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flightlessangelwings · 1 year ago

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Us Against the World

Tasm!Peter Parker x gn!reader

Word count- 4.4k

Dialogue prompt- “ hey! why don’t you try picking on someone your own size! “ Action prompt- [ DISTRACT ]: sender causes a distraction to draw the receiver’s attacker/s away from them.

Warnings- s.mut (18+ ONLY), action, protective!Peter, food mention (reader makes salsa), Peter lifts reader, attempted harm to reader, the villain uses gas and chemistry to attack and reader is described as being trapped in a cloud at one point, reader interacts with kids briefly, no use of y/n

Notes- This month’s Year of Protectiveness is in honor of Andrew Garfield's birthday! I can't believe we're in August already! @yearofcreation2023 But this one was alot of fun to write so I hope y'all enjoy it! And I wrote it so that it could be read in the same timeline as Just Kiss Like Real People Do so if you liked that one, here is more with that pair but of course it could be read on its own! I"ll link it in the taglist rb if you want a refersher!

@flightlessangelwings-updatesis my update blog so feel free to also follow that and turn on post notifs!

The city lights illuminated the way as Peter swung through the tall buildings of New York. The air was crisp so high up, and it felt refreshing after a long night of being Spider-Man. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but he knew it was late… well after midnight. And even though the villain he was chasing got away… again… all Peter looked forward to was coming home to you.

Peter expected you to be sound asleep in the tiny apartment, so he was surprised when the light from the widow shined like a beacon calling him back. His heart pounded in his chest and he hoped you were alright as he flipped his wrist to shoot a web towards the building and hurled himself into the window. Letting out a heavy breath, Peter ripped off the Spider-Man mask and closed the window behind him.

Just as he was about to call out your name, the sound of the blender filled the space. That combined with the intoxicating aroma of the spices and tomatoes told Peter exactly what you were doing. His stomach growled as he stepped out of the tiny bedroom and into the living space where you were occupied at the kitchen counter.

He stood in the doorway for a moment and just watched you with a lovestruck expression on his face. Every time he saw you it was like the first time, and even dressed down in a t-shirt and shorts, you looked stunning to him. You were too consumed with putting the last touches on your salsa that you didn’t hear him come in. But, Peter enjoyed the view for the time being and his heart skipped a beat in his chest with the overwhelming emotions he felt towards you.

But, when you let out a startled yelp, Peter quickly jumped into action.

You had turned around and were surprised when you saw him standing there. So surprised that you almost dropped the blender that held the salsa you had worked so hard on. But Peter was quick, and in a flash he jumped across the room and caught it before it hit the floor and splattered everywhere.

“Peter!” you exclaimed, “You scared the shit out of me! I didn’t hear you come in!”

“Sorry sweetheart,” he mumbled sheepishly as he set the blender on the counter, licking a drop that splashed onto his fingers after, “Wouldn’t want to waste any of your famous salsa,” he laughed softly, “But why are you up? It’s 3 in the morning.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” you shrugged as you eyed him up and down. Ever since you found out that Peter Parker, your best friend, the person you had been in love with for years, was Spider-Man, it never got old seeing him in the suit. His long, toned arms, muscular body and especially the messy hair took your breath away every time.

“Everything alright?” Peter asked, concern lining his tone as he peeled the top half of the suit off and stepped closer towards you.

“Fine,” you fidgeted as you felt your skin heat up under his gaze as your eyes dropped down to the floor, “Just thought you’d be hungry when you got back…” your voice sounded distant.

Peter looked at you with a softness and adoration in his eyes as he reached out and cupped your face, gently pulling you to look at him, “You know I know when you’re lying to me, right?” his voice was soft as his thumb brushed your cheek.

You let out a shaky breath as his eyes locked with yours, “I…” you trembled in under his hand, “I was worried…” you admitted.

“Baby,” Peter rested his free hand on your waist, holding you in his special way, “I’m fine, honestly. You know nothing would ever keep me from coming back to you, right?” he exhaled deeply, “I promise,” he took a breath, “You and me, remember?”

Tears filled the corners of your eyes at the sincerity in his voice and the confident look in his face. You knew he had been Spider-Man for a long time now, he had his powers and he knew what he was doing. Yet, you’d never loved anyone as much as you loved Peter, and sometimes you couldn’t help but worry as your mind went to the worst possible scenario.

“I know,” you breathed. You opened your mouth to say more, but the words were caught in your throat as Peter reeled forward and kissed you deeply. Somehow, you were sure he knew what you were going to say, how much you worried for him. He said it in his kiss.

“Sweetheart,” Peter mumbled between kisses as he backed you up against the counter, “As much as I love your salsa…” his voice dropped and his eyes darkened, “There’s something else I want right now…”

“Peter!” you couldn’t help but laugh at his insinuation, but you also felt a pulse of need through your body. You clung to his shoulders as your mind swam and your body warmed.

He let out a soft chuckle as his hands roamed up and down your sides, savoring the feeling of you under his touch. As much as it was a comfort to you to feel Peter’s hands on you, to feel his touch, it was just as much a comfort for him to know you were here and safe. Peter’s cock twitched as his hands dipped under the waistband of your shorts and in a flash he yanked them off of you, causing you to yelp in surprise.

But, before you could react to your shorts and underwear suddenly on the floor, you found yourself hoisted up onto the kitchen counter. Giggles erupted between you as Peter nestled himself between your legs… your bare legs. A low groan unlike anything you ever heard rumbled from deep in Peter’s throat as his eyes landed between your legs.

“Fuck…” he breathed heavily in a tone that made you shiver.

“Pete,” you sighed as you watched him drop down to his knees.

Immediately, you buried your hands in his hair as his hands ghosted along your inner thighs. Peter mumbled your name in a praise before he licked his lips and dove into you, causing you to scream loudly.

You saw stars as Peter worked you with his tongue, licking and slurping every sensitive spot with precision. You could tell even in your blissed out state that he was too desperate to tease you and take it slow tonight. Tonight was all about need; it was the need for both of you to know the other was here.

Tugging at his hair, you felt like your body was on fire from the way he worked you with his talented mouth. Every flick of his tongue sent waves of pleasure up your spine, and you were sure you weren’t going to last much longer. You arched your back as parted your legs more to give Peter more access to your body, an invitation that he immediately accepted.

“Shit… Pete…” you moaned as you felt your body tingle.

Peter grabbed your inner thighs and squeezed hard as he intensified his motions, determined to push you over the edge in bliss. And from the way you screamed his name, he knew you were close.

It only took a few more licks of his tongue, a few more nibbles of his lips, one last nuzzle of his head before you came hard. Your head slammed against the cabinet as you screamed, your legs trembling under his strong grip as you gushed into his mouth. Tears formed in the corners of your eyes as bursts of color clouded your vision.

As Peter coaxed you down from you high, you felt his movements slow before he reluctantly broke away from you. A trail of spit connected the two of you until he moved far enough for it to break, but in the corner of his mouth remained a shiny dribble of your release. Peter watched until you opened your eyes to lick it clean with a satisfied smirk on his face.

“Delicious,” he chuckled as he rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around you, “But I’m not done with you yet,” he tone dropped as he easily picked you up and spun you around.

“Pete!” you yelped as you wrapped your arms and legs around his strong body. No matter how many times he lifted you up, you never quite got used to his super strength, and it caught you off guard in the most wonderful way every time.

He quickly made his way across the small apartment and gently lowered you down onto the bed, handing you with tender care as he did so. Peter stood for a moment and admired the sight of you, spread out on the bed, naked from the waist down and a look of pure bliss on your face. Hastily, he ripped off his Spider-Man suit so he was bare for you, and the way you eyed him hungrily made his cock stiffen even more.

“Like the view, sweetheart?” he asked with a cocky grin.

“Very much,” you purred as you bit your lip and extended your arms for him. You loved when he got like this.

“I do too,” his tone matched yours as he hovered over you, “But,” Peter grabbed your shirt, “You’re overdressed.”

You burst into laughter at his antics and allowed him to take off your shirt, the only barrier between your bodies. The two of you let out matching gasps at the sight of the other, as if it was the first time all over again. At times, it felt like that for both of you. The wonder, the passion, the desire never got old so matter how many times you slept together.

“I love you,” Peter broke the silence with a breathless voice as he cupped your face.

“I love you too,” you replied in a dreamy tone as you mirrored his action.

In a flash, Peter closed the gap between your bodies with a heated and desperate kiss. He swallowed the moan you let out as you parted your lips for him once more. The taste of yourself on Peter’s tongue was just as intoxicating for you as it was for him, and you bucked your hips against his hardened cock in a wordless plea.

Without breaking away, Peter muffled a moan as he positioned himself between your legs once more, this time with his cock poking at your entrance. Slowly, he pushed himself into you, past the first ring of muscle and into your warmth to connect your bodies together.

The moan you let out made you break away from the kiss, and your cry of pleasure echoed in the tiny room as Peter entered you inch by slow inch. You heard Peter’s own moans as he felt you engulf him, and he rested his forehead against yours as he slowly bottomed out inside of you.

Together, the two of you laid with Peter on top of you. Heavy breaths filled the room as you stayed with your sweaty foreheads pressed together. You wrapped your arms around him and dug your nails into his shoulders, clinging to him desperately.

“Move,” you pleaded softly.

He groaned your name and compiled without another word. He started slowly at first, rocking in and out of you, savoring the moans and groans you let out every time he was fully sheathed inside you. It wasn’t until you let out a higher pitched cry that Peter picked up his pace; he found what he was looking for.

“You feel so good, sweetheart,” Peter moaned, “Shit…”

The bed creaked as Peter thrust in and out of you faster and faster. As much as he wanted to keep his eyes open, to watch every expression you made when he was inside you, he couldn’t. He knew he would cum too fast if he watched the way your mouth hung open and your body bounced with his every move.

But luckily for him, you also weren’t far behind.

“Fuck!” you screamed as you dug your nails into Peter’s skin, “I’m gonna cum… Peter…”

“Me too baby,” Peter grunted, “Fuck…”

Peter’s thrusts became fast and erratic as he chased his climax as well as your own. He pounded into you with fervor as you screamed and your second climax hit suddenly. Your inner muscles clenched around him as you squeezed him inside and out. That and your beautiful screams were just the final push Peter needed for his own orgasm, and with a loud moan of your name, he came deep inside you. But, he kept going, wanting to savor every second of your shared climaxes together until he couldn’t hold himself up any longer.

Peter let out a deep exhale as he collapsed down on top of you. Immediately, you wrapped your arms around him, holding him as close as you could. Neither of you wanted to move, content to stay in the other’s embrace, safe and loved. For several long moments, no one spoke, and just the sound of slow, deep breaths filled the room as you felt the other’s heart pound against your bodies.

It was Peter who broke the silence first with your name in a low voice.

“Hmm?” you hummed as you ran your hand through his hair.

“You know I’ll always come back to you, right?” Peter said as he propped himself up on his elbows to look into your eyes.

Your heart fluttered in your chest, “I know,” you cupped his face the same way he did yours earlier, “I trust you… I just worry sometimes,” you admitted.

“I do too,” Peter breathed, “But I’ll always keep you safe, sweetheart.”

The truth was Peter always worried about you too. He was scared that someday someone would find out his superhero alter and use you against him. He was scared that one day you would get hurt because of him. He was scared that one day he might not get back to you in time… But, as much as you trusted him, Peter had to trust you too. Having no one else, it was just the two of you against the world.

“I’m gonna go shower then we can sleep in tomorrow,” Peter broke himself from his thoughts, “How does that sound?”

“Perfect,” you purred as you gave him a chaste kiss on the lips, “A day at home together sounds like just what we both need. But remember, the day after is that science museum day I wanted to go to.”

Peter let out a soft laugh as he tapped your face playfully, “I wouldn’t miss it, baby.”

“Looks like we came on a school field trip day,” you commented as you and Peter walked hand in hand into the science museum.

Children filled the space and chattered excitedly among themselves. The two of you followed close behind the class as you lost yourself in the exhibits. At one point, you broke away from Peter so you could play with one of the hands-on displays, and he couldn’t help but chuckle brightly at you as you were just as excited as the kids were.

As Peter watched you, a thought popped into his head: he was ready to marry you. He had never been more in love with you than he was at that moment as you laughed in fascination at the exhibit. He wanted to marry you for some time, but as he stared stupidly at you, Peter knew it was time for him to pop the question.

“Hey Pete…?” your voice broke him from his thoughts.

Peter suddenly found himself face to face with you, and he must have zoned out for a moment because you looked concerned, “Yeah?” he asked as he cleared his throat and tried not to look conspicuous.

“Everything ok?” you asked as you tilted your head to the side a bit.

Peter just smiled back at you; you had no idea what he had in store for you, “Perfect,” he slid his hand in yours again, “Shall we check out that chemistry demonstration?” his tone was light, “You look like you’re having more fun than the kids are,” Peter joked.

“Shut up,” you giggled as you playfully nudged him.

Peter imagined that your hand would feel like with a ring on your finger as he fiddled with your knuckles. Yes, it was time, and everything was perfect. But, just as it felt like nothing could bring down his mood, a chill ran up Peter’s spine and he was suddenly filled with a sense of dread the moment the two of you crossed the threshold into the other room where the chemistry table was set up.

He stopped dead in his tracks as his heart sank and the hairs on his neck and arms stood up. The man behind the table was instantly recognizable to him; he was the one that kept slipping out of his grasp. And the feeling of dread was only made worse when the chemist looked up from his table and made direct eye contact with him.

It was like he knew.

“Peter?” you sounded even more worried than before as you tugged his arm.

Without a word, Peter dragged you out of the room and down the hallway towards the bathrooms. His heart pounded in his chest as his first thought was of keeping you safe and getting you out of harm’s way.

“Peter?!” you repeated more forcefully, “What’s going on?”

“Listen to me,” Peter grabbed your shoulders and spun you to look him in the eyes, “That guy… He’s…” he let out an exasperated sigh, “He’s the guy I haven’t been able to catch,” he finished in a hushed tone.

You gasped as your eyes went wide.

“I think he knows who I am too. Something just feels off,” Peter sounded more scared than you’d ever heard him before, “But I want you to get out of here, I’m going to stop him here and now.”

“What about those kids?” you asked as your breath came out fast and ragged, “We have to get everyone else out too,” you inhaled deeply, “Let me help you, Pete.”

His lips tightened as he paused for a moment before he spoke with a heavy exhale, “I’m going to create a distraction, and you help them out,” Peter’s grip on your shoulders tightend, “But you promise me you’ll get yourself out of here.”

You nodded, swallowing your fear, “What kind of distraction were you thinking?”

At the same time, both your heads turned and both your eyes landed on the fire alarm that stood out on the wall. You looked back at Peter and he nodded at you, knowing exactly what you were thinking.

“I love you.” Peter’s words sounded more like an assurance than a confession.

You knew what he meant too: Stay safe.

In a flash, Peter pulled the fire alarm before he rushed around the corner to rip his shirt off, revealing the spider suit underneath. At the same time, you ran towards the children, who you headed screaming and panicking before you even reached the room.

“Quickly!” you shouted, “Outside! Now!”

The kids scrambled as they rushed towards the door and you ushered them out. But, as you did that, a movement from the front of the room caught your attention.

The chemist dissolved into a fit of rage, and you heard his angry mumbles to himself even over the fire alarm. Smoke billowed out from either side of him as he mixed his viles together and for a brief moment, he looked up and caught your gaze.

Everything felt like it froze as you locked eyes with him, and suddenly you knew what Peter felt. It felt like this man looked into your soul and read your deepest secrets. Your blood ran cold and fear pulsed through your veins as he suddenly launched himself at you.

You yelped and covered your head, anticipating an impact, but it never came. Looking up, you saw Spider-Man clinging to the ceiling, a shot of web tangling with the chemist and stopping him in his tracks.

“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” Spider-Man quipped as he flung another web shot at him and flipped over to stand in front of you.

“Spider-Man…” the chemist growled as he threw a bottle towards him.

Peter quickly covered you, protecting you from the impact as well as the few kids who still hadn’t gotten out.

“Spider-Man!” They cheered together as they kept for joy- and relief- at seeing their favorite hero.

“Get out of here kids!” Peter instructed before he glanced at you for a moment. The two of you nodded subtly before he turned back to the chemist and launched himself at him.

“Come on,” you breathed, “Hurry!”

You pushed the rest of the kids out of the room, but before you yourself exited, you couldn’t help but look back. Deep down, you knew Peter put himself in danger as Spider-Man, but to actually see him fight in person, and so close, was something else. You felt fear, but not for yourself. Watching him take and deliver hit after hit honestly scared you.

But you suddenly had something else to worry about.

“You!” The chemist roared as he gathered his concoctions.

“No!” Peter sounded more scared than you had ever heard him before.

Clearly, it was obvious to the chemist how important you were to Spider-Man, to Peter, and he took advantage of the opportunity. Before either of you could react, he threw something at you, and you found yourself surrounded by a blinding gas.

You gasped as you covered your mouth and dropped to the floor. Faintly, you heard the grunts of Peter fighting him still, but you couldn’t see anything. You were sure if it was from the gas or just from the adrenaline but you felt more and more dizzy the longer you stayed in the fog.

I’m another flash, you heard an explosion and the building shook. You struggled to keep from falling completely flat on the floor and you scrambled to stay on your hands and knees, ready for anything.

You heard your name in Peter’s voice before you saw his silhouette appear in the fog. You tried to call out his name, but your voice croaked. Reaching out for him your hand trembled until it finally made contact with his.

“I’m here,” Peter murmured to you as he yanked you close, “Cover your mouth and hang on,” his voice trembled, “I’m getting you out of here.”

All you could do was nod as you felt yourself lifted into his arms with his super strength. You covered your mouth as you clung to him with your other arm. A gust of air hit your face as you found yourself flung through the air as Peter flipped and flung your bodies out of the museum. Faintly, you both heard the kids cheering for Spider-Man and shouting excitedly. Usually, Peter would have stopped for them, but right now his first priority was you and your safety.

You buried your head in the crook of his neck as you felt the air get fresher and fresher as he fwiped through the buildings and landed you both in an empty skyscraper far away from everyone.

The moment he sat you down, Peter ripped off his mask and looked you over, cupping your face as he did so. “Look at me,” he sounded breathless, “Are you hurt?”

You immediately saw the look of pure fear on his face, and it made your heart sink. You were sure you looked a mess, and you felt sore but you didn’t feel hurt. “I’m ok,” you whispered.

Peter exhaled your name in relief as he gathered you in his arms. “You’re ok, sweetheart,” he cupped the back of your head as he held you as close and as tight as he could, “You’re ok…”

You weren’t sure if his words were for you or for himself. Perhaps both.

“I’m ok Pete,” you whispered softly in his ear as you clung to him, feeling safe in his arms. All the fear and adrenaline slowly faded away and you felt calm and safe the longer he held you. With one deep exhale, you felt better and you pulled away just enough to look into his eyes while still remaining secure in his arms, “Did you really have to wait and pull a dramatic rescue like that?” you smirked softly.

Peter rolled his eyes at you, but at the same time he was relieved to hear you say that; it meant you were back to normal with your wits about you, “Sweetheart…” he breathed. The truth was he had never been more scared, especially with the explosion. He opened his mouth to voice that, but the words were caught in his throat. Peter grimaced at the thought of losing you and a tear formed in the corner of his eye.

Sensing the change in tone, you tried to distract him, “Hey Pete?” you asked.

“Hmm?”

“What happened… To…?”

His grip on you tightened, “I think the mixtures he was using affected his mind… Made him so angry… He…Umm,” Peter trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud and upset you.

“Oh,” you whispered, unsure of what to say next. The two of you sat in a comfortable silence for several moments as the breeze hit your faces. “Well, thank you,” you broke the silence, “For saving me.”

That brought a smile to Peter’s face. He leaned in and kissed you deeply, expressing all his emotions in the kiss instead of with his words, “You never have to thank me, honey,” he murmured against your lips as he placed a chaste kiss, “I’ll always protect you.”

You grinned against his cheek as your eyes fluttered closed, “And I’ll always take care of you too,” you hummed, “We made a good team back there though, didn’t we?”

“We did,” Peter chuffed, “You and me…”

“Against the world,” you finished the thought.

Silence fell over the two of you again, but before either of you could say anything, a growl from your stomach interrupted. You looked at Peter and both of you burst into laughter.

“I guess all that excitement made me hungry,” you chuckled.

“How about we get out of here then?” Peter said with a smirk, “I know a place that’s got the best salsa. We’ll pick up some tacos or something on the way too.”

You smiled brightly at him, “Sounds perfect…” you poked his chest, “Spider-Man.”

Peter felt his heart flutter in his chest. Oh yes, he definitely was going to find you the best ring he could and he was going to ask you to marry him as soon as possible.

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hangonimevolving · 5 years ago

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Inside Out and Upside Downs

Hi all. Thought I’d update on various and sundry agenda items going on in my life. Never a dull moment ‘round here.

HEALTH

Firstly, let’s talk about my innards. There’s been a whole lot of activity going on with regard to my innards of late. Thanks to the excitement of my Disney flu adventure and my New Years ICU party, I am now the subject of a great deal of medical speculation and attention, from a variety of parties. I have a standing weekly blood draw and appointment on Thursdays with my hematologist (fancy word for blood doctor) to monitor my platelet levels, and other misc blood-related information that concerns immunoglobulins and weird, mysterious things like that. I have had two appointments, as well as a momma-jomma lab workup, with a rheumatologist (fancy word for doctor who specializes in autoimmune issues). I’ve had an appointment to set up care with a brand-new-to-me primary care physician. And in the middle of all of this, I decided that since I’m going to be in/around the hospital so frequently, I might as well do a short course of physical therapy for my ankle - I never got around to doing it, so now is the time. So that’s a recurring weekly appointment on Tuesdays. I’ve also got random other crap, like a random head MRI happening tomorrow, and I’m sure there will be random tests, scans, and studies that random doctors will order at random times, and I’ll have to fit it into the schedule. I am being thoroughly examined, inside out. And with all of these medical opinions, appointments, tests and what not - in the last 24 days, there has been NO concrete diagnosis or evidence about why this whole thing actually happened. There are several theories, the two most likely of which are a) I have an autoimmune disorder. Well, we already know I have one autoimmune disorder (a not-so-bad one, called Graves Disease/hyperthyroidism, which I was first diagnosed with in 2006, and which involves your own body perceiving your own thyroid gland as a foreign object, and attacking it with antibodies). But now there is some evidence that I may have a second one, possibly a more problematic one, that is causing my immune system to overreact to normal viruses and things, and go on self-destructive rampages against my own platelets. Dumbass immune system. Now, what IS this second autoimmune disorder? THAT we don’t know. Because, the rheumatologist ran that momma-jomma test I was telling you about, and all that showed up is this one value called a positive ANA test which indicated “daaamn, there’s something f%^ed going on in this lady’s immune system!” It was a very high positive result. But, the specific tests to identify antibodies for known issues like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. were all negative at this time. So. To be continued with that whole theory.....

Then there is theory #2, which is b) maybe this whole thing really WAS just the flu. Maybe the strain of virus I got was really bad, and it resulted in such a pronounced war that it just took a toll. Dunno.

Anyway. We’ll obviously be following this medical mystery with my innards closely the next few weeks. Oh, and one more thing: so my platelet levels are sorta trending down. At hospital discharge, I was at like 313K, then the next week it was like 250K, then 180K, and yesterday, 146K. They’re going to keep monitoring, and the hope is that the downtrend will plateau at some point (preferably above 30K), and then it will start to climb up when my own bone marrow gets its shit together and starts producing new platelets. If that doesn’t happen - I’m looking at more IVIG infusion treatments. So let’s see how it all goes down.

WORK

A second area of activity has been my job! The spring semester at Uuuu! started on January 13, and I am teaching two courses this time around, for the first time since 2016. I am teaching my studio dance course, per usual, but I also agreed to a late plea for help from my former department to teach a lecture/discussion course that I’ve taught jillions of times before, but haven’t done in about four years. It feels good to be back in classroom teaching mode. The course meets three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. So I’m quite busy, leaving the house around 8 am to drop the kids off at school, then getting back behind the wheel and making the hour-long drive to campus, arriving by about 9:30 am and teaching my two courses back to back. I have a big huge hike between my classes too, because they’re on opposite sides of campus, so by the time I’m done teaching, it’s about 12:20 and then I have this big long hike back to my car, then the drive back home, and I arrive around 1:30 pm. I grab a bite to eat, then at 2:45 its time to get the kids. Then three days a week, they have their extracurricular activities after school, so I’m shuttling them to those things. Then Tuesdays and Thursdays, all my medical appointments, which have been taking the majority of my mornings and early afternoons. Phew! This is all a far cry from about a year ago, when I had several mornings a week to go for a long run, either in my neighborhood or at the local state park, and I was training intensely twice a week with my Spartan SGX coach. I’ve had to seriously curtail my working out - I took a spill on my first run following the hospitalization, and the entire family freaked out about my putting myself at a bleed risk if I were to fall, bump myself, or otherwise get an injury, even a minor one, while exercising. This has been a huge crimp in my style, not working out - and if I weren't so busy with teaching, I think it would seriously depress me. But I keep telling myself its only temporary, and soon we’ll have some answers to my situation, and I”ll be able to get back into it. Till then, I’m trying to get back into meal prep and eating clean, and doing some mild exercise like light jogs and walks, light weight training, etc.

ADULTING

My mention of weight training is perhaps a segue to this next update, which I’ll keep brief and annoyingly vague. I am going through some painful adulting right now, that makes some moments feel like I’m being swallowed up by a tsunami. I’m gonna survive... but, yeah. I’m wading in the flood right now.

Okay, now for some miscellaneous updates. Mainly so I can post some pictures. This has been very text-heavy for my tastes.

MISC

On the topic of clean eating..... did you know that both papaya and pomegranate are natural platelet boosters? Supposedly. I’ve been doing a lot of research on foods and other natural ways to help boost my platelet production, and these were the top two foods that were consistently mentioned on platelet disorders blogs and forums. I confess I’m not a big fan of these fruits - but I’ve tried to put my tastebuds aside, and incorporate them into every day. Happily, papayas are widely available in the Miami area year-round.

I’ve handled the pomegranate thing by buying 100% pomegranate juice, and making cocktails of pomegranate + papaya juice (which is papaya pulp mixed in pear juice).

On the topic of foods and eating well - here is my guilty indulgence of late. I ADOOOOORE ramen bowls. ADORE. And I know they are the opposite of low-carb and healthy.... but I have been making a ton of them at home lately. I try to make them as healthy as I can, by 1) only using half of the ramen spice packet that comes with the noodles - this cuts the sodium to a tolerable amount (plus I drink lots of water), 2) I sautée minced garlic + approximately one full cup of shiitake mushrooms + approximately 1.5 full cups of baby spinach leaves in a dash of olive oil, and add to every bowl I make (mushrooms are full of B-vitamins and, alongside garlic, are huge immunity boosters, and spinach is full of iron and calcium, and is a good thing for me to be eating to make my blood sort itself out) , and 3) I often either crack an egg over the entire boiling mixture right at the end, or I add in sliced hard-boiled egg for extra folate and protein. And I sometimes add in a handful of raw shredded carrots right at the end, for a little crunch, color, fiber, and beta carotene. I *think* that I’m doing my best to make this indulgence food a little healthier, and tailored to my specific medical situation.

Soup has been a huge craving of late, because we had a surprising cold spell in Miami. It got down to 39F day before yesterday! That’s probably the coldest its ever been since we moved to Florida.

Afternoon snuggle time was especially snuggly - Dey and I were huddled for warmth!

My ability to run and work out at a high intensity may be somewhat muted at the moment, and this has been sort of a hard mental adjustment for me. But I am trying to get outside and do things, because it makes me feel better, and also I imagine the vitamin D is good for me. The other day, I was feeling pretty dumpy and blah - so I did something that for some reason I’d been putting off, “saving” for a special occasion, whatever. I cut the tags off of a brand-new Spartan licensed active top that I’d purchased on Cyber Monday, put it on, and went for a light 2-mile jog in the neighborhood. I felt silly in a way of making a big thing of it in my head - but the truth is, it lifted my spirits.

What else... Oh, this was exciting! GUESS WHAT, dudes. On Monday, I saw a real live MANATEE in the lake behind our house! I could hardly believe my eyes. A neighbor had reported on our community WhatsApp group just the day before seeing a manatee from her backyard. She posted a picture of it, which I am shamelessly going to post here. The manatee I saw, about 24 hours later, was different - it was considerably smaller than this one, I think probably a juvenile (not quite a baby, but definitely not humongous like this one). But it was swimming slowly near the sea wall that abuts our backyard, munching on some sea grass just like this big manatee. I did my best to run into the house and call the kids to come out as quietly as they could to see it - I think they caught a tiny glimpse, but our footsteps must have spooked it, because it definitely swam away quickly. I hope we’ll see it again!

Photographic evidence that we are LEGIT Floridians who hang out with manatees :)

Last but not least - on the topic of water creatures, gotta give a shout-out to my Vev, who “leveled up” at his swimming lessons this week to Junior Swim Team! The swim school has about 10 levels through which kids have to work to get to this point, and in the last ~18 months, Vev has completed them all. I was somewhat nostalgic and verklempt when he got his ribbon this time - I feel like it was only yesterday that we took him to swimming school for the first time, where he screamed bloody murder and cried the entire duration of his 25 minute assessment, clinging desperately to his teacher and feeling panicky about letting go in the water. How far he’s come!

(by the way, Dey is also doing wonderfully at swimming, and is only like 1.5 levels away from his own Junior Swim Team ribbon).

So some of my life is inside out and upside down right now, it is true. But some of it is Upside-Up. I work hard EVERY day to focus on the Upside-Up, and what a treat it is to see. These kids, the sunshine I get to enjoy here, the afternoon snuggle times, delicious food that also is good for me.... net balance is that life is good, I’m still alive and kicking, and everything is gonna work out fine.

Toodles!

#fitness #platelets #Sickness #Vev #Dey #food #animals

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capell0 · 8 years ago

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Roseali Week 2017 - Day 7: Food

TItle: Yielding

Summary: Alisha starts perparing dinner but Rose won´t have it. (Set during the DLC.)

Rating: T to be safe

Day/Prompt: Food

Yielding

Some things in life were a test. At least, that´s how Alisha thought of it. For instance, being a knight consisted of various tasks, and amongst many, the ability to take care of oneself while on the road. And the knowledge on how to survive on one´s rations and how to cook could by that be considered a test of her worth as a knight.

Now, Alisha wasn´t a master chef but she was capable of preparing food for herself and she could say with confidence that the taste wasn´t half bad either. When on a mission with her platoon, they´d take turns to make everyone´s meals so she´d gotten a lot of practice over the years, too. And now, travelling with Rose and everyone else again, she was glad for it. Cooking dishes she thought tasted good was fine enough so long as she only cared for herself but cooking for others was definitelly something else. They all took turns, too, so everyone would be equally responsible but every now and then, Alisha volunteered for the task. She enjoyed it, having to use her knife for something other than self defense and she wanted to keep her skills as fresh as possible. But she had another reason for deciding to do so, too. That-

“...What are you doing?”

Alisha startled at the voice suddenly sounding from behind her. She looked up from the vegetable she´d just been about to cut up and turned around, looking at Rose who stood there with one hand on her hip. She had a quizzical look on her face. “Ah, Rose”, Alisha said, putting down her knife. “I´m about to prepare dinner.”

Rose´s frown deepened a bit. “I can see that”, the other girl said, removing her hand from her hip to scratch the back of her head instead. “What I meant was that it´s not your turn today. It´s mine, actually.”

“I know”, Alisha said quickly, trying not to sound too stiff. She picked up the knife again and began to cut up some of the mushrooms they´d bought in a village a couple of days ago. “But I felt like it”, she explained. “I find I kind of enjoy cooking formy friends.”

“Aha”, Rose nodded. After that, she was quiet. Putting the already cut up vegetable to the side, Alisha moved on to the next until she heard the soft rustling of grass next to her. Glancing to the side, she saw Rose plopp down on the ground, drawing one of her daggers.

Alisha blinked. “And what are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I´m helping you!”, she proclaimed, making a grab for a potatoe that lay close to her. “Can´t have you do all the cooking on your own again.”

“You really don´t have to!”, she protested. “I know you´re tired form walking all day and-”

“So did you, right?”

“Of course, but I said I´d volunteer so-”

“Like you volunteered the last three times it was my turn to cook?”

Alisha swallowed. “Well, maybe, but...”

“And if I help you cut and stuff you´ll be done faster so let me help you. Otherwise the others´ll think I´m making you do it and I won´t stand for that! Or what, is this some kind of special training for you to become the perfect wife?”, Rose suggested, flashing her a knowing smile.

Heat rose to Alisha´s cheeks. “That wasn´t my-”

“Alright, it´s decided then!”, the red head announced smilingly. “Can´t have our head chef overwork herself”, she added and readied her dagger, starting to peel the potatoe in her hand.

That´s not the problem, Alisha thought, unease growing within her. That wasn´t the problem at all. She tried to think of something to convince her to let Alisha do it on her own but feeling it would only end up in Rose arguing with her- again- until she´d persuaded her- again- she thought it was a more reasonable choice to simply accept her help. For now. Alisha was glad she wasn´t in charge of discussing trade contracts for Ladylake with her. Honestly, she could see how the other girl could be the leader of a merchant guild. She´d never let up on a contract if she thought it was unreasonably done. But, as a politician, Alisha would do her best and stand her ground if it came to that. I have no intention of loosing to her, after all, Alisha thought with a small smile, her eyes sparkling with ambition.

Swiftly, she continued cutting the rest of the vegetable alongside the other girl. Albeit, her satisfaction about that was short lived, as they gathered their minced up ingredients and Rose swept the cutting board out of her hands a moment later. “Huh?!”

“Okay, time to get to the cooking part!”, she said cheerily. “You go and rest up, princess.”

Oh, no... Trying to keep a calm exteriour, Alisha waited a moment before responding. Had she gotten to it, that was.

“Don´t worry, I can handle it. It´s my turn anyways.”

She gulped. “At least let me help you with the spices, then. I tried something the other day and-”

“Will you let me handle things already? I said it´s my turn so go get busy with doing your hair or polishing your armour or whatever it is you Knight Princesses like to do in your spare time!”, Rose huffed at her angrily.

“What...” Alisha was taken aback to say the least. It was true that Rose was one to tease people quickly, especially Alisha it seemed, but she´d gotten used to it. She wasn´t a child anymore. This, however, wasn´t like the usual Rose. She´d taken jabs at Alisha´s status and made fun of her before but making her sound like some helpless damsel in distress after everything they´d been through together, after everything that happened between them- she hadn´t done that ever since. She wanted to demand an explanation, but before she could get to it, she was interrupted by a voice cutting in.

“How about you children hurry up with the food already, I´m getting impatient”, Edna said in her usual dry tone, having just returned from her stroll through the forest. Lailah had insisted on taking her along, because she wanted to take a walk that didn´t end with them fighting hellions for a change. Mikleo hand´t minded the idea either, using the opportunity to gather some more fire wood, and Zaveid- well, he simply tagged along since he wasn´t exactly one to sit around and play idle, proclaiming he had to protect the ladies and make sure they returned unharmed. Alisha was pretty sure Rose hadn´t asked about why he thought it was better to leave them alone instead out of fear he´d start another one of his explanations on how a man had to be. Or worse, stay behind. Alisha would never utter anything like that, although she had to say that Zaveid was... a bit odd. But that wasn´t what she should be thinking about at this moment.

“Then help me convince Alisha here to give it a rest and let me get on with it”, Rose said, dropping the vegetable into the kettle that hung prepared over the fire place.

“No way”, Edna answered without hesitation. “You think I´d involve myself in your little lover´s quarrel? Fix that on your own.”

“Edna...!”, Mikleo chided her under his breath but it only fell on deaf ears. Though, as if they could sense the akward air between Alisha and Rose, everyone held their peace, saying they´d be busy with some things, giving the two of them their space to cook.

Again, she and Rose were alone.

Hesitantly, Alisha watched Rose who had started stirring the stew-to-be lazily with a wooden spoon. She looked a bit sulky. Alisha opened her mouth, wanting to ask why Rose had acted that way, however, as if reading her mind, Rose let the stew cook and began to explain on her own accord.

“You could let me do something nice for you once in a while, you know”, she suddenly mumbled grumpily. Alisha looked up at her, surprised. “You´re always so diligent in everything you do, and I respect that, really. But, geez, you gotta learn how to relax and sometimes let others handle things, too!”

Alisha didn´t know what to say. So she laughed instead.

“Why-! Why are you laughing?!” Rose looked up from the kettle with an angry look on her face, gripping at the spoon.

Alisha couldn´t help it. She started laughing so hard, she had to hold her stomache, desperately trying to calm down. She whiped away a tear, finally regaining her composure after one last giggle. “I´m sorry”, she said, smiling brightly at Rose. When there was no answer from her, Alisha walked over to the fuming girl staring her down. “I´m sorry”, she apologized again. “I was merely thinking just how like you that was!”

Still angry, but a bit confused at that comment, Rose gave her e questioning look. “What was?”

Without a warning, Alisha reached out for Rose´s hand and slipped it into hers, watching the confusion on her face grow. As was the blush that came with it. “That”, she began, “how every time you want to speak your mind, you do but whenever you want to do something nice, you just can´t be honest with your words. And yet, you are with your actions.” She smiled at the other girl, barely containing all the affection she felt towards her. It might have been obscure, but in her own, weird way, Rose tried to be considerate of Alisha and wanted to take on some of what she thought was a burden on her. She had laughed because it was sweet and due to the fact that everything was one big missunderstanding. Rose thought she was trying to hogg all the cooking duties so she´d make it easier on her and the others and tried to help her in turn. It was true, in some way, but it was only one part of the reason.

The reson why Alisha had been so adament about cooking was that, as much as she loved her, she tried to prevent Rose from doing it. She hated to say it, but Alisha had tried to give her pointers, albeit suttle ones, as had Mikleo, but none of them had improved the girl´s cooking skills, if the number of times she´d let the food get burned, soups overcook or doused their meals in heaps of seasoning without even tasting them first was anything to go by. Even though she hated to keep it from her, she simply couldn´t bring herself to tell Rose why she didn´t want her to cook. And she felt horrible for it.

Especially now.

Her smile wavered a bit but when Rose squeezed her hand, she looked up into Rose´s bright and happy face. But maybe there was a way to make it up to her, after all.

A knight´s duties were many, and as she had learned over the years and been reminded today, yielding in some matters and leaving them to others wasn´t necessarily a bad thing.

Rose flashed her a grin before she leant in and gave Alisha a chaste kiss on the lips. Alisha blushed. “Well, as long as you get it, that´s fine with me”, Rose said. “Now go and get some rest while I finish up here.

Letting go of Rose´s hand, Alisha retreated to where Lailah and the others seemed to be in a heated discussion.

Some things in life were tests. And sometimes, Alisha had to acknowledge, passing them didn´t automatically mean going without some kind of punishment. But if she could make Rose happy by yielding on the matter, she would gladly do it. If it meant making it up to her if only a little, she had no hesitation. She could take the punishment. Probably.

#roseali week 2017 #Rose Alisha #Roseali Week 2017 Day 7 #rose (toz)#Alisha Diphda #day 7 food

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mysteriouslyzealouspandalov-blog · 6 years ago

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5 Stages of Relationships - The Good Men Project

New Post has been published on https://relationshipguideto.com/trending/5-stages-of-relationships-the-good-men-project/

5 Stages of Relationships - The Good Men Project

“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly”- Sam Keen

Have you ever gotten tired of a relationship before? Have you ever looked at the person you are with…..and be like, “I’m tired, I just have to leave this relationship”? I bet you have! Most times we give up on relationships simply because we are oblivious of the stage that we are in. We struggle with what we don’t know. There are five stages of relationship that demand different levels of approaches, responses and maturity. Most people give up on relationships because they are unwilling to outgrow their previous approaches and mentalities to relationships.

The trajectory of relationships most times normally go from the excitement mode through the sweet, nasty, boring down to the complacent and irritational mode. No doubt, each stage of relationships will put a high demand on your commitment, compassion, emotional capacity and maturity. Whether it is a relationship between couples or lovers, the stages are the same, only with some mild adjustments.

#1 THE ATTRACTION STAGE: This is the stage where you always have butterflies in your stomach! This is the stage where you are being controlled totally by the excitement hormones. You are totally obsessed at this stage. The physical (sexual) attraction is at its peak. This what makes your palms sweaty, your face blush and your heart race in quick successions. At this stage, you are constantly drawn to and attracted to the sight, sound and smell of the other person.

#2 THE ROMANTIC STAGE: This unique stage is filled with a lot of euphoria and exuberance. This is the stage that is ascribed with the age long expression, “love is blind”. Your endorphin level is unprecedentedly high at this level and you begin to feel a unique sense of peace and security about the relationship. This self-deluding stage draws your attention only to the good things in your partner and blankets the bad ones.

This stage is filled with a lot of costly assumptions and it is often called the “Assumption stage”. The truth is that most of the assumptions at this stage are wrong! These assumptions can be very costly and many times, they cost us our relationships!

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#3 THE INTELLECTUAL STAGE: Leo Tolstoy once said, “Nothing is so necessary for a young man as the company of an intelligent woman”. This is the stage where ‘Intelligence’ and not ‘attractiveness’ is sexy! Most people who are not compatible intellectually normally see the relationship as h*ll at this stage. This is where the romantic love begins to normalize or wear off and you now engage more in intellectual discourse or intercourse. You begin to observe the flaws and inadequacies of your partner. All hidden flaws begin to encounter open intellectual bashings! Those in the Attraction and Romantic stages probably think they’ll be in these stages forever, this is the most delusive assumptions in relationships.

This is also called the ‘irritational stage’ because all irritations and frustrations peak at this stage. In fact, at this stage, couples or lovers begin to question and challenge their previous assumptions and confirm the veracity of their previous claims. It is a stage where you look at your partner and you may erroneously conclude that both of you have no future together! Those who decide to stick together at this stage do so either by acknowledging the flaws or holding on to the positive things that attracted them to their partner in the first place. This is the most difficult stage of relationships because it requires deep conviction, compromise, and sacrifice to still stick to your partner at this stage.

Some of the challenges of the intellectual stage are the issues of comparison, insecurity, abuse, complexes (Inferiority and superiority complexes), defensiveness, identity crisis, incompatibility and external interferences. Each of them requires different approaches to manage but they all require that the lovers or couples build a healthy self-esteem. Except in the cases of extreme abuse and irreconcilable differences, there is a great hope that making necessary adjustments, deep commitments and mutual respect can take the partners to the next level.

#4 THE ACCEPTANCE STAGE: This is the stage where you will need to make a lot of adjustments. A stage where you will need to accommodate the other person’s flaws and inadequacies. The Acceptance stage shifts us from ‘assumptions’ to ‘reality’. This is where you need to strongly accept your partners while helping them work on their flaws. In a conjugal relationship, the realities of life, work, household responsibilities, children and individual lifestyles determine how long this stage will last.

#5 MATURITY STAGE: Bill Lemley once said, “When nobody around you seems to measure up, it’s time to check your yardstick”. This is the stage where we need to totally abandon unhealthy and unrealistic expectations. In order to live a productive and fulfilling relationship, we must progressively abandon unrealistic expectations. When we relinquish our unhealthy and unrealistic expectations of others, we begin to see and appreciate their worth. It will take many years for you to realize that true love is more than just a feeling. It is accepting a person for who they are and respecting the differences. This is the final stage where you totally accommodate your partner and even sometimes overlook many things. A stage where you learn to make yourself a priority and see the strength in your differences.

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Many times, relationships don’t make it past the intellectual stage. This is where most break-ups, divorces, and separation happen. You must be able to evaluate where your relationship is in order to know the approach that is needed. The pertinent question to ask is this: What stage are you in? And how can you keep or regain the ‘highs’ you felt in the Attraction and Romantic stages?

Sometimes, dealing with your partner’s flaws will take a toll on your attraction to him. Are you losing romantic interest in your partner? You can spur it back to life with ample date nights. Don’t stop the playful things you used to do while you were growing in love. Hug frequently and enjoy the taste of long kissing if you are married couples. Spice up your sexual life and bring in varieties as married couples. If you are not yet married, respect boundaries and exchange gifts almost every time. Don’t wait for special occasions to show your love to your partner, make every moment count. Don’t just allow intimacy to happen, initiate intimacy.

Enjoy the Attraction and Romantic stages if you are still there but you must know that a great level of sacrifice lies ahead of you. There is no perfect marriage or relationship. Everything only gets better as we begin to work on them. Perfect doesn’t exist; it is what we all strive towards. You must be willing to make adjustments and changes in order to make your relationship a fulfilling one.

Stop comparing your partner with others; instead, cultivate the habit of appreciating your partner daily and give them space for improvement. There is a common saying that: “What you appreciate, appreciates”. So many times, we don’t know what we have until we lose it, until it is being found by another person who counts it more precious! Stop taking each other for granted in relationships. What you take for granted gets taken!

“If you’re giving your all to someone and it’s not enough, you’re giving it to the wrong person”-Anonymous

Originally published on LinkedIn

If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join like-individuals in The Good Men Project Premium Community.

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Source

https://goodmenproject.com/sex-relationships/5-stages-of-relationships-cmtt/

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relationshipadviser-blog · 6 years ago

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5 Stages of Relationships - The Good Men Project

New Post has been published on https://relationshipqia.com/trending/5-stages-of-relationships-the-good-men-project/

5 Stages of Relationships - The Good Men Project

“We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly”- Sam Keen

Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free

“If you’re giving your all to someone and it’s not enough, you’re giving it to the wrong person”-Anonymous

Originally published on LinkedIn

If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join like-individuals in The Good Men Project Premium Community.

Don’t like ads? Become a supporter and enjoy The Good Men Project ad free

Source

https://goodmenproject.com/sex-relationships/5-stages-of-relationships-cmtt/

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