had been remotely identified with bacterial pneumonia, which had worsened as a result of the primary course of antibiotics hadn’t labored. I’d been given a special course, however my oxygen saturation was all the way down to 83 – you get hospitalised when it falls to 90 – so the ambulance was on its manner, however there was a two-hour delay … I assumed I used to be going to die.”

For Rutherford, Covid-19 has been life altering, leaving him not simply with enduring breathlessness and fatigue, however new perception into incapacity. “It makes me assume quite a bit about how there are tens of millions of individuals on the market with a well being situation, whether or not it’s psychological or bodily, or a mix of the 2, which is definitional – one thing that they’ve to consider on a regular basis. And it makes yet another compassionate, extra empathetic, as a result of it’s very simple if you happen to’re wholesome simply to ignore individuals who have well being complaints.”

Many looked for a genetic clarification for the unfold of Covid. “Early on, individuals began speaking a couple of genetic predisposition to an infection, which if it does exist, goes to be insignificant in comparison with the record of recognized socio-economic points,” Rutherford says. “We at all times lean in direction of a brand new sciencey artefact, akin to a genetic clarification, as one thing that we are able to perhaps sort out, as a result of we’re not keen to do the onerous factor, which is to sort out socioeconomic inequity.”

The Covid pandemic has clearly been a much wider story than the science of how a virus infects us, and many people have labored to convey the social, financial and environmental context of this world disaster. Yong describes the pandemic as an “omni disaster”, as a result of it touches each side of our lives. “It was clear from early on that to actually perceive it, I would wish to speak to historians and sociologists, anthropologists, students who perceive incapacity … fairly than simply virologists, epidemiologists and immunologists.”

There’s a motive why the nations which have fared worst with Covid are those led by populist leaders. A pandemic is a fancy downside that impacts – and is a product of – our human system. Populism is a denial of complexity, and populist leaders have tended to look for easy solutions and to spin politically helpful choices as being based mostly on “the science”.

Within the US, the Trump administration brazenly trashed science and the nation’s most outstanding consultants. There, attitudes to Covid divided on political partisan strains, largely pushed by Trump downplaying the dangers. Against this, the UK prime minister declared he was “being led by the science”, and appeared flanked by scientists at day by day press conferences. But Johnson’s authorities more and more ignored the recommendation of its personal scientific advisers. Worse, it exploited the general public belief in scientists to push by means of favoured insurance policies or excuse its actions, together with the unedifying journey of Dominic Cummings, in opposition to which neither the chief scientific adviser nor chief medical officer spoke out. Whereas many different scientists made clear their opposition to authorities insurance policies, “the science” risked changing into more and more politicised and co-opted by public figures with little or no scientific literacy.

Prime minister Boris Johnson alongside chief medical officer Chris Whitty and chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance, at a information convention on Covid-19 on 26 November. {Photograph}: Reuters

There have been fears of a public erosion of belief not simply in authorities but in addition in scientists, simply as belief was most wanted. We’ve seen an increase in conspiracy theories, and for each science author rigorously explaining analysis findings, there was a high-profile commentator opining in opposition to mask-wearing, denying official an infection figures and spreading misinformation.

For somebody like me who has written extensively concerning the local weather disaster over time, this all felt very acquainted: the politicisation of science, the evidence-deniers and so forth. Certainly lots of the identical monetary backers and lobbyists had been concerned. Regardless of all this, public curiosity in science stays robust and, with the bulletins of efficient vaccines, white-coated lab scientists have change into the heroes all of us want. The story of painstaking discovery, and the triumph of consultants, has change into the dominant narrative. After months of distress, there’s a large urge for food for it.

Within the grip of a pandemic winter, we’re nonetheless a good distance from delivering the completely happy ending, however the scientific discoveries made this yr in testing, therapies and now vaccines have been a vindication of the scientific course of, a narrative of worldwide collaboration, selfless willpower and perception in human options. There shall be large numbers of books written about this pandemic, research of politics and economics, memoirs and novels. However look out for the science ones – they’ve the facility to root our drama within the workings of biology, human programs, and the scientific quest to unravel a worldwide disaster. And there have by no means been higher writers to seize this extraordinary story.

• Transcendence: How People Developed By Hearth, Language, Magnificence, and Time by Gaia Vince is out in paperback from Penguin.

The most effective books about Covid

By Mark Honigsbaum

Maybe no commentator has been in larger demand this yr than Adam Kucharski, a illness modeller based mostly on the London Faculty of Hygiene & Tropical Drugs, whose guide The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread – and Why They Stop is an accessible information to the mathematical guidelines that govern the unfold of infectious ailments in populations. Written earlier than the pandemic and printed in February, it makes a convincing case that simply as arithmetic can predict the arc of an epidemic, so it might additionally assist us perceive how social contagions, from monetary panics to vaccine conspiracy theories, “go viral”.

In Covid-19: The Pandemic That Never Should Have Happened and How to Stop the Next One, the veteran New Scientist contributor Debora MacKenzie explains how scientists have been warning for years concerning the risks posed by novel pathogens harboured by bats and different wild animals. The fault for our current predicament, she suggests, lies with politicians for failing to take the warnings significantly and never investing extra in pandemic planning.

Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet, wouldn’t disagree with that verdict, however thinks that the federal government’s scientific advisers ought to share the blame. In The Covid-19 Catastrophe: What’s Gone Wrong and How to Stop It Happening Again, Horton describes Britain’s botched response to Covid-19 as “the best science coverage failure for a technology”. Scientists had all the information they wanted concerning the risk posed by the coronavirus on the finish of January, he argues, however fairly than advocating for stricter measures they “colluded” with the federal government, who had been eager to maintain the economic system ticking over.

The coronavirus will not be the one animal pathogen to have leapt to people, in fact. In his influential guide Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, printed in 2012, David Quammen explains how the final half century or so has been marked by a succession of “spillover” occasions, from HIV and Ebola to much less well-known viruses akin to Hendra and Marburg. Travelling deep into the rainforest with the scientists hoping to establish the subsequent pandemic pathogen, Quammen’s guide is plotted like a detective thriller.

Although she will not be a science journalist, Zadie Smith’s essay “Contempt as a Virus”, which seems in her assortment Intimations, captures in exact, measured prose the sense of exceptionalism and contempt for the principles exhibited by Dominic Cummings in his now infamous press conference in Downing Road’s rose backyard. Cleverly co-opting the language of epidemiology, Zadie quips that whereas again in February herd immunity had been “a brand new idea for the individuals”, for Cummings it was merely the “seamless continuation of a long-held private credo. Immunity. From the herd.”

• Mark Honigsbaum is the writer of The Pandemic Century: A History of Global Contagion from the Spanish Flu to Covid-19.

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[covid19worldnews]

Coronavirus live news: Germany goes into 'lockdown light'; Italy accused of wasting time as infections rise

11.27pm GMT 23:27

The Culture Secretary in England has confirmed arts venues can remain open for rehearsals during the country’s lockdown.

Oliver Dowden said while audiences will not be able to attend the venues they are “places of work” and will therefore be able to remain open.

Footage of performances taking place inside venues will also be permitted to be streamed online when tougher restrictions come into force in England, he confirmed on Twitter.

“Arts venues are places of work, so people can come into them for work, if it cannot be undertaken from home,” he wrote.

“This includes rehearsals and performance. Audiences are not permitted.”

A number of productions, including Les Miserables in the West End and a panto at the London Palladium, are due to return to the stage with socially distanced audiences over the festive period.

11.05pm GMT 23:05

Argentina is expecting 10 million doses of Russia’s main experimental COVID-19 vaccine between December and January, the government said, as infections continue to climb in the South American country.

The vaccine, known as Sputnik V, is given in two doses and could begin arriving as early as next month, the government said in a news release. The price of the Russian vaccine would be “more or less average” compared with others, President Alberto Fernandez said in the release.

“We had a proposal from the Russian foreign ministry and the Russian (Direct Investment) Fund to see if Argentina was interested in having doses of the vaccine in the month of December and of course we said yes,” Fernandez said.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is backing the development and roll-out of the Sputnik V vaccine. Fernandez said talks with RDIF had been going on “for quite some time.”

Officials including Argentina’s deputy health minister had traveled to Russia to review the vaccine’s development, the government said.

“The Sputnik V vaccine for Argentina will be produced by RDIF partners in India, Korea, China and a number of other countries that are setting up a production of the Russian vaccine,” RDIF’s CEO, Kirill Dmitriev, said in comments shared by a company spokesman.

10.46pm GMT 22:46

The Labour party in England has called for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to engage in cross-party talks to produce a six-month economic support plan to guide the country through coronavirus.

Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the Treasury should “stop the last-minute scramble” and combine with opposition leaders, businesses and unions to draw up a long-term strategy.

Dodds has written to her Government counterpart after he announced on Saturday that, to coincide with the second national lockdown for England, the furlough scheme would continue in its current form, paying 80% of employees’ wages for hours not worked, up to a maximum of 2,500 per month.

In her letter to Sunak, she said the announcement “just hours before” the initial furlough scheme was due to end was “symptomatic” of what she said appeared to be a “lack of any strategic planning by the Government to support jobs and businesses”.

10.27pm GMT 22:27

Portugal considering state of emergency to tackle Covid-19

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said he is pondering declaring a state of emergency as a preventive measure to fight the spread of the coronavirus at a time when infections are soaring.

Hours after Prime Minister Antonio Costa asked the president to declare the state of emergency, Rebelo de Sousa said in an interview with RTP Television he was considering the request, explaining it would include specific measures to combat the pandemic but not a “total or nearly total” lockdown.

The initial COVID-19 state of emergency, which under Portuguese law is limited to 15 days but can be extended indefinitely in 15-day periods if necessary, was declared in March and lasted six weeks.

It restricted the movement of people and led thousands of businesses to suspend activities, devastating the once-bailed-out economy.

“The economy cannot handle a (total) confinement,” Rebelo de Sousa said during the interview at his official residence. “What is being considered is a different thing.” If Rebelo de Sousa declares an emergency, lawmakers must approve it, which is considered highly likely.

On Saturday, the government introduced measures, such as the civic duty – a recommendation rather than a rule – to stay at home except for outings for work, school or shopping, across 121 municipalities including in the key regions of Lisbon and Porto.

A state of emergency would clear the way for compulsory measures such as restrictions on movement of people but only if and when needed.

10.10pm GMT 22:10

The Premier League in England has confirmed four positive coronavirus tests have been returned from the latest round of testing.

The government has allowed Premier League football and other elite sports to continue during a four-week ‘circuit break’ lockdown, which will start in England on Thursday, due to the strict testing regimes in place.

In total, 1,446 players and club staff were tested for coronavirus between Monday, October 26 and Sunday, November 1.

Players or club staff who have tested positive will self-isolate for a period of 10 days.

9.51pm GMT 21:51

In Australia, travellers from regional NSW are now able to go to Queensland for the first time in almost four months but Sydneysiders are still not welcome in the Sunshine State.

Travel restrictions eased at 1am on Tuesday (Australia time), with the Queensland border flung open to everyone except those in greater Sydney and Victoria.

The NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is irate that Sydney residents are banned, arguing the bar Queensland has set for resuming free travel between the states is too high.

Meanwhile, Berejiklian has indicated a reopening of the NSW border with Victoria could happen soon.

We’re talking weeks not months in terms of when the Victorian border may come down, but that again is based on health advice,” she told reporters on Monday.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we moved more quickly against Victoria than Queensland did against us.”

When asked if an announcement would be made this week, Berejiklian said “potentially, yes”.

9.41pm GMT 21:41

French writer Sylvain Tesson poses inside the Librairie des Abbesses bookstore as he signs one of his books during the launch of “Rallumez les feux de nos librairies” (Turn back our bookstores’ lights) event on November 2, 2020 in Paris, on the fourth day of the second national general lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19. Small book traders are forced to shut up shops for a second time this year during what is usually a busy time for retailers in the run-up to the year-end holidays. Photograph: Stéphane de Sakutin/AFP/Getty Images

9.28pm GMT 21:28

Some of Germany’s top orchestras, including Berlin’s prestigious Staatskapelle and the Munich Philharmonic, staged protests on Monday, warning that coronavirus lockdowns pose an existential threat to the arts and entertainment industries.

Musicians from the internationally-renowned ensembles in Berlin and Munich, as well as the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, staged a minute’s silence at the start of their respective concerts.

And on Twitter, a wide range number of artists posted pictures of records turning without any sound.

They argue that not enough support is being made available to people in the sector as Germany shuts down its theatres, concert halls, opera houses and museums for the next four weeks as part of a wider tightening of measures to try to curb a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

Freelance musicians in particular are finding it difficult to survive as they frequently do not qualify for the furlough schemes introduced for paid employees in other sectors.

Culture Minister Monika Gruetters said she was “greatly concerned” for the industry.

“Even if the new restrictions are understandable” from a health point of view, they constitute “a catastrophe” for the sector, she said.

9.00pm GMT 21:00

A summary of today’s developments

Italy’s coronavirus strategy is ‘wasting time’, says scientific advisor. Italy is working towards measures that could include a national 9pm curfew, a ban on inter-regional travel and the closure of shopping malls at weekends. But scientists have for weeks been urging the government to take tougher action, such as imposing local lockdowns, as infections escalate and hospitals come under strain.

Slovakia carries out Covid mass testing of two-thirds of population. Two-thirds of Slovakia’s population of 5.4 million people were tested for coronavirus over the weekend as part of a programme aimed at making it one of the first countries to test its entire population.

Germany begins ‘light lockdown’. Germany goes into “lockdown light” mode today, as the country’s disease control agency recorded 12,097 new confirmed Covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours. Bars, cinemas, theatres, museums, fitness studios and swimming pools will remain closed from today, while cafes and restaurants are allowed to offer takeaway food only. Meetings in public are restricted to two households and no more than 10 people. Unlike during the first lockdown in the spring, schools and nurseries will stay open.

Coronavirus infections fall for third day straight in the Netherlands. The number of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands rose by nearly 8,300 over the past 24 hours, the slowest pace in roughly two weeks.

Iran reports record high Covid death toll as travel bans go into force. Iran reported a record 440 Covid deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing the country’s death toll to 35,738 as a ban on travel in and out of major cities came into force.

Donald Trump tries to stoke fears of Covid lockdown under Joe Biden. In the final hours before election day, one of Trump’s closing messages to Americans was an exaggerated threat: that a Joe Biden presidency will result in a national Covid-19 lockdown. Speaking in Iowa on Sunday, the president said the election was a “choice between a deadly Biden lockdown … or a safe vaccine that ends the pandemic”.

The European Union (EU) has agreed to provide Mozambique with 100 million euros ($116.30 million) in coronavirus-related aid. The EU cut off direct budget support to Mozambique in 2016 after the country revealed the existence of hefty state-guaranteed loans that it had not previously disclosed.

T-cell Covid immunity ‘present in adults six months after first infection’. Cellular (T-cell) immunity against the virus that causes Covid-19 is likely to be present within most adults six months after primary infection, with levels considerably higher in patients with symptoms, a study suggests.

8.44pm GMT 20:44

Children watch a lesson next to an image of late Cuban President Fidel Castro during their first day of classes since April amid COVID-19 concerns in Havana, Cuba. Photograph: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters

https://www.covid19snews.com/2020/11/03/coronavirus-live-news-germany-goes-into-lockdown-light-italy-accused-of-wasting-time-as-infections-rise/

[bigyack-com]

Coronavirus Epidemic Reaches Bleak Milestone, Exceeding SARS Toll

BEIJING — The coronavirus epidemic in China surpassed a grim milestone on Sunday with a death toll that exceeds that of the SARS outbreak 17 years ago, a development that coincided with news that World Health Organization experts might soon be in the country to help stanch the crisis. The outbreak has killed at least 908 people in China in the month since the first death was reported in January in Wuhan, the city where the novel coronavirus emerged in December, apparently in a wholesale food market. Two people have died outside China. The SARS crisis, which began in southern China in similar circumstances in 2002, ultimately killed 774 people worldwide over the course of several months. The number of new deaths reported over the previous 24 hours — 97 — was the highest in China in a single day so far, according to figures announced Sunday by the country’s health commission. The number of infections over all in China now far exceeds that of SARS, rising above 40,100, compared with 8,000 then. Offers of help from the W.H.O. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had languished for weeks, but on Sunday Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, said experts from the W.H.O. would be allowed into China “very soon.” Hours later the W.H.O.’s director general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on Twitter that an advance team was on its way. The Chinese government’s inability to contain the outbreak has disrupted life across the country and beyond, provoking grief and outrage that the Communist Party state under Xi Jinping has also been scrambling to cauterize. The crisis threatens to disrupt people’s return to work on Monday after an already-extended break for the Lunar New Year. Updated Feb. 5, 2020 Where has the virus spread? You can track its movement with this map. How is the United States being affected? There have been at least a dozen cases. American citizens and permanent residents who fly to the United States from China are now subject to a two-week quarantine. What if I’m traveling? Several countries, including the United States, have discouraged travel to China, and several airlines have canceled flights. Many travelers have been left in limbo while looking to change or cancel bookings. How do I keep myself and others safe? Washing your hands is the most important thing you can do. Most cities, including the capital, Beijing, have largely been shut down for two weeks, with residents warned to stay indoors. Most, by all appearances, have done so, creating eerily deserted cityscapes. It remains far from certain that anything like a normal workday will resume in most of the country, though the severity of imposed restrictions varies from city to city. Some schools have announced they would delay the start of post-holiday schedules, as have many companies. Theaters, museums and other places plan to remain shut through the end of February. Economists are predicting a significant blow to China’s economy, which could worsen significantly if businesses and factories struggle to resume functioning. Millions of Chinese away from home are in limbo because of travel restrictions and quarantines imposed after the virus emerged. The Communist Party is already facing an extraordinary outpouring of public anger over its handling of the epidemic, especially the suppression of information early on that many people and experts believe might have reduced its lethal spread. The furor crystallized with the death on Friday of Dr. Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist who was reprimanded by his superiors and the police for privately alerting medical school classmates of an outbreak in Wuhan’s hospitals in late December. He ultimately contracted the coronavirus while treating a woman for glaucoma, not realizing that she was infected. His death inspired Chinese academics, professionals and others to create digital petitions calling for freedom of speech and other changes in how the country is governed, demands that Mr. Xi’s government seems unlikely to ever accept. “Change, and only change, is the best commemoration of Dr. Li Wenliang,” said a petition that had been signed by 28 academics, lawyers and business figures by Sunday morning. “Otherwise, all our outrage and all our tears will end up as bubbles,” it said, calling the outbreak a man-made disaster. Another petition, circulated on the site Matters, urged the government to apologize to Dr. Li and other medical workers hauled in by the police for sharing information about the virus. By Sunday, nearly 1,000 people across China had signed it. The latest coronavirus, like SARS, has spread around the world, though the most severe effects have been on those near where it began in Hubei Province. Many doctors believe that deaths and infections have been grossly undercounted because testing facilities at hospitals and laboratories are under severe strain. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who late last week ordered door-to-door checks for patients in Wuhan, visited Huanggang, a city of seven million people roughly 50 miles downstream, and warned that its capacity for treating patients was worse than in Wuhan, where hospitals have been simply overwhelmed. “Huanggang’s medical treatment conditions are relatively weaker than Wuhan,” Ms. Sun said in remarks shown Sunday night on CCTV, the state television network. A vast majority of the infections and deaths have come in Hubei Province, which has been effectively sealed, with the police restricting access by road, rail and air. The concentration of cases there has given the government greater confidence in imposing the onerous measures on cities in the region. There have been only two confirmed deaths outside mainland China — one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines — though from Russia to the United States the specter of a pandemic has prompted many countries to restrict visitors from China. That has prompted major airlines to slash their flight schedules, with some suspending travel to mainland China and Hong Kong altogether. In Hong Kong, 3,600 passengers and crew members of a cruise ship were allowed to disembark on Sunday after being held at the dock for four days. Health officials in the city, a semiautonomous region of China, quarantined the ship, World Dream, in port on Wednesday after eight passengers from the mainland on a previous cruise were found to be infected with the coronavirus. None of the crew members tested positive for the disease, so the quarantine was lifted. “I felt really bored staying in my room, but we know that the quarantine is to keep everyone else in the city safe,” Charlotte Chan, a sales executive, said after she disembarked wearing two layers of masks. Hong Kong has begun requiring anyone who has traveled to the mainland to undergo a two-week quarantine, a measure adopted after significant public pressure and a strike by hospital workers. Ten new cases confirmed in the territory on Sunday raised questions about how well travel restrictions can protect Hong Kong’s seven million residents. Nine members of a family were infected after sharing a communal hot pot meal last month at a reunion. After a 24-year-old man and his 91-year-old grandmother tested positive for the virus, his parents, aunts and cousins were also found to be infected. Several relatives at the gathering had traveled from Guangdong Province on the mainland. As of Sunday, there have been 36 cases in Hong Kong, but the family cluster has prompted health officials to warn that a community outbreak is probably inevitable despite quarantines. “It can at most delay the spread of the disease,” Chuang Shuk-kwan, an official with Hong Kong’s health department, said. In a possible sign of good news, the number of new cases confirmed in China has stabilized in recent days. World Health Organization officials, though, cautioned against reading too much into the figures, saying that Wuhan and other cities in Hubei Province were still in the midst of a “very intense outbreak.” The W.H.O. advance team traveling on Sunday was being led by Dr. Bruce Aylward, a veteran of the global fight against the 2014 Ebola outbreak. “We are coordinating with the World Health Organization,” Mr. Cui, the Chinese ambassador, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I’m sure that they will be going to China very soon.” Mr. Cui declined to say whether a team of experts from the C.D.C. would also be allowed into China. He suggested instead that American experts could be admitted as part of the W.H.O. or as individuals. “American experts are on the list recommended by the W.H.O.,” Mr. Cui said. “Even beyond that, some American experts have come to China already on their own individual basis.” Dr. Tedros, the W.H.O. director, has echoed the Chinese government’s optimistic assessments, a stance that has drawn criticism as being overly solicitous. He said the measures put in place in Hubei Province — the lockdown of entire cities and more than 50 million people — appeared to be paying off, though he warned that outbreaks like this one are unpredictable. “We have to understand it with caution, because it can show stability for a few days and then they can shoot up,” he said. Steven Lee Myers reported from Beijing, and Karen Zraick from Hong Kong. Reporting and research was contributed by Motoko Rich, Eimi Yamamitsu, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Yonette Joseph, Raphael Minder, Raymond Zhong, Tiffany May, Katherine Li, Li Yuan, Chris Buckley, Sui-Lee Wee, Austin Ramzy, Edward Wong and Yiwei Wang. Read the full article

[xvii-chapters]

Let the Seasons Past || Soulmate!Junhui || Oneshot

GENRE: fluff, soulmate!au, childhood friends?, growing up and all its glory

WORDS: 1798

BLURB: We met in summer, loved in spring. Hurt in winter, so may autumn bring...

A/N: Wrote this in one seating and mildly inspired by my own experiences lol can you feel the /awkward/

You knew it was him from the moment you met.

It was the summer when you were both fifteen; shy and awkward, still growing out of your preteen years and into your teenage ones. He said hello and smiled, so bright and beautiful that your heart skipped and your stomach flipped. He wasn’t the first boy you had met but he was the first one to have such an effect on you and the only one who stuck around even when you turned him away.

“My name’s Junhui,” he introduced himself, voice deep and clear, sending something plunging, plunging into your stomach. It sat there, that unknown feeling, until it swirled into a mini whirlpool and turned you into a blushing mess. You didn’t seem to know what to do with your hands so you stuck them to your side.

“I’m Y/N,” you answered a little nervously but smiling so widely your cheeks ached. He was so beautiful with his dark hair and almond eyes and you were failing hard at being nonchalant. But it wasn’t just his looks. It was… The way he looked at you, really looked at you, asking questions and making you feel important and interesting in a way no other had cared to do before.

You two spoke less than ten sentences to each other that first time but it was a conversation that would last a lifetime. How easily it would all have slipped away if neither of you had taken the chance to say hello, and every day you were glad you did.

Even when, a year later, he told you he liked you when there was another by his side.

[Summer ‘12, 16 years old]

You were in the back of his truck, looking up at the stars ㅡ or what stars you could see with the intruding lights of the city spilling out from below. The air was chilly for summer but you were warm. You two lay head to head, cheeks almost brushing. You could probably kiss them if you turned.

“You know when we first met I used to come here and think a lot.” His breath hung in the air. “Think about you, think about us.”

“Us?”

“Us. You, me, together in a relationship.”

“W-what?” you tried hard to find a reasonable explanation for where this conversation was going but your gut was filling up with something bitter and you knew it was headed somwhere you weren’t going to like.

“I liked you, back then. I don’t anymore of course, I have Minjoo now. But I liked you, a lot, when we first met. And I always came up here and thought about what might be like.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You sat up suddenly.

He copied your action, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “What, did I say something wrong?”

“You liked me and didn’t tell me?”

“Yeah… Look its nothing I don’t like you anymore anyway, so we’re still cool.”

“No we’re not cool Junhui!” You felt like hitting something so you hit him.

“Hey, ow! What was that for?”

“Its not nothing Junhui because I liked you too!” Then you jumped out of the truck and sped-walked away.

As the distance grew between you two, so did the list of unspoken words.

I still do, you wanted to say ㅡ but didn’t.

Now look what a mess you’ve made, she’s terrible! ㅡ but you kept your mouth shut like every other time.

“We could have been beautiful.” ㅡ and this you sobbed to yourself, not loud enough for him to hear.

In the months that followed you found yourself sitting up in bed at night, recalling those moments. Maybe it was unfair of you ㅡ in a way, it had also been your fault. You could have said something first, but burnt into your mind was the image of him, pining, pining over this other person, so effortlessly beautiful and confident in ways that you weren’t. There had been little reason to think he returned your feelings and you didn’t want to ruin a good friendship. So you kept the former secret and lost the latter anyway.

That was the only time you doubted he was the one for you.

But in the way of most people, our hearts grow as we do. As a year passed and then two, you learnt that there is always room for love, even for those who have broken our hearts. There was no need to shut out something good over one mistake. So in the fall two years later, Junhui was back in your room, sprawled across your bed and pestering you to death.

[Autumn '14, 18 years old]

“Wow Y/N your room’s gotten smaller since I’ve last been here.”

“That’s cuz you grew 6 inches since the last time we met you idiot.” You went over and placed a hand on his head. “And it seems you’re still growing.”

“What, you have magical growth-sensing powers now?” he joked but didn’t ask you to remove your hand.

“Yes, I do,” you said matter-of-factly. “There’s a lot of new things about me that you don’t know about.”

“I’ve missed a lot since you stopped talking to me,” he murmured quietly. You went back to your study table and pretended to be busy.

“I called you over to study, not reminisce about the past,” you said, but the air had turned heavy and there was this overwhelming sadness of all that time lost between you two. It was silly of course; you were both only just eighteen ㅡ there was plenty of time left. But his absence from your life had left it hollow, a little like you had been missing an important limb, and you never wanted to feel that helpless again. You were planning on sticking around even when he was old and gray and you told him so.

“Even when I meet my soulmate and its not you?” His eyes were alight with mischief.

“Even then,” you nodded, “They’ll just have to deal with me.”

“I’m actually really okay with that.” Then Jun went back to his work with much more enthusiasm than before, grinning like a fool.

You didn’t tell him of course that he didn’t have to worry about the soulmate thing because you already knew. You just did.

So that was why in the winter between your 19th and 20th year of being alive, you told him about Wonwoo.

[Winter '16, 19 years old]

“You what!” he bellowed, beautiful blond hair sticking out in odd directions as he continuously ran a hand through them. Some time ago he figured he looked good in that colour and it stuck. (You agreed)

“I’m going on a date,” you repeated unfazed, looking through your closet, “With my boyfriend Wonwoo. Remember I told you about him?”

“I thought you were kidding!”

You looked back at Jun unimpressed.

“Really? Then where did you think I was every Friday night for the past two months?”

“I don’t know, being a sad loser studying at the library or something?”

You threw a shirt at him. “Thanks Jun. Now stop flailing around and help me pick out an outfit.”

He crossed his arms indignantly, pouting at you from his spot on the bed.

“No,” he declared.

“Fine, then you can leave my room.” He melted immediately at the sight of your commanding finger pointing him towards the door. He fell to his knees in front of you.

“Oh please please Y/N don’t go. You can’t leave me here alone, pleaseee.”

You rolled your eyes. “Grow up Junhui you don’t even live here!”

His pout deepend. “I will soon, one day.”

“What!” you laughed, poking his forehead. He had wrapped his arms around your waist, leaning his chin against your tummy. Even at full height you were barely taller than him kneeling. He looked up seriously at you.

“I’m going to marry you one day Y/N, just you wait. Then we’ll live in this house together until we’re old.”

“You’re not going to get me a new house?”

That was not the answer Jun was expecting. His eyes widened immediately and he scrambled to his feet. “I-I would! I totally would if you wanted me too. Weㅡ We’ll live in the White House if only you asked.”

You just chuckled unclasping his arms from around your waist and went back to picking out your clothes.

“I’ll think about it,” you teased, entering the bathroom to change.

“Honestly Y/N, I’ll do anything, just don’t go on that date tonight!” he shouted from the other side of the bathroom door. You laughed loudly but inside your heart was running laps and your face felt warm.

You had him wrapped around your little finger but it didn’t matter because he had your heart, even if he didn’t know it yet.

“Come on Y/N!” he complained as you left the bathroom. “Don’t go!”

“Let me have my fun HuiHui. You had yours.” You laughed as his face coloured.

“I hate that name.”

“But you love me, right?” you teased coyly.

“I always have,” he said, and he wasn’t lying. When he was sixteen Jun might have thought he didn’t like you anymore but his heart knew better and continued to love you in that frustrating way hearts do ㅡ quietly and without our permission.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Jun-nie, I love you.” Then you grinned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Love you too,” he grumbled as he watched you get into the car with Wonwoo and kissed the other on the lips.

You went strong with Wonwoo for an entire year and in the mean time Jun found more hearts to break. It didn’t matter to you this time because you were older and wiser and knew with a certainty you didn’t have before ㅡ Jun held yours between his two palms but wouldn’t dare drop it.

You broke up with Wonwoo in January and spent the rest of the months leading up to June loving a certain Chinese boy with a similar name.

On your 21st birthday ㅡ the day everyone gets a tattoo that matches that of their soulmate’s ㅡ you were already standing next to yours. He leaned down to press his lips to yours and it felt like finally. Your mark was identical to Jun’s, which he had gotten just 24 hours earlier.

“Hello, soulmate,” he giggled, pressing another long kiss to your lips.

“Hello, idiot I’ve loved since I was fifteen,” you teased, lacing your fingers with his.

“So… Can we get married now?” he complained, “I’ve literally been asking you for the past six months.”

“Okay don’t freak, but I’ve already picked out the ring I want.”

Because you had known it was him from the start.

More soulmate stories: Seungcheol | Joshua | Soonyoung | Wonwoo | Mingyu | Seungkwan | Chan

[b-does-the-write-thing]

The House Guest, Completed

It feels fitting to end this story on Friday the 13th for obvious reasons.

December 27th, 2016

Lacey’s thirty-fifth birthday served as a celebration of her life, her victories and her friends.

Granny has closed early to host the proceedings which would also serve as a going away party of sorts for Lacey as well as Ruby. The whole back wall of the diner had crystal vials hung against the wallpaper with blue and white flowers stemming out to transform the wall into a makeshift garden.

At the moment, Lacey sat in a booth near the large twin windows as she listened to the rise and fall of the din. She was taking a moment to let her head clear and rest her feet. Neal slid into the opposite side of the booth and handed her a glass of champagne still fizzing merrily.

“Happy Birthday,” he toasted as he gently clinked his glass against her’s. “Here’s too many more.”

They drank to that before lapsing back into a comfortable silence as they scanned the room. Granny had Leroy’s whole trivia team cornered into helping in the kitchen and occasionally, one or two would appear in the window to look longingly out at the open bar. Leroy himself often corralled them back to work.

In the far corner, Cruella gave a high pitched laugh at something Archie had said, but her smile didn't quite reach her face. She had been cooing over Pongo all evening and the dog eyed her suspiciously where he sat under their table. “Auntie is thrilled to have an excuse to go traveling again.”

Lacey glanced over at him. “And you?”

His eyes moved to where Mary Margaret stood. Eric was bouncing Emma in his arms as Ariel made fishy faces at the infant who giggled in delight at her antics. “I think the world has changed a lot since the last time I saw it,” he said. “It will be refreshing to see it through someone else’s eyes.”

“Talking about me?” Ruby grinned as she nudged Lacey to scoot over. Ruby’s eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed. She plopped down three more glasses of champagne with a mischievous wink. “To the future!”

“How many have you had?” Neal asked though he quickly finished his own to grasp her offering. Lacey followed suit.

“Not keeping track,” Ruby informed him. “It’s a party. Don’t be such a stick in the mud.”

He raised an eyebrow and both women giggled in tandem. “What?” he demanded self consciously.

“It’s just...when you do that,” Ruby managed through breathless giggles. “You look just like your father!”

Neal looked horrified as he looked towards Lacey. She could only nod in agreement which elicited a groan from Neal and more laughter from Ruby.

“Not demon Gold,” Ruby finally clarified when she could breath again. “The good looking one.”

“I do not,” he said with a stern glare at Lacey, “want to hear about my father being attractive from either of you. Ever.”

“Deal,” Lacey said before Ruby could protest.

“A very merry unbirthday to you two!” In the booth behind them, Jefferson swung his legs around so he sat just over Neal’s right shoulder. His hat twirled like a top in his fingers as he grinned down at all of them.

“Get off the back of that booth!” Granny hollered from across the room.

Jefferson slunk down to sit beside Neal as he cast wounded glances in the matriarch's direction. “She doesn’t care for me much,” he sighed as he put his elbows on the table to cradle his head.

“She just takes a bit to come around,” Ruby said reassuringly. They all watched as Granny swatted Victor to get his feet off a seat. The zombie reluctantly obliged though he made a face at her retreating back.

“Perhaps I’ll offer my services in the kitchen,” Jefferson mused but they all quickly exclaimed for him to stay. It was not hard to picture the chaos Jefferson might get into in the kitchen full of mortals. Jefferson turned his odd stare to Lacey. “Did he like his gift?”

Lacey nodded with a rueful grin. “He went over to David’s yesterday to watch the next season.”

Jefferson beamed. “How delightful.”

“If you like when your boyfriend disappears to his boyfriend’s all day,” Lacey grumbled with a nod towards where the two of them were huddled up by the bar. Rumple had agreed to wear his mortal form for the event. He was dapper in a three piece navy suit. Lacey looked forward to peeling it off him but for now she was content to look.

Neal stiffened. “Uh, I’m going to go...get some fresh air,” he said. He scrambled out of the booth just as Mary Margaret appeared at the table holding a fussing Emma.

“Did he just run away from me?” she asked incredulously.

Elbowing a quietly giggling Lacey and kicking at Jefferson before he spilled the beans, Lacey gestured to the now vacant seat. “Probably something he ate,” she assured Mary Margaret.

Emma yawned as she curled up closer to her mother’s chest. Mary Margaret patted the downy golden curls absently. “Should probably have gotten a sitter,” she remarked with a look over her shoulder at David.

“Give her to me,” Ruby offered. Mary Margaret leaned past Lacey to deposit the child into Ruby’s arms. Emma complained for a moment but sleep slowly won her back into serenity. “Oh, I’m going to miss her,” Ruby sighed as she brushed Emma’s curls off her forehead.

“Anytime you want to come back,” Jefferson offered, “just say the word!”

“Don’t say that too loud,” Ruby said as she glanced around for her grandmother. “Otherwise, Granny will expect me every night for dinner.”

“How was the binge watching?” Lacey asked.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. “We didn’t get anything done all day. I had to make Gold swear not to bring it back by until tomorrow or we wouldn’t have gotten anything done.”

“This place looks amazing,” Lacey told her friend. “You guys did a great job.”

“Ariel did the back wall,” Mary Margaret said with a shrug. “I just helped Ruby with the shopping.”

“You did the banners,” Ruby corrected as she gestured towards the one hanging over the bar.

“Masterfully done,” Jefferson added as he placed his hat back on his head.

Across the room, Cruella let out another high pitched laugh. Archie looked over his shoulder nervously. “Should someone rescue Archie?” Mary Margaret asked.

Jefferson nodded grimly. “It would be my honor,” he said before he disappeared from the table without even standing.

The trio looked towards where Ariel and Eric stood but they were too busy talking with Gepetto to notice. The pizza shop owner winked knowingly over Ariel’s shoulder. Moments later, Archie staggered over to them to drop down besides Mary Margaret. “That woman is insane,” he mumbled as Pongo licked happily at Lacey’s hands. Ruby grew quiet as she shifted her attention to the child in her arms.

“Good boy,” Lacey enthused as she scratched at the place just behind his ears. Queenie would probably be jealous when she smelled Pongo on Lacey but they’d worry about later.

“Might want to keep Cruella away from Pongo,” Mary Margaret said. “Her fur collection is very monotone.”

Archie’s face went pale as his grip tightened on Pongo’s leash.

“Relax,” Lacey laughed. “I won’t let Cruella turn Pongo into a coat.”

He nodded shakily.

“How’s...everything?” Mary Margaret asked him.

He blinked. “Well… I attended the Christmas mass at the church the other day and...I found it to be rather...comforting.”

Archie had not been raised in any religion. He had once told Lacey he preferred science to faith but that had been a long time ago before witches and demons and werewolves had shown up on his doorstep.

“When do you leave for the seminary?” Lacey asked. Besides her, Ruby grew still as she strained to listen. Reul had failed to mention the process to becoming a priest required an additional four years of school.

“Middle of January,” he replied. “Enough time to start to shut down my practice, get my affairs in order, rent the house out and learn some latin.”

“Who’s taking care of Pongo?”

Archie faltered.. “Oh...I..I hadn’t really decided...”

“Maybe we could?” Mary Margaret offered. “Emma’s so fond of him and we have that whole house with the yard.”

“He’d like that,” Archie said warmly. “Would David mind?”

“Mind what?” her husband asked as he appeared beside them. Rumple leaned down to deposit a kiss to Lacey’s upturned face and when they broke apart the whole table was grinning at them. Save Archie who was busy trying to wrangle Pongo from jumping all over David.

“Taking Pongo in while Archie is at the seminary,” Mary Margaret said. Her smile was infectious and Pongo barked happily as if he too approved of this plan.

“Course we will!” David said warmly. He clasped Archie’s shoulder. “We’ll all miss you, man.”

Flustered, Archie tried to look away but Lacey leaned over to capture his hand. “We’re going to visit,” Lacey told him. “As much as we can.”

“I will too,” Ruby said softly. “If...if you don’t mind.”

Archie struggled to swallow and after a moment was only able to produce a short nod.

“A demon visiting the Vatican seminary,” Rumple mused. “How entertaining.”

“Maybe wait a couple of months,” Archie hurried to add. “Just until...I get used to it.”

Before they could tease him further, the lights dimmed. A soft singing began in the kitchen and then, a massive three layered cake was wheeled out with sparklers fizzing merrily on every tier. The table around her erupted into the chorus of Happy Birthday. Rumple helped her stand up and pushed her gently to the center of the room where Leroy wheeled the cake.

As the song died away, Lacey caught Regina’s eye. With a wink, she politely blew ever so softly towards the closest sparkler as her forefinger twisted behind her back. A gust of wind blew out every sparkler in unison as the entire party clapped and cheered.

After cutting the first slice of cake, Lacey retreated over to sit besides Regina. “Thanks for coming,” she said as she slid the mayor a small slice of cake. “I thought you had plans with Sidney?”

“I moved them to tomorrow,” Regina said coolly as she sipped her red wine. “It’s quite a fete.”

“It is,” Lacey agreed as she looked out amongst her many friends. “So, if I can ask, what’s the plan for Storybrooke?”

“The Coven made it clear they’ll be checking in from time to time,” Regina sighed. “However, there is no law about how many years a mayor can serve.”

Lacey smiled to herself. “Are you going to hire someone to fill my role?”

Regina cast a sideways glance at her. “No. Why?”

Lacey shrugged. “I just know someone looking for a job...she has some experience in magical affairs.”

“Who?”

Lacey nodded to the woman who had just slid into the diner unnoticed. Her mousy brown hair was loose around her shoulders as she looked nervously around the room. Her clothes were a little too small on her and her coat was horribly out of fashion.

“That?” Regina scoffed. “That’s not a prospective employee. That’s a charity case.”

Astrid caught Lacey’s eye and lifted a hand in a tentative greeting. Lacey waved her over though she had to catch Regina’s arm to keep her from moving away. “Just talk to her,” Lacey whispered as Astrid hurried up to them.

Without pause, the newcomer threw her arms around Lacey in a tight hug. “Happy Birthday!” Astrid sang before pulling away. “Sorry I’m late...I wasn’t sure...what to wear.”

“You should have kept guessing.”

“Ignore her,” Lacey told Astrid. “She’s still learning how to make smalltalk. How did it go?”

Astrid blinked rapidly but she managed to put a grimace of a smile on her face. “The sisters were all very sad,” she told her. “But I...it is was the right decision.”

“This is Mayor Mills,” Lacey said with a nod towards Regina. “The one I was telling you about.”

“Oh, yes,” Astrid said with a nod. “I know all about you, Mayor Mills. The Mother Superior was very...vocal about your...accomplishments.”

“You’re a nun?” Regina scoffed.

“Was,” Lacey hurried to correct. “She left the order.”

“You what?”

Leroy stood behind them. He seemed to have forgotten he held a plate of cake which was starting a slow slide towards the floor. Astrid hurried to grab it from him and the shy smile she gave him was answered by Leroy’s look of awed disbelief.

“I didn’t agree with what...the Church’s teachings,” Astrid said carefully. “And I...I couldn’t help but hope”

“Hope what?” Leroy prompted.

“Well...I…I...hoped maybe we might...”

“Come on, Leroy,” Lacey groaned “Are you going to make her spell it out?”

Other had begun to notice the latecomer and the party grew quiet.

“Kiss her!” Jefferson called out.

This statement was picked by various other parties and within moments, the entire party was chanting. Astrid’s cheeks were red and her eyes huge but she did not look away from Leroy for an instant.

“Not with you clowns watching,” Leroy grumbled but he grabbed Astrid’s hand and pulled her into the kitchen. Moments later, his trivia team came spilling out, some with soapy plates still in hand.

“Presents!” Granny decided as the crowd all burst into cheers at Leroy and Astrid’s departure. “Lacey!”

She groaned. “I thought we weren’t doing presents,” she complained as she joined Granny in the center of the room.

“Of course we’re doing presents!” Ariel bubbled as she pushed the first of what looked like many into Lacey’s hands. “It’s your thirty-fifth birthday!”

Lacey did not bother to deny it. She would be having a lot of thirty-fifth birthday parties as the years went on. Might as well get used to it.

Ariel took over handing her each present while jotting down each gift. “It’s learned all about how to do this at my bridal shower,” she said proudly. Ariel’s wedding was fast approaching and Lacey made a mental note to remember to let the Coven know that come hell or high water, she would be in Storybrooke the first weekend in May.

The Nolans gave her a travel book on Europe with emphasis on myths and fairy tale regions such as the Black Forest and the Alps. “Just in case,” David said with a wink.

Ariel and Eric had gotten her a cork map for her to mark all the countries she travelled. “And we want to see pictures,” Eric reminded her with a grin. “I promised to teach Gold how to Instagram before you leave.”

Rumple raised a glass in approval across the room and Lacey gestured for him to join her. He sat down just as she opened Ruby’s gift of a canvas pet tote. It was the perfect size for a feline and the coloring matched Queenie’s odd fur. One side was black and the other a calico color.

“Figured she’d want to travel in style,” Ruby said. Lacey had to get up to hug her friend at this moment, knowing full well that neither Ruby nor Queenie were overly fond of each other, the gift meant all the more.

Granny gave her a leather passport cover. Lacey did not have the heart to tell her that she would not need a passport too often but assured Granny she wouldn’t lose it. Customs, as Granny told her seriously, was a very tricky place.

Leroy did not return when she opened his gift, a leather flask with her initials on it and some numbers just below.

“Latitude and longitude of Storybrooke,” Rumple told her as he peered at it.

Gepetto gave her a recipe book from Italy and when she cracked it open, a small handwritten recipe fell out into her lap.

“For when you miss home,” the elderly man said from where he stood beside Archie. It was a pizza recipe...and Lacey had to swat Rumple’s hands away before she replaced it carefully back in the book for later.

Cruella...Cruella gave her a box of chocolates which looked to be about fifty years old.

“I didn’t have time to go shopping,” she explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Open mine,” Neal suggested as he handed a large wrapped parcel to Ariel.

It was heavier than the rest had been but by the time Lacey had gotten one corner unwrapped, the words Nikon stared up at her.

“You got me a camera?”

He nodded, pleased. “Dad said he was getting you a photo album for Christmas, so…”

Granny had Rumple take the camera away from Lacey after a few minutes, though the entire crowd was interested to see it.

“It’s no big deal,” Neal complained as Lacey returned to hug him for the second time. “It’s just a camera.”

“It’s a Nikon500,” Ruby said from where she was holding it. “That’s like saying a Corvette is just a car.”

“Me next, me next!” Jefferson said as he barreled up to her. He nearly knocked Ariel over as he thrust a plain unwrapped box into Lacey’s face. It was a small tea set. A delicate teapot with blue and white vines with four identical tea cups all nestled in among various tea leaves bundled together with different colored ribbons.

“Form all over the world,” he whispered to her with a wink. “It’s for when you come back home in between trips.”

The faint memory of the first time they met came to her mind as she took his hand. “Jefferson, I love it. Thank you. ”

He smiled back down at her before pressing a quick kiss to her forehead.

The next gift was a black and white satchel. When Lacey peered inside, there was a small slim book that hummed of magic. When she reached down to flip it open, she scanned over a few travel spells that looked particularly useful.

“Don’t hug me,” Regina warned from her place at the bar.

Lacey nodded as she slipped the bag down by her feet to pursue further later. “Thank you, Madame Mayor.”

“Only two more,” Ariel said as she handed her another one. “This one is from Archie.”

“I wasn’t sure what to get you,” he said awkwardly as he pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose. “But...I thought it would be useful.”

He had gotten her a kindle. It was already full of books on travel, geography and history as well as a few of her favorite books.

“Archie, this is too much,” Lacey protested as she scanned the countless books he had downloaded for her. Neal, a centuries old immortal, had money enough to indulge in a expensive camera.

“It’s not,” he protested. “You don’t read enough. I wanted to make sure you didn’t have any excuses.”

Beside her, Rumple smiled. “Quite right, Master Hopper,” he said quietly. “It is a thoughtful gift.”

Lacey did not get up to hug Archie as she knew it would just embarrass him further. She made a mental note to get him something equally as thoughtful for his next adventure. The idea of Archie becoming Father Hopper still sounded foreign to her but he seemed to be growing into it already.

Rumple nudged her softly as Ariel handed her the last present. It was black and matte with a gold ribbon wrapped around it. “From me,” he said as Ariel stood up to join Eric.

“You already got me a Christmas present,” she reminded him.

“So?”

She kissed him for that simple sentiment before gently undoing the ribbons.

Inside was another box. This was navy blue like the twilight sky with a white ribbon.

With a reproving look at him, she tore it apart only to find another box.

“Gold,” she groaned as she held up this silver one with a bronze bow stuck jauntily on top.

“Come on,” Ruby called out. “We’re getting old here.”

“If it’s another box,” Lacey warned him before she popped the top off to reveal...another box.

This one was wooden with no joints or hinges. Lacey shook it but there was no sound from within. “Cute,” she said as she turned to Rumple. “You got me a piece of wood?”

Except he was not there. He was kneeling in front of her now as he gently pried the box loose from her numb fingers, he winked. With a twist of his pinkie, so slight only she saw it, the box blossomed from a plain box into a flower carved of wood and nestled among the petals...

“Now, sweetheart,” he murmured as he lifted it back up to her. “What do you think?”

The diamond ring sparkled as if lit from within but Lacey barely saw it.

She was too busy staring into the eyes of the man she loved.

Towards the future, and all the possibilities it held.

Notes:

First, let me take a deep breath.

Okay. I am composed (enough) to say what I need to say.

This story is dedicated, gifted, in honor of one of the most amazing people in this fandom. @prissyhalliwell has been this story's champion and it's originator. She was the first one to send in the prompt to start it all and has been single handily responsible for at least fifteen of the other prompts. Her ideas and her encouragement were paramount to this story's success and creativity. Small prompts like "a stray cat adopts DoDo" or "Lacey finds out Ruby & Archie have a secret" spiraled into a story about witches and werewolves. For every moment of inspiration, this woman was behind the scenes with pompoms. She is not only a gracious friend and reader but a talented author in her own right so her love for this story shines through all the chapters.

To everyone who has prompted a chapter from on here or on tumblr, you helped this story become real. You helped shape it, you inspired and you challenged and you were here every step of the way with encouraging comments and reblogs and kudos and bookmarks and thank you. This was a fun project that became a real story and it's because of you.

For @nia-nita and @rowofstars and @the1ultimatefan, who made artwork for this story because it spoke to them, thank you. I cried every time I saw my vision realized in graphic form and I saved and hoarded the images in a proud mama dragon kind of way and gazed upon them every chance I got.

To those of you who emailed me, challenged me, spoke to me about these characters, thank you. I loved this story and I loved that you loved it too. From @deweymay's long paragraphs on every chapter, to Ultimate's 10/10s, to @rosexknight to @ctdg to Oriberry and @obxjesse to all the others who left me love. I'm not going to say I'll miss you because I'll see you in other stories and in other worlds but thank you for going on this journey with me.

I still owe @onesionra a follow up answer to her thoughtful theological questions. I have not forgotten. 

Okay, I'm crying now and I'm going to go curl up and relish in the fact that this story is complete.

And yes, in case you are wondering, they do live happily ever after.

[gordonwilliamsweb]

Pediatric Practices Struggle To Adapt And Survive Amid COVID-19

BERKELEY, Calif. — The silence was striking.

On a normal day, the well-child waiting room at Berkeley Pediatrics bustles with children playing, infants crying and teenagers furiously tapping on their smartphones.

On a recent Monday, the room was deserted, save for a bubbling tropical fish tank and a few empty chairs. Every book, puzzle and wooden block had been confiscated to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. There was not a young patient to be seen.

Since March 17, when San Francisco Bay Area officials issued the nation’s first sweeping orders for residents to shelter in place, patient volume at the 78-year-old practice has dropped by nearly 60%. In accordance with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, its seven doctors have canceled well-child visits for almost all children older than 18 months. And some parents balk at bringing in even babies for vaccines, opening the door to another potential crisis down the road.

In the days after the COVID-19 clampdown, the office scrambled to set up telehealth for sick visits. Still, this small, independent practice has gone from seeing more than 100 patients a day to about 40. It has laid off six staff members, and the physicians have taken a 40% pay cut.

“I’ve been practicing for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of things. This is a very different beast,” said Dr. Annemary Franks, who joined the practice in 1993. “I’ve never seen in a week the entire thing fall apart.”

Michel participates in a virtual meeting with her colleagues at the practice, who can’t physically be in the same room together.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Across the U.S., thousands of pediatric practices that provide front-line care for the nation’s children are struggling to adjust to a dire new reality: crashing revenue, terrified parents and a shortage of protective equipment, from gloves and goggles to thermometer covers. And all while they are being asked to care for young patients who could well be infected with COVID-19 — and prime vectors for transmission — without showing symptoms.

How well these practices adapt will be key as the nation looks to weather the pandemic: Pediatric offices provide a crucial release valve for the health care system by treating the broken bones, lacerations, colds, flus and chronic illnesses that might otherwise flood overburdened emergency departments.

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“If it’s a month or two of care this way, OK. But if this is months and months and months, we’re going to see more practices go under,” said Franks. “We don’t have some pot of money that we have sitting around to get us through this. We’re fee-for-service. You get paid for what you do.”

Like many practices, Berkeley Pediatrics improvised overnight in the face of COVID-19. The brown-shingled Craftsman that houses the practice was quickly divided into two halves: upstairs for well patients, downstairs for those who are sick. They opened a back entrance up an unused set of stairs so well patients could bypass the sick.

Before they get an appointment, all children are screened by phone for signs of the virus. When possible, sick children are treated via a video visit. If a child with respiratory symptoms needs to be seen in person, a doctor meets the child in the family’s car in the parking lot, dressed in gown, gloves and face shield. Everyone who enters the office — whether child or caregiver — is checked for fever. The practice has only 75 plastic thermometer covers left, and supplies are on backorder. The doctors wear surgical masks even for well-child visits.

“Every day I think to myself, ‘That’s exactly the opposite of what I was taught in medical school and what I was trained to do,’” said Dr. Olivia Lang, another physician at Berkeley Pediatrics. “I’m not supposed to wear masks and scare my patients, but I’m doing it every day.”

Patient volume at the 78-year-old Berkeley Pediatrics practice in Berkeley, California, has dropped by nearly 60% since March 17, when San Francisco Bay Area officials issued the nation’s first sweeping orders for residents to shelter in place. The practice has laid off six staff members and physicians have taken a 40% pay cut.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Telehealth makes eye contact challenging, she said. And in an effort to avoid in-person appointments, health care providers have resorted to prescribing antibiotics over the phone for symptoms suggesting ear infections and strep throat, without doing lab work. “We’re supposed to be good stewards of antibiotics, and that’s being dismantled,” Lang said.

Another challenge is the availability of personal protective equipment, a struggle for all health care workers. Pediatric practices do not routinely keep stocks of the heavy-duty N95 masks, and they seldom use gowns or even simple surgical masks. Now, with hospitals facing critical shortages of PPE, pediatricians are often low on the list to get supplies.

Dr. Kristen Haddon, a pediatrician outside Boston, said the practice didn’t jump to purchase supplies when cases of the novel coronavirus first emerged in Washington state in January. “It felt very far away and seemed very isolated,” she said. By the time they realized the virus was widespread, “there was nothing to be had.” They had no N95s, gowns or goggles, and only two boxes of surgical masks.

Pediatricians are considered at particular risk of infection, given preliminary research that suggests children infected with COVID-19 are more likely than adults to have mild cases and may be contagious while showing no symptoms at all. “We have absolutely no idea who is infected and who isn’t,” said Haddon. “Kids cough and sneeze in our face all the time. And one cough could be really bad for me.”

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Berkeley Pediatrics in Berkeley, California, quickly divided its brown-shingled Craftsman building into two halves: upstairs for well patients, downstairs for those who are sick. They opened a back entrance, up an unused set of stairs, so well patients could bypass the sick.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Dr. Niki Saxena, a pediatrician in Redwood City, California, said her practice is carefully guarding the handful of N95s they have left from the SARS epidemic and have had to make “some very scary decisions” about how to protect staff. Their options, she said, are to shut down the office — in which case they would go out of business — or to be very precise about when they use protective equipment.

“When you’re in battle, you have to keep your powder dry until you have to use it,” she said. “When I see someone walking through the grocery store with an N95, it takes all my willpower not to rip it off their face.”

At Berkeley Pediatrics, staff members are wiping down gowns after seeing a patient and simply reusing them. When she gets home, said Dr. Katrina Michel, she stops in the garage, strips off her clothing and leaves it on the floor. She tells her two young children not to touch her until she’s had a chance to shower. “I’ve never been afraid to go to work for my personal safety before,” she said.

She worries, too, for the well-being of her patients, as the efforts to contain the novel coronavirus increasingly interrupt basic care. Across the country, pediatricians report that some parents are canceling routine checkups and vaccination appointments — including first-time vaccinations for infants — because they worry about getting infected at the office.

Michel says that when she gets home, she stops in the garage, strips off her clothing and leaves it on the floor. She tells her two young children not to touch her until she’s had a chance to shower. “I’ve never been afraid to go to work for my personal safety before,” she says.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

“We don’t want to create a pertussis outbreak because we didn’t vaccinate all of our babies on time,” said Michel.

Many practices are delaying booster shots for older kids. Dr. Tina Carrol-Scott, a Miami pediatrician, said she’s concerned that the mixed messaging could backfire with parents who are vaccine-hesitant. “If we start taking the stance that because of coronavirus it’s OK for you to be delayed a month or two, it kind of takes away our credibility as physicians,” she said. “Parents are going to say, ‘Well, it was OK to delay during coronavirus, why not now?’”

And it’s not just missed vaccinations that are a concern. Pediatricians are tracking growth and development at well-child visits. For newborns, that includes checks for weight loss, jaundice and congenital diseases.

“We’ve had parents of infants who are 1 week old say, ‘Oh I don’t want to come in; I don’t think it’s safe,’” said Dr. Scott Needle, a pediatrician in Sacramento, California. “We’ve had to tell them, ‘Look, for a 1-week-old baby just out of the hospital, there are a lot of things you need to check that could be much more dangerous than coronavirus at this point.’”

Saxena said the caseload at her Redwood City practice is less than 25% of what’s typical, and warned of even broader ramifications on child health care as the pandemic wears on.

“If people stop going to the doctor altogether,” she said, “then primary care practices will shutter just like movie theaters and restaurants.”

Pediatric Practices Struggle To Adapt And Survive Amid COVID-19 published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

[stephenmccull]

Pediatric Practices Struggle To Adapt And Survive Amid COVID-19

BERKELEY, Calif. — The silence was striking.

On a normal day, the well-child waiting room at Berkeley Pediatrics bustles with children playing, infants crying and teenagers furiously tapping on their smartphones.

On a recent Monday, the room was deserted, save for a bubbling tropical fish tank and a few empty chairs. Every book, puzzle and wooden block had been confiscated to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. There was not a young patient to be seen.

Since March 17, when San Francisco Bay Area officials issued the nation’s first sweeping orders for residents to shelter in place, patient volume at the 78-year-old practice has dropped by nearly 60%. In accordance with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, its seven doctors have canceled well-child visits for almost all children older than 18 months. And some parents balk at bringing in even babies for vaccines, opening the door to another potential crisis down the road.

In the days after the COVID-19 clampdown, the office scrambled to set up telehealth for sick visits. Still, this small, independent practice has gone from seeing more than 100 patients a day to about 40. It has laid off six staff members, and the physicians have taken a 40% pay cut.

“I’ve been practicing for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of things. This is a very different beast,” said Dr. Annemary Franks, who joined the practice in 1993. “I’ve never seen in a week the entire thing fall apart.”

Michel participates in a virtual meeting with her colleagues at the practice, who can’t physically be in the same room together.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Across the U.S., thousands of pediatric practices that provide front-line care for the nation’s children are struggling to adjust to a dire new reality: crashing revenue, terrified parents and a shortage of protective equipment, from gloves and goggles to thermometer covers. And all while they are being asked to care for young patients who could well be infected with COVID-19 — and prime vectors for transmission — without showing symptoms.

How well these practices adapt will be key as the nation looks to weather the pandemic: Pediatric offices provide a crucial release valve for the health care system by treating the broken bones, lacerations, colds, flus and chronic illnesses that might otherwise flood overburdened emergency departments.

Email Sign-Up

Subscribe to KHN’s free Morning Briefing.

Sign Up

Please confirm your email address below:

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“If it’s a month or two of care this way, OK. But if this is months and months and months, we’re going to see more practices go under,” said Franks. “We don’t have some pot of money that we have sitting around to get us through this. We’re fee-for-service. You get paid for what you do.”

Like many practices, Berkeley Pediatrics improvised overnight in the face of COVID-19. The brown-shingled Craftsman that houses the practice was quickly divided into two halves: upstairs for well patients, downstairs for those who are sick. They opened a back entrance up an unused set of stairs so well patients could bypass the sick.

Before they get an appointment, all children are screened by phone for signs of the virus. When possible, sick children are treated via a video visit. If a child with respiratory symptoms needs to be seen in person, a doctor meets the child in the family’s car in the parking lot, dressed in gown, gloves and face shield. Everyone who enters the office — whether child or caregiver — is checked for fever. The practice has only 75 plastic thermometer covers left, and supplies are on backorder. The doctors wear surgical masks even for well-child visits.

“Every day I think to myself, ‘That’s exactly the opposite of what I was taught in medical school and what I was trained to do,’” said Dr. Olivia Lang, another physician at Berkeley Pediatrics. “I’m not supposed to wear masks and scare my patients, but I’m doing it every day.”

Patient volume at the 78-year-old Berkeley Pediatrics practice in Berkeley, California, has dropped by nearly 60% since March 17, when San Francisco Bay Area officials issued the nation’s first sweeping orders for residents to shelter in place. The practice has laid off six staff members and physicians have taken a 40% pay cut.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Telehealth makes eye contact challenging, she said. And in an effort to avoid in-person appointments, health care providers have resorted to prescribing antibiotics over the phone for symptoms suggesting ear infections and strep throat, without doing lab work. “We’re supposed to be good stewards of antibiotics, and that’s being dismantled,” Lang said.

Another challenge is the availability of personal protective equipment, a struggle for all health care workers. Pediatric practices do not routinely keep stocks of the heavy-duty N95 masks, and they seldom use gowns or even simple surgical masks. Now, with hospitals facing critical shortages of PPE, pediatricians are often low on the list to get supplies.

Dr. Kristen Haddon, a pediatrician outside Boston, said the practice didn’t jump to purchase supplies when cases of the novel coronavirus first emerged in Washington state in January. “It felt very far away and seemed very isolated,” she said. By the time they realized the virus was widespread, “there was nothing to be had.” They had no N95s, gowns or goggles, and only two boxes of surgical masks.

Pediatricians are considered at particular risk of infection, given preliminary research that suggests children infected with COVID-19 are more likely than adults to have mild cases and may be contagious while showing no symptoms at all. “We have absolutely no idea who is infected and who isn’t,” said Haddon. “Kids cough and sneeze in our face all the time. And one cough could be really bad for me.”

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Berkeley Pediatrics in Berkeley, California, quickly divided its brown-shingled Craftsman building into two halves: upstairs for well patients, downstairs for those who are sick. They opened a back entrance, up an unused set of stairs, so well patients could bypass the sick.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Dr. Niki Saxena, a pediatrician in Redwood City, California, said her practice is carefully guarding the handful of N95s they have left from the SARS epidemic and have had to make “some very scary decisions” about how to protect staff. Their options, she said, are to shut down the office — in which case they would go out of business — or to be very precise about when they use protective equipment.

“When you’re in battle, you have to keep your powder dry until you have to use it,” she said. “When I see someone walking through the grocery store with an N95, it takes all my willpower not to rip it off their face.”

At Berkeley Pediatrics, staff members are wiping down gowns after seeing a patient and simply reusing them. When she gets home, said Dr. Katrina Michel, she stops in the garage, strips off her clothing and leaves it on the floor. She tells her two young children not to touch her until she’s had a chance to shower. “I’ve never been afraid to go to work for my personal safety before,” she said.

She worries, too, for the well-being of her patients, as the efforts to contain the novel coronavirus increasingly interrupt basic care. Across the country, pediatricians report that some parents are canceling routine checkups and vaccination appointments — including first-time vaccinations for infants — because they worry about getting infected at the office.

Michel says that when she gets home, she stops in the garage, strips off her clothing and leaves it on the floor. She tells her two young children not to touch her until she’s had a chance to shower. “I’ve never been afraid to go to work for my personal safety before,” she says.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

“We don’t want to create a pertussis outbreak because we didn’t vaccinate all of our babies on time,” said Michel.

Many practices are delaying booster shots for older kids. Dr. Tina Carrol-Scott, a Miami pediatrician, said she’s concerned that the mixed messaging could backfire with parents who are vaccine-hesitant. “If we start taking the stance that because of coronavirus it’s OK for you to be delayed a month or two, it kind of takes away our credibility as physicians,” she said. “Parents are going to say, ‘Well, it was OK to delay during coronavirus, why not now?’”

And it’s not just missed vaccinations that are a concern. Pediatricians are tracking growth and development at well-child visits. For newborns, that includes checks for weight loss, jaundice and congenital diseases.

“We’ve had parents of infants who are 1 week old say, ‘Oh I don’t want to come in; I don’t think it’s safe,’” said Dr. Scott Needle, a pediatrician in Sacramento, California. “We’ve had to tell them, ‘Look, for a 1-week-old baby just out of the hospital, there are a lot of things you need to check that could be much more dangerous than coronavirus at this point.’”

Saxena said the caseload at her Redwood City practice is less than 25% of what’s typical, and warned of even broader ramifications on child health care as the pandemic wears on.

“If people stop going to the doctor altogether,” she said, “then primary care practices will shutter just like movie theaters and restaurants.”

Pediatric Practices Struggle To Adapt And Survive Amid COVID-19 published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

[dinafbrownil]

Pediatric Practices Struggle To Adapt And Survive Amid COVID-19

BERKELEY, Calif. — The silence was striking.

On a normal day, the well-child waiting room at Berkeley Pediatrics bustles with children playing, infants crying and teenagers furiously tapping on their smartphones.

On a recent Monday, the room was deserted, save for a bubbling tropical fish tank and a few empty chairs. Every book, puzzle and wooden block had been confiscated to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. There was not a young patient to be seen.

Since March 17, when San Francisco Bay Area officials issued the nation’s first sweeping orders for residents to shelter in place, patient volume at the 78-year-old practice has dropped by nearly 60%. In accordance with guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, its seven doctors have canceled well-child visits for almost all children older than 18 months. And some parents balk at bringing in even babies for vaccines, opening the door to another potential crisis down the road.

In the days after the COVID-19 clampdown, the office scrambled to set up telehealth for sick visits. Still, this small, independent practice has gone from seeing more than 100 patients a day to about 40. It has laid off six staff members, and the physicians have taken a 40% pay cut.

“I’ve been practicing for a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of things. This is a very different beast,” said Dr. Annemary Franks, who joined the practice in 1993. “I’ve never seen in a week the entire thing fall apart.”

Michel participates in a virtual meeting with her colleagues at the practice, who can’t physically be in the same room together.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Across the U.S., thousands of pediatric practices that provide front-line care for the nation’s children are struggling to adjust to a dire new reality: crashing revenue, terrified parents and a shortage of protective equipment, from gloves and goggles to thermometer covers. And all while they are being asked to care for young patients who could well be infected with COVID-19 — and prime vectors for transmission — without showing symptoms.

How well these practices adapt will be key as the nation looks to weather the pandemic: Pediatric offices provide a crucial release valve for the health care system by treating the broken bones, lacerations, colds, flus and chronic illnesses that might otherwise flood overburdened emergency departments.

Email Sign-Up

Subscribe to KHN’s free Morning Briefing.

Sign Up

Please confirm your email address below:

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“If it’s a month or two of care this way, OK. But if this is months and months and months, we’re going to see more practices go under,” said Franks. “We don’t have some pot of money that we have sitting around to get us through this. We’re fee-for-service. You get paid for what you do.”

Like many practices, Berkeley Pediatrics improvised overnight in the face of COVID-19. The brown-shingled Craftsman that houses the practice was quickly divided into two halves: upstairs for well patients, downstairs for those who are sick. They opened a back entrance up an unused set of stairs so well patients could bypass the sick.

Before they get an appointment, all children are screened by phone for signs of the virus. When possible, sick children are treated via a video visit. If a child with respiratory symptoms needs to be seen in person, a doctor meets the child in the family’s car in the parking lot, dressed in gown, gloves and face shield. Everyone who enters the office — whether child or caregiver — is checked for fever. The practice has only 75 plastic thermometer covers left, and supplies are on backorder. The doctors wear surgical masks even for well-child visits.

“Every day I think to myself, ‘That’s exactly the opposite of what I was taught in medical school and what I was trained to do,’” said Dr. Olivia Lang, another physician at Berkeley Pediatrics. “I’m not supposed to wear masks and scare my patients, but I’m doing it every day.”

Patient volume at the 78-year-old Berkeley Pediatrics practice in Berkeley, California, has dropped by nearly 60% since March 17, when San Francisco Bay Area officials issued the nation’s first sweeping orders for residents to shelter in place. The practice has laid off six staff members and physicians have taken a 40% pay cut.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Telehealth makes eye contact challenging, she said. And in an effort to avoid in-person appointments, health care providers have resorted to prescribing antibiotics over the phone for symptoms suggesting ear infections and strep throat, without doing lab work. “We’re supposed to be good stewards of antibiotics, and that’s being dismantled,” Lang said.

Another challenge is the availability of personal protective equipment, a struggle for all health care workers. Pediatric practices do not routinely keep stocks of the heavy-duty N95 masks, and they seldom use gowns or even simple surgical masks. Now, with hospitals facing critical shortages of PPE, pediatricians are often low on the list to get supplies.

Dr. Kristen Haddon, a pediatrician outside Boston, said the practice didn’t jump to purchase supplies when cases of the novel coronavirus first emerged in Washington state in January. “It felt very far away and seemed very isolated,” she said. By the time they realized the virus was widespread, “there was nothing to be had.” They had no N95s, gowns or goggles, and only two boxes of surgical masks.

Pediatricians are considered at particular risk of infection, given preliminary research that suggests children infected with COVID-19 are more likely than adults to have mild cases and may be contagious while showing no symptoms at all. “We have absolutely no idea who is infected and who isn’t,” said Haddon. “Kids cough and sneeze in our face all the time. And one cough could be really bad for me.”

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, Berkeley Pediatrics in Berkeley, California, quickly divided its brown-shingled Craftsman building into two halves: upstairs for well patients, downstairs for those who are sick. They opened a back entrance, up an unused set of stairs, so well patients could bypass the sick.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

Dr. Niki Saxena, a pediatrician in Redwood City, California, said her practice is carefully guarding the handful of N95s they have left from the SARS epidemic and have had to make “some very scary decisions” about how to protect staff. Their options, she said, are to shut down the office — in which case they would go out of business — or to be very precise about when they use protective equipment.

“When you’re in battle, you have to keep your powder dry until you have to use it,” she said. “When I see someone walking through the grocery store with an N95, it takes all my willpower not to rip it off their face.”

At Berkeley Pediatrics, staff members are wiping down gowns after seeing a patient and simply reusing them. When she gets home, said Dr. Katrina Michel, she stops in the garage, strips off her clothing and leaves it on the floor. She tells her two young children not to touch her until she’s had a chance to shower. “I’ve never been afraid to go to work for my personal safety before,” she said.

She worries, too, for the well-being of her patients, as the efforts to contain the novel coronavirus increasingly interrupt basic care. Across the country, pediatricians report that some parents are canceling routine checkups and vaccination appointments — including first-time vaccinations for infants — because they worry about getting infected at the office.

Michel says that when she gets home, she stops in the garage, strips off her clothing and leaves it on the floor. She tells her two young children not to touch her until she’s had a chance to shower. “I’ve never been afraid to go to work for my personal safety before,” she says.(Jenny Gold/KHN)

“We don’t want to create a pertussis outbreak because we didn’t vaccinate all of our babies on time,” said Michel.

Many practices are delaying booster shots for older kids. Dr. Tina Carrol-Scott, a Miami pediatrician, said she’s concerned that the mixed messaging could backfire with parents who are vaccine-hesitant. “If we start taking the stance that because of coronavirus it’s OK for you to be delayed a month or two, it kind of takes away our credibility as physicians,” she said. “Parents are going to say, ‘Well, it was OK to delay during coronavirus, why not now?’”

And it’s not just missed vaccinations that are a concern. Pediatricians are tracking growth and development at well-child visits. For newborns, that includes checks for weight loss, jaundice and congenital diseases.

“We’ve had parents of infants who are 1 week old say, ‘Oh I don’t want to come in; I don’t think it’s safe,’” said Dr. Scott Needle, a pediatrician in Sacramento, California. “We’ve had to tell them, ‘Look, for a 1-week-old baby just out of the hospital, there are a lot of things you need to check that could be much more dangerous than coronavirus at this point.’”

Saxena said the caseload at her Redwood City practice is less than 25% of what’s typical, and warned of even broader ramifications on child health care as the pandemic wears on.

“If people stop going to the doctor altogether,” she said, “then primary care practices will shutter just like movie theaters and restaurants.”

from Updates By Dina https://khn.org/news/pediatric-practices-struggle-to-adapt-and-survive-amid-covid-19/

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Dad’s agony as 8-month-old baby son becomes youngest Brit with suspected coronavirus after being treated by infected GP – The Sun

A BABY boy has become the youngest Brit in quarantine for suspected coronavirus as his petrified dad revealed “we’re in hell”. The eight-month-old tot and his mum have been put into isolation in their own home after they both came into contact with an infected GP. 7 A worker in a hazmat suit cleans the County Oak medical centre in Brighton, East SussexCredit: Chris Eades7His dad, who did not wish to be named, said his son had “all the coronavirus symptoms” and feared his four-year-old daughter has also caught the deadly bug in Worthing, Sussex. He told the Telegraph: “We’re in hell, completely petrified. My ex-partner keeps breaking down in tears. “We’re staying in the house and giving the kids Calpol and paracetamol, but nothing’s working. “My little boy has haemophilia and a lung condition, so he’s already poorly.” IT’S SPREADING Meanwhile, public health officials are trying to track down a dozen patients treated by the GP last week over fears they may have caught the disease in Worthing Hospital, West Sussex. It came hours after the first coronavirus case was confirmed in London today as the deadly bug spread to the capital. The woman contracted the virus in China and flew to the UK where she tested positive at a hospital in central London yesterday afternoon. It takes the number of cases in the UK to nine as officials scramble to find everyone she had been in contact with. Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England said: “One further patient in England has tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of cases in the UK to nine. “This virus was passed on in China and the patient has now been transferred to a specialist NHS centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ in London.” It comes as… London’s congested transport network and 8.9million population will make it a nightmare to track down potential victims to be tested. Scientists have warned that London is at a greater risk than any other city in Europe due to the number of Chinese visitors that flock there each year. More than 142,000 tourists arrive in London from China between January and the middle of March every year. Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health, University of Southampton, said: “If confirmed, it is not surprising that London has seen its first case of the coronavirus. “It’s a city of over 10 million people with several major international airports. “Both London and the rest of the UK can expect to see more cases, though hopefully these will continue to be isolated cases and seen in small numbers.” A total of 1,759 people have been tested for coronavirus in the UK, of which 1,750 were confirmed negative and now nine positive. Five cases have been confirmed in Brighton, two cases in York, another in an undisclosed location and the ninth diagnosis in London. SCHOOLS SHUT It comes as 12 schools in Sussex have been placed on infection alert as teachers and pupils are told to quarantine themselves. Five people in the county have been diagnosed with coronavirus and dozens who came into contact with them have been ordered to self-isolate by Public Health England (PHE). Do YOU know the London victim? Email: alex.matthews@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 Since then, schools in Brighton, Hove and Eastbourne have pupils or staff in quarantine as a precaution. Brighton has become the epicentre of the virus after a cub Scout leader — dubbed the coronavirus “super-spreader” — unwittingly brought it into the UK last month following a business trip to Singapore. Stephen Walsh, 53, from Hove, may have spread the virus to dozens of people without suffering any symptoms himself. ‘SCAPEGOAT’ His next-door neighbour, Ian Henshall, 59, said Mr Walsh is now “very concerned” that he will be held responsible for the outbreak. Mr Henshall told the Mirror: “I’ve spoken to his wife Cathy directly and to Steve by email and they are absolutely terrified of being made scapegoats for all this which would be totally unfair.” Mr Walsh was discharged from St Thomas’ Hospital today after being analysed in its isolation unit. The sales executive, 53, said: “I’m happy to be home and feeling well. “I want to give a big thank you to the NHS who have been great throughout and my thoughts are with everyone around the world who continues to be affected by the virus.”It’s good to be back with my family and I would ask you please to respect our privacy from this point on”. As well as schools, the County Oak Medical Centre in Brighton, East Sussex, was closed while staff in hazmat suits deep cleaned the surgery. Meanwhile, a second doctor’s surgery in the city — the Lions Dene surgery — linked to super-spreader Mr Walsh, closed. 77 Businessman Steve Walsh, 53, is feared to have infected at least 11 people over the past two weeks’SUPER-SPREADER’ The dad of two caught the virus at a conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Singapore organised by Servomex, a British gas analytics company. After the conference, he had a holiday in the French Alps with wife Catherine and pals. Four of his friends — including Dr Catriona Greenwood and another GP — returned home on January 24 before testing positive at the weekend. Five more Brits who shared the ski chalet, including Dr Greenwood’s husband Bob Saynor and their nine-year-old son, are in hospital in France. Another expat also infected with the virus fell ill after returning home to Majorca, taking the number of confirmed cases linked to Mr Walsh to 11. It is thought any patients Dr Greenwood came into contact with will be approached for testing. She works as a locum at the practice which has since been shut for decontamination as officials scramble to trace patients to be tested. ‘DRUG KING PIN’ COLLAPSES Meanwhile an alleged drug kingpin is at the centre of a suspected corona-virus outbreak at a high-security jail. Mark Rumble, 31, arrived back in the UK on January 27 after being extradited from Thailand to face charges of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He collapsed in his cell at category B HMP Bullingdon, near Bicester, Oxfordshire, days later. Tonight hundreds of inmates were confined to their cells as panic spread. An entire wing at the jail has been shut off with two cons now being tested for the deadly disease. ‘GLOBAL PANDEMIC’ Professor Neil Ferguson, from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College, London, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme the world was “in the early phases of a global pandemic at the moment”. He said: “The fact we have only recorded eight cases in the UK is because our surveillance is focused on travellers. ‘NESSIE!’ Mystery of huge skeleton washed up on beach as locals say it’s Loch Ness Monster ‘BRAZEN HYPOCRISY’ Piers in explosive rant at Harry & Meg for ‘exploiting Diana’s death’ LatestIT’S SPREADING 1st coronavirus case confirmed in London as woman & brings UK total to 9 Live BlogKILLER VIRUS Deadly Coronavirus hits London as experts warn 45 million could die TOTAL WHITE OUT Blizzard warning as 4ins snow and 60mph wind to hit ahead of Storm Dennis AIR CAGED Brit who yelled ‘you’re gonna die’ & tried to open jet door jailed for TWO years “We think probably we are picking up maybe one in three cases coming into the country at the current time. “We will know more in the next few weeks. “Surveillance has started across the UK in hospitals of pneumonia cases. That will give us a proper picture.” 7 Her husband Bob Saynor is currently being treated in Grenoble hospital, alongside their nine-year-old son, after they were both diagnosed A friend of the family, said Mr Saynor and his wife Catriona (pictured), a doctor, moved into the chalet permanently in the chalet three years agoCredit: Facebook7 Rumble was arrested in Thailand last November on suspicion of drugs offences7 Workers in hazmat suits clean a surgery in Sussex that was closed over the coronavirus crisisCredit: PA:Press AssociationLocals concerned over Worthing Hospital coronavirus caseWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.

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Coronavirus Epidemic Reaches Bleak Milestone, Exceeding SARS Toll

BEIJING — The coronavirus epidemic in China surpassed a grim milestone on Sunday with a death toll that exceeds that of the SARS outbreak 17 years ago — but a glimmer of hope emerged with the news that World Health Organization experts might soon be in the country to help stanch the crisis.

The outbreak has killed at least 811 people in China in the month since the first death was reported in January in Wuhan, the city where the novel coronavirus emerged in December, apparently in a wholesale food market. Two have died outside China.

The SARS crisis, which began in southern China in similar circumstances in 2002, ultimately killed 774 people worldwide over the course of several months.

The number of new deaths reported over the previous 24 hours — 89 — was the highest in China in a single day so far, according to figures announced Sunday by the country’s health commission. The number of infections over all in China now far exceeds that of SARS, rising above 37,000, compared with 8,000 then.

Offers of help from the W.H.O. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had languished for weeks, but on Sunday Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, said experts from the W.H.O. would be allowed into China “very soon.”

Hours later the organization’s director general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on Twitter that an advance team was on its way.

The Chinese government’s inability to contain the outbreak has disrupted life across the country and beyond, provoking grief and outrage that the Communist Party state under Xi Jinping has also been scrambling to cauterize. The crisis threatens to disrupt people’s return to work on Monday after an already-extended break for the Lunar New Year.

Most cities, including the capital Beijing, have largely been shut down for two weeks, with residents warned to stay indoors. Most, by all appearances, have done so, creating eerily deserted cityscapes. It remains far from certain that anything like a normal workday will resume in most of the country, though the severity of imposed restrictions varies from city to city.

Updated Feb. 5, 2020

Where has the virus spread? You can track its movement with this map.

How is the United States being affected? There have been at least a dozen cases. American citizens and permanent residents who fly to the United States from China are now subject to a two-week quarantine.

What if I’m traveling? Several countries, including the United States, have discouraged travel to China, and several airlines have canceled flights. Many travelers have been left in limbo while looking to change or cancel bookings.

How do I keep myself and others safe? Washing your hands is the most important thing you can do.

Some schools have announced they would delay the start of post-holiday schedules, as have many companies. Theaters, museums and other places plan to remain shut through the end of February.

Economists are predicting a significant blow to China’s economy, which could worsen significantly if businesses and factories struggle to resume functioning. Millions of Chinese away from home are in limbo because of travel restrictions and quarantines imposed after the virus emerged.

The Communist Party is already facing an extraordinary outpouring of public anger over its handling of the epidemic, especially the suppression of information early on that many people and experts believe might have reduced its lethal spread.

The furor crystallized with the death on Friday of Dr. Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist who was reprimanded by his superiors and the police for privately alerting medical school classmates of an outbreak in Wuhan’s hospitals in late December. He ultimately contracted the coronavirus while treating a woman for glaucoma, not realizing that she was infected.

His death inspired Chinese academics, professionals and others to create digital petitions calling for freedom of speech and other changes in how the country is governed, demands that Mr. Xi’s government seems unlikely to ever accept.

“Change, and only change, is the best commemoration of Dr. Li Wenliang,” said a petition that had been signed by 28 academics, lawyers and business figures by Sunday morning. “Otherwise, all our outrage and all our tears will end up as bubbles,” it said, calling the outbreak a man-made disaster.

Another petition, circulated on the site Matters, urged the government to apologize to Dr. Li and other medical workers hauled in by the police for sharing information about the virus. By Sunday, nearly 1,000 people across China had signed it.

The latest coronavirus, like SARS, has spread around the world, though the most severe effects have been on those near where it began in Hubei Province. Many doctors believe that deaths and infections have been grossly undercounted because testing facilities at hospitals and laboratories are under severe strain.

Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who late last week ordered door-to-door checks for patients in Wuhan, visited Huanggang, a city of seven million people roughly 50 miles downstream, and warned that its capacity for treating patients was worse than in Wuhan, where hospitals have been simply overwhelmed.

“Huanggang’s medical treatment conditions are relatively weaker than Wuhan,” Ms. Sun said in remarks shown Sunday night on CCTV, the state television network.

A vast majority of the infections and deaths have come in Hubei Province, which has been effectively sealed, with the police restricting access by road, rail and air. The concentration of cases there has given the government greater confidence in imposing the onerous measures on cities in the region.

There have been only two confirmed deaths outside mainland China — one in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines — though from Russia to the United States the specter of a pandemic has prompted many countries to restrict visitors from China. That has prompted major airlines to slash their flight schedules, with some suspending travel to mainland China and Hong Kong altogether.

In Hong Kong, 3,600 passengers and crew members of a cruise ship were allowed to disembark on Sunday after being held at the dock for four days.

Health officials in the city, a semiautonomous region of China, quarantined the ship, World Dream, in port on Wednesday after eight passengers from the mainland on a previous cruise were found to be infected with the coronavirus. None of the crew members tested positive for the disease, so the quarantine was lifted.

“I felt really bored staying in my room, but we know that the quarantine is to keep everyone else in the city safe,” Charlotte Chan, a sales executive, said after she disembarked wearing two layers of masks.

Hong Kong has begun requiring anyone who has traveled to the mainland to undergo a two-week quarantine, a measure adopted after significant public pressure and a strike by hospital workers.

Ten new cases confirmed in the territory on Sunday raised questions about how well Hong Kong’s travel restriction can protect the city’s seven million residents.

Nine members of a family were infected after sharing a communal hot pot meal last month at a reunion. After a 24-year-old man and his 91-year-old grandmother tested positive for the virus, his parents, aunts and cousins were also found to be infected. Several relatives at the gathering had traveled from Guangdong Province on the mainland.

As of Sunday, there have been 36 cases in Hong Kong, but the family cluster has prompted health officials to warn that a community outbreak is probably inevitable despite quarantines.

“It can at most delay the spread of the disease,” Chuang Shuk-kwan, an official with Hong Kong’s health department, said.

In a possible sign of good news, the number of new cases confirmed in China has stabilized in recent days. World Health Organization officials, though, cautioned against reading too much into the figures, saying that Wuhan and other cities in Hubei Province were still in the midst of a “very intense outbreak.”

The W.H.O. advance team traveling on Sunday was led by Dr. Bruce Aylward, a veteran of the global fight against the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

“We are coordinating with the World Health Organization,” Mr. Cui, the Chinese ambassador, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I’m sure that they will be going to China very soon.”

Mr. Cui declined to say whether a team of experts from the C.D.C would also be allowed into China. He suggested instead that American experts could be admitted as part of the W.H.O. or as individuals.

“American experts are on the list recommended by the W.H.O.,” Mr. Cui said. “Even beyond that, some American experts have come to China already on their own individual basis.”

Dr. Tedros, the W.H.O. director, has echoed the Chinese government’s optimistic assessments, a stance that has drawn criticism as being overly solicitous. He said the measures put in place in Hubei Province — the lockdown of entire cities and more than 50 million people — appeared to be paying off, though he warned that outbreaks like this one are unpredictable.

“We have to understand it with caution, because it can show stability for a few days and then they can shoot up,” he said.

Steven Lee Myers reported from Beijing, and Karen Zraick from Hong Kong. Reporting and research was contributed by Motoko Rich, Eimi Yamamitsu, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Yonette Joseph, Raphael Minder, Raymond Zhong, Tiffany May, Katherine Li, Li Yuan, Chris Buckley, Sui-Lee Wee, Austin Ramzy, Edward Wong and Yiwei Wang.

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