#been on a liquid diet all week while being the only one able to lift heavy furniture.

[darkwingsnark]

Wanted to apologize for the last week. A mixture of being incredibly sick and getting told at the last minute that we needed to use the week to work on our room has made me behind on creating and reblogging #Duckvember art.

Give me another day, and I promise to catch up. I am looking forward to seeing what you all have made.

[hana1379]

Tequila and Ridiculously Pink Dress

Summary: Being a guest at a wedding sometimes can make you feel adventurous. And you can't say no when a devil named Natasha persuades you to have a little fun.  

Pairing: Bucky Barne x Reader, other minor pairings

Warnings: SMUT, oral sex (female & male receiving), vaginal fingering, One night stands, language,18+

Words: 3.8k

Notes: I wanted to get back to writing here, so I wrote this instead of writing my thesis. Yay! The idea is loosely based on some story from a game I played.

Oh, I realized that we don’t have line breaks anymore and I’m confused bc why?

!If you spot any mistakes please blame my lack of education and/or Grammarly!

You were awakened by the sound of a notification on your phone. Blindly, you reached in every direction to grab it when you felt something on your left. Something firm yet delicate and oddly known. Having increasing pain in your head in regard you only peaked with one eye from the safety of a comforter. You saw a torso. Man's torso. Oh. So you ended up with a guy in bed. Putting two and two together you got drunk and got laid. Shit.

You didn't know who the man was nor you cared, wanting only to leave before he wakes up. You weren't the type to sleep around still not being completely over your break up almost half a year ago. 

You pulled the covers from your body wincing at the pain in your skull. Where the hell was your dress? Where the hell were you? 

Looking around you saw that you were in a hotel room. You saw your dress lying on the floor by the door, tiptoeing you moved to your possession when with dread you saw your panties hanging on the doorknob. The doors were shut on them, there was no way people didn't see your black lace garment from the corridor. 

Slowly and as quiet as possible you opened the door to take a hold of your thongs and closed the door immediately after. Relieved that the commotion although quiet didn’t wake up the guy. You tiptoed once more through the room to the one place where you could be alone, grabbing your bra on the way.

You closed the door behind you wincing at the sudden loud sound of the lock. 

“What the fuck?” you whispered facepalming yourself. You glanced at the mirror seeing the state you were in. One thing was sure; you were never, ever drinking tequila again. 

You were sipping a glass of ridiculously expensive wine, observing the dance floor. You smiled seeing the groom spinning the bride making her laugh. They looked happy, they were happy and you were happy for them. Steve and Sharon were made for each other. You admired Sharon for not giving up on her happiness and fighting for Steve. Lucky bastard. You wanted someone to fight for you the way Sharon did, and what you got was your ex explaining to you that he wasn't ready for any commitment only to knock up some random girl and marry her. 

At this point you were sure that every guy in the world was an ass, even Steve’s best man- Sam left you to hit on some girls. Right, it wasn’t like he had to babysit you because he was the best man and you were Sharon’s maid of honor but still, you felt alone surrounded by Steve and Sharon’s mutual friends from work, you were the only one from her high school friends she invited.

“Hiya cutie” sounded Natasha’s velvet voice. You met her and Sharon’s other friends on the bride shower two weeks prior. You were keen on them but it wasn’t like you were all the biggest of friends after one party. “Why are you sulking above your cake? Which piece are you on? Twelve?”

You scoffed “No, it’s only my second. Besides it’s nobody's business how many pieces I ate” 

“That’s the spirit! Fuck diet” she announced and sat beside you taking a mouthful of an intact piece that belonged to Sam but you were pretty sure he was eating something else right now. 

“So why are you looking like someone stole your man?” 

“I don’t know, maybe it’s the thing with my ex. I mean, I really thought he was the one” you said moving around the piece of cake you didn't eat yet on the plate.

"Maybe he was the one but not for you," Natasha said looking at her cake with hunger in her eyes. She took another mouthful and when you didn't comment she quickly chewed before swallowing.

"You know what I think you need?

"What?" You averted your eyes to look at the dancing people, you weren't interested in what Natasha wanted to say

"You need to get laid," she said with pride in her voice, you looked at her and snorted. She wasn't serious

"I mean it. Look, you see that guy?" Natasha pointed with her chin to a guy sitting at the table across the room. He was gorgeous, with broad shoulders and a perfect face. The most handsome man you ever saw in your life. A god. Sex on the legs.

"His name is Thor and he came alone here tonight. If you like them pretty and dummy then he's a perfect match for you. Go talk to him"

"Why don't you talk to him?" You laughed trying to hide how embarrassed you were starting to get

"I cherish brian more than muscles. Go for it" 

Actually, you thought why not? It wasn't like after one night you were supposed to date him.

"Come on Y/N live a little, relax and let loose" the devil on your shoulder named Natasha successfully was convincing you to sin. To sin with a fine specimen. You wouldn't mind if after everything he would take you out.

"You know what? Why the hell not? I'm going to him" you said and gulped down the rest of your wine in one go "but I think I need a drink first" 

"Yeah! You won't regret it I tell you. Go" she stood up and saluted you only to sit down again and stuff her mouth with another spoonful

You moved to the bar on the other end of the hall trying to get a hold of your ridiculously puffy dress. You had hoped that when Sharon asked you to be her maid of honor she wouldn't get you a typical pink dress for a maid. How you were wrong. 

You reached the bar and waited patiently for the bartender to acknowledge you, looking from time to time at the Thor guy, you didn't want him to go somewhere without you noticing. When the bartender finally turned to you with a big smile on his face you ordered a tequila shot. You felt like having fun so why not? 

He poured one for you in a shot glass with salty crust, he also gave you a lime slice. You took a breath before taking a shot and then sank your teeth in lime. Why did it feel like you died? You ordered another and gulped it down as quickly as it appeared on the bar. 

It was now or never. You turned around in the direction of the guy with newly gained confidence thanks to the alcohol and a big smile on your face. First impressions are important and you wanted him to see that you are not a grumpy hag. Your big grin soon faltered when you spotted the Thor guy locking lips with some cute brunette. Typical.

Looks like your plans turned into dust. Once again you turned to the bartender, accepting your fate of being lonely forever. 

“Tequila please” bartender smiled at you with pity in his eyes, he knew what state of mind you were in. 

“Oh man” somebody breathed snickering quietly, but not quietly enough for you not to hear. You turned your head to the sound and you saw a guy standing there with a half-finished tumbler with amber liquid in it. You weren’t stupid, he wanted you to hear and his bright smile gave it away.

“I’m sorry, do I amuse you?” you asked narrowing your eyes at him, he only laughed harder

“A little, yes” his blue eyes twinkled and before you were able to respond and told him to go to hell he continued his dilation “What Romanoff did tell you about him? That he came here alone? Then she must be blind or she’s getting old” you didn’t know where this was going and the stranger sighed and slid closer to you with a glass in his hand. He discreetly pointed at Thor and the girl who was now laughing at something he said and holding his hand. 

“It’s his new girlfriend- Jane. They're dating for two weeks now I think.” You looked at them, really looked and scolded yourself at how stupid you were thinking someone as hot as Thor could be alone. 

“Soooo, I guess it’s better that you saw it from afar than you know, hitting on him and then his girlfriend coming. That would be awkward as hell” he said and you hated that he was right, you would’ve been crossed out among Sharon’s friends, or at least you would be laughed at, and you weren’t sure you would survive that. 

“I’m James” the stranger extended his hand to you and you tentatively took it.  

“Y/N” you gave him a small smile and he shook your hand

“Y/N” James tasted your name on hi tongue “I like it, it suits you,” he said and you snorted

“Thank you for being polite but I think I’m gonna head home.” you tried to straighten your dress which was impossible with the amount of tulle. 

“The night is young Y/N, have fun while you can” he gave you the warmest smile you have ever received making you realize that yet again he was right. You wanted to have fun and it wasn’t like Thor dumped you or rejected you, taking into consideration he didn’t even know you existed. You nodded your head at James and ordered the whole bottle of tequila before he led you to the corner where he’s been previously sitting. 

“And then Steve was like thrown into garbage cans in the alley and then he lifted himself trying looking like a badass and said ‘I can do this all day’ like a fucking pro” you giggled at the story Bucky was telling you. Earlier during your conversation, James revealed that he preferred to be called Bucky because James made him feel old and Jim was too stupid. He told you where the nickname ‘Bucky’ came from but at this point, you didn’t remember. 

“So” you started to make him look at you “why aren’t you Steve’s best man knowing that he considers you his best friend?” Bucky chuckled awkwardly

“I’m not a person who likes to be in a spotlight, you know on the photos be almost in the foreground” 

“You think I like it?” Bucky lifted his brew and meaningfully looked at your ridiculously pink dress “I didn’t choose that dress” you said in your defense and Bucky chuckled reaching for tequila’s bottle to pour you both another shot. 

You glanced away and you saw Natasha in her sparkly red dress leading some guy behind her by the hand. Guy looked the way she told you she liked them ‘more brain than muscle’. When she saw that you were observing her she stopped and eyed your companion before giving you thumbs up with her known smirk and then she grabbed the guy’s hand and continued marching. 

You felt Bucky tapping you with his glass on your arm to bring your attention to him. You reached for your now full glass and clicked with Bucky’s before you both took a shot. 

You were suddenly pulled back to reality when a sound of smashing glass echoed in the room. You saw Thor’s girlfriend loudly telling him not to do that. Do what? Who cares. You didn’t know how long it took until you realized that somebody’s moist mouths were sliding along your neck and sucking at one particular place that made you moan quietly. 

“Bucky we shouldn’t do that, not here,” you said and you were relieved that when he lifted his head it was Bucky and not some random dude

“People can see us”

“No one will, everybody is too drunk or they’ve gone to sleep” you looked around the dance floor and you saw several patrons at the table clearly drunk and the only dancing pair. Steve and Sharon were swaying to the quiet almost nonexistent beat, holding each other close. 

“We can go to my hotel room. What do you say?” Bucky's voice ringed in your ears and you simply nodded your head.

Bucky closed the door with his boot because his hands were too occupied with pulling at your dress. Maybe you were too overwhelmed by his tongue in your mouth or maybe it was his scent or maybe the booze but you stood there by the door, letting him devour you. 

"Bucky the door," you said against his lips seeing that the door wasn't closed properly. Without pulling away from you he reached under your dress and you squealed. 

"Give me your panties" he panted and without any word, he got down on his knee and pulled your thongs down. He straightened holding a back lace between his fingers, Bucky smirked before he pecked you on the lips. You saw him hanging your garment on the doorknob and shutting the door on them. He turned to you and pulled your dress down making you gasp when you heard seams ripping.

"Hey! I have to give it b-" Bucky silenced you with his mouth 

"You look better without it anyway" he placed his hands on your face and steered you to the bed still not pausing the kiss. He gently laid you on the bed spreading your legs and looking at you with greed in his eyes. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, still looking at you from between your legs. You reached your arms to him. You wanted him, you wanted him badly.

“Bucky please” you whined pathetically and he darkly chuckled

“Not now baby girl, I need to taste you first” before you had time to acknowledge his words Bucky sank to his knees and you felt his hot breath on your core making you shudder. Bucky parted your folds with his tongue and you moaned. God, that felt good. You gasped and released a porn worthy moan. Bucky groaned against you when his tongue ventured to your entrance and sank in. You missed this, you missed being this close to somebody because truth to be told none of any toys in the world won’t replace another human being. 

Your steam of thoughts was interrupted when Bucky inserted a finger inside you and latched his lips on your little love button. 

Your hand shoot to his hair.

“Oh fuck” you panted trying not to come too fast when Bucky inserted his second digit.

“You taste so good,” Bucky said smirking at you and only then you realized that he was only pleasuring you with his fingers. “And you’re so tight” he slowly dragged his fingers across your walls making you wail. 

“Pl-please don’t stop, I need to come” you sobbed and Bucky dived in again continuing his assault. His fingers were moving faster and faster with every passing second and you felt like your orgasm were creeping behind a corner, only three-four pushes and you would be seeing stars but Bucky stubbornly avoided that once spot within you that could make you climax. Frustrated you glanced at him and you saw he had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face and then his fingers brushed it once, twice and you were done for. Clenching hard on his fingers you reached your peak. 

When you still didn’t come around, Bucky crawled to hover above you and kissed you. You swore to god that was the most fervent kiss in your life. Numbly you moved your fingers to his belt and started to fight with his buckle failing miserably. 

“Let me” he mumbled before he straightened and unbuckled his belt. You took the opportunity to get rid of your bra. You bit your lips seeing Bucky pulling his pants down and when his cock sprang free you almost choked. He was big, it was sure as hell you would be choking on him. 

“C’mere” he summoned you with his hand and you obliged. You were sure that you would do anything in your power to make you both feel good. 

You kneeled before him beside the bed and Bucky fisted your hair maneuvering your head so that your lips were close to the tip. You opened your mouth waiting for him to insert but you were greeted with him smearing his precome on your lips, like sticky lipstick. You darted your tongue and teased him making Bucky hiss. He untangled his hand from your hair and for you, it was a cue to start the action. 

You placed your hand on the base because for sure, you weren’t able to fit everything in your mouth. You slowly started to stroke him while your tongue massaged the underside of his cock. Bucky shuddered and placed his hand on the back of your head signalizing what he wanted. You tried to relax your throat to accommodate him as much as you could when you gagged and Bucky groaned. You knew you weren’t capable of fitting him whole, but Bucky seemed like he didn’t mind lolling his head to the back. You moved your head up and down on his shaft from time to time releasing him to take a breath and your hand to stroke him. He authentically moaned when you slide your tongue on his manhood from his balls to the tip, you the took him in your mouth as far as your throat allowed when you felt him twitch.

It was your cue to double your efforts because he was close. But Bucky had other plans. He grabbed your head preventing you to move and he exited your mouth. He helped you on your feet only to turn you around and push you onto the bed. 

You ended up on your hands and knees before him and it was a perfect opportunity to tease him with a sight of your butt and soaking core. Bucky was rapidly rifling through his trousers making you giggle when you saw that he had a hard time focusing on his task. 

When he finally found what he was looking for he ripped the package with his teeth and rolled the condom onto his throbbing dick. Bucky scaled bed and pushed your torso into the bed making your butt stick out even more. He grabbed his dick and teased your slit with it. 

You whined in dissatisfaction but your whine soon altered into a pornographic moan when Bucky sank his girth into you.

“Jesus girl, you’re tight” Bucky muttered when he bottomed out. He let you grow accustomed to his size, caressing your back, and making shallow thrusts. You tried to make him fuck you, you didn’t want to wait, you wanted him to fuck you hard any time now. You straightened your arms and lifted your body from your position when Bucky pushed you once more making your face colliding with the comforter. Without any warning, he moved his hips so that only his tip was inside and the next second he drove into you. 

You cried out, the comforter muffling your screams but Bucky had no intention in stopping his satisfying thrusts. 

You were in heaven, you were sure you died and now this was your reward for having such a botched love life. 

Bucky was impaling you on his dick in a rapid motion and you felt the peak rushing in. The wet sounds that were heard in a room, believe it or not, were making you hornier with each passing second. Bucky’s hands on your hips weren’t helping you hold either. 

“Bucky” you panted “Bucky please I can’t hold on” your cried out into the comforter signaling your inexorably approaching peak. 

“Then let go, baby girl. I want you to come on my dick” at his word you screamed and felt a delightful bliss. You clamped down on him and Bucky had to clench his teeth not to come, he wanted to savor this moment as long as he possibly could. He also soon reached his orgasm groaning from the ecstasy. 

He collapsed next to you and with a smile on his face he scooted closer to you. Bucky swept dome of your hair that managed to fall from your hairdo and leaned above you.

“You’re perfect,” he said before he captured your lips in a delicate kiss.

Banging from the other side of the door made you realize that your male company has woken up. You didn’t know what to do and what to expect. So you screamed from the bottom of your lungs.

“I need to dress! Wait a minute!” you quickly pulled your panties and bra on when you heard a groan of annoyance. 

“Girl you can dress in the room, come on open up, I need to pee” he really sounded like he had to go so you decided to let him in. 

You opened the door and he marched in, still naked as the day he was born. Your mouth gaped, you weren’t expecting that.

He muttered something like ‘god damn you woman’ and you had a hard time not to look at his dick and/or butt. 

You exited the bathroom to give him a little bit of space and tried to put on your dress when you saw that it was ripped at the seams. 

“Doll can you grab my pants and give me them?” Bucky’s voice echoed. ‘Girl, woman, doll’ it sounded like he already had forgotten your name. You exhaled and grabbed his pants from the floor making his phone slip out from the pocket. 

“You know I have a name?” you said with outstretched hand looking away, seeing his dick and knowing where it was and what you were doing with it made you somehow nauseous or maybe it was your hangover. 

“I know,” he said with humor in his voice, “I think your dress is ruined” you heard him say with an accompaniment of his rustling clothes

“No shit” you murmured and sat on the bed next to his phone when the thing’s screen brightened showing that Buck had an unread message. 

“You can take my shirt or if you prefer you can stay here” his voice didn’t reach you because even though that it was rude and nosy your curiosity predominated over your responsibility, especially when the text was from Natasha. 

U know Barnes, you should pay me for being such a wonderful matchmaker. I hope Y/N doesn’t regret that.

People I had in my tag list at least one year ago and I was able to tag: @thessaswea @stanskarsgard @chipilerendi @bexboo616 @peaceinourtime82 @usernamesarelies @bulaklakas @lovely-geek @httpmcrvel @antichrist-langdon13 @rebelfleur22 @adrememporium @metalarmlover @benedrylcumbersnatch @myattemptatfanfictioning @british-men

I’m tagging @suz-123​ bc you said you wanted to read year ago and @eamesandbellamyaremyheaven​, if anything changed just please ignore this

[downwiththeficness]

In the Bond-Chapter 23 (Final Chapter)

Summary: Lilah often wished she’d never said yes to working with the Gecko brothers—usually while dodging gunfire. At no time was she regretting that decision more than when she’s hanging upside down from the ceiling, staring down a group of hungry culebras and one (1) extremely powerful sun god.

Word Count: ~7,950

Warnings: Violence, blood, the use of explosives, a bad movie reference, death (kind of)

A/N: This is an AU of my Story In the Blood, which can be read here. Basically, this fic explores what would have happened if Lilah had met up with Geckos before she met Brasa.

Taglist: @symbiont13  

Start from the beginning   Previous Chapter 

Read on AO3   Masterlist

They were once again sitting around the conference table looking at a map. In this instance, the squabbling had, thankfully, been kept at a minimum. With a common enemy between them, all the anger and mistrust of each other had been redirected outwardly. There was no sense in fighting with one another when a greater peril threatened them all.

Lilah had marked several points all along an open space in the desert—possible hideouts Benny had used in the past. Javier was currently working with a small, trusted crew to root out where he might be through other means. While waiting for new information, they developed about five plans, all centered around obliterating the ever loving hell out of him.

She’d given up on steering the plan into less violent territory, settling for making things as quick and as efficient as possible. Lilah wanted no more incidents of near-death for the people in this room, herself included. If that meant others had to die, then so be it.

Seth leaned back in his chair, “We won’t be able to get any further on this until we know where he’s holed up. I say we get some food.”

They’d been at it for hours, and though Lilah wasn’t particularly hungry, she was glad for the prospect of a break.

“Pizza?” Seth asked, turning to the only other person in the room not on a liquid diet.

Lilah shrugged, “Long as its not from that place across from the grocery.”

“Oh, come on,” Seth groused, “Its not that bad.”

“The health inspection code is a ‘C’,” she countered, “They found rats.”

“Not in the pizza.”

She leveled a stern look at him, “They found them in the fryers.”

Seth rolled his eyes, but relented, “Alright. I’ll pick another place.”

Lilah leaned on her elbows with an indulgent expression as Seth took out a phone and pulled up the website to order. The phone wavering in her vision, the reminder of how she’d been captured, made her flinch. She covered it by running her hand over the map, but not before Brasa felt it.

Sitting to her right, he had been texting frequently with Javier, relaying the updates as he got them. Sensing her unease, his thumbs paused over the screen as he mentally reached out to her.

Lilah rolled her shoulders, taking the comfort he offered. She had a mission to accomplish. She could cry about being kidnapped later. Belatedly, Lilah realized that the ‘deal with later’ pile was pretty damn big and she would definitely have to take some time to actually deal with it.

Richie, who had been checking in on Kate, tossed his phone onto the table, “Much as I hate to ask, I haven’t eaten since yesterday.”

Brasa gave a curt nod, “I’ll have something brought to us.”

“Its appreciated,” Richie replied in a rare instance of sincere, professional gratitude.

She took in Richie’s appearance. He looked...tired. As a man of nearly unbounded energy, to see the glint in his eye diminished was unsettling.

“I’m sorry about Jackknife’s,” she said, catching his attention.

He lifted a shoulder in affected nonchalance, “Its good. We’ll rebuild.”

That boded well. Lilah half expected to hear that he was moving on to another high risk, high yield project. That he was sticking with the place hinted at Kate’s grounding presence.

“Did the bar top survive?”

Richie smiled, “Yeah. Its a bit singed.”

“That’ll just give it character.”

“Fair point,” he conceded, pushing his glasses further up his nose, “We got interviews with contractors in a few weeks.”

She made a soft sound of praise, “Look at you, doing interviews, being official.”

His eyes dropped, demure, “We figured we should actually follow the policies you wrote.”

“That’s probably a good idea.”

Richie’s attention was momentarily taken by a staff asking him about his blood type preferences, and Lilah found herself staring at the map. The ground cover was too wide, she didn’t have enough supplies. There were too many unknowns for her to be comfortable with moving forward. It frustrated her to no end that she couldn’t just make a decision and be done with it—execute.

The door to the conference room opened and Javier strolled in. Dressed in all white, a gleaming silver cane tapping along beside him, he was smiling wide. Cat and canary.

“I have brought some guests.”

Two staff were each dragging along a single, fighting person. Lilah didn’t recognize them, but she caught their fangs flashing as they grunted in pain. Clothing bloodstained and ripped, they looked like they’d been in a serious fight—which she guessed they had.

Brasa stood, gloved hand sliding along the wood of the table as he circled it, “Do they have the information we need.”

Javier’s smile held, “I believe they do.”

“Good. Bring them to my office.”

“As you wish.”

Brasa watched them go, then turned to the group, “I will need to question them. You may remain here for the time being. Rest. Eat. I will return when I have Benny’s location.”

Lilah cut in, “I’m going with you.”

He fixed her with a hard look, “This is not an easy thing to do. I will very likely need to hurt them.”

She blinked, “I’m sorry, who in this room just got kidnapped? I think I’m owed a little time to take out some aggression.”

From his perch on the tabletop, Richie drawled, “She’s got a point.”

Brasa glared at Richie, earning himself an amused laugh. Then, he gave a single, curt nod, and reached out for her. Lilah took his hand and followed him out of the conference room and to his public office. The two chairs that normally sat in front of his desk had been pulled out so that they faced the walkway dissecting the room. In each sat a battered culebra—one with his head hanging down, the other glaring defiantly at no one in particular.

Lilah let Brasa lead her to them. His step slowed several paces away and he squeezed her hand before letting go. Lilah stopped where he left her, folding her hands in front of her body as she took in the scene.

Javier was standing off to the side, the staff having left prior to their arrival. His expression was relaxed, but she sensed a hardness underneath it. They’d done this before. Possibly hundreds of times over their unimaginably long lives. She drew in a breath to steady herself.

Brasa pushed his hands into his pockets as he regarded them, “What are your names?”

“Up yours,” came from the glaring one.

Without hesitation, and seemingly without thought, Brasa kicked out. His foot landed on the knee of ‘up yours’, the bone crunching audibly. Lilah felt her hands clench at the sound, but she managed to keep the wince from her face. ‘Up yours’ screamed in pain, his chin tilted up to the ceiling. He let out another, softer sound, then visibly calmed himself. He’d been prepped for this.

Stepping forward, Lilah edged around Brasa, one hand brushing his arm. She leaned down and caught the eye of ‘up yours’, “This will go much easier for you if you answer our questions.”

His glare returned, more fierce than before, “We’re prepared to die for this.”

Lilah nodded, two fingers touching his temple, “We’ll grant you that. Death is much better than what he,” she jerked her head towards Brasa, “is going to do to you if you refuse to cooperate.”

“Luis,” came a small voice to her right.

Lilah glanced over at him, “Luis. Is that you?”

He nodded.

“And this one?”

A hesitation, then, “Rafe.”

“Rafe,” Lilah echoed, turning her attention forward once again. “Where is Benny?”

Rafe pulled away from her touch, “Nowhere. Everywhere.”

She very nearly rolled her eyes. They knew that Benny had created a kind of weird mystique around himself and his mission. They also knew that he had cast them as the villains in the story. The technique made a lot of sense—it was still annoying as fuck.

A scoff from Brasa, followed by, “Spare us your delusions.”

Lilah straightened to standing, “Benny failed you over and over. Why continue to protect him?”

Luis cast her a look that was edging on pathetic, “He saved us.”

“From what?”

“From you,” Rafe answered, something more than derision in his voice. Hatred, perhaps.

Brasa moved. Slow. Relaxed. “Why would you need to be saved from us?”

Another answer from Rafe, “You are Xibalban. We know what you do to our kind.”

There it was. They’d been told enough to keep them scared—little truths that were coated in a thin, thin lie. Easy to swallow. Easy to accept. Easy to break.

“It is true that my people once committed inconceivable atrocities against yours,” Brasa allowed with a congenial dip of his head, “But that is not what I intend, nor is it what I will allow. Not any longer.”

Rafe sneered, “Liar.”

“Sometimes,” Brasa admitted, “When the moment calls for it. But, this is not that moment. I am not lying.”

Luis spoke, his lips trembling, “We don’t know that. You’ve been hunting us down. Killing us.”

Again, Brasa acknowledged the truth for what it was, “Only those who put us all at risk.”

Lilah could see how this was going to play out, could already hear the back and forth that would take time that they just didn’t have. Benny could strike again at any time, possibly with more firepower. Every second they spent debating right and wrong, good and bad, was a second that could cost the life of someone she cared about. Lilah made a decision.

Reaching into the pocket of Brasa’s slacks, she pulled out his knife, flipping the blade open. With deliberate slowness, she showed each of them the weapon. Then, she started talking.

“I’m going to give you an opportunity. The offer is time limited, and it will be given to only one of you.  Tell us where Benny is, and you live. First come, first serve.”

The room was quiet, save for the near constant snarls coming from Rafe. Lilah waited. Knife in hand, she simply let the quiet hold, let the uncomfortable stillness of silence make them squirm. If they knew Benny’s whereabouts, they’d tell her, and soon.

Luis broke first, “He’s in the tunnels, about ten miles north of where he...found you.”

The last two words were halting, as if he knew he shouldn’t say it, but couldn’t quite help himself. Next to her, Brasa growled low and long. She could feel the heat of his anger build both physically and within the confines of the bond.

“We have a winner,” she rasped, affected by how viscerally Brasa was emoting. Knowing that the longer they sat there, the risk of blood spilling would rise exponentially, Lilah turned from Brasa, “Javier, if you would, take Luis to be questioned further.”

“As you wish, Lady Lilah.”

Brasa held up a hand, “I want details, Javier. I want to know what Benny is planning.”

With a flourish, Javier hauled Luis up, tossing him towards the door, “I will take care of this.”

Luis landed hard on his knees, grunting in pain. But, he got up and let Javier lead him, limping, out of the room. The door closed with a kind of hard finality that eased Lilah’s anxiety. She felt Brasa’s confidence in Javier’s ability to get more of what they needed from Luis.

That left Rafe.

Lilah’s fingers gripped the knife, her jaw set, “Were you there when Benny took me?”

She didn’t recognize him, but she’d been hit pretty hard and had been too preoccupied with playing possum to memorize the faces of the people hauling her away. Beside her, Brasa removed his gloves.

Rafe shook his head.

“You’re sure?”

Another shake.

“I believe you.”

He visibly relaxed.

“But,” she continued, “I did say the offer would only be given to one of you.”

Rafe, knowing that she wasn’t going to relent, let out a sound of rage, rising unsteadily from the chair, hands outstretched towards her. He was stopped by Brasa’s hand around his throat. There was an almost too soft to hear pop as his larynx was crushed, the sound of his anger cut off with a wheeze.

Lilah closed the knife and slipped it back into Brasa’s pocket. Then, deliberately, she took a step back and crossed her arms. She’d said that she wanted vengeance, but exacting it with her own hands felt somehow unnecessary. All the fire that had been there five minutes before dissipated, leaving her feeling deflated.

Brasa had no such issues. His fingers curled deeper into Rafe’s throat, pushing beneath his skin. Blood welled up, dripping down the back of his hand to the floor. Lilah didn’t have to look at his eyes to know that they were red with rage, the glow of his power burning ever brighter beneath his skin. Flame burst from Rafe’s eyes, smoke wafting from his pores. He seared from the inside out, his body cracking into dust from the top down.

Brasa’s arm dropped, and he wiped the dust from his hands, his attention on the pile at his feet, “I should get a broom.”

Lilah looked at the spread of particles, trying hard not to think about the fact that it had once been a person, “We might have more important things to do right now.”

His brows quirked, “You might be right.”

***

Lilah stood at her station, well away from where the action would go down. The night was deep and dark, the new moon casting no light to guide their way. She looked over her equipment, one hand brushing over the black metal box sitting innocently to her right. Her laptop was gently whirring, all comms connected. At her thigh, her pistol rested in its holster, her knife strapped to her arm. Lilah hoped she wouldn’t have to use them.

According to Javier, Luis had talked freely, answered question after question. All of this was relayed to Lilah in detail until she felt like she had a good grasp on Benny’s plan. Brasa had sent Javier to set up the final blow, refusing to allow Lilah to do it, herself, as was her preference. She was too tired to argue, never having fully rested since the bomb had gone off two days before.

It was hard to think about it, the breakneck pace she’d been going at over that time. Lilah couldn’t even nail down if she’d slept properly, couldn’t remember eating or showering. And so, when Brasa had firmly pulled her into their room, she hadn’t resisted.

Assured that her friends were being taken care of, she’d let Brasa strip her down and run her a bath, let him wash her with soothing motions, until the water cooled And then, they’d tumbled naked into bed, the full darkness of the room letting her fall into a deep sleep.

She wished that she could say that she felt fully rested. While Lilah had slept for a long time, she had awoken groggy. Her body ached with something that wasn’t quite injury. She sleep walked through getting ready for the day, reluctantly eating a meal next to Seth, who sat drinking coffee while he cleaned his gun.

It wasn’t until she began to set up for the job that Lilah’s brain kicked in. This was it. They could be done with this awful mess today. If they succeeded, Lilah vowed to herself that she was going to do something fun—maybe rob a museum.

As she was contemplating this, heat built at her back. She looked up to find Brasa and Javier standing not far away. Brasa was wearing the familiar uniform of leather, sunglasses perched on his nose. Next to him, Javier was very much out of uniform. Instead of a sharply tailored suit, her wore thick canvas pants and a long sleeved shirt. He’d forgone his usual cane, a literal sword strapped to his hip.

“Are we set up?” She asked Javier.

With a deferential nod, he answered, “We are.”

“And you made sure to ground the connection—its just that it could go early if you—.”

Brasa laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, “He was very thorough. This will work.”

Lilah’s jaw shut with an audible click. She pursed her lips, the effort to hold back further questions not inconsequential. She busied her hands and her mind with activating the comms.

“McNamara online,” she said evenly.

It took a few seconds to get a response, but eventually she heard the click of the mic turning on.

“Richie Gecko online.”

“Oh, shut up,” Seth groused, “We’re in place.”

“You’re the one who said we should take this seriously.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t the fucking movies.”

Lilah rolled her eyes, “Alright. Hang tight while we get a lock on him.”

Tapping her mouse pad, Lilah opened the tracking app, “You think he’ll go for it?”

Javier shifted on his feet, “I believe he will. He’s already proven that he’ll sacrifice anyone and anything to protect his own skin.”

She stared at the little dots on the screen, “And Luis?”

“Running back to daddy,” he intoned, derision tainting his voice.

“You’re sure.”

He sighed, “I’ve done this a thousand times over. I know fear. I made him very, very scared before I let him go.”

The intensity with which he spoke, the unsaid threat in his tone, was enough to make Lilah drop the subject. She turned her attention to the screen, taking note of her location and the pair of dots indicating Seth and Richie. At the bottom left corner was a renegade dot that was steadily moving towards them. She watched it shift across the screen, pixels lighting up along the path.

It stopped at a fair distance from where the other two were congregated. Lilah held her breath as she waited for it to either stay where it was or start moving again. It stayed.

“He’s back,” Lilah murmured.

A flash of headlights appeared, lighting her station. She turned around in her seat, squinting at the car coming towards them.

“Is that one of ours?”

Brasa touched her shoulder, “It is. I should have warned you. Richie insisted.”

The car pulled up, dust swirling around the tires as it came to a stop. The engine and lights cut off, the driver’s side door opened. A dark head popped up, hair pulled into a high pony tail. Kate was dressed for practicality—jeans, t shirt, jacket, boots, gun. She closed the door, and walked confidently towards them.

Lilah waved at her, “Welcome to the party.”

She smiled wryly, “Richie said I couldn’t go with him, so I thought I would go with you.”

To be honest, Lilah was grateful for the extra support. It was often the case that she was alone, running the logistics, while others were executing her plan. Today, when the stakes were high, she found that she didn’t like the thought of being by herself.

Brasa took her hand, saying lowly, “Keep the bond open.”

She nodded, “Absolutely.”

“Good,” he leaned down and kissed her temple.

With a nod to Kate, Brasa turned from them. Javier stood a moment longer, his eyes absorbing Kate in detail. Then, he stepped back and followed his lord into the darkness.

Kate sighed with an odd kind of relief, “Well, what’s the plan?”

Lilah lifted a brow, “Richie didn’t tell you?”

“He said that he would be, quote, ‘fucking shit up’, but that’s as far as I got.”

That made sense. As if he’d gotten a power up in a video game, Richie had gotten some of his energy back as they neared the start of the job. As he’d loaded up the car, he’d been fairly vibrating with energy, a wide smile wrapped around a cigarette. Seth, on the other hand, had been stone cold sober—both literally and figuratively. The seriousness of his expression, the cant of his shoulders, told her that he was determined to get this done.

“Okay,” Lilah said, sliding into her chair, “This is Seth and Richie. And this,” she pointed to the errant dot, “is Luis. We’re fairly certain that he is heading back to Benny to tell him that we know his plan.”

Kate peered at the screen, “What was his plan?”

“To nuke the entire cave system, causing a sinkhole that spans across our entire territory.”

Eyes narrowing, Kate said, “That doesn’t make sense.”

Lilah cut her a glance, “What about it doesn’t make sense?”

“Benny’s schtick is all about how Brasa is destroying their way of life, right? What does taking down the cave system do.”

Lilah hesitated, her mind running through it, “I...think its because Brasa said they built it.”

“They did what?”

Hand waving to the land in front of them, “They built it—the Xibalbans. Its this huge maze of tunnels that are carved deep into the rock. I’ve only seen some of it, but its huge and complex and had to have taken forever to accomplish.” She paused, eyes scanning the middle distance, “I think that he made the caves a physical representation of their rule.  I mean, right?”

Kate cocked her head to the side, “That could be right. Benny could also be batshit crazy.”

“Fair point.”

“Well, we can pretty much guarantee that he’s going to change his plan, knowing that we know.”

Lilah shook her head, “If you’re right and he is batshit, then we don’t know that. Crazy isn’t always predictable.”

“That is a fair point.”

“Which,” Lilah added, tapping out a few commands, “means that we need to get a little more inside information.”

She cued up the sound, activating the comm Javier had placed carefully into Luis’ pocket on the way out. For a few minutes, she had to screw around with the settings, trying to get the best sound quality.

We should keep to the plan—Benny. Make their land unlivable, give them no place to retreat. Then, we pick them off like the parasites they are.

What about the Xibalban? Came a voice she didn’t recognize.

They’ll protect their bondmate first. When they realize the danger, they’ll come running.

Lilah reflexively looked around, trying to discern if they were going to be attacked from the deep black of the landscape around them.

“Could they know where we are?”

“No,” Lilah answered, feeling her shoulders drop, “No, they couldn’t.”

“Then…?” Kate prompted, her head shaking from side to side in confusion. “Oh no… get your phone.’

“What? Why?”

“They’re gonna finish off the bars,” Kate’s voice cracked, “We have to get the staff out of there.”

With a long line of curses falling from her lips, Lilah sent off a barrage of texts to the floor manager, telling them to get themselves and everyone else out of the building. As she did that, the conversation coming from the ear piece continued.

We should cut and run—Naya.

We run now, and we’ll keep running. We have to hit them where it will hurt.

Didn’t we already do that? Benny, you burned down his lair, you bombed both their bars—every time you try to hit them, they just keep...coming for us.

That was not untrue, and Lilah hated that she agreed with Naya. Her mouth turned down as she listened, half her attention on the phone in her hands as she waited for confirmation that the staff had been taken to safety.

They aren’t invincible, Naya.

Neither are you. A sigh. Maybe we should leave. Maybe we should just leave them here and go find a place for ourselves.

And let them win? There was that voice she didn’t recognize.

If we don’t fight now, we’re gonna end up like Luis, over there.

A heavy silence landed in the middle of the conversation, and Lilah could only guess that Luis had been killed after he’d told Benny that he’d talked.

We just found each other, Benny. I don’t want to lose you so soon.

You won’t. We’ll handle this, and then we can start our lives together.

The sincerity of his tone, the way Lilah could hear every emotion steeping into his words...It helped her to understand how so many people could believe him when he told them that they could succeed.

Brasa’s voice sounded from over the bond, We’re in the caves. Where should we go?

Lilah relayed Benny’s location, telling him to be careful. She avoided details about the secondary plan, about how Benny had wanted to distract him. It wasn’t necessary. She’d taken care of it, and would fill him in later.

“They’re headed for Benny. If he wiggles out of it again, Seth and Richie will herd him to the back up plan.”

“What is the back up plan?”

“We got incoming!”

Lilah tapped the keyboard, “Seth, what’s going on?”

“Got a group of ‘em heading towards us. Richie and I will take care of it.”

“Yeah, nothing we can’t handle.”

Lilah nodded, even though they couldn’t see her, “Be safe. Don’t do anything stupid. If it gets too hairy, cut and run.”

There was a pause, then, from Seth, “Duly noted, boss.”

Unable to listen to the gunfire she knew was coming, Lilah cut the line. Next to her, Kate checked her phone, tapping on the screen a few times.

“What’s left of Jackknife’s is empty. The staff have gone to ground.”

“Good, good.”

Lilah’s phone had been silent, no response from the manager. She hoped that meant they were taking care of business and hadn’t been killed in the second wave. Her stomach rolled with regret that she hadn’t thought he’d attack there again, that she may have inadvertently put both her staff and the remaining injured culebras in danger.

We knew you’d be here—Benny.

Apparently, Brasa and Javier had arrived. She found herself leaning into the computer as she listened.

This needs to stop, Brasa’s voice was deceptively soft. She could feel how he was going to stop things, how much it took to say what came next, The two of you can go. We just want him.

Not a chance.

I can’t leave him.

This was said simultaneously, but Lilah could pick apart the variation in tone. The unknown man spitting the words out, Naya’s voice soft and weak and desperate. She resisted feeling sorry for either of them.

We will take him by force, Javier pronounced, and she could hear some rustling, then, We don’t want you, but we will go through you.

More rustling, I’m not afraid to die. And, if I get to take you out with me, that’s a bonus.

And then there was a bang that preceded the comm cutting off entirely. Lilah stared at the screen, one finger tapping on the keyboard to try to bring the sound back. No use. It was fried. Closing her eyes, Lilah reached across the bond to find that Brasa far away, further than he’d been since the beginning of all this.

She couldn’t tell if he was hurt, or if he was putting distance between them so that he could concentrate on doing what needed to be done, so that he could shield her from it.

“How fast is your car?”

Kate smiled, “Pretty damn.”

“Let’s go.”

It wasn’t until they were speeding away that Kate actually asked where they were going, “I’m literally hauling ass through the dark, here.”

Lilah pulled up her phone, opening the tracking app for the comms. She had the last location of Brasa, the little dot shining from somewhere below the ground. And then there were the two dots signifying the brothers. They were a little further South than they had been, but they were moving.

She opened the line, “Guys, you there?”

A click, “Yeah, we’re here. Kind of busy, though.”

Then, Seth cut in, “These fuckers just keep coming.”

Lilah swallowed down her rising nerves, “We’ve lost contact with Brasa and Javier. We’re gonna check it out.”

A few shots fired, the sound of it making Lilah wince. Seth’s voice followed, rough with exertion, “That’s a bad idea. He can handle himself.”

“I think,” Lilah croaked, “I think they had the same idea we did.”

There were more shots, intermittently cut through with unintelligible yelling. Lilah tried not to think about what was going on, knowing that her mind was far more creative than was typical of reality. Instead, she focused on directing Kate while she waited for a response that she might not get.

“Ah, fuck!”

“What happened?”

“Got clipped in the side,” Seth ground out, “Its not deep. I’m good.”

He wasn’t talking to her. She could tell. He was reassuring his brother.

“Quit getting hit,” Richie demanded, “We got people to kill.”

“Yes, Richie, that’s so helpful.”

Knowing that she wasn’t going to get them to focus, and the attempt might result in another injury, Lilah turned down the volume and pointed to the left of the car, “That’s about where they were.”

Kate pulled to a stop, shutting the car off, “What do you want to do?”

“I want to find him, and I want to ring his neck for leaving me in the dark.”

“Alright.”

Pull her gun from its holster, Lilah exited the car, using the headlights to peer around, “I don’t see anything.”

Kate had followed her example, a nine millimeter pointed towards the ground in front of her, “I don’t either.”

“They must still be in the caves, or—,” Lilah cut herself off as she spotted a plume of dust settling not too far away.

Kate followed her gaze, her mouth thin as she concentrated, “You think…?”

“Yeah,” Lilah breathed, “We need to be careful. The ground looks unstable.”

And indeed it did. Fissures cut through the rock below, the surface shattered in some places. Lilah eased forward, stepping back quickly when her foot sunk deep.

“Okay, what do we do?” Kate asked, taking a few steps back her eyes flicking back and forth.

“I don’t know.”

In the distance, something blew up. Another. And another. The sound came from all around them. Lilah could feel vibrations in her feet, in her chest, her hair standing on end.

“The fuck?”

Kate grabbed her arm, “The plan—they planned to blow the caves.”

Lilah stared at her, her mind slowly working to put the pieces together.

“He wasn’t going to hit the bars,” Kate said, her eyes shining with intensity, “He was going to bring us here. He knew you’d feel the hit to Brasa, knew you’d come here.”

Lilah looked down. Another bomb went off. There was no telling how many more there were, or when the ground beneath them would crumble. Angry and afraid, she reached out, slamming through the bond as it stretched thin.

I’m here. I’m fine. Javier is fine. We are near your post.

As relieved as she was to hear it, she cut through his reassurances, I already came to you. I followed the comm. Kate and I are standing on the caves.

She sensed his fear, sensed that he’d turned and was running back towards her, I’m coming.

No, no, that’s what he wants. You need to head towards Seth and Richie. They’re the next stop. Kate and I will get out of this.

Kate was already moving to the car, ushering Lilah along. Inside, she slammed the transmission into drive and they hauled ass away.

“We need to get to Seth and Richie,” Lilah said, pulling out her phone.

As she expected, their dots were moving towards the rendezvous points. Unexpectedly, the comm they’d planted on Luis was also moving. It had reconnected to the tracking system, and was flying in a twisting pattern towards the Geckos.

Lilah glared at it, flinching as a bomb went off a little too close for comfort. Kate was driving fast, the car eating up road as the engine roared. If it had been anyone else at the wheel, Lilah might have worried for her safety. As it was, Kate was a notoriously skilled getaway driver, having honed the talent over many jobs.  

She hesitated, her finger hovering over the connection button on the app. Her hunch could be wrong.

Mouth curling, Lilah connected to the comm, “You still alive?”

There was rustling along the line, a bit of feedback, then, “I am alive and well.”

“Wish I could say that I’m glad to hear it, Benny.”

He chuckled, the sound coming out forced, “Good thing I don’t give a fuck about your happiness.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“I’m guessing that you can see where I’m heading.”

“I can.”

“Good,” he bit out, “Then you’ll know when I’ve taken care of your friends.”

“You’re not going to make it that far, Benny.”

“We’ll see.”

The comm disconnected from his side. Lilah sighed and shut down the app. She pushed her phone into the pocket of her sweatshirt and fiddled with the edge of one of her sleeves.

“We almost there?”

Lilah nodded. Whatever she might have answered was cut off as a bomb went off too close to the car, the ground exploding outwards. Rocks shattered the windows on the driver’s side, the car swerving as Kate tried to keep control. A second bomb went off a moment later, the back side of the car lifting about ten feet. As it slammed back down, Lilah could hear the axle crack, knew instinctively that they had to get out, and fast.

“Out! Out!” Lilah cried as she threw off her seat belt.

Disoriented, Lilah stumbled as she got out of the car, looking over the body to see Kate slamming the door closed and rounding the hood.

“You alright?”

Lilah nodded, “I’m good. The car’s fucked, though.”

As if on cue, a bomb went off maybe a hundred yards away, and the ground shifted. Lilah felt it in a way that she couldn’t describe, an intangible feeling that scared her more than she’d ever been scared before. In between one second and the next, the ground sunk down, caving in on itself. The hole grew bigger, yawning ever wider as it worked to swallow them whole.

“Run!”

Lilah had never, never made her feet move so fast. The air whipped at her as each step slammed into the ground. The roaring in her ears was only tempered by the sound of her own breathing. A glance over her shoulder saw the car rear up before falling down into the depths, cutting off the light. Gritting her teeth, she dug into her pocket, her stride slowing as she keyed up the flashlight on her phone.

The path before them was illuminated, much good that it did them. On either side of them, the ground trembled. They weren’t going fast enough. They were going to fall.

Brasa…

He heard her, but his answer was overpowered by the way the ground fell out from under her. Lilah’s arm was caught by Kate, who dragged her to the side.

“Over there, the rock formation. That’s the safest bet.”

Not in a place to argue, Lilah followed Kate’s lead, pushing through the burn and strain of her muscles. As they neared, a tiny flicker of hope swelled, urging her to just keep moving. Lilah obeyed the feeling, arms pumping, breath punching in and out.

Another huge chunk of ground swelled up and dropped, the rumbling sound of crunching rock following. She veered, moving with Kate towards the only goal in sight.

Scrambling up, Lilah climbed as quickly as she could, digging her feet into the stone and scraping her palms. Behind her, in front of her, to her left and right, the earth roiled. She could hear more of the cave system crumble in on itself, taking whoever might be inside with it.

Near the top, with Kate huffing at her side, Lilah turned and watched the disaster unfold. It was a sight she would never forget. The whole world, as far as she could see it, rocked up and down, sinking and rising, turning over almost completely.

“He meant for us to be in that,” Kate said, the barest tremble in her voice.

“He did.”

“Fuck this guy.”

“Yeah,” Lilah said, when she could find her voice again. “Fuck this guy.”

Kate closed her eyes, and Lilah didn’t even have to guess at what she was doing. She drew in a breath to follow suit.

I’m okay. We got out.

Let me through.

Have you found Seth and Richie?

Let me through.

Tell me. Did you find them.

I...did.

And?

Seth’s hurt. We can’t stop the bleeding.

Horrified, Lilah opened her eyes, catching a similar expression on Kate’s face. She made a decision.

“Tell Richie to let you through.”

Not waiting for an answer, Lilah reached out to the bond, got a good grip, and pulled. The world tipped over, and Lilah landed hard on her knee, dry heaving.

“You could have just asked,” Brasa griped from not far away. Then, “Are you alright?”

She nodded, swallowing.  As she looked up, Lilah caught Kate landing next to Richie, who was already bending down to help her up. Next to Richie was an ashen Seth. He was leaning against their car, blood soaking clean through almost the entirely of the front of his button down. His suit jacket was crumbled a few feet away, along with his gun holsters. He looked like he was going to try to stand, took a single step, and crumpled down in a heap.

“You look like shit.”

Seth started to laugh, the sound cut off by a groan of pain, “Fuck you, too.”

Ambling over to him, Lilah sat on her heels, “We need to get you to a hospital.”

He shook his head, “I’m good here. Could use a drink, though.”

“Don’t need to thin your blood any more than it already is,” Lilah shot back, “You’re hurt. This isn’t just a flesh wound.”

“Benny got in a good shot, I’ll give him that.”

Lips sneering, Lilah said, “We’ll get him back for this. We still have an ace up our sleeve.”

Seth sucked his teeth, blood coating the enamel, “You need to be getting to that ace.”

“Not until I know you’re going to make it.”

He was already shaking his head, “This isn’t something you come back from.”

Seth lifted the hand that had been staunching the blood, a spurt shooting out with every beat of his heart until he covered it again.

Lilah to a moment to think, “You can. You can come back from this. Richie can help you.”

She knew the moment that he understood what she was saying. She also knew that he was going to refuse.

“I’m not having this asshole,” he pointed to his brother, “Hold it over me for eternity, thank you very much. I’ve had enough of that already.”

“Are you seriously arguing about this while you’re dying?”

Seth glared at her, though the effect was somewhat diminished by the fact that he was struggling to focus.

Lilah laid a hand over his, worried by the cool skin beneath her fingers, “Then, let me do it.” Surprised by her own words, she glanced up at Brasa, “I can do it, right?”

His mouth parted, closed, parted again, and then he nodded, “Yes. Your blood is my blood, and blood is the conduit.”

Turning her attention back to Seth, Lilah lifted her brows in question, “It’ll be better if its me, right?”

He was quiet for a long time, so long that Lilah began to feel the hope that had sparked while the earth trembled beneath her feet begin to fade. And then he nodded.

Hand digging into her sweatshirt, Lilah pulled out her knife. She rolled it into her other hand. And then, before she could question it, she dug the blade in. Carefully, Lilah dripped the steady stream into Seth’s mouth.

He took a deep gulp, then tried to pull away. Lilah cradled the back of his head, holding him to the wound, her eyes lifting once more to her bondmate.

“How much?”

Brasa’s eyes were fixed where Seth’s mouth met her skin, “A bit more.”

Lilah held her position for a minute or two more, focused enough on her task that she didn’t hear the conversation going on around her. Then, when she thought it might be enough, she pulled away. Seth, already weak, couldn’t keep his head up. His eyes were rolled back, forehead clammy.

“How long does it take?”

This time, Richie answered, “It depends, but not long. I’ll stay with him. You guys go after Benny.”

Kate moved to stand next to Richie, “I’ll stay with him, too. He’ll need someone here who won’t rib him for ‘coming to the dark side’.”

The last little bit of that sentence was said with heavy sarcasm and a pair of finger quotes.

Lilah sheathed her knife and stood, “You’ll let me know that he’s okay.”

With half a smile, Richie tapped the ear piece, “I’ll give you live updates.”

“Thanks.”

Brasa moved to her side, holding up the little metal box from her station, “I thought you might need this.”

Lilah took it gratefully, “I do. Thank you.” She rose up on her tip toes and kissed him lightly, “Let’s go kill this shithead.”

After settling Seth as comfortably as possible, Lilah took the keys to the car from Seth’s coat and hopped into the driver’s side. Brasa’s body dropped into the passenger’s side, Javier nimbly climbing into the back.

She rolled down the window, pointing at Richie, “Real time updates.”

He gave her a little salute and shooed her away, his focus turning to his brother.

It surprised Lilah how quickly they arrived at the rendezvous point, though it was nowhere near where they’d found Seth and Richie. Over the horizon, the sky was beginning to grow pink with the rising of the sun. She pulled to a stop a good distance away from where she knew Benny would be.

If all had gone to plan, they would have all been sitting here, watching this. Lilah comforted herself with the knowledge that they were at least unhurt, mostly. Seth would get better, would be healed before she got back.

Opening the door, Lilah got out, closing it behind her, the black box tucked beneath her arm. She didn’t bother looking for Brasa and Javier to follow, already moving around the huge boulder she’d parked behind. Pulling out her phone, she checked the dot representing Benny. He was right where she wanted him to be.

Below, the rock face sheered off, giving her the best view of the helipad just across a flowing river. Lilah breathed in the cool morning air, wind blowing gently.

Brasa leaned against the rock to her right, glasses reflecting the world below, “I can do it, if you want.”

Lilah looked at him.

“You don’t have to do it, if you don’t want to.”

She caught the glimmer of Javier as he stood at a respectable distance, felt the subtle change in light as the sun continued to rise. The night seemed far away already. The anxiety. The fear. The relief. It all felt as if it were a dream. And yet, here she stood, at the precipice of committing the final act in their plan. She felt no hesitation. She felt no fear. Lilah wasn’t quite sure she could feel much of anything.

“I got it,” she said finally.

And she did—have it.

Looking down, Lilah opened the box, her thumb flicking each of the toggles upwards until red turned green. In the distance, she heard the blades of the helicopter begin the turn. She looked down. Two figures ran for the craft.

“Is that him?” She asked Brasa, knowing that his eyes were infinitely better than hers.

He craned his neck, looking down his nose, “Yes.”

Without thinking, she tapped the comm, “You still alive?”

From across the distance, Benny laughed, “I am. Tell me, is Seth?”

She sneered, “He is.”

“Shame,” Benny replied, unrepentant. Then, with a light, conversational tone, “Hey, McNamara, looks like we’ll be seeing each other again sometimes.”

They wouldn’t.

“Hey, Benny,” she shot back, “looks like you’re on the wrong side of the river.”

Lilah waited a moment more, watching as the two figures climbed inside.

She pressed the button.

The explosion was small—or, perhaps it was only small because she’d seen so many up close not an hour before. From around the helipad, the explosives went off. In a succession of fifteen or so, they obliterated the ground beneath, until it began to crumble in on itself. And then, just for good measure, the helicopter, itself, detonated. Lilah watched until the whole thing fell into the hole the first blast had created, then closed the box and looked to Brasa.

“I want to go home.”

And that’s what they did. They found Seth, Richie, and Kate where they’d left them. Stuffing everyone into the car, they went back to the bar. Lilah was not ashamed to be relieved that the place was still standing. In their absence, the elevator had been fixed. It opened to workers still making repairs, a fine smattering of dust on every surface.

Tired, and half awake, the group filed into the conference room. Seth was laid out on the tabletop. As was his way, Javier was already arranging for food, liquor, and blood to be brought to them. As Lilah moved to sit, Brasa pulled her away from the chair she’d pulled out. With quiet care, he gathered her into his lap, holding her around the waist.

She wasn’t surprised to see Richie doing the same with Kate, though he was watching his brother very closely.

“When will he wake up?” she asked.

“Any minute,” Richie answered, his voice even and sure.

“How do you know?”

“Because Javier is bringing a bottle of shitty bourbon and you know he can’t resist.”

She laughed, some of the feeling coming back to her. Resting against Brasa, she watched as Seth laid on the table, unmoving.  He’d been asleep for so long that she was doubting her decision. Sensing her unease, Brasa ran a hand up her back. Up and down. Calming.

Her shoulders didn’t move from where she’d had them bunched up by her ears until Seth drew that first, ragged breath. The relief coursed through her, tears dotting her cheeks. Sniffing, she wiped them away, resting an elbow on the table as leaned forward.

Richie eased Kate to the side, rising. He took a few steps around the table, lifting a hip and sitting not far from Seth’s head.

“Welcome back, brother.”

“Fuck. You.”

Richie laughed, “Glad to see you’re going to still be cranky when you wake up.”

“I died, you asshole.”

“I know. I was there.”

Seth tried to sit up, dropping heavily back down, “Fuck.”

The door to the conference room swung open, Javier pulling a cart in behind him.

Richie smiled, “Breakfast is here.” Then, softer, “You need to feed, Seth.”

Lilah though he would fight, thought he would grumble and pout until the hunger took over. And yet, when Richie held the bag out to him, Seth took it. With ease that could only come from watching someone do it over and over, he tore into the plastic, and drank it down.

Standing hesitantly, Lilah crossed into his field of vision. He drew back from the bag, breathing hard, game face on.

“Hey.”

He swallowed hard, “Hey.”

“You feel ok?”

One shoulder lifted, “For having nearly died, I feel pretty good.”

“Cool.” Then, “You want to steal a Renoir with me later?”

[codythecheshirecat]

Is This The Start, Midpoint, or Finale? Chapter 4: Passing Time

Codywan Merman/Modern AU

Story Summary: Cody has spent the last several months recovering from a car crash that completely upturned his life. When spending a day on the St. Lawrence River, he finds something that should be impossible– a merman. An injured merman. And, well, there’s not much to do except bring him home and fix him up.

Read on AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/33756109/chapters/85388758

A week passes. They quickly make a schedule. Breakfast at nine, lunch at noon, dinner at six. Early on Cody has to run to the store to get things for Obi-Wan’s liquid diet-- he’s an omnivore too, so Cody doesn’t have to worry about finding replacements for meat, exactly. Which is good. They make an agreement about their respective recoveries, too; Obi-Wan won’t overexert himself so long as Cody doesn’t, they’ll take their medicines at the same times (dosages allowing, at least), and having someone to talk to makes it easier to ignore their respective pains and aches, anyway.

Two days into the week, Obi-Wan asks for some softer blankets. Cody doesn’t actually have any, so he runs to the store and buys some of the fuzziest throw blankets he can find. He buys some other things, too, just in case-- a pair of boxers, a single cotton shirt, a pair of mesh gym shorts, and a knee-length plaid skirt with an elastic waistband. He’s not entirely sure they’ll fit Obi-Wan, but he’s pretty good at eyeing sizes and it’s better to have them just in case he needs to cover up.

He gives the blankets to Obi-Wan, but keeps the clothes hidden for the time being. He also has to help Obi-Wan get situated with the blankets-- one to cover the couch (so Obi-Wan can lay on it rather than the couch, which he also calls scratchy) and one to cover him (despite Cody’s protests).

Obi-Wan finds himself enraptured with the TV. News, cartoons, soap operas, and everything in between. Cody supposes it must seem pretty strange; a box with hundreds, thousands of different stories to watch. They watch Jeopardy every night, and while Obi-Wan rarely knows the answers, he seems to enjoy it.

Cody also answers every question Obi-Wan has, and he has a lot. Sometimes he has a question about a word or phrase-- he hadn’t learned English in an academic setting, or even by being surrounded by English speakers. He’d had one person teach him what he knew, and so he has plenty of gaps in his knowledge. Sometimes Obi-Wan has questions about technology. Other times he has questions about animals. At one point they have a two hour discussion on American culture, with short interludes into other world cultures.

Another thing that takes up their time is the realization that Obi-Wan can’t read. He can read in his own language, sure, but the person that had taught him to speak English hadn’t taught him to read it. The English Alphabet is an utter mystery to him. So, Cody spends quite a bit of time teaching him the alphabet.

Despite all of their talking, though, Cody notices that Obi-Wan rarely talks about himself. He’ll reference things, sometimes, people, and Cody’s aware enough not to pry. If Obi-Wan doesn’t want to talk about his past, then he probably has a reason. Cody’s just happy he’s talking, honestly. It gives him someone to talk to, instead of wallowing in his own misery.

Another week passes. Kix stops by, checks up on them-- both of them, and Cody gets treated to a ten minute lecture on how to properly take care of himself so he heals correctly. Cody doesn’t tell him that Obi-Wan can’t walk so Cody has to help him get around when he has to use the bathroom. Obi-Wan also gets cleared to start eating real food, so long as they slowly reintroduce him.

One night while they’re eating dinner-- chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy-- Obi-Wan turns to him. “You never told me how you got hurt.”

Cody pauses, fork halfway to his mouth. He sets his fork back on his plate. He doesn’t look at Obi-Wan. “You didn’t tell me how you got hurt, either.”

Obi-Wan frowns. “Fair enough.” He goes back to eating.

Somehow, that only serves to make Cody feel worse. He sighs. “Car crash.” “Do those happen often?” Obi-Wan says.

Cody looks at him. There’s nothing but genuine curiosity on his face. “Yeah, but with the amount of people using cars it’s not unexpected, I guess. It’s not enough to make people think driving isn’t worth it.”

“I see.” Obi-Wan tilts his head. “I assume it was fairly bad, or recent, if you’re still recovering.”

Cody sniffs. “Both. I was in the hospital for a few months.”

“I’m terribly sorry.”

Cody leans over and sets his plate on the coffee table. He isn’t hungry anymore. “I’m fine. The others involved weren’t so lucky.”

Obi-Wan sucks in a breath. “Oh, dear. I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t have said anything. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Another look at Obi-Wan shows that his ears have turned red. He’s watching Cody with a devastated look on his face; a pursed mouth and wide, wide eyes. Cody sighs and shakes his head. “No, it’s alright. You didn’t know. I didn’t even know the others involved.”

“Still…” Obi-Wan says. He reaches out and wraps a hand around Cody’s wrist. “I understand. Sometimes… sometimes it’s hard being the survivor.”

***

“What books are those?”

Cody sits on the couch by Obi-Wan’s feet. “They’re kid’s books. When I was looking for my old wheelchair for you I found a whole bunch in the series in a box in the basement; I used to read them when I was a kid, same as most of my brothers. Rex must’ve kept them as we grew out of them.”

Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow. “You’re going to read a kid’s book?”

Cody shrugs, grinning. “I want to see if they’re any good now that I’m an adult. Probably not, but it’ll be funny to reread the books that used to terrify me as a kid and now realize that they’re incredibly ridiculous.”

He holds up the four in his hands so Obi-Wan can see the covers. “These were my favorites. Werewolf of Fever Swamp, Say Cheese and Die, A Night in Terror Tower, and Night of the Living Dummy.”

He lets Obi-Wan read them at his own pace. He’s learning quickly, quicker than children do, but then again, he is a full-grown adult. Obi-Wan hums. “So they’re supposed to be scary? And for children?”

“Yeah.” Cody sets the books in his lap. “They aren’t that bad, or they wouldn’t have been marketed for kids. And honestly, they aren’t always scary-- I don’t think I was scared by Werewolf of Fever Swamp once. It was more of an adventure than anything else.”

“Intriguing.” Obi-Wan leans forward. “Could you read one to me?”

Cody grins, suddenly elated. “Which one?”

“Surprise me.”

Cody opens up Night of the Living Dummy and starts reading.

***

With a grunt, Cody sets Obi-Wan in the half-filled bathtub. He stands.

“Thank you, Cody.” Obi-Wan says. His face is pink.

Cody shrugs, his own face hot. “It’s no problem.”

“You’re always helping me get around, even with that wheelchair. It seems a tad unfair.” Obi-Wan runs a hand through the water. He sighs. “Oh, it’s nice to be in the water again.”

Cody rubs the back of his head. “Sorry your whole tail won’t fit.”

Obi-Wan smiles at him. It makes his stomach swoop. “Beggars can’t be choosers. I’ll deal.”

Cody steps back as Obi-Wan’s tail begins to transform. His legs morph together, become red, and grow-- and Obi-Wan’s long tail spreads across the tiny bathroom. Now that he’s able to get a better look at it, Cody decides that it’s definitely eel-like. There are rosettes of darker red patterned across it, with flecks of yellow here and there, too.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Cody says, catching himself staring. “Uh, I know you said you don’t need soap, but I put a washcloth over the faucet in case you wanted to scrub yourself down. To empty the tub all you have to do is flick the lever below the faucet. If you want to refill, just flick the lever again and twist the handle to the left. The further left you go, the warmer the water gets.”

“Thank you, Cody.”

Cody smiles. “Just call for me when you’re done.”

He steps around Obi-Wan’s tail and heads for the door where the wheelchair waits.

“Oh, Cody?”

He stops. “Yeah?” He turns to look at Obi-Wan.

“Ah… do you think you could teach me to walk? I hate making you carry me around.”

Oh. Huh. “Yeah, I can do that.”

***

Cody sits on the edge of the coffee table, facing Obi-Wan. “Are you ready?”

Obi-Wan nods, jaw set. “Yes.”

Cody leans forward. He tucks his arms under Obi-Wan’s and wraps them around his back. Obi-Wan grips Cody’s shoulders, and slowly, Cody stands, lifting Obi-Wan with him. For a few moments, they wobble as Cody supports the two of them. At least he’s wearing the skirt I bought him.

All in all, it’s probably not the best way to teach Obi-Wan to walk. But he doesn’t have all the equipment that his PT does, and Obi-Wan isn’t relearning to walk after an injury like most people do. Babies learn to walk from trial and error, so… Obi-Wan can do that too. Still, it’s a somewhat awkward position, and Cody won’t be able to hold them both upright forever. 

“Balance, Obi-Wan.” Cody says.

Obi-Wan snorts, tilting his head forward. His forehead almost touches Cody’s. “My knees do not want to cooperate, Cody.”

“They’re no different than your elbows.” Cody looks down. His feet are planted, firm, but Obi-Wan’s… he’s standing pigeon-toed on the balls of his feet, knees shaking like a scared cartoon character. Cody chuckles. “You’ve stood before.”

“That was weeks ago.” Obi-Wan says. “I was more injured, yes, but my legs had much more muscle than they do now.”

It’s true, but it’s not like Obi-Wan’s been doing nothing with his legs. He’s crawled several times, for various reasons mostly due to Cody not being around, and he hasn’t been immune to restless leg syndrome, either. But, well. Eventually Obi-Wan’s legs straighten out and his balance improves.

“Think you can take a few steps?” Cody asks him.

Obi-Wan huffs. “You’re doing all the hard work. Yes, I think I can manage a few steps.”

Cody grins. Obi-Wan does the same. Carefully, Cody maneuvers them around and takes a step back. Obi-Wan takes an uncoordinated step forward. Then they do it again, and again, and again. He takes another step back, and-- his leg locks up. He has a brief moment to think oh no, and his leg gives out. They collapse in a heap on the ground.

His head bounces (fairly lightly, in Cody’s opinion) off the floor. His back hurts, his leg hurts. Obi-Wan rolls off of him with a groan. Cody turns his head to look at him. “Are you alright,  Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan rubs his still-bandaged side. “Yes, I’m fine. I don’t think I reopened anything. Was that your leg?”

“Guess I overtaxed myself.” Cody sits up. He sighs. “You’d think that after all this time I wouldn’t still be having issues like that.”

“Recovery isn’t a straight line.” Obi-Wan says. “But, you know, that could have been worse. At least we didn’t fall onto the coffee table?” “That’s fair.” Cody says, and with another sigh, he flops back on the ground as dramatically as he can. “I think I’m just going to stay here for a minute.”

Obi-Wan snorts. “Well, allow me to join you.”

***

Cody rubs his eyes. He’s fucking exhausted; he’s been awake for far too long at this point and he’s still got several hours to go before he can sleep. And, of course, he’s driving, which really creates just a terrible situation. He rubs his eyes again.

Twenty more minutes and he’ll be home…

Cody snaps awake. Oh, thank god. His heart beats faster than is healthy, but he knows it’ll go away soon enough, as long as he doesn’t get caught up in a panic attack. He rolls out of bed. Somehow, it’s nine in the morning. He rarely sleeps this late, waking up around seven-thirty, eight o’clock. He may not be working right now, but that’s no excuse to be sleeping this late.

He makes his way into the living room. Unlike every other day before at this time, Obi-Wan isn’t on the couch. Hm. “Obi-Wan?”

“In here!” Obi-Wan shouts from the kitchen. His voice is strained. 

Cody walks into the kitchen. He finds, caught between amusement and trepidation, that Obi-Wan is holding himself up at the counter. The wheelchair is right behind him. Obi-Wan grins.

“...having fun?” Cody asks, walking over. He stops in front of the wheelchair.

“I’m making coffee.” He says pleasantly. “I only need one arm for that, so I can use my other to hold myself up. I was going to wake you.”

A smile stretches across Cody’s face, unbidden. “Thank you.” He puts a gentle hand on his shoulder. “But please, sit down before you fall.”

“I’m fine, Cody.”

“Get in the wheelchair. Please.”

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes and sighs. “Yes, alright. Help me?”

Cody guides him back into the wheelchair, and together they wait for the coffee to brew. Obi-Wan wheels himself to the fridge to get milk-- Cody prefers his coffee black, and Obi-Wan prefers tea, but when he does drink coffee, he uses a lot of milk. Coffee made, they retreat to the living room. Obi-Wan gets himself settled in his spot. Cody sits next to him and hands him his coffee.

“Perhaps I could start with the walker.” Obi-Wan says.

Cody gives him a look. “I think you have some time still. Your legs-”

“-my legs are in fine shape.” Obi-Wan protests.

“The muscles have atrophied. And your side still isn’t healed.”

“Cody.”

“Obi-Wan.” They stare at each other. “After Rex gets back, at least.”

“Well I didn’t mean tomorrow, Cody.” Obi-Wan huffs. He turns serious. “Cody.”

Cody raises an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

“Thank you for being so kind to me. You had no reason to.” He sighs. “And you get nothing out of teaching me to walk, yet you’ve been supportive in every way.”

Cody gives him a gentle smile. “It hasn’t been a problem. You needed help, and I wasn’t going to turn my back. Besides,” he grins, “now I can focus on you instead of my own problems.”

“I’m glad I’ve been of help in that regard.” Obi-Wan says dryly. Without warning, he leans closer.

Cody swallows. “I was thinking. Rex should be home by the end of the week. I’ll have to introduce you. But before that, I really should go grocery shopping. Do you want to go with me?”

Obi-Wan blinks. A smile stretches across his face. “I would love to.”

***

“What is this?” Obi-Wan asks, pointing at a pear.

“That’s a pear. It’s a fruit, like apples.” Cody says. “I’ll get it for you, if you want to try it.”

“Oh, no, I was just curious as to what it was.”

Cody rolls his eyes. “If you say so.”

They move on to the meat section, Cody pushing the cart with Obi-Wan wheeling behind. Later, cashing out, Cody sees a singular pear sitting on the belt, and grins.

[stanbillyhargrove]

Ghosts chp 29

T/W: death

A/N: sorry it's taken me so long to post this, but here we go!

Katrina's POV

Darkness. All around me, consuming. Is this all there is?

No, this can't be it. I can hear something.

Sirens.

Murmuring.

Breathing.

I can feel my chest rising and falling.

Fuck.

--

I woke, mind fuzzy, floating high in painkiller clouds. Had a brief thought to laugh and scream and cry about my failure. Didn't because I was lulled back to sleep.

Somewhere else, I could hear Olivia humming gently, lulling me back to sleep.

--

The next time I woke up, I was overcome with the smell of bleach. Too stiff blankets scratched my skin. I wiggled my fingers and toes, testing my control. I couldn't hear Neil, couldn't feel him, but deep down I knew he was still here.

I opened my eyes, squinting under the bright lights at the bare room. There was nobody here waiting, noone sleeping softly in the chair beside my bed. I tried to talk, to call out, but a sharp spike of pain stopped me and I curled into myself with a groan. Laid there for a minute, breathing deeply as I waited for the pain to subside.

"Hey, you're awake,"

I looked over to see Billy poking his head in the door, a cup of coffee steaming in his hand.

I tried to talk again, to ask him what happened, but opening my mouth sent another flash of pain. He hurried over and placed a notebook and pen in my lap.

"You're not gunna be able to talk for a while," he explained.

'What happened?' I scribbled.

"What do you remember?"

'Neil, he tried to stop me. Mirror.'

He looked so weary when he nodded, "you tried to kill yourself...Katrina, I told you we'd find another way.."

'No other way,' I gave him a thin smile.

He reached over, took my hand in his and squeezed gently, "don't give up yet.."

I met his eyes, saw the purple bags there and realized he was as tired as I was. Stressed and broken down like I was.

"Don't give up on me," he murmured, "just give me some more time.."

I squeezed his fingers and nodded. He sighed with relief, shoulders dropping and leaned to kiss my forehead. Sat down in the chair next to my bed, thumb sweeping gently across my hand.

"How do you feel?"

I scribbled messily with my free hand, 'hurts.'

"Yeah, you did a number on yourself. Cut your tongue right in half," his fingers came up and brushed my cheek, across a cotton bandage I hadn't noticed, "got your cheek a bit too. Scared the shit out of me."

'Sorry.'

He smirked, his tongue between his teeth, "I almost asked them to keep your tongue split in two, oral would have been fantastic."

I rolled my eyes and puffed air out my nose, the closest I could get to a laugh.

'Asshole.'

He laughed, proud of himself. I perked at the smell of citrus, eyes flicking to search for her.

"What?" He asked, turning to look around the room and back at me.

'Elle.'

"She's here?"

Billy smiled when I nodded and stood up.

"I'll take a walk...give you a few minutes and come back with a doctor."

I looked up at him, smiling as softly as I could and hoping he understood how grateful I was.

It took a minute after Billy left for Elle to appear, her usual warm smile replaced with a sad, tight lipped one.

"Hi, Katrina" she murmured.

My eyes watered and I stretched out a hand to lace our fingers together. She gripped my hand tight and brushed her fingers over my hair.

"What did you do to yourself?" She asked, "this isn't like you...you're a fighter."

I shrugged, eyes flicking down.

"Has he really broken you?"

I pulled my hand from hers to hold my notebook and write, 'easier to give him what he wants. Or try again. Do it right.'

Elle sighed, "you can't just give up. You have to be strong and fight him."

Tears started to slip down my cheek, 'it's too hard. I'm tired.'

"I know it's hard but you have to fight this bastard, okay? Give Billy some more time...he really loves you, you know?"

I sniffed and nodded slowly.

She cupped my cheek, fingers sweeping through tears, "and I know you love him too. And that's okay, let yourself love him, Katie. Just stop being stupid and tell him."

I returned her smile and pointed at my mouth before writing, 'can't.'

She laughed, "smart ass."

'Love you, Ellie.'

"I love you, Katie."

She bent to kiss my forehead softly before disappearing.

--

Billy brought me back to my apartment after the doctor explained what my healing would entail. A liquid diet and salt water rinses for two weeks, try not to talk until the stitches fall out and come back if an infection sets in. Tylenol and sleep to manage pain. I feel like I could sleep for two weeks straight, so that's easy enough.

Let ourselves into my apartment and saw Steve and Riley standing there.

"You're home!" Riley came over to hug me softly, "how are you feeling? Hungry?"

I pulled back, held up my notebook and wrote, 'little hungry, tired.'

She kept gentle fingers on my arm as she led me to the couch, "here, lie down. We got some groceries for you, I'll make you something."

I sat down on the end of the couch, 'you didn't have to buy me food.'

Riley smiled, eyes crinkling, "well we couldn't leave you with nothing to eat, all your food went bad."

I went to scribble on my notepad, to ask how much I owed them but she stopped my hand.

"We wanted to do it. Lay down, I'll get you some soup."

Billy sat down on the other side of my couch, placed a pillow on his legs and patted it. He waited for me to lie down and get comfortable before covering me with the blanket that had been draped over the back of the couch.

I wrote in the notebook and tapped his leg to get his attention.

'How's Pudge?'

"He's good, big now. I'll bring him over later."

'My plants?'

He smiled down at me, "we tried our best, a couple of them don't look too happy but you can take care of them later, just get some rest."

His warm hand smoothed over my hair and I closed my eyes, letting myself drift to sleep.

--

"Katrina."

I hummed, not wanting to leave the dark. Not yet.

Warm fingers brushed my skin, bringing the smell of the ocean and the feeling of dirt under bare feet to my head.

"Come here."

I opened them slowly, squinting against the light. Saw that I was on a beach and that Olivia was standing at the edge of the water, looking back at me with her fingers resting lightly on my arm.

"Come on," she urged.

I came forward, joining her at the water's edge. She clasped my hand tight in hers, smiling as she looked out into the horizon.

"I used to read about pirates. Nasty men who murdered and stole. Left destruction and blood in the waves behind them."

I looked over at Olivia, at the wistful smile on her face as the wind blew her hair over her shoulder.

"Princes and princesses too. Women being swept away by Prince Charming and living happily ever after. Having all they ever dreamed of and more," she turned to look at me, "I thought I found my Prince Charming in Neil, but now I understand. Prince Charming and Bluebeard are the same man and you don't get a happy ending. Not unless you can love both of them."

I cast my eyes down, biting my lip.

"But you can't, can you?"

"No," I whispered.

"I've seen love die way too many times when it deserved to be alive," she touched her knuckles under my chin, lifting my face to look at her, "I've seen you cry way too many times. You deserve to be alive and in love."

"But, the only way to get rid of him is if I die, Olivia."

She shook her head, "your heart has to stop, long enough for you to break his hold. But, there's a window of time where you can be brought back. Without him."

"Is that it?"

"There's also a chance that breaking his hold will wipe your memory."

"What? Like, I won't remember anything?"

A sad smile curled one side of her lips, "it's a possibility. But he'd be gone...you'd be free."

--

"You sure about this?" Billy asked.

I nodded.

I'd just told him what Olivia had said in my dream. That there was a chance to end this once and for all. I left out the losing my memory part though, he didn't need to worry about that.

"What if we can't bring you back?"

'I'll be free,' I wrote.

He ran a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"I'll talk to Steve and the girls, see if we can make a plan...but I'm not promising anything and you need to heal up first."

'Thank you,' I smiled and reached to squeeze his fingers.

His mouth twitched into a quick smile that withered when he looked away.

-- 3 weeks later

The cabin loomed in the trees, dark and foreboding. Cold and empty still since the last time I was here. I half expected it to be closed up with caution tape. But there was nothing, no sign that anybody missed this cabin or the man that owned it.

There was still a bag full of my clothes thrown on the floor and a pile of bloody bandages beside the bathroom sink. The only evidence of what had happened.

My stitches had come out almost a week ago. Right when I started to feel Neil's presence coming back. When I started to hear whispers and see shadows at the edges of my vision. It was now or never, we decided.

"Hey," Billy murmured, smoothing his hand over my shoulder and squeezing gently, "how ya feeling?"

I leaned my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, "nervous."

He huffed out a laugh at the lisp I developed re learning how to talk. He'd spent days howling with laughter when I first started talking again.

I glared up at him and he squeezed me to his side.

"We won't let anything happen to you. We've got it all figured out."

"There's something else...something I didn't tell you."

He tensed, "what?"

"Olivia...she said there's a chance that if I wake up-"

"When you wake up," Billy interrupted.

"There's a chance that I won't remember anything..."

He was quiet for a moment and then a slow smirk spread over his face.

"I guess that means I'll get to blow your mind all over again...maybe I'll get the courage to tell you a little earlier."

"Tell me what?"

A light blush warmed his cheeks when he turned, dipping his face close to mine.

"Tell you that I love you."

--

"Okay, Katrina. You ready?"

I nodded at Steve, hands sweaty at my sides.

"Let's do this."

He nodded once, face tight, "you've got four minutes until we need to bring you back. Riley, you guys ready?"

I looked over at Riley, Brook, Audrey and Tris. They looked like warriors in all black clothes and matching stoney faces, like they would be the ones fighting off Neil for me.

"Protections are set, ambulance is on the way just in case," Riley said, "as ready as we'll ever be."

Steve blew out a long breath, shaking his hands out, "okay, let's do this. Audrey's going to use her powers to keep you still, just in case Neil tries to take over, okay? Try not to panic."

I felt my body starting to tremble when I nodded and whispered, "okay."

Billy stepped up in front of me, a plastic bag in his hands. He cupped my face and kissed me gently.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you."

He slipped the bag over my head, pulling it tight around my neck. I felt Audrey's powers keeping me still, stopping me from thrashing and fighting until the darkness took over.

--

I woke to find myself in Neil's world. The pink bathtub surrounded by lush plants to my right, the giant plush bed to my left. The fire crackled and popped angrily in front of me, flames growing to lick the outside of the fireplace.

"Katrina? What did you do?"

Neil appeared in front of me, eyes brimming with tears.

"What did you do?" He yelled.

"I have to end it, Neil," I murmured.

"You can't do that...you can't do that to me, Katrina. What about us?"

I closed my eyes when his knuckles brushed my cheek and leaned into the soft touch.

"Katrina, please, just wake up," he begged, "we can be happy again...I've been trying to be good, you know that, right?"

I could hear the fire crackling louder when I looked up at him, at his watery eyes and nodded, whispering, "I know.."

"Then we up...I won't control you anymore, I promise...I love you, Katrina. Don't you love me?"

My lip wobbled when I glanced away.

"No."

I felt my words hit him like a knife to the chest, felt the red hot pain settle in my heart.

"No?"

I took a steadying breath and looked back at him. At his sharp, angular face and icy blue eyes, his dark hair falling messily around his eyes.

"I don't love you anymore," I choked.

In a split second, he changed. He stopped crying and any sense of grief left him, replaced with burning rage. Strong hands wrapped around my throat, squeezing as tight as he could. Neil's lip pulled back with a sneer at the sound of me choking. I scratched frantically at his wrists, but he just squeezed harder, muscles shaking from the effort.

Darkness spread in my vision, consuming while my lungs stopped gasping for air and I fell into nothingness.

@alias-b @charmed-asylum @champagnesugamama

[forcedrug0]

Amino Acids For Plants.

Dbal Types, Crazybulk Bewertung

Content

Ostarine As Well As Ligandrol Enhance Muscle Mass Tissue In An Ovariectomized Rat Model.

Modern Technology.

Company Summary For Sarms Ventures Restricted (.

Tumor.

Individuals commonly have feelings of shame and disgust at their lack of control during and also after binge eating, which can enhance that cycle of adverse feelings, constraint as well as binge eating once again. People with binge eating disorder consume huge amounts of food over a short amount of time.

This not only leads to enhanced muscle mass development but likewise results in muscle mass retention and also the development of new muscular tissue cells. This SARM was at first created to aid people suffering from muscle loss, but it's primarily made use of by body builders to avoid muscle wasting. GHSRs are additionally found in the locations of the brain that regulate hunger, mood, enjoyment, memory, biological rhythms, cognitive functions, and memory. When you take Ibutamoren, you'll not just lose fat and construct muscle yet will certainly likewise feel better and more sharp, improving your health and fitness performance. A big part of this factor is just how Ligandrol increases your energy.

Ostarine And Also Ligandrol Enhance Muscle Cells In An Ovariectomized Rat Design.

You'll have the ability to exercise for longer as well as can sustain much more extreme training sessions, which will certainly bring about some serious muscle gains. is one of the most effective muscle-building SARMs on the market. It only takes a few weeks for Ligandrol to work, even after a solitary cycle. Body builders will additionally experience other benefits when making use of Ostarine, such as enhanced bone thickness and also faster healing time. Bodybuilding deals many physical benefits as well as can enhance your figure. When S.A.R.Ms bind to the receptor they show anabolic and also hypertrophic task in both muscle mass and also bone.

People may find it hard to stop throughout a binge even if they wish to. Some people with binge eating disorder have defined feeling disconnected from what they're doing during a binge, or even struggling to keep in mind what they've eaten later on. Lots of people recommend that the product is administered only as soon as every four weeks, dbal kinds.

Innovation.

Manufacturers should examine each product in independent labs, which need to provide their consent for sporting activities supplements to show up on the market. Without it, clients may doubt the correctness as well as safety of the item as well as not buy it. Some SARMs had actually been checked years before they were authorized for usage. Although costliness is a family member term, most users will certainly agree that the rates of SARMs are high.

Unlike individuals with bulimia, they do not typically follow this by getting rid of the food via, as an example, throwing up, though occasionally they could quickly in between binges. BED is not about selecting to eat big portions, neither are people who deal with it simply "overeating"-- far from being satisfying, binges are extremely stressful, usually including a much bigger quantity of food than a person would want to eat.

Business Review For Sarms Enterprises Limited (.

On top of that, cycle assistance decreases the opportunity you'll experience any kind of negative effects. Several PCT supplements include natural vitamins, minerals, as well as herbs such as ashwagandha remove, Tribulus Terrestris essence, Rhodiola Rosea essence, vitamin E, as well as saw palmetto essence. provensarms The Benefits And Disadvantages Of Sarm Sarm will certainly stabilize hormonal agents while enhancing body structure and your overall feeling of health. Yet there specify supplements that body builders and also anybody taking SARMs should use. Supplements include vitamins, minerals, fats, amino acids, as well as various other useful ingredients. People take supplements for even more reasons than health and fitness advantages. Supplements contain important vitamins, minerals, and also various other compounds that enhance your wellness.

Does Vitaminhoppe sell SARMs?

SARMs are drugs and they are not dietary supplements. Using the internet one can easily find SARMs for sale. The bigger retail stores like GNC and Vitamin Shoppe do not carry them, but the smaller independently owned supplement stores are notorious for distributing SARMs.

While brand in the Buy SARMs industry are necessary to muscle gain, it is advised you take BCAAs with protein supplements, specifically whey healthy protein. BCAAs promote muscle healthy protein synthesis, which is the process of building muscle. It's also stated that BCAAs reduce muscle damages in addition to the size and also extent of delayed start muscle soreness, encouraging bodybuilders to lift extra. High-quality cycle support supplements contain active ingredients such as grape seed remove, Tribulus Terrestris essence, vitamin E, N-Acetyl-I-Cysteine, saw palmetto essence, celery seed extract, and hawthorn berry. Cycle support shields essential physical functions, such as cardiovascular, liver, prostate, and cholesterol health and additionally supports your blood pressure.

Tumor.

Binges might be planned like a ritual as well as can entail the individual buying "unique" binge foods, or they may be much more spontaneous. Individuals might most likely to extreme lengths to accessibility food-- for instance, consuming food that has been thrown away or stealing food. Binge eating generally takes place secretive, though the person might eat normal meals outside their binges. People with binge eating problem may likewise restrict their diet or place in specific guidelines around food-- this can likewise result in them binge eating because of hunger as well as feelings of deprival.

It deserves noting that Cardarine itself was initially recommended as a means to combat excessive weight.

SARM-type mass tablets from this team allow to burn fat cells without shedding muscle cells.

SARMs for weight reduction and aid in building a brand-new one consist of Ibutamoren, Cardarine and Endurobol.

Typically when I stop with my steroids, my strength decreases and I am losing weight.

SARMs were really discovered by mishap in the 90s when cancer cells researcher James Dalton recognized the molecule andarine, or S-4, which came to be the first-ever SARM.

I obtained it for myself, not as much to be getting mass but more or less for after steroid cycle.

This would certainly be similar to a SARMS three-way stack that is usually ran with Ostarine, other than there is an opportunity of more dimension being put on while cutting. An excellent dosage for this technique would certainly be 3-5 mg a day for 8 weeks. LGD has revealed one of the most capacity of any type of SARM to place on size that can be considered a mass. rises, and also have had a considerable boost in calorie consumption. An advise dosage for this kind of goal would certainly be 5-10 mg day for 8 weeks. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to conserve your preferences. This means that every single time you see this site you will certainly need to allow or disable cookies again.

Types Of Bonds In Biological Particles.

Being uncertain of any of the above can show that you shouldn't be taking efficiency enhancers right now-- this is due to the fact that your body still has the capability to enhance normally. Just when you can not improve any longer would I recommend taking into consideration taking performance enhancers. Appreciate that performance enhancers will not make you buff by themselves. As your body reacts, you might really feel a lack of cravings, but this ought to not put you off from sticking to your diet regimen. The most effective SARMs available for sale come with clear and detailed directions.

How long should you take Mk 677?

Previous studies in humans demonstrated that daily oral administration of MK-677 in healthy older adults,8 GH-deficient adults9 for 4 weeks, and GH-deficient children10 for 7 days increased serum GH, IGF-I, and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 concentrations.

A considerably higher intramuscular fat web content of the quadriceps femoris muscular tissue was observed in the OVX+LG 4 group compared with the Non-OVX team. In OVX rats, the fat web content of the muscle did not differ from that in the other teams. All rats obtained a soy-free rodent diet regimen (ssniff Spezial Diät GmbH, Soest, Germany) throughout the experiment. OS as well as LG were supplied with the soy-free diet regimen (ssniff Spezial Diät GmbH).

Purely Necessary Cookie must be enabled at all times so that we can conserve your preferences for cookie settings. It suggests that buyers have proper security when looking for sports supplements, both online as well as offline. Authorities are reacting extremely promptly and also capturing scammers offering fake SARMs.

The gastrocnemius muscular tissue, soleus muscular tissue, as well as longissimus muscle were extracted. The GM and SM were weighed as well as all muscles were frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at − 80 ° C up until additional analyses. Either left or best muscular tissues were utilized arbitrarily in either histological or enzyme analyses. In Experiment II, intramuscular fat content was established in the quadriceps femoris muscle mass in Non-OVX, OVX, as well as OVX+LG 4 groups.

The staying food in the cage was evaluated weekly to determine the average everyday food consumption of a rat by splitting these information by days between the evaluating as well as variety of rats in a cage. The ordinary daily dose of OS and also LG was determined based upon the day-to-day food intake and the mean BW in the cage on the particular week. After 13 weeks post-OVX, all pets were euthanized under CO2 anesthetic. Blood serum was gathered for more analysis of creatine kinase as a marker of muscle mass damage.

CRN updates guidelines on SARMs, caffeine - NutraIngredients-usa.com

CRN updates guidelines on SARMs, caffeine.

Posted: Mon, 09 Jul 2018 07:00:00 GMT [source]

If you have not gotten any, part three has been made to assist you obtain the most out of your cycle. Perfect for those who do not take pleasure in having a healthy and balanced level of testosterone. I actually lost weight no strength obtains no anything basically. My diet plan is really much better than its ever before been training is good too. It will radiate more-so if ran in conjunction with SARMS S-4 as well as Cardarine (GW ).

However, they are still associated with venous thromboembolism as well as stroke. C4 (frequently referred to as pre-workout) supplies an increase of high levels of caffeine and also various other active ingredients to increase endurance, power, and also performance. It's perfect for body builders of all degrees, however you must adhere to dosing instructions carefully.

OS as well as LG are still being investigated in professional trials, and neither have been accepted as therapies to this factor. There are no studies reporting in vivo impacts of OS and also LG on postmenopausal muscle mass framework and metabolism. The objective of the present research study was to check out the impact of OS and also LG on the muscle mass tissue of ovariectomized rats as the typical design for postmenopausal problems. The OS impact on bone tissue and also pet design as a component of Experiment I has actually been lately published. Hormonal agent substitute therapy in postmenopausal women is connected with severe adverse effects, such as a boosted risk of coronary heart problem, bust cancer, stroke, as well as venous thromboembolism. Nevertheless, it is still one of the most reliable therapy for postmenopausal signs and for meticulously picked women, advantages might exceed risks. Selective estrogen receptor modulators have useful results on the musculoskeletal system like estrogen, they have less negative occasions on busts and also the womb.

[coffeecomicsgalore]

Unveiled Love

@smutember

Ao3

Chapter 19 – Yo-yo and the Baton

“What the fuck.”

That was all Adrien could say when he saw the most up to date news on the Ladyblog. Is the Ladynoir Ship Dead? There it was, a picture of Chat Noir with his arms wrapped around Multimouse and a few pictures of them holding each other and kissing before Marinette pulled away and ran off so he could chase after her. He scrolled throughout the most recent posts, ensuring no one else had photographed the aftermath, and he sighed with relief when he noticed that that was it.

Well, besides the whole, Who is this New Superhero? post, with tons of comments already on it. There were various speculations from a brand new superhero to Ladybug in disguise. When that one comment came up, Adrien’s eyes bugged out of his head, fearing that the connection would blow Marinette’s cover completely. The only other person who would have known Marinette as Multimouse was Ms. Mendelieve, yet, he wasn’t sure how “there” her mental stability was while recovering from the after effects of Hawkmoth’s control.

Then his eyes widened. While she wasn't known for spreading rumors, if Ms. Mendelieve did remember anything from that day, she would have remembered that Marinette was Multimouse, who was now two timing Adrien by making out with a superhero. He had to pray to all powerful beings that his bad luck wouldn't cause that to happen, because if it did, there would be no way to fix this whole thing without someone's reputation in the gutter. 

Biting the inside of his cheek, he thrummed his fingertips against the desk, trying to come up with a fool proof way of pushing this entire thing away. He needed to do something for Marinette. The last two days have been difficult for her with the disgusting rumor of “gold digging whore”, plus the backlash from trying to resolve it. Even Gabriel’s PR department was reluctant to help them, courtesy of his father, no doubt, so they had to do things their own way.

Luckily for them, Alya forgave them completely, but it was not without embarrassing the two of them with all the foolish (and oblivious) moments from the beginning of time. Once the torment was over, Alya sprung into action and prepared a press conference; had applied and approved to conduct a formal interview and photoshoot for this week’s publication of Le Monde, which included the front cover photo of Adrien and Marinette posing under a black veil with the subtitle Unveiled Love: The Secret Romance of Adrien and Marinette; and, started writing up social media posts with their corresponding pictures that would be scheduled to release to the public at perfect increments from both their accounts.

But even with all the help they received from the reporter, the news of Chat and Multimouse together on the blogger’s website was causing another headache to his already tired brain. 

He sighed as he stared at the screen, trying to come up with a way to save face. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a very disheveled Marinette barging through the door. Adrien shot up from his spot at the desk and turned towards her. Before he could say anything, Marinette raised her hand up with an index finger raised, and Adrien promptly pursed his lips. He watched as she made it to the fridge and opened up the bottle of wine, drinking it straight from the bottle.

“Rough day?” Adrien tried to make a joke, but it came out harsh. Marinette turned as she continued to chug the bottle, glaring daggers into his soul. Going out as Multimouse was Adrien’s idea; guess in hindsight, it wasn’t the best thought out plan.

When Marinette stopped drinking to gasp for air, she lashed out and stated the words on her mind. “I should tie you up to the Eiffel Tower with my yo-yo. Or even better! I should shove your baton up your ass as haul you over the firey pits of hell.”

Adrien placed his arms up in surrender and decided it was best to get a bath ready with calming scents. Marinette was too wound up to deal with anything at this moment, even a simple conversation to ask what she would like for dinner would probably be a bad thing. But he knew that in her current disarray, she would just have a liquid diet of wine, wine, and more wine, and he couldn't allow that to happen, especially if an akuma were to happen while she was drunk.

That would really show how terrible his bad luck is.

He watched as she continued to chug the bottle, removing it from her lips when she was done. She then tipped the bottle over to see if any more liquid would come out, almost willing for more alcohol to just slip out of it somehow. He slipped into the bedroom and sighed as he arrived unscathed, then made his way to their bathroom to turn the faucet on. He slipped in some lavender oils and lit some candles, then walked back out to their bed and sat on the edge. As he waited for the tub to fill, he slipped out his phone and placed an order for delivery pizza. Once that was done, he returned to the bath and turned it off, then slowly peered out the doorway to see where Marinette could be.

His face fell when he noticed the second open bottle of wine sitting on the table, and he could make out how far she had consumed by how tilted the bottle was in her hand. 

“Mari…” He tried to get her to stop, hoping the worry in his words would get her to see the current issue.

Marinette only looked up at him and shot back most of the wine, puckering her lips as the sweet drink surpassed her throat. She hiccuped then giggled, and started to sing out some random song that made Adrien scrunch up his nose.

Marinette tried to grab the bottle to pour the remaining amount out into a glass she had apparently set out, but Adrien quickly ran in and swooped it from her. He lifted it quickly, not realizing how little liquid there was, then shot Marinette a bewildered expression when he realized there was only a glass or two left.

“Two bottles?”

Marinette burped and giggled again. “Actu-lly. One an fourth? or was it a haffff.” Her words were slurred and Adrien could barely make what she was saying.

“You drank almost two bottles of wine in a half hour. How is that possible?”

“Dunno.” Marinette pressed her fingers to the cool table, then placed her forehead down. “I hate you,” she murmured, but there was no conviction in her voice. “Multmouse was with Chat! But Ladybug is with Chat. Chat cheated on Ladybug with Multimouse.” She began to sob. “But I’m Ladybug! I’m Multimouse! I’m screwed if they figure it out! I should have never gone out! I should have just stayed home like the responsible adult-slash-guardian I’m supposed to be and pretend the world is alright even when it’s not!”

Adrien could only watch as she cried on the table, no doubt the news of the “new” superhero making out with Chat Noir when she thought it was a quiet and secluded area without prying eyes.

It was as if the entire world was out to get them this week and Marinette’s resolve was surely destroyed by this point. He hated to see her like this; heck, he had never seen her like this, but even the best people have their breaking points sometimes.

Adrien pursed his lips as he thought of his next move. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her body, letting her know he was there and she was safe.

“Hey.” He whispered, prompting her to tilt her head a bit. She was then able to open up one eye and look up at him. “I ordered pizza and I just got the bath started for you. Why don’t you go take a bath and I’ll bring you a slice. We don’t have to talk about anything today. We are just going to relax and destress before we tackle this head on.”

Marinette groaned and closed her eyes again as anger began to bubble in her chest. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I’m the worst guardian ever!”

Adrien was about to say something when the akuma alert went off.

“Oh come on!” Marinette yelled out, screaming at the phone beside her. “One fucking night, Hawkmoth. You couldn’t just give me one fucking night to drink until I couldn’t remember my name anymore.” Marinette got up, grabbed the bottle from Adrien’s hand, and chugged the remaining bit of it before she shoved the bottle back in his hands. 

Adrien watched as she wiped the remnants of the wine from her lips. She stumbled as she stood straight up and Adrien could not believe what she was about to do.

“Don’t you dare transform. You are in no condition to go out like that.”

“Don’t tell me what to do. Hurry your ass up and get transformed. We have an akuma to get.”

“No.” Adrien spit out. “Not while you’re drunk.”

“Too fucking bad. Hawkmoth is a bitch and we need to capture that stupid butterfly. Tikki, spots on!”

Adrien covered his eyes as the pink flash filled the room. His jaw was slacked, utterly confused over Marinette’s complete disregard of her actions and still going out there mostly drunk. He watched as she jumped out the balcony door, not waiting a second to hear his response over something that she had said. 

Plagg hovered over to his chosen as he watched Ladybug yo-yo half-hazardly across the rooftops. “Kid. Protect her please. She needs it tonight.”

Adrien let out a defeated sigh. “Let’s go. Claws out.”

[malafight]

Long-Ass Life Update (I’m not dead!)

Finally a life update now that I’m back home. It’s been a painful and tiring couple of weeks :’) And actually some of the days/times might be off because I was like super fucking out of it for most of that time period.

Anyhow, I went to the ER on Friday the 1st after 3 days of severe stomach pain, and the local hospital is like notoriously shitty but I was in horrible pain ok

They actually took me seriously for once, took me back immediately, ekg, ultrasound, blood and piss tests, and told me from the start not to eat or drink anything.

They told me they found gallstones and one or more might be stuck in the bile duct, but they made it sound like it wasnt inflamed and there werent many, so I wasnt super worried? They sent me for an MRI and then told me that they didnt have the capability to get out any stones, so they sent my ass an hour away via ambulance to a much better hospital so they could do the probe thing they needed to. It took until Saturday night to get a room there, though, and they didnt know when I’d get there and since they figured theyd want to do the probe ASAP, I was kept completely without eating or drinking for all of Friday night and Saturday, after not eating more than a few bites of muffin on Friday and next to nothing Thursday either because Everything Hurt.

Also, Fentanyl is fucking magic. Thats the only thing that even vaguely touched the pain.

So anyhow, I get to the other hospital at fuck o’clock at night and God Damn Staved because, like I said, bitches gave me No Fucking Food for an entire day (I’m not kidding that hospital is horrible and has a horrible reputation for ending up with killing people or making situations worse but the next nearest hospitals are an hour away in different directions and I don’t often have anyone willing to drive me that far and I often don’t feel up to driving myself that far if I’m already at “need to go to the ER, fuck the money I don’t have” point, and Saer has only just gotten into the USA and the last time they came with me to the ER they ended up with a virus for like three weeks and I wasn’t gonna do that to them again!!) and finally when I got to that hospital they were like “yeah we won’t be able to do the probe until Monday so eat something and then tomorrow you’re on a liquid diet and then nothing by mouth after midnight” so they scrounged me up some chicken broth and orange juice at like ten o’clock at night and gave me Those Good Good Meds and I slept in a decent hospital bed instead of on a fucking ER bed like Friday night (since they were transferring me at the local hospital they didn’t admit me and I slept in the ER. yeah. i hurt too badly to sleep on my side even with pain meds, and I slept on an ER bed. I had to sleep all day Saturday on and off just to get vaguely rested, but honestly? this whole ordeal has been an adventure in sleep deprivation despite heavy sedatives)

Monday rolls around and they take me for the ERCP (iirc thats what it was) where they put a thing down my throat and cut the bile duct wider so the stone could pass, get that bitch cleared up, all is well. I was heavily sedated and remember none of it, just waking up with different pain in my stomach and the world’s worst sore throat.

I was on a liquid diet from that and until the extraction on Wednesday. I have drank my weight in broth and orange juice.

Wednesday they take me in to remove my gallbladder. It was supposed to be a simple laparoscopic procedure, nip it out, pull it, I go home in a couple days with a couple small cuts on my belly. My dad (and several other people) reassured me that it was routine and quick, and is an easy procedure that should take 2 hours at most. I told him, “Listen, with me, literally nothing is ever easy and you know that”

Fast forward to me waking up and my first thought is “is that a catheter? guess it didnt go so easy after all.” I’m pretty sure the first words I said as I woke up were “told you it wouldnt be easy” lmao

Remember how hospital #1 told me that my gallbladder wasn’t inflamed and there were only a couple gallstones?

It was chock goddamn full of gallstones and so inflamed that when they tried to get it out laparoscopically, it tore. He spent an hour trying to get it out that way safely before realizing that his only recourse is to cut me open and get it out that way. The procedure took closer to 5 hours.

I have at least 20 staples in my belly now and I hope I get a cool fuckin scar but shit hurts still. I was in the hospital slowly ramping up to eating solid food again until Friday when I was allowed to go home to Saer. I can’t lift anything more than 20 pounds for another like month, and my range of motion is a fraction of what it was before. I’m so easily exhausted now and i can barely do anything and it’s really fucking pathetic??? and every time I bring that up Saer is like “they TOOK your ORGAN” so

(its really sad that i’m so conditioned that If I’m Not Doing Everything I Can All The Time Then I’m Not Trying Hard Enough that even after having full surgery to remove an organ I’m like NO I CAN DO THE THING and then end up hurting myself s-sobs)

(we watched the episode of b99 today where gina comes back after getting hit by a bus and when she tried to dance while still in the halo saer pointed at her and was like “it u” and i was like “exCUSE” but like, tru)

anyhow, im home, and i have my wife with me, and saer is such a blessing right now because i cannot do SHIT and they need to help me off the couch sometimes if my dumb ass gets in a position with no leverage, and also ive already fallen off the couch like twice because i was like NO I GOT IT and saer was across the room like BEB NO U DONT and yeah im stubborn and stupid ok saer is saving me from myself for the most part

also also the app i drive for is shutting down in my city at the start of december hhhhh so now i also have to fuckin... find a job like this and uGH do not WANT ffff

but yeah thats something even my parents have okayed me holding off on until I’m better so if even my fuckin parents are like “pls chill???” yall know im fucked up

however i’m mostly weaned off opiod pain meds now and am only using them at night when it’s worse and hard to sleep, tylenol tends to take care of it well enough now. my range of motion is improving, too, but i am just still so easily tired that its frustrating. we went grocery shopping yesterday and even in the little motor scooter i was completely worn out by the end of it.

but im alive! all is well! i will continue improving! sorry for being so quiet during this but like I said, i’ve been some level of sedated for most of this event. not fully sedated except for the two procedures, but fentanyl and dilautin (ok i have no idea what it actually is and google isnt helping but i had a button for it) and then morphine and hydrocodone on top of not getting restful sleep At All due to pain, discomfort, and people coming in every hour for vitals checks... I was fuckin Gone i got fuckall done rip

however once my pain-induced blood pressure spike was lowered (i saw them take it at the ER and it was fuckin RED) everyone was like “...you have really good blood pressure??” like i’m pretty sure i have low blood pressure naturally and my size/genetics gives me high blood pressure and they kinda cancel each other out, but yeah. pretty cool.

my family kept swinging between “IF YOURE IN THAT MUCH PAIN FOR 24 HOURS YOU GO TO THE ER. YOU DO NOT WAIT THREE DAYS.” and “...jesus christ you have a high pain tolerance”

//throws the horns thats what chronic pain does to ya baybee

my mom especially was impressed because she was just like “you’re so calm talking to them about how much it hurts how are you doing that” and im just like “its literally wasted energy to freak out and i hurt too badly to move so im just gonna sit here and tell them im a ten and hope they take pity on me because i have no other options”

anyhow fun new experience and im pretty sure ive broken my brother’s hospitalization record and also pretty sure i’ve got enough medical debt on me now that i can literally file for bankruptcy so

also i can feel a void near my ribs and it is so bizarre yall fuckin organs need to close the gap asap bc this shit weird as hell

[btgalaxy]

Twisted

➳ pairing: yoongi x reader

➳ genre: mafia!au, angst, eventual smut, maybe fluff

➳ word count: 3k

Masterlist / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter  

Chapter 5:

         When you wake up, you’re tucked in bed, alone. There’s a moment of sleep inertia that sets you in a state of confusion for a minute, trying to gather your surroundings until you realise where you are. You glance over at the clock to find its already midday, and habitually you begin shuffling from beneath your duvet- when the nausea hits you. All at once. You dart to the bathroom, one hand clutched over your mouth and the other over your stomach as you fall to your knees in front of the toilet, relieving yourself of all the toxins you consumed last night.

You grunt, allowing your neck to fall lax as your head droops on the toilet lid, weak with the forceful emptying of everything inside you. You squeeze your eyes shut, attempting to lessen the throbbing now generously thumping in your ears, but you receive no such luck.

Kneeling in front of the toilet, hunched in pain, you begin thinking about last night. About Jungkook, Yoongi. You must’ve fallen asleep in his arms eventually, feeling exhausted and no longer able to coop up all those emotions that have been stirring inside you for days. It’s not entirely clear what happened most of the night, but the end is clear as day, Jungkook cornering you and pressing your hand to his groin. Your fingers curl subconsciously at the thought.

You slowly lean up to reach for the handle to flush the toilet, washing away any final remnants of what’s left in your stomach, and then you begin to grapple to stand up and face your reflection in the mirror. Talk about shit. Your hair is frizzy and extending in different directions, all matted and greasy, and your skin is flushed at the cheeks yet pale everywhere else, making you look sick. You’ve not looked so bad in a while. You put a hand under the tap and gurgle some water in your mouth to clean it out slightly.

You’re thankful when you hear the click of the door, and you stumble out of the room to see the old lady walking in, tray in hand containing a light lunch, some orange juice and a few tablets. You attempt a smile when she sees you, the both of you a little hesitant.

“Thank you,” you murmur, biting down on your lower lip.

She smiles back, warmly, “have this, and then come down to the kitchens for more water. You need to drink a lot.” You’re a little taken aback she’s spoken to you, rather than just the usual nod of the head and gentle smile but instead actual words. You can’t even form a coherent sentence as she sets down the tray and turns to leave, except not before she hesitates in the doorway, burying her hand in the front pocket of her apron to pull out another book, another fairy-tale, and leaving it next to the tray before slowly clicking the door shut behind her.

Your eyes scan over the tray, ambling over to run your fingertips across the paperback copy of Gulliver’s Travels, admiring the indents down the spine indicating it must’ve been well read in its time. You reach for the small pills and cautiously place a tablet at the back of your tongue, swallowing back a swig of orange juice with it and wincing as you gulp it down, wary that it’ll actually stay down as you hold your lips sealed tightly, breathing deeply.

You have a go at eating, but both your mind and stomach disagree as you continue to struggle to hold anything down, and your head gets distracted too quickly by other things occupying your thoughts. Yoongi, for example. Holding you as you wept. Taking you outside, opening up to you about his family, and you can’t help but allow yourself to fleetingly indulge in the undeniable attraction you feel towards him; that angelic face concealing his demonic career path. You know you told yourself to stay away, to consider he’s a killer, a ruthless murderer, but why isn’t that enough when the two of you are alone? It’s dangerous to think about this too much, so you head to the bathroom to brush your teeth, put on some clothes and attempt to appear somewhat presentable, then over to your door where you’re relatively surprised to find it’s unlocked, perhaps for the first time since getting here.

The tunnels are eerily empty, opposing the usual clatter of noise resonating against the walls to echo through your ears. It’s a scarce calm that unsettles you, considering in the time you’ve been here- nearing a few weeks now- not once has there been a day where your door was left unlocked, nor not a soul lingering about in the corridors. It’s unnerving.

Reaching the kitchen at a quicker pace than usual after being somewhat anxious alone in the corridors, you find it to be also empty. The silver of the surfaces looking immaculately clean, untouched. The only thing out of place seems to be a crate of water bottles; a crate the lady must have left out for you. You sigh, walking over to slip one out and unscrewing the cap, gulping down a few swigs to alleviate the pulsing now gradually- relievingly- diminishing in your head. You glance about, looking for something to eat, now feeling a little more up to it.

You spot the handle to the freeze is slightly crooked, clearly left that way from someone earlier. When you walk over, it’s open. Thank god. You scan over all the frozen packs of meat and vegetables, scowling at each item that requires cooking which you really aren’t up for, until your eyes land on a pint of ice cream, looking down on you as though it were sent from the heavens above.

“Finally,” you breathe, ready to indulge in something you haven’t for a long, long while.

You enclose a hand around the icy base of the tub, bringing it to your stomach with a grin. As you shut the door, however, you’re launched back with fright as you’re face to face with Jin, frowning incessantly at you.

“Jesus- fucking hell, I didn’t even hear you come in,” you cry, raking your hands through your hair while struggling to even out your breathing. Jin doesn’t reply, and instead strides over to the tub of ice cream rolling across the tiled flooring. He picks it up and observes it, glowering. Fuck.

“This,” he holds up what was about to be your lunch, “isn’t allowed. Not part of your diet.”

His storming back to the freezer prompts you to lurch forward slightly, to stop him and snatch back the dessert and run with it for your life, but you’re similarly a little scared of him which prevents you from doing so.

“I haven’t eaten,” you whine, pouting a little, as he slams the metal door shut.

“You’ll eat later. We have training.” He turns on his heel swiftly, and you already understand he expects you to follow him.

The main training area is empty, too. And there’s no sign of Yoongi’s palm pressed against the glass, watching you attempt to throw punches and kicks with your lack of body strength.

“Where is everyone?” You question, strapping on some gloves from the shelves of equipment.

“I want to focus on cardio today,” he ignores you, picking up a skipping rope, “you don’t seem to be gaining much strength, so if you could at least run fast and far then you may have a chance at survival in this business.”

You take the rope from him hastily, grumbling, “charming. Thanks for the support.”

Jin is, as per, unforgiving with his training. Screaming profanities at you when you slow down or even worse, stop altogether to catch your breath. You switch from skipping ropes, to stepping up and down on benches, to sprinting the length of the training area until you collapse. You recall Yoongi saying something about he doesn’t want you fainting or pushing yourself so hard you can’t breathe during training, yet here you are, fully ready to throw yourself into a wall just to be able to lay down for a minute.

“Speed up. You’re slow,” Jin orders from his stupid bench at the side of the room, lazily eating a banana as you pace back and forth. He doesn’t care that you’re struggling to even breathe.

“Can- I,” you pant, feeling lightheaded, “sit down?” Your voice is light and barely comprehensible through all your desperate breaths, yet Jin still doesn’t ease up.

“One more lap of the room. Touch each corner.” The notion that the end is in sight gives you a final pump of adrenaline to get you moving again, the feel of each stone corner encouraging you to speed up that tiny bit more, to finish just a tiny bit earlier. And when you do your knees give in immediately, your back slumps to the ground and you lay completely still, bar your chest rising and falling with each gasping intake of air to oxygenate your lungs once again. It’s only Jin’s shadow that snaps you away from your moment in subspace, shaking a bottle of water in front of your face and coaching you to sit up and take a drink.  

You take the liquid and throw back most of it, wiping the back of your hand over your mouth before passing it back to him, “thanks.” Your palms settle on your thighs as your posture slouches and your head lulls forwards, nearly resting in your lap. Jin sits across from you on the floor, knees bent and apart with an elbow resting on each.

“Everyone’s out of here; there was an urgent call the early hours this morning. One of the shipments from Japan didn’t run as smoothly as we thought,” Jin explains, an unreadable expression on his face, “it was your boyfriend you know.”

“Not my boyfriend,” you retort, lifting up your head again. “What was even in those shipments? What was so damn important?”

“Cocaine, heroin, meth. The usual.” His nonchalant tone repulses you.

“So I’m guessing everyone here is on drugs too then,” you spit out, “if that’s ‘the usual’.”

He scoffs at you, obnoxiously, “don’t be thick. You think Yoongi would allow us to take drugs so that we can’t see or think straight? Yeah fucking right.” He adjusts his wristbands, “we’d have lost this place a long time ago if we were high all the time.”

You retreat back into yourself, feeling a little stupid, “oh.”

He laughs at your withdrawal, “So how’d you get involved with the ‘not your boyfriend’. Couldn’t picture someone like you with our rival drug lord.”

“I didn’t know he was a- a- whatever he is,” you murmur, “and we met about a year back, then started dating after a couple months of knowing each other. He used to come in everyday to my old workplace, he’d order the same Caramel Macchiato every time he came in, always with a slice of Cherry Bakewell.” You sigh, recalling the memory of him coming in, his shirt tucked into his slim fit trousers under his blazer. The same swept back hair, the same sparkling eyes and alluring smile and every single time it’d be-

“I’ll have…” He’d teasingly run his finger over the menu, as if he wasn’t going to order the same thing, making you smile, “let’s make it a Caramel Macchiato. With a-“

“Slice of Cherry Bakewell?” You’d interrupt, conforming to your daily routine. He was the one thing you looked forward to each morning. And when he’d laugh- God, his laugh- your heart would set alight and you could swear you’d burst into flames any second.

“I think that’s the perfect choice. How did you choose such an impeccable combination?”

You’d grin, tapping his order into the till, “a trick of the trade, sir. Comes with being a barista.”

“I see,” he’d hum, “and what other tricks do you have up your sleeve, may I ask?” This was a new question one day, a few weeks after your routine had settled in.

You looked up at him, a little in awe, “I like to keep them for rainy days.”

“I think it’s supposed to rain Thursday, actually. Maybe you could come out with me to dinner, show me some of your other skills?” His invite seems underlyingly crude now that you look back on it, but at the time you were so enamoured by him you couldn’t deny that gleaming smile.

“I think that could be arranged, sir.” You passed him his change and receipt, your number scribbled hastily on the back as he smiles down at it.

“Have a good day, sir.”

“You too, Y/N.”

He showed no signs of being dangerous, a criminal. He was so charming, so sweet, so funny. It was undetectable.

“Fucking hell,” Jin raises his eyebrows in shock, “I never pictured him whipped for some girl in a café.”

“Well he was,” you counter, adamantly, “he even took me to meet his parents.”

“His parents?”

“Yeah, we took a road trip down to the south coast to go and see them- his dad was ill and he wanted them to meet me.” You push your lips to the side, “they’re lovely. They mustn’t have any idea of what Jimin does. Because they’re angels- they run an orphanage together.”

“Whereabouts on the coast do they live?”

“Near Tongyeong, by the mountain.”

“Ohh,” he pauses, “I was wondering where that arsehole grew up.” He seems quite smug with his little joke, so you stand up, patting yourself down, refusing to acknowledge his insult. You stride back over to the skipping ropes, busying yourself with training to avoid having to speak to Jin any longer.

The rest of the day passes by like this, minimal talking and intense training. As you reach the evening, the place begins to fill back up again with people, clearly returned from wherever they went to deal with the shipping issue. Some appear a little bruised, so you imagine there must’ve been some violent encounter, but you don’t see any severely injured. Granted, if any are they would probably be in the infirmary rather than wandering around for you to see.

Jin dismisses you several hours after your chat, when you’re dripping with sweat and hungry enough you could eat dirt and probably enjoy it. You dart back to your room, happy to find the copy of Gulliver’s Travels untouched on your dresser with a hefty plate of food next to it. This is well earned.

You devour the meal like a savage, the way the men do in the training area at mealtimes. Perhaps you’re spending too much time with them. And you immediately make a start reading the new book, once again investing yourself in the plot and the characters, deciphering the message behind the story, what the author meant to convey. You’re probably worth of an English degree by this point.

After a while, however, you’re very aware of the stench radiating off you like a cloud of fumes in a cartoon emanated from the substantial patches of sweat over your chest and back and under your arms.

The water from the shower is freezing. As in biting waters straight from the Siachen glacier cutting your flesh like a knife; it’s near agony, and you try to hold out as long as possible, but you only manage to make it to about two or three minutes before jumping out and enveloping yourself in your towel. All the men back from the assignment today must’ve used up all the hot water, leaving you with nothing but the cold straight from the pipes.

You dash out of the bathroom to curl up in bed, but before you can do so you spot Taehyung on your bed, admiring the little book you left on your pillow.

“Oh,” you squeak, running back into the bathroom to just peer out your head.

Taehyung laughs throatily, enjoying your squirming, “that’s a nice look, duckie. You should wear it more often.”

“Fuck off.” Your voice is not at all convincing, especially as you shiver with cold, the vibrations prominent in your tone, “what do you want?”

“Boss wants to talk to ya. I’m here to take you there.” You can hear him smiling at your discomfort, making you jut out your lower jaw in irritation.

“Well, could you like- leave for a minute?” You groan, “I can’t go to him like this.”

“Duckie, I’m not entirely sure he would mind-“

“Taehyung!”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckles, “I’ll wait outside.”

The clicking of the door shut makes you sigh in relief as you pad out of the bathroom and straight to the wardrobe, sliding on some leggings and a t-shirt as fast as you can before Taehyung tries entering unannounced again. You attempt to towel dry you hair a little, but it doesn’t do much good so you just leave it wet on your shoulders, walking out to Taehyung leant against the wall while lazily scrolling through his phone. It reminds you how much you miss technology. God, how long it’s been since you’ve actually written a text.

“Nice hair, duckie.” Taehyung taunts, touching the soaked strands before wiping it on you teasingly.

“Don’t we have somewhere to be?” You push him away with a groan.

“Oh, right. I was distracted by your beauty,” he smiles toothily, satisfied with himself.

You shove him again, with greater force, “idiot.”

As you walk to Yoongi’s office, Taehyung stays quiet, clearly under orders not to say anything to you about today considering the contrast to his normal self, telling you anything and everything you’d like to know. It throws you off a bit, but you’re already reaching the office before you can accumulate anymore anxiety over the matter.

You walk into Yoongi’s office, entirely unsuspecting and vulnerable, when suddenly a body is thrown against yours, pinning you against the wall as a shirt-covered forearm chokes you at the neck.

“How the fuck have you been in contact with Jimin?”  

Masterlist / Previous Chapter / Next Chapter  

[orangeflamewrites]

Radio Silence

(this was already due, other side of this story. @wearejustallrunaways. )

‘Beware the Ides of March’

Who knew that the words from one of her favourite plays would ring true in real life?

As soon as March would set in, a gloom would settle upon Amelia’s life so dark that a lot of days she barely managed to pull herself out of the bed. Sorrow and darkness rivalled, and a chill seeped into her bones as if trying to paint them black. As if trying to touch her soul with its icy tainted fingers and freeze it. Frequent shivers and nightmares kept her up most nights. Despite her broken will to function, she would run to the office to avoid the demons waiting under her bed, and stay at work till she was ready to faint.

However, faint she didn’t. She didn’t let herself get to the point where Chase would need to be involved. It was an annual affair, there was no point worrying him. Though, talking about Chase, Amelia had not contacted her boyfriend in two weeks. She hadn’t messaged him, replied to his messages, called him or received the calls he’d made. She had avoided him at all costs because she was afraid.

Amelia was afraid of showing her ugliness to him. She knew he was perceptive and he’d see through her facade, which she barely had any energy to maintain. He’d be able to see that she was a shell of a person walking the earth, trying to live from one hour to the next. What reason, then, would he have to love someone so hollow and weak? She was also afraid of being vulnerable around him because she wouldn’t be able to explain the reason to him. Not yet. Not at a time when the reason sat in her heart like a poisoned dagger, killing her inch by inch in the most agonising way. No, she couldn’t. He would hate her for what she had done all those years ago. And she wouldn’t be able to bear his rejection on top of all the guilt already tearing at her heart.

A week before the fifteenth, she had ghosted on her boyfriend. Ghosted was perhaps the right word for her because she looked like a ghost of a memory, a memory called Amelia. She would go to work, and in the evening to an underground fighting ring to do penance for her actions fourteen years ago. Pain dulled the guilt and the sorrow and the anger. Whatever vestiges remained, she drowned them in scotch upon returning home. It was a vicious cycle of seven days till the fifteenth. And not once did she succumb to her desire to contact Chase, regardless of how intense the impulse was, especially when she was swimming at the bottom of her liquor bottle. On the fifteenth, she cleaned up the best she could and spent the day soberly, in reverence. That day had been only full of tears that didn’t stem. However, come sixteenth and she fell back into her habits from the previous week. 

It was only around the twenty first that she had run out of steam. Broken and knackered, Amelia’s body had decided that it was enough. Her heart was still heavy but, the pain now was bearable. Slowly, she began to pick up pieces of herself. Promising herself every now and then that she would fix it all, that she wouldn’t repeat this the next year, and that she would call Chase soon.

She wouldn’t begrudge him if he decided to move on. She hadn’t given him any reason to stay. He deserved someone much better than her anyway. However, every time she thought of making that call, the dread that he could’ve actually moved on, stopped her. What if she made the call and... he told her that he didn’t want to see her? That he was tired of trying to keep up with her and was breaking up? What if she was imposing on him by calling? And he’d come only because he was a nice person who didn’t want her to feel bad. Amelia, the woman who had faced hardened criminals in court, didn’t have the courage to go through with one call.

Finally, Amelia had some semblance of normalcy in her life and was looking less like a shell and more like a person. Though, her liquid diet showed on her features yet, she looked much healthier than she had been looking over the past two weeks. And except for one bruise fading along her hairline, there wasn’t any evidence of what had transpired over the fortnight. She had just settled in with a book when there was a knock upon her door. The crisp sound made her frown in thought as she wasn’t expecting company. Sporting  a pair of shorts, a loose t-shirt and with hair in a ponytail, Amelia made her way to check who it could be.

The moment her eyes fell upon Chase two things happened. Her heart stopped and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Her lazulean hues softened with an emotion her brain couldn’t reconcile with quickly enough, while a soft blush of embarrassment dusted over her cheeks. When he called her Lia her heart leapt with joy, the corners of her lips lifting in a pure smile. Chase was there. At her door. Standing nonchalantly in all his handsomeness, with an uncertain smile on his lips. It was as if the past two weeks hadn’t even happened. As if she hadn’t ignored him and avoided him like the plague. As if he didn’t care how much she pushed him away. He was there. He would always be there...?

“Hey, I meant to call you.” She replied just as softly before stepping to the side. It wasn’t a lie, she just hadn’t had the courage to make the call. “Want to come in?” She hoped he would want to. Her eyes gauged his expressions uncertainly and in wonderment at the same time. How was it possible that a man could be so understanding? So accepting. So large-hearted. Amelia lost herself in those thoughts, still standing at the door after having closed it, while Chase strolled in. She didn’t deserve his love and affection. Seeing him there without judgement or anger, without a question in those gentle hazel hues accusing her of being a horrible human, Amelia felt like someone was squeezing at her heart.

“I haven’t eaten dinner yet, you want me to cook something up quickly for us? We could eat and talk? Catch up over dinner?” Those words pulled her out of her reverie yet triggered the deep seated love that she felt for him, that was crashing inside her chest with waves upon waves trying to cleanse her. To make her fit for someone such as Chase. Before her mind could catch up, her heart guided her to him.

Her arms opened involuntarily, and closed tightly around Chase in a large hug. He felt warm, he felt safe, he felt like...home? Amelia buried her head in his chest to soak him up, to listen to his heartbeat, that calmed her like no amount of alcohol had managed to. She clung to him like a woman lost at sea holding onto the sole twig that would keep her afloat. She hugged him as if that act itself would stitch her broken pieces back. She held him possessively because she didn’t want to let go of him. Ever. Her eyes flickered close when he kissed the top of her head, the tears brimming to the surface being held back.

She took a deep inhale, as he rocked them back and forth, as if breathing for the first time in weeks. His scent was peculiar to him, it was a familiar smell that comforted her. “If I knew making dinner would get me hugs I would have been making dinner nonstop for months now.” His joke elicited a teary chuckle from her. Holding him for just a moment longer, Amelia pulled away.

“I love you,” she whispered, looking up at him with reddened eyes, sincerity deepening the blue of her irises. 

[fortey]

The Day I Met Jack LaLanne

Those of you who know me know I love me some juice.  That grammatically atrocious sentiment has sustained me for many years. Juice is like nature’s water.  Or water is nature’s fruit juice, I forget which. But the fact remains if I can squeeze the ever loving crap out of a beet and then drink it, I am literally tickled pink. And by literally I naturally mean figuratively.

 It’s no surprise then that when I first discovered the Jack Lalanne Juicer I had to purchase one.  My love of juice combined with easy access to a credit card and near-criminal drunkenness guaranteed that I would probably buy any hunk of shit I saw on the Home Shopping Network that night.  But the hunk of shit I saw was a juicer and my heart skipped a beat.

 After defibrillation, I ordered the juicer and 4-6 weeks later I was discovering that when you mix apple, carrot, celery and papaya it tastes like a foot.  But apple all alone is exquisite.  

 I’d enjoyed my liquid diet for a few weeks when I gleefully learned that Mr. LaLanne himself would be coming to my town for a convention to show off his latest product development and espouse the virtues of a juicy lifestyle.  The very idea that there was some new, more efficient way to wring liquid from a pear was too enticing to avoid.  I purchased my ticket and then sat on my ass for two more weeks until the fateful day arrived when I could witness a man who was nearly a century old, who made a career out of being handcuffed and towing boats while swimming, made juice.  Fuck, I need a hobby.

 The convention was as exciting as a convention full of the elderly and shop-at-home products could be.  My keen senses soon determined I was the only individual in the building either under the age of 50 or who had been voluntarily out of the house in over a month.  Shut ins apparently love juice, storage solutions and Mighty Putty.

 I perused various tables hawking what could best be described as absolute shit before my stomach began cramping with hatred for bringing it to such a ridiculous place. Ginsu knives, curtain steamers, Orange Glow – what the fuck was I thinking?  A woman wearing slippers shoved a boney, avian elbow into my ribs while I tried to watch a ShamWow demonstration and told me to “bugger off.”

 I escaped to the nearest washroom as my guts twisted in knots.  Possibly because this place was so preposterous but more likely because of the Hot Pockets I’d decided to eat for dinner the night before and breakfast that morning.

 As I sat in contemplation in the end stall of the restroom, appreciating the colorful graffiti on the walls and wondering why so many people took a shit with a pen and a desire to bang another dude, my reverie was interrupted by a gruff voice.

“What did you eat for breakfast?” it asked me.  I arched an eyebrow and continued about my business, confident that, despite seeming to come from the next stall, there was no way in hell this person was talking to me because the first thing any human in a civilized society learns is that you never, ever converse with strangers on the shitter.

 “It sounds like you’re giving birth, what did you eat for breakfast?” the voice demanded again.  For starters, I did not sound as though I was giving birth, I was maybe breathing a bit heavy, but that was all.  You eat 8 Hot Pockets and see how your insides like it.

 Suddenly, a tiny mirror on a metal stick appeared below the wall separating stalls. I may have screamed but if I did, it was manly.

 “Hey buddy, you deaf?”

 “No…” I foolishly answered.  Fuck. When someone gives you an out, always take it.

 “Then speak up.  What was for breakfast?  My God, look at you.  What do you weigh?  220? Have you ever lifted a weight in your life?  Can you even get off that toilet when you’re done?”

 “What?”

 The mirror shifted and suddenly I could see, glaring down at me, the cold, steely eye of Mr. Jack LaLanne himself.  Jack LaLanne was trash talking me while we were both on the toilet.

 “Yeah, you’re not blind either, are you champ?  So answer the question. Breakfast!”

 “I had some Hot Pockets,” I answered, unsure of why I felt I needed to answer to Jack LaLanne.

 “Hot Pockets?  Good grief, what the hell is a Hot Pocket?”

 “It’s like crust with pizza toppings inside.  In a pocket.”

 “And it’s hot?  You heat it? You make it warm and consume it for some cockamamie reason?  With cheese and sauce and, what?  Sausage? Are you eating pork sausage?”

 “They were pepperoni.”

 “That’s a sausage, Einstein.  My God. I can see you sweating.”

 There was a moment of silence while Mr. LaLanne just stared at me.  I could see his expression in the mirror, hard and disgusted.  I tried to smile.

 “Are you pushing?  Is that a grimace?  If you have to push a bowel movement it means you’re killing your bowels.  Do you know that I’ve not had to push out a single bowel movement since 1931?  Do you know that?  I’m asking you a question.”

 “I didn’t know that.”

 “And why would you?  Too busy stuffing your pork pie with pockets.  Look at you.  I can smell butter.”

 In fairness, there was a curious butter-like odor in the bathroom but it wasn’t from me. It was there when I came in.  

 “Listen, do you know who I am?” he demanded of me.  His mirror shifted, I think he was trying to look me in the eye.

 “I think you’re Jack LaLanne.”

 “If you could think you wouldn’t be such a mess.  A sick body breeds a sick mind.  I bet you look at girly magazines.  I bet you’ve never had a job or loved a woman.  How many pushups can you do?”

 “Why do you have a mirror on a stick?”

 “Thank your lucky stars I do!  Do you have any idea how many chin ups I can do?  That’s the power of juice, my friend.  Not your sausage pies.  If a man made it, don’t eat it.  Processed food will kill you deader than a bullet.”

 I wasn’t convinced that statement was factually accurate was but I was afraid to bring it up lest it breed another tirade from Mr. LaLanne.  Suddenly the mirror vanished and a moment later a hand, the wrist encircled by what looked to be a velour cuff, appeared.

 “Take my hand,” Jack LaLanne said.  I frowned and noticeably clenched the majority of my body.  “Curse your hide if you don’t take my hand, I’m trying to save your life.”

 “Don’t you feel this is the wrong time?”

 “It’s never the wrong time to care about your health now give me your hand or so help me I will come in there and take it!”

 Ashamed of the palpable fear I felt of a man in his 90’s, I reached a hand down. LaLanne grabbed me in a grip like steel. H is hand was like ice cold tissue paper around a rock, I had never felt anything so offputting in my life.

 “I’ve been on this toilet for over a half an hour purifying my mind, soul and body and I want to share that energy with you.  Hot Pockets?  Of all the cock and bull stories, why don’t you just eat cheese curds off of the diseased carcass of a prostitute?”

 “I was in a hurry?”

 LaLanne’s grip tightened and I stifled a cry of pain.

 “A hurry? No time?  How much time will you have when you’re an actual, literal whale? Hunted for your precious blubber by the Japanese and basking in the sun to try to keep warm.”

 “I don’t know.”

 “Nobody does, my lad.  That’s the rub. You need to take the time now.  Juice is the key.  Have you seen my juicer?  How do you think I’m able to live the way I do?  How do you think?  Curse you, I know you’re not deaf give me an answer!”

 “Juice?”

 “Right! Juice!  You’re not a lost cause, friend.  You can do this!”  LaLanne continued to compress my hand in his vice-like grip for another moment of silence before his hand pulled free.  I heard a rustling and suddenly the mirror reappeared.

 “Take this. Use it.  Spread the word,” he demanded.  I reached down and took the mirror on a stick.  A second one appeared right after.  “I have more, don’t you worry.  Now go.  GO!”

 I sat still a moment, not wanting to move under his watchful, mirror eye.  He began chanting “go” over and over, and, after about five minutes, I forced a calm on myself and proceeded to wipe my ass. LaLanne’s mirror turned, watching me as I left the stall.  It popped out of the front as I washed my hands very thoroughly and left, never to see Jack LaLanne again.

[enginemimosa30-blog]

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Some of these include high levels of caffeine, nutrients to help fat break down. After exercise, your metabolism and also your blood circulation are promoted. Using cellulite items after workout will certainly lead to better absorbtion into the blood, helping the activation of cellulite-fighting ingredients. ' Cellulite treatments that consist of massage therapy, base their methods and also concepts on the principle that vigorous massage therapy helps to increase blood flow, lowering extreme quantities of fluid in areas which contain cellulite. While cellulite affects people of all sizes because everyone has fat cells, 'it's more typical in women than men since the coarse bands of their connective tissue don't go across over as a lot to offer support under the skin. " Whilst connective tissue can be deteriorated by hormones, absence of workout and muscle mass tone as well as inadequate circulation, it is not due to excessive weight or toxic substances, it's just typical fat in the body."

targets fat by utilising high-intensity ultrasound power causing thermal coagulation to fat cells.

Total Body Treatment uses innovative Skin Firm treatment for the face and body utilizing High Strength Focused Ultrasound.

As aesthetic medication has progressed, ultrasound has verified to be an outstanding device for a number of clinical procedures.

The power generated permeates below the skin surface area as well as causes mobile rubbing within cells.

Most of people endure the treatment well while the power is being delivered.

A three dimensional option to an invasive facelift, with no cosmetic surgery and also no down time.

All skin consultations will be done by phone to evaluate your suitability.

A typical adverse effects of ageing is loose, sagging skin, brought on by the exhaustion of collagen and also elastin in the dermis.

Discomfort as well as discomfort connected with the therapy are temporary and also are only experienced throughout the treatment.

Cellulite takes place regularly in ladies than in guys, as women's skin collagen is prepared in parallel rows, like pillars. This pattern offers itself to the compartmentalization of fat, that makes cellulite noticeable. This creates just extremely small compartments and also does not enable dimpling of the skin. There are 2 major root causes of cellulite which trigger the orange peel impact most ladies discover so distressing. As you go about your everyday life, the skin steps and breathes, and so do the connective cells. ' These several fat herniations result in an orange peel-like appearance on the skin surface.

Aircast Cryo Cuff Ic colder Hot Cold therapy Compression cold Pack Cryotherapy.

How do they fix a prolapse?

Sacrohysteropexy is used to fixed prolapse of the uterus. These operations are done with cuts in the abdomen. They can also be done laparoscopically. Vaginal mesh repairs prolapse by putting mesh under the vaginal skin to help lift sagging organs into place.

Running, swimming and brisk strolling are the most effective type of exercises for boosting blood circulation and also loosening the fat tissues from those hard to budge areas. Body covering includes a process of enveloping components of the body with bed linens permeated with a selection of substances such as organic extracts, algae, seaweed, as well as mud. The skin is brushed or rubbed equally with any one of these items and then covered in bed linens. The body shaping impact is the outcome of the consolidated activity of sweating and compression, which causes a reduction of body measurements.

This fat then manifests as skin dimpling and also nodularity, usually upon the legs, pelvic area, thighs, abdominal area, arms, hips, buttocks as well as knees. Many people refer to cellulite as having the look of either orange peel or cottage cheese, neither of which are complimentary terms. Cellulite is fat that sits just below the surface area of the skin which creates a lumpy and also irregular appearance to the skin. This problem mostly impacts ladies, and also regrettably makes many feel very self-conscious regarding their appearance.

Can a prolapse correct itself?

The condition may resolve on its own. If your symptoms are mild, you may want to start with self-care to resolve uterine prolapse. Try to: Lose weight (especially if you're overweight).

This modern technology creates deep heating of the fat cells, their surrounding connective cells and the underlying facial collagen fibres. Diet, exercise as well as raised water intake can aid improve collagen and minimize cellulite. There are also many surgical and also clinical procedures that can aid. The quantity of cellulite you have, and also just how visible it is, can be down to genes, body fat percentage, age, as well as also the thickness of your skin. Gradually, this connective cells ends up being much less flexible and also flexible. This can create an enhanced pull on the skin whilst increasing fat stores push outside.

This impact is mostly due to the loss of fluids and is only short-term. These wraps are usually valuable for leisure, in addition to softening the skin, but they do not minimize cellulite. It happens because a a great deal of women' s fat cells lie in pockets within the connective cells of the skin. In time, a develop of liquids and fat, along with a reduction in blood supply, can cause the pockets to lump and press versus the connective tissues, creating the outside 'orange peel' effect on the skin. By combining Multi-Polar Radio Frequency, VariPulse Modern Technology and also Pulsed Magnetic Area, Venus Heritage creates heat energy that deeply penetrates the skin as well as warms cells uniformly.

This procedure liquifies the fat into acids which are brought by the blood to the liver, which are eventually thrown out by the body naturally. This treatment has actually shown to be very effective in the therapy of Cellulite. 3D Shockwave, is the current treatment designed to deal with cellulite by accelerating fat removal and tightening the skin. This boosts the skin's structure, supplying visible outcomes that you ought to begin to notice after 3 to 4 sessions. However, optimal results need to show up after one month, with 8-10 therapies advised for longer-lasting results. The bottom line is that there is no cellulite therapy that will clear you entirely of your dimply skin. There's no basic service or wonder product, but there are means you can look to reduce its appearance and also improve your body confidence.

What Are The benefits Of The Cryopen therapy?

Among our very experienced practitioners will execute the treatment by gliding a hand-held tool throughout the therapy area. Then, ultrasound modern technology from the tool is made use of to permeate the epidermis of the skin. https://www.openlearning.com/u/tierussia06/blog/FatFreezingSolihull warms it approximately about 45 levels, which triggers the collagen fibres in the skin to agreement, as well as likewise to generate brand-new collagen and elastin. This procedure creates the skin to immediately tighten up, causing a stronger look. This therapy can also be used on the face to assist deal with indications of aging, however when utilized for cellulite it is really reliable for dealing with the abdominal area, thighs, upper arms and also back.

Cellulite is usually genetic, so it's most likely your relative will be dealing with the same problem. Also, it is claimed that 95% of women have a type of cellulite somewhere on their body and article maternity can prompt irregular skin too, so rest assured, you remain in excellent firm as well as also skinny people aren't unsusceptible to cellulite. Lotions and gels form the bulk of cellulite treatments that are marketed. Much of these contain components that have been shown to boost metabolic rate of fat in laboratory experiments, but none have been medically verified to have a significant or long-term effect in researches on clients. Our team believe that healthy and balanced skin actually is at the heart of looking great and sensation wonderful and also we're passionate concerning healthy and balanced skin and also its restoration. We believe that you should be able to securely enhance your look to look fresh and also natural whilst holding to on your own and to that end we've sought the greatest treatments to supply to our clients. People can react in different ways to the treatment relying on their skin kind.

This assists to shrink the fat cells that trigger cellulite increasing blood circulation and also promoting the development of brand-new collagen as well as elastin, boosting the total structure of skin. " By purifying as well as cleansing not just the skin, however the entire body, and also creating a feeling of deep relaxation, you're a lot more able to eliminate a buildup of toxins. As well as we all know that less contaminants equals much less cellulite." Continue reading to uncover https://www.blackplanet.com/sphynxhawk35/message/22401952 that purify, tone and also tighten up orange-peel susceptible skin. It is a safe and non-invasive therapy made to tighten up the skin on the face as well as body. This makes it the best solution for those seeking to enhance the appearance of cellulite by smoothing the skin. Phosphatidylcholine, deoxycholic acid & benzylalcohol is injected into the subcutaneous fat using a needle. The option weakens the membrane layer of the cells which results in the launch of natural enzymes.

Coolsculpting.

What Is a Cars And Truck Facelift?

While exercise can not do away with cellulite entirely, firming the muscular tissues below will help smooth the skin's look, states star personal trainer, Dalton Wong. Some researches reveal caffeine can make cellulite worse, because of its results on blood circulation and obtaining oxygen as well as nutrients to skin cells. The initial cause of cellulite is linked to the connective tissue in between the skin as well as fat compressing. The bodies fascial links, called septae, are constructed from elastin and collagen, these connective tissues function a bit like columns, holding up the 'ceiling' that is your skin.

How do you stop a prolapse from getting worse?

How to Reduce the Risk of your Prolapse Getting Worse 1. Exercising your Pelvic Floor. 2. Using 'The Knack' Exercise Technique. 3. Using a Support Pessary. 4. Exercising your Whole Body. 5. Choosing Pelvic Floor Safe Exercises. 6. Managing your Bowels. 7. Manging Coughing. 8. Managing Allergies. More items•

The tights give all-day cellulite reduction, boosted skin hydration and moisture, overhauled blood circulation as well as boosted collagen manufacturing. The Vellashape cellulite treatment utilizes Vela modern technology, which utilizes a mix of infrared light and also radio-frequency energy with a vacuum cleaner.

When skin is dried cellulite is more probable to show, consuming a lot of water can boost skin elasticity which will assist to reduce cellulite. Hormonal agents are believed to be just one of the largest contributors to the sources of cellulite, especially in females. As women mature their natural level of estrogen starts to drop as well as with the onset of menopause, blood flow to the connective tissue can additionally lower. Less blood circulation implies much less oxygen is being supplied to cells to generate collagen, reducing regeneration and also repair service. As the connective cells are deteriorated, fat ends up being extra visible via them. Together with massage therapy, the regular use of a cellulite therapy cream can help enhance the look of dimpled skin.

How do you know when a guy is still a virgin?

5 classic signs that tell if a man is virgin! 1. 01/7Male virginity. Gone are the days when female virginity meant everything. 2. 02/7Five signs. 3. 03/7​Quick orgasm. 4. 04/7​May bleed. 5. 05/7​Clueless in bed. 6. 06/7Does not know what foreplay is. 7. 07/7Awkward.

It is usually suggested that you allow minutes for the full therapy time. Cellulite on the body whilst additionally boosting firmness and also raising the skin. The treatment can be utilized as a stand alone therapy or, as part of a continuous fat decrease programme with us to accelerate your results.

We performed a prospective research study on a handful of ladies with cellulite to see if this can be validated. If you eat a lot of vitamins as well as a well balanced diet-- it is obvious! Battle cellulite from within by eating foods that are reduced in salt. Salt takes in water in the body, which results in puffed up cells. NIVEA Q10 Firming + Goodbye Cellulite Serum significantly boosts the suppleness of skin and also lowers the look of cellulite in 10 days. Enriched with 100% Skin Similar Coenzyme Q10 and also Lotus Extract the lotion leaves skin sensation quickly energised.

Sadly, we are not about to reveal any kind of magic remedies or cellulite cures because there aren't any kind of. There isn't a fast solution to do away with cellulite but there are products that can minimize or minimise its look. Cellulite kinds in areas with the least blood circulation so simple exercises such as quick walking, swimming and also running must be done daily to assist boost blood circulation in the entire body. Recently numerous business have actually created compression hosiery claiming to minimize the look of cellulite. Among the most recent products are 'Silver Wave' stockings, made by Solidea, which claim to lower cellulite making use of 'trademarked micro-massage ridge technology'.

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Skin marks removal.

Why Fat Freezing Is a Great choice.

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Content

benefits Of Cryotherapy Lipoglaze Treatments.

Can I schedule Today?

Does Massaging help With Cellulite?

female's health.

Cryopen ®. bid Farewell To protuberances, Skin labels and So a Lot More!

Why Do ladies get Cellulite?

Fat Freezing Solihull

As a matter of fact skin doctors say that it might impact as much as 95 percent of females at some time in their lives. The lymph liquid apparently has leukocyte which pick up microorganisms, toxins and also other waste from our blood. Brushing your body with completely dry brush is intended to boost "lymph flow". It's recommended that you not just apply to your skin as a lotion yet that you consume it as well. But you'll start to observe a distinction with a healthy and balanced diet and also workout. Obviously, cellulite is regular in those of all sizes and shapes.

Whilst a poor diet plan triggers cellulite, dieting as well hard or way too much can additionally trigger issues. Hormone variables (estrogen is claimed to be one of the most crucial hormonal agents to initiate as well as aggravate cellulite, as well as modifications in metabolic rate can additionally activate cellulite formation.

benefits Of Cryotherapy Lipoglaze Treatments.

My consultant asserted to have actually carried out 20 treatments in the last week alone. This is despite a disconcerting absence of proof to show these treatments are effective or safe. The FDA located cases of vaginal burns, scarring, pain throughout sexual intercourse, and repeating or chronic pain triggered by genital rejuvenation treatments and also concluded that "the complete extent of the dangers is unknown". While it has actually accepted laser and energy-based gadgets for clinical usage, consisting of the destruction of unusual or precancerous cervical or genital tissue as well as genital growths, it has not authorized their use for "genital restoration". We are a luxury skin rejuvenation and also charm center situated just outside Leeds, West Yorkshire.

' Such a hormonal agent circumstance can show up physiologically while pregnant, menopause, along with while taking hormonal birth controls or throughout hormone substitute therapy' says Dr Dressmaker. Nonetheless, what experts do recognize it that there are things can aggravate it. To obtain professional intel, WH asked Specialist Skin specialist Dr Justine Hextal of The Harley Medical Team to address your leading cellulite inquiries. If your own is playing with your confidence, then know that there are a couple of roads that you can attempt, to reduce its appearance. " Structure muscular tissue through exercising will certainly assist lymphs move more easily via fatty areas, accelerating your all-natural detoxing system", says Dr Rhodes. ' Writing this has actually made me know just how much I have actually permitted my mind to bully my body'.

Can I reserve Today?

' I think this may well help the look in the short term however I can not see how it will certainly have a clinically considerable long-term result. ' While there's no such thing as a remedy, I think there is worth on massaging skin to aid the microcirculation and to promote lymph circulation,' details Dr Hextal. While no diet plan or food team is the source of-- or solution to-- your cellulite, certain points may offer to intensify the problem. Hormonal discrepancies are considered as an essential reason for cellulite.

Do facelifts get rid of wrinkles?

A facelift is a great answer for jowls, loose skin, and heavy sags. It will also work to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but will not remove them entirely. As mentioned above, a facelift cannot stop your body from aging. It will help to refresh your look and make the wrinkles less pronounced on your skin.

INITIA An effective and also flexible diode laser for basically 'pain-free' hair elimination on all skin kinds. Those that market literally intrusive procedures, the ASA said, "may be asked to provide complete information along with details concerning those who monitor and also administer them". The organisation said experts "must have pertinent as well as recognised certifications" and that "marketing professionals ought to encourage customers to take independent clinical recommendations" before going through such treatments. The ASA does have standards for how therapies making use of lasers are marketed yet it has not yet explored their use in vaginal renewal procedures, nor has it considered treatments that use ultrasound. In the UK, it has actually come to be much more typical for personal clinics to supply this non-surgical therapy, which is also marketed as "genital tightening up" or a vaginal "lift". A quick search on Google or charm booking web site Treatwell makes lots of pinch hit facilities providing some kind of vaginal restoration procedure in the UK, the majority of which use lasers and other "energy-based" gadgets.

I was informed that females might securely start having sex once again three to 5 days later as well as must stay clear of "warm therapies", such as saunas, for 3 days later on. The clinic likewise advises against utilizing tampons, which might cause irritability, if a woman has a period within 7 days of the therapy, and also warns concerning a harmless clear discharge which might likewise take place. A big percent of the aforementioned activities are those affecting the skin tone. The good thing with this type of genital firm therapy is that it's not invasive at all. It's visual in nature as well as relies on using HIFU to help in strengthening the state of your genital canal. For ladies who truly believe they have a loosened vagina and also intend to do something about it, gladly, there is a service that is both pain-free as well as totally free.

You might have a catheter put in at the beginning of the treatment to drain pee out of your bladder.

You will certainly have a general anaesthetic to make sure that you're asleep during the therapy.

It may be suitable for men that have cancer that requires dealing with in only one area of their prostate.

On the early morning of your HIFU treatment, you'll be offered an enema to clear your bowels.

Focal HIFU deals with a smaller location of the prostate and also takes one to two hours.

These males will certainly have regular tests to keep an eye on the cancer that is not treated.

Some men that have focal HIFU have only one location of cancer cells in their prostate.

Toxic substances, which can develop in your layers of fat, and excess liquid, are after that eliminated in your waste. Those like avocados, and also cold-water fish help reduce inflammation while complex carbs consisting of quinoa as well as lentils give you energy to train.

When you're using your body lotion, massage therapy it well right into your upper legs as well as various other potentially dimply areas. The most effective cellulite creams that deserve your time and cash money include Nivea Q10 Plus Farewell Cellulite Gel-Cream 200ml, ₤ 9.99 from Amazon.com and also, while it's even more of an oil, Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil, is an excellent choice. Grocery store shelves are rupturing with creams, potions as well as pills that claim to beat cellulite, however you can maintain it inexpensive as well as simple with the adhering to tricks. Recognizing what cellulite is, exactly how it is created, and also the leading reasons are crucial for specialists to be able to effectively deal with as well as fix the issue areas as well as make a distinction for every single client.

Why do facelifts fail?

Failed facelifts and other surgeries like rhinoplasty fail much more often than you think. We frequently see patients for consultation for revision surgery due to a failed outside procedure. Instead, the vast majority are due to errors in thinking and strategy due to gaping deficits in medical/surgical education.

As evidence of the expanding appeal of genital restoration, the therapy has actually been the subject of a discussion on ITV's popular This Morning program, along with including in an episode of The Real Housewives of Cheshire. One facility informed Refinery29 UK that a lot of women that concerned enquire about genital rejuvenation did so since they had seen it on the reality program. While genital renewal treatments are being supplied in several private clinics, at-home devices can also conveniently be bought online, such as the vSculpt for "pelvic floor toning and vaginal renewal treatment" (valued at ₤ 375).

How long does it take to look normal after a facelift?

Though “recovery” – i.e., the amount of time it will take for you to get back to a relatively normal routine after your facelift – is about two weeks, the time it takes for all of the residual swelling, bruising and changes in skin sensation to resolve themselves is a full year.

Does Massaging help With Cellulite?

Some individuals simply have genetics which are inclined to cellulite advancement, and also some characteristics such as gender or a sluggish metabolic rate can have a result. Smoking can trigger cellulite to be more common, in addition to not working out or standing/sitting in the same place. It triggers dimples as well as a lumpy look, which is normally most obvious on the butts as well as upper legs. Below's all you require to find out about "orange peel" skin and also how to tackle tackling it. Female's Health and wellness participates in various associate marketing programs, which indicates we may get paid compensations on editorially chosen items acquired via our links to merchant sites. ' There have actually been research studies that reveal some enhancement of topical applications applied twice a day for six weeks, but there is no proof of clinically significant renovation.

female's health.

Cryopen ®. bid Farewell To verrucas, Skin marks and So much More!

Vaginal rejuvenation therapies are non-surgical, generally entailing a tool that discharges a laser or warmth, which some centers recommend monthly or every 6 weeks, with individuals allegedly seeing "benefits" after one or two treatments. Maybe said that the language used to market vaginal restoration therapies-- which promise a "tighter" and/or "a lot more youthful" looking vaginal area-- gas physical insecurities among females. Part of the reason centers can provide solutions like vaginal renewal (as well as other non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as fillers) is since there is practically no law over exactly how they are conducted.

Wong also worries the need to consume foods abundant in vital fatty acids. You utilize it to massage on the cellulite - it sets you back ₤ 19.95 from Holland & Barrett. This kind of therapy uses a rubber section cup to promote blood circulation. The idea is to create even more oxygen and work out contaminants by obtaining the blood to circulation. If you have cellulite on your bottom and upper legs, bows as well as lunges are the most effective actions. As a matter of fact, lots of Hollywood A-listers swear by consuming a plate of asparagus prior to a red carpet look since it's so proficient at reducing bloating. Various other skin-strengthening foods include oily fish, poultry, grapefruit, tomatoes, apples, spinach, carrots and also avocados.

Our beauty parlor proprietor Christine is a totally Registered General Registered nurse with over 40 years experience and over ten years experience as an Aesthetic Registered nurse Expert supplying non invasive injectables. They all have several years experience in the market in between them. Mens facelift treatment are staffed with pleasant beauticians who are dedicated to make each customer really feel extensively spoiled. Situated on Reading's lively Oxford Roadway, CoLaz is a sophisticated charm center offering the most recent treatments for males and females. Being experts in hair removal and also skin care remedies through different strategies, you can choose from the likes of; waxing, threading, electrolysis, laser, micro-needling, chemical peels, plus more traditional treatments.

How do you sleep after a facelift?

After a facelift, it makes sense to sleep on your back. However, you must also sleep with your head elevated for 2 to 4 weeks following the surgery. This position prevents facial strain, swelling, and general discomfort. Prop your head up with a stack of pillows and place extra pillows at the sides of your face.

Not just does this offer wide spectrum security however it resembles spraying yourself from leading to toe with a cooling face haze. Consisting of 40 percent mineral water and hyaluronic acid, it's lightweight, rejuvenating as well as hydrating. Viewing as UV rays accelerate this procedure, put on the best SPF moisturisers to prevent diminishing your skin's collagen reserves.

Can plastic surgery make you prettier?

Plastic surgery often springs from a desire to look younger and more attractive. A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that while facial plastic surgery reverses about three years of visual aging, it doesn't make you prettier.

" There is no evidence to recommend that non-surgical 'genital renewal' gadgets are effective in enhancing vaginal muscular tissue tone or improving genital cells." When I asked what the therapy included, I was offered a demo of the "FemiWand" gadget, which heats up to 65 degrees Celsius and also turns while inside the vaginal area. Fascinated, I agreed to pay ₤ 20 for an examination at Vivo Center in London's Fitzrovia. The professional informed me they would certainly not deal with anyone with a pacemaker, anybody on medicine that would disrupt the therapy, any person on their duration or anyone under 18. I asked if the clinic checks whether or not a woman's vaginal canal is 'abnormal' before providing the procedure and also was told it does not. I was likewise informed a woman as young as 19 as well as 21, had undertaken the therapy and that it was "incredibly prominent".

According to patient info given by the General Medical Council, organisations that offer only non-surgical cosmetic treatments, such as dermal fillers or Botox, ought to do so in a secure and also suitable atmosphere. Regional councils are responsible for licensing and also monitoring facilities that use special therapies, for instance those that utilize warmth, light or vapour. I was ensured the treatment was pain-free (as a result of "the quantity of fatty tissue in the location"), although I was informed I "might really feel a little bit of pain" but only if there was "action in the location".

Fat Freezing Solihull

Cellulite doesn't discriminate, as well as can appear regardless of shape or body type, so you could locate it on your thighs, bottoms, arms or tummy, whether you're a dimension 8 or a size 18. It is additionally genetic, so if your mum experiences right stuff after that you could discover you're more likely to get it as well. Never be without your much-loved Boots items with our global delivery options. Sadly there are numerous variables that affect the on-set of cellulite.

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Cryo cupboard.

Why Fat Freezing Is a Great selection.

Content

advantages Of Cryotherapy Lipoglaze Treatments.

Can I book Today?

Does Massaging help With Cellulite?

women's wellness.

Cryopen ®. bid Farewell To verrucas, Skin tags therefore a Lot More!

Why Do females obtain Cellulite?

Fat Freezing Solihull

Actually skin doctors claim that it might impact as much as 95 per cent of women eventually in their lives. The lymph fluid supposedly contains white blood cells which grab microorganisms, toxins as well as other waste from our blood. Brushing your body with dry brush is supposed to increase "lymph flow". It's advised that you not just put on your skin as a cream yet that you eat it as well. But you'll begin to discover a distinction with a healthy and balanced diet regimen as well as workout. Naturally, cellulite is normal in those of all shapes and sizes.

Whilst a bad diet plan creates cellulite, weight loss as well hard or excessive can likewise trigger issues. Hormone elements (estrogen is stated to be one of the most crucial hormones to start and also aggravate cellulite, and also changes in metabolism can additionally cause cellulite development.

advantages Of Cryotherapy Lipoglaze Treatments.

My professional claimed to have accomplished 20 procedures in the recently alone. This is despite a disconcerting absence of evidence to show these treatments work or secure. The FDA found situations of genital burns, scarring, discomfort throughout sexual intercourse, as well as repeating or chronic pain brought on by vaginal restoration therapies and also wrapped up that "the complete degree of the risks is unidentified". While it has actually approved laser and energy-based tools for medical use, consisting of the damage of uncommon or precancerous cervical or vaginal cells as well as genital protuberances, it has not authorized their usage for "genital renewal". We are a high-end skin restoration and also beauty center situated simply outside Leeds, West Yorkshire.

' Such a hormonal agent situation can appear physiologically during pregnancy, menopause, along with while taking hormonal contraceptives or in the course of hormonal agent replacement therapy' states Dr Tailor. However, what specialists do know it that there are points can aggravate it. To get experienced intel, WH asked Consultant Skin doctor Dr Justine Hextal of The Harley Medical Team to answer your leading cellulite concerns. If yours is having fun with your self-confidence, after that understand that there are a few roadways that you can attempt, to minimise its look. " Building muscle mass with working out will aid lymphs stream more easily via fatty areas, speeding up your all-natural detoxing system", states Dr Rhodes. ' Creating this has actually made me become aware just how much I have actually allowed for my mind to bully my body'.

https://pastebin.fun/iHw6aGigbi ='text-align:center'>

Can I reserve Today?

' I assume this might well assist the appearance in the short-term yet I can not see just how it will certainly have a clinically significant long term result. ' While there's no such thing as a remedy, I believe there is worth on rubbing skin to help the microcirculation and to promote lymph circulation,' information Dr Hextal. While no diet plan or food group is the cause of-- or option to-- your cellulite, particular things might offer to intensify the trouble. Hormone inequalities are considered as an essential reason for cellulite.

INITIA A powerful and flexible diode laser for essentially 'pain-free' hair removal on all skin kinds. Those that advertise literally intrusive procedures, the ASA said, "might be asked to provide complete details together with details about those that monitor as well as provide them". The organisation stated professionals "must have pertinent and identified credentials" which "marketing professionals should motivate consumers to take independent medical advice" before undertaking such procedures. The ASA does have guidelines for how treatments using lasers are marketed yet it has actually not yet discovered their usage in genital renewal treatments, nor has it considered treatments that utilize ultrasound. In the UK, it has actually become a lot more common for private facilities to use this non-surgical treatment, which is also marketed as "genital tightening up" or a vaginal "lift". A quick search on Google or charm reservation website Treatwell provides dozens of hits for clinics offering some type of vaginal renewal treatment in the UK, a lot of which use lasers as well as various other "energy-based" gadgets.

I was informed that females might securely begin having sex again three to 5 days later on and must stay clear of "heat treatments", such as saunas, for 3 days after that. The facility likewise discourages making use of tampons, which might trigger inflammation, if a lady has a period within seven days of the treatment, and alerts concerning a safe clear discharge which may also take place. A big percentage of the aforementioned tasks are those impacting the skin tone. The good idea with this sort of genital tightening up treatment is that it's not intrusive by any means. It's aesthetic in nature and depends on the use of HIFU to aid in reinforcing the state of your vaginal canal. For women that absolutely think they have a loose vagina and intend to find a solution for it, happily, there is a remedy that is both pain-free and also totally free.

You may have a catheter put in at the beginning of the therapy to drain pipes urine out of your bladder.

You will certainly have a general anaesthetic so that you're asleep during the therapy.

It might appropriate for men who have cancer that needs dealing with in just one area of their prostate.

A catheter is a slim tube that is entered your bladder, either with the penis or with the wall surface of your abdomen.

On the morning of your HIFU treatment, you'll be offered an enema to clear your bowels.

Focal HIFU deals with a smaller sized area of the prostate as well as takes one to 2 hours.

These guys will have normal tests to keep an eye on the cancer that is not dealt with.

Some men who have focal HIFU have only one location of cancer cells in their prostate.

Contaminants, which can build up in your layers of fat, as well as excess liquid, are then eliminated in your waste. Those like avocados, and cold-water fish help reduce inflammation while complex carbs consisting of quinoa and also lentils provide you power to train.

Does a facelift affect your smile?

I perform lip lifts on nearly half of my facelift patients, who are surprised by how much of a difference it can make. In fact, the smile improvement is often the part of their results they are most happy with.

When you're applying your body lotion, massage it well right into your thighs and also other possibly dimply locations. The best cellulite creams that are worth your time and cash include Nivea Q10 And also Farewell Cellulite Gel-Cream 200ml, ₤ 9.99 from Amazon and also, while it's more of an oil, Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil, is a great alternative. Supermarket shelves are breaking with lotions, remedies and pills that claim to defeat cellulite, but you can maintain it inexpensive and simple with the complying with tricks. Recognizing what cellulite is, just how it is developed, as well as the leading causes are necessary for professionals to be able to effectively deal with and also resolve the trouble areas and make a distinction for every client.

Why do facelifts fail?

Failed facelifts and other surgeries like rhinoplasty fail much more often than you think. We frequently see patients for consultation for revision surgery due to a failed outside procedure. Instead, the vast majority are due to errors in thinking and strategy due to gaping deficits in medical/surgical education.

As evidence of the growing popularity of vaginal rejuvenation, the treatment has actually been the topic of a conversation on ITV's preferred Today program, along with featuring in an episode of The Actual Housewives of Cheshire. One facility informed Refinery29 UK that most women who involved enquire about genital restoration did so due to the fact that they had seen it on the fact program. While genital restoration treatments are being supplied in several exclusive centers, at-home gadgets can likewise quickly be gotten online, such as the vSculpt for "pelvic floor toning and genital renewal therapy" (priced at ₤ 375).

How long does it take to look normal after a facelift?

Though “recovery” – i.e., the amount of time it will take for you to get back to a relatively normal routine after your facelift – is about two weeks, the time it takes for all of the residual swelling, bruising and changes in skin sensation to resolve themselves is a full year.

Does Massaging assist With Cellulite?

Some people just have genes which are inclined to cellulite growth, and also some features such as sex or a sluggish metabolic rate can have an effect. Cigarette smoking can create cellulite to be extra common, in addition to not working out or standing/sitting in the very same area. It creates dimples and also a lumpy appearance, which is normally most noticeable on the butts and thighs. Here's all you need to know about "orange peel" skin and how to deal with tackling it. Women's Wellness takes part in numerous affiliate advertising programs, which means we might make money payments on editorially chosen products bought with our web links to store sites. ' There have actually been research studies that reveal some renovation of topical applications applied two times a day for 6 weeks, yet there is no proof of scientifically significant renovation.

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Vaginal rejuvenation treatments are non-surgical, generally including a tool that produces a laser or warmth, which some clinics advise monthly or every 6 weeks, with clients supposedly seeing "advantages" after a couple of therapies. It could be argued that the language made use of to market vaginal rejuvenation therapies-- which guarantee a "tighter" and/or "a lot more vibrant" looking vaginal canal-- gas physical instabilities among ladies. Component of the factor facilities can provide solutions like genital renewal (as well as various other non-surgical cosmetic treatments like fillers) is because there is essentially no policy over exactly how they are conducted.

Does insurance pay for facelift?

But some plastic surgery is, in fact, covered by health insurance. With national cost averages ranging from $3,800 for a breast augmentation to upwards of $8,000 for a facelift, cosmetic surgery is no small expense and most treatments (surgical or otherwise) are not covered by health insurance.

Why Do females obtain Cellulite?

Wong additionally stresses the requirement to eat foods abundant in necessary fats. You use it to massage on the cellulite - it sets you back ₤ 19.95 from Holland & Barrett. This kind of treatment utilizes a rubber section mug to boost blood circulation. The suggestion is to create more oxygen and also exercise toxins by obtaining the blood to flow. If you have cellulite on your bottom and thighs, squats and lunges are the best relocations. As a matter of fact, numerous Hollywood A-listers advocate consuming a plate of asparagus prior to a red rug look due to the fact that it's so good at minimizing bloating. Other skin-strengthening foods consist of oily fish, hen, grapefruit, tomatoes, apples, spinach, carrots and also avocados.

Our hair salon proprietor Christine is a fully Registered General Nurse with over 40 years experience as well as over ten years experience as an Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner giving non intrusive injectables. They all have many years experience in the sector in between them. We are staffed with pleasant beauticians that are devoted to make each client really feel completely spoiled. Positioned on Analysis's vibrant Oxford Road, CoLaz is an advanced elegance center giving the most up to date therapies for males and females. Being experts in hair elimination and skin care remedies through numerous techniques, you can take your pick from the similarity; waxing, threading, electrolysis, laser, micro-needling, chemical peels, plus a lot more timeless treatments.

How do you sleep after a facelift?

After a facelift, it makes sense to sleep on your back. However, you must also sleep with your head elevated for 2 to 4 weeks following the surgery. This position prevents facial strain, swelling, and general discomfort. Prop your head up with a stack of pillows and place extra pillows at the sides of your face.

Not just does this deal wide range defense yet it resembles spraying yourself from leading to toe with an air conditioning face haze. Consisting of 40 per cent mineral water and also hyaluronic acid, it's light-weight, refreshing and hydrating. Seeing as UV rays accelerate this process, wear the very best SPF moisturisers to prevent diminishing your skin's collagen gets.

Can plastic surgery make you prettier?

Plastic surgery often springs from a desire to look younger and more attractive. A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that while facial plastic surgery reverses about three years of visual aging, it doesn't make you prettier.

" There is no evidence to recommend that non-surgical 'vaginal renewal' tools are effective in enhancing vaginal muscular tissue tone or reshaping genital cells." When I asked what the therapy included, I was offered a presentation of the "FemiWand" device, which heats up to 65 levels Celsius as well as turns while inside the vagina. Interested, I agreed to pay ₤ 20 for an appointment at Vivo Center in London's Fitzrovia. The consultant informed me they would not deal with anybody with a pacemaker, anyone on drug that would certainly interfere with the therapy, anyone on their duration or any individual under 18. I asked if the facility checks whether a lady's vagina is 'irregular' before providing the procedure and also was informed it does not. I was additionally informed a woman as young as 19 and also 21, had actually undergone the therapy which it was "exceptionally popular".

According to client info offered by the General Medical Council, organisations that offer only non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as facial fillers or Botox, must do so in a safe and also suitable setting. Local councils are in charge of licensing as well as monitoring facilities that provide unique therapies, for example those that utilize heat, light or vapour. I was ensured the treatment was pain-free (because of "the amount of fatty tissue in the location"), although I was informed I "might really feel a little bit of discomfort" yet just if there was "action in the area".

Fat Freezing Solihull

Cellulite doesn't discriminate, and can show up no matter shape or physique, so you might discover it on your thighs, bottoms, upper arms or belly, whether you're a dimension 8 or a size 18. It is likewise genetic, so if your mum suffers with right stuff after that you might discover you're more probable to get it also. Never be without your favorite Boots products with our global delivery choices. Sadly there are lots of variables that influence the on-set of cellulite.

[hosesmoke80-blog]

Femiwand ® vaginal tightening @ Vivo facility

Why Fat Freezing Is a Good selection.

Content

benefits Of Cryotherapy Lipoglaze Treatments.

Can I book Today?

Does Massaging aid With Cellulite?

women's health And Wellness.

Cryopen ®. say Goodbye To warts, Skin tags and So much More!

Why Do women get Cellulite?

Fat Freezing Solihull

As a matter of fact skin doctors state that it might affect as much as 95 per cent of women eventually in their lives. The lymph liquid apparently has white blood cells which get bacteria, contaminants and also various other waste from our blood. Rubbing your body with completely dry brush is expected to increase "lymph circulation". It's suggested that you not only put on your skin as a lotion yet that you consume it as well. However you'll start to discover a difference with a healthy and balanced diet regimen and also exercise. Certainly, cellulite is regular in those of all sizes and shapes.

Whilst a bad diet plan creates cellulite, dieting too difficult or excessive can likewise create problems. Hormonal aspects (estrogen is claimed to be among the most important hormones to start and exacerbate cellulite, as well as modifications in metabolic rate can additionally set off cellulite development.

advantages Of Cryotherapy Lipoglaze Treatments.

My expert claimed to have accomplished 20 procedures in the recently alone. This is in spite of a startling absence of evidence to reveal these treatments work or secure. The FDA discovered instances of genital burns, scarring, pain throughout sexual intercourse, as well as recurring or persistent pain brought on by genital renewal therapies and wrapped up that "the full extent of the threats is unidentified". While it has actually approved laser and also energy-based gadgets for medical usage, including the damage of irregular or precancerous cervical or vaginal cells and also genital moles, it has not approved their usage for "vaginal restoration". We are a luxury skin renewal and also charm facility located simply outside Leeds, West Yorkshire.

hifu treatment"/>

' Such a hormone scenario can appear from a physical standpoint during pregnancy, menopause, as well as while taking hormone contraceptives or during hormonal agent replacement therapy' says Dr Tailor. Nonetheless, what professionals do know it that there are things can worsen it. To get expert intel, WH asked Expert Skin doctor Dr Justine Hextal of The Harley Medical Group to answer your top cellulite concerns. If your own is having fun with your confidence, after that know that there are a couple of roadways that you can try, to reduce its appearance. " Building muscle mass with exercising will aid lymphs stream more easily via fatty areas, quickening your all-natural detoxing system", states Dr Rhodes. ' Writing this has made me understand how much I have actually permitted my mind to bully my body'.

Can I schedule Today?

' I assume this may well aid the appearance in the short-term but I can not see how it will have a scientifically considerable long-term result. ' While there's no such thing as a cure, I assume there is worth on rubbing skin to assist the microcirculation and also to stimulate lymph circulation,' details Dr Hextal. While no diet regimen or food team is the cause of-- or solution to-- your cellulite, specific points may serve to worsen the trouble. Hormonal imbalances are considered an important cause of cellulite.

Do facelifts get rid of wrinkles?

A facelift is a great answer for jowls, loose skin, and heavy sags. It will also work to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but will not remove them entirely. As mentioned above, a facelift cannot stop your body from aging. It will help to refresh your look and make the wrinkles less pronounced on your skin.

INITIA An effective and also functional diode laser for virtually 'pain-free' hair removal on all skin types. Those who market physically intrusive procedures, the ASA stated, "may be asked to supply complete details together with information about those who manage and administer them". The organisation said practitioners "must have appropriate as well as identified qualifications" and that "marketers ought to encourage customers to take independent clinical guidance" before undergoing such procedures. The ASA does have standards for exactly how treatments utilizing lasers are marketed but it has actually not yet explored their usage in genital rejuvenation treatments, nor has it looked at treatments that utilize ultrasound. In the UK, it has actually become much more usual for personal facilities to use this non-surgical treatment, which is also marketed as "vaginal tightening" or a genital "lift". A fast search on Google or beauty reservation web site Treatwell makes dozens of pinch hit facilities supplying some kind of genital restoration treatment in the UK, most of which utilize lasers and various other "energy-based" gadgets.

I was educated that women might securely begin having sex once again 3 to five days later on as well as should stay clear of "warm treatments", such as saunas, for 3 days after that. The clinic additionally advises against making use of tampons, which might cause irritability, if a lady has a period within 7 days of the treatment, as well as cautions about a safe clear discharge which may likewise happen. A big percent of the previously mentioned activities are those impacting the complexion. The advantage with this sort of vaginal tightening therapy is that it's not invasive in any way. It's visual in nature and relies on making use of HIFU to assist in bolstering the state of your genital canal. For ladies that really think they have a loosened vaginal canal and want to throw down the gauntlet, happily, there is a service that is both pain-free and complimentary.

You may have a catheter put in at the beginning of the therapy to drain pee out of your bladder.

It might appropriate for males that have cancer that requires dealing with in just one area of their prostate.

If you aren't able to have a general anaesthetic for wellness factors, you may have the ability to have a spinal anaesthetic so that you can't really feel anything in your lower body.

With this, you will additionally be provided some medication to make you drowsy.

Focal HIFU deals with a smaller sized location of the prostate as well as takes one to 2 hrs.

These men will certainly have regular tests to keep an eye on the cancer cells that is not treated.

Some men who have focal HIFU have just one location of cancer in their prostate.

Toxic substances, which can develop in your layers of fat, and also excess fluid, are after that removed in your waste. Those like avocados, and cold-water fish help reduce inflammation while complicated carbohydrates including quinoa as well as lentils give you energy to train.

Does a facelift affect your smile?

I perform lip lifts on nearly half of my facelift patients, who are surprised by how much of a difference it can make. In fact, the smile improvement is often the part of their results they are most happy with.

When you're applying your body lotion, massage it well right into your upper legs as well as various other possibly dimply locations. The best cellulite lotions that deserve your time and money include Nivea Q10 Plus Farewell Cellulite Gel-Cream 200ml, ₤ 9.99 from Amazon.com as well as, while it's more of an oil, Weleda Birch Cellulite Oil, is a good alternative. Supermarket shelves are bursting with lotions, potions and also pills that claim to beat cellulite, yet you can maintain it affordable and also simple with the adhering to techniques. Comprehending what cellulite is, exactly how it is developed, and the dominant reasons are important for specialists to be able to effectively treat as well as resolve the problem locations and make a difference for each customer.

Why do facelifts fail?

Failed facelifts and other surgeries like rhinoplasty fail much more often than you think. We frequently see patients for consultation for revision surgery due to a failed outside procedure. Instead, the vast majority are due to errors in thinking and strategy due to gaping deficits in medical/surgical education.

As evidence of the expanding popularity of vaginal renewal, the treatment has actually been the subject of a discussion on ITV's preferred Today show, as well as featuring in an episode of The Real Homemakers of Cheshire. One facility told Refinery29 UK that the majority of ladies who pertained to enquire about vaginal renewal did so since they had actually seen it on the reality show. While genital rejuvenation therapies are being provided in many personal facilities, at-home gadgets can additionally conveniently be gotten online, such as the vSculpt for "pelvic floor toning and also vaginal restoration treatment" (priced at ₤ 375).

How long does it take to look normal after a facelift?

Though “recovery” – i.e., the amount of time it will take for you to get back to a relatively normal routine after your facelift – is about two weeks, the time it takes for all of the residual swelling, bruising and changes in skin sensation to resolve themselves is a full year.

Does Massaging assist With Cellulite?

Some individuals just have genetics which are predisposed to cellulite growth, and also some attributes such as sex or a slow metabolic rate can have a result. Cigarette smoking can trigger cellulite to be much more prevalent, as well as not working out or standing/sitting in the exact same place. It triggers dimples and also a bumpy look, which is generally most visible on the buttocks as well as thighs. Right here's all you require to learn about "orange peel" skin as well as exactly how to tackle tackling it. Women's Health and wellness participates in various affiliate advertising and marketing programs, which indicates we might earn money payments on editorially selected products bought through our links to merchant sites. ' There have actually been researches that reveal some renovation of topical applications applied twice a day for 6 weeks, however there is no evidence of medically significant improvement.

women's health.

Cryopen ®. say Goodbye To excrescences, Skin marks therefore far More!

Vaginal rejuvenation treatments are non-surgical, typically including a tool that sends out a laser or warmth, which some clinics recommend regular monthly or every 6 weeks, with patients allegedly seeing "advantages" after 1 or 2 treatments. It could be said that the language utilized to market vaginal restoration treatments-- which assure a "tighter" and/or "more younger" looking vagina-- fuel physical instabilities among females. Part of the factor facilities can use solutions like genital renewal (and various other non-surgical cosmetic treatments such as fillers) is due to the fact that there is practically no law over exactly how they are conducted.

Why Do females get Cellulite?

Wong additionally stresses the need to eat foods abundant in crucial fatty acids. You use it to massage therapy on to the cellulite - it costs ₤ 19.95 from Holland & Barrett. This kind of therapy makes use of a rubber section cup to boost blood circulation. The suggestion is to create even more oxygen and also work out contaminants by getting the blood to flow. If you have cellulite on your bottom and thighs, crouches as well as lunges are the most effective moves. In fact, numerous Hollywood A-listers swear by consuming a plate of asparagus prior to a red carpet look because it's so good at decreasing bloating. Various other skin-strengthening foods include oily fish, poultry, grapefruit, tomatoes, apples, spinach, carrots as well as avocados.

Our salon proprietor Christine is a totally Registered General Registered nurse with over 40 years experience and over one decade experience as an Aesthetic Registered nurse Professional providing non intrusive injectables. They all have years experience in the sector in between them. We are staffed with friendly beauty consultants who are devoted to make each client feel extensively spoiled. Positioned on Reading's lively Oxford Roadway, CoLaz is a sophisticated elegance center providing the most up to date therapies for males and females. Being experts in hair removal as well as skin care solutions via various strategies, you can take your pick from the similarity; waxing, threading, electrolysis, laser, micro-needling, chemical peels, plus a lot more timeless treatments.

Not only does this offer wide range protection yet it's like spraying on your own from top to toe with a cooling face haze. Having 40 percent mineral water and also hyaluronic acid, it's light-weight, revitalizing and hydrating. Seeing as UV rays accelerate this process, wear the best SPF moisturisers to stay clear of depleting your skin's collagen reserves.

Can plastic surgery make you prettier?

Plastic surgery often springs from a desire to look younger and more attractive. A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that while facial plastic surgery reverses about three years of visual aging, it doesn't make you prettier.

" There is no evidence to suggest that non-surgical 'vaginal rejuvenation' tools are effective in improving vaginal muscular tissue tone or improving genital tissue." When I asked what the therapy included, I was given a presentation of the "FemiWand" gadget, which heats up to 65 degrees Celsius as well as turns while inside the vaginal canal. Interested, I agreed to pay ₤ 20 for a consultation at Vivo Center in London's Fitzrovia. The consultant informed me they would certainly not treat any individual with a pacemaker, anyone on medicine that would certainly disrupt the treatment, anybody on their period or anyone under 18. I asked if the clinic checks whether a female's vagina is 'unusual' before carrying out the treatment as well as was told it does not. I was likewise told a woman as young as 19 as well as 21, had actually undertaken the treatment and that it was "very popular".

According to patient info provided by the General Medical Council, organisations that give only non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as dermal fillers or Botox, need to do so in a risk-free and also appropriate atmosphere. Neighborhood councils are accountable for licensing as well as surveillance facilities that offer special treatments, for instance those that make use of warmth, light or vapour. I was assured the treatment was pain-free (because of "the quantity of fat in the location"), although I was told I "may really feel a little bit of soreness" but only if there was "action in the location".

Cellulite doesn't differentiate, and can show up regardless of form or type of body, so you might locate it on your thighs, bottoms, arms or stomach, whether you're a size 8 or a size 18. It is also hereditary, so if your mum suffers with the stuff after that you may discover you're more likely to get it as well. Never lack your preferred Boots products with our worldwide delivery alternatives. Regrettably there are several factors that influence the on-set of cellulite.