#been having some sinus problems

[ectoamerican]

Tough Shell~

bruised knuckles. bloody noses. eye rolling. empty bottles. messy hair. sarcasm. lip biting. unwashed jeans. coffee breath. loud music. broken neon signs. chipped nail polish. leather jackets. always wearing headphones. swearing. sneaking out at 3am. dark lipstick. frown creases. burning cigarettes. plaid shirts. under eye circles. dark colors.

Soft Insides~

honey tea. flower crowns. giggling. blowing kisses. blowing heart shaped rings of smoke at you. dancing without worries. white lace. soft textures. fluffy throw pillows. using too many heart emojis. empathy. constant daydreaming. handwritten letters. fairy lights. bullet journals. designated driver. warm hugs. garden picnics. quiet. smile lines. optimism. flowy clothes. pastel colors.

Tagged by: @the-blackened-dove (ty <3) Tagging: @rxtroskull @royalreef @batinstincts @stygicniron @universestreasures @oculusxcaro and anyone else seeing this right now!!

[floral-hex]

Hey, do you got doctors appointments you need to schedule but haven’t for whatever dumb reason (for me, laziness. probably. no no, complacency. That sounds better)? Well, go do it! Now! or soon! You need to just hurry up and schedule that shit! I’m sorry! Make the call! You gotta! You’re probably gonna have to wait multiple weeks for the appointment anyway, so if you wait until the problem is really bad, then you’re just condemning yourself to waiting extra long to get checked out. Jeez!

[equalseleventhirds]

wakin up from a weird nap feeling too warm, too hungry, too bleary, and also my computer has so many updates it wants to do. why this. perhaps i will go back asleep.

[amazinglyashy]

Hello, can you do LADS men's reaction to MC/reader working too hard, to the point that she looks tired and drained? She also easily gets sick because of stress. And yes, it's based on me; right now, I'm so tired because of work, and I have dance practice almost every day for our departmental performance while I'm sick with the flu. Thank you 💜

Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to do this one justice as best as I could, because oh man did I feel this personally! Not the same at all, but I get heavy duty chronic pain, and I overwork myself often by choice or not, all the time. Feel better anon <3 I hope you enjoy, and make sure to get some Pedialyte or sports drinks, and rest whenever you can. Your health is extremely important!

Love and Deepspace Li's reactions to you being overworked and sick

Zayne -

He's a doctor, you can't even get into the realm of hoping to hide it from him for long, and you'll want to hide it from him if you're actually wanting to be doing whatever it is that's causing you to be overworked to the point of illness.

He will take a single look at you the first time he sees you once you've reached this point- routine examination, stopping by work to see you or vice versa, running something by your place he borrowed, even just you making the mistake of taking an offered ride home from him due to how tired you are. It was a lapse in judgement on your part in trying to keep this from him, but your beyond exhausted brain didn't process it at the time.

But you sure are processing it now that you've been 'kidnapped' and taken back to his place.

He has already filled out a formal doctors note- benefits of being your primary physician- and sent it over to your bosses and managers. There's no arguing.

"Zayne, I'm-" "If you are about to try a weak attempt at convincing me you are alright, I will accept it as you insulting my intelligence as a doctor."

You're in his bed, under his blankets, probably in his pajamas since he wouldn't let you escape home, and drinking the warm drink he made for you to have after taking medicine he had given you to help with your illness. He'll order food that will be good for you to eat as well, and if it's too late for takeout, he'll definitely be cooking for you as well.

Once you're done eating, he'll make sure you're properly cared for by massaging any tired or pained muscles. If that's your entire body, then so be it. Close your eyes, tilt hour head back, and relax even though it hurts in a good way sometimes, because he's not letting up.

Not until you feel better. No matter how long that takes.

Rafayel -

Genuinely, he's offended and hurt that you've overworked yourself this hard and haven't told him. And boy, is he going to let you know it.

He's carrying you gently from wherever he had found you looking so tired- no it does not matter if you were in the middle of working- while actively scolding you in his arms.

"Maybe I should just leave you there all day, come see you in the evening when you get a bad case of amnesia. Would you like that? Huh? No? Well, then stop being stupid."

He doesn't even want to dare set foot in your place right now. He's not in the mood to clean, and he knows if this is the state you're in, your apartment is probably so much worse due to just how busy and exhausted you've been.

He'll go clean it later, but right now he's just grumpy.

There is something about the fresh, oceanside air that helps your headache though- or maybe it's the light linen on his bed that he would have dropped you on had you not looked like the most frail thing he had seen all week.

He's muttering snarky remarks to you, but they're devoid of any bite due to his actions as he speaks them-

Getting you a fluffy robe to change into, putting something simple in the oven while you get comfortable, working special lotion into your muscles, making you lemon and honey tea, making it more humid so any sinus problems clear and help you breathe- he's being vocal through it all, but spoiling you as much as he can nonetheless.

"I don't care if you have a lot to do. Just- ask for help next time. And if I can't help with your work, at least let me help you relax once you're home. I don't mind you staying over either, so that I can make you feel better. Just promise me you'll do better next time, so I can help you before you get this bad."

Xavier -

He probably stopped by your apartment to return something he borrowed, and you made the mistake of answering the door directly after coming home. You were at your peak of tired, and your head had started pounding for some reason... and didn't you feel a bit hot...?

"Oh- You look- You don't look very good. Is everything alright?"

You can't even answer before he's reaching out a hand to hover in front of you, trying to decide between touching you and not, before deciding on the former. He can feel you're just the slightest bit unsteady from working so you're being scooped up in an instant and taken to the bed you had already been planning to go to.

"What have they been having you do...? Never mind. That's- not important right now."

Takes off your shoes and socks, murmurs something about giving you a massage in a bit, before tugging blankets and plushies around you. He'll leave to let you change into pajamas or something more comfortable, and he'll keep himself busy by making you something to eat or clean up your apartment for you.

He tries to cook you something, he really does try. But he definitely has more talent at talking on the phone to the restaurant he's ordering you takeout from. The pan he tried to use does not survive the attempt.

The takeout is good when it comes, though, and it helps that he gave you some medicine prior to help keep it down. Even if you're not currently nauseous, he's pretty worried about your state worsening quickly.

You won't notice until it's too late, but he's already finding out how to transfer some of your workload to himself. By 'some', it's definitely 'all'.

"No, I won't change my mind. Not until you're better. You're so tired, let me do this for you. You can make it up to me by getting me something in the claw machine later."

Sylus -

"I'm just going to go-"

"Go where, kitten?"

You had made the mistake of nearly falling over under the watchful gaze of Mephisto, who had decided it would be absolutely wonderful to relay the information about it and your current state back to Sylus as quickly as he could.

Which is how you had ended up stuck in the hallway the led to your apartment, practically pinned to the wall with Sylus's hands on either side of you.

That is also how you ended up slung over Sylus's shoulder as he unlocked your apartment door for you and went inside, carrying you like it was nothing.

To be fair, you couldn't do much to fight him off this time except utilize a few choice words. You were so beyond exhausted, and starting to feel pretty ill, to boot.

He's got you to bed as soon as the door is shut. You're allowed a hot shower if you promise him a few dozen times that you'll get straight to bed after. He makes sure to promise you that he'll come and make you get in bed if you go against that promise. For once, you don't want to call his bluff.

You're in bed soon enough, with a cool rag pressed on your forehead, some pain medication long since down your throat, and food already on the way courtesy of Luke and Kieran's special henchmen delivery service.

Lying in bed is like heaven on your sore muscles and aching joints, not to mention the pounding headache you've had since starting to feel sick and missing out on sleep. But what somehow feels even better is Sylus's hands on you.

They're just gentle touches, his fingertips ghosting over your skin to leave goosebumps at how nice it feels, and sometimes his whole hands moving slowly and lightly across your body. He'll massage your muscles later, but for now, he's just focused on getting you to sleep, even if just for a little bit until the food gets here.

He knows you need it.

[moonstruckme]

hi i have an unhealthy attachment to your doctor!remus content…could i request a fic where reader is hiding some type of health problem from him or maybe ignoring it, and when something bad happens he finds out and is all stern with her and his usual worried self? i <3 this man, thank you truly for sharing your writing and doing it so well!!

Thank you for requesting lovely!

cw: description of vertigo, mention of nausea

doctor!Remus x fem!reader ♡ 1.1k words

You’re sick of being miserable. You had a cold, which had turned out to be the flu, which had turned into a sinus infection, and your poor, sweet boyfriend had weathered it all with you. Remus had made you soup. He’d warmed damp towels for your sinuses. He’d stayed home from work a couple of days, and rubbed your back, and your chest, and your temples when they ached, and supplied you with name-brand medicines. He’d been so, so patient when you were whiny and awful to be around. So now, when your sinus infection has turned into this heinous ear pain, you’ve decided you’re done with it. 

You won’t entertain your body with its miseries any more. You certainly won’t be making it Remus’ problem. 

It’s easy not to feel miserable when you wake up before him on a slow Saturday morning. There’s a line of sunlight reaching across the room from the crack in your curtains, Remus’ face lovely even in shadow. He could use a haircut, you think fondly. It’s starting to cover the tops of his ears, which you think is a rather endearing look on him even if you have to agree when he says it’s not very professional. 

Eventually his eyes blink open. He smiles when he finds you watching him, the stretch of his lips sleepy and content. You draw a finger lightly down the bridge of his nose. 

“I think,” you say, “that we should stay here all day long.” 

Remus’ smile widens, and it takes half a second after his mouth begins moving for you to realize you can’t hear him properly. You pick your good ear up off the pillow as subtly as you can, propping your chin on your hand. You ignore the wave of dizziness that follows. 

“...what you really want? You’ve been home nearly all week,” says Remus. “What if we went on a walk today? We could go to that park you like, the one with the lake.” 

You shove down the dread that rises in your chest. This is what you want. You want to get over being poorly and get back to your life. 

“You’re right,” you say brightly. “That sounds great.” 

Remus peers over you to check the time. “Oh. God, we slept in, didn’t we? We may have to go soon if we want it to still be nice out.” 

“That’s alright,” you say easily. “I’ll be right after you, I just have to pick out what I’m going to wear.” 

Remus leans forward to peck you on the forehead, getting out of bed with a sleepy groan. He stretches his neck this way and that, movements sluggish as he goes toward the bathroom. 

Your movements are sluggish for different reasons. You sit up slowly, fighting through the vertigo that sloshes the room about you in protest. It wasn’t this bad yesterday. 

You discover a series of new miseries as you get dressed with cautious, snail-like movements. Your ear hurts something awful. More than that, the pain has spread to most of your head. The constant dizziness quickly results in a low nausea. You’re genuinely uncertain whether the ringing in your ears is a symptom of your ear infection or a warning bell of your impending insanity. 

Putting on your trousers is an ordeal. By the time you sit down on the bed to pull on socks, your resolve has spiderweb cracks spreading and threatening to unleash a meltdown. 

But you’re stubborn. You can do this, you think. If you’re only walking on even ground in the park, and Remus’ hand is in yours, you’re sure you can manage. The internet said your symptoms wouldn’t last long anyway—maybe they’ll clear up as the day goes on. 

“...ove? Dove?” 

You look up as Remus comes to stand in front of you, swallowing when the world spins. In the center of the swirl, you think he’s smiling. His hand cups your face. 

“You seemed off in your own world there,” he says fondly. 

You smile and hum, keeping your head perfectly still so that the spinning slows. Remus’ eyebrows twitch towards each other. 

“You alright?” 

“Mhm, yeah.” You cup your hand over his, holding onto it as you stand. “Let’s go.” 

“You’re ready?” he asks while you pull him towards the door. You sway a bit in your effort to walk at a normal pace, reaching for the doorframe. 

The hallway in front of you looks like a funhouse horror. You put one foot in front of the other as surely as you can. “Yeah,” you say. “Aren’t you?”

Remus’ hand tightens on yours. You don’t understand why for a moment, but then you’re falling sideways, his hands catching you around the waist. 

“Dove.” His stern voice is slightly alarmed and largely disembodied, your eyes unable to find his face in the whirling mass in front of you. “What’s going on?” 

Like an overinflated balloon popping, you burst into tears. 

Remus collects you to his chest, holding your head securely against him as he half carries you back to the bed. It doesn’t prevent your dizziness entirely, but it helps. 

“What’s happening?” he asks more gently as you sniff and whimper. “I can’t fix it if I don’t know.” 

“I think it’s an ear infection,” you say in a small voice. “It hurts, and my head hurts, and I’m so—” You take in a short breath. “—so dizzy I feel sick.” 

“Okay. Okay, it’s alright.” Remus pets the back of your head, shushing you until you calm some. 

“Sorry,” you whimper. 

“What are you sorry for, love? For crying?” 

Your sniffly silence is answer enough. 

Remus sighs. “Why did you try to act like nothing was wrong?” 

“Because,” you say thinly, “I’m tired of things being wrong. I just want—” You pause, pressing your lips together to avoid crying again. “I want to feel normal.” 

“Oh, sweetheart.” Your boyfriend’s mix of disappointment and sympathy only brings you closer to tears. “You can’t will it, my love. And you can’t pretend this away. These are the sorts of things I need to know about.” 

You blink away the blur of tears, grateful that your world has finally straightened out. You press your head closer to Remus’ chest. “I wanted to give you a break, too,” you admit. “The internet said it would go away in a couple of days, so I figured I’d just ride it out.” 

“Mm, a middle ear infection would.” 

You stiffen. “What does that mean?” 

The kiss Remus drops to your head is heavy with compassion. “Vertigo like this comes with an inner ear infection, dove. They take longer to go away, sometimes weeks, but the process can be sped up with antibiotics.” 

He pauses while you process this. 

“You know, the sort prescribed by a doctor.” 

“Oh.” 

He chuckles fondly, kissing your head again. “This is why you tell me things. Understand?” 

“Yeah.” You wrap your arms around his middle, clinging pathetically. “I’m sorry. Help me.” 

“I will, sweetheart. Think you can lay down and be still while I nip to work and the pharmacy?” 

You don’t think you’ll have any problems there.

[wanderingsoul6261]

Credit for gif goes to userbeaufort

James Beaufort x Reader

Title: Distracted

Synopsis: James and Reader have an argument after she feels that he is being too overprotective. She gets injured during a volley ball game and he comforts and apologizes.

Warnings: mentions of blood/wounds

Sorry if volley ball is described inaccurately in the brief moment it's discussed. Last fic for about 24 to 48 hours. Decided to take some time off to rest up. Sinus infection had gotten worse. My ears are plugged and hurt. I have about 8 to 9 more requests, so more is definitely coming.

The fight that they had was just full of nonsense. At least, that was in regards to Y/N’s own opinions. James felt as if he was in the right, only wanting what was best for his girlfriend. He just wanted to make sure that she was safe. He thought that he was being overprotective. Y/N thought that it was that with a hint of jealousy. It was known though that neither of them could come to agreement on what it actually was. 

“Can you stop breathing down my neck, just for twenty four hours?” Y/N raised her voice slightly, turning to look at James. He had been following her around, making sure that she was okay and safe. She felt suffocated though, that if he continued to stick around that she would die due to lack of oxygen. 

“I just want to know that you are okay. Is that too much to ask for?” 

“Yea. It is actually, because if you stick around any longer, I might get arrested and charged with murder!” James paused his steps and stared at her. Confusion and slight anger was portrayed on his face. 

“What is your problem?” He asked. Y/N turned around, looking at him as if he just slapped her. And he might as well just have. 

“What is my problem? It’s you, James.” Now it was his turn to act as if he had just been slapped. James took a staggered step back, a look entirely of hurt and confusion the only thing to be seen on his face. 

“What?” Y/N had almost felt guilty, seeing the blow that she had just landed, even if she knew that all that he wanted to know was that she was safe. Instead, she had only stood her ground and raised her chin slightly in defiance. 

“You heard me.The problem is you.” James didn’t know how to react, and if they weren’t currently in the situation that they were in, Y/N might have felt proud to have put James in the state that he was currently in. “You’re suffocating me. I feel like I can’t breathe. I take a few steps in any direction and I’m knocking myself into you. And it’s constant, James. It’s like you’re being some possessive boyfriend. What’s next? You are going to start dictating who I can or can’t be friends with?” James did say anything. Honestly, he didn’t have much to say, so he only remained standing, averting his eyes from her gaze and looking anywhere else. His jaw clenched, but he knew that he couldn’t be mad at anyone but himself, even if he was angry at the current way she was speaking to him. 

“What?” Y/N questioned. “Cat got your tongue?” And just like that, James was gone, turning around on his heel and stomping down the hall. Y/N had felt nasty for the way that she had just treated him, but she also knew that she had to make her voice heard. She felt that there was no other way for her to have accomplished it in any other way than in that moment. 

—-

It had been a few days since the two of them had talked. Y/N had rightfully been angry and James himself had rightfully, even if he had deserved it, been upset and hurt. They had both mutually agreed that it was best to give each other some time to cool down and relax. The last thing that either one of them had wanted to do was come back and say anything that would be highly regretted. Not that Y/N didn’t already regret the way she snapped at James. She had honestly wished that she could just go back and choose a better way to have got about it. 

But the damage had been done, and the only thing that she could do now was wait until he had cooled down enough to talk.

In the meantime, Y/N had a volleyball game to prepare for in a few days, and she would be lying if she said that she was good to play. Even if it happened a few days ago, the argument was still fresh in her mind, and had been affecting her ability to focus well enough on the task of the game. 

No matter what happened, she could never stop thinking about him. 

Y/N had wondered if she should check in with them, considering their lack of conversations over the past few days. Her friends would easily tell her no and to let him stew in the moment. A few of them had even gone as far as to tell her to give him hints that she wanted to break it off, because it would quote, light a fire under his ass, unquote. But Y/N couldn’t do it. She wasn’t that brutal. However, she didn’t want to back out on her defense, knowing that her feelings were justified, and she didn’t want to do anything that might suggest otherwise. 

That didn’t change the amount of times that her finger hovered over the send buttons to numerous different messages. 

Im sorry 

Love you

I hope you are doing okay. Let’s talk soon. 

One of them consisted of just heart emojis. There were even times messages consisted of a mixture of those messages. 

Even as the volley game against a rival college was about to start, Y/N was doing just that. She sat on a bench in the locker room, biting her nail as she tried to make up her mind on whether or not to send the message. Y/N wasn’t even sure if he would show up tonight. 

I don’t know if you plan on coming to the game tonight. But I think we should talk soon. Y F/L/M initials 

She let out a heavy sigh, running her hand through her hair, finally pressing send. And then she waited for several moments, waiting to see if he would open and read it. When ten minutes passed and she was finally being yelled at for not being on the court yet, she figured that he was probably still mad at her. 

Y/N tossed her phone into her gym bag, leaving it at that. Which obviously, with the continued emotions only adding to inability to play the game. She should have told her coach, but yet, here she was, running out of the locker room and onto the court, her mind filled to the brim with thoughts and questions, and ultimately, him. 

The game though had surprisingly started out pretty okay. They were almost done with their first set when Y/N saw James walk into the gymnasium. They locked eyes momentarily, her heart fluttering. He showed her his phone, likely telling her that he had seen her message. But he still didn’t look too enthused. She swallowed thickly, turning back to the game when her name was called. The ball was just over her, and she jumped, spiking the ball over the net, scoring a point for Maxton Hall. 

As the team captain, she knew she had to keep her mind distraction free, but it was definitely easier said than done. They couldn’t do well if she wasn’t there. But even with that thought in mind, she still wasn’t doing well enough. Halfway through the game as a whole, everything in her mind, thinking about the argument, about him, and what might come of them after the game had gotten too much. 

She had the space and time to dive for the ball in front of her, hitting it up and over the net just in time before it hit the ball, none of the other girls close enough to hit it, They couldn’t take the risk. So she dove, and in the end, she almost wished that she didn’t. 

No matter what she did, she couldn’t stop herself from cracking her face against the floor. She laid there for what seemed like several minutes and wasn’t even sure if she hit the ball over the net. Instead, she heard the crowd murmuring silently, her teammates coming over to check on her. 

She lifted her head off the floor. Y/N saw the blood. She brought her hand to the left side of her face, feeling the wetness of the blood and gingerly touching the outline of a gash. Her head snapped up to meet James’ own panicked look. He was standing up from his seat, watching her, his eyes wide. It only took a few more seconds and her coach pressed a towel to the side of her head for him to come running down. Her ears were ringing by the time he made it to them. 

She watched as he spoke to her couch,  but her mind was so fuzzy that she couldn’t exactly find it in herself to make out what was being said. 

And then James was escorting her out of the school and towards Percy, where he was waiting for them. One arm was wrapped around her waist while the other was pressed to the towel currently on the wound. 

“We have to take her to the hospital, Percy. Nasty little cut on her forehead.” James spoke to his chauffeur as the two of them slid into the car. As the car got moving, the two sat in silence for several moments. 

“My phone is in my gym bag. Can you tell my parents where we are going?” she asked. He passed his phone to her, but as she grabbed it, he replaced his phone with his hand. 

“I want to say I’m sorry.” he spoke softly. Y/N looked at him in shock. “I shouldn’t have been acting the way that I was. It wasn’t right of me. I know you can look after yourself.” James turned his head to look at her. His eyes glanced at the place where the towel sat. 

“I should be the one apologizing.” His eyes snapped back to her. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way that I did. I know that you only want what is best for me, and snapping at you the way that I did wasn’t the best way to show my appreciation, no matter how mad I was.” Y/N explained. “I just hope that we can fix this and use it moving forward in our relationship as a reminder. That is, if you want.” 

“If I want? Just because we had an argument doesn’t mean you’re getting free of me.” He joked, a smile gracing his lips. “It’s only one of many that we will have in the coming future. Arguments aren’t avoidable.” Y/N gave him a smile, leaning into him. She went to press a kiss to his cheek, but he had turned his head enough to make her lips land on his own. They leaned into it, and Y/N could feel a cheeky smile grace his lips. 

When they pulled away, Y/N held his gaze. 

“Promise?” His cheeky smile turned into a soft one. 

“Promise.” 

taglist: @honethatty12 @lifeonawhim @ashamedtobewhitemanswhore27 @maryvibess @wheredidmyeyesgo @imasimptoowth @avada-kedavra-bitch-187

[blessedbygookim]

The Queen Of Busan.

Part one: the meeting.

Part two: defeated.

Part three: years.

16 year old Gun and Goo getting they asses whooped.

It must be done by someone. Sorry, not sorry.

That meeting happened one week ago.

Since then, they did some digging, although not finding out much. Her last name is unknown, so is where she is from originally and so her fighting prowess, which wasn't just a pain in the ass, but also unfortunate, adding to the mystery of the girl.

All they found out, is that she’s is 19 years old, same age as Sinu Han, meaning she is a part of the first generation.

Now they both sit in front of Charles Choi, in the rundown shack that he has been hiding at for a good while now. Gun is sitting in a pretzel, back straightened with his usual seriousness, and Goo is slightly slouched over in a more relaxed manner.

"So the strongest person in Busan is a woman... and she refused to join the Four Major Crews?"

Charles asks as his eyes dart between both younger man.

Gun sighs, finally speaking up as he rubs his temples, the memory of the meeting still giving him a headache.

"Not only that: she outright refused to help us in any way, shape, or form. I guess we're gonna have to try and find another business to extort."

Goo nods his head, remembering how his shot was shut down so fast.

Yes, that was his biggest concern.

His eyes dart between Charles and his partner as they speak. There is a tinge of disappointment stirring up in his chest, she could've been a fantastic asset to the crew with her smarts and charm.

And money, of course.

"Might I add, she seems to have taken some of Big Deal's territory under her control as well in the meantime. She seems surprisingly influential in the country as a whole, like scattered bubbles rising on surface, popping up everywhere. I wouldn't be surprised if she started taking over more businesses in the meanwhile."

Gun continues his train of thought.

"Jake Kim, and her have made an alliance and she's helping Big Deal and its street... so in a sense she is working for us... Not directly, but she is of help... she seems to have a soft spot for Big Deal, you can't deny her abilities and influence."

Goo thinks over Gun's words as he speaks, unable to argue with his logic in that regard. He sighs as he places a hand on his hip, his other hand pushing his glasses up slightly.

Maybe the reason why she gets along so well with Jake and the Big Deal members...well, with most; because eventually her goals and their goals are the same.

Protect.

Big Deal is the epitome of being a family, filled with passion. No wonder how well she gets along with them, and took it upon herself out of the goodness of her own heart to help them run their businesses on Big Deal's street.

"If her soft spot gives us a loophole from which we can exploit, I don't have a problem with her having a soft spot for Big Deal. That just makes it easier for us to take advantage of.”

Gun concludes, shrugging his shoulders slightly as he speaks, looking over at Charles expectantly.

Still, Charles lets out a small grunt.

"Even if she's in an alliance with Big Deal, and as much as their sales went up, one single business of hers in Busan makes 3 times more than Big Deal alone. We need her businesses."

When Charles says his thoughts out loud, Gun can't help but have his eye twitch slightly, his eyebrow raising at his words. Both knowing exactly what Charles is saying but still having the same thoughts they've had before: this Nova woman is not making their job easy by any means.

"As beneficial as having her businesses for you would be, you've heard how quickly she shut us down. The woman said herself that she wanted to remain uninvolved in anything relating to either or any of us. It would take a miracle if she is somehow convinced to cooperate with us in any way."

Goo lets out an agreeing groan, nodding in agreement with his partner.

"Before I make a decision, tell me more about this woman."

Charles utters as he looks off, pondering, ready to hear what they know so far of Nova.

Both of them sigh and cross their arms, their faces giving off an air of disappointment and irritation.

"All we were able to get from what research we did and since the brief meeting we had with her was her age: 19, her place of birth: unknown, and so is her last name."

Gun lists off as he closes his eyes momentarily, his voice carrying an irritated tone to it as he speaks.

“She's literally running dozens of businesses with a perfect 0% corruption rate. She's also incredibly smart and charismatic, her charisma and kindness alone is already enough to make anyone obey her immediately."

Goo continues with a tone more carefree, perhaps a little more boastful than intended.

"Zero corruption, no shady business practices... a kind person in a world of grime..."

Charles repeats his words, trailing off as he visibly ponders, rubbing his bearded chin.

"A gentle heart like hers won't survive for too long in this world. We should teach her that lesson sooner rather than later."

Gun can't help the small, sadistic chuckle he lets out at Charles' words, his mood instantly shifting into amusement as soon as he hears the other man's plans. He always admired when Charles had his ruthless tendencies come out, it always was interesting to see.

"Especially since she's the Queen of Busan. Who would've thought someone her age would be able to take over such a large city on their own? It's both hilarious and admirable at the same time really."

Goo immediately frowns again as he hears Charles and Gun say such things, he's not afraid to admit it but he genuinely feels protective of this woman now.

"I don't know how you plan to teach a woman like that a lesson in this world, she's like an absolute angel of light. You can see in her eyes just how kind she truly is, we should really be careful before she shows us how dark she can be behind that bright exterior.”

To his words, Charles sends Goo an empty stare, and Gun nudges him softly with his shoulder.

"Joongoo, you should drop your personal feelings towards the girl. This is only business."

They were both all about business and raking in the money, empathy had no place in their plans. In the world of HNH group, there is no such thing as kindness, there isn't any place for a soft soul here. Even though from a moral standpoint Gun also happened to take a liking to the girl, his loyalty towards Charles Choi was still far greater.

But Goo will make sure to keep her in his thoughts regarding his own future.

Charles' words and the way both he and Gun look at him make him let out a defeated sigh, a hand rubbing his hair in frustration.

"Fine... you guys win, I'll try to keep my thoughts on her to a minimum. Doesn't change the fact that she's absolutely perfect though, the way she could've easily won that fight in the restaurant, the way she stood up to both of us... I guess it's hard for me to not be slightly entranced by her."

Goo admits with a slight shrug.

This was expected from him, all Gun can do is mentally roll his eyes.

"Enlighten me on her fighting prowess then.”

As that question slips from the man's mouth, both of the boys glance at each other.

Even as Gun remembers back at how taken aback he felt when she managed to throw a fork perfectly aimed at his eye and how it pierced his sunglasses, he cannot help but shiver at the sheer agility she displayed out of nowhere in that moment. But other than her terrifying aura in that moment and her precision, and speed, not much else is known. It's really a mystery how this 19 year old woman became who she is.

Goo’s eyes light up the very second Charles asks what her fighting prowess is, smile widening with excitement as he really has been itching to start talking about just how insanely talented Nova really is. He starts off almost before Charles had even finished in asking his question.

"Her precision, agility, and speed are on a whole other level. A normal human shouldn't even be able to accomplish a fraction of what she's capable of. It’s safe to say to admit that she might be on the same level as Gun and I."

Goo was nothing further than ecstatic, having a free opportunity to flap his guns.

“She whipped a fork at him and it pierced right through his sunglasses, but just enough to not actually pierce his eyes. She seems to have the speed and agility of a cheetah while having the precision of a sniper. She's a true, perfect masterpiece in a woman's body."

Charles ponders for another minute, humming once to himself as he shifts his eyes back on the two in front of him.

"So she's quick... but speed is nothing if she doesn't have the power. I will send a crew to ransack some of her businesses."

Goo can't help but feel iffy about the situation, he felt a strange feeling welling inside him as Charles says that. But ultimately, he isn't surprised by his plan. He had been a part of so many of Charles' plans over time, so it was no surprise to him that his plan to get Nova to cooperate involved violence. His face immediately goes neutral again as he remembers that there is no place for empathy here. It was all about business and profits for this organization and they couldn't let this woman get in their way of that. Or is how he tried to soothe his nerves with.

While Gun's face hardens, he nods his head. They both know what the outcome of all this will be in that regard.

"That would be wise, her businesses would be completely defenseless. Even if fast, speed is nothing if it doesn't have the power backing it."

So sending a few men he did. An hour and a half passed since then, and there was still no update about how it all has progressed.

Goo fiddles with his thumb with his lips pursed as he sits on a bench. Eyes casted on the pavement as they're now outside of the house, as Gun smoked a cigarette.

"I've never been so conflicted about something like such before...”

Goo mutters out, glancing at Gun who seemed as unbothered as ever.

Though Goo's words made him wonder what was really going on here. Was Goo getting soft on them? Or was his loyalty to the organization getting less and less? He didn't have the answer to that but one thing was for sure, he needed to shut Goo up before he started acting too soft.

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting now? I can literally hear you overthinking it. You aren't actually soft for her, right?"

Gun questions with a slight tone of menace, taking another exhale of his cigarette as he gives him a hard look, his eyebrow rising just slightly.

"... I don't know...or at least I don't think so." Goo shrugs, his mind for sure running marathons. "I know we've also done the same with countless businesses all throughout South-Korea without any remorse and whatsoever... this is the first time I feel like we wronged the nicest person in the worst way possible."

Gun was starting to get a little worried now, Goo was beginning to let his feelings influence him. It was only natural since this woman was so kind and empathetic, but that kind of quality was not welcome in the world of gangs. If he let this get to him anymore, he could very well turn against them. He didn't want to have to deal with dealing with Goo's betrayal as well. This is honestly starting to get ridiculous to him, he's never seen his partner get so upset over something like this before.

"It was inevitable that we were going to have to do that. You already know that her kindness wouldn't keep her alive in this world, so I don't know what you're so worried about. It's nothing we haven't done to anyone else before."

Goo lets out an exhausted sigh as he leans back on the bench, staring up at the sky.

"I just have a bad feeling about this, is all..."

Gun's eyebrow raises slightly, slowly raising a hand and rubbing the bridge of his nose as he just lets out a groan of frustration.

"Listen, I've been working with you long enough now to know when you get these ‘bad feelings’ about stuff. If you're worried then we'll just go over there ourselves, how about that? If we deal with some of the trouble on our own, it might get that bad feeling out of your system and get you to calm down again."

"Fine..."

The blonde mutters out with a slight pout, sitting up slowly.

As soon as Gun finished his tangent, is the same moment he gets a message to get back in. His expression lights up as he hears that they finally have an update, him reaching down and stomping his cigarette into oblivion with his hand as he looks over at Goo with a confident look on his face.

"We have updates on the situation. Come on."

As he speaks, Gun looks over at Goo for just a small moment before he turns back around and starts walking and Goo follows with a crease between his eyebrows..

The crease between his eyebrows deepen even more when they step foot into the office. Gun is getting a little worried, he has never seen his boss so puzzled and taken aback in a good while. They could tell by his facial expressions, and the uneasy atmosphere as well with the tension now rising up in the room.

"The men I have sent have been defeated in every bar, store and establishment of hers. None of my men could return."

Once they hear those words from Charles, their eyes both widen in disbelief and shock. Both of them stare at the older man in disbelief as the two of them stand with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"You're saying... nobody came back?"

Gun questions slowly, blinking slowly at Charles as he lets what he had just said sink in, his eyebrow raising in complete bewilderment as does Goo's, hardly able to suppress the smirk that was threatening to stretch out on his face.

"Her men has single handedly defeated all and everyone... and apparently it was her alone who took out my most skilled men by herself... Not only her men are skilled, but so is she. I did not expect that at all."

Charles mutters out with a groan. Eyes closing with his brows knitted together, clearly frustrated at the turn of events, and the smirk now fully lifted both corners of his lips when he hears the news that it was Nova that did all that, but Gun's expression looks much less enthusiastic.

"That’s sounds unbelievable.."

Gun mumbles out with a baffled look on his face, his shoulders rising as he gives Charles a look of shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Either way, desperate times call for desperate measures." Charles responds, eyes opening with a furious glint in them. "I will send the two of you and a few more men to dissect the whole of her businesses in the city. Attacking from all and every angles. Your main target is Nova. Finish the job for me, and make sure to break that woman in so she has no other choice but to oblige."

The two boys were monsters for a reason. The best of the best, if not the best, among all of the Ten Geniuses as of yet. The two of them should have no problem taking down one single person so she has no choice to bend to their will at the end.

As soon as Charles's words finish, Goo's face pales slightly as he looks over at Gun beside him, the two of them staring at each other for just a moment as they absorb the message that Charles had just given them.

"We got it, we won't let you down, Sir..."

Goo replies calmly, the two of them giving Charles a calm, collected look, his words sounding far too calm for the situation that they had been handed.

"Go now. I believe the two of you should be able to handle her. The other men I have sent are already in Busan. If everything goes as planned this time, it will only be her left.”

Both of the boys give a single nod of understanding to the instructions, and with that they both walk out of the room without another word, leaving Charles alone as they go get prepared for their trip to Busan.

"Alright, looks like we're headed back to Busan."

Goo comments as he looks over at Gun, a slight smirk on his face.

"You seem way too excited to see her even under these circumstances..."

Gun comments, eyeing him suspiciously, but shakes his head softly at the end.

Even though Goo is somewhat excited, he can't help but feel a ripple of fear run through him. As much as he had some personal feelings for the girl, her skills were still unknown.

The blonde just grins even more when Gun remarks about how excited he looks to see Nova again, him just giving the other a playful roll of the eyes in response.

"Hey, you know me, I like strong women. And a woman like her? Well, she's a whole other level of powerful... and a whole lot sexier too-"

"Whatever, just make sure you focus. Idiot."

He lets out a laugh, the tension melting away as they begin to focus on what they need to do instead of their emotions.

Maybe an hour later as they arrive in Busan, the atmosphere certainly doesn't feel as welcoming as the last time.

There is a certain tension in the air all around, the clouds are more gray, and the streets are eerily empty.

"Why did you bring a katana...?"

Gun asks Goo, spotting the weapon on his back in its sheath.

The latter just smiles when the questions is thrown his way, a smug look on his face.

"What? I wanted to make sure I'm extremely well equipped. Plus, I'm a man of style, and what's even more stylish than a Katana, right?”

He says in his usual, laid-back tone, his eyes filled with glee and excitement as they approach Nova's buildings.

"You're annoying.." Gun rolls his eyes at that as they keep walking through the streets, muttering under his breath.- "It's just a girl going on a rampage anyway... nothing more, nothing less."

Perhaps his own delusions will also calm his own discomfort as well about the situation. If only he knew what they were really in for, he'd have probably been much less dismissive.

"You said it, White Ghost. Just a simple girl on a rampage, nothing to worry about, right?~"

Goo chuckles out, his pace remaining steady as he walks along beside Gun, giving him a laid-back look as the two of them approach Nova's buildings. Gun's words actually got his nerves to calm down a little bit, if he started to think of her as just a woman then it would be easier to deal with her…But that woman is far from just a normal woman, even if Gun doesn't believe that she is, he did.

They remain mostly silent for the rest of the walk, as they approach their first location. The bars and establishments were all filled with all Charles' men taken out. Bodies upon bodies, the eerie smell of blood a little too strong for their likings. Goo noticed a pattern with all of the locations they went to so far, it was the same thing everywhere. The whole location would look trashed, bodies lying around, and yet the woman herself was no where to be found.

"God damn... this isn't just rampage, but a straight up massacre..."

Goo exclaims softly, nose pinched together as he nudges a body with his foot

"It's a damn bloodbath..."

Gun mutters out, looking around the room at all the men sprawled on the ground, their bodies looking beaten into a pulp as his expression darkens slightly at the sight of it all.

"It might be a good idea if we stick together, this chick isn't someone to mess with alone. We need to stay together at all times if we don't wanna end up like these guys are."

"Yeah, let's leave now, it smells like straight up death in here..."

Goo mutters out a response, leaving the establishment first.

Until nothing else but the restaurant where they first met a week ago remain.

The moment they enter the street, is the moment it all becomes so real.

Trails of blood scattered all around the road and pavement. Bodies mutelated, mauled, Goo swears he just saw a body torn in half from the jaw down. A cold shiver creeps up their necks, especially when their eyes land on the person they have been looking for all along.

Standing in the sea of bodies is Nova. White dress stained with blood, hands covered in the same crimson substance up to her elbows, skin and flesh under her nails. Hair disheveled, an eerily blank face paired with a blood thirsty gaze as her eyes glow luminously white. Barefoot as she stands, emitting nothing but a pressuring aura.

"Well... isn't she beautiful?"

Goo remarks, his eyes locked onto her just a few feet away, a smirk forming on his face as he looks at her blank expression combined with the blood- thirsty look in her glowing white eyes.

...is he dumb?

"You did... all of this?"

Gun aims his question towards the woman, who slowly turns her head towards their direction.

Goo's heart almost drops right out of his asshole, smirk faltering lightly.

She definitely wasn’t as happy to see them again as he was..

She lets out a long exhale, breath so warm the fog of it filters visibility into the frigid air... and it wasn't even winter time.

“So it was you two behind this all along... huh?..”

She asks, tone empty. Monotone, no hint of emotions in her words, but the way she was practically staring at Gun like he was a prey about to be hunted down, told them more than enough

"Guilty as charged.~"

Goo replies with a chuckle, his smirk still plastered on his face as he looks at the girl, a gleeful tone in his voice. Gun looks just as confident, staring at Nova.

"Don't take this personally, it's nothing but business."

Gun states firmly, his eyebrow raising slightly as he keeps his expression calm, his hand slowly moving to grab a pack of cigarettes.

He could barely take the pack out of his pocket, his eyes widening. As the last syllable leaves his lips is the same moment she lunges towards him like a catapult. Arms extended, nails looking like they're about to tear him into shreds.

Gun barely manages to dive away just as she reaches him, rolling over the ground before he looks up at her once again, his eyes flashing with both surprise and amusement as she skids away slightly, nails digging into the concrete, ploughing it up.

"Oh, that was fast..."

He mutters under his breath as he pushes himself up to his feet, his eyes locked on her with a determined gaze.

"Fast?? It was like she teleported the fuck??"

Goo was horrified by the speed she moved with and it almost got him shocked into not knowing what to do next.

While still on the ground, she digs her limbs into the pavement to use as leverage to catapult a flying split kick used in Kyokushin Karate to send a heavy blow towards Goo this time as she flips with her leg extended.

Taken aback by the sheer velocity that simple kick had, he manages to block it above his head with his arms crossed, making him grimace, he for sure hasn't felt a blow this heavy, in a long while.

He for sure felt and heard his bones crack, a hiss of pain escaping his lips while he grimaces slightly, giving Nova a look of disbelief.

"That actually hurt..."

He mutters softly to himself, his eyes remaining locked on her even as he takes a step back, trying to ignore the pain in his arms as Gun suddenly takes a step towards Nova, trying to land a punch at her from behind.

While foot still printed hard against the blonde's arm, the other top of her feet lock behind Gun's head after he is in closer proximity, she now uses them as a lunch pad to push herself away, not just dodging his punch, but in the mean time making them headbutt each other. Hard.

Letting out a shout of pain in unison as they both smash their heads into each other, their faces colliding in a brutal collision as they both stagger back, a pained look on both of their faces.

"God damn it...."

Goo mutters under his breath as he holds his head in his hands, Gun doing the same as he slowly wipes the small trickle of blood flowing from his nose.

Charging at her the same time, their fight continues.

Unfortunately to them, one sidedly for the most duration of the time.

Neither of them seen someone who has so many martial arts abilities, skills and techniques under their belts. Some they haven't even experienced before.

Sheer power and skills blending perfectly. Speed almost teleportational, countless times disappearing out of their peripheral visions just to appear right behind them, and send such blows that stung like needles, or were heavy like tons of weight were just dropped on them. Every move is impossible to expect and predict, every move she makes sends shivers down their spine.

It was like she was the perfect mix of all the fighters they have since met, be it in the second or first generation.

"DUDE JUST LAND A PUNCH!"

Goo exclaims in a hastily manner, in the midst of throwing his own heavy blow, only for his wrist to be grabbed, his own flow of power be turned against him as she makes him eat hard concrete, the pavement denting under him, almost swallowing him up whole.

"I'm trying!!"

Gun shouts loudly, his voice filled with a mix of both impatience and frustration, his expression desperate as he tries to come up with some sort of a plan.

Deciding to just straight up go for it, at this time not really having even a second to spare, and throws a straight blow her way, it was scary, with how much ease she evades it, almost like flowing with the air.

“Leave.”

She speaks as takes a very firm hold of them both, flipping them in the air and slam them back down into the pavement by their throats.

“Leave Busan and never return.”

Hoisting them up in the air in the midst of their concussion, not even giving them a chance to recover, kicking them both down once again like a soccer ball, Gun flying right into a brick wall, and Goo eats concrete once again a few feet away.

“This is my city.”

Both men lay motionless on the ground, clearly beaten, still for several moments, trying to process and recover from the beating they've just received, before eventually Gun lifts his head up a bit, a pained but satisfied expression on his face as he pushes himself up onto his knees.

"Damn... I don't think... I've ever been beaten like that..."

He mutters softly, his breath coming out in labored puffs with a wide smile, the pain making it hard for him to form a coherent thought, other than knowing it felt exhilarating.

She's far beyond human at this point, she isn't someone to be underestimated at all.

While taking steps closer to Gun specifically, the only thing he can do at this point is just to watch her near, and attack when the time is right.

“I will not let you destroy what I have created.”

She utters out flatly, a hand inching towards Gun's face slowly.

“Cool eyes... mind if I take them as souvenirs?”

A look of disbelief and horror appear on Gun's face the moment he hears those words, his eyes widening slightly as he hears Nova's intentions. It's clear that both of them have never met someone stronger than them until now, never even considered such a possibility before this moment. Without much time to react, Gun tries to dodge back, but she's too fast, her hand grabbing his face in one quick, swift, almost instantaneous move.

He sits knees on the ground, jaw almost breaking in her grasp,looking at her like she's some kind of otherworldly monster, as he starts to wonder if he will even be able to hold out any longer.

This was a feeling neither of them were used to at all. Gun had never truly experienced fear like this before from a fight with someone, he always knew that no matter what he could always win. He always had such confidence that he would always win, but this time he was genuinely afraid. She didn't just overpower them. This time, they were completely outmatched. They were the prey and she was the predator in this situation. In that moment, all the cockiness and arrogance he usually possessed was gone, replaced with pure dread. This wasn't just a girl on a rampage, she was a monster.

Meanwhile, Goo, although going in an out of consciousness, and through gritted teeth as he already feels all and every bone in his body broken, the moment he notices the woman standing above Gun's body, is the same moment in a blink of an eye, he rushes forward.

Katana pulled out of its case, a deadly glint in his eyes as he makes one swift moment, stabbing the girl right through her abdomen from the front as he now suddenly stands behind Gun.

Perhaps his katana and swordsmanship actually came into good use.

For a moment, it looked as though Goo had managed to land a decisive blow...

But her expression made it clear. She wasn't even phased by it, her face remaining as blank and expressionless as ever as she simply turns her head to look back down at Goo, who was now staring back up at her in shock and disbelief.

"Oh... I am so fucked."

Are his only words as she takes a step forward.

Yes, forward.

While the blade still piercing right through her, discarding Gun aside like a measly ragdoll as she walks even deeper into the blade, and grips the sharp edge with her hand so he can't even think about moving the blade any way.

Of course nothing budges. Every time he tries to push her, or lever her off the blade, she doesn't even move at all. Not with her holding the shaft of it with such grip it was denting the metal. She doesn't look in any pain, or even show any reaction at all. She just keeps moving forward slowly despite the huge blade piercing into her stomach.

In fact, as she slowly pushes forward, the sound of the katana tearing through flesh can be heard in the empty city street, making both Goo and Gun tense up as a look of realization passes through their expressions.

What the hell was this woman made of...??

Blade broken by the tight grip of her hand after it had enough of warping and twisting her other hand is already up in the air. Hands flat like a spear, extended, ready to strike.

What happened after that is unclear.

After several moments, it was over. Goo and Gun both lay on the ground motionless, both of them completely unconscious and completely beaten for the first time in their lives. Everything hurt, and the shock from the whole ordeal was weighing heavy on them.

It went against everything they believed had ever known in their lives, the belief that no matter what, they would always win. But she changed that belief forever. Now, they would live the rest of their lives knowing someone more powerful and stronger than them was out there somewhere.

It is a story no one really talks about, since how unbelievable it sounds.

Two of the best, most powerful fighters in SK getting taken down by none other than a woman, in mere minutes.

Perhaps that was a good choice, that no one mentioned it since then, and did their best to keep it a secret. At least some of their ego stayed in tact, but couldn't help how bruised, and a broken they both felt after that.

[gunsandspaceships]

Tony was disabled and suffered from chronic pain

Tony may not have looked like a disabled person, but not all disabled people need wheelchairs, canes, or hearing aids. Some simply live in constant pain, cannot breathe properly, cannot sleep due to nightmares, or may die without medication or a medical device. All this applies to him.

Tony has suffered from many conditions, many physical and mental traumas. I will describe the most important here (in chronological order), but some things like broken bones, cuts, bruises, etc. happened to him regularly and their impact on his health is unknown.

Blast injuries

You can find details here.

This type of injury has happened to Tony many times, as explosions are not uncommon for superheroes. In his case (he's not an enhanced Homo sapiens, we remember that, right?) they were more harmful than for many others, like Thor, Hulk or Steve.

We can't say exactly how these injuries affected his health, but they couldn't disappear without a trace. What he could have been left with: damaged hearing, vision, brain damage, respiratory system and blood vessels and heart damage, damage to muscles, liver, spleen and intestines.

Shrapnel

And here comes chronic pain, and our first case of overt disability - shrapnel in Tony's chest and most likely right in the heart. Some shrapnel may have remained in other parts of his body, such as his arms and legs, but this was not mentioned in the movies.

Shrapnel can cause harm in two ways:

mechanical (cuts tissue - leads to scarring, puts pressure on nerves and blood vessels, causing pain and ischemia - reduces blood and oxygen flow to parts of the body);

chemical (metal ions can be released from the fragments and travel through the bloodstream, affecting other parts of the body). Many forms of shrapnel contain uranium, which is highly toxic and can lead to health problems, including kidney damage, liver cancer, and bone cancer. It may also cause high blood pressure, autoimmune disorders, and loss of reproductive function.

Other complications may include infections and chronic inflammation around the fragments.

In Tony's case, he received at least three unpleasant gifts from the shrapnel: chronic pain, heart damage, and the constant possibility of death if the medical device that literally keeps him alive stops working or is taken away from him.

So yes, guys, shrapnel is already enough to consider him disabled. But this is just the beginning of the list.

Arrhythmia

Here is a post entirely dedicated to Tony and his arrhythmia.

To summarize: Tony had a severe arrhythmia (most likely Sick Sinus Syndrome) that required a pacemaker and an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) powered by an arc reactor. Possible causes of this condition include the blast injury, electric damage from water torture with an electromagnet in chest, and heart damage.

This is the second case of disability and constant mortal danger for Tony - just like with the shrapnel, without the pacemaker he would have died, and even sooner than without the electromagnet that stops the shrapnel. And let's not forget the risk of sudden death associated with arrhythmias.

What Tony could experience on a daily basis due to his arrhythmia: exercise intolerance (he stopped running and surfing after Afghanistan), exhaustion, shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting (among all the Avengers, Tony lost consciousness most often), lightheadedness or dizziness, heart palpitations. Arrhythmia is a thing that usually gets worse over years.

Reactor

Hard stuff. Here you can see why.

The damage done to Tony's body in order to implant the reactor was enormous. With all things considered, it is not necessarily a deadly trauma, but certainly a debilitating one.

This case is the third obvious disability and the main source of chronic pain that Tony suffered from 2008 to 2014.

What he definitely experienced every minute of those years: pain, exhaustion and depression due to this, discomfort and pressure in the chest, difficulty breathing (for which his suits contained supplemental oxygen), limited upper body mobility and decreased muscle strength, sensitivity to ambient temperature (the metal would conduct the temperature of the environment and could become too hot or too cold. That's why he would prefer to stay in California until his surgery at the end of IM3 and not move to New York yet - because of the cold winters).

Potential complications that required Tony to constantly monitor his health included: collapsed lung, asthma, chest infections, chest trauma, thoracic lymphedema, blood clots.

He would also be prone to respiratory infections, which could easily lead to complications. For example, a common cold would most likely develop into bronchitis and/or pneumonia. That is why it is very dangerous for him to be around sick people.

The device could also pose a real danger if it encounters another strong magnet (no MRI for Tony!).

Tony always had to be on medications to help him breath (oxygen, asthma inhalers when he picks up a virus or his airway gets irritated, nebulizer treatment), antibiotics due to weakened immune system, painkillers as needed, regular beta blockers to reduce risk of arrhythmias and sudden death.

PTSD

In IM3, we were shown Tony suffering from this mental disorder. In CA:CW we also saw him using B.A.R.F. to ease his trauma over the death of his parents. This is one of the factors that makes me think he had complex PTSD since childhood, not just acute PTSD caused by the alien invasion.

The acute PTSD affected his quality of life, depriving him of sleep, causing nightmares, anxiety and panic attacks from 2012 to 2014. Although it couldn't go away just because Tony became a little more confident in himself by the end of the movie. It takes years of treatment to get rid of this condition, and the VA considers it a permanent disability.

Other things that could have long-term effects on his health:

Radiation (cancer, liver failure, infertility, and thickening and scarring of lung, liver, and kidney tissue)

Heavy metal poisoning (palladium is carcinogenic, may damage bone marrow, kidneys and liver)

Repeated concussions (one possible consequence is chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which often begins years or even decades after the last brain injury)

Use of B.A.R.F. (could be the cause of the migraine he experienced at the beginning of CA:CW)

Left arm/shoulder injury

Penetrating trauma (it is unknown whether Carol actually brought Tony the Xorrian elixir to cure him as she promised)

Conclusion: before the attack that changed his life forever, Tony was a healthy, strong man who ran canyons and surfed. Thanks to his health and high exercise tolerance, he was able to survive many serious and even critical injuries. However, he was not an enhanced super soldier, and the injuries that did not kill him left him physically weaker and with disabilities that could not help but affect his well-being. He became immunocompromised, could no longer endure strenuous exercise without his high-tech prosthesis, take a proper deep breath. He also became smaller due to loss of muscle mass (compare IM1 and IM3).

Tony also suffered from chronic pain due to the damage to his chest and the presence of shrapnel.

PTSD gives him another type of disability that affects his mental functions. Unlike the damage from the reactor and shrapnel, this damage was not fully healed in 2014 and remained with him until the end, although the symptoms subsided.

[demonslayerunhinged]

Ohhhhhhkayyyyyyy.......

*claps hands*

time to lose some fucking followers

So I haven't posted in a while because I'm currently battling a cold and a sinus infection, so most of my time is spent slowly rotting away and fusing with my bed, but during this time I've had the chance to think about some things regarding this blog and the stuff I post.

When I created this blog I didn't expect the amount of follows, likes and reblogs I got and while I'm grateful that people like my work a side effect is that I'm starting to not just put pressure on myself to produce content but also to produce sanitized, censored and morally 'approved' content.

And by this, I mean not making posts and sharing opinions that I know some people would deem problematic, especially when I see the blurbs on the blogs that follow me like 'pro-shippers dni' and stuff. I unconsciously started to mold my thoughts, opinions and subsequently posts to the expectations and restrictions I placed on myself which meant that whenever I wanted to make a post I'd have all these questions banging around in my head 'like is this okay?', 'will people like it?', 'will I lose followers?', 'will people think I'm a pro-shipper?', and so on. These questions were especially loud when I posted the answer to that RenTan ask and when I posted the male fanservice series. I don't want that, I don't want to question and second-guess myself every time I want to make a post, I don't want to run my blog based on the approval of others.

This blog is my safe space, it's where I can voice my opinions, problematic or not. I like to look at things from an unbiased and objective point of view and just because I can see the basis of a 'problematic' ship or character doesn't mean I support pedophilia, domestic violence, abuse etc. etc. Even when it comes to characters, storylines and ships that I may not necessarily like because ultimately this is fiction, these are 2d characters born from someone's amazing imagination, so live and let live.

If you have a problem with this, my blog, and my posts, feel free to unfollow and block me. I appreciate your support for my past posts and I understand if you don't like my blog anymore but don't go on posting negative comments or 'ew' reblogs of my posts in a misguided, self-righteous attempt to prove to yourself that you're a 'good' person. I'll just delete them and block you.

I also won't be answering 'morality-fishing' asks, I don't have to prove my 'goodness' to anyone just to get them to follow and approve of my blog and content. As long as the ask is polite and genuine, I will answer to the best of my knowledge, giving both biased and unbiased opinions.

The #KnYFansAreFuckingStupid posts have been deleted because they're kinda mean-spirited and serve no purpose except to make myself feel like one of the 'smart' fans. I would rather make posts that debunk misinformation by providing as many links and resources as possible than condemn people who believe them because we've all gobbled and spread misinformation at some point or another. I will still condemn people who complain and say bad stuff about queer ships because fuck you.

In Conclusion, no more sanitized, censored or pandering posts. This is Demon Slayer Unhinged, not Demon Slayer Morality Reassurance or Demon Slayer Puritan and Sanitized. My goal is to try to deliver good, quality analyses and shitty memes.

And for those of you who still choose to read my shit. Thank you for trusting me with your time, your asks and your content. It means a lot to me. Thank you. 🩷🩷🩷

[drakulana]

when you're sick // law x gn! reader drabble

⚝ summary: you get sick and law takes care of you, gn! reader

⚝ content: sick reader, no pronouns, no y/n, law takes care of you, very short and sweet!

⚝ wc: 855

⚝ a/n: i've been sick so this is just something a little fun i wrote. i hope you enjoy!!

✩࿐

you never really took getting sick seriously. it didn’t happen often, and when it did, it usually passed within a couple days. it started out as the sniffles. you thought it was just a cold, so you went and got some cold medicine from the infirmary. it wasn’t something you thought was worth telling your captain. you made it through the day completing all your tasks without any problem, thankful to fall into bed that night. the next morning, you woke up with a raging headache. it was undoubtedly from all the sinus pressure that had set in while you were asleep. you were hoping to sleep off the sickness, but instead it presented a new symptom. the headache. still, you didn’t tell your captain. there was no reason to bother him about a headache when you could just go into the infirmary and get some more medicine. so that’s what you did. you took the same cold medicine as yesterday, and took some with you for later on in the day. as the day went on, you could feel your symptoms growing worse. the stuffy nose turned into constant sneezing. the drainage turned into a bit of a nasty cough, and the sinus pressure turned into puffy watery eyes. for a second, going to see your captain crossed your mind, but it was so late now. so you went to bed, hoping to sleep off whatever ailment you had caught, once again.

you woke up in a cold sweat. your bedsheets and blankets stuck to you, and chills had overtaken your body. your body ached. the dim light pouring in from under the door hurt to even look at. your head felt like it had been split open. the sounds of your crewmates chattering and walking up and down the corridors getting ready to work was amplified, and was not aiding your headache in the slightest. it was time to get up. it was time to go to work, but you seemed to be almost bed ridden. you cursed yourself. you knew as soon as your captain noticed you weren't present he would come looking for you. he was not going to be happy that you failed to tell him that you were sick. until then, you decided that you were going to get some rest. you closed your eyes, and let the darkness consume you.

you spent the next hour in and out of sleep. no matter what position you were in, everything hurt. you could hear footsteps approaching your room. a knock sounded on the metal door, making you groan a weak come in, at whoever was at the door. you knew who was at the door before they even knocked. it was law.

the harsh white light from the hallway spilled into your room, making you shield your eyes. the light was blinding, and just as you thought it couldn't get worse, law flicked on the light switch in the room. "please turn the light off," you croaked out at your captain to which he complied, mumbling a soft apology. he walked over to your bed, looking down at your sick figure. "why didn't you tell me you were sick?" he tutted, reaching down to feel your forehead. he sucked in a breath at the feeling of your burning skin. his hands were cold, and you leaned into the soothing touch. "you have a fever," he stated the obvious. he removed his hand from your head and let out a sigh before turning on his heel and leaving, wordlessly. shutting the door behind him, the darkness of the room brought relief to the pounding in your head. however, it didn't last long. a few minutes later your captain was back. he had a wet washcloth in hand, a thermometer, some medicine, and some water in hand. he pulled up a chair next to your bed, laying the cool washcloth across your head. the coolness soothed the pounding just enough for you to be able to relax a bit. "open," law commanded you, and you complied, opening your mouth. "under your tongue," he commanded once again, as he put the thermometer in your mouth. you sat there with the thermometer in your mouth for a minute before law checked it, "102 degrees. you really should have come and gotten me whenever you first started feeling sick. we could have avoided this," he lectured. a quiet, i'm sorry, left your raw throat. law looked down at you, pitifully. "drink this water, and take these," law opened the water bottle, and poured two pills into his palm. he helped you sit up, his cool hands resting on your back. his touch almost relieved the aching in your back, rubbing light circles as you took the medicine. law helped you lay back down, fixing the blankets around you. "now rest," he told you as he reached over to the bookshelf across from the bed and grabbed a book, "i'll be here if you need anything," he told you. having no energy to protest, you closed your eyes and let the black consume your aching body.

✩࿐

@drakulana 2024 // i do not give permission to copy, translate, or repost, any of my content without my consent

Taglist: @shuujin , @pinksaiyans , @buttmishaaaa, @tokaio, @augustanna, @sukilovesyou, @mschoiyuki, @songinabottle , @starlightanyaaa, @elen-alambil, @theladyofmanyfandomsfanfiction

[adventuringblind]

A Little Sick

Carlos Sainz Jr. x Reader

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Sick fic

Summary: Carlos' struggle to take care of his girlfriend who's both sick and regressed. Lucky for him, he knows how to get her to nap.

Warnings: Agere/age-regression, non-sexual ageplay, non-sexual use of daddy, sinus infection, fear of doctors, mentions of past trauma

Notes: Haven't written for Carlos in so long T_T

Masterlist // Request Form // My Website // buy me a Ko-Fi

Carlos knew the second he heard sniffling that something wasn't right. The way fatigue seems to drip from his lover didn't go unnoticed.

The problem is that was two weeks ago. She'd claimed allergies or a minor cold. Her disgust at anything having to do with sickness and doctors showing through her lack of acceptance.

Carlos has half a mind to just lay on top of her and force her to rest. Alternatively, if he could get her to regress, this would be immesley easier.

He can see her forcing herself not to. The delicate line between headspace getting blurrier with each day.

It's when she wakes up in tears, the Carlos knows something has to be done.

"Princessa?" He rolls her over and bundles her up into his arms. Her entire body is on fire and when he touches her face, she wails in pain. "We should go see a doctor, amor."

She's non-verbal all morning, trying desperately not to slip in headspace. Until Carlos finally take the initiative. He hates doing this, but he's been doing this long enough to see when she needs to slip and let Carlos take care of her.

Carlos starts small by picking out her clothes. Comfortable, obviously, since they are just going to the doctor. Then he puts her shoes on for her and ties the laces. By the time he's done, he can see the look in her eyes. The one that aches with the need for comfort. Desperate to not face the object of her nightmares.

Carlos grabs her comfort item and places it gently into her hands. He kneels down in front of her. "I won't leave you alone, okay? I'll be with you the entire time. Can you be brave for me?" She gives him a shy nod in response.

Carlos gets her into the car and buckles her seatbelt for her. He turns on soft music and she bobs her head along to the words. He coos at her with how adorable she looks at the moment.

She freezes up the second he pulls into the parking lot. The fear in her eyes says everything. She's on the verge of a breakdown, but Carlos is there to calm her. He holds her hand and helps her breathe before helping her out of the car.

He manages getting her checked in since she's still non-verbal and on the verge of tears. Eyes glassy with terror over being in the place she despises.

Carlos runs his fingers along her spine. "You're doing so good, carina."

She freezes when her name is called. Her body trembling in fear and squeezing the life out of Carlos' hand with her own. He swiftly wraps an arm around her and whispers into her ear some reassurance.

She doesn't say a word to the doctor, only watches him with suspicion. He ends up prescribing antibiotics and sending them on their way.

She wails the second they are in the safety of the car. All the nerves she'd been biting back finally able to burst free of their confines. Carlos has to get her to breathe. The hyperventilation nearly making her sick. He doesn't let go of her hand the entire way home.

He carries her inside, still sniffling from the overwhelming emotions from earlier. Carlos feels awful for having to put her through such a thing. The fact he knows full well why she hates it making it even harder to do.

He settles her on the couch. One he can see her from despite being in the kitchen and hastily throwing together soup. The television is playing her movie of choice. The background noise has become soothing to both of them.

He ends up having to feed her the soup himself. Not that he minds, it just means having to change her clothes afterwards. Which is no easy task considering she's deadweight in his arms. On purpose, mind you, but she's giggling about it, so Carlos makes no complaint.

Carlos puts the movie back on afterwards. Her head resting on his lap as she curls up on the couch. The mountain of blankets obscuring her body and stuffed animals she dutifully brough with her.

"I did good, papá?" Her squeaky voice carries from where the blankets muffle it.

Carlos keeps a steady rhythm, fingers running against her scalp in a comforting manor. The repetition has always put her to sleep within minutes. "The best, amor. Sleep now, the more you rest the sooner you'll get better." Ke kisses her forehead. Her eye's drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

[narrans]

A Small and Tall Collection | Chapter Eight | What To Do

Chapter Eight | What To Do

Rey was never really a light sleeper, but the recent sickness had thrown his whole schedule off. Every little sound woke up something in his brain, especially in the dead of night. His bedsheets felt weird, like they were too loose and trying to tie him up while he slept, and his pajamas made his skin crawl. Food didn’t quite have the same taste, which Soren said was because of his sinus stuff.

Also, more annoyingly, he’d been waking up in the middle of the night for a drink of water or to go to the bathroom.

Rey wasn’t the only one. Dorian had also been getting up too, but he didn’t like admitting it for whatever reason. Maybe he was just trying to seem tougher? Rey didn’t really care one way or the other.

What did concern him was what was on his bedside table right here, right now.

The only reason he’d rolled over was because he was feeling a bit overheated, followed soon after by the sound of someone throwing up. He had called out to his brother, but when he received no answer Rey’s concern increased.

“Dorian? Are you getting si-… what the?” Rey had cracked open his eyes to check on his brother when, quite distinctly, he saw something on his bedside table doubled over and making sounds. The hair on his arm started standing on end and he knew something was different about what he was seeing. He wasn’t sure what, but some curious part of him drew him in and, instantly, he was awake.

He pushed himself up and reached over toward the light, watching eagerly as the figure stumbled and fumbled their way off to the side by the tissue box, tap it a few times, and then vanish between the box and the light. He couldn’t wait for another moment.

The young boy wasn’t unfamiliar with this level of excitement. Every invention that didn’t immediately fall apart made him absolutely giddy and curious about what he could do next. It was the same kind of excitement he was feeling now.

“Wha-? Rey? What’s your problem? Turn off the light,” mumbled Dorian. It was obvious he was still fast asleep and annoyed with him, but Rey didn’t care. He needed his brother’s help and needed to know what was on their bedside table.

“Dorian, something’s on the table. I just saw it. It’s behind the tissue box,” Rey hissed. Once again, he saw the shadow move. They needed to act quickly if they were going to see what this thing was.

“You were probably just dreaming,” his brother grumbled.

“No! I wasn’t. I thought you were getting sick and saw something dart around the lamp by the tissue box. Come on. Help me look real quick,” said Rey. The youngest managed to catch his brother’s eyes and, in that moment, Dorian seemed to see that Rey was serious and not just messing around. He rolled his eyes and mumbled some kind of agreement, but Rey didn’t really care. He was already pushing himself up out from under the covers and preparing to reach for the lamp.

He reached over and flicked the light on.

Rey wasn’t sure what he saw, but what he did know was that something was leaving a shadow right behind the lamp. As he slid out from under the covers, Rey never tore his eyes away from the spot where he saw the shadow.

And then he saw it.

Her.

At least, he thought it was a her based on her facial features.

She was small, and pale, and she looked absolutely exhausted. It was absolutely fascinating, seeing something that looked so human and yet be so small. Rey gazed into her blue-gray eyes for what felt like an hour before she coughed and wretched, getting sick all over the bedside table. Rey could also see evidence that she got sick by his old medicine cup too, but he decided to worry about that later.

“Woah… did you hear that?” asked Dorian. Rey subconsciously nodded as he slowly inched his way forward and to the side to look at the small figure again.

“Dorian, you’ve got to see this,” breathed Rey. Rey had moved cautiously, as if one of his experiments would topple at the slightest tremor of the ground. The last thing he wanted to do was startle the figure. Dorian, on the other hand, hadn’t seen or noticed the anomalies and flopped out of his bed as if he was going to be late for pancakes.

“Wha-… woah…”

Dorian spotted her too, and immediately he understood why Rey was acting the way he was. From where he was standing beside his bed, he could see better over the tissue box and spotted the small figure that was too small, too real, to be just a toy or some weird invention of Rey’s. Without words, both boys advanced at a snail’s pace in hopes to keep the thing on the table.

Dorian watched as it fell to its knees, absent mindedly tapping at its sides as if it were searching for something that wasn’t there. It looked scared, if that was possible for something so small to have facial expressions like that.

He and Rey exchanged a quick glance before Rey reached out and grabbed the lamp while Dorian pulled the tissue box aside, revealing the small figure immediately behind. Fascination flooded the boys’ minds as they watched the figure.

She was wearing what looked like clothes, layers of them. Some kind of light tan shirt and brown pants with what looked like a green cloak or poncho over her shoulders. There was something that looked like a lightbulb on one side of her hip and a bag slung over the other shoulder. Features gaunt and hollow, she didn’t look like she was doing or feeling well in the slightest. How she looked reminded Rey of how he and his brother looked for the past few days – sick.

“Rey? That’s not… one of yours… is it?” asked Dorian, barely whispering.

“No… no way,” Rey muttered, watching how the blue-gray eyes flicked back and forth between him and his brother.

“Then what is it?” Dorian hissed back.

“I… I don’t know, but… I think it’s a she, and I don’t think she’s feeling well,” Rey muttered back. He cleared the tension in his throat with a few light coughs as he directed his words at the small figure. “Hey, are you okay?”

“You think it, or ‘she’, can understand us?” Dorian asked.

“I don’t know,” Rey stated. “But she’s looking from me to you, so she can at least hear us.” Rey watched as the figure’s shoulders began to shake, vibrating as her chest heaved rapidly. In and out, she was obviously hyperventilating. Rey, if he held his breath, could almost hear her small gasps.

“This isn’t a dream, right? I mean, she’s real.” Dorian’s hand was already in motion before Rey registered his question. Everything moved so fast.

Ashlynn, who was listening to the boys talk back and forth about whether or not she could understand or if she was real, was starting to feel lightheaded again. The corners of her vision were blurring. She wanted to vomit again, but nothing was left to give. Every sense she possessed was deteriorating rapidly, and now she was backed into a corner.

She was trying to recite the Borrower rules in her head when a massive amount of movement caught her attention. Her eyes snapped up to see the older of the two, Dorian, reaching his hand out toward her.

Fingers were extended.

Palm easily eclipsing her body.

Ashlynn felt her instincts take over her aching body as she forced herself to her feet and threw herself backward away from the child’s grasp. Sadly, she overestimated the force she would need. She jumped up and back so violently that her back actually hit the wall beside the bedside table.

She’d managed to get away, yes; but there was something she didn’t account for – the gap.

Between the bedside table and the wall, there was a gap about an inch wide, which was just enough for her to slip through. For a brief moment, Ashlynn’s body was perfectly posed against the wall and the table before her center of gravity shifted again and she began to plumet into the shadows.

A scream was lodged somewhere in Ashlynn’s throat as she began to slip, but it didn’t stay there for long. As her body fell, an immense shadow fell over her and pressure surrounded her right arm. She heard a distinct popping sound from her shoulder, as if she were cracking her knuckles but on a much larger, louder scale and the scream that was trapped erupted out of her. Her body hung limp momentarily before her body began lifting from her throbbing arm.

She didn’t want to look, but impulse overrode her and she glanced up only to see her arm was being pinched between the fingers of the one called Dorian. He was lifting her by her throbbing arm, and there was nothing she could do. Those immense fleshy columns and their vice like grip around her aching appendage would not release her, no matter how she struggled; not that she had the strength to.

The Borrower swallowed the cries of pain she wanted to release and replaced them with choked whimpers and groans. She closed her eyes tight and averted her gaze from her arm. She wasn’t sure if she was about to have it ripped from her body or if it was about to be broken into tiny pieces. Whatever the case, she didn’t want to see it. She didn’t want to look at the human child’s face as he examined her now fully exposed body.

There would be no escape now.

The words of the youngest boy sounded muffled and distant, but Ashlynn was still able to make them out in some form.

“Dorian! What are you doing?! You’ll hurt her!” Rey’s harsh whisper was followed by a scuffling. Rey had watched as the little figure had backed up and had started to fall from the bedside table to the floor. Dorian was faster and had managed to grab her arm, but the scream that followed told Rey that Dorian had either grabbed too hard or that she didn’t like being touched.

Whatever the case, Dorian had managed to keep her from falling at the cost of injuring her, so he was grateful for that much at least. Rey saw how the figure looked away from where her arm was being grabbed and felt his heart ache for her.

She was terrified beyond words, and he and Dorian were causing it.

“Dorian, you’re hurting her. Don’t pinch her arm like that,” Rey urged. Dorian grunted frustratingly and held out the partially limp figure.

“Well, then you hold her,” Dorian hissed back. Rey didn’t have time to object as Dorian lowered the tiny woman into his hands. Rey cupped his hands and prayed she didn’t do anything rash like try to run or jump out of his hands. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be able to do either as she crumpled into a ball in his hands and pulled her arm toward her torso.

The sensation was a novel one. The life was so small, but so much like his own. Rey had held his friends’ pets before like hamsters and guinea pigs. He’d even pet a few fish before.

This was something entirely different.

In the dim lamplight, he was able to see more of her features now that she was so much closer to him. He could make out her fingers and the way her hair fell across her sweat chilled cheek. He could see her fingernails and how they grasped at the fabric of her clothes.

It hit Rey all at once that she wasn’t just some creature – she was a living being. Practically human except for her size.

Rey glanced up at his brother just in time to see him dumping out the contents of a drawer from their bedside table, the pieces and parts scattering while others stacked and lumped together. That’s what they got for shoving their random knick-knacks into the thing in the first place. Rey also saw Dorian was getting together what looked like a set of bundled socks, some of the crackers, and a lid of water.

“Dorian, what’re you doing?” asked the kid.

“What do you think? Setting up an area for her until we figure out what to do with her,” replied Dorian. Immediately, Ashlynn turned her fear filled eyes onto Rey and then to his brother. She attempted to squirm, but weakness overtook her. Not even adrenaline could force her body to flee now. Rey noticed this and felt a pang in his heart.

She seemed so scared. So helpless.

“Dorian I… I don’t like the sound of that,” stated Rey.

“Well, what else are we going to do with her?” Dorian asked harshly.

“I… I don’t know. Let her go? I mean… I don’t know… It just doesn’t feel right keeping her in a drawer,” mumbled Rey. He noticed the eager gleam in the small woman’s features as she looked up into his eyes for only a moment. It took everything the boy had to tear his gaze from the figure to his brother. “I just… I don’t know. I think we need to wake up Soren. You know? Get his help?”

“You saw Soren and how tired he was. We went to bed early and everything. He’s tired. You’re tired. I’m tired. She looks tired. It’s just for the night,” rebutted Dorian. “You want to wake up Soren when he’s feeling sick and tired?”

Rey chewed on his bottom lip in confliction before mumbling, “No.”

“And, do you see her? She looks sick too. She might’ve been the one to get us sick for all we know. Remember what Soren said about keeping the mice in the walls as pets?” pointed out Dorian.

Rude! You little germy twerps are the reason I’m sick! Ashlynn thought as her heart raced faster and faster. That lightheaded feeling consumed her again. I can’t. I can’t let them take me. I can’t break the rules, but I can’t let them keep me. I’m going to be a pet. They’re going to get me a cage and I’m going to be a pet! This is bad. This is really really really really bad! Curses! I should’ve just stayed in the walls! Why did I think medicine was going to help? That’s a human thing.

“Yeah, but…”

“Good, then it’s settled,” interrupted Dorian. “She’ll be safe in here for the night and then Soren will know what to do with her. Now, put her down in there, let’s get some sleep, and we’ll get Soren in here first thing tomorrow. Besides, he can’t do anything if he’s just as sick and tired as the rest of us.”

Rey looked down at the little figure again, the same pang hitting him again, before relenting to his brother’s idea. He walked over to the bedside table carefully and lowered his hands into the hard wood box.

Ashlynn seized the opportunity to get off of the child’s hands as fast as possible, scrambling to get off and instantly regretting her quickness of movement as her body screamed in agony, especially her arm. Whatever that boy did made her fingers tingly and numb. Already, there were bruises forming on her arm in the shape of finger pads.

She stumbled backward and pressed her spine against the hard wood directly behind her and stared up from the shadows at the faces of the two boys.

Please don’t close the drawer. Please don’t close the drawer. I can maybe get out if you don’t close the drawer. Please. Just let me go. Ashlynn’s silent thoughts went unanswered as the older boy reached out and pressed his hand against the edge. She wanted to cry out and beg them to stop, but instinct stopped her once again as she was sealed in darkness, barely the width of her hand open at the top of the container.

Ashlynn choked on a sob that rose up in her throat. Sliding down the back of her wooden prison, she curled in on herself. Her body shook like a leaf in a hurricane, but she had no tears or energy left to maintain her fear. She listened as the two boys talked for a little while longer in hushed words before the bedside light finally flicked out, leaving her in complete darkness.

No. It’s over. It’s all over. I’m caught. I’ve been seen and now I’m caught. I don’t even have my weapons to protect me. Their dad is going to put me in a cage and I’ll live off of pellets and goodness knows what else until the end of my days. Poking. Prodding.

Ashlynn shivered as she thought about the boy’s hands holding her. The warmth. The tiny flexes each finger or muscle made as he adjusted to her weight. It was a living nightmare, but what was worse was the thought that it would be all she ever knew from here on out.

Exhaustion dragged her eyelids further and further down. It wasn’t even a matter of sleep now. Between the pain and chills and sickness and the fate she knew she would have to endure, it took everything she had left in her to drag her way over to the bundled socks and lied down. For just a moment, she wanted to enjoy the simple comfort of her hip lamp, but even that was a disappointment as the lamp flickered on and off.

Even the battery is failing me. Truly the last thing to go wrong.

Ashlynn recited the Borrower rules in her head, mainly the three that truly mattered.

Don’t be seen. Don’t get caught. Don’t talk to the humans.

Well… if this is how I end, I can at least follow the last rule. Then again… is it worth it? Maybe if I talk to those boys, then they’ll let me go. The one seemed to think so.

Oh… who am I kidding? Who am I trying to convince? Myself? I’m not making it out of here. This is my life now.

Ashlynn felt a single tear drip down her cheek as, finally, the last life of her hip lamp battery drained. Lying there in complete darkness, Ashlynn curled into the top of the stiff sock and let her exhaustion overtake her.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Previous

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A Tall and Small Collection | Original Story

[hannahbarberra162]

Princess Treatment (Benn Beckman x OC, Rivals to Lovers, Slow Burn)

18+ MDNI On Ao3

The other chapter

TW: some hurt, comfort, canon typical violence

Benn’s POV

The skirmish Beckman found himself in with…the Octo-pirates? The Doctor Pirates? Something like that - Benn hadn’t been listening as they attacked -was goddamn annoying. Normally, Beckman could have defeated the amateur crew alone. There were many of them, over 50 if Beckman was estimating correctly, but they were mostly weak and able to be defeated in a single move. A few of the crew were stronger and needed more attention but that wasn’t what made the fight annoying. The Red Haired Pirates were on some shitty godforsaken island in the middle of the Grand Line, most of the crew nursing hangovers from a rager the night before. Beckman, never one to overindulge on a new island, was one of the few who got up to fight the mangy pirates at their sounding warcry, the rest of the crew opting to let him take care of things. Anne thankfully was also fighting, cracking skulls and sternums with her club at a swift pace.

The problem was that the crew had a Devil Fruit user. Not any Devil Fruit either, they had the Pollen Pollen fruit and were able to make plant pollen spontaneously appear in significant enough quantities to fog the air. And Beckman had a truly debilitating tree pollen allergy. Thankfully, being on the open sea meant that he didn’t encounter tree pollen as often as when they were docked for nearly a year in the Goa Kingdom. Even so, whenever the Red Force docked on Spring Islands, Beckman opted to stay on the ship, far from the offending pollen. He’d stay in his cabin with the doors and windows closed, but even then Beckman inevitably ended up with a runny nose, itchy swollen eyes, and a nasty cough. It usually turned into a sinus infection, leaving him stretched out in the infirmary for a few days. 

So now, in the middle of this fight, Beckman was experiencing the worst Hay Fever he’d ever had in his long life. His eyes were itching nonstop, his breathing was ragged, his nose was running, he had a headache, and he was still fighting off tens of men. 

Trying to fight through the haze, Beckman squinted as hard as he could to make out his next target after knocking out three men in a melee. He heard someone shouting but couldn’t make sense of what was happening, his head was so clouded from all the pollen. Even if Shanks was around (and he wasn’t - the Captain was in someone’s bed, he was sure of it) and cut the pollen with his Haki, it wouldn’t help Beckman. There was simply too much of it in the air and on his clothes. Sneezing and firing his gun, Beckman hoped Anne was faring better fighting in the literal clouds besieging them. Based on the shrieking screams he was hearing, she was doing all right wherever she was.

Beckman nearly called for backup from the crew but his pride kept him from doing so. He’d fought larger numbers of pirates before, the quantity alone wasn’t a challenge for him. He would power through and sock Shanks in the face once he returned from tom-catting around the island while Benn was suffering from allergies. Benn raised the butt of his gun to knock a pirate’s teeth in when he was knocked from behind as a gun sounded and a bullet whizzed past him with the accompanying sound of cracking bone. He’d felt many jolts like that, it was Anne’s angry push. It was followed by…Anne’s pained grunt as she hit the ground beside him.

Beckman was familiar with all of the sounds that came out of Anne’s mouth, from her quiet humming when she was working from muscle memory on the rigging, to her happy yell when a battle was over, to her light snores when she fell asleep on the deck. He’d heard them all and this was the one he liked the least. The short grunt indicated Anne was in serious pain and the hiss she let out from between her teeth had Beckman raising his face in the direction of the crew as he caught his balance from the push.

“Oi! Help!” Beckman shouted at the crew still lazing about the beach a quarter mile away. The reaction was instantaneous - the opponent directly in front of Benn fell over, stopped dead in his tracks by a bullet from Yasopp. Within moments the crew was alongside him, easily taking care of the situation while Beckman started tending to Anne. Looking her over, her upper body was covered in blood and her shoulder was split open. She was fighting with the remaining dregs of her strength, dodging blows as the remaining Red Hair Pirates came to their assistance. Anne sagged into Beckman’s embrace as he carried her bridal style away from the fight. Ignoring his raging headache, Benn left as quickly as possible, trying to rub his eyes on his shirt to remove some of the pollen. He didn't have time for this, he needed to get Anne to the infirmary now.

“Hongo, need you,” Beckman yelled over his shoulder as he carried Anne in his arms. The fact that she hadn’t complained about being carried had him quickening his pace even further. She had been shot in the shoulder and Beckman could tell her clavicle was crushed by the half bursting through the skin. It was a gruesome sight but Anne wasn’t complaining or saying much of anything. She was pale and sweating, her good arm reaching across her body to compress the wound leaking blood onto her shirt.

“Oi, Princess,” Beckman prompted, trying to get Anne to talk to him. He needed to assess how hurt she was while on the move to the ship. Anne didn’t respond.

“You hear me, Baby?” Anne opened an eye to that name.

“Can’t talk now,” she replied, closing her eyes once more. By her rapid breaths and the small groan she tried to contain from Beckman jolting her from running, he could tell she wasn’t sleeping or passed out yet.

“Gonna jump, brace yourself,” Benn gritted out, planting his feet in the sand. He couldn’t jump as far as the Captain or Luffy but he could make it the short distance to the ship without needing to take the time to use the dinghy. Crouching down, Benn sprang up and closed the distance to the ship’s deck, landing as gracefully as he could manage. Moving hurriedly, he kicked open the door to the infirmary with his boot, making a mental note to apologize to Hongo for breaking the door. He laid Anne down on the gurney, gripping the sides of her shirt where it was soaked with blood and ripping it open to attend to her bleeding wounds.

“Sorry about that Toots,” Beckman said apologetically. He truly was, for all of his teasing of Anne he’d never tried to take off her clothes or see any part of her that she wasn’t already showing. Anne barely opened an eye as Beckman kept pressure on her wounds until Hongo was on the ship, completely ignoring her nakedness. 

“Ach, why’d you take the hit? I woulda been fine,” Beckman said quietly to the pained woman beneath him.

“Pfff. Not likely,” was Anne’s sole retort. Hongo entered the room shortly thereafter, gathering the tools he needed with practiced precision. 

“What happened?” Hongo asked in a clipped tone, snapping gloves onto his hands and a surgical mask on his face.

“Took a bullet to the shoulder, clavicle smashed with a club -” 

“Bow-staff,” Anne interrupted, giving the doctor a faint smile as he began cleaning the wounds. Beckman was moved out of the doctor’s way as Hongo began working, injecting Anne with a local anesthetic into her shoulder. He turned to leave and give the doctor some breathing room but was stopped by Hongo calling out.

“Stay, need you for the bone adjustment. Clavicle looks ok, apart from being outside her skin. Only one big break, she’s lucky. Actually, maybe for this too,” Hongo uttered, taking a pair of needle nose tweezers. “Gotta dig out the bullet, it’s still in there. Need you to hold her down,” Hongo said. Anne grunted. Benn sneezed loudly to Hongo's unamused stare, handing him a surgical mask to match his own.

"I'll deal with you later. Pollen Devil Fruit?" Hongo asked, handing Benn a handkerchief. Benn barely acknowledged the doctor, wanting to focus on what was important. 

“Can keep still,” she replied weakly, pushing her shoulders back against the gourney.

“Normally I’d agree, but you’re pretty banged up. This is going to hurt and you’re going to move away. It’s not a toughness thing, it’s an instinct thing. Don’t want to dig around in you longer than I need to,” Hongo replied, starting to push the tweezers into Anne’s skin. Anne jerked her body weakly away from the medical tools, only proving Hongo’s point further. Beckman internally winced, he’d had bullets pulled out before and he could thank Anne for not reliving the experience. 

“Here we go, deep breath,” Hongo said, digging into Anne’s angry flesh.

“Sorry ‘bout this Anne,” Benn said, pushing her shoulder and chest down to the gurney. Anne was scrunching her eyes shut in response to Hongo touching her wound with the tweezers again but wasn't crying out in pain. Benn would have preferred she let it out a howl instead of keeping all her pain and anguish to herself.

“Heh. You do know my name,” Anne replied, jerking against Beckman’s hands. True to her word, she did try to keep still but digging in an open wound was unbearably painful. He would know, he'd been in her place a few times before. Tears were leaking out of the corners of Anne’s eyes as Hongo worked, sliding down the side and leaving splotches on the gourney covering. It was something Beckman had never seen before. He didn’t want to see it again, either.

Anne POV

Her shoulder hurt. Pretty badly too. Opening her eyes, Anne saw her upper body wrapped in bandages from the shoulders down. Oh, right. The bullet and the club. Well, she hadn’t died. That was always positive. Looking around, Anne was in the small infirmary, taking up one of the two beds. The small room had one portside window that let in light and air, though it was now dark. Anne wasn’t sure if it was day or night, or even what day it was. Ultimately, it didn’t really matter as long as she was alive. 

The bandages around her torso were freshly changed, the heat of the sun still lingering in the fabric as if they’d been brought in recently. There  wasn’t any blood seeping through the bandages, so how bad could it be? Anne attempted to swing her legs over the bed to stand up but was quickly halted by the realization that one of her ankles was shackled to the bed. 

“Thought you might try that,” Beckman said from the chair in the corner next to Anne’s bed. He was sitting with his legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles, hands folded in his lap. The only thing missing was a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, but Hongo had banned those from the infirmary long ago. 

“Take it off,” Anne tried to hiss. It came out more like a hoarse wobble from her parched mouth. Sitting up, Beckman handed her a cup of water off a small table. Anne reached for it but winced and realized she couldn’t raise her arm much at all since the bandages were wound so tight. Even without the bandages, her shoulders were destroyed, she couldn’t raise her arms. 

“No. You need to stay in bed, doctor’s orders,” Beckman said, putting the cup at Anne’s cracked lips. She balked, jerking her head backwards away from Beckman’s helping hand. 

“Don’t need your help,” Anne stated, angry and embarrassed that Beckman was seeing her at her weakest. She did want the water but didn’t want to have anyone help her.

“Suit yourself,” Beckman stated with a shrug of his shoulders. He placed the cup of water on the bedside table, only a foot or so away from the bed. He sat back down heavily in the chair behind to the right of the bed, putting his body in the position it was before as if he hadn’t moved at all. Anne struggled to reach the cup but wasn’t able to move her arm that far. The effort also tired her out - Hongo must have been giving her the good stuff. Huffing in frustration, Anne gathered her flagging energy and tried one more time. The result was the same, she was unable to get the glass in her hand, much less drink out of it. 

“Fine,” Anne bit out, her tongue like sandpaper in her mouth as she spoke. But Benn didn’t move.

“Fine what?” he prompted. Even though he had a straight face on, Anne knew he was smirking on the inside and it was driving her crazy.

“FINE BENN, PLEASE HELP ME,” Anne said as loudly as she could. Benn grunted and stood at Anne’s bedside, gently placing the rim of the glass near Anne’s mouth. Opening slightly, Benn tipped the glass and allowed Anne to drink some of the water. Starting and stopping to make sure nothing spilled on her bandages, Anne drank the whole glass as rapidly as she could. Benn reached forward with a handkerchief after he set the glass down, like he wanted to wipe her face but Anne snapped her teeth at him. Benn just laughed while Anne fumed.  

“Was that so hard?” Benn asked after giving Anne her fill.

“Fuck off,” she replied, laying back against the pillows once again. She hadn’t been this tired in…she couldn’t remember. Maybe since she was a child.

“Say what you need to then leave,” Anne prompted, her eyelids half shut. Benn had a slightly puzzled look on his face as he put a toothpick between his teeth.

“Say what?” he asked, chewing on the pick.

“That I’m weak, or should have been faster, or that I need to train more, or call me Princess or Sweetie or whatever you’re gonna say. I’m tired and don’t want to play games right now,” Anne stated, already closing her eyes. It wouldn’t be so bad to go back to sleep, she thought, maybe she’d wake up and Benn would be gone. 

“The only thing I want to know is why you did it,” Benn said in a quiet rumble. Anne grunted.

“Then you’re even dumber than I thought,” Anne replied softly, head rolling to the side as she  fell asleep. 

Benn POV

He watched Anne fade back to sleep looking slightly better than she did when she hit the infirmary. She was still leaking some blood from her wounds but they were much better after the gruesome repair. Luckily Anne had passed out shortly after Hongo retrieved the bullet from her shoulder and was asleep for the bone resetting. He reached over and pushed her  bangs out of her eyes, brushing his fingers across her forehead. Her skin was softer than he expected and warm under his fingertips as Anne moved away from him even in sleep.

Settling back down in the chair he’d been in for the last day, Benn picked up the same newspaper he’d tried reading several times before. He looked at the articles but the words kept swimming in his head as he remembered Anne’s pained grunt and pale face on the gurney. His mind kept replaying the sickening crunch of her bones, her blood seeping over his clothes, and her tightly drawn face as Hongo retrieved the bullet from her shoulder. Benn had remained in the infirmary with her the entire time, only leaving to eat. He’d been waiting for her to wake up and be able to see for himself that she was alright, that she had made it through. 

“You saw for yourself, she’s alive. You can leave now,” Hongo said from just outside the doorway. Benn made no movements other than to shut the newspaper and fold it, placing it onto his lap. Hongo didn’t say anything further, just left the first mate to his thoughts as he made notes on a medical chart. 

No, Benn was staying. It was his fault that Anne was in the bed and he’d ensure she got out of it when her body was healed enough. She was right about one thing, she needed to train more. He needed her to be nearly infallible so he never had to see her like this again. Sighing, Benn put his hands behind his neck and let his head drop back against the headrest and closed his eyes. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know that Shanks was lingering nearby.

“What do you need, Captain?” Benn asked quietly so as not to disturb Anne.

“Just wanted to check in on her again,” Shanks said, considering the woman in the bed.

“She’s better. I was right about cuffing her to the bed though, she already tried to get up. You missed her awake window though, she’s out again,” Benn replied, now sitting up to address his friend.

“Let me know when she wakes, I want to talk to her,” Shanks said, the request sounding more like an order.

“ ‘Snot your fault, it’s mine,” Beckman replied gruffly, crossing his arms with a frown. He felt the warm hand of his Captain gripping his shoulder gently. 

“It’s not yours either. She made her own choices, ones I’m thankful for. She knew the risks of becoming a pirate when she joined. She wouldn’t take kindly to you holding all this guilt over her decisions, you’re going to have to let it go,” Shanks said, patting the back of Beckman’s neck. Looking at his best friend's impassive face, Shanks tilted his head.

"You been crying?" Shanks asked incredulously. 

"No. The pollen's working its way out," Beckman stated. His hay fever was almost completely gone at this point, just some lingering sniffles and itchy eyes. 

“Sure it is, Big Guy," Shanks said condescendingly as Benn's eye twitched. "Lemme know when she's up, I wanna see her finally kick your ass after she heals. I’m gonna tell her where you’re ticklish when she wakes up. Maybe it’ll lift her spirits. Besides, I've got her for six months from now in the pool,” Shanks said with a smile.

[transzilla]

Need a sub who is going to let me forcemasc him and kick his fucking ass like 80s rough trade style. Like some real neanderthal low IQ bdsm. Like I want to put him in the hospital. LMAO

You like a dom when it's one of your skinny fucking chainsmoking cis boys, like you honestly think you're hard because you let some skateboarder who can't lift a spare tire smack you around a little bit.

Your problem is that you're scared because you don't know what pain is. So believe me when I say I'm going to teach you what pain is.

I am literally on steroids and I do this shit for my own enjoyment.

Have you ever been hit in your liver? Like right on your ribs, a real body shot? It's like somebody lights you on fucking fire from the inside out and your whole body burns worse and worse by the millisecond. And you can taste it. Like I'm making you suck on some pennies. Lmao.

When your nose bleeds it will taste bad but you should be fine provided it doesn't obstruct your breathing. When your nose gets broken, that sinus fracture won't hurt right away from the adrenaline but as soon as it wears off it hurts like fucking hell and you can't touch it without it crunching or cracking around under your skin. You will feel nauseous and then fucking sick at the way your face breaks in ways you didn't know was possible, pieces of your inner cheekbone breaking and getting loose in your eye socket, the devil's own human anatomy lesson. When you get knocked out by getting punched in the face you think you're fine for the first half second but when the momentum catches up and your brain hits the other side of your skull in your head it's good night from there. And after you come to your face will be valentine's red and pink and swollen and nigh unrecognizable and from there is just going to turn so many pretty colors you'll look like a goddamn renaissance painting.

I'm going to make you scared that you're gonna die. And then you're gonna be scared that you might not.

You can complain, you can scream, you can beg, try to run, try to fight back, hold your hands up, there's honestly no point because you know you're going to take it and you know you like it because I say you will so you will. You're a faggot. There is something wrong with you. If you didn't come to me to try to fuck you would have just spent your time trying to run away from the first chucklefuck who knew how to fight and had a problem with you. You made it clear that this is how you accept love, so I will make you wear it on your face.

I am not going to afford you the ability to hide behind a mild, vanilla, effeminate or weak front. I am going to hurt you so badly your friends and your family and your significant other can't even bear to look at you without feeling your pain as badly as you felt it. They can't hold your perfect pretty girly face in their mind anymore, even after you eventually heal your nose has been bent into a new shape and the symmetry your teeth grew into has been rearranged into a haunted graveyard of broken and missing teeth like tombstones. And you can't exploit their safe conditional acceptance anymore. And you have to find a way to live as an ugly fucked up man when you can't get by looking pretty and doing nothing.

And idk maybe after I'll let you suck my dick a little bit.

[kinzis-writing]

Christmas Tree Farm | Josh Allen

Kinzi's 25 Days of Christmas: Blogmas Day 4

It is Y/N's first Christmas living with her fiance, Josh. Y/N had a Christmas tradition to wear her family and/or friends always went to a Christmas tree farm to pick out their live tree. Y/N is sad when she feels her tradition has to stop because of a new developed allergy to her favorite kind of Christmas trees. Josh makes it his mission to keep the tradition alive, even if he has to improvise a little.

Pairing: Josh Allen (Bills/NFL) x Fem! Fiance! Reader

Warning(s): mentions of allergies? Christmas traditions, and I think that is all.

Christmas was Y/N's favorite time of year. She loved living in New York because it had a higher chance of snow then what she was used too, where she was from the south. This was her first Christmas in her new house, well their new house. It wasn't new, but it was new to Y/N because she had moved in with her fiancé after six months of being engaged and wedding planning. Everything was perfect, until Y/N had an allergic reaction to something that she used to love and was forced to get allergy tested. Y/N was devastated when her allergy test came back that she was allergic to the type of trees that she loved to use as her live Christmas trees every year.

Looking back, she should have known something had changed. As she kept what she thought was a sinus infection all winter until she took her tree down. She was just in denial and refused to think it was an allergy. Her love for the holiday still existed, but it saddened her to not be able to have a live Christmas tree just like all those years of traditions.

"Josh, I already told you that I'll decorate this weekend. It's going to take me until after Christmas to find a free that I like." Y/N complained as Josh had mentioned them going to the store and finding Christmas decorations for their house. He had known the toll the allergy results had taken on his fiancé, and he hated that there was nothing he could do to fix it. "Going to the store isn't the same as going to the tree farm." She mumbled in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, baby." Josh mumbled leaning over a placing a tender kiss on her head. "I know how much it bothers you to have to discontinue a tradition you've had since you were a kid, but maybe we can start a new tradition?" He suggested hoping to make her feel better. "One of our own."

Y/N gave her husband a small smile. She was beyond grateful to have someone like Josh in her life, "Thank you, Joshy." she replied to him. "I just, it's such a big part of this Holiday that it stings a bit to let it go."

Once brunch was finished, Josh headed out to go meet his teammates for workout and practice. Y/N had been around his teammates plenty of times, whether that be after games, or at parties or hang outs. She was the closest to Stefon, which is why Josh had taken the problem to his teammate and asked for help. During their workout, the two men talked about what they could do to help Y/N feel better.

It had taken them a while to figure out how to keep her tradition but make it to where her allergies would not bother her. Until the men had an idea, once they approved that it was worth a try. They had a plan in motion and pulled some strings. Which is why when Josh came home from practice all smiles, Y/N was a bit unsure of what had happened that day.

"What's got you in a good mood?" Y/N asked, wanting to know what had happened that day.

Josh gave her a smile as he walked forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Get ready, I'm taking you out." Josh replied giving her a quick kiss before letting her go get ready.

It was cold in New York, so Y/N dressed warm and put on some makeup really fast. She didn't feel like going out but she would see what Josh had planned. She knew that her fiancé was only trying to make her feel better about the whole situation.

The couple left once Y/N had gotten ready and they had warmed up the car. Josh then handed her a blindfold, to which she protested at first but eventually gave in knowing that he was trying to make her feel better.

"Where are we?" Y/N asked once the car had stopped, probably after around 30 minutes, and Josh was helping her out.

"You'll see." Josh promised as the two continued walking with Y/N being led by Josh. He stopped her at the entrance that him and stefon had threw together. He carefully took Y/N's blind fold off.

Y/N stood in shock at what she was looking at. A light snow dusted the ground making it even better. A homemade sign reading "Christmas Tree Farm" hung up over a simple but cute arch that was clearly homemade as well. At least a dozen artificial trees were stuck in the ground, with who knows what, but she could tell that they weren't the cheaper trees that she had been looking at. These trees actually looked like the real Christmas trees that she usually used.

"I know this still isn't the same, but I wanted to try to make you happy." Josh rambled as he got nervous when his fiance did not say anything.

"It's perfect." she spoke softly, tears welling in her eyes. She turned to face her man with a grin. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, thank you."

A smile grew on Josh's face, "I'd do anything for you baby." He assured.

"Hey!" A voice broke the couple out of their moment. "I helped too." The voice of their best friend reminded.

Y/N smiled at her man's teammate, "Thank you, Stefon." she thanked him before walking and giving him a hug as well.

"You're welcome, anything for Mrs. Allen." He shrugged but then smirked when he noticed how red her face had gotten from his comment.

Y/N made her way back to Josh as they made small talk and walked around the homemade farm to pick out the Christmas tree that they would be decorating for their living room. Once she had found the perfect tree, Josh had gotten the tree to their house and got it set up in the place that she was wanting it.

"Thank you again, Joshy." Y/N spoke up as the pair decorated the tree together. "I know I was a downer this morning, and I am so sorry. But I am forever thankful for what you created." she promised.

Josh gave her grin knowing how much his plan had helped her get over her sadness. It was all he was hoping for because he knew how much Y/N loved Christmas. "When I say I would do anything for you, I seriously mean that I will do anything for you." Josh explained. "I love you and I promise to take care of you and fulfill your needs and wants. You're my world, and you always will be."

Author's note: This could have ended better, but I have been trying to write so many of these and I keep on getting behind. Also, I have to go back to the doctor tomorrow because they think I have a heart condition, so I have to go get that checked out at 10 in the morning. This past week I had multiple tests done to check my heart so I have been stressed out since I went to the dr the first time. I'm hoping for good news but you never know.

[whilereadingandwalking]

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon is a must-read. For everyone. It reframes our conversations about weight stigma, fatness, and the lies we've been told about weight.

Fat people's very existence is seen as damaging. Our fatness is on us, and so it's not society's problem when we are harassed, uncomfortable, insulted. This is despite scientific evidence that people are not in control of their body weight, that diets do not work and can actually damage metabolism permanently, and that the fight against childhood obesity does little except increase weight stigma. In this book, Gordon unpacks the myths, how they set up a hierarchy of bodies, and how these things might be able to change with concerted effort by both fat and "straight-size" people.

I have so much to say about this brilliantly written book, but mostly, I just feel less alone after reading this book. I am "small/mid-fat," still able to find my size at least in some stores, experiencing discomfort and prejudice but not outright barred from access or subjected to straight abuse. I experience a small thrill every time my blood pressure is perfect, because 9 out of 10 nurses give me a look of surprise when it is. I have been told that "it wouldn't hurt to eat better and exercise often" about a sinus infection. I have had flight attendants argue with me when I tell them I need a seatbelt extender because they find it hard to believe I'm "that big." I have been crammed into dresses that are too small for me and reassured that I am not "big enough to need an 18," even as I insist that's my size. I have watched loved ones laugh at fat suit jokes or movies where the joke is that a fat person thinks she's deserving of desire. And I'm a size 18–20. I have only scratched the surface of what fat people face.

This book is full of things that I didn't know about the depth and complexity and realities of weight stigma in this country. It made me feel furious, validated, and seen. I think everyone should read this book and hope Gordon's work helps us progress forward in the fight for true body justice.

Content warnings for weight stigma, sexual assault/harassment.