#my mom brought me vitamin water and I’m gonna try to drink it but it’s a flavor that usually makes me gag

[rosefinnigen]

save me excedrin . excedrin. excedrin save me

[subpar-ghoulfriend]

Let’s have a baby

yandere!EraserMicx PREGNANT!Reader 

A terrible mix up leading to an accidental pregnancy? Or something more intentional? Either way now you were pregnant with (none other than the beloved power couple heroes) Eraserhead and Present Mic’s child. Time to discuss how co parenting is going to work. 

TW: pregnancy, artificial insemination, yandere elements, mentions of stalking, alludes to potential custody battle

You had been avoiding the two men for the past week, which was challenging seeing as they managed to find your phone number, address, and place of work. Any time you blocked their calls they got a new number. Two Pro Heroes versus a twenty something civilian, it was only a matter of time until you were cornered.

Now the couple stood between you and your apartment. You had a long shift at your job as a pet groomer and just wanted to get some rest.

Present Mic was the first to speak. "Hey lil momma, we heard you had work today so we brought you some dinner. We thought we could talk over a nice meal."

You had no response. You were tired, both physically and emotionally. You had been put through the ringer ever since meeting them at your doctors office. It was a total Jane the Virgin situation. You went in for an assessment about some supposed ovarian cysts and unknowing left artificially inseminated. There was a supposed mix up, a digital glitch that somehow merged your chart with the surrogates - apparently your names were super similar. Two weeks later you were called back into the doctor's office and informed of what took place. And now you were in this living nightmare.

And the two heroes had nothing to do with the error. There was totally a surrogate. They hadn't paid off your provider. And why would they? You had never met them - although given their patrols they may have seen you once or twice...

They were tearful when they were informed of the mix up, they had been waiting patiently through the whole process and now everything was thrown in chaos. They offered to compensate you for your service which sent you into a blind rage. They just assumed you would carry a child, a child with half of your DNA, and then give YOUR baby away. Rationally you understood that they had planned to be be the only parents to the child, but that was with a professional surrogate who understood the process, who didn't want the child in their life, just happy to help out a loving couple. But that wasn't you, you grew up wanting to be a mom, and now they would take that from you.

What if they tried to legally take sole custody of the baby? Surely they had some pull in the judicial system. Besides, they were a solid couple with money, while you were alone with no family and working two jobs. The thought made you sick to your stomach.

You were shaking as you tried to push past them. Maybe they would just disappear if you ignored them, a girl could dream. But instead they tagged along inside. Albeit you weren’t fighting them on it, you knew this had to happen eventually.

Aizawa easily found the cluttered dining table in your small apartment. You flinched when the loud one tried to help you shrug off your backpack. Taking a seat on the couch you waited for them to start berating you.

"Come sit at the table, dinner is getting cold," Eraser spoke for the first time.

"I'll eat later, I'm not hungry."

"You may not be, but the baby needs to eat."

You glared, how dare they insinuate you didn't know what your child needed. If your body was hungry, you ate. If you were full the baby was full too.

But, you complied, not wanting to argue, "Fine, but I ate a snack not too long ago."

As you ate, Mic kept you company, picking at some left overs, they clearly ate before their visit. Aizawa was rummaging through your place but you managed to hold your tongue until he began throwing things out of your fridge.

"What are you doing?" You hissed, getting up out of your seat.

"Mic and I will bring you groceries tomorrow. The food you have is barely safe for an adult, let alone a fetus."

"Are you kidding me? It's not like I'm chugging alcohol and living off Twinkies. Hey! I just bought those turkey slices. How is turkey bad?" You whined.

To make sure you wouldn't dig the food out trash he dumped it out of his container.

"Zashi, don't let me forget to empty the trash on our way out. Do you know how much salt is in deli meat? And there's no way you can drink any of this while you're pregnant." He gestures to the cans of soda.

As the frustration built you had to fight back tears. They couldn't come in to your home and start throwing out your things.

"Some of us don't make ridiculous money, I'm buying what I can afford and the doctor never had any problem with my health." You hissed.

Hizashi felt the tension thickening, "Hey hey hey, it's okay. Sho and I will go get you some good stuff. We just gotta watch out for you and baby."

And that was the end of your resolve, you stomped past the Hero and locked yourself in your bedroom. Finally tears began to drip down your cheeks.

Back in your kitchen Mic was chiding his boyfriend for being so tough on you.

"So I should just back down while she stuffs herself with junk food?"

Mic gave him a shrug, showing him a bottle on your counter, "At lest she's taking her prenatal vitamins?"

Grabbing the keys to your apartment Aizawa instructed Mic to wait with you while he got you better groceries. He would make copies of your keys on his was back.

You prayed they would leave soon. You were laying in your bed having cried yourself out. Barely into your second month of pregnancy. You still had to endure this for at least seven more months, but most likely much longer.

Next thing you knew you were opening your eyes and the clock read seven AM. By now your uninvited guests must be gone. Nervously you sat up, praying that you'd skip the morning sickness just once this week. You had always had a weak stomach and even the doctor was surprised you were already experiencing the symptom. Unfortunately the minute your feet touched the floor you knew what was coming. You sprinted to the restroom, not even checking to see if the duo had left.

God this was terrible, you didn't just hate throwing up, you were terrified of it. What if you started and never stopped? But it did come to an end. You wiped the water from your eyes and took a moment before standing from the floor. You screamed when a hand slid under your arm, helping you up. Another set of feet rushed to the bathroom.

" What's wrong?" Hizashi huffed as he skid to a stop.

You pulled arm free from Aizawa's grasp. "What are you two still doing here?"

You turned in the faucet to rinse your mouth. Trying to calm your stress, the nausea was trying to return.

Undeterred the scruff pulled your hair into a bun before rubbing your back. You debated returning to bed but that wouldn't get them out of your apartment. You told them you need to sit down, both of them nodding, still wearing their concerned expressions. They got you a glass of water before joining you on the couch. Stubborn men, you sat at the end of the couch so they couldn't both sit, but Mic decided to perch himself on the armrest.

He started petting your hair, "You feelin better little listener?" You nodded in response.

"I got you more food, let us know if your hungry."

You sighed in defeat, "I'm barely two months pregnant, I can fend for myself. What did you all want to talk about?"

You anxiously placed a hand on your stomach. Both men felt their hearts flutter recognizing your maternal instincts kicking in.

Aizawa let Mic begin, he was the more gentle of the two.

"Well, we figured we got off to a rough start. You got put in a tough situation. We shouldn't have assumed you didn't want a child so we're not mad at how you stormed out. But either way we expect to be in our baby's life. The two of us talked it over and we don't want to fight you if you want to be in their life too. So if you wanna be the mommy we're cool with it."

You could blame your reaction on your hormones for your response but you didn't, "Geez thank you so much for allowing me to be in MY child's life."

Aizawa placed a hand on the back of your neck, giving you a gentle massage. "Okay then, the three of us are gonna have a baby. That means you have to stop ignoring us. We can raise the baby together, without involving anyone else. But if we have to, we can always go the legal route for the baby's best interest." 

He knew it was a low blow, but the couple needed you to stop fighting them. Your eyes snapped to his and you shook your head in protest.

"Okay then we're all the same page," Aizawa reassured you.

Mic cheered, "Now we can focus on the fun stuff."

"Hun," Eraserhead caught his attention. "There's still a few more important things to figure out. We don't want you going back to that doctor. They're incompetent. We scheduled you an appointment with another's clinic for next week. Okay?"

You couldn't find your voice after how easily he threatened to take your baby. So you just nodded. Half listening.

"Good. We also went ahead and programmed our numbers into your phone. We need to be able to check in with you."

"Okay, but I can't use my phone at one of my jobs."

"About that lil momma," Mic started. "You work a lot, which is totally bad ass, but we don't think you leave enough time to rest and take care of yourself."

You tried to protest but Aizawa cut you off, "You also shouldn't be working around so many animals. Even though we love animals, they can be unpredictable and one dog can trigger all the rest into a frenzy."

You were dumbfounded, "I've never heard of anything like that happening. One of my coworkers was pregnant last year, she worked until her maternity leave. Plus I need to be able to pay my bills. And don't offer to compensate me again."

"Why do you have to view it as compensation? We just want to take care of the mother of our child. Just think about it. Mic and I have to go take care of some business but we'll be back later this week."

---

Back at their home Hizashi was dramatically splayed on their bed.

"Babe why are you pouting?" Aizawa asked.

"Why can't we just bring her home already?"

Aizawa sympathized with his better half, but they needed to be methodical. He reminded Hizashi that they didn't need to cause her even more stress, especially so early into the pregnancy. If they played their cards right they would have their happy little family soon enough.

If they could ease you in to the relationship everything would be easier in the long run. They had been managing just fine until now, they could wait a few more months.

He joined Hizashi on the couch. Mic was comforting himself the way he usually did when he felt like this. He was scrolling through the countless photos they had collected since their chance encounter with you over a year ago. 

[crestomanci]

Chapter 3

I couldn’t sleep. I walked around the room, controlling myself not to go near the windows, took my phone and thought about calling Rupert, so that he could warn Miss Picket that I had to leave town, but how could I explain something like this? He’d probably think that I was joking or drunk. I felt like I was about to faint and a terrible headache started to shoot me down.

           “Jean?” I called, going closer to the door and we opened the door at the same time.

           “You called, princess?”

           “Can you get my dad? I’m not feeling well. I need… something” I said, sighing.

           “Your father is already in his room, resting, princess. Do you want me to call a doctor?” He looked rather reluctant.

           It felt like I was about to cry and I raised my hand, denying the suggestion.

           “No. Can you get me a painkiller or something? Anything.”

           “Sure, what are you feeling, princess?” He asked and I noticed he was about to grab my wrists, but he stopped.

           “Just… I… I don’t know.” I couldn’t express myself clearly, so I just closed the door and Jean didn’t stop me.

           I looked at the box that was on the floor, beside my backpack, and sat on the floor, in front of it, starting to open it. I couldn’t care less about the tears and hiccups that were filling in the room.

           After throwing the top of the box away, I spread the pictures on the floor and kept staring at them for a long time, until I heard someone knock on the door.

           “Excuse me, princess, may I come in?” someone asked. A voice I didn’t recognize.

           “Yes.” I answered, cleaning the tears with the back of my hands and trying to control myself.

           “Hello?” I heard and, when I turned around, I saw Charles. “I brought you the painkillers you asked before. Oh, you’re crying? Do you want me to come back another time?”

           I heard Jean clear his throat and Charles looked at the door, where Jean probably was standing.

           “You can come in” I said and Charles obeyed, closing the door, but not before I heard Jean clearing his throat even higher and stronger.

           “Something tells me that he’s going to be cruel when reporting about me” Charles whispered and got close to me, sitting on the floor beside me, but half a meter away. “I brought you medicine, soothing pills, vitamins… What do you need? I mean, miss… Princess.”

           “I need you to stop calling me princess for starters” I took a deep breath.

           “I’m sorry, prince....” he stopped and tried not to laugh. “I’m sorry, but that isn’t something we can control. It’s the way we show respect for the royalty. We learn this as soon as we grow up.”

           “I’m not from royalty. I don’t even know where y’all live, how do you expect me to become a princess?”

           “We don’t. You are the princess. They are calling you ‘the lost princess of Combellmont’. And everyone is waiting for you.” He confessed, as he offered me the medicines, asking me to choose one. I chose the painkiller, as I’ve asked Jean before, and a soothing pill.

           “How wonderful!” I mocked after taking the pills and drinking the water Charles brought.

           He smiled and I noticed a small cut on his lower lip.

           “You’ll have everything you wish to adapt yourself to this new life and you can always count on your aunt, who’s very anxious to meet you.”

           I tried to remember where an aunt fits in this whole story, but I just howled.

           “I hate all of this.” I looked at the box and the pictures. “I hate not knowing what to do, where I’m heading or what’s waiting for me.”

Charles looked impressed with my reaction, so he got up and told me: “It’s late already.” He was about to call me “princess” once again, but controlled himself. “Go to bed and lay down. I’ll put the box on your side and, if you allow me, I’ll put the armchair closer to the bed and I’ll tell you everything you’d like to know about your kingdom.”

He raised his hand and I held it while he helped me get up. Then, I went to bed, laid down, just to realize I was wearing the flannel, my pajama shirt and jeans. Charles waited until I laid down, motionless, and, after that, he put the box beside me. He went to the armchair and brought it closer to the bed, sitting on it.

“If you allow me, just for tonight and I beg you to keep this a secret, how should I address you?” he asked.

“Nick.” I replied.

“Okay, Nick. My family and friends call me Chuck, except when I’m at work… Then, Jean insists on calling me Charles.” he explained.

“Are you and Jean family?”

“Siblings” he replied and then amended: “He loves to play the older brother role.”

           “I have siblings too, right… Chuck?” I asked with an involuntary smile on my lips and yawned, feeling the effects of the soothing pill.

           “Two. Princess Rafaella and Prince Hugo. And, as I’ve said before, you also have an aunt, Princess Antonina. They are introduced this way to the public, however, inside the castle, they allow us to call them Ella and Nina.”

           I saw Chuck coming closer to the box and he took some newspaper articles, but I just closed my eyes and kept listening to what he was saying.

           “Your mom was the most loved queen and she really dedicated herself to Combellmont. Unfortunately, she died right after Hugo was born and, since then, Nina is the one that takes care of your siblings. She’s always really adorable with everyone in the royal guard, even though people that maintain the castle say otherwise. To me and to my brother she’s admirable. Her health was always fragile, so she doesn’t really go outside the castle, but she has been going out to pronounce and she was the one that revealed your mother’s testament, she was the one that assumed your existence. It was shocking to everyone, but it didn’t blemish your mother’s figure. Your mom was strong. I mean, she preferred to leave your custody to your dad, married King Louis and then he had that sad ending on the Adriatic sea…”

           I wanted to ask about what happened to King Louis, but I fell asleep and didn’t remember anything else that Chuck told me after that.

***

             I woke up to the room maid taking the pictures that were under me, since I tend to move around a lot while I’m sleeping and ended up sleeping on the pictures and newspaper articles. When we exchanged looks, I didn’t know who was more scared, me or her, and, after whispering an apology, she bowed and left the room, probably to warn one of the guards that I was already up. Then, a couple seconds later, Jean entered the room.

           “Good morning, princess. Should I ask them to bring your breakfast?”

           “Where’s my dad?” I asked, rubbing my eyes and sitting on the bed.

           “He was waiting for you to wake up, but decided to eat breakfast with the guard this morning.”

           This morning? I looked around, looking for my phone and, when I found it, I noticed it was past noon.

           “Why didn’t you wake me up? It’s late already!” I exclaimed as I got up, staggering around the room.

           “It wasn’t necessary.” Jean replied just like that.

           I snorted and shook my head, entering the bathroom. When I left, after brushing my teeth and pulling up my hair, the breakfast was already in my room, with three different breakfast carts laying around the suite table.

           “Wow, who’s gonna eat with me?” I asked, wondering if they’ve called a meeting now.

           “It’s a diverse menu, princess. I advise you to get fruits, water and milk” Jean suggested, hiding a smile. “And your aunt would like to talk to you. She’s worried and wishes to see you even if it’s online. May I bring the notebook for a call?”

           I replied, shaking my shoulders without knowing what to expect. I opened each closed tray on the carts, picking eggs, bacon, sausage and bread. I poured a glass of orange juice to myself.

           When I was about to finish my dish, but had my fingers and mouth dirty, Jean brought the notebook and put it on the table, in front of me, when I waved to a woman with short blond hair and narrow brown eyes and pointy nose.

           “Oh, my sweet niece!” she exclaimed and covered her mouth with her hands.

           I pointed a finger and got up so that I could chew the food without her noticing it and, only after that, I sat down to talk to her, while cleaning my mouth and fingers with a napkin.

           “Good morning” I said, forcing myself to smile.

           “It's already evening here, darling.” she informed me. “I just need to know if everything is okay. I heard about the terrible attack you and your father suffered and I hope you’ll be here immediately.”

           “Ah, yeah. It was nuts, but everyone is fine.” I confirmed, without knowing how to express myself.

           “Oh, Nicolle. I hope to meet you soon. And your siblings are anxious.” she said with a short smile.

           I nodded once again, not saying a word.

           “I imagine how hard it must be, but we have a lot of time for you to adapt yourself and you’ll have every support we can give you. By the way, I think you already know that, but I’m your mother’s sister. Your aunt, Antonina, but everyone calls me Nina around here and you may as well call me Aunt Nina.”

           “Okay.” I replied.

           This time, she noticed I didn’t know what to say, so she decided to say goodbye.

           “I’ll let you have your breakfast in peace. I’ll be waiting for you and your room is ready for your arrival. See you soon, darling.”

           “See ya… Aunt.” I said and, after that, she hung up.

           I took a deep breath and continued to eat. After all, I was really hungry.

           After taking a shower and being amazed by the bathroom box that would fit a bed inside, and by the bathroom itself, that was probably the same size as my bedroom back in Montgomery, I started to try to ignore whatever I was feeling.

           As I ran my hands through the glass, I saw a pair of frightened eyes with lots of eye bags. My eyes. But I refused to let the doubts tangle my brain again, so I dressed up and left the room to meet my dad.

           “They wanted me to ask for permission to let me in.” he said with a grimace when we met.

           I howled, shaking my shoulders, got closer to my dad and hugged him.

           “Calm down, Nick. I’m still recovering.” I let him go, trying to see his arm. “I’m fine, but I came here to talk to you.”

           “Okay, what’re you telling me now? That you’re an FBI agent? That I’m half alien? That my mom was a mermaid? Actually, that’s something I’d like to be true…” I provoked him.

           “Nick, I’m going back to Montgomery.” he said.

           I stared at him.

           “What’re you sayin’?”

           “Dear, I want you to understand me… I know that you must be confused with everything that’s going on, but all of that was predicted in your destiny. Your mom was the one that was supposed to be here, explaining everything to you, but, sadly, she couldn’t do it.” He started, then sat on the chair that Chuck sat the day before. “All of that, you being a princess, you having the right to become a queen… It was something I already expected. Caroline wanted to keep you away from all of that, but she made me promise that I’d take care of you and educate you so that you’d become a good person, which you are.’’

           I couldn’t believe in what I was hearing.

           “You started learning Spanish when you were little because that’s Combellmont's official language. I did everything I could to keep you in Abeley because I wanted you to have the best education in town. That’s why I insisted you should try Ballet, swimming classes, music classes… I did everything I could so that you could be who you’re now… A princess.”

           “What’re you sayin’?” I repeated, feeling desperate.

           “And I know that you’ll be well treated and will have a future with great people that will take care of you. The care that you always needed and that I failed to give. Even after the accident… You know how much I regret that, but now you can leave all that behind and follow your life! Start a new story.”

           “So that’s it? You really intend to leave me like that? Do you even understand what you’re doing to me?” I wanted to shout, but kept talking between teeth so that Isaac and Jean wouldn’t come in and interrupt us.

           “Nick, I’m not leaving you. I’m freeing you! You’ll start a new chapter of your life and I’ll be in Montgomery if you ever need me. If you need me, I’ll be there.”

           “I need you now, dad!” I couldn’t manage my tone this time.

           “I’m so sorry.” he concluded and, after that, he got up. “But I’ll not come with you. You don’t need me as you feel like you do. And after you are crowned, what good would I be? I’ll always be treated like a burden to you. You’ll be better without me.”

           I didn’t feel like crying and asked myself if I had cried so hard yesterday that I had no tears left today. As bad as this news was, I could only feel anger and disappointment. Seeing that I had shut down, my dad walked towards the door.

           “I’m sorry, Nick. I’ll always be your dad and you’ll always be welcomed in your old life.”

           Then he left, leaving me there. Alone.

End of the chapter. Let me know if you liked! Don't forget to comment, like and shared with your friends. See y'all soon! 💜

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Cherry Coke Special: Six

Bucky stopped outside his apartment door, key in his hand. The hallway was quiet but for the sound of someone singing in your apartment. At first, he thought you had your little stereo on.

But the longer he listened, the less sure he was about that. It was too bright, and there was no backing track. Just a voice. A really lovely voice.

He hesitated for a second before locking his own door and letting himself into your apartment. Ostensibly, he had a key for emergencies. But so far, those emergencies had been him bringing you dinner 3 or four nights a week instead of taking food back to his to eat alone.

And I'll rise up I'll rise like the day I'll rise up I'll rise unafraid I'll rise up And I'll do it a thousand times again And I'll rise up High like the waves I'll rise up In spite of the ache I'll rise up And I'll do it a thousand times again For you

Bucky paused in the doorway after quietly shutting the door and watched. You’re standing in the middle of the living room, still dressed in your work scrubs. And you’re putting books on a shelf. And singing. 

When you stop, Bucky clears his throat quietly, “Why didn’t you ever tell me you could sing, baby?” he said fondly, crossing the floor to kiss you hello.

“I- I mean-” your cheeks color, and you worry your lip between your teeth for a second.

“What?” he says, “No one ever tells you they like your voice.”

You shrug, “All the time, but- I guess I didn’t realize anyone was listening.”

Bucky smiled a little sheepishly and pulled you closer, “Sorry,” he said, “I was leaving to get a bite to eat and figured I heard an angel singing. So, I went to investigate. Turns out, I was right.”

“Bucky-” you murmur, leaning against him. It had been a long day. A really long day. Your mom had yelled at you for at least an hour. Furious about you being pregnant on top of your current... situation, with Bucky. She refused to believe you weren’t sleeping with him.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart, huh?” he murmurs, tilting your chin up gently. 

“I’m just tired,” you answer, but you lean into the touch anyway. You always get needy when you’re tired, or you don’t feel well. 

Bucky hums softly and kisses your nose, “You talked to your ma today, didn’t you.” It isn’t a question. He’s seen you get like this before.

You nod, “I knew it was coming. It doesn’t really make it easier.”

He tuts softly and tucks a lock of hair behind your ear. You’d been dreading this little chat for two weeks. “What’d she say?”

“The standard stuff,” you sigh, “How could I do this to her, she knew I shouldn’t have moved to the city, Don’t expect me to help you, blah- blah- blah.”

He frowned and rubbed your back gently, “What the fuck?”

You roll your eyes, “Mama has some narcissistic tendencies... See. She’s okay with Rocky because well. That’s her firstborn. And it wasn’t till she had me that her body got “ruined.” So, yeah. It’s been this kind of thing as long as I can remember. And god help me if I point out she never married my dad.”

“That’s bullshit,” he said softly.

“Yeah, but, eventually, she’ll realize this is her first grandchild, and she’s missing out on all kinds of martyr points on Facebook.”

Bucky shakes his head, “Still gross. Let’s- let's get you some dinner, huh?”

“Bucky,” you tell him, laughing softly, “Didn’t you have plans?”

“I’m the boss, baby. I can move stuff around. And I told you. You’re my girl. I gotta take care of you. And you need to eat. It’s past dinner time, and my guys told me you didn’t eat lunch.” He kisses your nose again and smiles. “Aside from that, I’d rather spend the evening with you. You’re a lot nicer to look at than Steve.”

You nod, too tired to argue with him. Not like you want to anyway. It’s nice having someone to talk to that doesn’t have a never-ending list of things for you to do.

“I’m gonna get a shower,” you tell him, pulling away, yawning.

“Good plan,” Bucky said. He didn’t like the tension in your shoulders, “You get a shower, and I’ll make a few phone calls and get us some dinner.”

He watches you go, smiling a little. He likes this. He loves having a girl that doesn’t ask him for endless stuff. Just his time and some attention. It feels better. It feels good. And he doesn’t even mind not having sex with you. Not really. You’d told him you wanted to take it slow. Give yourself some time to heal. Get used to a world without Rory in it. And Bucky had to admit, you had a point. Seven years was a long time.  Still. He figured domestic life suited him. He slept better. Hell. He slept. And he was more aware of how risky stuff was. He couldn’t help you raise a baby in jail. Well. He could, but. He didn’t want to.

So as he made his phone calls and put in a supper order as he changed clothes. It felt right. Maybe not into his pajamas. Because he didn’t wear any. But some joggers and a t-shirt. Something you could snuggle closer in without worrying about mussing his clothes. That done, he slipped back across the hall and let himself in to wait on food. He helps himself to a drink out of your fridge, a little touched that you started keeping his preferred strawberry yogurt and his favorite brand of water. He made a mental note to thank you. And put a little extra money in the account where he put your rent. 

He didn’t need the money. Not really. Not like you did right now with a baby coming. But he knew you’d never agree to not paying him rent. You were already uncomfortable with paying him considerably less than his asking price. So he compromised. Kinda. He took your money but stuck it in an excellent bank account for you. He figured he’d set you up a little. Give you a safety net. That way, even if you decided this wasn’t right for you, you’d not be stuck again. 

When the food arrived, he tipped the kid and set it all out on the table with plates and silverware. You weren’t a fan of eating on the couch, and you hated plastic utensils. Which, as far as riders for meals went, Bucky didn’t mind. It was kinda cute. Your insistence that meals were for talking and not watching TV.  That done, he padded quietly back to your bedroom to pop his head in and let you know the food was here.

It all smelled nice. Soft, flowery, sweet smells, and steam from the shower. He paused for a second, about to say something but stopped. Cheeks turning pink. You were panting. Really panting, making those soft little kitten noises that Bucky was intimately familiar with. 

“Oh,” he thought, swallowing hard. “Okay then,” he muttered, backing out slowly. Far be it from him to interrupt. Even if he’d really like to offer you a hand with that. He crept backward slowly, careful not to let on that he heard you. But in his creeping backward, he didn’t miss the soft moan of his name on your lips before you found some relief. He stopped dead in his tracks, and his prick throbbed. “Fuck me,” he whispered, forcing himself to shut the door. He had to remind himself several times that he was a gentleman. And also that he’d not been supposed to hear that. Still. It made him feel... warm. Knowing that you thought about him as you brought yourself off. 

He’d thought about you a lot. Dying to see you under him writhing in pleasure and so hot for him, you burned to the touch. 

He willed himself to take a deep breath and calm down before you came out. But it looked like loose pants were going to have to save the day. At least until he was safely back across the hall and could do something about it. But when you come out of the bedroom, dressed in pajama bottoms and a tank top. A bra underneath for modesty’s sake, he can’t breathe. You’re flushed from more than just the shower. And sweet. And when he looks down just a little, he softens. You’re getting a tummy. 

He smiles a little and stands up to pull out your chair, “I knew you’d be cute when you started getting a tummy,” he teases, pressing a soft kiss against your temple. 

You rub the swell gently and your cheeks heat, “Thankfully, my scrubs still fit because my jeans don’t. Not comfortably anyway.”

“When’s your next appointment, sweetheart?” he asked, taking his own seat. He wants to ask to touch your stomach, but he’s afraid his heart might burst. 

“Friday after work,” you answer, taking a sip of water.

He nods, “Do you want me to take you?” he asked gently. He wanted to take you. You were his girl, and this was his kid as far as he was concerned. 

“You don’t have to,” you murmur.

“That isn’t what I asked,” he said gently, “I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to be there.”

“It’s nice to have someone to talk to,” you allow.

“Then I’ll take you,” he said, smiling. “Aside from that, I wanna ask some questions... make sure I’m taking care of you right.”

“Bucky,” you laugh, squeezing his hand, “Ribs aside because they’re still healing. I’m okay. I take my vitamins, and Sharon yells at me if I even so much as look at a box that needs to be moved at work.”

“Good,” he says around a bite of dinner, “But I still want to be sure. I want to make sure my girl is getting what she needs. Anything she needs.” He quirks an eyebrow and gestures towards your plate, but he knew. And you knew. That there were other implications. And he doesn’t miss your cheeks heating.

“You okay?” he asks, a little concerned.

“Yeah,” you murmur, taking a bite.

“You sure?” he presses.

“Yeah, just-” you pause, trying to gauge if you want to say something. “Yeah- I’m fine.”

Bucky chuckles. He hadn’t meant to press, but. Clearly, your time in the shower hadn’t done enough to relieve your feelings. “Sweetheart,” he rumbled, rubbing your thigh gently to gauge your reaction, “what do you need?”

When your breath hitches and you press your thighs together reflexively, he feels himself throb. That was- that was a response, and he’s willing to bet you’d be a blast in the sack. A real tiger when he got you going. 

“I need to be laid,” you say, exhaling slowly with a soft frustrated noise.

“Oh,” he chuckled, “Why didn’t you say so?” He chances moving his hand to your stomach, rubbing lightly, “Hormones?” he teased. 

“Yeah,” you say, biting your lip. You want to ask for more. You want him to tear your clothes off and fuck you on the tabletop. It’s been forever. Probably not since Rory managed to forget a condom and knock you up. And Bucky. Bucky is a beautiful man.

 He tutted softly, “Y/N,” he murmured, “Let’s get you taken care of, huh? Get you calmed down, so you’re focused on food and not your clit.”

“But-” you start.

“But nothing, Doll,” he says, grinning, “What kind of guy would I be if I just left you frustrated?” He picks you up gently, “Besides, it’s good exercise,” he reminded, teasing you, “Good cardio since you can’t go running.”

“Bucky,” you whine, fingers tangling in his shirt as you bury your face in his neck. Too horny and needy to lodge any significant protest.

“At your service,” he rumbled, laying you gently on the bed before sliding off his t-shirt.

[brynnmck]

 Tagged by @agirlnamedkeith, @pretty--thief, and @samirant, thank you! <333

What is the colour of your hairbrush? Mostly black, with a green ring on it.

Name a food you never eat: I have quite a few foods I can’t eat anymore thanks to some random health issues I developed a few years back (friends, aging is great from a mental/emotional perspective, Not Great from a physical perspective) but in terms of voluntary stuff, green peppers. I’ve outgrown a lot of my childhood food dislikes but that one is in my SOUL.

Are you typically too warm or too cold? Too cold, definitely.

What were you doing 45 minutes ago? I was in a boring meeting!

What’s your favourite candy bar?  Probably Snickers? I really like 100 Grand too, though. And Butterfinger. And Twix. And I want Claire Saffitz to make all of them for me.

Have you ever been to a professional sports game? I’ve been going to Major League baseball games since I was a kid (it was my dad’s favorite sport), and the past few years, I’ve been to 20-30 games a season. I usually go for my birthday, too, which is in a couple of weeks, and it’s just kinda sinking in that there will be no birthday baseball for me this year. :(

What was the last thing you said out loud? Just saying hi to my husband. 

What is your favourite ice cream? Coffee Heath Bar Crunch. I can’t have caffeine anymore so this summer I’m gonna try to make a decaf version for myself. (WHY IS ALMOST ALL COFFEE ICE CREAM CAFFEINATED. There are so many reasons people can’t have caffeine! Sigh.)

What was the last thing you had to drink? Water!

Do you like your wallet? Sure? It’s a nice blue and it holds my stuff.

What was the last thing you ate? Fruit and Greek yogurt for breakfast.

Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? I didn’t! I actually ordered a couple of soft bras from TomboyX on Monday, but nothing on the weekend.

What’s the last sporting event you watched? A replay of an old Mariners game a couple of nights ago. If we’re talking live sports, I watched about half of a Korean baseball league game a few nights back, which was delightful.

What is your favourite flavour of popcorn? Butter!

Who is the last person you sent a text message to? @ajoblotofjunk 

Ever go camping? Not in a long time. My husband has been getting the urge to go lately, though, so maybe we will!

Do you take vitamins? I take supplements due to the aforementioned health issues. And vitamin B.

Do you go to church every Sunday? Lol no. My mother is very Catholic and she brought us to 6 am Mass every weekday when I was a kid. It was well-intentioned (her dad had a pretty volatile temperament and she always felt safe at church, so she subconsciously wanted us to feel the same way) but it did not sell me on the experience! Heh.

Do you have a tan? I live in the Seattle area and it’s May, so... lol no. I’m also pretty pale so I don’t get that tan anyway, but. I usually get a little something going in the summer, enough to have tan lines anyway.

Do you prefer Chinese food or pizza? Tough call, but I’m going with pizza.

Do you drink your soda through a straw? I don’t drink soda anymore (though I drink a LOT of carbonated water), but I’ll drink my drink through a straw if I get it at a fast-food place. Otherwise I don’t usually use one.

What colour socks do you usually wear? Most of my winter socks for work are black. Otherwise it’s a pretty random selection of colors.

Do you ever drive above the speed limit? Sure. Usually 5-10 miles over, rarely more (or less) than that.

What terrifies you? Climate change. Global pandemics. You know. Just generally suffering (both mine and other people’s).

Look to your left. What do you see? Through window of the room I’m sitting in: my neighbors’ house, and a cherry tree in their yard.

What chore do you hate most? Cleaning the bathrooms.

What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? The hot Australian woman who’s been on Gold Rush recently, or a dear fannish friend of mine I haven’t talked to in years who is actually from New Zealand and I KNOW IT’S VERY DIFFERENT but it’s close enough to make me think of her!

What’s your favourite soda? I used to drink a lot of Diet Mountain Dew. I really miss ginger beer, too. I love a good spicy ginger beer. Root beer too.

Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? Drive-thru all the way. Isn’t that part of the advantage of fast food?

What’s your favourite number? I don’t really have one!

Who’s the last person you talked to? My husband!

Favourite cut of beef? Boneless ribeye. I finally bought a propane grill a couple of years back and I have now learned to make a badass steak, if I say so myself.

Last song you listened to? Eve 6 - Inside Out. A few months ago I suddenly remembered that this song existed and so I bought it and now I have to listen to it at least twice every time it comes up, ha.

Last book you read? An as-yet-unpublished Rose Lerner novel, because I am very lucky! (It’s a wlw Gothic. SUCH A GOOD CONCEPT.)

Favourite day of the week? Saturday

Can you say the alphabet backwards? In this economy??? Idk, I could probably figure it out, but it would definitely be work.

How do you like your coffee? I love a caramel macchiato, especially iced so you get those weird globules of caramel coming up through the straw. But a nonfat decaf double latte with a little bit of some kind of syrup is my go-to these days--hot when it’s cold out, iced when it’s warm out.

Favourite pair of shoes? I have these 40s-ish heels that tie over your instep with a little bow and I love them. I also have some extremely cool red velvet with black cording peep-toe Louboutins that I bought off some discount site years ago, except I can’t wear them for long because they’re about a half size too small. But they’re SO PRETTY.

Time you normally get up? In isolation, I’m discovering that my natural sleep schedule is about 2 am - 10 am. But I have a daily meeting at 9:30, and I try to get my workout done before that, so I get up at 8-8:30ish. I am discovering through this meme that SO MANY of you are morning people! What is that like???

Sunrises or sunsets? I love sunrises but I am not remotely a morning person, so. I see a lot more sunsets, and I love them too!

How many blankets are on your bed? Just one duvet.

Describe your kitchen plates. We have some with blue perimeters and kind of a white/oatmeal middle that we inherited from my in-laws, and the ones we actually bought on purpose are white on top and either sage-y green or charcoal black on the bottom.

Describe your kitchen at the moment. Somewhat messy, or at least there are dishes to do. I made some pretty epic cauliflower mushroom risotto with shrimp last night, though, so it was for a good cause.

Do you have a favourite alcoholic drink? Perfect Manhattans with rye are my go-to, or a Quebecois, which is basically a perfect Manhattan with a little bit of maraschino liqueur added (and ideally a lemon twist, though we’re usually too lazy for those). In the summer, I’m getting really into gin these days: either gin and tonic, gin and some kind of citrus spiked seltzer, or a Last Word. I also really love a good craft beer, and sparkling wine too.

Do you play cards? Not really. We used to play a shit ton of gin rummy in high school, but I haven’t really played cards much since.

What colour is your car? Blue!

Do you know how to change a tire? Theoretically yes, though the one time I actually tried to do it myself, I had a hell of a time getting the lug nuts off. I was fortunately in my driveway at the time (good place for a flat tire!) and my neighbors kept coming by and offering to help, and I was like NO I WANNA DO IT. I think I did need help eventually, though. Stupid pneumatic tools at tire installation places!

Your favourite state? That rare, usually-brief phase of writing where everything seems to fit and flow and you’re a genius and you understand all the secrets of the cosmos. Also Washington.

Favourite job you’ve had? My current one. It’s not my dream job, but it pays well and I like my team and I get to learn new stuff fairly often and I can work from home in the midst of all this, so. I am very lucky!

How did you get your biggest scar? The summer after my freshman year of college, I was part of a summer stock theatre troupe, and we performed half the summer at my college, and half the summer in a very small town in eastern Oregon that had an outdoor stage. One of my entrances involved running over the grass to get to the stage, and one night the grass was wet, and my costume involved ballet slippers, and I slipped and fell onto the stage stairs in front of the whole audience. It hurt SO MUCH that I got very light-headed onstage while I was trying to get through the scene, lol. Anyway, my costume also involved harem pants that had elastic around the calf/ankle area, and I got a friction burn from those, which ended up scarring because the skin over your shins is very thin! (I also got a few massive bruises on my leg that didn’t go away for weeks, so eventually my mom nagged me into going to the doctor, who promptly started gently hinting to see if my boyfriend at the time was responsible for the injuries. Which was actually pretty cool of the doctor! But then I was like, lol no, trust me, a hundred people saw me bite it, this is 100% dumbass mistake.) And that’s my scar story.

Tagging, if you want to do it: @ajoblotofjunk, @snowymary, @halcyon-red, @it-may-be-dull-but-im-determined, @unadulteratedkr, and anyone else who feels like doing this!

[kelyon]

Nephila 2: Unexpected

The long-awaited (and totally unplanned) next chapter of Nephila, aka The One Where Rumple is a Giant Spider

In this chapter, Belle talks to Ruby and figures out what she needs to do

Read on AO3

In a perfect world, Belle French would have never known that you can buy pregnancy tests at the dollar store.

Wandering through the aisles of the Dahllah Hahbah, Belle imagined what that perfect world would be like. In a perfect world, she wouldn’t be alone for this trip--unless she had a plan to surprise the co-parent of her child, but even then she would probably have brought Ruby along with her. In a perfect world, she and her significant other would have gotten the most precise pregnancy test available. It probably would have been expensive, the sort of thing you need a prescription to get. In a perfect world, this would have been an expected baby, a wanted baby. In a perfect world, Belle would have already been trying to conceive, with the help of a committed partner. She would have been charting her cycle and taking her basal temperature and regularly injecting her uterus with human sperm.

In a perfect world, she wouldn’t have to specify human.

  Without really thinking about what she was doing, Belle piled junk into the green plastic shopping cart. Halloween candy was half off, and the tiny packs of beef jerky were only a dollar. She had been especially hungry for meat lately. In the clearance section, orange and black spider decorations stared at her. Their googly eyes were equal parts friendly and ominous.

She backed away from the Halloween stuff, back into the comparative comfort of a Christmas display. She grabbed a box of candy canes and made her way to the check out lane. 

The middle-aged cashier in a green polo shirt wore the dead-eyed glaze of someone who isn’t getting paid enough to express emotions on the clock. She didn’t talk to Belle as she scanned her purchases over the blinking red light. If she noticed the pregnancy test amidst all the junk food and paper products, she didn’t mention it. 

And that was fine by Belle. She didn’t want people to mention it. She didn’t want it to be real. That was part of why she had gone to the next town over to make this surreptitious purchase. She didn’t want to run the risk of anyone recognizing her. Even if no one saw the test, even if they were supportive and encouraging, Belle didn’t want to think about what was happening at all. If not thinking about something could keep it from being real, then Belle would have no troubles in the world. 

There was a used book store in this town, with a wider variety of subjects than the university store’s collection of last semester’s textbooks. Belle parked her car on the street and walked in. Maybe the smell of books would help her calm down.

It was the best kind of used book store, with towering shelves and hidden nooks and endless rooms leading into each other. There was even a cat wandering around, pestering patrons to pet her. Belle breathed deeply, content even in the sections that had no appeal to her. She brushed past cookbooks and theology, lingered briefly over a shelf of “Personal Relationship/Self-Help,” and eventually found herself in the most daunting section of all. 

There were several copies of The Book. The book she didn’t want to admit she was looking for. After all The Book was the sort of thing the average woman only needed for nine months out of her life. Belle would probably donate her copy once all this was over with. However it would be over. However it could be over. There was so much that she didn’t know. It would be good, at least, to have a baseline of information, to know what was normal for a human woman carrying a human child. 

She held The Book in one arm, making a conscious effort not to cradle it. As at the Dahllah Hahbah, she tried to camouflage The Book by surrounding it with decoys. She picked up a romance paperback, a history of lobster fishing, and a handbook for learning American Sign Language. After a moment of hesitation, Belle also pulled out a hardcover copy of Arachnology Through the Ages. When the stack of books was heavier than she could hold, Belle decided she was safe to check out. 

Unlike the Dahllah Hahbah, this bookstore was staffed solely by the woman who owned the place--a retiree with her long hair in a loose bun and reading glasses on a chain around her neck. Midmorning on a Wednesday, she was obviously thrilled to chat up each and every customer who walked through the door.

“Looks like you got a good haul!” the woman said brightly.

Belle made herself smile and put the books on the counter. “It’s mostly gifts for people.”

“Early Christmas, that’s a smart move!” The owner began to ring up the books. “Oh, Texas Destiny is such a good read! Wait til you get to the part with the wild horses. Do you like horses?”

Her smile was still fixed in place. “A… little.” Belle didn’t give a shit about horses, but this was not the time to talk about it. Maybe if the shopkeeper was distracted by Texas Destiny, she wouldn’t notice--

“Oh!” The woman’s voice rose to a pitch that could only mean the worst thing in the world for Belle: She had seen The Book. 

Belle could only be grateful that there was no one else in the store when the woman held up the copy of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. 

The shopkeeper looked Belle up and down, her smile even wider than before. “So can I say congratulations?” 

Belle bit her lip and looked down. “Maybe? I--I don’t really know yet.”

“Oh sweetie!” the woman said. “If you’re buying this book, then you know. And even if it’s not this time, it’ll be soon, I can tell. You look very fertile.”

Mortified, cheeks blazing red, Belle couldn’t say anything.

The woman just kept talking. “This is the gold standard for moms-to-be. And they say it’s easy to read, doesn’t make anything too science-y.”

At that, Belle found her voice. “I’m actually working on my PhD at the University of Maine. I’ve already completed my masters in Zoology. Science-y stuff doesn’t bother me.”

The shopkeeper took that in stride. “And your... husband? Boyfriend? Partner? What do they do?”

Lives in a cave and spins gold webs, Belle thought but couldn’t say. Instead she pulled out her wallet. “It’s kind of complicated. Where do I swipe my card?”

“Oh, we’re cash only, sweetie.”

“Sure,” Belle barely kept the annoyance out of her voice as she put away her debit card and pulled out the twenty she saved for emergencies. “Of course you are.” 

****

When she got back to her crappy apartment, Belle thoroughly read and re-read the instructions on the pregnancy test. She wanted to believe that this was a complicated, mysterious process. Maybe she had been wrong the whole time. Maybe she had misread the signs and miscalculated the dates since her last period. Maybe she would go to the bathroom and find her underwear stained with blood, wouldn’t that be great? Wouldn’t that be so much better than the alternative?

Overthinking was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the longer Belle dithered and avoided the inevitable, the more worked-up she found herself getting. She would have less anxiety as soon as she had some idea of what was happening. 

On the other hand, every second she didn’t know if she was pregnant was another second when she could pretend she definitely wasn’t pregnant. It could be true. She could be just imagining things. But she wouldn’t know until she peed on the goddamned stick.

Before she began, she set the kettle on for a cup of tea. By the time the water boiled, it was done. Belle held her mug of Earl Grey close to her chest and looked down at the little blue plus sign. 

It had happened.

She was pregnant.

From a motherfucking spider! 

****

“I’m coming over and I’m bringing margarita mix!” 

Ruby’s voice was loud, even considering the amplification of being on speakerphone. She had to shout to be heard over the noise of the road and the static of her phone and the pounding of Belle’s blood in her ears. 

Belle had managed to keep her composure for five entire minutes before the reality of her situation had come crashing down over her head and left her a sobbing mess. In her distress, she’d called her best friend, and Ruby had answered with her usual love language: girl time and booze.

“But I can’t drink!” Belle wailed. “I’m fucking pregnant and tequila will fucking kill my baby!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll drink your tequila, and you can just have the lime juice. Vitamin C is good for zygotes, right?”

“I don’t know.” Trying to pull herself together, Belle wiped her eyes with the heel of her hands. There were all kinds of vitamins she needed to be taking now--or at least, there would be if she was having a human baby. What would a spider baby need? What kind of thing had taken up residence in her body? “I don’t know anything!” 

“Okay, okay,” Ruby tried to soothe her. “Don’t panic. Everything will be worse if you panic. I am so close to your apartment, Belle. Just hang on until I get there. How about you look at the table of contents for your new book?”

Normally, there was nothing that calmed Belle down more than reading the table of contents to a book. There was something so comforting about knowing the progression of a text, to have all the steps and developments laid out in a simple outline, to get little teases as to the meat of the book. It was like reading the menu before sitting down to a feast, anticipating all the good things to come. 

But if Belle looked at the table of contents to What to Expect When You’re Expecting, she would be peeking into the progression of the next nine months of her life, and that was not a timetable she could think about right now.  

“I’ll be okay,” she told Ruby through wobbling lips. “Are you bringing food, too?”

“What, you think I’m an amature? I’m gonna hang up now so you don’t hear me freak out about parallel parking, but I’ll be up soon, hun. Okay?”

“Okay.” Belle nodded, even though Ruby couldn’t see it. She hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

 Ruby’s breezy confidence was exactly what Belle needed right now. It made her feel normal, even in the middle of the most un-normal thing she’d ever heard of. Ruby had been an RA while they were undergrads, a faithful post-breakup bar companion, and the recipient of teary late-night calls from friends going back to her high school days.  She knew everything about how to deal with someone who was scared and alone and crying her eyes out. Belle wasn’t the first person to call Ruby up in tears, and she wouldn’t be the last. 

It helped to think that her problems were not unique. Every day, women all around the world discovered that they had an unplanned pregnancy. For every one of them, it was the end of one world and the beginning of another. And Belle was just the same. The unorthodox manner of conception didn’t change the fact that Belle was merely one of thousands or millions of women who had been put in this exact same situation since the dawn of time. And, like so many of her countless sisters, Belle found solace in reaching out to other women, to find help and comfort and solidarity.  

Laden with grocery bags, Ruby burst through the unlocked door like an inverse Santa Claus. Instead of a fat old man bearing gifts for the nice, Ruby was a skinny young woman offering solace to someone who had been decidedly naughty. Belle was more happy to see her friend than she had been on any Christmas morning of her life. 

“Hey,” she tried, with a watery smile.

“Baby!” Ruby dropped the bags on the ground and pulled Belle in for a hug. “Or--no. That was a bad choice of words, wasn’t it? How do you feel? Am I allowed to say the B-word?”

Belle laughed and cried at the same time. “It’s fine,” she shook her head. “Don’t worry about saying the word ‘baby.’ That’s what it is, kinda.”

Ruby let Belle go and started unpacking her bags. “I know,” she said. “But ‘baby’ is an emotionally charged word. We can say ‘embryo,’ if that makes things easier on you. We’re almost doctors, Belle. We can be scientific about this.”

Scientifically, the word we should use is ‘larva,’ Belle thought but didn’t say. Ruby was her best friend and the most supportive person in the world right now. But even she would balk if she knew what Belle had really been up to on her trip to Australia. 

Together, they cleared the clutter and books off the coffee table. Then Ruby made Belle sit on the couch and watch while she spread out her feast.

“Okay, so the tequila is just for me, but I did bring Sprite--it’s caffeine free and it’ll work with the margarita mix. Additionally, chips and gauc, cheese puffs, cheesecake bites, chocolate chip cookies--”

“Did you sort your shopping list alphabetically?”   

“And--” Ruby went on, “a whole goddamned rotisserie chicken. I figured we could just rip into it with our hands like old-timey kings, like we’re going to throw the bones on the floor for the dogs.”

Belle let out an incredulous giggle. “That’s ridiculous! And perfect. Thank you so much, Ruby.”

“Oh! I also got this fancy salt for our margaritas. It’s made with black ants! Can you believe that?”

“Ants?” Belle whispered as her hand drifted over her stomach. Suddenly nauseous, she leapt off the couch and ran to the bathroom.

When she finished throwing up, Belle stayed on the ground next to the toilet. Ruby had lingered in the doorway but didn’t come in until Belle was done. She offered her a glass of water and Belle took it gratefully. Ruby sat on the edge of the bathtub, her face full of concern.

“Has the morning sickness been bad?”

“I don’t know if this is bad, I’ve never had it before!” Belle took a sip of water and closed her eyes. “Isn’t it supposed to be bad? Isn’t pregnancy supposed to be divine punishment for promiscuity?”

“If it’s punishment for anything, it’s for poor planning. I thought you were on the pill?”

Belle shook her head. “I kept it up for a few months after Will and Ana got back together for the fifth time, but when it looked like they were sticking I didn’t bother to refill my prescription. I don’t have sex with men often enough to justify taking a pill every day.”

“Except for when you do.”

“Yeah,” Belle took another drink. “Except for when I do.”

Ruby took a breath and rubbed her hands over her knees. “Listen, you know I’m here for you no matter what, right?”

Belle was still shaky, but she rested in that certainty. “Right.”

“And I’m not going to pressure you or make you do anything. You don’t even have to make any decisions today, okay?”

“Okay.”

“But I gotta ask: Belle, what do you want to do? Have you thought about your options? Do you want to keep it? Do you want to… not keep it?”  

Leaning her head back against the cool tile of her bathroom wall, Belle opened her eyes slowly. It had been such an ordeal to even confirm that she was pregnant, the thought of what came next had been too much to consider until now.

She took a deep breath, eight counts in, eight counts out. 

“I think ‘abortion’ is an even more emotionally charged word than ‘baby.’”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Ruby said. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal. I can drive you to Planned Parenthood, I’ll be with you every step of the way. If that’s what you want.”

“I know,” Belle said softly. Ruby’s support was unconditional. She would paint a nursery or hold Belle through a difficult procedure, both with equal willingness and sincerity. 

But Belle had an instinctive terror at the thought of going to a doctor’s office in her condition. What would a real urine test reveal about the nature of her child? What kind of image would show up on an ultrasound? Even if she wanted to get rid of this thing, would a regular abortion procedure work? Or would they have to go into her uterus with insecticide? 

“I don’t want to go to a doctor,” she said softly.

Ruby’s eyes widened. “But you have to go to an OB! Or even just talk to Victor. I mean, if you’re going to stay pregnant, you have to stay healthy and safe.”

“I know,” Belle closed her eyes again. What could she say? How could she explain any of this? “But… I… I don’t know what will happen.”

“What, like with insurance or something?”

Belle’s eyes shot open. That worked. “Yeah,” she lied. “I don’t want to deal with crazy medical bills.”

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. “Does Australia have universal health care?”

Now it was Belle’s turn to nod, slowly, saying words only slightly after the thoughts came into her head. “We… do. I should go back home… because of the healthcare.” 

“Yeah, no, you definitely should. Besides, your parents are there!”

At the mention of her parents, Belle’s tenuous hope crumpled. “Oh God!” she let out a wrenching cry. “My parents are gonna kill me!”

“Nooo,” Ruby crooned. She slid off the bathtub edge and joined Belle on the floor, pulling her into her arms and slowly rocking her back and forth. “I know it’s scary, but parents can be okay with things. My mom didn’t want to tell Granny about me until I was almost born, but it all turned out fine!” She gave Belle a chaste kiss on the temple. “Even if your mom and dad freak out at first, they’ll come around soon. Babies are cute. They’re easy to like.”

 Belle shook her head and let the tears fall silently. “Not this baby.”

“Don’t say that.” Ruby held Belle by the shoulders, twisting their bodies so they could look into each other’s eyes. “If you’re gonna keep this baby, Belle, you’ve got to own it. It will be a lovable baby because it will be your baby. You’ve got to fight for it! If you’re this thing’s mom, you have to be its biggest fan. Does that make sense?”

Still teary, Belle nodded. “It’s my baby, right or wrong.”

“Unless you want to go to Planned Parenthood. That is entirely up to you. But once you make that choice--” Ruby balled her hand into a fist and shook it in a display of fierce determination “--then it’s yours.”

“Mine,” Belle whispered. Her hand drifted down to her stomach. It was still flat and lifeless. There was nothing about her body that spoke of the life that grew inside her. Nothing that could tell her what manner of creature her child would become. But Ruby was right, it was hers. And not just hers. “I should tell the father too.”

“Yeah, you never mentioned what happened! Who was this guy? What was he like? How was the sex?”

“The sex was amazing,” Belle admitted with the candor of the overly distraught. “But it was just sort of a one-night stand. I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”

“Do you want to see him again? Do you think he’ll want to be involved?”

“He’ll have to be involved,” Belle said with a dawning sense of relief.

Of course the creature in the cave would be a part of their offspring’s life. If she was going to give birth to a spider, then it would have to be raised by a spider! And that thing… that thing was intelligent. It could care for its young. Maybe it could even take care of Belle.

She just had to see him again. 

Belle felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. As she stood up, she nearly floated off the bathroom floor. She offered her hand down to Ruby and helped her get up. 

“Tomorrow morning, I have to call Dean Mills to see if someone can teach my classes for the rest of the semester.”

Ruby cocked her head at Belle. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m going back to Queensland.” 

[namjoonchronicles]

Hi lovey!!! Hope you are alright! Let’s see how you are gonna kill me with Namjoon and 4# ;) kiss kiss and thank you for Drabble night

4. “Do you...well...I mean...I could give you a massage?”

“Have you got your lunchbox?”

“Yup.”

“The transportation card?”

“Right here.”

Nine years old. A little chubby for his age. But always the good son.

“Today goes as planned okay? Since I can’t fetch you at school at noon, you’ll take the 105 bus to the train and stopped at the second last station and take a 22 bus route home, yes?”

“Yes mom,” he groaned, puffing his cheeks as he fix the bag straps on his shoulder over his winter jacket. He looks up, those doe brown eyes notices that you are rubbing the back of your neck. Hasn’t the sore died down when he asked?

“Mom, do you need a massage?” He asked.

And far in your thoughts, there was a deafening whisper of something similar, translucent with time, gritty and full of weight, coming with a dimpled smile impossible to forget entirely, 

“Do you...well...I mean...I could give you a massage?” 

  Hyun’s big doe eyes brought you back in recent time, a skip in your heart when you remembered that you’re far from that memory. But also so close. You retracted your hand from it and forced out a smile while pouring away the rest of the coffee into the sink, “It’s become a habit... plus. It happens often when I’m stressed, you know that, Hyun. Come on, let’s go.”

You snatch your bag and tuck a lock of your hair behind your ear, yanking the front door open and halting halfway to exclaim, “The car ke—“

“—I got it,” your son yelps.

Your car halts in front of the school gates and instead of you reminding all the things he needs to do, Hyun is nagging you.

“And don’t put your phone silent, because then I call you don’t hear them and then you come at me saying I don’t tell you stuff. And remember to put the brakes up when you park. And drink lots of water just as much as you drink coffee...” “Hyun...” “And the extra house key is in the dashboard. I put charging cables in your bag so your phone don’t run out of batteries...” “Hyun I—“ “There’s extra migraine pills in the top drawer of your desk, remember to take those vitamins...” “Hyun, I’m the mom here okay... and why,” you looked around the view of the school and saw many elder men coming and entering the school. “I hope things work out with you and grandma today, it be nice to have a grandparent,” Hyun’s sausage finger curls around the door handle and lift it open when you tilt your head to the side and smiled, asking out of curiosity, “How did you know about that?”

Hyun shuts the door and you opened the car window.

“You’re not the only smart one in this house,” he stuck out his tongue at you and you did the same. As you drive away, you remembered that you didn’t ask him about the men that are coming to school. Was there an event you missed out on?

Pulling next to the school’s guard who is controlling the traffic, you inquired him politely.

“Oh! It’s Bring Your Dad To School Day...”

Engine purrs to a stop once it arrives at the parking spot. The car beeps as the car unlocks all its doors but you sat frozen in place. Eyes wide and leaning your head back to the head rest in the car alone. Hyun didn’t tell you. He could have a skipped the day but he didn’t. Your selfishness and fear are what brought this to place.

And it is also what made you and your mother stopped talking to each other. It had been 10 years since March on Hyun’s birthday that you meet your parents. Their conservative upbringing made you stray away from them for fear that they wouldn’t accept you for what you’ve done.

But eventually, they find out that you’ve been raising Hyun alone when he turns 3. And they did hurt you by saying that you’ve raised a fatherless child. Honestly, you didn’t care. You can be called a whore or a rich men’s mistress—other people’s assumptions of you doesn’t matter because you know the whole truth. And today, you hoped, you could be truthful. And honestly, being away from your mom is tiring world to live in.

“Mom...” you called and she snapped her head around, smiling. Sharing a long awaited hug felt wholesome. You don’t feel as alone anymore. There’s a comfort in knowing that you could rely on someone.

“How’s Hyun?” She asked, her wrinkles show when her lips curl into a smile and you hurried to yor bag because you remembered Hyun made her something. It was a paper crane and a heart origami.

Your mom touches it with the tip of her fingers, and then fully into her palms, truly appreciating them. Her eyes twinkles.

“He is very into origamis nowadays... I’m going to take him to pottery class soon, it seems he’ll enjoy them,” you bit your smile feeling proud of your child.

“Has he... ever asked about his,” your mom stammered.

“His dad?” You finished her sentence with a beaming face to feign whatever it is in your heart, “Once. Now that he understand, he doesn’t pester me as much. I felt that he would want to know so I told him the truth.”

Your mother extends her hand and covered yours to give it a little squeeze.

“What really happened to Hyun’s dad?”

You blinked a few times. And memories flooded from where it had been buried for a decade. There was a time where you decide that being alone might not be so bad. And somewhere during that time, someone convinced you that life was meant to be shared.

And his name was Kim Namjoon. And he had doe brown eyes.

He is everything. The most captivating mind you have ever met. He sits at the same spot every lecture. He has a lot of friends and quite a chatterbox. Always in tune with the small army of friends he has. Passion that overflows, tall, charismatic, firm handshake. The kind that everyone wants to be associated with. Charming. Alluring. Magnetizing.

An exhibition that you attended far from town shed all of that image of him. Namjoon likes wood, nature and crabs. Namjoon like sweet things and had a deep thought about skies. Namjoon likes flowers and planets and everything in between. And Namjoon notices you.

“Why?” “I guess it makes you very noticeable. Because you bear a soul and not a mask... when you talk about social understanding and reasoning behind things people find confusing, you speak... faster and louder.” “You find it stupid...” you accused, tipping your head to the side away from him. “W-what, no! I think its amazing and I want to hear more than you let out,” Namjoon stammered almost panicking. “Nobody cares about why and if they do, they probably had given up because the numbers keep rising. Teenagers and drugs are seen as normal but it’s not!”

The edges of Namjoon’s lips twitch into a smile, because if you didn’t know who he was, you wouldn’t remember the topic of the event he spoke on. Namjoon rakes on numbers of drug addicts that are in their teenage years and penalties that could be propose to reduce the numbers. His deductions were achievable—in theory but in execution? You doubted it.

“You disagree about the penalties?” “Wrong. I was sceptical of it,” you start to walk and he followed, “All these years, the government proposes using money to taunt youngsters not to take drugs, but has it work? Imprisonment, fines, getting kicked out of schools doesn’t help them—it worsens them. Should I continue or are you already bored?”

Namjoon’s phone rang. He took one perplexed look and replied a message before he answers you. And while you explain, another call arrives. And another. And another.

Until finally,

“I think the discussion should stop here. You’re obviously very busy and I obviously have overstayed the exhibition...” you took a look at your watch and the exhibition worker starts closing down. Has it really been that long? Where did the time go?

“Are you,” he raises his voice as the distance between you two increases, “Are you free tomorrow? I’d really love to continue this. In day light where its appropriate.”

“No,” you shake your head, “Tomorrow we’ll be back in college where you are THE Kim Namjoon and I’m the girl at the far corner judging everyone with my thick full rimmed glasses, no I’m not free.” Your heels swung around, giving him your back and you waved.

But Namjoon is persistent. He passed notes. Asking you for your number and you gave him a pizza place hotline. You thought he will eventually gave up. But no. He actually ordered the pizza at noon the next day and have it personally delivered to you with a huge marker asking for your number yet again. You ate the pizza but passed him a middle finger up across the room when he was smiling in triumph thinking he had won this game. He looks at you fondly while you glare at him across the hall.

“I like a challenge,” he grins at the view of your back.

After that, he starts showing up everywhere. Your lectures, the libraries, the cafe you frequent in, even your lunch spot—literally everywhere. Notes left on your car, in your books, in your bags and one time in your shoes. He really is trying to annoy you like this.

He was speaking to his friends, making big gestures with his hands when you tapped his shoulder and he spun around. You expected him to give you a smug smile but he looks a little frightened, perhaps a little shy. His ears turned red.

You didn’t let that stop you. You slammed a yellow post-it note on his grey shirt right above his heart and he blinked at you as you walked away. His friends are teasing him but all he could hear is his own heartbeat in his ears.

He would text you about his day and make appointments that he calls engagement and at first it was for educational purposes; watching Ice Age reruns for environmental concerns, rare art exhibitions across the city for appreciation towards classic arts, poetry reading to study social engagements—and then the ‘appointments’ turn to, ‘going there because you’ve never been’ trips.

Comic-con. Comic book stores. Watching his animes. Accompanying him to find his KAWS collection. Forest parks. Nursery. Botany farms. Scuba diving. Snorkelling even when he couldn’t swim. Teaching him how to swim. Going to pottery class. Cooking class where he almost burns the hall. Accompanying him to his driving lessons which he failed every time but passes the theory test. Cheering him up because he failed driving lessons. Cheering him up because he sulked about you not telling him you had a medical check-up. Going for icecream trips in winter. Going for bike rides in Autumn. Taking pictures of him by the blossoming Sakura trees in Spring. Taking him to the beach in Summer.

“We’re just friends,” It will break him and you knew. But you didn’t care. When he wakes up and this will all be a dream.

But he woke up and gave you a call. Many calls. Until finally you answered.

“Hey,” he sounded so soft, “Where you went, I woke up and you weren’t here, I called you so many times...”

“We just started a life as a working adult, and everything that happened are just stress...” your pace begins to hasten.

“What are you talking about... it’s not just one time,” Namjoon dug his hand into one pocket, looking out the window of his office.

“It happens between two people and it’s nothing alright.I don’t want you to get any ideas if our relationships should be more than this,” you clenched your eyes shut and stopped in your tracks, “Don’t look for me. Don’t call me ever again.”

End call.

Your mother takes the brim of the cup to her lips.

“And when I got the positive pregnancy test finally, I got rid of him. I changed my number, my address, moved cities with my job and gave birth to Hyun,” you fiddled with your fingers.

“Why did you do that?”

“I wanted a baby that is mine. And mine alone. And I know I wanted his and no one else. I got what I wanted. I can offer him nothing more...I’m undependable. I don’t believe in marriage and this is the closest thing I get to have children of my own. I always wanted to be a mom, not a wife,” you explained.

“Does he know he has a kid?”

You shook your head. Eventhough deep in your heart you knew that he must have found out somehow or felt that he was a father. But what can he do? Hyun is yours and yours alone. Or so you’d like to believe.

“Hyun? It’s your turn...” Hyun looks outside and smiled brightly. Marching into the room with a three-piece suit, looking dashing as ever, was Kim Namjoon.

“Hello, and good morning, I’m Kim Namjoon and I’m Hyun’s dad.”

.

.

.

hi! i recognise your username! thank you for always supporting me! it’s a slight long drabble, because I had a story  like this in my head for so long... I hope you like it!

[writethelifeyouwant]

Chapter 3: I Need A Vacation

Characters: Spencer, JJ and family, Emily, Luke, Tara, Rossi, Penelope, OFC

Word Count: 2014

Warnings: Fluff and friendship :)

Summary: I was on vacation and then I was thinking about what they would be like on vacation and then I pushed my loneliness and need for love onto Spencer and this is essentially gonna be super fluffy and probably corny and just roll with it. Am open to taking constructive criticism as well as scenario suggestions! Because I have some semblance of plot laid out but that pesky middle bit is non existent at the moment. So enjoy your fluffy team bonding on a beach with eventual Spencer love interest! This work is cross posted on AO3 and FFN.

The air here felt remarkably different from home despite only being a couple hours drive away. Spencer had been to beaches before, obviously. His work with the BAU hadn’t seen fit to spare carefree vacation goers and their beach paradises. This was the first time he had been to a beach without looking for, or at, a dead body. He had resolved, despite his apprehension about the incredibly foreign social situation he was about to be presented with, to relax on this trip. He was here with his best friends, his family really, he wanted to enjoy himself.

Reid was still in his sleep clothes, a t-shirt and his boxer shorts covered by a lightweight robe, as he leaned against the outdoor balcony railing. He sipped steadily at the cup of coffee he held cradled between his hands. The beach in front of him had a few lone joggers and dog walkers making their way up and down the coast of the bay. It was shaping up to be a peaceful morning.

In the distance, he couldn’t tell from which direction it came, he heard the delighted squeals of young children. He didn’t expect those jubilant noises to practically slam into the door of his room however.

“Uncle Spencer!” Henry and Michael’s voices echoed past the sliding glass door Reid had left open behind him. Spencer smiled as he pulled himself off his forearms and set his coffee down on his way to the hotel room door.

“Hey guys!” Spencer opened the door to JJ and her boys, who happily rushed in to his room. Spencer scooped up Michael before he ran himself into the bed-frame. The little boy giggled happily as Spencer ruffled his hair and sat him down on the bed next to his brother.

“Sorry it’s early Spence, they really wanted to get down to the beach.” JJ shrugged apologetically but smiled indulgently at her sons all the while. “It’s fine, um, let me just get dressed I guessed?” Spence ran a hand absentmindedly through his hair as he glanced around trying to mentally assemble a beach version of a go bag. He evaluated JJ’s attire and accompanying straw bag, visibly overflowing with toys, towels and sunblock. Grabbing for his duffle bag he rooted through to find the swim shorts and a t-shirt that he took into the ensuite to throw on. It felt odd to be wearing such a casual outfit outside his apartment. Spencer couldn’t remember a time he’d worn anything other than a collared shirt around his friends, except to work out under incredible amounts of duress.

Emerging from the bathroom dressed and carrying a towel, Spencer stopped short and held his arms out in a mid-shrug, silently asking for JJ’s approval of the ensemble.

“Wow Spence,” JJ nodded, thinking she could get used to this more relaxed Spencer. “Did you even own swim trunks before Garcia conned you into this trip?”

“Absolutely not,” Spencer laughed, feeling free to move around the room and collect a few things to take down to the beach with him.

“Uncle Spencer, can we go swimming now?” Henry asked, looking up from his handheld game.

“Sure can, Henry,” Spencer checked he had his room key one more time before the group went back out into the hall, the boys running ahead in their excitement.

“Henry, go put your game back in the room and get your dad, okay,” JJ called. Henry didn’t acknowledge his mom’s request but did as he was told. Moments later Will popped out into the hall, camera strung around his neck.

“You boys ready?” Will clapped his hands together once and swung Michael up into his arms. “Beach time!”

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The rest of the team filtered down onto the beach, carrying towels and coffees and books, all the supplies necessary for a day of doing absolutely nothing that didn’t involve relaxation and supplementing their vitamin D intake. Garcia came bouncing down with a swimsuit splattered in a bright sunflower pattern with matching bright yellow sunglasses in the shape of stars, and a silk sunflower pinned garishly onto her sunhat.

Rossi was sporting an impressive get up comprising of matching linen shorts and loose linen button down with a hat that made him look like a Cuban mafia boss. All he was missing was his cigar. Tara and Emily came down sporting very sleek black bikinis and sunglasses, primarily intent on scouting the available eye candy. Luke brought down a soccer ball with him, kicking it aimlessly along the sand to where everyone had set up their towels and personal effects.

Spencer was lounged on a towel at the edge of the team’s group, reading through the first of his stack of books. A short distance away from him lay an abandoned towel and beach bag. The spot had been unattended since he had arrived on the beach with JJ a little while ago, and sand was slowly gathering in the crevices of the beach towel. Perched on top of the beach bag was a crisp looking paperback, clearly purchased to be this girl’s summer beach read. Curiosity piqued, Spencer leaned over casually and shifted his gaze to get a better view of the cover. “The Once and Future King” by T.H White. Nice, Spencer thought, returning to his own sci-fi compendium.

“Hey Prentiss,” Luke shouted towards Emily from the other end of the group, “wanna go?” He pointed down to the soccer ball he was tapping between his toes. Emily smirked.

“I don’t think you know what you’re asking for.”

“What, you’re not chicken are you?” Luke knew his taunt was childish but he also knew it would work.

“Loser buys the winner’s drinks tonight?” Emily rolled up from her towel, brushing the sand off her thighs as she went.

“Goal’s that way!” Luke shouted as he ran past Emily, kicking the ball further up the beach. She tore after him, the picture of focus.

JJ came jogging back up the beach, leaning down over her own bag to extract a small inflatable life vest. “Are you gonna come in the water at all Spence?” JJ laughed.

“You know, since global warming has begun to increase the temperatures in the Atlantic there’s been a proliferation of vibrio vulnificus in the bays and inlets along the Chesapeake coast.” Spencer informed her.

“Do I want to know what that is?” JJ laughed, but nervously.

“It’s a rare flesh eating bacteria,” Spencer nodded calmly. JJ looked panicked for a second before Spencer’s poker face broke and he laughed, starting to pull himself up from the sand. JJ signed with relief, realising that Spencer wasn’t actually concerned about being eaten by microorganisms. “Don’t worry, people hardly ever catch it.” Spencer started to walk down towards the water and JJ followed, shaking her head a little in stunned disbelief.

Seeing them coming, Michael toddled away from Will with his arms outstretched. “Mommy, mommy!”

“Hey munchkin,” JJ groaned as she swung the boy up into her arms. “My goodness you’re getting heavy! When did you get so big?” Michael giggled as JJ tickled around his chin, life vest still slung over her arm. Will strolled forward and gave JJ a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m gonna go lay down for a bit, good luck with this one,” he huffed, ruffling Henry’s hair.

“Did you tucker your dad out, huh?” She questioned Michael as she put him back down and walked with him back to the water’s edge, Spencer trailing behind them leisurely. “Henry, come over here and put this on!” JJ waved the life jacket above her head.

“Ugh mom do I have to?” Henry pouted but came back over to grab the jacket anyhow, his blonde hair plastered down over his eyes.

“You have to wear it if you want to go any deeper young man.”

“Fine,” Henry mumbled, blowing into the little tube that inflated the vest. The sun was hot, and getting hotter the higher it moved in the sky, which felt at odds with the fairly strong breeze that was coming off the water in the inlet. Last night it had been peaceful, with barely any visible movement beyond the foaming of the surf as it ran into the shore. Today there were waves moving diagonally across the surface of the water, crashing in on themselves a few yards before they made it to the edge of the beach. Spencer had noticed more than one small child get bowled over in a white cap that day, and understood perfectly well why JJ was insisting Henry put on a life-vest if he wanted to go any deeper than his knees.

“Are you coming Uncle Spencer?” Henry’s question broke Reid from his thoughts and he blinked down at the boy.

“Henry, I will go into the water if you answer me these riddles three,” Spencer’s eyebrows waggled in an echo of his fingers as a mischievous grin sprung across his face.

“Is one of those riddles how you got wet?” Henry asked innocently.

“What do you mean I’m not-“ Spencer spluttered in the middle of his sentence as Henry grabbed a pail from Michael and tossed a bucketload of water right in Spencer’s face.

“Oh, you are gonna get it!” Spencer ran after Henry as he cackled and ran headfirst into the ocean spray.

The waves were cresting heavily that day, spurred on by the wind that was also whipping up clouds of sand along the shore. Spencer and Henry pushed their way through the crashing water as they chased each other. JJ stayed back with Michael, letting him plod along beside her as the tide washed over his toes. From her vantage point on the beach Garcia was taking dozens of photos, smiling as Spencer lost his balance and was toppled over by a wave. “Hey, send me those will you, Penelope?” Will laughed, peaking over her shoulder.

“Sure thing, sugar,” Penelope smiled.

“Mom, I wanna go further!” Henry’s complaining shouts reached back to them.

“Henry,” JJ shook her head at him, “I already told you no, that’s far enough. I can’t even touch the bottom out there.”

“But mom-“

“I can take him out,” Spencer volunteered, pushing his sopping hair back off of his face.

“No, Spence I can’t ask you to do that.”

“No, I don’t mind.” Spencer assured her. “The water will actually be gentler if we go a little deeper, it will be mostly swells instead of waves.”

JJ still looked hesitant but the look on Henry’s face, a well-practiced mix of anger and pathetic pleading, crumpled her convictions. “Okay, but hang on to him. And Henry you listen to Spencer out there.”

“Yes mom,” Henry’s mocking tone didn’t hide his excitement effectively.

“Okay, how far do you wanna go Henry?” Spencer asked.

“Out there,” Henry pointed towards where a woman with ocean darkened hair was bobbing up and down over the swelling sea. Spencer and Henry splashed across the sand and let the waves tumble them into the deep.

Pushing out into the ocean amidst the swells was a sensation that Spencer had never experienced before. As the wind drove the sea up and down around them it felt like he was being loomed over by a wall of water but he could still feel his toes buried comfortingly in the sand. And as the water came nearer he would push gently off the ground, gripping Henry’s arm to pull him along, to float easily over the top of the surge that had seconds before threatened to engulf him. It was simultaneously relaxing and exhilarating, and he laughed. Spencer’s laugh was loud and careless and utterly without thought. It was happy.

Time was obviously passing but Spencer wasn’t inclined to measure it. In this moment he felt happier than he could remember being in years. He grabbed for Henry’s waist and hoisted him up and over the oncoming swells, holding him out so he could pretend he was a superhero, flying above the waves. However, a moment later Spencer’s oblivion was shattered as a swell began to fold early, white foam raging forward to engulf Henry and drag him from Spencer’s grasp. The wave hit Spencer square in the face and he was shoved backwards with the strength of it, spluttering and coughing while he tried to regain his footing.

It could only have been a second that his eyes were closed but when he pried them open again, fighting the sting of the saltwater as it seeped past his lids, Spencer realised he could no longer see Henry. Panic shredded his thoughts as he launched himself into the water, grasping through thee sea in front of him and praying his fingers could find what his eyes couldn’t. Behind him Spencer heard a shout, devoid of any real words. Spinning he saw, with intense relief, the bright orange of Henry’s life vest and a small head of wet blonde hair, coughing as he tried to clear the water from his throat. Holding him above the waves was a petite, tan figure with dark hair splayed across her cheeks.

[mirkwoodshewolf]

Taking care of you; Avengers x Stark! Teen reader

Here is yet another request that I hope I did good on for you @jo-stark who wanted a Stark! teen reader x avengers oneshot. So besides the fact that all u need to be warned about in this fic is having the flu then there’s nothing for u guys to worry about. Hope I did u proud jo-stark and I hope the rest of u guys enjoy and I apologize in advance for it being so short.

__________________________________________________

ACHOO!!! Oh God please don’t tell me…..I tried to sit up but suddenly my head felt woozy and I felt so cold.  Suddenly I felt something coming up my throat and I hightailed it to my bathroom and just made it to the toilet and churned up dinner from last night.

“Ugh God….please don’t tell me”. Yep I was sick. After taking care of business I flushed the toilet and grabbed my trashcan and took it with me as I slugged back to my bed.  I shivered from the cold and groaned in agony. “Oh Tony I’m gonna kill you”. Then I passed out on my pillow.

*3rd Person POV*

Meanwhile downstairs the Avengers were all starting to gather around for some breakfast.  Sam, Steve and Bucky had just came in from their early morning run.

“And the triumphed returns” stated Tony.

“So who won this round?” asked Natasha.

“It’s obvious I won” said Bucky.

“In your dreams Buck, I beat you by a mile”. Said Steve

“Sam how about you answer this for us who’s telling the truth?” said Natasha.

“Well Nat as much as I’d love to back him up he can sometimes be a pain in the ass so my vote is the Cap”.

“You are so lying Wilson!” exclaimed Bucky.

“Alright kids settle down less you want your pancakes to go to waste” stated Bruce as he set down multiple plates of pancakes right next to the sausages, toasts, drinks and a bottle of maple syrup.  As everyone gathered around and began chowing down on their breakfast, Sam took noticed that someone was missing.

“Yo Stark where’s little Stark at?”

“She might just be sleeping in, she and I stayed up pretty late last night watching Christmas movies together” Wanda stated.

“No, no, no that girl has a nose like a bloodhound, it don’t matter what time she goes to bed, by the time breakfast is cooking she’s down here in a millisecond”. Said Rhodey.

“Hey Friday where my sis at?”

‘Currently your sister is in her room with a high fever and signs of nausea, common signs of the flu’.  Friday stated.  Soon silence broke out between all the Avengers before they all shot up like bullets calling out for the younger Stark worriedly as they all raced towards her room.

*1st POV*

God if there was ever a moment when I was dying, it was right here, right now cause I feel so cold and I can’t stop coughing and on the occasion I’m trying to vomit but barely anything is coming out anymore.  Suddenly out of nowhere I’m hearing my door literally being pounded on and multiple voices are screaming for me which is making my headache even worse.

Soon my door was now on the other side of my room and all of the Avengers plus my brother were surrounding me talking over each other loudly asking how I was feeling.  I groaned until I finally couldn’t take it anymore.

“SHUT IT!!!!” I yelled out as best as I could. They soon became quiet and I told them.  “Thank you, god for a bunch of heroes you guys sure treat the flu like it’s the Apocalypse”.

“We just care about you soo much baby sister, whenever you’re hurting we feel it too” Tony said as he stroked a strand of my hair away from my face.  “Friday read her vitals”.

‘High fever of 101.5, Miss Stark also shows signs of a sore throat and slight dehydration’.

“Okay first things first Sam get her some water we need to keep her hydrated” Bruce began as he set himself down on my other side.

“On it” stated Sam as he took off running out of my room.

“Steve, Bucky can you guys try to make her a very light meal something to settle her stomach”.

“We can try my Ma’s old chicken soup” Steve said.

“It won’t do any good, I’ll just end up puking it out in the end anyways” I groaned.

“(N/n) I was once in your place before but thankfully my Mom knew just how to keep the soup down by making the ingredients very, very light and settling” Steve said as he gently stroked my cheek.

“Don’t you worry kid, we’ll have you feeling better in no time” Bucky said as he softly ruffled my hair before they left my room as well.  My brother soon came back with a wet rag and he placed it on my head and I sighed in relief.

“Okay now (y/n), I’m gonna need you to take this twice a day for the next week. This will help bring your fever down and help with the nausea”. Bruce said as he took out a container of pills.  I slowly sat up as Bruce handed me one pill as well as one of the five water bottles that Sam had brought up and I took the pill and drank the water.

I leaned back into the bed and Nat said.

“Anything else we can get you sweetie?”

“I feel bad about having you guys hover over me like this”.“You kidding right now (n/n)? You’re like family to all of us, plus you’re the only Stark that doesn’t drive us crazy” stated Rhodey.

“Hey!” exclaimed my brother.

“The point is we don’t mind taking the day out of our schedule to help you get better, we love you girl”. I smiled at my team and family members and said.

“You guys are the best”.

“We know” they all stated.

For the rest of the day, I was being taken care of by each member of the Avengers.  I had a taste of Steve’s mother’s chicken soup and he was right, I didn’t vomit it up and managed to keep it down the entire day.  I kept myself hydrated with some water and was also given some orange juice to boost up my vitamin count, and with each day passing I slowly began to feel better and stronger until  finally felt better.

All thanks to the Avengers.

[gethealthy18-blog]

292: Transformational Nutrition From the Inside Out With Cynthia Garcia

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/292-transformational-nutrition-from-the-inside-out-with-cynthia-garcia/

292: Transformational Nutrition From the Inside Out With Cynthia Garcia

Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.

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Katie: Hello, and welcome to “The Wellness Mama” podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com. And I’m here today with a dear friend and mentor of mine, Cynthia Garcia, who is a celebrity nutritionist, a transformation expert, we’re gonna talk about why today, a best-selling author, and the founder and CEO of the Institute of Transformational Nutrition, which is where I got my MCHC certification. And they’re a company that makes it easy for health coaches to do the work they love by teaching them a proven coaching process that leaves them confident and credible so they can be a powerful force for good in the world. And we’re gonna talk about that today, and especially how that could be an amazing tool for us moms who wanna be home with our kids more. And Cynthia is also a mom of an amazing little girl. But Cynthia, welcome and thanks for being here.

Cynthia: Oh, my gosh, thank you so much for having me, Katie. It’s such an honor.

Katie: Oh my gosh, I’m so glad to have you here. You’re one of my favorite people to talk to and you are such an inspiration. And to start, I would love if you don’t mind to share your story and how you got into this world, because I think when people will meet you now, like, you’re such the picture of health and success in business, that it might be easy to think that you have always just been that way. And I know you have an incredible story. So, are you willing to share that today?

Cynthia: Yeah, I am. I definitely think that my life story is sort of meant for a message for me and for others. And if there’s anything that, you know, anyone can take away and learn, and maybe make their journey a little bit easier from my story, then I’m happy to share that. And you’re right. You know, I think we all kind of assume things about people when we meet them. And, you know, like, I look at you and you have it all together. And, you know, you’re running this amazing business and you have these amazing little humans that you’ve birthed into the world and that you’re just raising, and just an awe inspiring way, and then you lead this amazing audience, and this great tribe of moms. And it’s just so inspiring, but also knowing your story makes it that much more powerful. So, yeah, I’d love to share mine. Where do you want me to start?

Katie: Oh my gosh. Well, there’s so many cool layers. I guess, we’ll start at the beginning of your health journey first. And then I know that there’s the business side as well, where you have this passion to bring this to the world. But you had your own kind of health story as well, right?

Cynthia: I did. And, you know, part of my story and I guess one of my dirty little secrets is that I never had any interest in health. I just didn’t. I didn’t know a protein from a carb. I’d never heard of gluten. I honestly didn’t really care either because things were kind of okay. I didn’t have a reason to be super concerned about my health until I did. And what was happening in my life at that time was things were really hectic. I lived in Los Angeles and I was working in the entertainment industry. And I mean, much like all of us, women, I was going from morning to night and just really burning the candle at both ends, just really pushing, and striving, and pounding the pavement and, you know, trying to make a living. And that caught up with me really, really quickly. I got super sick and had a lot of different issues.

So, I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. I was exhausted from morning to night no matter how long I slept. I had cystic acne all over my face, my neck, my back. I suffered from short-term memory loss. I mean, you name it, it was happening. I was about 30 pounds overweight, 25, 30 pounds overweight at the time as well, and just trying everything, Katie. And, you know, when it first started and I first started experiencing these symptoms, I thought, you know, “I just maybe need to eat healthier,” not that I even knew what that meant, “and maybe go to the gym more.” And that didn’t work at all. I was too exhausted to hardly get off the couch. So, you know, I started seeing people. I started reading articles. You know, I went to a nutritionist and I went to a doctor, and then I got kind of desperate, and I started going to healers. And I mean, I was hypnotized once. And this went on for, gosh, about nine months, I guess, and I was only ever getting worse.

So, you know, I was popping the pills and drinking the shakes, and nothing was working. And, you know, I didn’t have a lot of money in my bank account. I had, like, a few hundred dollars in it, which was not good. Because I was living in Los Angeles and didn’t really have a lot of friends, to be honest, and no family here. And, you know, it was really scary. I’d moved out to LA on my own and went through this crazy time, I was homeless for a little bit. So, just the thought of, you know, “What am I gonna do? Like, what is happening?” And I can’t make money because unfortunately, I made money based on partially on how I looked. You know, I was in the entertainment world and was a model. So, it was a really scary time. I plunged into this really deep depression. I had been diagnosed with clinical depression really early on in my life and it’s something that I had struggled with for a long time, and I still struggle with today, just to be completely transparent.

But I got to this point, Katie, where I was just I was done, you know. And I remember I woke up one morning in my little tiny studio apartment in Hollywood, California, and I don’t know, that morning, I thought, “You know, I can do this. I’ve been through a lot of stuff in my life,” and I can share that with you. But I thought, “I can do this. Maybe today is the day I turn it all around.” You know, I just was really hoping for that fresh start. And so, I got up and I got in the shower and, you know, I’m showering, I’m my doing thing and I found a lump in one of my breasts, just this little, just node right in the side. And, you know, for women, I think, anytime we have something like that happen, it’s just like you’re frozen, you know. And I just remember reaching for my other breast and found a little node there.

And it was just, like, ice-cold chills ran over me and I just remember sinking to the floor of the shower, just sitting down. And if you remember those old television sets, Katie, the really big boxie ones that required like four men to move it into your living room, when you turn them off, it’s like they faded to this little tiny dot, this thought of light. And that’s what was happening. And I just kind of lost it and I don’t know how long I sat there but I remember putting my arms around myself and just rocking back and forth, and just in this zone, just disbelief, just really hit truly, literally, hit rock bottom. And I remember getting out of the shower when it got…because the water was cold and I was shivering, and I spent the rest of the day just in a fog. And the wee hours of the morning crept up and I’m sitting in the corner in the floor in my little apartment. There was, again, one window in this apartment and the light was coming in. And I was done, Katie, I had decided to take my own life. I decided that was the best way out. I thought, you know, “I’ve given it a good shot. They can’t say I haven’t tried.”

And so, I had a handful of pills and was ready to make that happen. And, you know, I think when you get to that point in your life, if you’ve ever been there, maybe your audience has, you, you start to kind of look at things in your life. And, for me, I started looking back and thinking you know, “Gosh, this has been such a crazy ride.” Because this was not my first time at the, you know, down and out rodeo. I was born into extreme poverty. My parents were having a really rough time. They’d had a son before me who had passed away when he was only two from a drowning accident. And they’d had a really hard go of it themselves. They weren’t really in a place to be parents. And we had no money. I remember there was no running water in my house. We had an outhouse that we had to go outside and use if we needed to go to the bathroom.

You know, there was a spring that was maybe, I don’t know, five or six miles away, and that’s where we would go get our water in old, you know, used milk jugs. And so, it was a really tough upbringing. And, you know, with those situations comes kind of what you would think. You know, my dad was an alcoholic and a drug addict. And my mother was bipolar, and a narcissist, and very verbally and mentally abusive, physically abusive. I was sexually abused for the first time at the age of five. And that continued as I got older and it was just really, really difficult. You know, my family around me that told me I would never amount to anything. It was just a really tough upbringing. And so, having gone through so much in my life, that night on the floor, I just thought, “You know, I’m just so tired of fighting. I’m just so tired of it.” And I started questioning like, “Why me? Why has all this happened to me?”

And then when I sit there questioning with the tears rolling down my eyes, my heart just broken open just feeling, you know, worthless and hopeless. There was this voice inside of me that just said, “Well, it hasn’t happened to you, it’s happened for you.” And it’s funny, Katie, because I hear that everywhere now. But at the time, I’d never heard that. And it kind of got my attention. And I was like, I thought, “Well, if it’s happening for me, then what is it all for?” And again, this voice and whatever it is, divine intervention, God, whatever, this voice said, “Well, you’re meant for something really great.” Now, again, I had grown up with my own family telling me I was nothing, that I was trash, that I’d never amount to anything, that I might as well just give it up.

You know, I remember in high school being teased because I didn’t have a lot of money or a lot of things, and the kids, they’re telling me to go kill myself, that I should just go kill myself. And so, for that night for me to think, “Whoa, I’m meant for something great. Like, no.” But that sat with me. And it reinvigorated me and I thought, “We’re all meant for something great. You’re meant for something great.” Everyone listening is meant for something great. I believe greatness is our birthright. So, essentially, what ended up happening is I said, “Okay. You know, maybe I can do this. “You know, that fighter spirit in me came back and that survivor mentality kicked in. And I thought, “Maybe I can do this.”

So, that night, it sounds kind of crazy when I say it, but I kind of made a pact with the universe, a pact with God. And I said, “Look, if I’ll do this, I’ll give it one more chance. If you’ll open the door, I’ll walk through it.” And that’s what I’ve done ever since that night, Katie. I’ve spent my life since then really trying to help others, trying to help others, you know, get to those deeper hungers, help them recover their health, help them to live the life that I know they’re meant to live, that, you know, stepping into that greatness that is their birthright. And we can get into some of the ways I’ve done that and how I can help here today. But that’s where everything started. And that’s led us up to now.

Katie: It’s such an incredible story. And I just wanna say, I’m so grateful that you are still here with us, and that there were bigger plans for you, because I just value you so much. And I think one of the things that you just said that it bears repeating over and over is that idea that, you’re right, is more common now, but things happening for you, not to you. And I know that was a shift I had as well. I also had sexual trauma in my past, and realizing that, like anything, there’s always a lesson and there’s always something we can learn from that. And not only that, that often, you know, that other quote, that our wounds make us warrior, but, like, those things can actually, like, have a purpose in our lives when we let them, instead of just dwelling on this bad thing that happened to us.

And I know that’s my… You know, my heart goes out to any woman, other woman who’s experienced that. But that’s why I’ve been a little resistant to some of these movements that seem to just dwell in the pain of the trauma versus the transformation of the trauma. And I know, I would love to go a little deeper on that on the emotional side, because I know now that you’ve helped thousands and thousands of people really to, like, delve deep and decode that for themselves. So, to start with, what was it for you? Like, what were those initial steps for you figuring out what you were really hungry for and starting that transformation?

Cynthia: Yeah, that’s a great question. And I just wanna comment on something that you said because, you know, I think as women, we go through a lot, and oftentimes, we hide that because we think we’re alone. We think, “Oh, no one else has gone through this. They won’t know. They’ll judge me. You know, if they really knew me, what would they think? Would they like me?” And we’re all so concerned about what others think. And I get that, right? And at the same time, I know that we women are so powerful and we’re capable of everything, especially moms. I mean, come on, you created a human. That’s pretty amazing. And I also think sometimes when we go through these experiences, they don’t always make us stronger. And we don’t know how to get that strength. And sometimes we do slip into that victim mentality. And I guess, for me, what I wanted to add to what you said is just that we can overcome that. We don’t have to stay in that place. It’s not a judgment on you because someone did something to you that wasn’t right. And so, we can get on the other side of that, and we can be that powerful warrior and that survivor, and we can take our deepest pain and leverage them into our greatest power. I really believe that it’s possible for all of us because it did happen for some reason.

You know, I don’t know what that is in everyone’s life, but it definitely happened for a reason. For me, getting clear on, you know, what I was really hungry for involved me taking a real honest look at my life, Katie. And I started looking at who I had become, which is not who I am. It was not who I was, right? It was just who I… It was a version of me that I had created that I thought other people wanted to see and that other people wanted to be around, the person that other people wanted to be friends with. Because again, I thought, “Gosh, if they knew me, and if they knew my story, and they knew where I came from, like, Oh, well, they wouldn’t want to be friends with me.” You know, that would not be good. So, I spent a very long time trying to please others by compromising who I was and what I believed and what I stood for.

So, I believe that there’s really two things that we have to do in order to remember who we are, because, you know, we start these big conversations around transformation. And we go on Instagram, and we see the before and after photos. But I think we have the wrong idea about transformation and what it really means. Krishnamurti has a great quote, he said, “When you begin to understand what you are, without trying to change it, then what you are undergoes a transformation.” So, what he’s saying is that you don’t have to go outside of yourself and become some other person, some other being, which is what I did, to try to please others. What’s important that you do if you really are looking for transformation in your life and you wanna live that life of greatness that’s meant for you and you wanna be healthy mind, body, and spirit, you have to really understand who you are. You have to remember who you are.

And that requires two things. One is the desire to know and two is the courage to take action. And that second one can be tough. But once you’ve decided that, “Yes, I don’t want to live my life this way. I do wanna be healthy in every way. I do wanna understand what I’m really hungry for and step into that life that I know is meant for me,” then one of the easiest ways to take action is to do things that you normally wouldn’t do. So, what I mean by that is read books you wouldn’t normally read, watch movies you wouldn’t normally watch, play a musical instrument, you know, write something, cut out pictures from magazines. Because we are so stuck in these ruts of doing the things that we think we should do that we forget or we lose track of the things that we really want to do. So, again, losing track of who we really are. So, the first step is, being gentle with yourself. That’s really important. And then having that desire to know and the courage to do something about it by exploring the things that maybe you’ve cut out of your life. Another great thing is going back to when you were a kid and looking at some of the things that you really enjoyed doing back then. So, that could have been anything, maybe it was cooking, maybe it was the great outdoors, maybe it was art, who knows. But getting back to that and starting almost from that childlike place where you were so true to who you were and so pure is a great way to start that journey. Does that make sense, Katie?

Katie: Yeah, it does. And yeah, I think that’s such an important point to address that side of things. Because you’re right, there’s so much information out there. And especially now, we all know what the things are that we need to do physically to be healthy. There’s so much information about that. But I know firsthand how easy it is to ignore that so important emotional piece, which is why what really drew me to you and to the Institute for Transformational Nutrition was that I feel like, especially for anyone, any human, but especially for women, that part is so, so important.

Cynthia: Yeah, it’s critical. I mean, the reason why… You know, I do a lot of interviews with media and TV, and, you know, work on some different shows. And one of the things I get asked a lot is, “Why don’t diets work? You know, there’s all these diet books, why don’t they work?” And the truth is, I don’t know that it’s the diets that aren’t working, I think maybe we’re not working the diets, because we’re trying to transform the wrong thing, right? We’re looking at it and we’re saying, “Oh, I’ve gotta be this size. I’ve gotta eat this food. I have to be this thing or that thing,” but it’s not really who we are. And if we’re all being honest, it’s probably not even who we really want to be. So, I think that getting really clear on that is really important. And, you know, starting this journey from almost from the beginning over.

Katie: Yeah, that makes perfect sense. So, I’d love to go a little deeper on now, what the Institute for Transformational Nutrition is, kind of the story of how it began and then, like, how you both teach people in the institute and then how they work with people in the world.

Cynthia: Yeah, I’d love to. So, you know, I started this journey that night on the floor. After I’d made this pact, this agreement with God, I thought, “You know, I should probably learn more about the body, and about nutrition, and how this whole thing works.” Because, again, I was relying on the experts, like, “experts,” right? And so, I thought, “Okay. I need to go back to school. I need to study. I need to learn.” And I got on my computer that night and thank goodness for Google. And I started just looking for nutrition programs and certification programs. And I found one. I called the next morning. I used three different credit cards to sign up because I didn’t have any money. I’d spent all the money I had on, you know, going outside trying to find someone to make me better. But that was okay, Katie, because I knew that I was really investing in the only thing I had left to invest in, and that was me. You know, again, we’re all so much stronger than we think we are, right? And especially, as women and moms, I think we can do everything. I think we are only limited by our imagination.

So, anyways, I took that leap and I started studying. And I started, you know, getting an education and I started working with clients. And I realized really quickly that they were seeing some things that were just really wrong about the way we were approaching nutrition, and coaching, and health coaching. And there’s one woman that triggered it for me, and I’ll share the story with you because man, she changed my whole life. She was a client and she was coming to me because she had a really hard time with sweets. Now, I know you and I don’t know anything about that. We don’t like sweets, especially that yummy dark chocolate. I kid, of course. But she really had a hard time getting away from candy bars. And so, she came in and I started coaching her, very nutritional, very physical nutrition-oriented.

And we’d make meal plans together and she’d go away every week with this meal plan ready to just take action. And she’d come back the following week having eaten candy bars every single day. And this went on for maybe four weeks. And she came in one day and had caught me in just the right mood. Ladies, we all get in just the right mood sometimes. And she came in and, again, the candy bars, and I said to her, “Look, you know, Janet,” which is not her name, I said, “Look, Janet, you know, every week you come in, every week we make this plan, every week you go off, and then you come back and there’s candy bars. Like, help me understand because, at this point, I feel like you’re wasting my time and your money.”

And she did something, Katie, that thankfully, no one has done to me before or since. She stood up and she started yelling at me. And she told me this story and it changed the course of my work forever. She said, “You know, when I was a little girl, my parents got divorced. And my mom was really unhappy, my mom was really insecure, and she started dating this man who she was really into, but turns out he wasn’t into me.” Turns out he wasn’t into kids at all. So, her mother with this need to really get her self-esteem back and feel good about herself would take Janet when she was a little girl out to Blockbuster Video, if we remember those old days, and she would get her all these movies, buy her candy bars, and bring her home, and put her in a room so she could watch movies and eat the candy bars while the mom, the boyfriend were downstairs. And then afterwards, the daughter could come out again. So, this woman said to me that day in my office while she’s yelling, she said, “You are trying to take away the only friends and the only love I have, and I just won’t let you.” And it stunned me. I thought, “Whoa, wait, what?” And she sat down and I think she’d even shocked herself.

Like, we were both just in this state of shock, just staring at each other. And I realized in that moment, there was such a bigger reason as to why you know diets don’t work, or why we can’t just transform into the person that we want, or lose the weight, or get the health back. Why do we know what to do but still won’t do it? And I realized those reasons are so deeply rooted in things like past trauma, and past pain and, you know, abuse, like we talked about. And there’s so many bigger concepts. So, I started building in mental wellness to my coaching and really looking at, you know, the anxiety that my clients were going through, the past events that had really damaged them in some way, hurt them in some way, that they thought they were, you know, irreparable.

And that worked for a while. I was able to really drill down. We were able to get them to take better action, really care for themselves, and they started seeing better results. But I realized there was still another piece missing. It’s like we were getting so close, but not quite there. And that was, even after we broke through the trauma, even after we said, “Here are the reasons you know what to do and you’re still not doing it,” I realized that women were still hungry. You know, we live in a country where we eat more than any other nation in the world and yet we’re starving to death. Not just for nutrients, but for more, for pleasure, for meaning, for purpose, for self-worth, if we’re being really honest here. And I realized so many women didn’t have that. So, at the end of the day, when it came to even, you know, knowing the right foods to eat and then knowing how to overcome the past trauma and their trigger and do the “right” thing. Well, some women, at the end of the day, most of us, in fact, didn’t really feel like we’re worth it. Like, we didn’t deserve to take the time, or to do the things, or to get the right foods, or to meditate, or to reconnect with ourselves. So, I started looking at spiritual nutrition and realizing that we’re fed by so much more than just what’s on our plate.

So, where does that meaning and purpose and self-worth, and, you know, today would call it self-love, where does that all come from? Because I believe that you have to feed yourself all of those things, right? You have to get to know who you are intimately and feed who you are if you’re really looking to transform into who you’ve always been. And so, I put together this system, this method because I thought that this is really great. So, we looked at not just physical nutrition but mental nutrition and spiritual nutrition. And I put together this system, and the women and the results were just amazing. I mean, they started not just getting healthy and losing weight and balancing hormones and healing gut health, but they got out of relationships that weren’t serving them, and found that partner of their dreams. They left careers where they had no meaning and purpose, and they felt like they weren’t contributing. And they started their own businesses. And, you know, they did the work that they loved. And I thought, “I wanna take this to a bigger scale.” And that’s when I started the Institute of Transformational Nutrition, and transformational nutrition is what I called this method, this practice of bringing together these three pillars, you know, physical nutrition, mental nutrition, and spiritual nutrition into one practice. And so, today, we train and certify health coaches in this method so that their clients get amazing breakthroughs, amazing results, and finally, transform back into the person they were always meant to be.

Katie: I love that and I know firsthand just how incredible that program is. And I wanna go a little bit deeper. But first, I wanna go back to something you said about that client and her outburst, and how, like, there were such a deeper connection to that particular food, that obviously wasn’t just about the sugar or the craving at all. And it made me really think, you know, both of us are moms and certainly, like, I wanna go deeper on how we all have these things inside of us and how to work through them. But, I also really think about our kids and how much our culture really does tie food into emotional experiences, especially, like I look back into, like, birthdays, where every good experience in my childhood was tied to sugary foods or tied to junk food in some way. And so, I mean, other than the obvious of, like, making healthy food choices, do you have any ways that you are doing that, like, fostering a healthy relationship with food and emotion with your daughter and your family or suggestions that you would give to other families? Like, how do we help, hopefully, our kids avoid some of these pitfalls?

Cynthia: Yeah, gosh, it’s such a great question. And that’s really what it’s about, right? As moms, we want our kids, we want them happy. We want them healthy. And we just want them to have a better life. We want them to avoid the pains that we went through when we were young. And so, yeah, I mean, I have really open honest conversations with my daughter around food and I have since she was born. But we never use food as a reward. It’s just never something that we do. You don’t get a sweet for being a good girl, or for cleaning your room, or just doing the things that you should be doing as a little human. We also don’t use food as a punishment, you know, like,” Oh, you don’t get dessert tonight,” or send you to bed without dinner, or some of those other what I feel are very outdated ideas, because we start this relationship then at a very young age with children and their food. And as we all know, that can be very detrimental when they’re older.

And so, little things, you know, like, “Oh, you were so great. Let’s take you out for ice cream,” those have a long-lasting impact on children as they get older. And I’ve seen this in literally thousands of clients over the years. Even myself, you know, I can look back, I remember my 8th birthday, no one remembered. My parents didn’t remember my birthday. And, you know, as an 8-year-old, that was really tough. I was expecting a little cake. And again, we didn’t really have money, so I wasn’t expecting any presents, but maybe just someone to acknowledge that it was my birthday would have been great. But that didn’t happen. And as a result, I had issues with that. I mean, I still struggle with it. Every year, my birthday rolls around, I’m like, “Where’s that cake? Give me that cake.” Because it’s just an emotional trigger inside of me. And I know, you know, how to choose and so on now. But that was something that, for me, was really tough. So, I think just the little things. Another thing I never do is, I never make my daughter eat her vegetables. I just don’t do that. She doesn’t see them any different than any other food on her plate because I’ve never made it a big deal.

This is gonna sound really, really crazy, but I don’t limit her sugar. She does. I think that children are so much smarter than we give them credit for. You know, just because they’re in smaller bodies than we are, sometimes we think maybe they’re not as wise, and I don’t think that’s true. I really believe that they know so much. And if we can create this intuitive eating pattern and this awareness in them when they’re young, letting them make their own decisions, educating them on why maybe this food will help you grow and be healthy and this food maybe not so much. That doesn’t mean the food is bad. It just means that you’re not gonna have the same benefits from eating that food as you would this one. It’s just that education process is really critical.

And so, I’ve educated her from the very beginning and now if she wants a little sweet, she has it, but she never overdoes it. Same thing, some night she’ll a ton of vegetables, some not so much. And that’s okay, sometimes that’s what I do, you know. But she has this really positive relationship. One other thing that I would recommend that I just saw work wonders with my daughter, Rain, as she started to get older, is letting her choose the foods and even if… We don’t have a garden, I wish we did. But having her, you know, pick fresh herbs that we grow or going out to where you, you know, you pick your own fruits and veggies, and letting her be involved in picking the berries off the vine, and bringing it home, and then cooking. That’s been really, really important. You know, if kids help you grow and harvest food, they’ll eat that food. You know, even if that food is kale, they’ll eat that food. And if they have a hand in cooking and preparing it, they take pride in that, they’ll eat that food, even if it’s a salad, you know. So, letting them just be actively involved, educating them from the very beginning, and then not passing on the reward and punishment paradox that were so wrapped up in maybe when we were younger or maybe got from our parents, those are some things that have been, you know, the most powerful in our family.

Katie: I think those are all such great tips. And that’s something that’s been an evolution for me as well, in my parenting. You know, early on when I was sick and I had Hashimoto’s, and was trying to figure out kind of how to get back to health myself, I had to be really strict with myself on avoiding certain foods. And the kids definitely, like, obviously at home, they saw that and they picked up on it a little bit. And now, I think it surprises a lot of people to know, I don’t actively limit their food choices either, especially when they’re somewhere else. Like, I do view it as my responsibility, like, when you’re in my house, I’m gonna make nutritious food because that’s my responsibility as a mom and that’s what we like. But I don’t give them hard and fast rules or guidelines when they’re somewhere else and I let them make those decisions because I don’t want food to ever seem like, like you said, like a reward or something forbidden. I want them to have the tools to be able to make those decisions and also to notice things, like, they don’t feel good when they eat too much sugar, rather than it being this, like, forbidden carrot that they want to go find. So, I think that’s really, really why is the approach you take with her. And I know she’s an exceptional young lady, so it seems to be working really well.

Cynthia: Well, thank you, I’m honestly just trying to keep up with you, if we’re being totally honest here. I just think that you’re such an amazing inspiration. And I’m always learning from you, how you parent your children, and how you show up for them. And one of the things that I love that you do is, you’re so empowering for them. And first of all, by being a really powerful example and showing up in the world the way that you do and being such a leader and an inspiration to so many others, but also the fact that you allow them to really stand in their own power, I think it’s one of the best things that I’ve seen mothers do and just seeing you as an example in that, and you being a guide for me, has been really, truly a blessing.

Katie: Oh, thank you for that. That means so much coming from you.

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Katie: And I wanna make sure we also talk more about health coaching, because that was very much part of my journey. I originally had gone to school for journalism and I was thinking of, like, a political science career. And then when I realized that family was gonna be much more important to me and that I wanted to be a mom, but then also, went through my own health struggles, I really got into the nutrition side. And that was so much a part of my journey. And I know that it has been for quite a few of my really good friends as well. And I think it’s such an empowering option, like you just mentioned, for women, because it’s something that we can do in a flexible way and often from home. So, I wanna talk more about the practical side of Institute for Transformational Nutrition and how people can get involved with that. Because I think it is a way just like you and just like me, that people can start to make that positive ripple in the world and do something that’s empowering and fulfilling.

Cynthia: Yeah. I’d love to talk about that because, one, because there’s a huge demand for health coaches rght now, we’re seeing it everywhere. I mean, it has exploded and is expected to continue to do so. I mean, we’re looking at it being a $6 billion industry, which is amazing. I mean, right now, it is the number one. It’s number one in the fastest five growing highest paying jobs. It grew last year by 21%. And it’s predicted to grow by another 21% by 2022. And it’s interesting because that’s faster than any other industry is growing on average across the globe. So, it’s an exciting time and as you said, especially, for women. I was really glad when I had my health struggle that I landed on nutrition and coaching because it actually enabled me to be at home with my daughter then when she was born because I had become a coach, and I could have the flexibility and the freedom, and I could work with, you know, on my schedule, and sometimes on the weekends when my husband could be with our daughter. And it turns out, that’s when most people want coaching anyway because they’re working during the week.

So, evenings and weekends, I started just, you know, working and getting clients. But it’s a great option for moms because of that flexibility and because of the wisdom that you gain by becoming a coach that you can then use with your family. And for me, that has just been huge, you know, having this education, being able to get my family well. My husband had a whole thing about maybe a year or two ago with leaky gut and started having these severe allergic reactions to foods, like, going into anaphylactic shock and we’d have to rush him to the hospital. But the great thing about that is because I had the education and the background, I was able to put together a really strong protocol. We were able to heal his leaky gut using transformational nutrition and he hasn’t had any symptoms since.

So, the value that you also bring into your own family is tremendous. And we’re seeing so many people right now at the Institute of Transformational Nutrition, including, you know, moms, some new moms, some moms that their kids are in school now. And they wanna really contribute in a big way. They wanna have the health for their families. We’re also seeing a lot of women who are looking to change careers because, you know, they wanna set that great example for their children. They wanna show up in the world and do things that matter. They wanna contribute to that next generation, which is really important to us. As a matter of fact, we have a whole community called the transformation generation because we are coming together as coaches, determined to make the world better for our children. So, yeah, It’s such a great opportunity for moms right now if they’re interested in being a health coach.

Katie: Yeah, absolutely. Like, I think we’re at the perfect time for it with so much of this being, you know, in the mainstream right now and people starting to really understand why all of these things are so important and why the personalization aspect is so important. Also, talk a little bit more about the accreditation, because I know like you mentioned it, but that’s something that really does separate you guys from a lot of the other options.

Cynthia: Yeah, I’d love to. So, one of the things that we knew from the very beginning was that, you know, we have this really great method called transformational nutrition. And, you know, a lot of people talk about mind, body, spirit, but transformational nutrition is currently the only scientific study of health and wellness on multiple levels that includes, you know, the physical nutrition, the mental nutrition, which is so critical these days, and spiritual nutrition, which, you know, has nothing to do with religion necessarily, but it’s all about connection, you know, connection to others, connection to yourself, relationships, your bigger purpose, and your bigger mission. And so, we knew that this was something really special.

So, when we started our school, we looked around and we would hear stories from students coming to us saying, “Oh, you know, I went to this school and I was halfway through and they just shut down,” or, “I went to this school and found out they actually weren’t a school and I kind of have to start over.” And that was so tough to hear, Katie, because, you know, these people had put their faith and this trust in these certification programs, and they put their money, and they invested their time. And so, we decided to take it to that next level. So, we are actually a fully state-licensed school, fully licensed and accredited through the state of Washington. So, we are a post-secondary educational institute, just like any other school, any other university out there. And for us, that’s important, but it’s even more important for our students to have that credibility and to, you know, actually come from… I mean, we’re kind of known in the industry as the next level, sort of like this Ivy League. We’re full of forward thinkers and, you know, credible coaches, and it’s why our coaches get paid more, it’s why they have longer and more fulfilling careers, is because we take our education very seriously, as it should be.

Katie: Absolutely. And I know a lot of people listen to this podcast while driving or exercising, so, for any of you guys who are interested, well, actually, multiple links will be in the show notes at wellnessmama.fm. But also, if you are by a computer right now, the direct link is transformationalnutrition.com/wellnessmama. so you guys can start to learn more about what Cynthia is talking about. And like I said at the beginning, this is where I received my certification, and it was amazing and transformational, to use that word, for me. So, I highly recommend it for any of you who have asked me what I recommend when it comes to becoming a health coach or getting involved in this world. And Cynthia, like I said at the beginning too, I could talk to you all day and I feel like our time always just flies by because you’re so fun to talk to, but a couple of questions I love to ask toward the end. First being, if there’s a book or a number of books that have really changed your life and if so, what they are and why?

Cynthia: Oh, gosh. So, I’m a voracious reader. It’s true. I’d rather read than eat, Katie, I swear. Just reading feeds me, you know, getting back to those deepest hungers. But there was a book that I found that really did radically change my life. When I first started my healing journey, I’d enrolled in this program that I shared. I just decided I didn’t know anything about healing my life. And strangely enough, I went to the bookstore and found the book called “You Can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay, and I know you’re familiar with it. And it’s sort of like a good starter book, I say, for people who are interested in looking at what feeds you more than food, and looking at how your past trauma, and past pain, or maybe a troubled relationship with parents can be overcome, how you can really find your worth, and find your purpose, and your mission. And, you know, Louise Hay, who wrote the book, had her own struggle, her own health struggle. She was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier in her life and her career and was able to essentially heal her life. But I love it because it talks about, you know, our physical ailments and how they’re really tied to our deeper emotional trauma and triggers and what’s going on in our lives. So, that was huge for me, getting started and, again, just that great, you know, like, lowest level book to start with, but also one that’s so powerful, so don’t underestimate it. That was huge for me. Also, anything by Ram Dass, he’s definitely my greatest spiritual teacher. He’s amazing. You know, starting with “A Journey to Awakening,” it’s a great book to begin with. If you’re looking for a more spiritual and emotional journey, that’s always a great place to start. But yeah, those are some of my two, two of the ones I’d recommend to start.

Katie: I love those and those will be in the show notes as well for any of you listening. Lastly, Cynthia, is there any parting advice you wanna leave with our audience today, if related to our topic today or not, just any parting advice you wanna leave?

Cynthia: So, you know, I get asked this question a lot too. I don’t really give people advice, Katie, and I’ll tell you why. The truth is, I find that when I do they seldom take it anyway. And besides, I really believe that people already know what they wanna do in their lives. I think people know what advice they would give themselves. I think they know the right next step. I think that deep down they know. We all know. Like, I could give advice all day, but really what I want people to do is stop going outside of themselves and looking to the gurus, and the experts, and the authors, and the whatever the titles are, thought leaders, influencers, and really reconnect with yourself because I believe you have all the answers you need inside of you. And you might say, “Oh, but I don’t.” But I believe you do. I believe when we get quiet and we put the phones down, and we step away from all the distractions that numb us out from our daily life, I believe that we can hear, I believe we can hear what our body needs. I believe we can hear what our heart needs. I believe we can hear what our soul needs.

So, I’d rather give people the tools to really drill down and discover those wants and, you know, figure out what they’re really hungry for so they can then go feed themselves. Sometimes I think advice is disempowering, right? I’d rather you find those answers inside yourself so that you take back that power and use that to leverage and move you forward. Does that make sense? I’m not trying to avoid answering the question, I’m just rather inviting everyone to ask themselves that question. What advice would they give themselves? What is the next step? What do they need to do in their lives to really live the one that they want to be living? I’d rather we all take that on that personal mission for ourselves. It’s a much, much sweeter journey.

Katie: I agree. And I think that’s a perfect place to wrap up. And like I said, I highly, highly recommend the Institute for Transformational Nutrition, and all those links will be in the show notes at wellnessmama.fm. I definitely hope you guys will check it out. And Cynthia, I know how busy you are and how many people you help on a daily basis, so I’m honored you took the time to be here today.

Cynthia: Yeah. Thank you, Katie. It really is all my pleasure. Again, you’re such a light in my life. And just, yeah, thank you for all the support you offer, especially around, you know, ITN. You’ve done so much great things, so many great things with your education, and you’re such an inspiration. So, thank you, again, for just letting me be a part of your world.

Katie: Oh, thank you, Cynthia. And thanks to all of you for listening and sharing your most valuable asset, your time, with both of us today. We’re so glad that you did, and I hope that you will join me again on the next episode of “The Wellness Mama” podcast.

If you’re enjoying these interviews, would you please take two minutes to leave a rating or review on iTunes for me? Doing this helps more people to find the podcast, which means even more moms and families could benefit from the information. I really appreciate your time, and thanks as always for listening.

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/podcast/transformational-nutrition/

[rfaandsaeranimagines]

What if mc just fainted?! Like JUST FAINTED with no warning at all.. Maybe they had a lack of vitamin D (I have a lack of vitamin D and it happens to me all the time >.

Yoosung: Forgot to eat

MC had woken up late and ran out the door without eating breakfast

She arrived at her class just in time and slid into her seat next to Yoosung 

She had trouble concentrating, but she figured she’d eat right after class. 

But after class, she got a call from a friend who needed MC’s help on finishing up the project that was due in their next class, so MC ran over to go and help her friend.

It ended up lasting until the next class, which was around noon. 

After her class, work called and asked her to come in early. 

So off to work she went, and she barely had time to buy a granola bar and a soda before her shift started.

By the time her shift ended, she was getting pretty dizzy. 

Yoosung came to pick her up and she leaped up to go meet him

Suddenly she got really light headed, the world began to spin, and her vision began to fade. 

MC then opens her eyes to a Yoosung who is freaking out and her coworker is trying to calm the hysteric guy down.

“MC! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? YOU AREN’T DYING ARE YOU?” Yoosung shouted when he saw her consciousness return

“Dude, chill. She just fainted. MC, are you alright? What happened?” her coworker asked gently

MC’s stomach answered for her by growling loudly. She turned bright red as it rumbled again. 

“MC, you didn’t skip any meals, did you?” Her co-worker chided lightly

“I didn’t have time!”

“MC! You have to eat! I’m gonna look like a bad boyfriend if you faint from not eating” Yoosung cried, tears coming to his large purple eyes

MC felt really bad and Yoosung dragged her to go eat dinner. 

Now at every class, he asks her before every class if she’s eaten yet. He means no harm. He’s just very worried about her fainting again.

Zen:Low Blood Pressure

MC went with Zen to go up to his secret place 

They went up on his motorcycle together (Zen surprised her with her own helmet)

Zen drove as MC hung on for dear life

When she got to the top of the hill, she felt rather light headed but shook it off

She tried to get up off of the bike, and her blood pressure dove down

She felt herself about to faint and she told Zen to catch her

She then blacked out and felt Zen grab her right before she lost consciousness

MC awoke to Zen’s leather jacket placed over her as she lay on the ground

“MC! You’re awake! What happened babe? You just passed out!”

“I guess it probably has to do with my low blood pressure. I think I stood up too quickly.” MC replied, getting up into a sitting position

“Well don’t do that!” Zen scolded 

“I didn’t intend to faint!”

“You gotta be careful! I almost didn’t catch you!” Zen lectured, putting his face closer to MC’s

“Well, you did! I don’t see the big problem!” MC shouted back, getting closer to Zen

“But what if I hadn’t? You could have gotten hurt!” Zen retorted, and MC sat back quietly.

She realized how much she scared Zen, and in his situation, she’d be pretty surprised and scared too.  

“I’m sorry Zen. I should have told you I have a low blood pressure, and that if I elevate too quickly I faint.” 

“Please don’t scare me like that again sweetie.”

“Don’t worry Zen, I won’t.

Jaehee: Anemia

MC woke up late and forgot to take her iron pills

For the third day in a row. 

Jaehee was slightly worried since MC’s skin had begun to acquire a yellow tint

One of the customers in the cafe asked for a coffee syrup that they had just run out of

“Don’t worry Jaehee! I’ve got it!”

MC then jumped up and her head began to spin

She shook it off and got the syrup out of the back and ran out to get the drink to the customer 

However, as she ran in, the lights overwhelmed her and she collapsed, the syrup bottle flying out of her hands and shattering onto the floor

She woke up to Jaehee sitting over her, holding a glass of water and her iron pill

Jaehee held out the pill and water, and gave MC the Mom Look™

“Take it. Now MC.”

MC knew that when Jaehee gave her  that look, that she messed up and she better well listen to Jaehee

She took the pill and swallowed it, and Jaehee lectured her on missing her medication

“You really scared me MC. I…I don’t know what I’d do without my partner.”

MC felt really bad. She didn’t mean to worry Jaehee, and now in front of everyone, she was being lectured about forgetting her medication

Suddenly, Jaehee stopped lecturing and remembered where she was. She turned bright red, and returned to the closet and get a broom and pan, and swept up the glass. 

“MC, can you get the next customer? So sorry sir, your drink will be up in a moment”

Jumin: Sight of Blood

Jumin was getting himself a glass of wine when Elizabeth knocked the glass over

He went to go catch it, and as it shattered on the ground, a bit of the glass cut his wrist

Jumin unconsciously yelped in pain, and MC went to check on what was wrong

The cut was bleeding pretty badly for a cut of that size

“Jumin what happen…IS THAT BLOOD?” MC screamed in fright

“It’s just a small cut I’ll be fine. MC, you’re rather pale, are you alright?”

MC felt herself falling and couldn’t stop herself

Jumin freaked out and caught MC and put her on the couch.

He was just about to call for a doctor when V called. 

She awoke to Jumin on the phone freaking out on the phone

Poor V is trying to calm the hysteric director so he could figure out what the hell was going on

“MC! You’re awake. Oh, thank heavens! Should I call a doctor?”

“Jumin I’m fine. You’re the one who needs a doctor!”

“It’s a small cut. I am more worried that you hit your head when you fell.”

“Jumin, I’m fine now…just I don’t like blood.”

Jumin then insists on cuddling with MC just to make sure she’s okay

V is forgotten and is still trying to get Jumin’s attention

V is now very concerned and thinks that Jumin fainted

Jumin please tell your best friend that you’re fine.

Saeyoung: Low blood sugar

MC had just been diagnosed with diabetes 

She was with Saeyoung, and she was getting hungry.

She knew that she had to keep her blood sugar level up, but she ignored her stomach to play another round of LOLOL with Saeyoung

MC began to get dizzy, and she decided that she really needed to eat. 

So she got up to get food, but her blood sugar was too low and she passed out

Saeyoung heard the crash and ran to MC

She woke up quickly with Saeyoung handing her some juice and a cookie

“What the hell were you thinking MC! Take care of yourself!”

“Sorry, I thought I’d be alright.”

“Well, now that you have diabetes, you have to watch your blood sugar level.”

“I know that! I’ll be alright!” MC argued

Saeyoung pulled MC into a hug

“Please take care of yourself. I love you and don’t want to have to rush you to the hospital because you didn’t want to take care of your health.”

MC almost starts crying because he’s so worried about her.

V: Panic Attack

MC had a hard past and was rather scared of anyone who triggered flashbacks of it

One day, as V was walking with MC, she spotted someone with a haircut similar to her abuser

She began hyperventilating and collapsed to her knees crying.

“MC, I need you to listen to me. It wasn’t them. You’ll be alright.”

MC’s eyes went blank as the memories replayed over and over in her mind

Eventually, V’s voice became distant and she felt like she was suffocating on the thick air around her

She began shaking violently, and V immediately knew that something was really bad about this attack.

Completely overwhelmed, she passed out in V’s arms. 

She woke up later in bed. Yes, V had carried her all the way home. 

He ran over to her and made sure that she was alright. 

He put on some soothing music and pet her hair as she relaxed and pulled him into the bed for some much-needed cuddles

Saeran: Nonbinary MC binder too tight (Using they/them for MC in this one)

It was super hot that day, but dysphoria didn’t seem to care

So on went the binder, and MC, feeling extra dysphoric, decided to bind extra tightly that day

They then proceeded to get ready for their daily run

Saeran noticed that MC was having a hard time breathing, and asked if they were alright

“I’m fine Saeran”

“You’re going to overheat! I get that you’re feeling dysphoric, but at least loosen it up”

“I.Will.Be.Fine. I’ll be back in half an hour like always.”

With that, MC ran out the door.

Saeran had a bad feeling so he trailed them from a distance

MC was breathing hard. Maybe it was a little tight, and it was rather warm, but MC kept running. 

Soon, MC was feeling pretty lightheaded. They couldn’t seem to cool down no matter how much water they drank

Suddenly, MC blacked out, and Saeran sprinted to catch MC.

He didn’t make it, but MC fell into some grass anyways.

He immediately pulled off their top (Their binder looked like a tank top anyways) and quickly carried them into the shade. 

He was tempted to loosen the binder, but he didn’t know how it worked, and he didn’t want to seem like a creep to someone passing by

He then took some water that he brought and gently poured it over MC’s face to try and cool them down

MC woke up somewhat drenched, but cooled down and in the shade of a tree

“I told you that you would overheat. We need to go home now so you don’t faint again.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Wait, how did you know?”

“I uh followed you.”

“Thank you Saeran.”

Vanderwood: Accidental first kiss

MC was hanging out with Vanderwood while they cleaned their house

She really wanted to help, but Vanderwood insisted that they do it themselves

Like MC REALLY WANTED TO HELP

So Vanderwood gave her a cloth and told her to go dust

It went fine for a while.

Then MC saw a cabinet that was up really high that really needed dusting.

So she decided to climb up there to dust it. Only problem was she got stuck up there

“Vanderwood! I’m um…stuck….help?

So Vanderwood stopped the Vacuum cleaner and went to save their stranded girlfriend

“Just jump, I’ll catch you.”

“You sure Vandy?”

“Just jump MC before I change my mind and leave you there”

MC leaped down into Vanderwood’s arms

And kind of accidentally kissed them in the process

It took MC a moment to realize what happened…She then proceeded to faint in Vanderwood’s arms.

Vanderwood had no idea what to do and just kind of dumped their girlfriend onto the couch like a sack of potatoes

Then they awkwardly stood around waiting for her to wake up

MC woke up a few minutes later and had to explain that she had just had her first kiss. Just now. 

Vanderwood didn’t see what the big deal was but still felt rather warm after hearing that they were MC’s first kiss. 

((Sorry it took so long, but I’m back and writing now!))

[andromeda---galaxy]

Just Relax

Short little sick fic for philkas week day one. I know we had one already but I started this a couple days ago and just finished it and figured I’d post it anyway. Enjoy! Rating: G Words: 1661 Prompt: Domestic

“I don’t like leaving you alone like this,” Helen says, standing in the doorway. Philip meets Gabe’s eyes and it’s clear he knows, too clear, but neither one of them say anything.

 Philip’s head feels like it’s two times its normal size and he can’t breathe through his nose anymore at all. Every time he swallows there’s a terrible, thick pinch at the back of his throat and all he wants to do is sleep and not wake up until he doesn’t feel like this anymore. But Lukas’s text is looming at the forefront of his thoughts, where the headache is beating painfully. I’m coming over to take care of you. It isn’t exactly like they’re planning on doing anything, like Gabe might be thinking. Philip isn’t even sure he’d be capable of moving, let alone anything else.

 “I’ll be okay,” Philip says, shifting against his pillow and breathing a little hard through his mouth. “I’m probably just gonna pass out.”

Helen gives him a look like she knows, too, and he almost feels like he should just come out with it. Lukas is his boyfriend, after all. Helen and Gabe are used to this—it’s been official, out in the open, for going on seven months now.

 “Do you want us to bring you back anything?” Gabe asks, tugging on Helen’s belt loop.

 “No, I’m alright,” Philip says. He sounds so nasally that he doesn’t want to talk ever again. “Go have fun. I’m not ruining date night.”

 “You being sick isn’t going to ruin anything, Philip,” Helen says, raising her eyebrows at him. “If you need us we can stay.”

 “He’s alright, babe,” Gabe says, nodding at Philip. “Just text us if you need anything, okay? I’ll keep my phone on vibrate during the movie.”

 “Okay, I will,” Philip says, and he’s almost sure he sees Gabe wink at him. He feels a bit of warmth wash over him at the look on Helen’s face and how worried she is, how Gabe literally has to edge her out of the room as he closes the door behind them. Philip gathers his pillow up and coughs, wincing at how much it hurts his throat. He feels like he’s in the middle of this illness even though it just started, and it feels like he’s going to be sick until the end of time no matter how many pills he takes. He groans a little bit, the headache getting a little heavier as he squeezes his eyes shut tight. He hears the car drive away.

 His phone buzzes beside him and he grapples for it, popping one eye open. Two minutes away, babe. Philip smiles to himself, not bothering to type out a reply because Lukas already knows where the key is hidden outside. Philip drifts a little bit, his head swimming, and before he knows it he hears his door opening. He opens his eyes and sees Lukas crossing the room—the concern is clear on his face, his brows furrowed and his eyes intent. He drops his backpack to the ground and sits on the edge of the bed, brushing some of Philip’s hair back. He presses his palm to Philip’s forehead and makes a face. “Jesus, Philip. This is a lot worse than you made out and I was already worried.”

 “I’m okay,” Philip croaks, and despite the fact that he feels like death itself, he does feel like a strange weight has lifted now that Lukas is here.

 “This hit you overnight?” Lukas asks softly. Philip nods and Lukas clicks his tongue, smoothing his hair back again. “Well, I brought you Gatorade, a bunch of bottles of water. I’ve got stuff to make chicken noodle soup and saltines. And my, uh—” He smiles to himself, faltering a little bit. “That hoodie of mine that you like. Thought it might make you feel better.”

 Philip can’t help himself and turns his face into his pillow, smiling hard. He hears Lukas laugh, feels him lean down and press a long kiss to his temple.

 “I hate seeing you like this,” Lukas whispers.

 “I hate being like this,” Philip says, bringing his arm up to cough into it. He groans again, feeling a little bit dizzy.

 “You want the soup now?” Lukas asks, kissing his cheek, nuzzling his nose against Philip’s skin. “I bought the more expensive kind so it should be really good.”

 “Mmm, I remember the last time you tried to cook for me,” Philip says, twisting a little bit to get onto his back. Lukas helps him but when Philip opens his eyes he sees him make a sour face.

 “You can’t fault me for trying to make something nice,” Lukas says, settling a hand around Philip’s waist.

 “Trying,” Philip says. “Key word.”

 “This is soup. I can absolutely manage chicken noodle soup.”

 “I can picture you forgetting the chicken and the noodles and just serving me hot yellow water,” Philip says, breaking into a grin when Lukas’s mouth drops open.

 “You’re delirious,” Lukas says, shaking his head. “Close those eyes. You need to relax. I’m gonna go make you the best bowl of soup you’ve ever had in your life.”

 “Don’t go yet,” Philip says, catching Lukas’s arm as he moves to leave. Philip tries to breathe through his nose and it only sounds like snot, the pulse in his ears going a little higher.

 “You okay?” Lukas asks, cupping his face and tracking his thumb across his cheekbone.

 Philip feels like his whole head is going to explode but he doesn’t want to say that. “You got that hoodie handy?” he asks, touching Lukas’s sleeve.

 Lukas’s face lights up and he nods. “That I do,” he says, his hand sliding down Philip’s neck a little bit as he leans off the bed, unzipping his backpack and dragging out his jacket. Philip had taken to wearing it whenever things got really bad, right after everything happened. In the beginning he’d sleep in it every day, especially when he and Lukas couldn’t sleep together. It’s oversized, pale blue and soft enough that Philip always tends to wrap his arms around himself when he’s wearing it.

 “Sit up, babe,” Lukas says, pulling him forward gently. Philip does, wincing a little bit at how his body feels when he moves, and Lukas helps the hoodie over his head, working Philip’s arms through the sleeves. He smooths the material down over Philip’s chest and smiles warmly at him. “Looks better on you than it does on me.”

 Philip laughs, shaking his head. “Not right now.”

 “Always,” Lukas says, tugging on one of the drawstrings.

 Philip smiles a little bit, balling his hand up in the material by his stomach. A tremor runs through him and he shivers, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

 Lukas’s brows furrow. “Can you wait a little longer for the soup?”

 Philip nods, closing his eyes tight and swaying a little bit. He feels the bed moving and then Lukas’s hands are on him again, tugging him closer to the wall.

 “Come here,” Lukas whispers. Philip goes willingly, his whole body aching and pliant in Lukas’s grasp. Lukas pulls him against his chest and Philip sighs there, nuzzling into him. Lukas leans against the pillows that are piled up in the corner and wraps his arms around him, running his hand through Philip’s hair. “You’re cold and hot at the same time, Philip.”

 “You don’t have to hit on me, we’re already together,” Philip says against Lukas’s t-shirt. Lukas laughs and Philip can’t help but smile at the way it feels.

 “You know what I mean,” Lukas says, squeezing his shoulder. “You need one of those vitamin C drinks. You need someone that actually knows how to make you feel better.”

 But Philip already feels better. Just being this close to Lukas makes him feel like he’s doing something right. Philip shivers again and Lukas draws him closer, rubbing a hand up and down his back. He presses a kiss to Philip’s forehead and sighs.

 “You’re making me feel better,” Philip says, his voice raspy.

 “You can fall asleep if you want to,” Lukas whispers, draping Philip’s legs over his own. “I’ll try to stay quiet.”

 “You think you can?” Philip asks, his mouth quirking up a little bit. “I don’t know.”

 Lukas huffs. “If you start to have a fever dream I’m gonna wake you up,” he says. “Or…any kind of dream. If you’re saying my name I’m definitely waking you up.”

 Philip snorts, reaching up to tug down the collar of Lukas’s shirt a little bit, planting a kiss in the hollow of his throat. “I’ll try not to have any dirty dreams,” he says into Lukas’s skin, feeling the goosebumps crop up there. “But I can’t make any promises. Don’t get worked up.”

 “I wouldn’t take advantage of you in this state,” Lukas says. “I’d just….think about how I’ll make it up to you in the future.”

 “Mmm, alright,” Philip says, scooting up a little bit as Lukas tracks a hand up and down his leg. He almost wants to let him go before he falls asleep but he’s getting used to the fact that Lukas actually wants to be here, tangled up in him.

 “Dream of that,” Lukas says. “Or…or dream of the gourmet soup I’m gonna make for you when you wake up. And all the orange juice I’m gonna make you drink.”

 Philip is already drifting, vaguely remembering the last time he was sick. He doesn’t want to think about his mom and he knows Lukas can feel him go a little bit stiff, because he drops another kiss to the top of his head.

 “Just relax,” Lukas says softly, pushing up Philip’s pant leg a bit and tracing his fingers around Philip’s ankle. “I’m gonna take care of you.”

 Everything hurts and he still feels awful, but Philip can’t help but smile, nuzzling into Lukas’s chest.

[antiagingsol-blog]

My Top 5 All-Natural Anti-Aging Secrets

My Top 5 All-Natural Anti-Aging Secrets

Like most people, you have probably heard hundreds of well-intentioned adages about growing older. Read this article to find out how you can feel and look younger than you are.

Starting and keeping good relationships is a vital part of the growing older process. Being active in your community has been shown to increase lifespan. Focus on relationships with people you can confide in to get the most of your social life.

To keep the aging process healthy, continuously teach yourself new skills. Learning is important regardless of your age.

Increase the intensity of your workout regimen. As you grow older, your body requires more exercise to keep it looking and feeling strong and young. You should at least take 5 days out of every week to go on a thirty minute walk. Include some exercises that emphasize strength a couple of times each week. This will help you stay fit, which will keep you young and lively.

Everyone gets older. We may find ourselves in a position to no longer be able to care for ourselves. When this happens, it is wise to consider moving into an assisted living facility or nursing home. While not the ideal situation for some, in actuality this might be the best available option. There are professionals who work at the facility who are licensed and able to give you any assistance that you may need.

No matter where you are living, decorate it to make it feel like home. As we age, we often find that our tastes change, so make sure you keep your home consistent with your tastes. If you do change your living arrangements, include lots of special things in your new space to make it feel warm, homey, and welcoming.

Friendships are essential to your balance. No one is ever too old to begin new friendships. If you feel lonely, go meet some new people and build friendships that will enable you to have a wonderful long life.

Take time to enjoy living. If you set goals for yourself, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment after you reach those goals and have a higher quality of life overall.

As you age, you need to take greater care of your eyesight. Some eyesight loss is natural and unavoidable, but it's important to keep getting them checked to look for diseases that can worsen your eyesight if left untreated.

Stay away from harsh environments. Staying in the heat or cold for too long can do damage to your skin. Doing so leads to premature growing older effects as well as increases your chances for skin cancer later in life.

You should have a healthy diet. Aim for a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, and limit your intake of fats and sugars. A quality diet fuels your body, giving you the energy you need to be physically and mentally well.

Enjoy yourself! This is a great time for you to do the things you want and to make wonderful things happen. Look at every day as if it was your last.

Get a lot of water. If you are older, you are more prone to dehydration. Everyone should drink at least eight glasses of water per day.

Avoid falling. In older individuals falling is the main reason that people break bones and have serious injuries, some even die. Walking is a low impact exercise that can really make a difference in your health. Also try doing some light strength training exercises, and get plenty of vitamin D and calcium to keep your bones strong.

Make sure you compile a list of medications you currently take, and keep it with you. You should do this, especially if you fill prescriptions at different places. This is for your own safety, because many medicines should never be taken together.

Visiting your doctor can be pesky, but you need to stick with it and follow through whenever he or she recommends a test. By checking in with your body and health often, you can catch potential health issues early and have the best chance at effective treatment. The sooner you take action, the better.

Today it is considered wise, healthy eating to include a diet that is high in anti-oxidant foods for individuals in all age groups. They help fight against free radicals. You can find antioxidants in fruits and veggies that are richly colored, including spinach, carrots, tomatoes and blueberries.

Use injection therapy! This is a great way to reduce the effects of wrinkles. It works by relaxing facial muscles that cause wrinkles on the face. Additionally, unlike than surgery, many consider injection therapy to be fairly safe. It is important to remember, though, that multiple treatments may be necessary for the injections to work.

Getting fit and eating a good diet are great ways to avoid common growing older problems like loss of energy, loss of memory, and putting on weight. Eat a healthy diet, get plenty of exercise, and stay active to stave off the negative effects of getting older.

Use primer for applying makeup to wrinkled skin. This product is somewhat new and it uses silicone as its main ingredient. Primers will reduce the look of wrinkles making your skin look more smooth.

Keep your youthfulness longer by exercising regularly. Studies show that people who get regular exercise and follow a balanced diet show fewer signs of age than those who don't. Exercise is vitally important to a quality life, especially as a person ages. Exercise keeps skin looking supple and young, but it also improves muscle tone, encourages circulation and improves stamina.

By eating foods that are rich in fiber, you can better manage the effects of age. Fiber keeps your digestion efficient, preventing toxins from building up. These foods remove cholesterol, slow the digestion process and help keep your blood sugar normal during the day. Ingest some fiber because it will get your digestive system going strong.

It is hoped that this article has brought you a new understanding of the aging process, and how to keep yourself healthy. Keep having a young state of mind. Many elderly people today have active lives that were previously unheard of.

Read more interesting informations visit: best anti aging solutions

Shawn Fitzgerald from the director burn offices strength news yesterday I was searching for news items new interesting unique items for my show trend news and I happened to come across this article as advertisement it just came I just came across it of a skincare it's called better various skin care solution that makes you look 20 years younger takes away all your wrinkles and I couldn't believe it you know I know there's a lot of things on the internet and so they can do this but this was there with two things that caught me with us and first of all was the price it's for 49 I mean studying the price over of a meal you could take the skin the skin care solution and if it didn't work you to lose much money and secondly the before and after pictures which are fantastic and all the comments from the ladies and the men detractors also it's also for men now I'm in no way an advocate I don't work for this company I don't even know who they are they got a famous doctor on there as well so I was very intrigued about it I thought I'd share this this article with you guys so that you could you know you you and this is something that maybe you could try I don't know here's the article from the foot mom daily I'm not going to go through an extensively in the article I'll leave a link on my online in the video and you can go and check it out yourself but I'll just go through some of the pictures and what they say about this it starts off with the usual wording you know there won't need to buy something where would you spend 449 to look 20 years younger this is the question this miracle miraculous wrinkle remover does exactly that doctors call it better than Botox okay let's take 49 right there better better quarter better than Botox right okay when someone thought my husband was actually was actually my son that was the last straw she said we got the chance to sit down with a 71 year old woman who found an amazing new youth serum I used to just ignore those little wrinkles that started when I was about 40 but one wrinkle turns into a big one and it just leveled now interesting according to experts wrinkles and sagging skin get hot and hot Street as the months go by what women don't realize is that you don't just get a few more wrinkles every year your skin becomes increasingly weak and wrinkles multiply that old looking skin can be caused by poor diet sun exposure or lack of exercise things that most of us do without do without even thinking about as time goes by it gets harder and harder to treat your wrinkles okay so let's just go through some of this I mean this this is like a famous doctor and I've seen him on DSTV he's probably seen him on that on TV as well and he's showing this before and after and look at that further but the most interesting part is about this woman this woman there were 70 else there before she's seven years and look at her now I mean where is all over wrinkled squat I mean this is before and after so this is what intrigued me with us with a scream I was even very intrigued because I mean it's real no there's no real cure for aging I mean it nobody's everybody's looking for it but you know I'm intrigued by this now we're just gonna have a look at what Lauren she's a seven year old grandmother for the the deadness and you know how she perfected this Lauren a 70 old 71 year old grandma from jazz box African is a perfect example how little smart thinking and ingenuity can help you avoid unnecessary office and save you thousands of doctor's bills like most women wrote Lauren Lauren didn't have the extra cash to try every celebrity-endorsed anti-aging cream miracle cream let alone splurge on expensive selective medicines like plastic surgery or faceless before trying this simple trick she admits she used to spend almost every hour a day on an extensive skin care regime consisting of six different products with seriously disappointing results look sounds like my mother she was puts tons of cream on before she and my grandmother used to be the same she did eggs to go to bed cloaked in cream coltan and it doesn't help her okay so let's go through what a solution is after year of doing thorough research and speaking to other women about the own skincare but she learned of a product that was yielding real results and helping women take years of their skin beleve after after only a few days of adding beleve to his daily skin she saw noticeable results in the in the mirror okay I'm not gonna go through how it was this a long article but basically you need attribute vitamin C tightening you can look at it I'll leave the link in in in my pal and you can go directly onto this this this the site and have a look at this but this is how it works I'm just showing you the before and after look at the results of this lady yeah this lady - I mean can you believe it look at this lady okay okay finally yeah there's plenty of skip nurses where they sell a product and they give you a hundred percent I think it's a hundred percent guarantee back off I'm not as I'm percent satisfaction guarantee Oh or your full money-back yes interesting article not really a regular sort of a news article but I had to share it because I came across it and I was intrigued by I mean isn't it cure for aging I mean people since Egypt have been looking for ways to ladies since then I've been trying to cure themselves of all kinds of cream so I know for a fact you can't cure your inner organs I mean they still battling to find the cure aging skin nobody's really come up with a cure for that but when you see results like this I mean for the price first of all I thought geez the process is amazing and secondly I was intrigued by that but I've before and after pictures so yeah um you know this this could be something worth having a look at I don't work for this company I don't know anything about them I just came across this articles are not selling this item I just a lot share this with our viewers and see what they think about this and I think it's a great topic to talk about cuz you all want to look younger twenty years come on alright this is training news short is here from training using the dagger due north till tomorrow night with our next