#and the water is so incredibly hard here?!? like we have a water softened but I feel like that might actually make it worse idk

[animalsandskyyy]

grace’s overreaction of the day- i’m now washing my face with bottled water

[ice-man-goes-bwoah]

Two peas in a pod||Lando Norris x single mom reader and OC!Jasper

Word count 851

The knock on her door was light but insistent, a familiar rhythm that Y/N had come to associate with her next-door neighbor.

“Lando!” Jasper bolted from the couch, dropping his crayons mid-doodle as he darted toward the door. His small feet thudded against the hardwood, his excitement visible.

“Hey, champ!” Lando greeted him with a wide grin, crouching to meet the boy’s height. In his hand was a brightly colored toy car, one that looked like his McLaren.

Jasper’s face lit up as he took the car. “Whoa! It’s like your race car!”

“Pretty close,” Lando said, “Now, here’s the deal: you’ve got to take care of it while I’m gone. Think you can do that?”

Jasper nodded so hard it looked like his curls might bounce off his head. “Yes! I’ll keep it super safe!”

Lando stood, his smile softening as Y/N appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. “You’re going to turn him into a collector at this rate,” she teased, but her eyes sparkled with appreciation.

“Better a collector than a critic,” Lando shot back with a wink. “Besides, he earned it. Heard from a little birdie that he got a gold star at school yesterday.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been talking to his teacher?”

He grinned sheepishly. “More like eavesdropping in the hallway yesterday when I ran into you both.”

She shook her head but couldn’t hide her smile. “Well, come in. Dinner’s just about ready.”

The scent of lasagna filled the apartment, warm and inviting. It was a small space, but Y/N had made it feel like home—photos of her and Jasper lined the walls, alongside the boy’s finger-paint masterpieces. Lando always felt a little more at ease here than in his own apartment next door.

He hung his jacket on the back of the chair and settled in at the table. Jasper immediately climbed onto his lap, launching into a detailed recount of his day.

“And then we had art, and Miss Clara said mine was the best!” Jasper held up his crayon drawing—a wobbly but colorful rendering of what might have been a racetrack.

Lando studied it like it was a masterpiece. “Mate, this is incredible. You’ve got talent. You’ll be designing the next Formula 1 racetrack before we know it.”

Jasper giggled, his face glowing with pride.

Y/N watched from the counter as she poured water into glasses, her heart squeezing at the sight. Lando was so natural with Jasper like he’d been doing this his whole life.

“So, how was testing?” she asked as she brought the glasses to the table and took a seat.

“Not bad,” Lando said, shifting Jasper slightly so he could dig into the lasagna. “The car’s feeling decent. Few tweaks here and there, but I think we’re in a good spot for the season opener.”

Jasper’s eyes widened. “Are you gonna win, Lando?”

“I’m gonna try, buddy,” Lando said, ruffling his hair. “And when I do, you’ll be the first person I call.”

Y/N shook her head with a laugh. “No pressure or anything.”

The evening passed in easy conversation, punctuated by Jasper’s endless energy. By the time the boy was tucked into bed, clutching his new toy car like it was a treasure, Y/N, Lando was standing in the hallway outside his room.

“He’s out like a light,” Lando whispered, glancing back toward the door.

“He always is after you visit,” Y/N said, her voice soft. “You’re like his favorite person in the world.”

Lando shrugged, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—a mix of pride and vulnerability. “He’s a great kid. Hard not to like him.”

As they walked back to the front door, Y/N lingered for a moment, her fingers brushing the edge of the counter. “Thanks for coming over. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate with the season starting soon.”

Lando turned to her, his expression gentle. “You and Jasper aren’t just my neighbors, Y/N. You’ve done more for me than you probably realize.”

She blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice. “We’ve just… fed you a lot of lasagna,” she joked, trying to lighten the moment.

He laughed softly but didn’t let the moment slip entirely. “Seriously. This place feels more like home than mine ever has. That’s because of you two.”

Y/N felt her chest tighten, the weight of his words settling somewhere deep. She offered him a small smile. “Well, you’re stuck with us now.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said before stepping out into the hallway.

As the door closed behind him, Lando made his way to his apartment. He glanced back at her door for a moment, an unfamiliar warmth spreading through his chest.

What was it about that tiny apartment, that little boy, and that woman that made him feel more at ease than he had in years?

He told himself it was nothing. Just a good night with good people.

But deep down, he knew it wasn’t that simple.

[darlingmbappe]

Oh, Baby | Kylian Mbappé x Fem reader

Summary: When the condom breaks, it’s a race to get you a Plan B. In the meantime, Kylian gets to thinking about your future together.

Warnings: Mentions of sex and nudity, broken condom, potential pregnancy scare, taking contraception, cussing, google translated French, English is not my first language. Let me know if I missed anything.

Note: I posted this on my old account before I restarted with this one. I didn’t have any other ones there so I just decided to repost this one here! :)

Kylian lazily kissed your neck, his weight now engulfing you, the synchronization of your panting turning into giggles.

“Tu es incroyable.” You’re incredible, he mumbled, his member softening inside you. You smiled sheepishly just thinking about how roughly he took you just now. He praised and used you so perfectly, and now he pressed loving smooches across your face, smiling against your lips when he felt yours curl up. “Je t'aime.” I love you.

It seemed hilarious now thinking about how hard you tried to talk yourself out of dating this man when you first met him two years ago. Thinking about your life without him seemed so wrong and depressing, it was almost impossible to do.

“I love you, too.” You whispered against his lips.

He grunted lowly as he lifted his body off you a bit to pull out of you, but his face turned from love stricken to panic in half a second. “Merde…”

“What? What happened?”

He rolled off of you and looked down, you followed his gaze as well. Now, your face matched his.

Oh, fuck.

The condom had ripped. It only held onto him by the bottom seam, the rest is a goddamn mess.

“How…” you gulped, “how did that even happen?” Both of you were aware that you weren’t on birth control. You tried it at the beginning of the relationship but it lowered your sex drive so much amongst other tricky side effects, it seemed unnecessary having so many other options for safe sex.

“I don’t know, chérie.” He huffed, taking it off and running to the bathroom. “Fuck…”

You quickly follow, putting on a T-shirt that was on the floor. Kylian had his hands on top of his head and began pacing, clearly stressed about what had just happened.

“Hey,” you put a hand on his chest, feeling the rapid thumping of his heart through his skin, “it’s okay, bébé. I’ll just go get a plan B. It’ll be fine, alright?”

He looks at you and nods, letting out an exasperated huff. “Yeah. Of course. It’ll be fine.” He takes the bait, rubbing your arms, kissing your forehead, but not sounding too convinced.

Neither of you were ready for a kid. His career was in full speed. He had commitments constantly and barley found enough time to spend with you. Juggling all of this seems unhealthy for a young couple, but in this relationship, that worked. You moved to Paris to kickstart your own career, and now, you were finally on the come up. Both of you had a good rhythm going and understood how important your respective jobs were. Add a baby to this mix? The whole system is fucked.

You hopped in the shower as Kylian called his personal assistant to get you the pill and bring it to his home. As soon as he hung up, he opened the shower door, hopping in without even asking. His arms snaked around your waist, holding you close as his head rested against your neck, the hot water battering your back. The stress radiated off of him like steam. It was like you could hear his mind whirling.

“You just raw-dogged me, Mbappé.” You giggled, trying to lighten the mood. He looked up, sneering at your with a grin he couldn’t hold back, shaking his head at your vulgarness. You took his face in your hands, kissing his pouty lips. “Look, the pill is, like, 99% effective, or something. We don’t need a mini Kylian running around. Lord knows that thing would be a kicker, too.”

He smiled sweetly. “That’s what I’m worried about. Knowing my genes, my sperm is the fastest sperm on earth. What if you’re already pregnant?” You laughed at his cocky comment, letting go of his grip and grabbing your loofah, but not before jutting out your stomach and rubbing it like you were with child.

“I think your right.” You joked. He stared at you in admiration, loving that you were making light of the situation. One of you had to think rationally. “I feel a little Ninja Turtle forming already.”

After the shower, you both got dressed comfortably, lying back in bed and turning a movie on. Kylian cuddled at your side — his head on your chest, his hand on your stomach tracing patterns under your shirt periodically.

Eventually before you dozed off, you heard a knock on the door. You shot up, not having a chance to feel bad about shoving Kylian off of you and made your way to the door. His assistant smiled and handed you a brown paper bag. With a quick and genuine ‘thank you’, you make your way to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Kylan lingered behind you, leaning against the countertop. “Is that it?” He took the bag from your hand, opening it up and pulling out the individually packaged pill.

“Yep.” You reached over him to grab a glass, then turned to read the back of the package along with him. “Look,” you point to the small print, “Efficace à 97% si pris dans les 72 heures suivant la fin.” You read out loud. 97% effective if taken within 72 hours of conception. “See? We’re gonna be okay.”

Kylian was quiet as he looked at the words written on the flimsey cardboard. You pour yourself some water, filling his glass too, and take the package from his hands, opening it and putting the pill in the palm of your hand. Just as you were about to put the pill in your mouth–

“Wait!” Kylian grabs your wrist, stopping you.

“What?”

“What if… you don’t take it?” He cheekily asks, bringing himself closer to you.

You furrow your brows in confusion. “Then I might get pregnant? That’s kinda the whole point of–”

“No, no. I know. But, what if you don’t take it?” He asks again, now placing both his hands on your hips, hugging you loosely.

“Are you trying to suggest that we have a baby right now, Ky?” You ask gently, but your tone full of surprise. He shrugs, a smile making his way full force across his face. “I don’t get it. You were just freaking out about the broken condom.”

He shrugs again, rubbing your hipbones with his thumbs “I’ve been thinking about it…”

“…for, like, thirty minutes…”

“More like forty five.” You roll your eyes at his correction, but let him continue. “(Y/N). I love you, so, so, so much. I want a life with you. A full life — one that has a little-mini-version of the both of us running around. We could be a family. I mean, we have so much room in this house, we’re financially stable, we’re so in love with each other. It’s perfect. Maybe it’s a sign. We could start the rest of our lives today.” He sensed your apprehensiveness. “If you want to get married first, and all… we can do that. I know it’s probably not how you planned it but, it’s definitely not how I did either. Why don’t we just see if anything happens?”

Your heart melted with his words and the way he was looking at you. “Kylian… I don’t know. It takes a lot more than just a little bit of thinking for a decision this big. I mean… it’s a baby. An entire baby.” You reason, setting down ur glass of water and hugging him back, making sure your words came out gently. “These things cry and barf and scream and shit their pants daily…” He chuckled. “And then they grow up and start sticking their fingers in electrical sockets… and then they grow up even more and get all, you know, angsty, and… not to mention that we’d have to put our careers on hold for a while. And we don’t even live together yet. You really think we’re ready to have a baby together?”

“Then move in with me.” He blurts, ignoring the rest of your reasons. Your eyes widen, opening your mouth and shutting it quickly. “I’m serious, chérie. Come live with me here. You basically do already.”

His eyes were twinkling with love, and you look right back at him with the same expression. “Kylian,” you chuckle excitedly, tightening your grip on his stomach a bit. “You’re not just asking me because you think I’m pregnant right now, right?

“Non, non, of course not, bébé. I’ve been wanting to ask for a while.” He begins swaying both your bodies back and forth slightly, clasping his hands behind your back.

They way you’re looking up at him makes him swoon. “You also kind of just proposed to me.” He laughs at himself, hiding his face in your shoulder. He tends to get carried away, only sometimes. When he decided on spontaneity, he goes all or nothing. “But…” You move so his blushing face looks back at yours, “Okay.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Okay?”

“Yes, okay.” You smile big, just like him. “Yeah… to the moving in thing.” You specify, reaching up and kissing him. “How about we just start there. We have so much time to figure out the rest.”

He nods, giddy like the day you agreed to be his girlfriend. “We have the rest of our lives.” He kisses you once more before you let go of him, grabbing your water.

His face, while smiling, seemed a little disappointed. You know Kylian would never make this decision for you but you were happy to have this conversation. You’d talked about a future together before, sure. But, this one felt very real, not like some distant thing that eventually you’d get serious about.

“I love you so much, Mbappé. You know that, don’t you?” You stared at his features, your heart skipping at the man in front of you.

He hums sweetly in response, watching you down the pill.

“What happens if we’re the 3%?” He asked, taking your empty glass and setting in the sink for you.

“What do you mean?”

“It said 97%…” He leans in once more, getting close to your face and putting his warm hands on your stomach. “I feel like my sperm has a chance.” You roll your eyes as his hands travel down and back to grab two handfuls of your ass, squeezing suggestively. “We’d make the cutest babies.”

“Mhm,” you nod in agreement, wrapping your arms around his neck. You two would make really adorable babies. “Why don’t we go get more practice making one… or test out the rest of the condoms for any holes… Cant be too safe, now, can we?”

He squeezes your ass again, shuffling you back out of the kitchen and toward the bedroom. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

[burkhxrts]

IMGONNAGETYOUBACK! [chapter one.] | A. Judge

"and if i'm not the one for you, you've got to stop holding me the way you do." -adele

summary: after the great meltdown of '24, you fly to new york to follow up with the lead journalist, not knowing that you'd run into the same person who broke your heart all those years ago.

warning(s): slight angst, cursing, reader has a nervous breakdown but she pulls through

authors note: on call for seven hours last night discussing different scenarios but we up!!!

Subject: Congratulations on Your New Role with the New York Yankees!

Dear Y/n,

I just wanted to reach out and extend my heartfelt congratulations on landing your new position as a journalist for the New York Yankees! What an incredible achievement and such an exciting next step in your career.

Covering one of the most iconic teams in sports is no small feat, and I'm sure your passion and talent will be a perfect fit for the role. I have no doubt you’ll have amazing experiences and stories to share along the way.

Wishing you all the best as you embark on this new chapter — and if you ever need anything or just want to chat about the world of sports journalism, don’t hesitate to reach out!

Again, huge congrats and best of luck as you take on this awesome opportunity!

Warm regards,

Matt Daley

“Sweetheart, please tell me the light in the kitchen is you getting water.”

You freeze like a deer in headlights, looking up from your computer. Your mother’s soft but stern gaze pierces through you, the bright glare of your computer prevents any attempt at a lie. 

“I’m getting water?”

“I didn't realize that getting water also meant computer time.” She raises her brow, pulling her baby pink robe tight around her waist. You hear the squeaks of her infamous bunny slippers as she slides into the seat in front of you. 

“What’s wrong?” she hums, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. 

I'm being a sensitive little bitch, is what's wrong.

“Just thinkin’” you shrug, pushing your thick reading glasses up your nose.

“About?” she asks, tilting her head. God, you hate when she does that. It’s like she studies what detectives do in an interrogation. 

“Notshowinguptomyfollowuptomorrow-“

Mom sighs, drooping her shoulders. “Honey-” 

You put up your hands and swiftly stand up from your seat. “I know what you’re gonna say! I know, I need to woman up and just take the job with no exceptions.” 

Mom takes a long breath, her brow furrowing. She stands up slowly, as if considering her words carefully, then leans against the kitchen counter, arms crossed.

“Look,” she says gently, her voice soft but firm. “I know it’s complicated. But this is a huge opportunity. You’ve worked so hard to get here. Don’t let one bad experience with someone—someone who, let’s be honest, was never really the right guy for you—stop you from doing what you’ve worked for.”

You rub your temples, feeling the familiar tension in your shoulders creep up. "I know, Mom, I know. It’s just—" You sigh, pulling the chair out again and sitting down, avoiding her gaze. "Aaron... he's there. Every day. And I just don’t think I can do it. It feels like I’d be walking back into a chapter I closed for a reason. A pretty painful reason."

Mom’s eyes soften, but she’s not giving in. She steps closer, her voice more quiet now, understanding but resolute. “Bug, I get that. I really do. But think about it. This isn’t about him. This is about you—your career, your future, the next step in your life. You’re better than running away from this just because of the past. You’re strong enough to handle it. You have to choose to be better than the situation that hurt you.”

She pauses, as though she’s letting it sink in. “And think of it like this: If you don’t take the job... then who wins? You walk away, and he gets to keep his space, his job, and you’re stuck where? Sitting in this house wondering 'What if?' every day? I don’t want that for you.”

You stare at her for a long moment, her words slicing through the fog of self-doubt. Your fingers trace the edge of the table. “I don’t know if I can fake it, Mom. I mean... working in the same building as him? Every single day?”

She smiles, but it’s the kind of smile that’s both loving and knowing. "You’re not faking anything. You’re doing your job. If anything, he’s the one who’ll be faking it—acting like he doesn't notice you there. But you—you’ll be the professional. You’ll be the one who walks in, does your thing, and leaves the past behind. Because that's what you do. You move forward."

You take a deep breath. She's right, of course. As much as you want to hide, as much as you want to run from the memories, she’s always right about one thing: you’re stronger than you think. But he—he was your first love, the one that crushed you. And now? You’re supposed to work side by side in the most public of settings.

But... maybe it’s time to stop letting him have that power over you.

“Okay, fine,” you mutter, sitting back in the chair. “I’ll go to the meeting. I’ll hear them out. But if I walk in there and they start talking about game schedules and press passes like it’s all casual, I swear to God—"

Mom grins. “No promises, honey. But you’ve got this.”

You narrow your eyes, but the weight in your chest feels a little lighter. Maybe she’s right. Maybe it’s time to take back the narrative.

And if you crash and burn? At least you did it on your terms.

[jessysapphireblue]

How it all began Luffy x Oc

As always, Nickname is Je, which you can replace, a female magician. ROLL IT!

It was night on the Going Luffy-senpai of the Barto Club pirates. While the others held a party, with the crew of Bartolomeo, chicken head for Luffy, you were away from all the party, resting by the stern, which resembled Choppers head all to well.

Looking out, Dressrosa was out of view, and on the way to Zou. Closing your eyes, you let the sea breeze dance with your hair, a smile painting itself onto your lips.

"There you are. Come, the party is going on fully!", the voice of your captain broke you away, turning around as you saw him eating, the bone of his meat clean.

"Ah, I came here to have a rest from the party", you admitted. "Why? Is Chicken Head fawning over you?", he came to you, resting next to you. "Barto? No. He´s a fan, and quite amusing at that. Just what happened at Dressrosa-" "You were so amazing!", Luffy interrupted you, eyes sparkling.

"How did you even make this water giant?! You held Doflamingo in check! Usopp and Franky are praising you all the time!", he sparkled at you. "well, a lot of concentration and practice", you admitted. "You could´ve crashed Dressrosa! It was so cool! How you moved in the water, how you connected back once he cut you, it was so cool!"

You began to laugh. "Why, thank you", you bowed your head. "No wonder you have a higher bounty than Zoro now, plus you restored it how it once was! You´re incredible!", Luffy praised you endless, making you shy, rubbing your neck.

"Captain, you flatter me", you chuckled and Luffy looked at you. "Je, why do you sometimes call me captain? Say my name more" "It´s your position, plus, it shows that I trust you fully!", you admitted and pulled his strawhat more into his face. "You...trust me?" "Luffy, I trust you with my life! I know you´re reckless but I also know that you would never put any of us in danger. I trust you, now and forever"

You beamed at him, as he pressed his lips together, looking at you. "Luffy?" He simply took your hand and put it onto his chest, directly where his heart was. "Do you feel that?", he asked you. "Your heartbeat" "No...how weird it goes" "Weird? But-" "Yes! I was always so happy when you agreed to spend time with me before we seperated but now...whenever I see you, you make my day! Your laughter and smile is what I always want to see"

"Well, it´s not hard", you admitted, hand slipping from his chest to his cheek, stroking it with your thumb. "I don´t know why but when I hear your voice, I feel warm, happy and feel like I can even beat my Grandpa" "Uhh, when you do this, he will follow you over all oceans" "I know", Luffy groaned, making you laugh.

Your Captain only looked at you, your closed eyes, how you laughter escaped your lips, one finger wiping away a tear, while your other one rested on the wooden head of Chopper. His eyes soften, a gentle smile on his lips before his eyes fell on your lips. They looked so inviting to him, ready to dive in.

You finally stopped laughing, steading your breathing before you turned back to Luffy. His gentle eyes and soft smile towards you made you blush a little, neither of you talking. "Should we?", you asked, looking at him.

"Yes, come", he took your hand and you gave it to him. A little part on you were sad, since you thought about Luffy a lot and he was probably hungry right now.

What surprised you was that Luffy pushed you softly against the nearest wall, eyes locking with yours before he smashed his lips on yours.

Your eyes widen and you felt the blush on your cheeks before closing your eyes and cupping his cheeks. his arms wrapped themself closely around you, pulling you against his body before he pulled away.

"Wow! That felt amazing", he admitted with a big grin that almost reached his eyes. "Luffy, what?", you were still a little confused.

"Rayleigh told me I harbor more than just friendship for you and yes. When I see you, i want to hug you constantly. I want to know about you and your magic, I want you to hug me when you´re sleepy, when you need something. I know I´m not the best at anything but fighting but I promise, I want to be the best forever nakama!"

"Luffy" "Please, Je. You don´t know how many times I wanted to kiss you but I always forgot" "Oh, Lu. Yes" "Yes?!", he looked at you with wide, happy eyes, and you nodded. You swore he shined like a star at that moment.

"I have a question, though" "Yes! Anything", he looked at you. "What is a forever nakama?" "Hm? Like this. being close, kissing, cuddling" You snorted a little. "It´s called boyfriend, Lu. You´re my boyfriend, I´m your girlfriend. And I promise to be a good girlfriend" "...oh! I forgot the word"

Bursting out into laughter, Luffy joined in, noses brushing against each other before you kissed him.

Robin began to chuckle before dismissing her ear, smiling. "And? And?", Usopp asked her. "Not telling", she hummed, walking away. "What!? Robin come on! We have a bet running!!", the sniper yelled.

"A bet?", asked Trafalgar "Yes. If Luffy will ever confess his feelings to Jessy. He´s down hard", admitted Zoro. "I doubt it", said Trafalgar. "wanna bet?", smirked Zoro. "Why not"

Trafalgar Law lost a bunch of Berry once they arrived in Zou

[notsafeforlunch]

The Caretaker - Emeto fanfiction

TW: emeto, sickness. These two have been my roman empire for the past few months and I decided to write down a moment of vulnerability between them that I imagined. I hope you like it, but if you didn't, please just scroll and don't be mean to me, please 🥹 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "You were just amazing last night, babe. The crowd was insane. Everyone's talking about it" Travis said, checking the news on his phone. The soft glow of the Parisian afternoon filtered through the curtains. His eyes were twinkling, always amazed by his girl's performances and the comments about it afterwards.

Taylor smiled back, but it was faint. "What? Is there something wrong?" he asked, noticing how uncommonly her hand was resting on her midsection. "I don’t know. My stomach feels off." she admitted.

His expression shifted to concern, getting closer and evolving her in a loving hug. "Uh-oh, did we go too hard on the crepes for breakfast?" he joked, kissing her face. His eyes softened when she didn’t laugh. "Do you want me to get you something? Water, maybe?" 

She nodded, grateful for his attentiveness. "Yeah, water might help. I’m hoping it’s just something small." She sat down on the bed. "I think I’m gonna lie down for a bit before we go out tonight, ok? Maybe a nap will do the trick."

"Good idea," he agreed, brushing a kiss against her forehead. "Take your time, I’ll be here."

She smiled softly, heading to the bed, and he watched her until she pulled the blankets over herself. Her eyes fluttered closed, exhaustion and discomfort mingling as she drifted off.

It looked like she had just closed her eyes when something woke her up. It was still bright outside, she could see it even through the fancy blackout curtains. She rolled over in bed, her eyes catching Travis standing by the balcony, talking on his phone. His voice was low, casual, he had no idea she could hear him:

"Yeah, man, it’s been incredible so far." he was saying, his eyes sweeping over the view of the Parisian rooftops. "We’re gonna take a stroll later, me and Tay, maybe grab dinner with a few friends of her. I'll let you know." 

She shifted in bed, trying to decide if she should get up and join him or try to get back to sleep, since the nap hasn't been enough time to rest. As she moved, though, a familiar wave of nausea hit. She clutched her stomach, a groan escaping her lips.

Travis must have heard the sound because his voice hesitated on the line. "Hold on a sec, man," he said, turning his head towards the bed. "Babe, you good?"

Before she could even answer, the nausea overwhelmed her, and she bolted out of bed, rushing to the bathroom. The door swung shut behind her, and the muffled sounds of her retching echoed from inside.

Travis’s face tensed with concern. He hurried off the call, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I gotta go, something’s up with Taylor." He hung up, placing his phone on the nightstand as he quickly approached the bathroom door.

"Hey, Tay, you okay in there, babe?" he asked gently, knocking softly. He could hear her, the strained noises and the faint sound of running water as she attempted to steady herself. His heart sank a little.

"I thought I was, but…" she started, but the wave hit her again.

"Is it coming from down or upper?" he teased with a grin, trying to lighten the moment.

Taylor, despite her discomfort, let out a soft laugh. "Upper, thankfully. But it feels like everything’s upside down."

He opened the door cautiously, finding her leaning over the toilet, her face pale and beads of sweat clinging to her forehead. She looked up, flushing it, embarrassed but relieved to see him. "It’s just… ugh, this stupid stomach. I knew something was off" 

Travis didn’t hesitate. "I'm sorry about that," he said, stepping closer and kneeling down, rubbing her back in soothing circles. "How about we get you back to bed, and I’ll bring some ginger tea? You barely even slept."

"I know, right? I've been down for what? Fifteen minutes?" There was concern in her face too, the fact that the nausea had woken her up right after closing her eyes.

"Yeah, twenty minutes or so. Jason called right when you fell asleep and he was still on the phone with me when you got up, so quick that it was" Travis said, getting up on his feet and pulling her up. She nodded, her expression softening. "I’m sorry, Trav… Maybe if I go to sleep again… I don't know, there's still time until the time we planned to leave, right? I can get better."

He shook his head, pulling Taylor in for a comforting hug. "Nah, none of that. We’ll take it easy tonight. We'll order room service and have a cozy night in. The city can wait."

"No, babe, really. I want to feel better. I want to go for a stroll around Paris with you. I've been dreaming about this all week."

Taylor couldn’t help but smile through the discomfort, around his loving arms. Travis always had this way of making things feel okay, even when they clearly weren’t: "It's ok. Rest for a while, when you're up again we see if we should stay or go." Said the footballer, as he helped her back to the bed.

A few hours later, Taylor stirred awake from her nap, blinking as she adjusted to the dimming Paris light. She stretched, feeling her body finally relax a bit after the rough past moments. The discomfort in her stomach had faded, and she was determined to make the most of the night. They were in Paris, after all.

“You sure you’re up for it?” he asked, watching while she showered, a protective look on his face. “Definitely. I feel so much better now” she assured him, putting on her brightest smile. Her eyes were full of determination, and Travis, always doing his best to support her, nodded.

“Alright, but only because you’re looking at me with those eyes” he grinned “And because you look this good naked in front of me.”

Both laughed. As soon as she finished the shower Taylor moved to the closet, letting the bathroom free for Trav. He entered, closed the door and busied himself in there, the buzz of his electric razor drifting out, a sound proof that he would take a while before showering, as he always did when it came to his beard. 

Outside, the singer was pulling out a stunning dress she’d picked for the night and then applying her makeup carefully, every stroke feeling like an affirmation of her renewed energy. "I'm so glad I'm feeling better. Tonight will be perfect." she thought. 

In the very end – as the sound of the shower was already on, inside the bathroom – she had just fastened her heels, and was ready to finish the look with her famous red lipstick, when a familiar twinge hit her again on this day, even stronger than before. Taylor paused, one hand on her stomach. She took a deep breath, trying to shake it off. "No, not again, please" she thought, looking at the closed bathroom door, closing her eyes and willing herself to push through.

The feeling intensified. She could hear Travis humming in the shower, and she didn’t want to bother or scare him. He’d been nothing but patient and sweet all day. She took another breath, steadying herself, but the wave of nausea surged, and this time, it wasn’t something she could ignore. She moved as quickly as she could toward the bathroom door, knocking.

“Trav? Babe, can you hurry up in there?, please” she called, her voice a little strained. There was too much noise inside with the strong jets of water from the fancy shower, he couldn't listen.

"Babe? Please!" 

She knocked, even more strongly and received a silence back, as if the shower was shut off in a sudden, right before Travis opened the door, his lower body wrapped in a white towel, and a scared look on his face, taking one look at her: “Gonna be sick again?” he asked, his brows furrowing as she ran inside and tried to reach for the toilet, but it wasn't fast enough. The nausea overwhelmed her, and she spat a little on the floor on the way to the sink, that was closer. There, her slim body shuddered with each wave, finally letting it all out.

“Whoa, easy there, Tay,” Travis said, immediately moving to her side. He rubbed her back, his other hand holding her hair out of the way. "Alright, just let it out, babe. You'll feel better. Let it out" he encouraged, rubbing her back gently.

Wiping her mouth, Taylor said, mortified, reaching for the facial towel. “I’m so sorry… I thought I was fine.”

She shuddered, another wave coming up, and this time it was more intense. The noise that came with it was harsh. A retching sound that echoed in the bathroom, mixing with the splatter of the vomit hitting the ceramic basin. Her eyes watered, and she coughed, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Travis winced slightly at the sight but kept his hands on her back, offering steady support.

"Watch your step" he guided her – deviating from the puddle on the floor – to the border wall of the bath, where she could sit for a while, after all, while he cleaned up the little mess and dressed himself in the shirt and shorts he had just taken off before the shower and were still around.

"Babe, I'm sorry – she said, watching while he did the cleaning around – It's so gross and I'm really embarrassed."

Travis could see she was feeling miserable. He shook his head, calming her down: "It’s just human stuff, Tay. We all go through it. Don't feel bad". When the floor was clean enough, he approached her with gentle eyes: "Let's take off this dress, ok? Arms up.” said, softly, helping her out of the dress. The fabric, now damp and stained, slipped off her shoulders as he carefully peeled it away. "I like it better when I'm not sick while you do it, you know…" she mumbled and they both let out a mischievous laugh.

“We'll be back to doing it in no time, don't worry.” he replied, his eyes meeting hers with a soft smile “As soon as you're feeling better". 

He reached for a washcloth and ran it under warm water, spreading it through Taylor's collar and shoulders. The touch was gentle and he was taking care to make her feel comfortable.

When he reached her hair, he grimaced. “Oh, babe, we’ve got a bit of a situation here.” He wiped away the remnants that had tangled in her hair. “Looks like Paris really left its mark tonight,” he joked, making her smile despite the situation. "Gross. Could you go get my pajamas while I take a shower and get this all off of me?" she asked, feeling strong enough to stand up and go to the shower again.

The night hadn't gone quite as planned, but even through the mess and the sickness, she felt better for knowing her boyfriend was, and would always be there for her, no matter what.

[cocoacosmos]

wait I forgot I had asked on anon and got my bias well one of 8 biases cause ateez are so hard to have just one member you entirely like cause then another member does something and suddenly they are your other bias too then you end up with 8 biases plus its very hard not to love each of them

I am surprised its different from the previous members that I have always been paired with cause someone else said to me it would be too emotional or we would both have many mood swings or communication would be generally off and I was like :o cause san is the member I would naturally be drawn to the most shortly followed by hwa and hj. in fact I would have thought hj would be top of the list due to us being both scorpios and cap risings I think I'd get along well with him as well

thanks very much for doing that game and dw about how long it takes to respond! - JI

Honestly I should’ve put an asterisk next to San too but I thought it was the better outcome because the Magician was there. It would be incredibly emotional but I don’t think communication would be completely off (Queen of Cups). Y’all’s big three compliment each other very well in my eyes. It gives whirlwind so yes it would be emotional but it doesn’t give me emotional roller coaster. Y’all are both Water suns and Earth risings so it makes me picture a more safe space type relationship. These placements also trine/sextile so that’s something. The moons are the whirlwind part honestly and is where I think the Magician comes in. I very much think San is the Magician in the equation because he’ll just be down to do anything and everything. Your moon actually is in his 7th house and his sun is in yours. When it comes to Sun-Moon synastry, people say it can be favorable depending on placements. In my experience, it was a lot 🙃. Add the house of romantic relationships and sheesh. The problem here is San might say something a bit sharp (Mercury ruled moon is not a joke 🥲) or if you’re not feeling heard, you’re not about to hear anything else he’s saying. I think all the water might soften it though. Honestly you could look at San and Hongjoong’s interactions with each other to get a good feel of how it would go. To me, emotional doesn’t always mean rough and sensitive. Just lots of feelings. If yall break up though, it will be so messy if yall let it be 🙃. Your risings might work hard but all that water will work harder.

In Hongjoong’s case, based on tarot alone, it’ll be more of a y’all like to give each other your space type relationship. Y’all both would try your hardest not to cling. Leave yourselves to your own devices but when the time comes, y’all do get that quality time. You spend time together but not too much if you get what I mean. You build each other up but you won’t like baby each other if you catch my drift. Separate but together and very trusting.

So really it just depends on what you value more in a relationship. If you need an emotional supportive person that likes adventures, San is for you. It’s more “attached” for lack of a better word. If you need a relationship where you feel comfortable even when you’re not talking every minute of every day, Hongjoong suits you better. It’s more introspective.

[imogenkol]

a kiss on the forehead of one who is starting to fall asleep - for Imogen and Bix 💙

Ok so this actually wasn’t supposed to be this angsty, but here we are lmao words: 1k warnings: ptsd, mentions of torture, some suicidal ideation

It was another bad night. 

She felt the thin mattress in the Rix Hotel beneath her siphoned body. 

If Bix stared at the ceiling for long enough, it appeared as if the shadows in the low light undulated – not like the calm surface of a body of water, but like a parasite lurking just under the skin. She almost felt it in her own skin. Bix slowly raked her nails along her forearm back and forth, each pass digging into her flesh a little harder. 

Closing her eyes made things worse. 

She felt the headset rest over her skull in an offensively comfortable way.

Her mind rapidly spun this way and that in the darkness as her ears rang. The ringing quickly grew into a distorted wail and she felt the control she had of her body start to slip away. She feared she’d drift off into the dark. The threat of sickness crawled up her throat before her eyes snapped open once more.

She felt the straps that bound her to the metal chair. 

Someone grabbed her wrist and halted the movement of her hand. With a jolt, Bix glanced down and realized her nails had nearly broken the skin. She looked over and became grounded as she met Imogen’s worried gaze beside her in bed. 

Imogen brushed her fingers over the angry red lines on her beloved’s arm. “What is troubling you, love?”

“You know,” Bix answered through a heavy sigh. The ringing had grown dangerously close to a horrid sound the mechanic never wanted to hear again, but could never fully get out of her head. 

Imogen nodded in understanding. “What can I do to ease your mind?”

“Promise me I won’t ever go back to that.” Bix felt like a child asking an adult to convince her not to be afraid of the dark. She knew Imogen’s abilities made her more capable than most, but countless people like her fell victim to the Empire just as much as anyone else. 

“They will not take you again,” Imogen responded with enough conviction that Bix nearly believed her. 

“You’d kill me before you let it happen, right?”

It was an incredibly cruel question to pose, hypothetical or not. Bix would be furious had their roles been reversed. The mechanic couldn’t explain it, but she needed this type of morbid assurance. She had promised herself that she would do whatever it took to ensure the ISB wouldn’t ensnare her in their net again. One way or another, she would not survive Imperial torture a second time. But deep down, she knew she couldn’t take matters into her own hands. Bix simply didn’t have it in her. That terrified her. Imogen, on the other hand, was capable of anything and Bix trusted her more than anyone else in the galaxy. She could do this for her when the inevitable came.

The neutral expression Imogen forced failed to mask the flicker of horror in her steel gray eyes. Her brows knitted in a scowl as it faded and she clenched her jaw hard, still intensely holding her gaze. As the silence went on, Bix began to regret her words. There were other people she could have asked – should have asked. She didn’t need to hurt the woman she loved just to give herself some peace of mind. 

Then Imogen spoke in a low, resolved tone. “I will do whatever it takes.”

The small smile that came across the mechanic’s lips was equal parts relieved and melancholy. Hopefully, it wouldn’t have to come to that. “Thank you.” 

“You should get some rest, darling,” she said, softening her voice. Her hand moved down to Bix’s hip where her soothing caress worked underneath the hem of her shirt as she pulled her closer. 

Bix was grateful for the touch, even alleviated by the brief shock from the bounty hunter’s cold skin against hers, but she shook her head. “I don’t want to.”

“Then I shall lie awake with you.” 

“No, don’t do that.” 

“I have no need for sleep at the moment, anyway.” 

Bix noted how slow Imogen blinked, how shallow her breaths were, and she smiled knowingly. Imogen was exhausted, yet she fought the pull towards slumber to offer what consolation she could. The mechanic nodded and nuzzled against her, accepting the comfort of her embrace and letting it chase the unease in both of them away. 

They held onto each other in the dark, sharing sparse whispered words about nothing of importance. Sometimes a small laugh would break the hushed tones or a comfortable silence would settle between them. Soon, minutes turned to hours. Each time Imogen closed her eyes, they stayed shut a little longer than the last. Until it seemed they might not open again until morning.

Bix studied the other woman’s features — now fully relaxed and completely devoid of the hardened expression she knew best. Such a rare sight, she thought with adoration. Gently, Bix reached out and traced the shape of those beautiful features. She ran the tip of her thumb along Imogen’s jawline, then over her cheekbone, up the bridge of her nose and across her brow. These touches didn’t appear to disturb her and Bix wondered if she had truly drifted off. 

The mechanic couldn’t help herself. She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Imogen’s forehead, trying to keep the contact light in case she really had fallen asleep. The swell of warmth in her chest at the devotion before her made everything else melt away. Time and distance separated her from those horrors she endured. They were many, many parsecs away from the Empire, from the Rix Hotel, from home, and she should take some comfort in that… for now.

“Will you join me, my love?” Imogen mumbled with what little awareness she had left. 

“I guess I’ll give it a shot,” Bix replied and allowed her own heavy eyelids to close as well. This time, she found no dread in the dark. 

[diner-drama]

Disguise (1/1)

To save Merlin the trouble of having to maintain the costly ageing spell while he wrests Gwen from Morgana's control at the Cauldron of Arianrhod, Gaius tells Arthur that the sorcerer he has found is a woman.

He doesn't warn Arthur that the sorcerer in question is a raven-haired beauty with a pair of blue eyes that a man could drown in, nor that the spell to free Gwen requires more than just some magic words.

Merlin/Gwen/Arthur gender-swap one-shot. An alternate version of 5x09, "With All My Heart". The BBC are cowards for not making this episode incredibly sexy. Also on AO3.

"I just don't think this will do anything for my figure," said Merlin as he held the frumpy black dress against his body.

"It's not a beauty competition," laughed Gaius. "As long as the prince doesn't recognise you, you can wear what you like."

"Usually I'd get Gwen to help me with something like this," Merlin grumbled. "Why did Morgana have to ensorcel my only seamstress friend?"

"How often do you find yourself dressing up in women's clothing?"

"What I do with my weekends is nobody's business but mine, Gaius," replied Merlin with a twinkle in his eye. He disappeared up to his room in search of a belt, before popping his head back through the doorway. "You don't have any makeup, do you?"

The journey to the Cauldron of Arianrhod was horribly perilous, even with Mordred's help, and by the time they arrived at the waters, Merlin was vibrating with tension, going over the words to the spell in his head.

"We have to find her," said Arthur grimly, scanning the rocky landscape for the sorceress.

"I'll search her out," replied Merlin, hurrying to pick up his bag and accidentally dropping the dress on the dusty ground.

Arthur put his hands on his hips, looking over at Merlin expectantly.

"She... likes to be paid in clothes," explained Merlin, sprinting away.

"Why-" started Arthur, giving up when Merlin was concealed from his view behind a big rock.

With haste, Merlin stripped off his tunic, breeches, and boots, and folded his neckerchief into a neat little square on top. Shivering in the cool air, he whispered a spell that he may or may not have tried a few times before on long winter evenings when he didn't have anything better to do. In an instant, his body began to change - his skin softened, his hips and chest grew plump, and his hair lengthened, curls bouncing around his bare shoulders.

Some other things changed, too, but they weren't relevant to the disguise, so we will not discuss them here.

He slipped the black dress over his head, forgoing the petticoats and shroud. The wide shoulders of his dress slipped down his arms over his newly narrow shoulders, creating a plunge neckline that he actually quite liked. He tied the belt at his true waist, accentuating the hourglass shape of his delicate ribcage. Kneeling at the edge of the lake and watching his reflection in the still water, he carefully daubed some rouge onto his full lips.

Merlin's transformation into the Dolma complete, he took a deep, fortifying breath and emerged from behind the rock.

The woman who stepped out on bare feet from behind the craggy stone where Merlin had disappeared moments before was not at all what Arthur had expected. His eyes tracked upwards from the ground, taking in the way the black dress skated over the curves of her body, the delicate prominence of her collar bones, the captivating blue of her eyes, and the raven black of her hair, which fell in soft ringlets over her pale shoulders.

She pursed her lips - full, soft, and stained a deep red. "Who are you?" she called, stalking toward them. "What business have you in this sacred place?"

Arthur swallowed hard and tried to gather his wits. "Are you the Dolma, ancient sorceress of the Cauldron of Arianrhod?"

She smiled, and her voice dropped to a low purr. "Who else would I be?"

"I don't know," said Arthur, his mouth dropping open as he gazed at her. She continued to walk towards them, her graceful hips swinging with each step.

"Sire," said Mordred quietly. "Does she look familiar to you?"

"There is something," admitted the king. Tearing his eyes away from the beautiful woman in front of him, he looked around the valley. "Where's Merlin?"

"Your servant is resting," she told him, stepping closer and putting a hand on his chest. She smelled like that rough soap which Merlin liked to use, and it was turning his head. "You work him too hard," she breathed, sliding her hand around to rest on the back of his neck. "Won't you let him take a break until we've concluded our business?"

"You know why we're here."

"You can't hide anything from me, Arthur Pendragon," she replied, fixing him with her piercing blue gaze. Her cool, thin fingers stroked through the hair at the bottom of his skull, as though she had known the feeling of him for years.

"Are you sure we haven't met before?"

"You've never been so lucky," she murmured. "Come, bring the queen and set her beside the pool before she awakes."

Once Arthur had done as he was told, the sorceress kneeled at Gwen's head, carefully stroking the queen's hair back from her brow.

"The magic which has ensnared her is very strong," said the Dolma gently, looking down at the queen with an expression of great tenderness. "If we fail, she may be lost to us."

"Can the enchantment be broken?"

"Yes, but it will not be easy. We may not succeed, and we may lose her. Do you understand this?"

Arthur took a deep breath and set his jaw, nodding grimly. "I understand."

The Dolma searched his face for a moment, then nodded in return. "I'm going to wake her up, and then she must walk into the waters of her own will."

"She will not do such a thing," Arthur warned her.

"You must tempt her in. You must reach the part of her that Morgana could never touch."

"Is there such a part?"

"I believe there is, and so must you," she said firmly, pinning him with her direct gaze.

"If she walks into the waters, will she be cured?"

"I must summon the White Goddess to lift the dark magic that ensnares her soul. It will take all of my powers, and..." She hesitated.

"And?" prompted Arthur.

"The goddess will require... a tribute."

Arthur looked down and nodded in resignation. "I am prepared to sacrifice my life for the soul of my queen," he said solemnly.

"You're prepared to sacrifice your life for any idiot who crosses your path," snapped the Dolma, unaccountably angry. She calmed herself with a breath and then continued. "Your life will not be forfeit. The goddess will possess my mortal form while she works her magic. For centuries, her only form has been as an ethereal spirit. She has not felt the earthly touch of another since long before you or I were born."

"So I need to... touch her?" asked Arthur slowly.

"The legends say that the goddess' power stirs the blood and quickens the heart. She must be rewarded... with a kiss."

"Oh, if that's all. Mordred can do that."

The sorceress screwed up her face, looking at Mordred with skepticism. "How old is he?"

"I don't know... twelve, maybe? Twenty?"

"I'm not kissing a child."

"Well, you're certainly not kissing my wife."

"I knew you'd be weird about this," she muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I'll kiss you, or Guinevere, or you can go and find that dragon, but I'm not kissing that kid. He's going to murder you, you know."

"Have you been talking to Merlin?"

"I'm a sorceress. I can tell when someone's going to murder you."

"If Guinevere wakes up and sees me kissing some sorceress, she'll murder me herself."

The Dolma sighed and shook her head. "We can cross that bridge when we come to it, I suppose," she muttered. "Once I wake her, we will have only a few moments to tempt her into the water. Take your chain mail off, it'll get rusty."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, you should have put on the white tunic this morning."

"You have been talking to Merlin."

"Prepare yourself. You must reach her," she said, placing one hand on Gwen's forehead. The sorceress chanted an incantation in a low, sonorous voice, and Gwen's whole body jerked as she startled awake. She scrambled away from both of them and stood.

"Where am I?" she spat, the peace on her face disappearing, replaced with a look of utter hatred and suspicion. "What have you done to me?"

"You've been asleep for a long time," said Arthur gently, holding up his hands in supplication as he approached her, trying to ignore the way his heart was breaking in his chest.

"Get away from me!" she yelled, backing away.

"Guinevere. My Guinevere," he said in a soft voice, taking her by the shoulders.

She screwed up her face, the usual kindness in her eyes replaced with sheer disgust. "Your Guinevere?" she hissed. "You stupid, foolish man. I was never yours and never will be."

"You must reach her, Arthur," the Dolma reminded him. Her words soothed and irritated him in equal measure.

"Who are you?" asked Gwen, her face softening as she looked the sorceress up and down. "I know you."

"I'm here to help you. You must hear our voices, please," she replied gently, her voice breaking a little as she pleaded with the queen.

"Do you remember when I asked you to marry me?" asked Arthur, struck with a sudden thought, ducking his head to look his wife in the eyes. "Do you remember what you said?" Gwen jerked away, refusing to look at him, and he looked towards the sorceress for reassurance.

"You said, 'with all my heart'," she supplied, walking backwards into the water until it was around her ankles.

"With all my heart," repeated Arthur, doing the same. It didn't occur to him to wonder how the sorceress knew this.

Gwen hesitated, looking between them, something between confusion and affection dawning in her eyes.

"With all my heart," he said again, reaching out a hand.

Finally, hesitantly, Gwen took a step forwards. "With all my heart," she whispered, her voice breaking.

"Walk into the water, Gwen," said the Dolma, treading slowly backwards until she was waist-deep, her dress floating around her in the still lake. "Walk towards us."

Slowly, cautiously, Gwen made her way into the water as though in a dream, guided by some unknown impulse towards their voices and outstretched hands. Finally, the three of them stood together in the cool water, submerged up to their chests.

Arthur and the Dolma offered their hands to Gwen and she took them, confusion still written all over her face.

"Yfel gaest, ga thu fram thisselichaman," intoned the sorceress, her beauty becoming sharper and brighter as the light of the goddess suffused her body. Gwen's eyes grew clearer as she watched, her breath coming in great, heaving gasps. "Bith hire mod eft freo."

The queen gulped in one more huge breath, and her body glowed with the same light as the spell began to take hold. She gazed into the Dolma's eyes as though she were witnessing a miracle and, in one movement, threw herself forwards to kiss the other woman on the lips. The sorceress closed her eyes and kissed Gwen hungrily, as though it had been an aeon since she had last felt human touch. They parted, and finally, a smile graced the queen's face. She turned to her husband, taking her hand from his to tangle in his hair and pull his head to hers, kissing him. A tear slipped down his cheek as he pressed his lips against those of the woman he loved, finally hoping that she may not be lost to him forever.

"Arthur," she said quietly, pressing a shaking thumb to his lips, familiarity dawning in her eyes.

In the background, he could hear the Dolma saying the final words of the incantation, and he felt the glowing light begin to recede. As she stepped away, Gwen grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving. Drawing her close again, she guided Arthur's head to the other woman's and he met the Dolma's lips in a grateful kiss as Gwen applied herself to her neck, peppering kisses up and down. The sorceress' skin was soft against his hands, and she let out a small noise of satisfaction, cradling the back of Gwen's head to pull her closer. Their three bodies pressed together, hands smoothing over skin, the lingering energy of the spell leaving them giddy, intoxicated with relief.

Gwen kissed the Dolma again and rested their foreheads together while Arthur nosed behind the sorceress' ear, pressing little kisses and nips into her smooth, pale skin.

"I can never thank you enough," whispered the queen. "You have returned my mind to me. A thousand kisses would not be too much of a price to pay."

"I agree," said Arthur, holding the Dolma's body against his as he licked and sucked at the junction of her neck and shoulder. "We will forever be in your debt."

"To have triumphed over evil is reward enough," she breathed, nonetheless turning her head to press a kiss to the king's lips.

"Kissing you is no hardship," laughed Gwen. The sight of the dimples in her cheeks and the musical sound of her laughter took Arthur's breath away, and he kissed her, revelling in the feeling of her.

"My queen," he murmured. "It is good that we are a team again."

"A team indeed," she replied, beaming, "but I think our saviour here will find that we can be very competitive."

As one, they turned to the sorceress with predatory intent, and fell to caressing and kissing her, each trying to outdo the other in winning her favour. She responded just as enthusiastically, sliding her thigh between Gwen's and sliding a hand up the back of Arthur's tunic.

Eventually, the sorceress shivered, her slender frame no match for the cold water.

"We'll catch our deaths out here. Come with us back to Camelot," Gwen entreated her, cupping her jaw.

"We can be very welcoming," added Arthur.

"I regret that I cannot," said the sorceress reluctantly.

"It's fine," Gwen reassured her, giving her a final chaste kiss on the forehead. "The offer stands."

The sorceress gave a half-smile as she disentangled herself from their embrace, pausing only to give them both lingering kisses on the cheek.

"Perhaps one day," she said softly. She stepped lightly out of the water in bare feet, leaving damp footprints behind her, and disappeared behind the rock from whence she came.

"We should get out of these wet clothes," murmured Arthur, holding his beloved wife to his chest. "Mordred has some spares."

Gwen's head whipped around and she stared at Mordred, who was standing at the shore and looking incredibly uncomfortable, gaze fixed determinedly away from them.

"You brought Mordred?" she hissed. "He's far too young to see this kind of thing."

"I didn't know the sorceress was going to be so... beguiling."

"She certainly was that," laughed Gwen as they made their way back to the shore. Mordred held out two towels and stared firmly at the floor.

"I'm glad that you are restored to yourself, my lady," he said, bowing low and still not meeting their eyes.

"Thank you for your help, Mordred. I hope this wasn't too unsettling for you."

"As long as we never discuss this again, I think I will be perfectly fine, your highness," he replied with a closed-lipped smile.

"Agreed."

"Agreed," added Arthur, taking the towel and stripping off his sodden tunic. "Turn around, there's a good lad."

The after-effects of their intensely sensual encounter with the Dolma were still crackling between them, and every inch of golden skin revealed as Gwen dried off and changed into dry clothes was tempting him.

"I have a pressing urge to take you back home and welcome you properly," he said in an undertone.

"I will admit to feeling similarly... inspired," she said coquettishly, biting her lip as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. "I have to say, if we were going to invite a third person into our bed, I would have assumed it would be Merlin."

"You never told me that," said Arthur. He took her by the shoulders and pressed a warm, loving kiss into her forehead. "I suppose it is logical. Where is Merlin, anyway?"

As if on cue, Merlin came stumbling out from behind the rocks. His clothes were askew, as though he'd put them on in a hurry, and there were deep red smears across his lips. He waved when he saw them and gave them a double thumbs up, looking slightly out of breath.

"Merlin, you've got lipstick on," laughed Gwen.

"Did the Dolma kiss you?" asked Arthur, putting his hands on his hips.

"Why would you ask that?" said Merlin evasively, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"It seems as though she kissed all of us," said the queen, looping her arm through Arthur's as they set off back down the path.

"Except for Mordred," the king pointed out.

"I'm happy for that to be the case, sire," said Mordred, looking at Merlin with wide eyes.

"Yes," agreed Merlin, clapping the young knight on the shoulder. "That's probably for the best."

[writtenjewels]

Scene of Spice: Jason and Salim

Jason didn't usually have cause to dress fancy, so he was relieved to find something halfway decent in his closet. He arrived a little early, glancing at the door every few seconds so he could catch Salim walking in. Compared to the other attendants, Jason was still too grungy: he was wearing blue jeans and he didn't have on a tie. But he hoped that the brown vest he pulled over his long-sleeved collar shirt would class him up a little.

Salim arrived and Jason found himself taking a long look. The guy looked great: dark slacks, a tie, the whole thing. It knocked the air out of Jason's lungs.

“Hello, Jason,” Salim greeted him. His eyes swept over Jason with a smile tugging on his lips. “You look great.”

“You're lookin' pretty fine, too,” Jason returned. “Um, I mean, you look good.” Salim's smile softened and Jason hoped that his blush wasn't obvious. “Let's go sit down,” he suggested.

It was really only because Salim sounded so excited about it that Jason even agreed to this. He'd never been to the opera before in his life and probably never would have gone if Salim didn't find out there was one at the local music hall. He called Jason up, babbling about how incredible it would be to go, Jason offered to get tickets, and here they were.

“You got good seats,” Salim observed happily. “I promise you will like this,” he said, something he had repeatedly promised already. “There is drama, romance, violence.”

Jason nodded vaguely. He would at least give this a try. Anyway, it was kind of cute how into this Salim seemed. The orchestra started tuning their instruments and the crowd fell quiet in anticipation. The curtain rose and the opera began.

“Are they speakin' English?” he asked after a few minutes. “I thought all operas were in Italian or somethin'.”

“There are operas in many languages, jarhead,” Salim assured him. His hand dropped on Jason's knee. “Now be quiet and listen.” He squeezed and pulled his hand away-- too soon, in Jason's opinion.

A few more minutes passed. The seats weren't exactly comfortable and Jason shifted around trying to find a better position. Salim's hand came down again, this time resting on Jason's thigh. Jason froze, his own hand dropping down on instinct. Salim glanced over to catch his eye. Jason's heart thumbed hard against his chest but he didn't move his hand away.

“Jason,” Salim began. His fingers twitched to gently squeeze Jason's thigh. “You really do look handsome in that outfit.” He leaned a little closer to add: “I especially like the suspenders.”

“I like your tie,” Jason returned. Salim let out a snort. Jason already lost track of the opera's story; all his attention was on Salim. The guy was good-looking to start with but tonight, in this outfit, he was damn near gorgeous. Whatever they were singing about onstage, it felt like it was echoing in Jason's heart. His eyes flicked to Salim's mouth.

“It's warm, isn't it?” Salim observed. Jason blinked in confusion. “You're flushed,” Salim told him.

“Oh. Yeah. You're hot-- I mean, it's hot.”

“Intermission is in an hour, jarhead,” Salim mentioned, his cheeks flushing. “We can get some fresh air then.” At that, he pulled back and turned his attention to the stage. They'd been holding hands through the whole exchange.

Jason swallowed and tried watching the opera. He hoped that Salim would forget about the stupid way Jason tripped over his tongue. He didn't expect to put any moves on Salim during an opera, of all places, but something about Salim all fancied up short-circuited the connection between Jason's brain and mouth. And Salim's hand was still on his thigh, which was setting off a different kind of reaction in Jason.

Intermission came and Jason and Salim headed out with the crowd. There was water and snacks available for purchase but they ignored all of that and headed outside. Jason breathed in the cool night air, grateful for the breeze.

“What do you think so far?” Salim asked.

“Not bad,” Jason nodded. “That soprano's got some pipes.”

“It reminds me of the aliens.”

“How so?” Jason frowned.

“The way they communicated through music.” Salim reached out with his free hand to caress one of Jason's suspenders. “I noticed the music was inspiring you, too.” Jason felt his heart slide up into his throat and he stood there, just trying to breathe normally as Salim's fingers slid up and down the suspender strap.

“Salim...” He finally managed the man's name, but it came out breathy and heated. Thoughtlessly he reached for the man's tie and slid his thumb up to where it knotted at his throat. Salim's hand had followed the strap up to Jason's shoulder and stopped there, his eyes flicking to the former marine's lips.

Jason's brain clicked off again; he tugged on the tie, bringing their faces close enough for a kiss. Salim returned it instantly, arching a little closer as his hand rested on the back of Jason's neck. Jason thought he understood what Salim meant about communicating through music: he was remembering the opera's songs, how the crescendo matched with his racing heart and the buzzing excitement in his body.

“How long is intermission?” he asked in a husky tone.

“Ten minutes.”

“Well, shit,” Jason huffed. “And how much longer is the opera?” That made Salim chuckle and he tugged Jason's suspender strap to bring them even closer. Jason nearly choked in surprise: he could feel a bit of a bulge pressing against his thigh.

“Another hour, I think,” was Salim's heated answer.

“Maybe we oughta call it a night,” Jason suggested. “You're lookin' pretty flushed.”

“It was a little too warm in there,” Salim reasoned. “Must be these clothes.” He gave the strap another tug. Jason let himself be pulled in for another heated kiss, this time pushing his tongue between Salim's lips. Salim groaned and nudged back with his own tongue.

“Holy shit,” Jason gulped. He managed to put it on pause long enough to call them a taxi, spending the ride working loose the knot of Salim's tie. The way Salim watched him as his fingers worked made it hard not to kiss the guy.

They managed to get inside before Jason had Salim pressed against the door, their lips resuming the kisses. Salim gripped onto a suspender strap and pulled it off Jason's shoulders. He groaned and Salim's tongue pushed in to fill the space. Jason blindly worked Salim's buttons open, parting from Salim's lips for quick breaths before eagerly diving back in.

“Sorry,” he breathed out, “we're missin' the second half. I know... you were excited to go.”

“It's, ahh, it's all right.” Salim pushed off the other strap. “I wasn't expecting... you in formal wear to be so... distracting.”

“I know what you mean,” Jason agreed, pressing a brief kiss to Salim's lips before moving to his jawline. “We can try again,” he suggested. He had Salim's shirt open now and slid his hand inside. His fingers brushed against chest hair and he swallowed, feeling over the strands.

“Jason,” Salim sighed.

“Where's your bedroom?” Jason asked him. Salim answered by pointing and Jason pulled him off the door, half walking and half stumbling across the room. Salim was the one working buttons now as he worked past Jason's vest to his collar shirt.

Jason pressed Salim into the mattress. The way he looked, flushed with his shirt open and loose tie, was probably the hottest thing Jason had ever seen. Jason dropped his eyes lower to check. That bulge was looking pretty urgent. He felt Salim's eyes on him and noted that the other was checking out Jason's crotch, too.

“I should have invited you to the opera ages ago,” Salim remarked.

“Yeah,” Jason agreed dryly. “The fuckin' opera is what did it for me.” Salim's answering laugh was swallowed by Jason's kiss. The man groaned and again parted his lips for Jason's tongue, his hands pushing into Jason's open shirt to feel over his chest. Jason shuddered at the touch, probing with his tongue hoping to encourage more.

He worked to unbuckle Salim's belt, opening his slacks and sliding them down when Salim lifted his hips up. Every time their lips parted for air, they were breathing raggedly and usually only managed to say each other's names before they resumed kissing. Salim was working at the button on Jason's fly and instinctively he pushed toward the touch.

“Jason,” Salim crooned. He slid his thumbs under the waistband and tugged.

“Tell me somethin',” Jason drawled, kicking their pants onto the floor. “Was this whole thing just an excuse to get me into fancy clothes?”

“Not entirely. But I have a feeling you don't mind getting out of them.”

“Nope,” Jason agreed with a quick peck to Salim's mouth. He pushed back to get a nice, long look at Salim. His opened shirt exposed his broad chest, his cheeks flushed and his eyes slightly glazed. Salim slid his legs apart and his breathing hitched. “I hear you thinkin',” Jason spoke up.

“I wasn't expecting this,” Salim confessed. “But I wanted it.”

“Yeah?” Jason caressed his cheek. “I can't tell you how long I've wanted you, Salim.”

“Since we met?” Salim guessed, fingers sliding into Jason's hair. He let himself be pulled in for another kiss. He sank down, Salim's thighs brushing his hips. Salim's hands moved to finally push Jason's shirt off his shoulders, caressing the bared skin of his back once it was off.

“Salim, do you want to--?”

“Jarhead,” Salim chided him. He slid a thumb under the waistband of his own underwear and pulled them down. His cock popped out at half-mast. “Can you hear what I'm thinking now?” Jason could barely grasp at his own thoughts at the moment, eyes fixed on Salim's hardening cock.

He put his hand on it, feeling it twitch at his touch. His eyes darted up to Salim's face as he curled his fingers around the shaft and stroked. Salim's mouth fell open, eyes fluttering and hips rising. Jason's own arousal pressed urgently against his underwear and he squirmed. Salim noticed, of course, and reached up to remove that last bit of clothing. He pushed up so Jason could get his shirt completely off, too, and then stretched back out on the bed.

“God, you're so pretty,” Jason awed. He continued stroking, encouraging Salim to a full erection.

“I thought I was hot,” Salim teased.

“Do you gotta be a smart-ass all the time?” Jason complained. Salim laughed again, this time being cut off by a hitch in his breath as Jason squeezed one of his balls. He moved his hand lower to touch the tight ring of muscles.

“Ah!” Salim cried out. “Jahh-- Jason.” Jason quivered with his own pooling arousal as he slowly rubbed the spot with his finger. Salim whimpered and tried hitching his legs back to give Jason more room. Jason gripped onto one thigh for balance as his finger pushed in. “Jason,” Salim called again.

“Do you got lube?” Jason's voice shook as he spoke.

“I told you I wasn't expecting this.” Jason nodded and drew his finger away again. Salim grunted and nudged Jason's thigh with his knee. “Lay back, jarhead.” Jason raised an eyebrow but did as he was told, rolling so he was the one on his back.

Salim opened Jason's legs, getting a firm hand on Jason's length. He dragged his tongue across the shaft and Jason yelped at the feel. Salim got his other hand on Jason's hip to hold him still as he licked another stripe from root to tip. Jason still jerked and let out a low moan.

“You see?” he hummed, pressing kisses around the base. “We communicate through music.”

“Sh-shut up,” Jason stuttered. Salim licked up his cock yet again and this time swirled his tongue over the head. “Fuck!” Jason's head fell onto the mattress. “You'll make me cum.”

Apparently Salim wanted that, as he repeated all the same moves again and this time added sucking on Jason's tip. Jason grabbed onto Salim's hair and almost broke right then, as Salim's mouth had opened to take him in. Jason's mind was blank except for the feeling of that hot, wet mouth clamping down on his dick. Salim bobbed his head and Jason slid in a little deeper.

“Fuck, oh, shit, I can't,” he babbled. He thrust in without thinking and felt Salim's throat constrict. Jason cried out as the orgasm had him spilling into Salim's mouth. Salim gagged and let Jason's cock drop from his mouth, but Jason barely noticed. He managed to get a hand on himself to finish riding the high. When he was spent he sat up and wiped his cum from Salim's mouth and chin.

“I tried to warn ya.”

“Yes,” Salim agreed, taking Jason's hand and kissing the fingers. “You did.” His eyes were darkened and he leaned so close to Jason there was barely any space between them. Slowly he took Jason's finger into his mouth. Jason's eyes went wide and he gasped as arousal stirred.

“Salim.” The older man removed Jason's finger, now wet with his spit.

“This is the best I can do for lube, habibi.”

“Oh.” Jason's face had to be as red as a tomato at this point. “So, uh, me in a collar shirt and suspenders. That did it for ya, huh?”

“It helped.” Salim kissed the back of his hand. “What 'did it' happened down in the temple, when I saw you gun down those vampires. I just wasn't sure how to make a move.”

“You figured bein' an opera nerd was the best move?”

“It worked,” Salim reasoned with a shrug. “And I did notice how close you stood when I was explaining the alien device.”

“You're cute when you get excited about shit.” That made Salim smile and Jason smiled back. Salim took Jason's fingers back in his mouth, sucking on the digits and curling his tongue around them to make sure they were nice and slick.

And then he was on his back, legs spread, breathing hard before Jason even got a finger in. Jason marveled at this. Salim went through a lot of effort to get them here. And he had known Jason well enough to realize it would work. Jason took his time stretching Salim open, peppering the man's jaw and neck with kisses as he worked. His other hand got around Salim's erection and the two hands worked in tandem.

“Feels good,” Salim praised. Jason crooked his fingers to brush the prostrate. Salim gasped and twitched. Jason folded in a third finger and nudged the spot again. Salim bucked against his fingers this time. “Please, direi,” he purred. “You'll make me cum.” Jason just smirked at him and pumped his fingers in a deep rhythm, trying to strike the prostrate each time as his other hand stroked Salim's cock. He went harder and faster until Salim cried out, his orgasm spurting out over Jason's hand and stomach.

He helped Salim finish off, his fingers slowing but not pulling out. Salim let out a sigh of content, a hand going to Jason's shoulder-blades to rub gentle circles.

“So,” he spoke up. “What other things need us to wear fancy clothes?” Salim snorted, lifting his hips up a little to meet with Jason's fingers.

“Concerts, ballets...”

“Do they all got intermissions?”

“Yes.” Salim's eyes glinted up at him with amusement. “Why, you don't think you'll be able to sit through the whole thing?”

“Honestly?” Jason smirked back at him, grabbing Salim's thighs to spread him open. “I'm hopin' you won't even be able to sit through the first act.”

[ferallymine]

Act 2 - Confessions of a Lost Boy

a/n: yeah i romanced Astarion what of it? Kaledia is my super-graphic-ultra-modern girl bard Durge and Rhododendron (Rho) is my you-dumb-bastards druid Tav. more to come because i'm obsessed.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Kaledia walked along the shoreline at the edge of the moonlight barrier. The Last Light Inn provided enough space for one to walk quietly, lost in thought. Away from the noise of panic and battle tactics.

Water graced her feet, drawing her to take a step. Kaledia obeyed its beckoning, shedding her shoes and armor. She undid her braids- Rho will have a fit about that later- and walked into the water just enough to cover her ankles. The hem of her pants just barely skimmed the surface. A gentle breeze toyed with her hair, making it flow like a cape behind her.

Kill the cleric. Imagine the beauty in the bloodshed that will descend!

The bard shuddered, crossing her arms. The violent thoughts still plagued her mind. As if she needed more unwanted presences. She shook her head, forcing the Urge from her mind.

Set every building in this cursed place ablaze. Rhododendron will never lift that curse- might as well make these abandoned places artful masterpieces of ash and bone.

With a scrunch of her nose, she shook her head again. Kaledia began quietly humming, tracing her feet in the water. Composing songs and ballads always managed to calm her down- this time being no different.

Tiny wisps of purple and pink escaped her fingertips and Kaledia conducted the air. If a bystander listened close enough, they could make out a faint tune. The bard’s eyes glazed over, feet dancing in steps to match the rhythm of her new piece. One arm stayed close to her chest while the other continued its maestro guidance.

“Enjoying yourself?”

The suddenness of the voice shocked her out of her daze. Whatever music one could hear was gone in an instant- joining the wind brushing past. Her eyes met Astarion’s- his shoes and armor discarded beside hers in the sand. His feet joined hers in the water.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone out here. Aren’t you cold?”

He chuckled, “I’m always cold, darling.”

“Cute, but what brings you by? I thought you were reading.”

“There’s too much chatter among the others. I can’t think with all that racket up there.” Astarion’s face softened as he continued, “But now I’m down here with you... and… I think we need to talk.”

He hates you.

“What’s wrong?” She turned to face him, hoping to any divine that her face wouldn’t betray her fear. Another gust of wind picked her hair up, flowing it delicately behind her.

“Listen, I… had a plan." A puzzled look, but he continued, " A nice, simple plan. Seduce you, sleep with you, manipulate your feelings so you’d never turn on me.” His smile attempted to make light of his words, but his eyes betrayed his sorrows, “All you had to do was fall for it. And all I had to do was… not fall for you. Which is where my nice, simple plan… fell apart.”

Kaledia kept silent, taking in what he was confessing. See? None of it was real.

“It was… instinctive. 200 years a slave, using my body to bring targets back to him… old habits die hard in the face of uncertain survival.” His breath was shaky- was that a tear in his eye?, “I just… feel awful. You’re incredible. You’ve done amazing things since the crash, bringing me along for the ride. You’ve fallen for a façade and I… I want this…  I want us to be real.” His hands were trembling ever so slightly.

There was heartbeats of silence. Had he fucked this up? Astarion held his breath unconsciously, mind racing and waiting for any response. A slap. A scream. Hells, even if she drove a spike through his chest he wouldn’t blame her rage. All he’d done was use her since the tadpole invaded his body. Was that what he’d become- an invasion to her body?

Her next words surprised him.

“Starlight, I’ve always cared for you.” His nickname on her tongue always sounded like honey. Kaledia took a step, closing the distance between them.

Tears brimmed in his eyes, a quiet whisper breathed out, “Really?”

She closed her eyes. A psionic pulse encapsulated their small space on the beach. Astarion felt their adventures up to this point rush to the forefront of his memory. Their first meeting at the crash site, grabbing arms so they didn’t fall into the hole in the spider’s cave, the entirety of the temple of Selune, the tiefling kids in the Grove, the tiefling party… their first time as they snuck away from camp. In each wave of memory, all he could feel was wonder and love. From her perspective, he’s always been Astarion- not just a spawn.

“It’s always you, my love.” Kaledia opened her eyes, the psionic wave dissipating. “It’s never been about looks or what you can do for me.”

Astarion’s voice caught in his throat, unable to shake the anxiety he now found himself in. This was all new territory… was such love able to be given to someone like him? He gingerly held out his hand, waiting to see what she would do.

Please take it.

She grasped his hand, brining it up to her lips. A gentle kiss grazed his fingers before she rested his palm on her cheek. Kaledia visibly relaxed at his touch, leaning into his palm.

“May I hug you?” Her amethyst eyes looked up. He knew he could say no and she wouldn’t think less of him for it.

He nodded silently in response, a tear escaping down his cheek.

“You don’t have to lick love off of knives, Astarion.” A gentle whisper in his ear, “Love can be freely given, without anything expected in return.”

His breath hitched, arms delicately holding her close. She could pull away if she wanted- could still escape and save herself from the burden of loving such a lost boy. Who are you without Cazador? Are you worthy of love in this void of lost identity? Who is Astarion, and does he deserve what others are willing to give? After everything you’ve done? After who you’ve done?

A sudden wave from the lake lurched on the couple. The water was so cold, Kaledia shrieked and lost her balance. Astarion tried to catch her, but fell beside her into the water. They were soaked, head to toe.

Kaledia’s breath gasped, sitting up in the frigid water. She wiped algae from her eyes and pulled her hair back from her face. Astarion sat up beside her, spitting more water from his mouth.

The absurdity of it all… she couldn’t help but laugh. He joined in, realizing she wasn’t laughing at him. After helping each other stand up, she brought his face close. Their soaked foreheads touched in another tender moment.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Hand in dripping wet hand, they began their walk back up the hill to the Inn.

——

Shadowheart elbowed Rho in the ribs, “What was that for?”

The drow winced before ducking back under cover. She snuck another peek at the shore before responding, “I got tired of waiting.”

“They’ve been fucking for weeks!” A harsh whisper.

“Yeah, but they just now fell in love.” Rho massaged her ribs, “Sometimes a good cold shower snaps people out of their anxiety spirals.”

[juniwilson]

Let Go | Para

Featuring: Juniper Grimaldi w/ a few folks at her job; mentions of Chris & Atlas Grimaldi, Raj Veerapen, Emma Williams, Luna Zuniga-Smith, Riley Moore, Aldrich Palermo, Thomas Meier & Celeste Barbosa-Meier Location: California Academy of Sciences; San Francisco, CA Time Frame: Noon-ish, Mon. March 20, 2023 Notes: Kinda long-ish, but thank you for reading.

Juniper had been finishing up their lunch when their direct supervisor’s administrative assistant poked his head into the break room.

“Heyy, Juniper, when you’re done with lunch, Renee wants to see you.”

“Oh, okay!” Juniper replied, licking a sandwich crumb from the corner of their mouth. They balled up the parchment paper the sandwich had previously been wrapped in and tossed it in the waste bin, and then, after wiping down where they’d been sitting with a napkin, Juni grabbed their water bottle and left the break room.

For Juniper, things at work were finally feeling more normal, routine again. There hadn’t been the whispers or obvious indicators that she was just being talked about anymore. And while she’d still been away from work during the weekdays here and there, she was hard at work and staying in communication with her team as much as possible. Checking the time, she’d only had about 5 more minutes before her lunch would be over and it’d be time to get back to her coral reef report.

When they reached the aquarium director’s door and knocked, Juni waited for a response and then entered, a friendly smile on their face.

“Close the door and have a seat, Juniper,” Renee said.

The smile they’d entered with died on their lips. With their heart quickly launching into nervous thumps, Juniper did as they were told and took one of the two available seats across from their boss’s desk. Taking in Renee’s grave expression, along with the long stretch of silence after they sat didn’t put their mind anymore at ease.

“Juniper, I know there isn’t any easy way to say this, so I’m going to cut to the chase. We have to let you go, effective today.”

For an uncomfortable length of time, it felt like everything had stopped, including Juniper’s heart. But when she’d visibly reacted, she stammered, “I-I... what?”

Renee sighed and steepled her fingers on the desk. “We know that you work hard and that you love your job, but your frequent absences haven’t gone unnoticed.”

Her throat was starting to feel like it was lined with sandpaper as she whispered, “My absences?”

This time, Renee frowned, “Yes, beginning with Ship-Wrecked. You were granted an exceptional amount of time of leave to go on the show, mostly because of your incredible work ethic, how reliable you were and how little time you were away. But ever since then, you have missed a significant amount of work. The maternity leave was understandable and of course, by law that has nothing to do with your termination. However, you have taken an abnormal amount of time off for vacations, awards shows and other social events. Even this past weekend when you took time off Friday. It’s impacted the efficiency and morale of the research team.”

Every bit of lunch was quickly turning sour in Juniper’s stomach. She wanted to say that she’d only taken a half day off from work last Friday but she kept quiet, her gaze downcast while Renee went on.

“Between us, I love having you here. When you’re here. But there have been complaints and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried before more of those complaints had come. You know that a lot of our ability to educate, research, and maintain what we have here relies on donors. If The Academy were to grant the amount of time off to everyone that they’ve given you over the past year alone, we would have a major problem, and likely lose a lot of our funding.”

Silence stretched between them gain as tears began to well up in Juniper’s eyes. But they fought them as much as they absolutely could, swallowed thickly and finally managed to say, “I understand.”

Frowning again, Renee softened her voice, “Juniper. I’m going to say the thing I’m not supposed to say, which is that I’m sorry. I really, truly am. You’ve had major changes to your life since returning from Ship-Wrecked. Maybe it’s all been a lot more to handle or adjust to than you were actually prepared for. But if in, say, a year or so, you have a better handle on things, reach out to me, alright? Maybe we would be able to have you back. Or if you end up needing a reference to somewhere else... you have my contact information.”

A reference somewhere else didn’t mean much when a job like hers was hard to find, and the job she was aspiring to have would be even harder now that she’d been fired. But Juniper didn’t say anything. She didn’t trust herself not to burst out into tears. Or throw up. The latter was feeling more and more like a possibility the longer she sat there. And after giving a nod to Renee, her now former supervisor returned to a more business-like demeanor and continued telling her about clearing out her desk and seeing HR to collect her final pay. She’d heard it all yet it was sounding distant and underwater.

At some point, Juni had gotten up from the chair and left the office. Their steps were wooden and muscle memory seemed to be the only thing carrying them in the right direction. And when they got back to their desk, an empty box was waiting there. Tears silently spilled down Juniper’s cheeks. They could feel eyes on their back as they picked up the personal items at their work space: framed photos of Chris and themself, of Atlas, and of Eevee. Smaller photos taped to the side of their monitor and pinned to their cubicle walls: group photos with various siblings, a selfie of them, Atlas and Raj at the zoo; Riley, Aldrich, Chris and them at the wedding reception photo booth, a picture of them with Thomas, Celeste and their then newborn twins, and an old group photo with Monterey Bay Aquarium colleagues.

All of the photos went into the box, along with everything else personal at and around their desk: their framed AA and BS diplomas, scuba certification papers, work recognition certificates, a ‘thank you’ card signed by friends at the penguin exhibit, another ‘thank you’ card from a school group they’d given a tour to; a tube of lip balm recently gifted to them from Emma, seashells Luna had given them back on the island, and two small plush animals--a sea otter and a sea horse. The last personal item to be packed was their lab coat, which Juniper had tugged off at the sleeves, folded in half and shakily draped across the top of the box.

Juniper was about to pick up the box when bile began to rise in their throat. They bolted for the nearby bathroom, barely making it to an available toilet before losing their lunch entirely. They sobbed through the last few, painful dry heaves and thereafter, hands and lips trembling terribly while they knelt in the stall. It was a struggle to compose themself again; each time they thought they pulled themself together, Renee’s words of, “We have to let you go” echoed in their mind and pushed more tears from their eyes.

She had no idea how much time had passed before she was able to get to her feet again. She felt dizzy and her head was throbbing from all of the crying and vomiting. But she had to leave. It wasn’t a choice--wasn’t her choice. She had to get her belongings, collect her check, and leave as she was instructed. So she flushed, washed her hands and did her best to rinse out her mouth, and then kept her gaze down as she retrieved her box and walked out of her team’s office for the last time.

[roxanedrawing]

Here to add some hopefully helpful tips regarding the plant-eating here, and hopefully without offending anyone:

• if you live in North America, your day-to-day diet is very likely to have a lot of processed foods and sugar, as in, much of the food one can buy will have some form of sugar and flavour enhancers etc already added into it (not only North America of course, but I know how EASY they make it there).

• Add to that the fact that fresh produce is relatively expensive and time-consuming to make a nice dish with, I really understand how unappealing it can be to eat plants.

• nonetheless, good idea to eat plants. It's hard to get used to non-sweet flavouring, and instead savour bitterness or sourness or certain textures is a whole deal, and in my experience if your gut biome isn't accustomed to eating them, it'll take time to adjust and the adjustment might be physically uncomfortable.

• I used to hate preparing vegetables to eat because the end result would be so unappealing. Someone in the comments mentioned 'overcooked veg', someone else 'mushy'. As long we associate eating plants with this kind of disappointment then it's so hard to get into the habit.

So a few tips from my personal experience over the 20 years I've been cooking:

• if you are working hard and don't have the time or energy to cook healthy for yourself, but you CAN find healthy take away, do it. Don't beat yourself up about the expense, or your executive dys/function. How marvellous, humans have been buying their food from vendors for thousands of years, I shall keep the tradition alive. (*no, not deep fried foods)

• if you're cooking food yourself: veg generally doesn't need a lot, and boiling generally is not what it needs. I have a microwave steamer for steaming, oven for roasting, pan or airfryer for grilling or frying.

• Soup makers are an INCREDIBLE tool for I-have-no-time-but-want-something-nice (chop up veg, add water, 17 min later hey presto soup).

• if it is green: the brighter the green, the better (don't overcook the zucchini, chop brussels sprouts in half so they'll soften more quickly but retain some crunch, spinach truly only needs a few minutes)

• many cuisines have wonderful methods and recipes for preparing veggies. Mexican cooking, various Indian cuisines, Indonesian, Korean, Middle-Eastern, Eritrean, Ethiopian, Japanese, Chinese, etc.

• Italian and French too, though for IT it can be a faff to find delicious ingredients for the very simple seasonal dishes, and for FR it can be a faff full stop.

• Salt, pepper, olive oil, sesame oil, balsamico / different vinegars, pickles, soy sauce, tahini, oyster sauce, harissa, kochukaru, miso, shiokoji etc. Your veggies will taste best when combining with herbs, spices, other ingredients that have interesting flavour.

• Onion and garlic! Celery! Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme! Chives, garlic stems. And dill, and tarragon, and basil, and cilantro/coriander (unless you have the soap gene), and lemon grass, curry, nutmeg, bay leaves, and ginger, and turmeric, and galangal/ laos, and lime, and lemon-- this is just what's available locally near me, depending on what shop you go to you may be blessed with other herbs. I've taken to googling recipes based on interesting looking ingredients.

• fermented things like miso and kimchi (and kombucha and cheese) can be good for the gut and will make veggies SO good, but take notice of how your bod reacts. I personally go through periods of deep craving and then periods of NO. If it upsets the tum, consider incremental increase or hold off.

• there's much to be found online. Start wherever. Ottolenghi's recipes are fun: unexpected flavours and textures, very pretty to look at, great combinations with dairy and/or meat but many stand-alone veg recipes https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes

• please note there's a difference between eating a vegetarian diet and eating vegetables. Plastic is also vegan, and you can eat strictly vegetarian and still get scurvy.

• find a parent or grandparent (possibly not your own) whose cooking you like and whose shoulder you might peer over and whom you might ask questions of. I never learned more than from my ex-boyfriend's parents who, with Creole and South-Asian backgrounds, cooked any and every veg with so much knowledge and talent and good taste that it was a joy to eat with them every time.

(feel free to DM me with food questions, I don't know everything but I can help with the things I do know.)

A lot of younger people have no idea what aging actually looks and feels like, and the reasons behind it. That ignorance is so dangerous. If you don’t want to “be old,” you aren’t talking about a number of years. I have patients in their late 80s who could still handily beat me in a race—one couple still runs marathons together, in their late 80s—and I lost someone who was in her early 60s to COPD last year. What you want is not youth, it is health.

If you want to still be able to enjoy doing things in your 60s and 70s and 80s and even 90s, what you want to do, right now, is quit smoking, get some activity on a regular basis (a couple of walks a week is WAY better for you than nothing; increasing from 1 hour a day of cardio to 1.5 will buy you very little), and eat some plants. That’s it. No magic to it. No secret weird tricks. Don’t poison yourself, move around so your body doesn’t forget how, and eat plants.

If you have trouble moving around now because of mobility limitations, bad news: you still need to move around, not because it’s immoral not to, but because that’s still the best advice we have. I highly recommend looking up the Sit and Be Fit series; it is freely available and has exercises that can be done in a chair, which are suitable for people with limited mobility or poor balance. POTS sufferers, I’m looking at you.

If you have trouble eating plants because of dietary issues (they cause gas, etc.) or just because they’re bitter (super taster with texture issues here!), bad news. You still want to find a way to get some plants into your body on a regular basis. I know. It sucks. The only way I can do it is restaurants—they can make salads taste like food. I can also tolerate some bagged salads. On bad weeks, the OCD with contamination focus gets so bad I just can’t. However, canned beans always seem “safe,” and they taste a bit like candy, so they’re a good fallback.

If you smoke and you have tried quitting a million times and you’re just not ready to, bad news. You still need to quit. Your body needs you to try and keep trying. Your brain needs it, too. Damaging small blood vessels racks up cumulative damage over time that your body can start trying to reverse as soon as you quit. I know it’s insanely, absurdly addictive. You still need to.

You cannot rules lawyer your way past your body’s basic needs. It needs food, sleep, activity, and the absence of poison. Those are both small things and big asks. You cannot sustain a routine based on punishment, so don’t punish your body. Find ways to include these things that are enjoyable and rewarding instead. Experiment. There is no reason not to experiment—you don’t have to know instantly what’s going to work for you and what won’t, you just need to be willing to try things and make changes when things aren’t working for you.

You will still age. Your body will stop making collagen and elastin. Tissues you can see and tissues you can’t see will both sag. Cushioning tissues under your skin will get thinner. You’ll bruise more easily. Skin will tear more easily. Accumulated sun damage will start to show more and more. Joints will begin to show arthritis. Tendons and ligaments will get weaker and get injured more easily, as will muscles. Bones will lose mass and get easier to break. You’ll get tired more easily.

But you know what makes the difference between being dead, or as good as, in your 60s vs your 90s? Activity, plants, and quitting smoking. And don’t do meth. Saw a 58-year-old guy this week who is going to have a heart attack if he doesn’t quit whatever stimulant he’s on. I pretended to believe it was just the cigarettes, and maybe it is, but meth and cocaine will kill you quicker. Stop poisoning yourself.

Baby steps; take it one step at a time; you don’t need to have everything figured out right now. But you do need to be working on figuring things out.

[qrrieterisunnq]

Accidents - Jack Hughes

jack!hughes x amara!james SUMMARY: Six situations when Amara thinks she made a bad impression on the Hughes family and one when they tell her, she’s the missing puzzle that missed in their family WARNINGS: anxiety, crying, fluff, Amara’s clumsiness, comforting Jack, unedited WORD COUNT: 7,32K AUTHOR'S NOTE: I worked on this for a really long time and I just hope you'll like it! likes are good, reblogs are better <3 PART OF STRAWBERRY GIRL AU

strawberry girl masterlist

— 1. SHE FALLS FROM THE STAIRS

The rays of the sun that managed to pass through the blinds are now falling on her boyfriend's face. He looks so peaceful, lying here in his bed in the lake house, surrounded by his family, his loved ones. She has noticed he is more relaxed than he was during the season.

Amara knows pretty well how much stress is pressed on him. Jack is the type of person, who always blames himself for the team's losses. She knows him well, and when he was out with an upper-body injury she saw how hard he took that his team was really bad on it.

Now, he is lying next to her, his features relaxed and softened, she hadn’t seen him like this in many months. Smiling she traces her finger across his cheeks, down his jaw, and to his neck, where she stops, resting her hand here.

“You know I can feel you staring?” his raspy morning voice touches her ears. A small smile tugged at his lips as her fingers danced on the skin of his neck.

“I know, I’m just admiring your handsome face.” She whispers, placing soft kisses on his chest.

“Yeah?” he whispers out, his eyes still closed. He tightens his grip on her, pulling her more onto him. “You think I’m handsome?”

“Why else would I be with you?” she says teasingly, a grin forming on her lips as she watches him open one eye, to look at her, immediately closing it because of the sun.

“Oh, I thought you were with me because of my hockey career and money.” He chuckles teasingly, tickling her sides gently.  

“Yeah, that too,” she laughs pinching his cheek. “But you're hot and I wanted to prove to myself, and actually to others, that someone like me can have a hot guy.”

“You, know, you can have every guy you want,” he whispers, kissing her forehead. “You’re hot. You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. You’re kind to everyone, even though you don’t like them. And the way you’re with kids, every kid loves you so much. And when you help retirees cross the crosswalk, I don't understand how such an angel can exist on earth.” A loving smile resting on his lips.

“We should get up,” she rolls off from him after a few minutes just staring at each other. “Everyone is probably awake, it's 8:50.” she murmurs as she slips out of bed, walking over to the closet to get out her red bikini and Jack’s shirt with his baseball shorts.

Jack sits on the edge of the bed watching her dress up. A slap lands on her right ass cheek when she’s putting on the bikini bottom.

“Mine.” He growls, kneading her ass.  

“Yours.” She slaps his hands away, throwing his shirt and shorts on him.

“Hurry up, I’m hungry!” she says as she walks over to the bathroom, to wash her face and make her skincare routine.

Jack chuckles to himself, as he watches Amara walk in the bathroom, her hips swaying, causing a groan left his lips.

“Little tease.” He mumbles to himself shaking his head as he pulls the shirt over his head, a smile never leaving his lips. He doesn’t understand, how he manages to be loved by this amazing woman. With a smile, he walks over to the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe as he watches Amara sway her hips and hum a song under her nose. “Looking amazing, Berry!” watching her bend over the sink, as she washed her face from the cleanser.

“Thank you.” She grins up at him, water dripping from her face.

“Okay, I’m going down, okay,” Jack smiled at her, caressing her back. “When you’re done, come, I’ll make you a plate with food.”

“Thank you, baby.” A grateful smile lingers on her lips as she watches his back as he leaves his room.

As soon as she’s done with her skincare routine, she gets on the shirt and shorts she prepared earlier, takes her phone from the nightstand, and makes her way out of the room.

Looking down at her phone, she starts stepping down the stairs, chuckling over a message she just received on Tumblr, from one of her friends. Not careful enough, she trips over her leg. Her eyes grew wide, when she saw the stairs in front of her face, falling straight on them. She yelps in pain, as she rolls down the stairs.

“Amara!” Jack's eyes widen in horror as he sees his girlfriend falling down the stairs. He gets from the chair abruptly, causing it to fall with a thud, but he doesn’t care as he runs to her, dropping to his knees, and immediately pulling her in him. “What happened?” he asks her, but she doesn’t answer tears rolling down her cheeks her eyes closed shut. “Are you hurt?” She slowly shakes her head but winces in pain.

“Her knees.” Luke points to her blooded knees while he’s sitting next to her looking for other injuries.

“I’m coming for the first Aid kit,” Ellen says, rushing over to the kitchen, Jim following right behind her.

“Baby, look at me!” Jack let out desperately. He needs to see she’s okay. “Please.” He begs, caressing her cheek. She turns at him, her eyes red from the tears and her lips turned into a frown.

“My legs hurt.” She cries out, hiding her face in Jack’s chest.

“I know, baby, I know,” he sighs kissing the top of her head. “We’ll clean it up, and it’ll be alright, okay, love?” He coos her kissing her tears away. She nods her head, taking in a deep breath.

“So, ebfarfasing.” She mumbles in his chest, inhaling his scent.

“What?” Jack looks at Amara confused.

“We’re here!” Ellen shouts dropping to her knees next to Amara. “This will hurt a little honey!” sadness in her voice while she pulls out disinfection and cotton squares and plaster with spiderman. They all laugh at that. “Okay, this will sting a little bit.” She pours a little of the disinfection on the cotton square, carefully placing it on Amara’s blooded knees.

“Ow!” she winces, gripping Jack and Quinn’s hands hard.

“It’ll be okay, love,” Jack says painfully. He hates seeing his girl in pain. He is used to her clumsiness, but something like this has never happened, till today. Every time something was about to happen, he was there to catch her before she fell, he was there to catch the thing, that was about to break, or other things. This time, he wasn’t here, and that made him sick. “Just a minute.”

Amara leans into his chest, biting hard on her lower lip, when Ellen puts more disinfection on her wounds.

“Almost done, Ara!” Ellen announced sticking out her hand for Jim to place the plasters in. She places a clean square on the wound, which is then covered with a plaster. “There you go!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Hughes,” Amara says politely, wiping her tears away.

“No need, honey.” Ellen pats her tight, she stands up, with Jim's help, not that she needs any help, and takes the first aid kit with her to the kitchen.

“Luke, Quinn, please leave us alone for a minute. We’ll come to the breakfast in a minute,” Jack asks them, a concerned look on his face. He needs to know what happened, that she fell.

“Yeah, sure.” Quinn nods, he stands up, dragging Luke away.

“Amara, what happened?” Jack slightly caresses her legs, turning her around so he can see her facial expressions.

“I—I uhm…I wasn’t paying attention. I was on my phone, laughing over one message and my leg slipped or something, and then I was down.” A nervous laugh leaves her mouth, as she looks at him from under her lashes.

“Berry, you have to be more careful,” a sigh left his mouth just when he placed his hands on her tights. “I’m not here all the time to save you.”

“I know, it’s just hard with my personality and everything.” Guilt was written over her face, her eyes never leaving his.

There is comfortable silence between the two of them, as they stare into each other's eyes, when Amara’s eyes widen and she hides her head in her hands, groaning. “This is so embarrassing,” tears forming in her eyes. “They’ll think I'm completely stupid and can't even walk down the stairs.” One tear slipped over the edge rolling down her cheek.

“Oh, no baby, they won’t,” Jack wipes the tear away giving her a reassuring look. “They already love you, and they know you have ADHD. I know it wasn’t my place to tell them, but mom asked me about you a lot, and my brothers follow you on Instagram and know about it, so…” he trails off, smiling lovingly at her.

“No, that’s okay, I get it.” She kissed his lips quickly and rested his forehead on his. “And thank you.” You smile at him softly, looking deep into his blue eyes.

— 2. SHE ACCIDENTALLY DROPS THE BOTTLE OF WINE

Sitting by the bonfire at the lake house with the Hughes family and the guys' friends is so comforting and calming for Amara. She’s snuggled in Jack’s arms, her eyes slightly closed as she breathes in his comforting scent and silently listens to their conversation.

She feels Jack drawing small patterns on her bare tight, as his chest moves with his beautiful laughter. A small smile tugged at her lips at the sound of his laughter. He pulls her more into him his chin resting on her shoulder, and his hands slide down on her ass holding her close to him.

“Do we have another beer?” Trevor asks, causing Amara’s eyes to shoot open. She straightens her back, rubbing her eyes. Jack shoots Trevor an unpleasant glare, that he woke her up.

“Yeah, it’s in the fridge,” Luke mumbles his eyes glutted to his phone as he’s hurriedly texting to someone. “I’ll get it, I want one too anyway.”

“No, you stay, I’ll get it!” Amara says quickly, trying to stand up from Jack’s lap. However, he pulls her back shaking his head.

“You ain’t going anywhere.” He mumbles in her ear, placing a soft kiss on her neck.

“No, it’s okay! I’m tired, so I’ll go to sleep after that.” smiling at him,  she kisses his lips and stands up. Slowly she makes her way into the house yawning.

Jack’s eyes are pinned on her back, watching her walk inside. Her hips sway slightly, and Jack’s shirt she’s wearing ends right below her ass, causing his cock to twitch in his shorts. He shook his head, throwing his thought to the back of his mind, his eyes moving to Trevor who’s smirking at him.

“What?” Jack asks him, brows furrowed in v shape, trying to search for some explanation in his eyes.

“Just, she’s kinda…” he starts waving his hands in the air, causing Jack's brows to furrow even more, as he waits for him to finish his sentence. “Unique, I guess. But I like her, she’s funny, smart, and hot, so,” a wide smile resting on Trevor’s lips as he watched Jack’s expression soften.  He likes the way he’s around Amara. He’s a completely new person. Good person. He’s laughing so much more often than he was before her, he’s shining with love and happiness, which makes Trevor so happy. He likes this new him.

“Thank you, Z,” he nods his head, relief written all over his face. He’s glad that his best friend likes her because she means the world to him. “Means a lot, that you like her.”

“I know, J. I’m glad you’re happy and in love.”

“That was cheesy, Trevor,” Jack laughs just like the rest of the guys, who were listening to them. “Even for you.”

“Oh, shut up, you asshole! I was confessing my feelings and you just had to make fun of me!” Trevor pouts his lips, causing the guys to laugh even more. While the guys are laughing, Amara is getting out the beers from the fridge on the counter, so she can take them out. She pulls out a wine bottle, to get out the rest of the beers, but when she wants to put it on the counter, the bottle slips down, shattering into a million pieces.

Amara immediately gets down, tears forming in her eyes at her clumsiness, as she starts picking up the pieces of glass. Her eyes snap up when she hears some footsteps running down the stairs and inside the house, cutting her palm. The first who find her are Jim and Ellen, who when she sees Amara sitting on the floor, her palm covered in blood while she’s still trying to collect the glass, run over to her, to get her on her feet, throwing the glass in her palms in the trash.

In a few seconds, the guys are inside too, Jack’s eyes wide in panic. What doesn’t help him, is the sight of Amara’s bloody hand.

“What happened, dear?” Ellen asks her in a steady whisper tone, to calm her down.

“I—I uhm… I went to get the beers for the boys, and I had to take the wine bottle out, to the last two, but… uhm… but the bottle slipped from the counter and fell down,” she whispers tears running down her cheeks, as Ellen, washes her hand from the blood to see the cut. “I’m so sorry, I’ll buy you a new—“ Ellen stops her, shaking her head.

“No need, darling. Things happen. I don’t care about the wine, I didn’t even like this one,” she chuckles, looking into Amara’s eyes. She let out a quiet laugh, wiping the tears from her face with her good hand. “Okay, it’s not deep, so I just put a plaster on it and I’m sure it’ll be fine in a few days.” Ellen caresses her arm, getting the plasters. At that moment, Jack makes his way to Amara, his hands taking hold of hers.

“You okay, love?”

“Yeah,” she nods, looking down at the floor. The boys already cleaned it, throwing the glass in the trash. “I’m sorry,” she sighs dropping her head down. “I’m just embarrassing you, in front of your family and friends.”

“Don’t,” he shook his head. “You’re not embarrassing me. And even if you were. I don’t care,” he lifts her chin upward, so he can see her eyes. “I love you, the way you are. And that won’t change, berry.” He leans in kissing her forehead but backs up when his mom comes with the first aid kit.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hughes.” She says the same phrase a second time during those two weeks.

“No need, Amara.” She caresses your cheek, sending her a comforting smile.  She looks around, trying to find her boy, but instead, she’s met with weird faces from everyone in the room except from Jack and Ellen.

Exactly what she thought. Everyone thinks she’s not enough for Jack and is just embarrassing him.

With head hung low she bid goodnight to everyone, ignoring Jack's look, she kissed his cheek quickly, walking to his room.

“Really, thanks, guys, you couldn't make it more obvious.” Jack shook his head, running up the stairs to his room.

“What did we do?” Luke looks around at his mom, a confused look on his face.

“You were staring, Luke. I thought you knew how she was when you knew her longer than the boys…” Ellen sighs, as she makes her way past the boys and Jim to their room, so she can go back to her sleep.

“I still don’t get it.” Luke sighs, leaning his back on the counter and looking at the boys and his dad.

“She was embarrassed, Luke, and you kept staring at her,” Quinn says, pouring water in a glass. “And I may not know her long, but I can see how hard she tries to get along with us, and how hard she wants us to like her,” He drinks up the water, heading slowly to the stairs. “Anyway, I’m tired, I'm gonna call it a day.” He says waving to them and making his way up to his room. When he walks past Jack's door, he stops to find out what's going on.

“Baby!” Jack’s voice is full of nervosity and fear. “No, stop! I said it before, and I tell it now. I don’t care if my friends or my family don’t like you. I love you the way you are.” Quinn can hear the love in Jack’s voice as he speaks to her. Also, he can hear the fear of losing the love of his life.

“No, Jack. One day, you’ll realize, just like your family and friends, that I’m not enough for you. And you’ll leave me.” Amara sobs, her voice is shaky and quiet.

“Fuck!” Quinn curses, his head hanging low. He can’t let this happen. He sees in Jack’s eyes how much he loves Amara. The way he always catches her, when she’s about to fall, or when he has his hand on her lower back when she’s balancing on the edge of the curb or on the edge of the outdoor fireplace.

“No, I won’t! Baby, you have to trust me! I love you with everything I have in my heart,” Quin can hear Amara’s sobs, which are slowly stopping. “I love you so much, my berry. So fucking much!” the tears are now hearable in Jack’s voice too.

“I love you too.” She chokes on her words. Jack can’t keep his hands off of her. He brings her into his embrace, peppering her face with kisses.

“I love you, I love you, I love you!” he mumbles after every kiss he plants on her face, making a laugh escape her lips. “I swear to god, if you ever say something like this again, I might die!” he whispers against her lips as he kisses her gently.

— 3. SHE ALMOST DROWNS HERSELF IN THE LAKE

“MOM!” Luke yells when he gets on the boat, running towards you and his parents.

“What is it, Luke?” she sighs, looking up at him from her phone.

“Nothing.” He grins earning a smack from his dad on the back of his head. “Ow, what was that for?” he looks at Jim offended, scratching the back of his head.

“For being an asshole.” Jim grins at him.

“Amara, tell ‘em I’m not an asshole!” he looks at Amara, sitting next to her, pulling her in a hug, getting her all wet.

“Luke! You’re an asshole!” she squeaks, trying to get out of his hold. “Get off of me!” she laughs, smacking his bare chest when he doesn’t leave her.

“No! Not until you tell them I’m not an asshole!” he says, laughing with her when he tries to tickle her.

“Okay! Okay! You’re not an asshole!” she says between her laughs as she tries to get from his hold. Jim and Ellen watch them with a happy sparkle in their eyes. They like how’s Amara with their boys, they can see Luke’s smile whenever Amara acts like his older sister. Or the smile on Quinn’s face when she makes fun of herself just to make Jack laugh. But the most important thing they love about her is the way she loves Jack.

Ellen nudges Jim’s arm pointing her chin towards Jack, who is watching Amara and Luke with a big smile on his face.

“I like her.” She whispers in his ear, kissing his cheek lightly. Jim turns his head so he can look her in the eyes.

“Yeah, I like her too. She’s a bit clumsy and all but I guess that’s the ADHD.” He smiles back at her kissing her lips.

“Oh, come on! There are kids on the boat!” Quinn starts, gagging fakely at the interaction of his parents.

“Oh, shut up Quinn!” Jim shoots him a playful smirk, showing him a middle finger. Amara looks at Jim, laughing at his smirk together with Elen.

“Okay. Stop it, you two! Quinn, go cool yourself!” Elen points her hand to the lake with a playful smile on her lips. Luke lets out a snort, his arms still around her waist. He likes to be in her presence. “And you don’t laugh! You’re going too!” she looks over at Luke who is looking at her offended a gasp leaving his mouth. Ellen sends him a playful glare, ushering him to go into the lake.

“Luke stands up and starts walking after Quinn, but he turns around with a mischievous smirk playing on his lips. She raises your brow in confusion straightening herself. It’s only when he’s a few steps from her that she realizes what he’s thinking about.

“No, Luke!” she shook her head, trying to back more in the couch, she was sitting on. “Don’t you dare,” Amara’s voice is shaky from the fear of Luke throwing her to the lake. “I swear to God, Luke Warren Hughes! If you throw me in the lake I will—“ she yells out when Luke throws her over his shoulder, runs to the edge of the boat, and jumps in the lake.

She can feel the cold water on her skin as Luke jumps with her in the lake. His body weight drags her further into the deep, panic filling her eyes, when she sees him swimming up on the surface.

When the boys, hear the water splashing, they laugh, because the last thing they can see is Luke’s head, but when Jack looks over to the boat, expecting his girl standing on the edge, watching Luke jump in, panic fills his eyes. Not that she’s not standing here, but his parents are standing there, worry in their eyes, when Luke emerges from the water, and they don’t see Amara.

“Mom!” Ellen’s head whips in the direction of her middle son, seeing the panic and worry in his eyes. She takes in a sharp breath, no need for words, Jack swims over to where is Luke looking for Amara.

Quinn, who’s watching his brother in confusion, looks around noticing that Amara is missing. He lets out a curse, dipping his head underwater, swimming in the deep to find her. In a matter of few seconds, the rest of the boys are swimming towards them helping to find Amara.

The first to see her is Quinn. Immediately he swims to her, his eyes fill with panic when he sees Amara waving her hands in an attempt to get herself up. As soon as he’s shoulder-length away from Amara, he immediately grabs her hand and pulls her to his chest. Amara wraps her arms around his neck and legs around his waist clinging onto him for her dear life, as he swims with her to the surface. Amara’s coughs fill the area as soon as they get out from under the water. She gasped for air, her eyes teary from the lack of air she had.

“I’ve got you!” Quinn says in her ear, his hand on her head as he swims with her to the boat with Jack hot on his tail. When Quinn gets to the back of the boat, Jim and Ellen are already there, helping him to sit Amara on the edge. Ellen wraps her in a towel, to dry her and get her warm.

“Berry!” Jack whimper out hopping up on the boat, wrapping his arms around her. A worry in his eyes still lingers as he looks for any injury on his girl. The boys had already gathered around, worry in their eyes when they saw her teary eyes. “A—are you o—okay?” a shaky voice leaves his mouth, his eyes glued on Amara. She looks at him, nodding her head and leaning on him.

“Thank you, Quinn.” Her voice is hoarse from the coughing.

“Yeah, thanks Q.” Jack whispered, his eyes holding so much gratitude. Quinn nods his head, a small smile tugging on his lips.

“Okay, guys! I think it’s time to head home!” Ellen announces urging the boys to get out of the water.

“Amara…I—I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.” Luke’s voice is quiet and full of regret for doing so.

“It’s okay, Lu,” she smiles at him, extending her hand towards him. He puts his in hers and she pulls him closer in a hug. His head resting on her collarbone due to him being still in the water. “You didn’t know.” She caresses his cheek pressing a tender kiss to his forehead.

“Go dry yourself, Luke!” Jack sends him a smile, patting his shoulder.

“Yeah, ‘m going!” he hung his head low as he jumped up on the boat walking over to Ellen for a towel.

“You, okay, my Berry?” Jack asks as soon as Luke leaves. Amara turns to him nodding her head soft smile resting on her lips.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she sighs resting her head on his shoulder. “But I just made a scene, again.” She sighs looking in the distance.

“No, you didn’t. Nothing happened.” He ensures her and kisses the crown of her head. “It’s not your fault, Berry! If it’s anyone's, it's Luke’s.”

— 4. SHE STARTS LAUGHING WITH COKE IN HER MOUTH

“Okay! Quinn truth or dare?” Trevor asks, his voice hooded by the alcohol running in his system. He’s sitting opposite Amara and Jack. Her legs are swung over Jack’s tights as he draws small patterns on her skin right below where her shorts end.

“Truth,” Quinn says as he sips from his beer, she looks at him, chuckling at his bored expression.

“Oh, you’re boring!” he shakes his head. “Okay so,” he trails off, trying to figure out what to ask him. A mischievous smirk forms on his lips as he asks, “If you had to choose what position would you do for the rest of your life, which one it would be?” he smirks, knowing damn well Quinn hates talking about his personal life.

He let out a sigh shaking his head at his questions. “Probably doggy style but her chest pressed in the bed,” He grins when he sees the surprised looks on the guys' faces. They didn’t actually expect for him to answer it. “Berry, truth or dare?” he looks over at Amara, completely ignoring Trevor’s gaze.

“Dare,” she says confidently, a grin on her lips thanks to the few shots she already had. Quinn’s lips quirked up at her confidence, but he knew her really well and even though she had some alcohol running through her veins, she was still the shy and insecure Amara he got to know a few weeks ago.

“Okay, then I want you to drink a whole Coke can in ten seconds.” He smirks at her. It is slightly impossible for her to make it, but he doesn’t want to give her some inappropriate dare. He wanted her to have five minutes in heaven with Jack, but he knew she wouldn’t be comfortable with that one.

“That’s an easy one,” she shakes her head, looking over at Cole who's handing her the can. “Thanks.” She smiles at him and cracks open the can.

“Okay! I’m starting the countdown,” Trevor grins at her showing her the countdown on the phone. “Three, two, one, and now!”

Amara puts the can to her lips and begins to drink quickly as the boys count down. It's almost over when Trevor yells that it's over and falls off his chair, making everyone including Amara laugh.

That is the moment when Amara realizes that she has still the coke in her mouth. Her eyes grew wide when she felt the Coke running up her nose as she laughed again, splashing the Coke all over Trevor’s shirt. Everyone grows quiet as they watch Amara. Tears spring up in her eyes as she starts apologizing.

“I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t…” she shakes her head slowly standing from her seat. “Excuse me.” She stutters out, running inside the house and up the stairs to Jack’s room.

She feels so stupid.

There is no way Jack’s friends would like her after this.

She made a complete fool of herself. This whole summer, she’s just doing everything to make his friends and family think she’s not enough for him.

She sat herself down on his bed, looking at her Coke-stained shirt.  The tears she’s been holding in finally fall over the edge rolling down her cheeks.

She hangs her head low, looking down at her hands in her lap, thinking about what a fool she made of herself. How could she start laughing with a mouth full of Coke? It wouldn’t be the worst thing if she ended up laughing, the worst thing was that the Coke squirted from her nose. She reaches for the napkins that are on the nightstand so she can blow that coke out of her nose.

“Berry? Can I come in?” Jack says from behind his door, his head leaning on the door and his eyes closed. He hates the feeling he has in his chest. The feeling of helplessness of not knowing how to help his girl to feel better or not stupid.

“Yeah,” she hums looking up at him as soon as he steps into the room. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“Hey, it’s okay!” he sits next to her pulling her to his side. “No one is mad at you,” He shakes his head searching for her eyes. “Hey, look at me!” he places his fingers under her chin raising her head so he can look him in the eyes. “The same would probably happen to them too, okay. Really no one is mad at you.” She smiles at her kissing her forehead.

— 5. SHE AND JACK HAD AN ARGUMENT

“Baby I sw—“ Jack is cut off by Amara’s scoff that leaves her lips.

“No! I saw the looks on their faces every time I did something embarrassing. The look on your dad's face when I fell down the stairs, or the look on the guys’ faces when I accidentally dropped the wine bottle the same goes with the lake two weeks ago and the Coke too!” Amara yells at him, her hands in the air as she’s pacing around his room.

“But that wasn’t because they think you’re embarrassing yourself! They were just in shock and didn’t know what to say!” he exclaims throwing his arms in the air. “Fuck! Amara, they love you, okay!!” his hands run through his hair as he looks up at Amara who’s still pacing over the room. “And even if they don’t. I. Don’t. Fucking. Care.” He stands from his sitting position and walks over to her, his hands grabbing hers and pulling her in his chest. “I love you no matter what.”

Amara pulls herself away from him shaking her head. “Well, you shouldn’t. I know I’m not enough for you. Look at me!” she scoffs shaking her head, tears now running down her cheeks.

“Baby–” Ellen who’s just walking past Jack’s room has to stop in her way because the hurt and sadness in his voice made her curious about what’s happening.

“I’m fat, I have ADHD and I’m not even popular. You should date someone on your level. A gorgeous blond slim girl, with tons of followers and a lot of money.” Ellen can hear Amara’s loud crying voice. She quickly made her way down to where are the other boys sitting, their heads turned towards the stairs and the worry written on their faces confirmed to Ellen, that something serious was probably going on.

“What’s going on?” she looks at Quinn who is closer to the stairs and probably heard everything.

“They…uhm…I’m not sure but I think it’s because of us,” he mumbled, his hand running along his jaw. “Amara is convinced, we don’t like her, because of the accidents that happened to her during the last few weeks so—” their heads turn towards the stairs when they hear a door slamming and then loud steps. Watching the stairs, they see Amara with red eyes, as she stomps down the stairs. She stops on her steps when she sees the guys and Ellen sitting there, and all their attention is on her. She quickly wipes her tears and jolts when she hears the door close again.

“I—I'm so sorry,” she whispers under her nose and runs out of the house when she hears Jack’s steps.

“Berry!” he shouts after her as he runs down the stairs.

“Jack, what happened?” Ellen asks when he stops on the stairs looking for his girl.

“We uhm…we fought, I guess?” he sighs running his hands through his hair his eyes searching the place for his girl until they find her, sitting on the couch at the back of their house. “I—I don’t know what it was. She just started to talk about how you don’t like her because she has ADHD and that I should date someone that is on the same level as me and…” tears now forming in his eyes. “I—I told her I love her, but she—” he shakes his head, a quiet sob leaving his mouth. “Mom—” he chokes on his words, looking at his mom. Ellen quickly looks towards the four boys sitting on the couch, pleading them to leave her and Jack alone.

“Honey, breathe,” she takes his hands in his and leads him towards the couch. Ellen sighs, her eyes focused on his middle son. “Okay, now listen to me,” she takes his cheeks in her palms forcing him lightly to look at her, his eyes red from the tears. Seeing his son like this breaks her heart, but she knows what Amara’s going through, and that breaks her heart even more. “Amara is afraid, you’ll leave her for someone better than her. And I know you won’t, but even I had these insecurities when I and dad were dating,” she smiles at him, wiping away the tears. Briefly, she looks over at Amara, finding her sitting next to Quinn, who has a reassuring arm around her as he’s telling something to her.

Amara’s head is resting against Quinn’s shoulder, she’s listening to Quinn’s words. “I know it’s hard, Ara. I’ve been in this situation too, but you have to trust Jack, that he loves you. And I can tell he’s head over heels for you.” Quinn wiggles his brow at her, earning a giggle from her. “And I can see how much you love him. Don’t let the fear ruin your relationship with J.”

“Thank you, Quinn. I uhm… I know I probably didn't make the best impression, with all the things I have done, but I uhm, really appreciate you.” She smiles up at him, her eyes shining with something Quinn can’t name, but he likes the way the warm feeling runs through his chest, knowing he probably saved his brother’s relationship.

— 6.  SHE GOT HER PERIOD EARLIER

It is the first week of August, which means Amara has to leave in two weeks, to prepare herself for her the university which won’t start until two weeks after she comes home, but she needs time to buy her things and make her calendar.

But right now, she’s lying with Ellen on the blanket on a boat, while the boys are in the water, jumping from the boat and just messing around.  

She’s feeling the hot sun on her skin with the water droplets that fall on her when the boys are around them. She turns her head when she hears Ellen moving next to her.

“Want a drink, Ara?” she asks her, a smile on her lips as she adjusts her bikini.

“Yeas please.” Amara sends her big toothy smile, earning a chuckle from Ellen. During the few weeks she spent with Jack’s family, she felt wanted and loved, especially by Jack’s parents, which is something she has never experienced.

Her parents were acting cold to her, when they found, out their perfect daughter have ADHD. They never came to her recitals or any important events she had in school or now in university.

“Ara,” Ellen calls for her, a soft smile on her lips, but her brows are furrowed.

“Something happened?” Amara looks at her, moving on her forearms, so she isn’t lying when she speaks with Jack’s mom.

“Uh… uhm nothing, just,” she looks around, making sure, none of the boys is around. “You got your period sweetie.” She points slightly at the wet red spot on the blanket.

“Oh my god,” Amara whispers. She immediately sits, looking around herself, if anyone saw. “I-I am so sorry. They weren’t supposed to come until Sunday, so-so I thought,” she rambles out, reaching for her tower to cover herself.

“Hey, it’s okay! This can happen to everyone,” she says calmly, walking over to the box where is clothes. “Here, try these on. I never wore them and I think you’ll look stunning in them,” Ellen hands Amara a pair of blue bikini swims. “Go change! I’ll wait here, make sure no one sees you, and change the blanket. And I don’t know if you use tampons or pads, but I have both here.”

“Thank you.” Amara smiles up at Ellen with appreciation in her eyes.

“You change?” Jack asks an hour later when the boys finally get out of the water.

“Yeah, uhm. My cramps came earlier than I thought, and your mom had spread a pair of swims so I borrowed them for today.” She whispers, embarrassment written all over her face.

“Oh,” he nods looking over at his mom and sending her smile. “Well, you look good in them,” he tickles her side as he sits next to her, pulling her closer to his side. “And don’t worry about the period thing. Mom is happy that you are here. She always wanted a daughter and she is beyond happy to have you here.” He kisses the side of her head as he speaks to her.

“But still, it's so embarrassing.” She mumbles again, shoving her face in the crock of his head.

“No, it’s not, berry. This can happen to everyone. And what I remember when I was younger. This happened to my mom too, many times. It’s completely normal.”

“What are you? A specialist on women's problems?” you chuckle in his neck, planting small kisses here and there.

“Sure I am. You don’t know I was supposed to be born as a girl? But then this thing,” he points to his groin. “Happened. But you know him really well.”

— +1. THE MISSING PIECE OF PUZZLE

It is Amara’s last full day, in the lake house. Her plane is taking off tomorrow early in the morning. She’s excited to go home, first because she just wants her quiet apartment for a while, and second, she’ll finally see her little fluffy baby, Esmeralda. Jack will drive her to the airport, seeing her off, but will fly there a week after her, just to give her some time alone.

 Right now, she’s sitting on the couch, in the backyard Ellen is sitting next to her with a book in her hands, Quinn and Jim are standing in front of the grill, doing some food, and Jack and Luke are playing football.

Amara’s eyes are glutted on her shirtless boyfriend, who runs around the yard while Luke is chasing him. She’s so happy to be there with him, his family, and his friends. Unfortunately, they had to leave two days ago to spend time with their families and prepare for the upcoming season.

“Watch out!” you don't realize what's going on until a football ball hits her in the face.

“Ow,” she whines, dropping her face in her hands. “Fuck,” she whimpers, tears rolling down her cheeks, probably from the shock and bit from the pain.

“Oh, my god, Amara, honey!” Ellen, gasps, dropping her book and scooting closer to her to look at her face.

“Baby! Fuck! You okay?”

“Ara! I’m so fucking sorry!” Jack and Luke yell at the same time, as they run to them.

“I-It’s okay,” Amara let out in a shaky voice “Just, hurts a little,” she put down your hands, spotting Jack and Luke still running towards her. Ellen gasps and stands up from her seat as she looks at Amara, she looks at her. “W-what?”

“Oh my god, baby! You are bleeding!” Jack shouts out of breath, as he kneels in front of Amara. Ellen sends him a glare, shakes her head, and walks inside the house.

“I-I’m so sorry, Ara!” Luke sighs, the guilt in his voice is clear to her ears. Amara looks at her other side, almost screaming from surprise when she sees Quinn and Jim looking at her, worry written all over their faces.

“It's okay, it doesn't hurt that much,” she sends Luke a smile, reassuring him, when she looks back at him. However, the expression on his face tells her, he isn’t sure about it. She extends her hand towards him, waiting for him to grab it. “It’s okay, Lu. I promise, it’s just a small cut, I’ll live with that.” she squeezes his hand, waiting for him to say or do something.

“Okay.”

After a while, Amara’s cheek is cleaned and treated, and they all are sitting around the table with food on their plates. Jack is sitting next to his girl, his hand on her tight, as he talks with his brothers.

Amara’s eyes run over the table enjoying the atmosphere they have here. All her childhood she wished that her family would be like this. They were, until she was five, and the doctors told her and her parents she had ADHD. That was the moment everything in their family changed.

“Ara,” Ellen’s voice makes Amara turn her head at her, a soft smile on her lips.

“Yeah?”

“We just want to thank you, that you are taking care of our boy! And how glad we are you could have spent the summer here with us!” she smiles widely at her, completely catching Amara off guard.

“Oh it’s more like, he’s taking care of me.” You giggle drawing the attention of the three brothers to you.

“Yeah, but you are here for him, so we are here for you! And I’m really glad I could’ve met you. You are like the daughter I’ve never had.” Ellen reaches his hand towards Amara, she places her hand in Ellen, squeezing it slightly, tears pricking in her eyes at Ellen’s kind words.

“You truly are an amazing person, Berry! And I’m a little jealous of Jack!” Quinn smiles at him, the tips of his ears are red when everyone looks at him with shock. He never was the type of person who would express his emotions.

“Yeah, Quinn’s right! You are the most amazing girl I have ever met! I really enjoyed the summer with you!” the tears that were in her eyes were sliding down her cheeks. Jack who’s sitting next to her, is smiling widely, his arm now around her shoulders as he pulls her into him.

“T-Thank you! It means a lot to me that you uhm, that you like me,” she whispers, taking in a deep breath. “Uhm, I-I really enjoyed the time here.”

“Yeah! We did too. You are the missing piece of the puzzle that we missed.” This time is Jim the one who speaks, his word sends another wave of tears to Amara’s eyes. Impulsively she stands up from her seat, walking over to Jim to give him a tight hug. “Thank you.” Jim smiles tightening his arms around her.

[primelaundrylondonsblog]

Pashmina Clothes and Garments – Wash & Clean Them Gently!

Pashmina is regarded as the world’s best handicraft, transforming incredibly warm and exquisite Cashmere threads into sumptuous apparel pieces. The exquisite Cashmere wool is brought into use for weaving mesmerising Pashmina apparel, which is supplied from Ladakh.

To survive the severe cold prevalent there, a uniquely uncommon goat develops Cashmere that originates in their underbelly. The wool extracted is then refined to produce the awesome Pashmina. Usually, Pashmina apparels are quite expensive. They are of superior quality to most of the other wool apparel available in the market. So it is very natural that if you have something so rare and expensive, you would want to preserve it with utmost care and attention, and that’s exactly what we are about to discuss in this article.

In this article, Prime Laundry will be discussing the important aspects of washing pashmina clothes and maintaining them so that they can be preserved for longer periods of time.

All About Washing Pashmina Clothes:

One of the fascinating features of your pashmina apparel is that it can last for many years if properly maintained and stored. However, you might be aware that using it for prolonged periods of time will make it lighter, softer, and more fragile, making it more prone to get damaged easily if not stored properly. Like most apparel, Pashmina needs to be cleaned once in a while, and the best possible way to wash pashmina scarves or any other pashmina apparel, for that matter, would be to simply get it dry cleaned.

But if you are sure that you can’t get them dry washed, here is a detailed guide on how you can properly wash pashmina apparel

Firstly the most important thing you should consider is the water temperature. You should be initiated using lukewarm water for washing pashmina clothes. So while washing your Pashmina, take half a tub full of warm water.

Next, you have to dip your Pashmina into the warm water and add a cup of wool shampoo or a delicate detergent such as baby cloth detergent or baby shampoo. If you have a stain or discoloration in a particular area of your Pashmina, apply extra shampoo to that area and very carefully and gently rub it. Don’t squeeze it too hard.

After some time, you need to take out the Pashmina and dip it into another water bath, but keep in mind that you are to use cold water instead this time. Then, you need to squeeze out all the excess water from the Pashmina.

After you are done squeezing out all the excess water, you need to spread out your Pashmina on a clean towel or any piece of cloth capable of sucking out the excess water. After you are satisfied that most of the water has been sucked out, you need to place the Pashmina on another dry towel and let it dry naturally.

Give it some time so that the Pashmina can dry out on its own and never try to dry it out in excessive heat.

Things to Keep in Mind When Washing Pashmina Apparels:

You must always remember that Pashmina is very delicate and cannot be exposed to any harsh detergent, as it might damage your Pashmina. You need to purchase a wool shampoo or use a gentle and mild baby cloth detergent instead. Also, make it a point to never use fabric softeners and conditioners as they are bad for your Pashmina due to the high quantities of chemicals present. Bleaching is strictly forbidden when dealing with Pashmina unless you want to take the risk of damaging your favorite Pashmina apparel.

Another thing you must keep in mind is that you must make sure that the water you are using to clean your Pashmina is not hard. Hard water usually has a very high mineral concentration, such as magnesium and calcium, which is harmful to your Pashmina as it might deteriorate its quality. 

You must always use soft water instead. But if you live in an area where only hard water is available then you have to hire professional dry cleaner for pashmina clothes. Another option would be to use water softeners to treat your hard water. As water softeners have the properties of neutralising or minimising the effects of these harsh chemicals.

The Best Possible Way to Clean Pashmina Clothes:

When it comes to washing Pashmina clothes, dry cleaning is ideal. You can hand wash pashmina scarves in the event of an emergency. However, you must exercise extreme caution while doing so. But if you can get it a dry wash, then surely go for it. If you notice that the piece is missing its fresh feel, you can get them dry washed after using them for some time. Having it dry cleaned rejuvenates your Pashmina, and you will be able to visibly notice the change in its quality and condition. 

How Can You Store Your Pashmina Properly?

First and foremost, clean the shelf or storage area where you intend to keep your Pashmina. After you’ve cleaned it, you’ll need to keep an eye for moths, which may easily destroy your Pashmina. To avoid this, place the anti-moth paper on the storage shelf. Pashmina should not be stored in plastic bags for more than a few months. It has the ability to change the color of your Pashmina. Instead, try wrapping your Pashmina in tissue paper or muslin cloth to protect it from dust and moisture while preserving its original form. Do not use naphthalene balls when storing your Pashmina. Also, take out the Pashmina apparel and aerate the piece to avoid moth formation.

Final Words:

So that’s all you needed to know about washing and storing Pashmina apparel. By now you must have understood that pashmina are very delicate in nature so they need to be preserved properly. If you are confident about hand washing Pashmina, you can do that, but make sure you’ve to follow the guidelines. You could also take professional help and get them laundered by a laundry service provider.

This content is originally published on Prime Laundry’s Website: Pashmina Clothes and Garments – Wash & Clean Them Gently!

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 2/1

Are you a sheep or a goat?

“Jesus speaks of goats to describe behaviour that harms us. Because goats are convinced that they know what is best for them and act accordingly. Jesus wants us to put our pride aside and accept our role as his sheep. Because sheep allow themselves to be led by their shepherd. They may not recognise when they go astray, but they let their shepherd lead them back on the right path.”

In which areas of your life are you behaving more like a goat than a sheep?

I’ve been stubborn, prideful, and bitter. I’ve been avoiding God thinking that I know better or that I can navigate all of this on my own. I have the head knowledge of what the Bible says and what I should do but I feel that it hasn’t reached my heart. I’ve been so incredibly numb to everything and honestly feel like life is just moving on and I’m ready to give up. I think with the numbness in my heart, I’ve fallen in my faith. I know God has a plan and everything is according to His will, but I’m tired. And I’m having trouble seeing where that’s the case for me. I need to re-learn how to surrender myself to Him.

Are you ready to trust Jesus' voice in this area and let him guide you?

I believe that I trust Him. My issue is in obedience. I feel so numb and tired that I just no longer have a desire to do everything that He calls me to do. I know this is sin, but I’m having a hard time developing a conviction on it and repenting.

Write down whyWrite down why you find it difficult to obey Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to show you his view of the situation.

One area is my quiet times. I don’t want to get out of bed so early. I don’t want to sit down at my desk and open up my Bible and write about everything I’ve learned. Idk when it happened bc I used to be so eager and diligent with it. My prayer life has taken a hit too and I’m so hesitant to go to God because I feel guilty and ashamed. I know where I need to improve here but I’m struggling and it’s part of the reason I made this blog. God I’m just begging you please! I need help! I feel weak and hopeless and without a will for anything and I just need you with me and to soften my heart so that I may seek you again.

Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.”

I know God will never abandon me and I need to get out of that mindset. I’m the one who wanders and strays but Jesus is right here. Caring for us and leading us along, holding us dear to his heart and welcoming us back.

Psalms 23 NIV

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Another reminder of how He’s always with us and does not abandon us. God loves us so much more than we can ever imagine. He treasures us and I want to make Him happy. I think He hurts seeing how much I’m struggling but also sees the effort I’m making to try and come back to Him. I know He will accept me with open arms, as long as I continue to love and seek Him with all my heart.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord God I know that you see where I am. I know you see my struggles. And i know your way of comfort is through your Word and I thank you for that.

God I’m so sorry. I’ve been so numb and honestly terrified lately. I believe this is an attack from Satan. I’ve felt a presence lately that has made me uneasy and scared. I could feel it in my whole body, like everything was standing on end and it was evil. God I could feel it and it scared me so so much.

Lord I pray that whatever that was, that you protect me from it. That you’re my shield and refuge. That I can be able to use your Word as my sword in order to save myself. I know you will not forsake me and I’m sorry for having done the same to you.

Lord I pray for the health of my family. My fathers echo showed hypertrophy of his left ventricle and I pray that in terms of heart failure, that it’s manageable and that he will have all the time with us as a family that you will allow. I also pray for my ultrasound tomorrow, that they can hopefully find the source of my pain and it can all be resolved promptly.

God I pray for all those in the church that are going through hardships. I know there are some with family battling cancer or in hospice. Lord I pray that you are with my fellow disciples and their families during this time. That you offer them your comfort and love so that they know you are with them.

Lord God I want to thank you for another day of life! I thank you for pulling through for me this week so far. I had been beyond stressed, unsure of how I’d make it happen but you did God. You saw me through and I’m so grateful.

I pray that you are with me through the rest of my day. That I may keep your Word and commands on my heart. I love you dearly.

I pray this in Jesus name,

Amén.