#you need to get medical treatment asap....

[hamsamohammad]

🚨Help save my DISABLED Grandmother and my family from Gaza

I am Hamsa Mohammad, a 24 years old Engineer, I just graduated when the war occurred ! My mother and I were very lucky and escaped 5 Months ago .. but we left our hearts in Gaza! We didn't mean to leave them behind .. we feel guilty every single day that we're safe while they're not ! We tried everything but couldn't collect the funds, my mother is a single mother and we are barely managing to cover our expenses and sending them as much as we can to help them survive in Gaza . Until a friend I met here in Cairo, told me that hopefully you will help us ! 🙏🙏🙏 Help Me Rescue my Family of 4 from Gaza : • MY 83 years old DISABLED GRANDMOTHER (ستي فوزية) right before this war she suffered from a broken pelvis and a broken left hand, and she cannot walk or even go to the bathroom. She also suffers from severe heart muscle weakness and needs many medications, diapers and a urinary catheter ,they can't even find or afford proper drugs and painkillers , everything is extremely expensive PLEASE WE NEED TO GET HER OUT ASAP !! • MY SISTER AND HER FAMILY - Lamis and her husband Malik (29 and 32 years old) They're both sick and suffer from Hepatitis type A.

•Karma 3 Months Old: She is 3 months old , she was born through this terrible war in a tent .. She is malnourished , gets sick ,intestinal catarrh and fevers all the time ! •Ghaith 3 years old: He suffers from severe allergic reactions and he vomits, get sick all the time from polluted water and bad food They're all cramped up in a tentwith other people .. Please I PLEAD to you help them escape

PLEASE SAVE HAMSA'S FAMILY FROM GAZA PLEASE HELP US !! Donate HERE SHARE AND DONATE AND MENTION IF POSSIBLE !!

Donate HERE

EVERY € COUNTS !!!

We need the money for :

Travel arrangements to Egypt ( $5000- per person) for 4 family members.

Urgent Medical Treatment and surgery for my Grandmother( $3000-$5000).

Housing expenses.

Living and transportation expenses during the initial period of travel.

Food and medical expenses.

VERIFIED FUNDRAISER BY @nabulsi

[vampiricvenus]

... And how long did you have to wait in order to receive medical assistance for it? How far did you have to go to get any sort of relief?

Fadel has had to wait months and campaign with very little results in order to get any hopes of MAYBE getting his pain from the shrapnel still stuck in his body that the doctors in Gaza couldn't safely remove. He can't sleep, he can barely move, and he's in never-ending pain on top of the trauma.

[Verified! #197 on this spreadsheet]

Fadel is a third-year student in Information Technology. Him and his family have been displaced 5 times already. Not long ago, he and his family were injured in an attack amongst the rubble that used to be their home. They were almost martyred.

Him and his family were transferred in extremely dangerous conditions to a hospital in southern Gaza after that. Once there, the doctors were able to remove some of the shrapnel from Fadel's body, but there' were still shrapnel stuck inside him that they could not remove. The surgery he needs is very complicated and cannot be performed there due to the lack of medical resources.

Now he lives in constant intense pain. He needs to leave Gaza as soon as possible. The cost for travel is €7,000, and then there's €3,000 for the treatment he needs.

We can do this!! Fadel's goal is a lot smaller than most other campaigns and his hasn't surpassed even the first thousand euros!

He's not even met 10% of his goal!!! Please, let's help him, the pain he's in is immense and he needs surgery outside of Gaza ASAP.

€660/€10,000

[cokou]

What OP Men post about you on Reddit

OP 男性があなたについて Reddit に投稿するもの。

𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒊𝒄

sum. Your boyfriend posted about you on reddit. ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ tw. NSFW ON KIDDS PART! Fluff overall! ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ a/n. Im sorry for so late uploads, i got sick once again😭😭😭 // Do not translate or transfer any of my works, this is my only account (exp. AO3) will not be cross posted anywhere else. // Masterlist

r/NSFW Eustass.Kidd

I (25 M) fucked my girlfriend (24 F) so hard that i had to get her into the hospital to get a medical treatment on her cervix.

The doctors told us that everything was wounded up inside her and it looked like she got abused from her lacked of walking, we had to get police involved in our house to investigate what had happened and found the dildo i used on her and it was examined on their lab for any contaminated illness.

My girlfriend refuses to see me from how bad her state had gotten and the police interogated me to make that everything was okay at home. My best friend had gotten involved from how bad my girlfriend couldn't walk and had to assure that I wasn't abusing anyone to the police, it took 3 days for them to fully give out on the case.

My girlfriend had been discharged from the hospital 2 days ago and she still refuses to talk to me, i got her flowers for apology and her favorite food as an apology. She told me that she could take all of me in bed and now everything just went downhill since i got out of control in her.

Now everyone of my friends teases me about what happened and they laughed me off every time they see me, Reddit what should i do?

Comments;

Her problem dude, she said she could take it!

You're at fault for taking her word at all. ➣ Eustass.Kidd replied: fuck off single mf.

—

r/girlfriends Msxr.Kill

My girlfriend (24 F) and I (26 M) have been dating for almost 5 years now, tomorrow will be our 5th anniversary and I'm planning to propose to her, but the problem is I don't know how. My brain can't take so much ideas so much and my friends aren't helping me at all.

My girlfriend is the most precious person ever, and i believe she deserves the best in the world. My ideas can't convince me enough that they're good for her, and what if she doesn't like it and rejects me? I don't want that. I asked her bestfriend on what places she especially loves, and I was told to take her on an aquarium proposal.

I don't know what to do and my girlfriend is making me all nervous around her as well, i need help ASAP.

Comments;

Eustass.Kidd: Just tell her to marry you wtf ➣Msxr.Kill replied: You're not helping at all Kidd.

Heat_er: You suck at planning lol. ➣Msxr.Kill replied: Heat I don't wanna hear that from you, you don't even have anyone to love.

—

r/AITA Dr._Trafalgar

Am i the asshole for kicking out my girlfriend from my office?

I, (26 M) kicked my girlfriend (24 F) out of my office because she knocked off all the papers off my shelves and dragged me out forcefully. Now she refuses to talk to me and it's been 2 days. My friends told me that i was the asshole and was wrong for kicking her out.

But the thing was those papers were almost 592 pages and i only ended up finding 578 of them, now my girl moved to her friends house and absolutely doesn't answer my calls or text messages.

Her friends texted me that i was the asshole for not spending time with her and paid attention all to myself only not her needs, the papers were worth so much that i could feed her and let us both live together financially, and now i was forced to redo all 592 pages in A WEEK.

so am i the asshole?

Comments;

Your.name: Yes yta🙄 ➣Dr._Trafalgar replied: get your ass home.

—

r/girlfriends Chef_Sanjii

My girl is the best in the whole wide world, she's do beautiful, so pretty, so perfect, and every thing she does hypnotizes me. Her beautiful nature makes me inlove with her more every second, her intelligence for everything makes her so special, she is not like any other women ever.

In fact, she is the best in the whole whole world. Not only does her pretty face shine in the darkness, but the way her body sways when she walks or does something is so majestic. I'm so lucky to have such a girlfriend like this, and i know that she will always love forever.

The way she interacts with even the smallest things are cute, in fact all of her is cute. The way her hands hold something and it shows that her body is perfect in every inch. She's none like others, no one can ever EVER compare to my girl, one day i will marry her and see her on the aisle and i wouldnt be able to hold my tears as she walks in a wedding dress.

Her facial features resembles a goddess, she trurly is flawless. No matter what anyone says, she'll be the most MOST perfect woman in the whole entire world. I love love her so much, she's the best that ever happened to me. Her love melts me warm and her words make me putty on her hands.

It's safe to say that she too, loves me, and that our relationship definitely is mutual. Love her so much.

Post was liked by Msxr.Kill & 7,251 others.

—

r/wifey Kuz._an

My wife's cooking is terrible but I don't wanna tell her that and destroy her feelings.

My wife and I had been married for almost 9 years now, she cooks for me daily ever since we have moved in together. Her cooking used to be good, but for some reason it tastes like burnt ketchup over burnt cheese. It looks appealing to look, but the tastes seems to be missed.

Her seasonings are full of bell pepper and black pepper, it terribly sucks. I love my wife to the fullest, but when it comes to her cooking, It feels like I'm on a prison cell. I'm sorry My Love, it's the truth.

Comments;

Unknown: Being honest is his forte. Unknown: COMMENT DELETED Unknown: Atleast your wife tries. Unknown: COMMENT DELETED

©Cokou 2024, all works belongs to me.

[newtlesbian]

urgent list part four

many messages are coming in. i apologize so deeply if they aren’t answered right away. i promise everyone will be given attention.

everyone who sees this please dont scroll away. the people in these lists are in horrible conditions and in desperate need of help. please give something to them it is very urgent.

food is very expensive and they are starving. it is becoming cold and they need warm clothes and blankets. these people need medical treatments. they need money to evacuate. i want everyone to really give something and not only reblog. please.

CLICK FOR PART ONE

CLICK FOR PART TWO

CLICK FOR PART THREE

check back for part five

————————————————————

OLD LIST 1

OLD LIST 2

————————————————————

1. URGENT. please send help immediately to khawla’s family. she is supporting her husband and three young children. she reached out to me saying she has an appointment tomorrow and needs money asap. this is a very serious situation and i want everyone to send something asap.

kawla-gaza05.tumblr.com is her blog please reblog the posts.

please send something now

————————————————————

2. URGENT. abood and his wife maria reached out to me asking for help asap. they need 150 to buy flour as it has become overpriced. if everyone sends some help now they can reach this goal and this family will not have to go hungry.

abood-gaza21.tumblr.com is his blog. please reblog the posts

please send something now

————————————————————

3. URGENT. fahed shehab is supporting a family of 8 people. this family needs your help as they are very close to reaching their goal. send something to them to help reach it now and end the wait.

fahedshehab-new.tumblr.com is his blog please reblog the posts

please send something now

————————————————————

4. URGENT. majed is supporting a family including young children after losing the house they all lived in due to genocide terrors of the occupation. please send help with this link

@majedgerbawi on here. please reblog their posts

LOW. 8k out of 70k

————————————————————

5. URGENT. mohammed salem is supporting his parents and 5 siblings while they all live in a refugee tent together. now his young son is in the hospital with a chest infection and they all need help

@s-sa-mo on here. please reblog their posts

CLOSE. 7k out of 10k

————————————————————

6. URGENT. ahmed totah is supporting his family of 7 people including his parents, disabled grandfather, and sister. they have no blankets or shoes for the winter and are in dire need as the weather gets cold

@ahmedbm on here. please reblog their posts

LOW 85 out of 100k

————————————————————

7. URGENT. muhammad is supporting his family with this link. He and his wife have 3 young children all under five years of age. they need your help to buy necessities like milk and food and to find safety.

@mohamed-resh9900 on here. please reblog their posts

————————————————————

8. URGENT. abdul rahman hilles is the surviving husband of the martyred journalist ola al-dahdouh after they and their young child karam were targeted in another disgusting missile strike from the genocidal occupation paid for by a country you likely read this from. he and karam have been left damaged from the strike and the loss of their wife and mother. please help them recover and find safety together

@abedhilles on here. please reblog their links

LOW. 4k out of 35k

————————————————————

9. URGENT. reem mohammad is supporting a family with young children while displaced and living in a tent. they are struggling with daily necessities and need financial help asap

@reemfamily on here. please reblog their posts

LOW only 30 out of 25,000!

————————————————————

10. URGENT. Amany Ubeid is a 40 year old mother of 3 children ages 16, 14, and 9. they have lost their home and way of life. her husband has a skin disease and needs to pay for treatment. send help to this family asap

@amnyaburas on here. please reblog their posts

LOW. 2k out of 65k

————————————————————

[omega-e123]

Need shadow headcannons for monthly cramps, helpp.

Despite what people think, he is no stranger to periods. His best friend had them after all. Plus Rouge.

╰┈➤ Shadow ensures that there’s a heating pad and pain medication within arms reach at all times. If they’re not and he has an emerald, Shadow will use chaos snap to get it to you ASAP.

╰┈➤ He heard that exercise is a good way to block pain due to the endorphins released during physical activity. ONLY if you’re up for it. Nothing too demanding, just enough to get your body join. Don’t worry, you won’t suffer alone. Shadow is right by your side constantly checking in.

╰┈➤ On days where it’s so bad that you can’t move, you’re getting royalty treatment. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner served in bed. If you must have Shadow to cuddle, he’ll crawl right under the covers with a book in tow. Ask him to read to you! That soothing deep voice will lull you to sleep in an instant.

╰┈➤ Best not to ask him for a massage. He doesn’t really know what to do or how. With enough insistence, a YouTube video will be his guide. It’ll definitely hurt at first as Shadow learns.

╰┈➤ Sorry, Shadow isn’t letting you drink any soda, fizzy drinks, caffeine, or alcohol as they can make it worse. Water. Water. Water. Iced or hot with a lemon will be your main squeeze. He’ll allow tea once Shadow’s checked the caffeine contents.

[zorosbeau33]

You get sick~ Omegaverse One Piece Headcanon Part 1

❖ Todays stars: Sabo/Luffy x Omega gender neutral reader

❖ Headcanon, fluff, comfort

❖ Tw: Illness

❖ wc: 1100

❖ Part 2 Coming soon! ❖ Masterlist ❖

. ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

I hope this brings you a little bit of laughter and a smile!

. ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ ⋅˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

Now then, this alpha baby gumgum drop button over here…so many people think he would miss the signs at first. And perhaps he’d miss that you are slightly quieter than normal. Or that your sneezes are a bit more frequent. Maybe even that you slept in way later than you normally would have. 

EXCEPT this man is enamored with you, and one of his favorite things is burrowing his face into your neck to take deep breaths of your scent. 

The moment you get sick your scent betrays it, and his frown shows he has noticed before you even feel any symptoms. Thus despite you having assured him you are okay Luffy is secretly on guard.

Its not obvious to anyone really unless like Robin they analyze every bit of his body motions. 

He has a hand or arm around or on you at all times

Constantly checking his volume isn’t too loud for you with subtle glances

He is paranoid a little and keeps snuffling your throat far more than usual

Once your symptoms hit he is wrapping you up in his arms and carrying you quickly to Chopper. All previous consideration for his volume level gone as he screams for the medic and for Nami. 

He holds your hand the entire time (unless you and Chopper allow him to wrap himself around you like a boa constrictor. Clinging out of worry and need to protect).

If its to soon to tell what you have he gets slightly distressed. He doesn’t want to wait for you to possibly feel worse in order for you to be able to get treatment. His whining will know no ends

If they do figure out what is wrong he for once will listen to every word Chopper says and try to stick to them to a T in order for you to get better

If Chopper mentions a warmer climate or cooler climate will do you good he instantly commands Nami to find the safest path to such a climate asap

Yes safest, the need to ensure you can properly rest, swaddled up in your nest out of a possibly dangerous path is tantamount to him

He does leave your side often. To spare with the others or check with Chopper if there's anything else he can do for you. His boundless energy needs to be let out, but the minute he feels he can he rushes back to you for snuggles

You have never smelled more like Luffy a day in your life

He is constantly nuzzling and scenting you to assure you of his presence and care.

Nothing will stop him from this unless it causes you actual pain (maybe the illness gave you sensitive skin)

He understands that you need a certain diet of food too to get stronger and he’s trying to understand it. Hounding Sanji to make you “CHICKEN SOUP WITH LOTS AND LOTS OF GINGER CHOPPER SAID BLAND FOOD AND LOTS OF THINGS LIKE GINGER AND TUMURIC-” 

Thank gods for Sanji, because Luffy doesn’t in his panic comprehend that putting five pounds of fresh ground ginger into the soup would in fact make it not bland 

Overall Luffy is very tender and loving. He looks like a lost puppy the entire time you are sick and tries to talk quietly for you even if you say it's okay to make noise.

He doesn’t get sick with you but goodness if he doesn’t feel awful seeing you suffer

GOD FORBID someone outside the crew/pack gets too close to you during this time. Luffy will either knock them out with his Haki or if they withstand that, the savage alpha growl that leaves his chest and the look of murder in his glowing eyes will have them peeing themselves

This happy-go-lucky Alpha? His professional smile falls immediately

The guilt of holding you in his arms nearly crushes him. Heart sinking into his toes as he gently cradles you into his chest, rushing you back to your shared nest. Gloved fingers suddenly bared as he blames himself for your current state.

He is so tender and gentle regardless of how well or bad off you are. This isn’t like when you get wounded in battle, this hurts him in new unforeseen ways.

His scnet muddled with worry as he whispers soft promises to make you feel better as quickly as he can.

Sabo’s mind is full of self doubt and blame. Maybe if he was home more, or if he hadn’t taken you on that mission to the Icy Plains of the Northern Isle. But he just feels this is all his fault for being far too busy all the time. Maybe he would have noticed sooner and been able to stop it before this point if he had paid a bit more attention?

Even if you assure him it's not his fault. These things just happen sometimes he is still frowning fingers trailing gently down your cheek, he doesn’t recall getting sick like this, that is after he Ace and Luffy learned how to cook and no longer gave themselves food poisoning.

If you are ill with something he doesn’t know how to treat then he will enlist Koala and Dragon. Not one or the other both, you are too important to risk any more details being missed or possible treatment options.

He is so delicate when he treats you, loving to hold you in his arms as he helps you bathe. And no you can’t talk him out of this, it's his way of atoning for not noticing sooner.

The best food and medicine he can get his hands on will be yours. He curls around you and watches you rest, ensuring you are comfortable and his soothing scent is right here for you whenever you want a whiff.

He doesn’t scent you too much, he doesn’t want to rub all over you and jostle you.

However, if you ask him he will push his scent out and tuck your face into his neck right against his glands. There is never a moment before this that his scent ever smelled so tender.

Koala took several photos before his growls turned into fiery glare and she ran away.

He does still ask her for help, calling it an equal exchange for her snooping. She’s a good friend and does take on a huge chunk of his work so that he can be with you.

She and Hack are both secretly glad, because even though he’s fretting he is also finally getting some rest

[crazycatsiren]

It's just, not possible to "harm none". Even if you're not doing baneful magic.

You cast a spell to get that job you want. What about another person who needs the job and the money?

You cast a spell to get that house/apartment you want. What about another person who needs a new place to live/needs to move asap?

You cast a spell to receive immediate medical treatment. What about another sick person who also desperately needs that appointment slot?

"Harm none" is bullshit in this world.

[pegglefan69]

This is another post compiling campaigns of Palestinians who’ve reached out to me, in the hopes this gets them more traction & attention. I have two other posts with fundraisers, & will be working on more for as long as I am still receiving messages. Please contribute if you have anything to spare, & share this post either way. Campaign progress reflects the date of when I am making this post, on 8/25/24

@kareemalnakhala / @bilalassadabedrabou – vetted by 90-ghost – €7,845 / €80,000

Bilal & his friend are raising evacuation funds for himself & his family, who are currently trapped in the north of Gaza. His campaign is Low on Funds

@olagaza – vetted, line 205 of el-shab-hussein & nabulsi’s list – $31,600 / $50,000

Ola is raising evacuation fees for herself, her parents, & her four siblings. They’re about ¾ of the way there! Let’s get them the rest of the way ASAP!

@tahseenkhazen – vetted by olagaza, 90-ghost & northgazaupdates – $9,941 / $25,000

Tahseen is Ola’s cousin. He is raising evacuation funds for himself, his wife, & their 3 children. They’re close to halfway to their goal, let’s get them there!

@yazanfamily – vetted by northgazaupdates & mohammedalanqer – €11,336 / €50,000

Mohammad is raising funds to evacuate his wife & two small children, along with himself. His campaign is Low on Funds.

@elbalawi – vetted by 90-ghost – €37,640 / €50,000

Mahmoud is raising evacuation funds for his family, including his parents, who both need urgent medical treatment. Let’s keep up the momentum & get them the rest of the way to their goal!!

@mahmoudkhalafff – vetted by el-shab-hussein & nabulsi line 151 , falliahfag # 4 – €24,801 / €30,000

Mahmoud is raising funds to evacuate 8 members of his family. They’re really close to their goal! Let’s keep it up & raise the rest!

@ahmedalnabeeh11 – vetted by el-shab-hussein #218 on the list – €23,790 / €30,000

Ahmed is fundraising to evacuate himself, his brothers, & his mother, who needs urgent medical care. I’ve personally been following this one & sharing for a few months now, & am so happy it’s close to the goal. Let’s raise the rest!

@ahmedkhabil – vetted by Butterfly Effect #79 & el-shab-hussein & nabulsi # 163  –  £3,179 /  £81,000

Ahmed is trying to evacuate his family, including his two children & his elderly father, who has a broken pelvis & is at risk of having his foot amputated due to diabetes. Four days ago they had to use $400 of their existing funds to get to safety after being displaced again. This campaign is Extremely Low on Funds.

@mones1998gaza – currently unvetted, & i cannot verify campaigns myself, but I see no reason to think it isn’t genuine – $245 / $20,000

Mounes needs medical care & essentials for his two small children, including milk. This campaign is Extremely Low on Funds, 

@lina-gaza – vetted by ana-bananya & mohiy-gaza – €35,676 / €45,000

Lina is raising evacuation funds for her family, including her two small children (one only a few months old), as well as hoping to cover the initial costs of settling in Egypt. It’s wonderful that they’re so close to their goal– let’s help them reach it! 

@syamamasamt – currently unvetted, & i cannot verify campaigns myself, but I see no reason to think it isn’t genuine – $120 / $65,000

Tahrir is raising evacuation funds for family, including her 6 children & her father who is need of urgent medical care due to shrapnel in his chest. This campaign is Extremely Low on Funds.

[sajasamy]

Hello guys

I need you help in sharing my go fund me link

Please help me evacuate my family out of war

My little sister who is 6 years old got injured and she needs an urgent medical treatment which can’t be available in Gaza so please help her get well asap and get her medication

Here is the link guys every dollar save a child life

Please don’t forget to share it with your friends and family thank you so much ❤️

[septicstank]

please help Badr's father and grandmother evacuate to Egypt

last month (March 2024), thanks to funds raised by Gaza Kinder Relief, 16-year-old Badr and his mother were able to evacuate to Egypt; he was able to get access to hemophilia medication that saved his leg from amputation and is continuing to receive treatment in the UAE.

however, the rest of his family is still in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, in immediate danger from the ongoing siege and occupation. a fellow student at my school is in contact with Badr's sister, Fatima, and is organizing a fundraiser to evacuate Badr and Fatima's father and grandmother to Egypt. Badr and Fatima's grandmother has diabetes, high blood pressure, and relies on a wheelchair for mobility; she urgently needs access to life-sustaining medical support. they need to raise $10,000 USD ASAP (the usual cost for Gazans to evacuate).

please, please share widely and donate if you can.

[czenzo]

Overcome

[ao3]

summary:

“Neil.” If the tone of his voice wasn’t already alarming, the way he stared at King certainly was. Sir was curled up on Andrew’s left, head resting on his thigh. King lay on his other side, stretched out as if to wake her sleeping limbs, but was unnervingly still. Her little face winced in clear discomfort, and her breathing was erratic. Neil kneeled by their bed. “Something isn’t right.”

King falls ill and needs urgent treatment. The stress takes its toll on Andrew, but Neil is there to hold him up.

words: 3,495 rating: G

note: did I write this to cope while my own cat went through a medical crisis? perhaps. he’s doing better now though :)

contains descriptions of animal illness and discomfort, vomiting, and talk of (animal) death. I promise there's a happy ending, though! these guys deserve it

title taken from Overcome by Nothing But Thieves

—

Andrew was the first to notice something wasn’t right with King.

While Neil started his mornings with a long run, Andrew preferred to stay inside, swaddled in comfortable clothes, a book in hand, a mug of strong coffee at his bedside, and two cats draped across his lap.

When Neil returned, desperate to scald himself in the shower before inhaling breakfast, Andrew didn’t greet him. He was sat upright in bed, book forgotten in his lap. All he said was, “Neil.”

If the tone of his voice wasn’t already alarming, the way he stared at King certainly was. Sir was curled up on Andrew’s left, head resting on his thigh. King lay on his other side, stretched out as if to wake her sleeping limbs, but was unnervingly still. Her little face winced in clear discomfort, and her breathing was erratic.

Neil kneeled by their bed. “Something isn’t right.”

The look Andrew flicked him silently scolded him for stating the painfully obvious, but Andrew’s gaze was back on King in a split second.

Moving slowly, Neil raised his hand to King’s nose. Her nose twitched and, upon recognising his familiar scent, she let out a high-pitched mrrp and allowed him to stroke her head. She relaxed a little as Neil’s blunt nails scratched behind her ears, but still lay stretched out and rigid.

The second Neil’s hand dipped past her neck, she threw a fit. Claws were out in an instant; Neil received three shallow, uniform cuts at the base of his thumb. The hiss she gave didn’t sound like King at all; both King and Sir had always been calm, mellow cats. The pure panic emanating from her was completely unknown territory for all of them.

Andrew’s face was carefully blank. He reached for Neil’s phone, which had been discarded on the nightstand, and silently handed it over.

The emergency vet line talked him through the necessary checks. Was she an outdoor cat? No, she stayed indoors. Has she been eating and drinking well? Drinking, yes, eating, not really, but that wasn’t particularly unusual (Sir had always been the pudgier of the two). Does she appear to be in pain? Yes, that’s why I called. Does she have any visible wounds? Neil scanned her body. No. She spends all day sleeping, she couldn’t have injured herself. Any vomiting or diarrhoea?

King convulsed once. Twice. She dragged herself up onto her front legs and heaved, bringing up the breakfast Neil had kindly put out for her before leaving for his run.

“Yes,” Neil said dryly.

“And when was the last time she urinated?”

Neil looked to Andrew, who frowned as he thought it over, before minutely shaking his head.

“Not sure. It’s been a while.”

“Take her to your local animal clinic as soon as possible,” the nurse said, loud enough for her urgent tone to be overheard by Andrew. He tensed.

Neil idly scratched King’s chin; it helped ground both of them. “Is it serious?”

“It could be. She needs a physical examination. Are you able to get her one ASAP?”

“Yeah. We’ll drive her down now.”

Getting King into her carrier was a herculean effort that resulted in both Andrew and Neil sporting an array of new scratches up their arms. Getting Sir to calm down was almost harder—she realised something was wrong soon after Neil put the phone down, and was simultaneously trying to check on her friend and get some human reassurance.

Closing the door on Sir’s round little face was tough, but both Andrew and Neil wanted to stick with King. If one of them waited at home, the anticipation for an update would have gnawed away at them.

Andrew being quiet wasn’t unusual, but his silence during the drive to the vet had a different kind of weight to it. He was never one for braking a sensible amount to go around corners, but today he did so even less. He had them in a parking space and killed the engine five minutes before the GPS said they were supposed to arrive.

After they gave the receptionist the rundown on the odd symptoms and the phone call, King and her carrier were whisked away down a winding corridor for an examination.

Neil frowned. “Can’t we go with her?”

“I’m afraid not,” she said with an apologetic smile. “It’s more efficient if you wait here. She’s in good hands, I promise.”

Just as Neil was about to rebuke, Andrew turned on his heel and made a beeline for the waiting room. After a moment’s hesitation, Neil followed and joined him on the chairs with padding so dead it felt like sitting on a rock.

Part of him wanted to say something along the lines of She’ll be fine, but not even he fully believed that, and he was sure the reaction it would evoke from Andrew would be unpleasant. King had behaved like an entirely different cat that morning.

Andrew was still saying nothing, so Neil used the silence as a chance to pull out his phone. Nicky had formed a habit of regularly asking for cat pictures. Neil wanted to give him—and by extension, the rest of the Foxes—the heads up that something wasn’t right with King, and to hold back on mentioning the cats to Andrew for the time being. Nicky’s reply was immediate and contained an unnecessary amount of frowny faces.

Neil slid his phone back into his pocket. “We should give them that last tin of tuna when we get back.”

Andrew slid him a cool glance. It was a carefully constructed look, designed to fool outsiders. Neil was not an outsider. Andrew had his hands clasped in his lap; Neil hovered one of his own over the tight knot of fingers.

“Yes or no?”

Andrew opened his hands in response. Neil easily slid his into one of them, intertwining their fingers and holding firmly. Andrew’s grip was tight and unrelenting as Neil’s thumb rubbed soothing circles into his skin.

Purposefully avoiding watching the clock meant Neil had no idea how much time had passed by the time a nurse emerged from the back with an update. Her sympathetic face said she was going to start with some fluffy time-wasting to ease them into the actual news.

Neil held up a hand before she could start. “Just tell us straight.”

The nurse was startled, yet appeared a little relieved she didn’t have to hand-hold them into it. “Your cat has a blocked urinary tract. It’s”—she hesitated, then remembered Neil’s words—“serious. She needs immediate treatment, or her chances of survival will be dangerously low.”

“Do whatever you need to,” Neil said. “We don’t care about costs.”

“A blockage this bad means she needs to stay overnight. We’ll sedate her, insert a catheter, and keep her under observation. It will not be cheap.”

“Like I said, we don’t care about costs.”

A beat passed before the nurse nodded. “Okay. The receptionist will have all the relevant paperwork for you before you leave.”

Andrew spoke before Neil could. “Can we see her?”

“I’m afraid not,” she said remorsefully. “We need to keep her as calm as possible. Her treatment will be easier and more efficient if you wait.”

The vice-like grip on Neil’s hand tightened in a way that said Andrew fucking despised that reasoning; King was always calmest in Andrew’s lap with a hand scratching her chin. Instead of vocalising this, however, Andrew resumed his silence.

The nurse waited awkwardly for a few moments more before she realised she wouldn’t be getting anything else from either of them, then disappeared back behind the door marked STAFF ONLY.

Neil waited at Andrew’s side until he stood to head for the desk and retrieve the paperwork.

Andrew drove them home while Neil leafed through the stack of papers and handouts filled with medical jargon. He assumed they’d head straight home to distract themselves with Sir’s company, but Andrew screeched to a halt in a supermarket parking lot, left the car, and then returned with two pints of ice cream. Neil didn’t comment on it.

Sir greeted them with a barrage of happy chirps and ankle headbutts, oblivious to the absence of her furry other half. Ice cream cartons still in hand, Andrew dug a spoon from a drawer then disappeared into the living room. After hearing Andrew dropping onto the sofa like a dead weight, Neil shuffled the papers in his hands around to scoop up Sir and follow him.

Andrew had tucked himself into the far end of the sofa, one shin tucked under a thigh as he picked at his fraying jeans. Neil dropped the papers on the coffee table and sat beside him, leaving a respectful amount of space yet staying close enough to still be a comforting presence. Sir leapt out of his hold and wedged herself in the space between their thighs, purring like an engine as she tucked herself in tightly.

Andrew didn’t hesitate to reach out and run his fingers through her thick fur. She eagerly leant into his touch.

“It would have killed her if left any longer,” Andrew said, voice so soft Neil almost didn’t hear it over Sir’s happy chirping.

Neil glanced at the papers. It shouldn't have surprised him that Andrew had already memorised the key information within them.

“We caught it early,” he said in return. “And we have the money. She has the best chance of survival.”

“It is still not guaranteed.”

“No,” Neil agreed. “But we’ve done all we can.”

The scratching of Sir’s head slowed. Neil leant towards Andrew. “Yes or no?”

When Andrew looked at him with dark eyes and heavy lids, Neil realised just how exhausted he was. The day had already taken its toll, and they were barely into the afternoon. Andrew tilted to the side and rested his head against Neil’s shoulder; Neil raised an arm to wrap around him. In this position, Sir was being pressed even tighter by their legs, but the increased purring said she was elated over this.

King’s absence was stark and impossible to ignore. A small voice in the back of Neil’s mind noted that one day, this would be their new normal—Sir and King were not bound together for life. One would have to leave before the other eventually, leaving Andrew and Neil with one cat and a cat-shaped hole in their lives.

Neil shook the thought off and rubbed his thumb against the jut of Andrew’s shoulder just like he’d done to his hand in the waiting room. Andrew pressed his face further towards the crook of his neck and exhaled deeply. A kiss pressed to his unbrushed blonde locks made him relax a little more.

Waiting was all they could do; the receptionist assured them they’d receive a call the second there was an update on King’s progress. In the meantime, they had Sir to keep them company, along with—

Neil’s eye caught the ice cream sitting on the arm of the sofa. With a man and cat pressed into him, reaching over them for one of the pints was tough, but Neil made it work. He pried off the lid, balanced the spoon on top, and placed it on Andrew’s lap. It didn’t take long for Andrew to dig in.

For background noise, Neil dug out the remote from the depths of the sofa, turned on the TV, and was greeted by the Exy news channel Kevin had put on when he visited a few days ago. Though part of him wanted to keep it on, he switched channels for Andrew’s sake. Picking a random one resulted in an antique roadshow-type program geared towards pensioners lazing in their homes at midday on a Saturday—not particularly engaging, but it swallowed the room’s suffocating silence.

Andrew looked at the TV but didn’t appear to actually be watching it as he scooped ice cream with one hand, carton held firmly between his thighs, and stroked Sir with the other. Aside from massaging Andrew’s tense shoulder, Neil stayed still, wanting to keep his family close to him for as long as they needed it.

As what looked like the world’s most ancient teapot was put up for auction, Andrew licked the spoon clean of the first tub’s remnants and let the empty carton drop to the floor. Presumably, Andrew bought the second one with the intention of it being Neil’s, but he quickly dropped that pretence and cracked it open in his lap. He was kind enough to raise the first spoonful to Neil’s lips, and Neil took it obligingly. Smiling, he pressed another kiss to Andrew’s head.

Andrew shamelessly made quick work of the second pint, too. It didn’t come as a surprise; since the chaos with the Moriyamas had died down, Andrew had mellowed a little. He still kept up his apathetic front, especially when it came to Exy. But he began putting more effort in on the court (which Neil found, honestly, devastatingly attractive), embraced his new domestic life with Neil and their two cats (two, permanently two, not two about to decrease to one), and gained a few pounds. Kevin still worked him hard so he’d built some more muscle, too, but not even Kevin Day could pry Andrew’s sugar-coated diet from him, and as a result, Andrew had filled out more. Solid sturdiness and enviable strength hid beneath a layer of softness. The cats loved kneading it. Neil loved putting his hands and lips all over it.

“He is making some awful financial decisions,” Andrew said, motioning to the TV with his spoon. Neil blinked and looked up to find someone had purchased the decrepit teapot for a truly ridiculous amount. Sir chirped, and Andrew moved the spoon to point at her. “She agrees.”

Neil wasn’t sure when he drifted off, lulled to sleep by the tiring morning and Andrew and Sir’s comforting warmth, but when he cracked open his bleary eyes, the clock told him they were well into the evening.

At some point, he’d lowered backwards to lie on the sofa. Andrew lay on him, a heavy but pleasantly grounding weight, head still tucked into Neil’s neck. Sir had disappeared. Neil guessed she’d probably relocated herself to their spacious bed.

Reaching for the remote to turn off the still-droning TV roused Andrew. He let out a small groan and raised his head. Neil greeted him with a kiss to the forehead, then, when Andrew lifted his head further, another to his lips.

Andrew’s were chapped. As he scrunched his eyes, his tongue darted out to wet them. “What time is—”

The harsh din of Neil’s phone ringing cut him off. Both Neil and Andrew scrambled upright; Neil beat him to it and picked up the phone without checking the ID, already knowing who it was.

“Hello, Neil Josten? You’ll be glad to hear the blockage was successfully removed,” said the gentle voice of the receptionist on the other end. “We’ll still require her to stay overnight for close monitoring and to introduce her new medicine to her system, but if she continues to improve like this she can be discharged by noon.”

Andrew was close enough to Neil to hear it all. The tension in his frame visibly dissipated, and Neil felt a similar way. Once he hung up, his relief soon led to a headache, and he wanted nothing more than to lie back down with Andrew and sleep it off until the time came to pick King up. A rumbling from his stomach reminded him he hadn’t properly eaten all day, however, so he reluctantly hauled himself off the sofa and into the kitchen.

Andrew remained in the living room and didn’t ask for anything, but Neil put together a plate for him, nonetheless. Though Andrew’s rebellious diet gave way to a gloriously kissable physique, he was still an Exy player—maybe, one day, a pro—who needed his fair share of protein, nutrients, and all the other stuff Kevin drilled into their brains when they entered the campus cafeterias, so Neil plated up his food accordingly. Sir reappeared upon hearing someone in the kitchen, so he gave her dinner too—half a tin of her favourite tuna.

The look he received when he handed Andrew his plate was, admittedly, a little amusing, though Andrew still ate it all. With solid news on King’s treatment and recovery, both of them were considerably more at ease. They ate together in comfortable silence before relocating to their bedroom. Andrew tugged off his jeans and crawled under the covers, positioning himself so Neil could tuck himself into his side.

Just before he dozed off again, Neil felt a sudden weight at his feet that moved upwards, step by little step. Sir eventually nestled into the dip of Andrew’s waist, stretching her paws out to press against Neil—it was an odd position that couldn’t have been very comfortable, but Sir seemed content to precariously balance on Andrew’s side if it meant getting to stretch out and claim both him and Neil.

When Neil’s alarm went off the next morning signalling him to clamber out of bed and get ready for his run, he cut the grating noise off with an aggressive slap and curled back into Andrew. Skipping one run wouldn’t do any harm—his presence was needed more right here, where he could hold Andrew as he stirred awake, ghost kisses on his neck, graze his shin with his foot, and give Sir all the chin scratches she desired.

Andrew wrapped his strong arms around Neil and kissed him deeply, slowly, lazily, perfectly. Many words were communicated with that one kiss; on any other day, it would have progressed into more. Today, though, they had to get dressed to pick King up, and besides, Sir soon put a stop to their sleepy makeout by crying out for breakfast—her incessant yowling was a fantastic mood killer.

On the drive over, while it was clear Andrew was still keen to get there quickly, he was less reckless with the accelerator. The receptionist greeted them with a bright smile, passed on the news of their arrival to the relevant people, and soon the nurse from yesterday emerged with King in her carrier. Andrew took the carrier from her. Neil resisted the urge to poke his finger in the slats. While having King back with them was a huge weight off their shoulders, Neil—and from the way he hadn’t completely relaxed yet, Andrew too—wouldn’t be able to put all of this behind him until they were back at home and had resumed some sense of normalcy.

More paperwork. Medical bills. Four different medications and a printed-out schedule for the following two weeks. Instructions to keep a close eye on her, alert them if anything changes, and bring her back after completing the medications to run some check-ups. Andrew surely had it memorised, though Neil felt so overloaded with information he struggled to keep up. The main takeaway, however, was this: despite only a third of cats surviving what she had gone through, King had made it.

“She’s a champ,” the nurse grinned. “Easily the loveliest patient this clinic’s seen in a while.”

The corner of Andrew’s mouth twitched. Neil clocked it as a proud father moment.

Like yesterday, Andrew swung by a supermarket on their way home. Instead of returning with ice cream, however, he came back with several tins of tuna, multiple pouches of cat treats, catnip, and a variety of new toys. Neil smiled knowingly as Andrew tossed the bag into the backseat beside King’s carrier (in which she snoozed peacefully, still sleepy from her morning dose of meds).

Upon seeing the stash of goods, Sir practically exploded with excitement that came out as one long, continuous yell as she followed them into the kitchen. She only stopped when Andrew gently placed the carrier on the floor and opened it up, nudging a bleary King out onto the tiled floor. It was then that Sir seemed to realise King had been missing for a while; the sudden influx of attention from both Andrew and Neil must have distracted her. Now, she greeted King with many headbutts, tail flicks, and so much sniffing that Neil was concerned about how much fluff would end up in her lungs. King grudgingly accepted it, even when Sir licked the freshly shaven patches where the vets had inserted needles.

From where he was still crouched next to King’s now-empty carrier, Andrew exhaled heavily. Neil placed the array of cat supplies on the counter and crouched down to join him.

Andrew intently watched King and Sir nuzzle one another. Neil mimicked Sir to grab his attention by nudging Andrew’s shoulder with his head.

Andrew huffed. “You’re not funny.”

Neil pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “She’s home, now. She’s okay.”

“Yeah,” Andrew said quietly. “She’s home.”

[zlapathia]

HELP THE QUANDEEL FAMILY EVACUATE!!

The Quandeel family is a family of 10 who live in Gaza. If you’ve read my last post, you probably already know by now that they have just been displaced for the 7th time due to heavy bombardment in the area.

The family consists of Najlaa and Ibraheem, who have 7 children, and 21 grandchildren.

They were displaced from their home after it was bombed and also lost their workplace. They fled Gaza and went to Nuseirat refugee camp.

Their house and workplace fter the bombardment:

With the bombings intensifying, they were once again displaced to the Al-Zawaida area. From there, Ibraheem and Najlaas children dispersed; Some went to Khan Yunis, some went to Rafah, and Reham, who has 8 daughters fled to the North of Gaza, where there is a severe famine.

As of right now, they are trying to evacuate there children; Ibraheem, who’s 8, Omar who’s 6, and Maryam, who’s 4.

(Maryam, left, Omar, the front right, and Ibraheem, back right.)

All three of these children have witnessed horrors beyond anyone’s worst nightmaree, and all need food and water.

Omar needs urgent medical care because of his brain atrophy. He used to receive regular monthly treatment, and now has gone without that treatment for almost a year straight.

Najlaa suffers from exetreme back pain because of extra cartilage in her legs and back. Sleeping in a tent has only worsened this, and there is no medical treatment for her.

As temperatures rise with the summer, heat strokes and physical burns have become common. As well as hepatitis and food poisoning.

Please do what you can to help this family. It is absolutely urgent to get them out ASAP. They’re only at €1,853 out of €70,000. Their mini goal is 2,500. Do what you can ❤️

[lonniemachin]

Can you help us spread our campaign on gfm https://gofund.me/97f9023b

Of course, Ahmed.

Everyone, please visit Ahmed's account, boost his posts, and most importantly, DONATE to the fundraiser linked above to help save little 8-year-old Yusuf, struggling with kidney failure amidst the genocide, and his family. They are raising money to evacuate Gaza for Yusuf's medical treatment as soon as the next opportunity arises, and have raised €40,396 out of their €85,000 goal so far -- almost halfway there! Can we get them there and beyond ASAP? Please give what you can!

[thebibi]

This is an update from Asma regarding her family in Gaza (May 15th):

It has been really hard for the family to live through whats happening in the current time.. after they left their house to 5 different shelters, they got bombed, they suffered and still suffering of different health situations, now they had to leave Rafah 3 days back.. since Rafah is not safe any more, they recieved message to evacuate and they flew to another area looking for safety to save their lives.. despite that, the new place where they stay now forces them to live a harder life situation.

They moved to living in tents all day! They struggle to get clean water, sleep safely or get medical treatment. The weather is very hot now in Gaza as it reaches up to 40c = 104 F nowadays.

Recently Hepatitis did hit all the family and they were not able to get any medication or good food to improve their health condition.

We need your support to help sharing my family’s story to get them safe and sound ASAP!

We need you to stand by us to end their agony!

No one should suffer all this! Every human deserves to live with their basic human rights!

CEASEFIRE NOW!

Please share this post and donate what you can 🤲🏼

[aldryrththerainbowheart]

All the small things

Note: So it begins! Domestic series of fics with civilian!reader and Dante going from colleagues to friends to lovers. It's the slowest of burns you guys. Couple of clueless morons who can't flirt for shit develop a wholesome relationship! More at seven...

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

“Mr. Sparda.”

With great effort, he opened his eyes to small slits, only to close them again with a scrunch when sharp morning light shone right in his eyes. A hand gently shook his shoulder and Dante finally braved his eyes to open fully to zero on a stranger looking at him in concern.

Dante swam to the brink of consciousness as an unknown voice called for him.

“Mr. Sparda!”

You stumbled over Dante as you came into the building. He was sprawled right in front of the entrance, with several empty pizza boxes surrounding him. For the next five minutes, you tried to wake him up, hoping your new employer didn’t die on you.

“Who are you?” he blinked up at you from the floor blearily. “Have I joined a cult or something?”

You waved your hands in front of you. “No! No. You hired me yesterday.”

Dante gave a slight nod of understanding as he sat up, “Right.”

“So, you remember?” You said with a small hopeful smile.

“No,” he said as a piece of salami that stuck to his cheek fell to his lap. To your growing horror, he picked up the piece and put it in his mouth.

As he slowly chewed on the remnants of food, Dante asked, “So what’s the situation here, have I been drinking?”

You looked upwards in deep thought as your mind returns to the events of the past 24 hours.

~

You were, for the lack of a better word, fucked.

In your previous job, they were reducing states and so you were forced to quit, or as they liked to put it, you had to temporarily suspend your position. Bullshit. Not that you loved your job as an accountant, but it was a steady gig and the only work you could do after quitting college.

Not to mention the ever-rising medical bills for your dad’s treatment. He was trying to reassure you that she had some money left in his spare account, but you knew that this money was long gone.

Also, it was nearing the end of the month and there were some water, heating, and living bills that needed to be paid.

You needed a job asap. And when a man you were doing accounts for many years mentioned that his friend was looking for a secretary you snatched the opportunity without thinking too much about it. Truth be told, Morrison’s offer was more along the lines of housekeeper/accountant/secretary but for the money that was offered, you’d divide yourself into three people if necessary. When he gave you the address and you came face to face with a wrecked building that looked more like a line cook squat, you were starting to have your doubts, and when you met your supposed employer, you thought Morrison was just pulling your leg.

The mysterious Mr. Sparda wasn’t there when you knocked on the door, from which the door handle immediately fell off. Instead, you were met with the monochromatic eyes of a very dangerous-looking and spiteful woman. With a tremor in your voice, you asked the woman if she knew the man and his whereabouts. With a snort, she exclaimed that unfortunately yes, she does know him. Then it seemed she finally fully acknowledged your presence and with narrowed eyes asked what your business with him is.

Eyes peeled on the rocket launcher perched over her shoulder, you gulped and explained the situation to her. Her expression turned from suspicion to amused shock.

“Dante. Dante Sparda.” she reaffirmed what you just told her.

“Ah. Y-yes.”

Then, she let out a cackle that would put a most child-eating witch to shame and choked out: “Run away!”

That sure didn’t dissipate your concerns. Desperate people do desperate things, and so you managed to get Dante’s most possible location outside of his office from the strange girl. The next place was no less charming. Piss-reeking, rickety dive bar a few minutes away from the office. You dressed that morning for a job interview, so you looked really out of place. Your bag clutched with a white-knuckled grip, you walked around doubtful existence sneering at you the barman.

With as much bravery as you could muster you asked for the man you’d been looking for several hours now. With a raised eyebrow, the barman scanned you up and down. “And what do you want from him?”

“Not that it’s any of your concern,” you said with fake bravado, “but I need to talk business with him.”

The barman chuckled, “He’ll be there in a minute.”

You thanked the man timidly and squirmed on the bar stool. Before he left you asked for a glass of something strong, you have the feeling you’ll be needing that. With growing anxiety, you scanned the bar.

“So, What’s Dante like?” you threw a question at the barman, but suddenly, several people had something to say.

“Either lunatic or balls of steel. Depends how you look at it.” A burly man sitting a few seats away from you said.

“He’s sooo dreamy.” sighed the waitress that brought you your drink, then, she clutched the tray to her generous cleavage. Tall, strong, and bad like a glass of fine whiskey.” she purred.

You peered into your untouched glass, great. One by one, several people were exchanging their experiences with the mystery man. Some were words of admiration, spite, fear, and even ridicule. Plenty of information was tossed your way, yet you were even more confused than before, and more than just slightly intimidated.

The chattering of patrons was disturbed by the door barging loudly open. Everyone went silent as a tall, lumbering figure stepped over the threshold. You couldn’t see their face, thanks to the street light shining directly behind them but judging from the reactions of everyone else, that was him.

Dante Sparda.

Your heart was beating quicker as he approached you. Two big guns strapped to his back, a massive sword swung over his back, and…was that blood on his shoes??

You felt your already cracked courage shatter as the man’s deadly sharp eyes zeroed squarely on you. Electrifying blue, that stunned you in your tracks. You just sat there petrified, ready to cover or leap away at any sign of threat from a man. Instead of antagonizing you, Dante made a beeline straight for the stool next to you. It took you a moment to realize that this man won’t indeed cleave you in half. Barman already placed a glass in front of him without any questions.

Dante tossed the glass back, still saying nothing. You finally had a chance to inspect the man’s…boy’s appearance under the dim lights of bar lighting. You finally understood what that waitress meant. Despite a shaggy mane covering most of his face, you could still discern striking features underneath. The proud jut of his chin, the straight line of his nose, the sharp curve of his jaw, and the criminally plush bottom lip jutting out in defiance. He was shirtless and even though you weren’t one to ogle, it wasn’t hard to notice the man’s muscular stature. He looked deceptively young, somewhere around your age. How could this young man earn such a reputation?

“Jackson said you were lookin’ for me.” A raspy whisper above the rim of the whiskey glass. Quiet, yet it cut through the buzz of the bar and tingled right down your spine. You blinked, trying to put your scrambled thoughts together. You noticed your bag twisting against your shoulder, reminding you of your resume still resting in there.

“Ah, yes! Ahem, pleased to meet you Mr. Sparda.” you introduced yourself and extended your hand toward him. The man looked at you in confusion, whether it was the formal greeting or formal title you gave him, you could only guess. When he saw your business smile falter, he took your hand in his and gave a reluctant shake. His hand was calloused, warm, and much bigger than yours.

“Call me Dante, Sparda was my dad.” He rolled his shoulders as if that name was a badly fitting suit.

“Very well then, Mister…Dante.” You fished a manilla folder out of your bag and handed it to him.

Dante took it from you reluctantly, “And what am I supposed to do with this?”

“This is my resume, I thought it’ll be best if you looked at my credentials before employing me.” You were starting to lose your nerve. What were you even doing here?? The man clearly has no idea what’s going on. You could be mugged on your way home, or shot.

“Right.” With a raised eyebrow Dante handed you back the manilla folder without even looking at it. “Listen, babe, there’s gotta be a mistake. I don’t remember looking for any employers for hire. Hell, I’ve just recently named the shop.”

“I was informed about the position by a man named Morrison. He told me you were looking for a secretary, remember?”, you said without taking your resume from Dante, then you handed him a sealed letter. “He also told me to give you this.”

After hearing the name, Dante furrowed his brows and snatched the letter from you. He read the contents of small folded paper for some time. His face darkened more as he read on. Then he lifted his gaze back to you and you resisted the urge to flinch.

With a silent curse, he turned to Barman, “Jackson, bring me a whole bottle.”

~

Several empty bottles littered the bar, while you still nursed that one glass you ordered hours ago. Dante was hunched over the bar and with his snowy white hair splayed over the bar counter it looked like someone rested a mop against it and threw a tattered red rag on it.

“So whaddya say? Huh?” Dante barked out all of a sudden. “You know…the…the…yeah…the pay’s not great but the work is hard.” He slurred, “Are you up for it?”

“Well…” you clutched your drink nervously, it was quite late and you had no idea if this interview was ever gonna end, or if you’ll get home in one piece. “We can always discuss the details some other when you’re not so…Dante?”

You noticed his line of vision swayed considerably and he was again staring into the distance with the train of thoughts going completely off the rack. You snapped your fingers in front of his face, “Dante!”

He snapped out of it in an instant, “All right so, what do you want?”

You were starting to lose your nerve, but on the outside schooled your face into professional flatness.

“You mentioned something about the job-”

“What do I have to do?”

You stared at him in incredulousness, is this some wild fever dream or is this man really this hopeless?

“No, no, in the Devil May Cry.” You desperately tried to bring him back.

Dante laughed. “But I already work there!”

A vein popped on your forehead, “No, for me.”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, right!” Dante ran his hand through his hair to shake some of the drunkenness. Then he finally looked at you with an inkling of soberness, “So do you want the job?”

A sense of victory filled you and you gave Dante an exhausted but relieved smile. “Yes! Yes! That’ll be great!”

“What’s great?”

Your head fell on the bar counters and with a loud groan, you announced your defeat. This is pointless, you should just apply for a job at McDonald’s or something.

~

Because you had your head currently on the top of the bar counter, you didn’t notice a couple of dangerous-looking individuals walking into the bar. Neither did you notice some of the patrons running out and the barman ducking behind the bar.

But Dante does notice. His whole demeanor changed. What was just a second ago a drunken goof turns into a deadly predator. A man who made death his trade. There was a second where an unnatural energy crackled in the air as if both sides wordlessly assured the other about the beast hiding under their skin. You were still grumbling to yourself in defeat while Dante slowly slinked one hand towards his gun and the other to your waist.

Gunshots, shattering glass, and tilting gravity were the only thing you registered whilst being unceremoniously thrown around by Dante to safety. He dragged you through the back door to another alleyway, this one was covered by various crates and garbage and all but threw you behind one of them. A moment later, the door you two escaped through, flew off its hinges with the screeching of splintered wood.

Your vision was momentarily obscured by an imposing wall of muscle, as Dante shielded you from the falling debris.

“Sorry sweetheart,” he murmured impossibly close to you, breath tickling the hair on the top of your head. With one hand still pressed to the wall behind you, he shifted away from you and pinned you with his blue stare. The other hand held the gun cocked and Dante tossed his head to the side to move some of his bangs from his face, muscular chest and stomach full on display. At that moment, he looked every bit a handsome devil, devilishly charming with danger oozing from every pore. He gave one last cocky smirk before continuing “This business ain’t meant for you.”

And without another word, he flipped backward, guns blazing.

Ever since he plucked you from that bar stool, you were able to perceive your surroundings only with dazed awe. You couldn’t decipher the details of the fight of the inhuman speed at all participants moved. The snarling, gunshots, and sickening sound of tearing flesh, mixed with an unmistakable scent of blood were enough to send your mind reeling as you watched with dawning horror.

Who is this man??

What is this man?!?

Suddenly you remembered the words of the strange woman you met in Dante’s shop. Run away. But you couldn’t. You could barely stand on your own feet and you were moments away from passing out from fear. You weren’t used to any of this. You’re just a person behind the desk. Every morning you go to work, come home, feed your pet, watch TV, and then go to sleep. Never in your life would you dream of ever being stuck in a situation like this. Desperately, you tried to force your legs to move, only for you to buckle and slide down the bricked wall.

“Whoa there, easy!”

A pair of strong arms caught you, holding you upright like a broken doll, and all you could do was bury your fingers in worn red leather. Dante stood there awkwardly with a stranger clutching onto him, unsure what to do. When he noticed that you were trembling.

“Hey, calm down.” He tried to reassure you with the calmest tone he could muster. When that didn’t help, he put the guns back into their holsters and wrapped one of his arms around you to press you closer to him. He placed the other hand on your head and started gently running it over your hair. For a while, you both forgot that you were in a dark alleyway filled with garbage and corpses, in the middle of the night god knows where. All you focused on was the heat of Dante’s body and the steady beat of his heart. The man pulled you closer still as he pressed his nose to your hair. The smell of shampoo tickled his nostrils.

As he realized what he was doing, Dante pulled away from you as if you burned him. You swayed in his grasp and blinked up at him.

Shit. You were really cute. Dante had a suspicion when he held your hand at the bar, but he was too busy drinking away another mess Morrison has put him into.

“Well, sorry about…all of that.” Dante gestured vaguely at the bodies behind him.

“Say, how we get another drink? I say we both need it.”

You didn’t protest as Dante basically hauled you back inside.

Hopefully, there would be some booze left that was not shattered.

~

So that’s how your interview ended. You’re not sure how you got home. Only thing you knew was that it somehow involved. As you tried to collect pieces from the traumatic experience that was last night, you remember a bike and the way you fearfully clutched onto Dante’s abs while you glided through the streets.

The next morning, you brushed your teeth, swallowed some ibuprofen, and grabbed your resume once more. With renewed determination, you stepped through the door to devil may cry, only to almost stumble over the man lying right in front of the door.

Which brought you to this situation.

“Have you drank? Yeah, I’d say…a little.”

You tried to help Dante to get up, but he swatted your hands away. With a light stumble, he headed somewhere upstairs.

“I’m ready for my first day!” You called after him, just to reassure him and yourself that you’re not leaving anywhere.

Dante stopped mid-stairs and sighed. With the back still turned to you he said “It wasn’t enough for you yesterday?”

You squared your shoulders, “No sir.”

“What did I say about honorifics,” Dante grumbled as he scratched the back of his head.

“Listen, I know you think this is some sort of charity works perhaps but don’t bother. I’m sure you could find dozens of jobs better than this one, so why are you here?”

You thought about it for a second. Why are you here? You need the money, of course. But you could get that anywhere else. Any reasonable person would try to forget about last night’s events as quickly as possible while avoiding this place at all costs. So why are you here? Perhaps because even after all this, you were…intrigued by this man, this boy. Who he is, what he does, where he came from, or what his story is. There was a small part of you that instead of fear felt…thrill.

“Maybe I like the danger?” You shrugged with a smile. “Or maybe your barside manners are just that incredible.”

“Ah, I see what this is.” Dante grinned. He walked back down to you. “You have a little crush on me, do you?”

He was still shirtless, and despite not showering yet it was impossible for your eyes not to flicker down to his toned stomach for at least a second, or the way those baggy brown pants hung dangerously low on that tapered waist…

“Forget it, I don’t like clingy people.” Dante shrugged and headed back up.

“Noted,” you said as you watched his retreating figure. “I want to see your accounts for the last quarter, also, I need a desk of my own.”

Dante waved his hand after you “Whatever.”

Despite yourself, you felt the grin spreading across your face.

“Deal.

[firespirited]

Fun fact I found out yesterday. IBS shouldn't give you jaundice, I've been getting deep yellow patches around my eyes with episodes since covid hit my digestive system in 2020.

If you've had your gallbladder out please stick Postcholecystectomy syndrome in a search engine - it affects more folks than you'd think.

Long post

I thought my liver just was collateral in whatever digestive nonsense was going on but it could be post gallbladder syndrome as it started after the surgery.

According to a new collated study from 2023 and my profile: a long wait for the surgery and the type of blockage (sandy sludge) meant I had a 1/3 chance of IBS like complications.

At the time, they knew that least 10% of all gallbladder removal patients get serious issues.

I've been avoiding fat as much as possible but there's only so much you can do. I can't eat an avocado for example.

It's also triggered by hunger which is fun with forgetting to eat/not knowing you're hungry being an adhd classic👌

So uh again, stick all your symptoms into a search engine because your doctor isn't wikipedia

and will let you try every exclusion diet possible, figure out on your own that 25g of fat (even good ones like nuts) is your limit and let you believe you developed IBS for ten years because they're not machines who remember this stuff (and no the surgeon never checked in either).

At least, we found out that blood thinners massively increase my quality of life and blood pressure during that post op treatment.

I'm getting scanned asap and doing home medical 'science' on whether ox bile pills make things better or worse or no effect because the bile malabsorption test is a little more complicated.

I got another month of candida treatment because it's not working enough, I've regained a few tastes and that's been magical. Fresh peas in the pod, the particular meaty taste of pork, still don't have berries just their sharpness and stuff is still mostly textures (plus salt chilli and ginger burn) but what little filters through reminds me that I do love enjoying meals. ☺️🥕🦐🥖😊

I'm going to double it and take it in two weeks instead of four. I wasn't forceful enough to get through that it needs a bigger dose when you have a duff immune system and i'd got one win (abdominal scan) so couldn't push it.