#feels like the most sore and achy they have ever been before

[hikeyzz]

this is the first day i haven't woken up in absolutely unbearable pain 🥹 one week post-op just one more to go and hopefully i'll be fully recovered <3

[shima-draws]

Currently feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, hope you all are faring better than me lol

[steveharringtonat3am]

helloo! I was thinking about Steve being soft about reader. Reader is sick and can't take medicine, like reader has a fear of swallowing pills something like that and Steve is there to help the reader. Thank you very much!! I hope you're having a good day too! 💕

You’ve always hating being sick. You can’t really remember when it started, maybe when you were small and got a fever so high your mom had to run a cold cloth over your forehead so you wouldn’t overheat. Or maybe when you caught that cold and your throat was so scratchy you wanted to just pull it out.

But you weren’t a little kid anymore, so you had to tough it out.

The next day at work was horrible. Your whole body hurt, your throat was aching and dry no matter how much water you drank, and you couldn’t stop sneezing. You told Steve you were busy with work, to avoid the daily lunch break phone call. You knew he would hear your illness in your voice and you couldn’t bear to burden him like that.

Steve was the most caring boyfriend you’d ever had. He was always going out of his way to do things like picking up your favourite snacks, filling up your car with gas, even taking bugs from your apartment outside. He had never seen you sick before and you just know he’ll go overboard.

You barely manage the drive home but the need to curl on the couch and watch movies all night is enough to push you through.

‘Dinner is a problem for later.’ You think to yourself as you toss your coat onto a chair, stumbling to your bedroom to change into one of Steves’ sweaters and a pair of pyjama pants. A chill has suck it’s way into your bones and you quickly burrow onto your couch and wrap a blanket around yourself. You about to turn on a movie when your phone begins to buzz. A glance at the screen, glowing with Steves’ cheesy smile and you wince. He knows your home and he definitely knows something is up since you always call on your drive home since you like the company.

“Hi baby!” You pick up, trying to keep the sore throat out of your voice.

“Hey babe. Haven’t talked to you all day! You want me to come over? I can bring takeout.” You grip your blanket in uncertainty. Your apartment is definitely riddled with germs and getting Steve sick would be worse than him seeing you like this.

“N-no no it’s alright. I’m feeling a bit tired so I’m probably going to bed now.” A weak lie that you know he’ll see right through.

“…It’s six o’clock. Are you feeling alright baby?” He’s so concerned you could cry.

“Yep! Great. Timeforbedokaybyeiloveyou!” You hang up quickly, tossing your phone to the other side of the couch in embarrassment. Hopefully you’ll wake up better tomorrow and you can pretend this never happened.

The knock on the door startles you awake. You blink as your eyes come into focus, crawling out of the warm cocoon you had built to stumble to the door. The light of your oven reads 7:06. You swing the door open and your heart sinks immediately. Steve, still in his work uniform, holds bags of takeout, a soft grin on his face.

“Hi sweetheart.” He greets you with a soft kiss on the cheek before slipping into your apartment. You lock the door, guilt settling in your stomach.

When you join him in the kitchen, he’s unpacking the food. He sets a large container of soup in the microwave and your mouth waters just a bit.

“I could tell you were feeling a bit under the weather so I got you some wonton soup from that place you like. And I picked up some tylenol in case you were achy and some regular cold medicine if you want that. It’s cherry flavoured.” He smiles so sweet at you that you might cry.

“I-I can’t take tylenol.” You know you should thank him, but the bottle of pills is the first thing on your mind.

“Why not?”

“I just…I don’t like swallowing pills. They feel like they get stuck in my throat and they just don’t-don’t go down.” It sounds stupid saying it but you know you should. You had never been able to get down pills, unless they were so tiny you didn’t notice.

“That’s alright babe. How about I split it and you try that?” You inspect the pills as you decide. The groove in the middle means splitting it is safe, and you think you could manage each half.

“Okay…” You watch carefully as he severs the pill with a knife, grabbing you a glass of water to wash it down. He hands it to you and pretends to not watch.

It takes you a second to get over the mental hurdle, placing the piece in your mouth and immediately taking a gulp of water. The pill manages to get lost in the liquid and you swallow with ease. You take the other piece and swallow once more. When it goes down, you show Steve with a smile and he grins proudly.

“Good job babe!” He pours you some soup, grabbing a bowl of fried rice for himself as you both head to the couch to eat. You relax into him as the soup calms your throat.

“Thank you for taking care of me, Steve.” You smile up at him and he mirrors it.

“Of course, sweetheart. Anything for you.”

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

Never Hijacked!Peeta Fics Masterlist (2)

Part 1 / 

Created: April 25th, 2024

Checked:---

Always-LiterallyEverlarksChild (ao3) Summary: In the Quarter Quell arena, Katniss realizes she loves Peeta. When a non-hijacked Peeta is rescued from the Capitol, they get to be together and stuff.

And hands intertwine (bodies fit together)-snails_n_brokenbones (ao3) Summary: Hopefully he'll let her in, let her break down their walls brick by brick, together as limbs blend into one under the harsh hospital light. She wants him in a way she's never wanted before. She needs him in a way that feels so familiar and yet so foreign. She needs him. She loves him. Tragically and beautifully, she's in love with Peeta Mellark and she can't escape it.

Check Mark Kiss-VanillaCottonCandy (ao3)

Summary: A thick, red, angry line, splayed right in the middle of Peeta’s chest. It stands out vividly against his pale skin and blonde chest hair and I can’t look away from it now. “What’s this?” He looks at the wall behind my head for a long moment before nodding. “That’s from a whip.” He meets my gaze again before casting his eyes low. “I don’t remember what I did to earn it.” / Katniss learns more about what they did to Peeta in the Capitol and sets out to try and make him better. Non - Hijacked Peeta AU. Sequel to Haunted Heart.

found the place to rest my head-loveleee (ao3)

Summary: I can tell the moment he sees me through the glass wall; his eyes widen and he sits up straighter. He stands just as I burst through the door. And then I’m in his arms. And then I break down. [Mockingjay AU, Peeta is rescued from the Capitol unharmed. Follow up to "hold me, hold me (never let me go)".]

Haunted Heart-VanillaCottonCandy (ao3) Summary: “One of the doctors steps away to grab something off the cart beside the bed and Peeta’s blue eyes — the bluest, tenderest and most haunted gaze I’ve ever seen — take me in for the first time. For the first time since that last night in the Quell. And I can’t hold myself back any longer.” / Based on the prompt : “i’d love one of everlark’s reunion in mockingjay if peeta hadn’t been hijacked (OR of their reunion if katniss had been captured instead, but still not hijacked).”

Not Going Anywhere-sweetlovegone (ao3)

Summary: "Before I can really register the events of the past minute, I feel those strong steady arms that guarded me from the nightmares wrap around me and hold me as tight as possible." Oneshot. Mockingjay Reunion if Peeta hadn't been hijacked.

Say That Again-FreshlyCutGrass (ao3) Summary: “Hey, Kat,” Peeta croaked. His voice was thick and achy, like he had a sore throat. Haymitch’s hand darted down my back to keep me from toppling over, keeping me steady as I shook. “Say that again,” I whispered, blinking rapidly as I took in the sight of him. ------------- Peeta is not hijacked when he is rescued from the Capitol and brought to District 13. Katniss advocated for him faster. The reunion we all wanted, including Katniss.

The Both of Us-LemonLuvGirl (ao3)

Summary: An alternate ending to Catching Fire in which both Peeta and Katniss are rescued from the arena during the Quarter Quell. Our lips collide with gentle urgency, two half conscious minds struggling in the murky waters between sleeping and waking, layered with a need for comfort and something more. We kiss until he pulls back, panting, angling his hips away from mine. I know what he’s trying to avoid. He doesn’t want to scare me. But the thought of his body reacting to me isn’t nearly as scary as the idea that we almost never got to have this.

Together-THGEncyclopedia (ao3) Summary: My take on how things could have gone differently had both Katniss and Peeta been rescued from the Quell. The two will conquer the Capitol and unravel the secrecy of District 13 as a couple, and will together be the faces of the revolution. This can definitely be called a "fix-it" FanFiction, even though I love how the series ended originally. It will switch POVs between Katniss and Peeta, but not in any established pattern.

You Put Your Arms Around Me and I'm Home-mrsbonniemellark (ao3)

Summary: What would happen if Peeta hadn't been hijacked and Katniss and Peeta were allowed a private reunion?

[mischiefmaker615]

A Loki request: Prompts: "Will you let me rub your back" and "Care to give me a back scratch".

Sore

Rating: PG

Y/N groaned as you pretty much staggered down the halls after a long day at work, wanting to ignore everything and everyone for the rest of the day.

SHIELD’s training has been killing you since they initiated new protocols and its not like Natasha has ever been easy on you as a combat partner. After the eighth day in a row this week, your body was bruised and achy. The rest of the team that you ran into at the tower knew very well to stay way out of the way when you got into this type of ‘over it’ mood, but not your boyfriend: Loki.

‘’welcome back darling, are you fairing well?’’ he asked in almost an annoying kind of tone, that or maybe you’d feel better if he was less happy and shared your pain.

To answer him, you nearly groaned and practically flopped onto your bed facing down and your body finally sighed and began relaxing; or at least while it lasted. Two gentle hands gently were placed upon your back and you immediately tensed up and practically hissed, triggering your aches and pains once more as you winced.

‘’I’m sorry but I’m not in the mood..’’ you say quickly and held back the pain in your voice, knowing fully well you and Loki usually made love whenever you both got reunited again.. or whenever the clock struck a second.

Loki chuckled as he held his hands up in a surrender position with his palms facing you as you seemed to curl up into a ball. ‘’I’m merely trying to help you relax darling, you look like you’ve had a long day- or week for that matter.’’ He said gently and reached for you again but you leaned away with a cringed look on your face at the very thought of trigging your pain again.

Loki sighed in light frustration and made a come-hither motion with his finger. ‘’will you let me rub your back?’’ he said stubbornly and you bit your lip.

You knew he was only wanting to help and quite frankly, forgot that your boyfriend had magic to help you ease your pain. Pain seemed to be wiping your memories by the second, making you almost want to pity laugh at yourself. Meekly, you relented by fully knowing Loki usually won most of the battles and you were to sore to keep being stubborn so you slowly moved yourself back onto your stomach.

You felt his finger hands gently return to your shoulders, stroking up and down with very little pressure at first before they moved their way towards the crook of your neck. Keeping your eyes closed, you took deep breaths as you helped him make your body relax as he slowly increased pressure with his thumbs kneading any knots they came across and paid extra special attention to them.

You bit your lip as you buried your face in your pillow, mainly hiding your blush as his hands rubbed against skin as the tank top was in both of your favors. As we worked beside you, you felt him shift lightly as he moved and practically sensed his frame leaning over you that would have practically cased a shadow if you both were outside.

His hands flattened against you now, rubbing in sidestrokes on either side of your spine as he worked his way down to your lower back and then repeated. You almost wanted to arch as you heard him chuckle above you.

‘’I thought you weren’t in the mood love, and yet here you are as always, craving my touch..’’ he purred, making your face heat up.

‘’it’s the shifting of the mattress..’’ you lied and tried to make your body sit still against his touch but you both knew it to be not true as you practically whined when he eased up.

‘’don’t forget who you’re lying to love,’’ he chuckled before resuming his strokes ‘’how is the pain darling?’’ he asked and used his thumbs now to rub tight circles down the sides of your spin, making you wince in a good way.

‘’you’re definitely making me forget about it-‘’ you breathed as your fingers gripped the sheets below you before you gasped when you heard your back crack and he moved his hands.

‘’well that’s defiantly a good sign that pressure was released.’’ He chuckled, now rubbing your back lovingly before he leaned down to place gentle kisses on your shoulder blades, causing you to shiver. ‘’I didn’t even need to use magic.’’

You opening your eyes in surprise and glanced at him.

‘’don’t look surprised love, we both know I’m good with my hands.’’ He smirked and you buried your head in your pillow again shyly.

‘’t-thank you..’’

Loki chuckled and you felt him shift a little before his presence on the mattress was gone ‘’you’re welcome love, I’m happy to help.’’

You were almost to quick to raise your head as you rested on your forearms to look over at him, missing his touch already as you bit your lip. Of course you and your boyfriend have been together for quite a while now but you still got nervous asking anything of him as you shifted uncomfortably with pleading eyes. ‘’Loki…’’

Loki looked back in gentle question and smile as he paused his steps. ‘’yes darling?’’

‘’can you..’’ you started, shifting again as you glanced down at his smooth, slender hands you missed already and your eyes switched back to his again as you shrugged a little. ‘’care to give me a back scratch?’’ you gave a sheepish grin as your body told you it needed more of him. ‘’while you’re at it’’

Loki smirked as he turned back at you full and you both knew that’s not entirely what you wanted. ‘’needy girl aren’t we’’ he teased and his pace slowly stalked back towards you. ‘’very well darling, now, lie down.’’

This last gif was just for fun Lol cause come. on! *pants*

[kyratittyfish]

Anytime, Jeff

Inspired by the one word prompt "answer" Summary: Having a sentient AI as a copilot makes overworking yourself to exhaustion challenging. Note: EDI & Joker' platonic friendship's relationship is a purely platonic friendship. He's happily together with his Commander Shepard. Read on Ao3

Joker groaned as he stretched his arms, trying to loosen the knots in his sore muscles. Starting his shift four hours earlier than usual hadn’t been one of his greatest ideas, and eleven hours later his whole body was particularly keen on reminding him of why Chakwas always nagged him about moving around a bit during his breaks. Of course, he would have had to actually take breaks for that to happen. Which he didn’t. Outplayed you, mom. 

“Are you alright, Jeff?” EDI asked him. It still felt strange to hear her voice coming from the copilot seat rather than from her console hologram, but he was getting used to it. Especially since she loved to exploit her newfound mobility to wander around the ship, often returning to her post with a warm cup of coffee for him. 

“Yeah EDI, just peachy.”

“Are you sure? My sensor readings indicated you are experiencing physical distress.”

Her… sensor readings? “EDI, we’ve been over this. Keeping track of people’s bodily functions is creepy as fuck.” He squinted at EDI’s mech, wondering exactly how many information she was able to collect 

“I meant my optical sensors, Jeff. To put it in more colloquial terms, you look like shit.”

“Wow EDI, you sure know how to make a guy feel good,” he snorted. The AI – the woman, it was getting harder and harder not to see her as a person, and damn, one year ago that thought would have horrified him, but now it didn’t bother him at all – sure knew how to be blunt. A side effect “growing up” under his influence, most certainly. 

“I meant to say, you clearly look to be in pain, and I believe the amount of consecutive hours you usually spend in a sitting position are significantly to it.”

Joker sighed and massaged his shoulder. He hated to show his physical discomfort, hated to appear vulnerable, hated to give the world a reason to see him as weak. He didn’t mind it too much with EDI, though. He wasn’t certain she could even feel pity, and if she did, she certainly didn’t show it. What she did display, in her own peculiar ways, was that she cared about him. Their friendship was certainly unusual, but he was glad to have it nonetheless. 

“I’m just feeling a bit achy, that’s all,” he admitted. 

She cocked her head to one side and studied his face. “Perhaps you would benefit from some rest, then. I could take the helm until your next shift begins.”

“Rest?” he cackled, “I have two more hours of looking at buttons and occasionally pressing them before I can call it a day.”

“You took the helm four hours before the official start of your work period. Considering this, I believe nobody would complain if you left earlier.”

“I suppose so…” he hummed as he considered her offer. “Are you sure you can handle it?”

He would have thought it impossible for a robot’s eyes to lit up in amusement, but somehow, EDI’s did. “Jeff, I am literally the Normandy. I would be simply piloting myself. As you would put it –” she raised her hands to accentuate her next statement with air quotes, “easy peasy lemon squeezy.”

Joker stared at her wide eyed for the couple of instants it took his overworked brain to process her answer. That was a combination of word he would have never expected to hear coming from a mech’s mouth. To be fair, up until not so long ago, anything else than “get on your knees, meatbag, and bow to your new synthetic overlords” would have fallen in the same category. How the times have changed. 

“Uh, in that case...” He swiveled his seat around and pushed himself to his feet, a movement that didn’t make his sore back too happy. Ok, maybe EDI and Chakwas had a point, not that he’d ever openly admit it in front of either of them. “Just… call me if you run into trouble, alright?”

“I will,” EDI promised. “I believe the human saying is ‘enjoy your nap’.”

He snickered and limped away, heart and mind already enthralled by visions of the warm sheets and soft pillows on his bed. Shepard’s bed, technically, although he’d spent most nights sleeping in it than in his own bunk lately. “That can do. And, uh, EDI –” he added, one foot already out of the door, “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Jeff.”

[adyourmassage]

The Magic of Oil Massages: Relax, Relieve, and Renew!

Have you ever felt so tense your muscles felt like rocks? Or maybe you've been feeling stressed and just can't seem to unwind. If so, you're not alone! But there's a wonderful way to ease your troubles: an oil massage!

An oil massage is just what it sounds like. Warm oil is used to gently rub your body, helping you loosen up tight muscles and melt away stress. But it's not just about feeling good in the moment. Oil massages come with a whole bunch of benefits that can leave you feeling refreshed and renewed!

Relaxing Like a King (or Queen)!

One of the biggest benefits of oil massages is pure relaxation. The warm oil and gentle massage strokes help to calm your nervous system, which is the part of your body that controls your fight-or-flight response. When you're relaxed, your muscles loosen up, your heart rate slows down, and you start to feel peaceful. It's like hitting a giant pause button on your stress!

This relaxation can be amazing for your mood. Feeling stressed all the time can make you grumpy and irritable. But an oil massage can help you wash away those bad feelings and replace them with calmness and peace. You might even find yourself smiling more!

Soothing Sore Muscles

Does exercise leave you feeling achy? Or maybe you spend all day hunched over a computer, making your back feel tight. Oil massages can be a great way to soothe sore muscles. The massage helps to increase blood flow to your muscles, which brings in fresh oxygen and nutrients. This helps your muscles heal faster and feel less tight and painful.

Oil massages can also be helpful for people who suffer from headaches or migraines. The relaxation and improved blood flow can help to ease the pain and tension that can trigger headaches.

Taking Care of Your Skin

Did you know that oil massages can also be good for your skin? The warm oil helps to hydrate your skin, making it feel soft and smooth. Some massage oils even have special ingredients that can help nourish your skin and keep it looking healthy.

Of course, it's important to use the right kind of oil for your skin type. If you have oily skin, you might want to choose a lighter oil, like jojoba oil. If your skin is dry, a richer oil, like almond oil, might be a better option.

Helping Your Body Get Rid of Gunk

Our bodies are constantly working to get rid of waste products. Oil massages can help with this process by stimulating the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is like a network of tiny highways that carry waste products away from your cells. By massaging your body, you can help to move the lymph fluid along and get rid of those waste products more efficiently.

This can help to improve your overall health and immunity. It might even give you more energy!

Finding the Perfect Oil Massage

If you're interested in trying an oil massage, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, it's important to find a qualified massage therapist. A qualified therapist will know how to use the right amount of pressure and the right techniques to give you a safe and beneficial massage.

You can also choose the type of oil you want to use. There are many different types of massage oils available, each with its own unique benefits. Some popular choices include lavender oil, which is known for its calming properties, and peppermint oil, which can help to relieve muscle pain.

Once you've found a qualified therapist and chosen the right oil, all you have to do is relax and enjoy the experience! An oil massage is a great way to take care of your mind and body and leave you feeling refreshed and renewed.

Here are some additional tips for getting the most out of your oil massage:

Drink plenty of water before and after your massage.

Let your therapist know about any injuries or medical conditions you have.

Communicate with your therapist about how much pressure you prefer.

Take some time to relax after your massage.

So why not give oil massages a try? You might just be surprised at how good they make you feel!

[hamrickpoulsen99]

If You're Ready For A Massage, Read This Article Now!

Perhaps due to the increasingly stressful and hectic nature of today's fast-paced modern lifestyle, massage therapy is more popular than ever before. Learning to give the perfect massage takes time and effort, but if you are willing to study and work hard you can definitely become a great masseuse. This article is filled with massage tips and advice to help you on your way. Discuss your needs with your therapist. Some people may feel a little uncomfortable at the prospect of getting a massage because they feel out of control. Tell the massage therapist about any sore areas, such as your back, knees or neck, so that they can avoid them or treat them accordingly. And don't forget to let them know of your preferences for things like background music, room lighting and temperature. The whole point is for you to be able to relax, so make sure the conditions suit you. Make sure your massage therapists know any areas of discomfort you have before beginning the massage. If there is any particular area that is giving your pain, the therapist can focus on that and try to give you some relief. She can also be careful to avoid any areas that are especially sensitive. A popular back massage you can try out on someone is called a "Raking Massage". With this technique, you spread your fingers apart and use your tips to give the massage. Begin in the shoulder area and work your way down the back using a raking motion. Then, you move your fingers down the spine without actually touching it. Move one hand down as the other hand moves up. Lubrication is important when giving a massage. The best lubricants will allow your hands to glide across the body. Oils work well as do many lotions. Try out a few different kinds and see which works best. You want a lotion that will not require reapplication causing breaks during the massage. A foot massage can be used for more than tired, achy feet. You can search online and find foot maps that show which area of the foot can be massaged to experience relief from a myriad of symptoms throughout your body. For example, pressing on the big toe is known to relieve sinus pain and pressure. If your child is suffering from colic, a gentle massage may alleviate some of their suffering. Slightly warm some lavender baby lotion and gently massage your infants back, legs, hands and feet. This will help relax your child making them less fussy if they are suffering from stomach cramps caused by colic. The feet are an often overlooked area that needs to be massaged. There are many pressure points in the feet that can relax the body as a whole and give the entire body a sense of well being. Focus on one foot at a time and use as much pressure as your partner will allow. When you are giving a person a massage, be sure to always keep one hand on them at all times. This helps the client to feel secure and remain in a relaxed state. Move slowly and steadily with confidence, and the person being massaged will feel comfortable and be able to enjoy the experience. If you like gentle massages, request a Swedish massage. This type of massage uses long, gentle strokes. It has been described as the most relaxing type of massage available. This massage gently massages the superficial layers of muscle tissue resulting in relaxation and peace of mind. adana travesti of massage is great for those who are new to massage therapy. Prenatal massages are great for pregnant women. This can help increase the blood flow that goes to your baby, and can relax you. Women who partake in prenatal massages are more likely to have babies that grow quicker. Sit for a few moments when the massage is over. A massage is invigorating to your entire body. Your body might not be able to handle sudden movements so quickly. You may feel faint or somewhat sick. Wait a few minutes so you have time to adjust before standing up. As was mentioned at the top of this article, massage therapy is more popular than ever before. Soothing, relaxing massages offer individuals an ideal way to soothe their bodies and spirits. If you are interested in being a great masseuse, you should carefully apply all of the information you've learned from this article.

[dohertythomassen78]

If You're Ready For A Massage, Read This Article Now!

Perhaps due to the increasingly stressful and hectic nature of today's fast-paced modern lifestyle, massage therapy is more popular than ever before. Learning to give the perfect massage takes time and effort, but if you are willing to study and work hard you can definitely become a great masseuse. This article is filled with massage tips and advice to help you on your way. Discuss your needs with your therapist. Some people may feel a little uncomfortable at the prospect of getting a massage because they feel out of control. Tell the massage therapist about any sore areas, such as your back, knees or neck, so that they can avoid them or treat them accordingly. And don't forget to let them know of your preferences for things like background music, room lighting and temperature. The whole point is for you to be able to relax, so make sure the conditions suit you. Make sure your massage therapists know any areas of discomfort you have before beginning the massage. If there is any particular area that is giving your pain, the therapist can focus on that and try to give you some relief. She can also be careful to avoid any areas that are especially sensitive. A popular back massage you can try out on someone is called a "Raking Massage". With this technique, you spread your fingers apart and use your tips to give the massage. Begin in the shoulder area and work your way down the back using a raking motion. Then, adana travesti move your fingers down the spine without actually touching it. Move one hand down as the other hand moves up. Lubrication is important when giving a massage. The best lubricants will allow your hands to glide across the body. Oils work well as do many lotions. Try out a few different kinds and see which works best. You want a lotion that will not require reapplication causing breaks during the massage. A foot massage can be used for more than tired, achy feet. You can search online and find foot maps that show which area of the foot can be massaged to experience relief from a myriad of symptoms throughout your body. For example, pressing on the big toe is known to relieve sinus pain and pressure. If your child is suffering from colic, a gentle massage may alleviate some of their suffering. Slightly warm some lavender baby lotion and gently massage your infants back, legs, hands and feet. This will help relax your child making them less fussy if they are suffering from stomach cramps caused by colic. The feet are an often overlooked area that needs to be massaged. There are many pressure points in the feet that can relax the body as a whole and give the entire body a sense of well being. Focus on one foot at a time and use as much pressure as your partner will allow. When you are giving a person a massage, be sure to always keep one hand on them at all times. This helps the client to feel secure and remain in a relaxed state. Move slowly and steadily with confidence, and the person being massaged will feel comfortable and be able to enjoy the experience. If you like gentle massages, request a Swedish massage. This type of massage uses long, gentle strokes. It has been described as the most relaxing type of massage available. This massage gently massages the superficial layers of muscle tissue resulting in relaxation and peace of mind. This type of massage is great for those who are new to massage therapy. Prenatal massages are great for pregnant women. This can help increase the blood flow that goes to your baby, and can relax you. Women who partake in prenatal massages are more likely to have babies that grow quicker. Sit for a few moments when the massage is over. A massage is invigorating to your entire body. Your body might not be able to handle sudden movements so quickly. You may feel faint or somewhat sick. Wait a few minutes so you have time to adjust before standing up. As was mentioned at the top of this article, massage therapy is more popular than ever before. Soothing, relaxing massages offer individuals an ideal way to soothe their bodies and spirits. If you are interested in being a great masseuse, you should carefully apply all of the information you've learned from this article.

[muffindaddystyles]

22! angst to fluff pls love ur works <333

THANK YOU SM EVERYONE FOR REQUESTING HOPE YA'LL LIKE IT LOVE YAA !!!!!!

Harry hates one thing, most. That’s silence. Still, Y/N gave him a silent treatment knowing how much it drives him insane. It pinches him in throat in the most sickening way and makes him vicious about their fights more.

She has her reason too. Anyone would have a right to be mad if their boyfriend will be seen going to bars with models and cherry on top it turns out be his ex.

In his defence it was a PR stunt to keep the quietude about his dating life since Y/N and Harry’s relationship is private for Y/N's sake.

“You could’ve atleast told me, tha' you were going with her?” Was all she said. Confusion and insecurities and the images of her glued all over him mocked her in the most brutal way before she was distancing herself away from him.

He did anything in his will to bring her back to him, apologised and tried to shower her in kisses, making her brekkie and staying at home but she kept on pushing him away.

The problem wasn’t him. It was her. She blamed herself. He’s been nothing but so gentle with her and she’s towing him away like a used tissue.

Harry knew Y/N anxiety was always at bay and he didn’t want to worsen it by going public but it was biting him in arse as questions upon questions were thrown at him for past three years.

It's Saturday morning and she appears from the guest room after ages, the sight for sore eyes.

Harry’s eyes that were staring the tiled wall of kitchen flitters towards her and his gaze turns soft when he sees her drowned into one of his lilac sweater (she missed him so much and felt awfully hollow and cold sleeping in the bed that doesn’t smell like him at all; so she did what could comfort her best).

She looks so small and frail as if the demons of the lone bedroom swallowed her whole.

Heavy eyebags digging away the glimmer in her eyes, her cheekbones prominent and the pinkness of her eyes visible telling how much she’s been crying.

He turns expressionless on purpose when she meets his gaze and isn’t what she wanted? Some space to figure her thoughts out – but that polite gesture turned into a silent treatment from Harry’s side this time.

She knows that he’s more of a meanie in this game than her because he’s the one that never let things bottle up, his eyes gives away everything but right now they’re just murk of anger.

“Can we talk?” Her voice dim from crying for days and Harry elevates his shoulders carelessly, wrinkles on his forehead and his frown deep as he shrugs, “Dunno. Realized t’pick y'puppet back, your eminence?” His taunt hits her right in chest and she blinks the moisture in her eyes away looking down at her fingers fumbling with the frays of the hem.

He’s cloaked with sadness and dejection from her misbehaviour.

He’s the most petty when she’s the reason of his agony.

“I hate how much I care about, you.” He spats. Knuckles turning white from his grip around the marble counter and Y/N listens —— because good, she should now she’s out of her own bubble.

“How much I’ve told y'that no-one ‘n damn nothin’ could come between us —-" His tone dripping with malevolence and bitterness it tears Y/N up.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Harry!!” She almost shouts. Shaky fingers contemplating to rip at her hair and her tears now shines at her cheeks, Harry elicits a flak taunting chuckle.

“See you’ve never trusted our love. Can y'fo’ once get outta y’head?” His own eyes glossy and his cheeks flushing rosy from the impact.

“You don’t want to bear what comes with lovin' me, don’t want me to cover up tha’ fo' you and you couldn’t spend a single day without doubting us,” He licks the salt away from his lips and his heart pauses a slow beat when Y/N's lips wobbles -- incoherent blabbers slipping past her swollen lips.

“What d'ya want then!?” The loud snap of his abrasive voice hitches her breath and she sobs out sorrowfully, “I just want you.” He sighs in defeat. Not really pondering over the severity and nuance of his words before speaking.

“Falling in love with you was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” That was the last blow for Y/N. She gasps out a cry. Pupils bursting wide and her insides falls sick as the itching goosebumps pin-prickles at her skin.

Everything gets struck for a moment. Harry’s expression matches her as he realizes what damage he has caused and to confirm it a blaring thunder roars through the sky.

Y/N gulps the achy feeling in her throat and just nods silently retreating back through the steps that led her to him and he’s rushing behind her in fret only to get the door to be slammed on his face.

He curses himself. Hitting his forehead into the door frame, that was the lowest and most cheapest fucking insult you could’ve managed to throw her way you dick.

“Y/N. I’m —-...fuck.” He knows that a sorry will be too humiliating for the hurt he has caused her.

While, Y/N sits on the floor at the most corner of the room with her knees bunched up to her chest. His hurtful words rings in her skull and she stuffs her face into her elbow sobbing into it watching the bear Harry won for her in a carnival with doleful blurry vision.

Through his whole life the only decision he regrets is loving me – out of every stupid thing he thinks our love is the most stupidest, what if it's the end? How I'll live without him? It’s impossible.

Forgetting hurts the more than grieving and she’d never be able to do that.

Her toes numbs to tingles and she feels herself drowning somewhere into pitch darkness, her heart lurching ruefully at each knock Harry taps on the door and her stomach burns with acidy sting lungs knotting tight making her gasp for oxygen.

Her panic attack crawling up her body in beasty blood curling gashes and she attempts to shout a plead for Harry but white dots appears at the back of her eyelids tripping her into mountain of floor pillows.

It knocks the vase out and it shatters beside her head, “Y/N! Baby!” Harry pounds at the door and when doesn’t hear a response from her side he’s kicking it open harshly.

The lock unhinges as he rushes inside worrisome and his world shatters when he sees his lovie struggling for a breather, her petite body trembling and shaking with each gasp that bolts her throat more and she nearly begs for him to do something.

He’s falling beside her on the floor and embracing her pliant figure in his gentle hold, “’S okay. ‘S okay.” He croaks out wiping his own tears with the sleeve of his hoodie.

He rubs her tummy in soothing circles then trails his clammy palm up her chest and maintains an eye contact with her panicked ones. Her breath shudders when she tries to calm it back and her nails digs into his skin in doing so.

“Doing s'good f'me darling, yeah —-..yeah.” He bobs his head vigorously and assuring-ly stroking his thumb against her soaky cheek tenderly in pacifying motions.

Her breath lulls slowly back into a pattern and she jerks a little while inhaling a nourishing puff, “Take a breath honey, yes princess just like that.” He whispers speckling a tiny kiss to her forehead.

He pushes her up with a firm hand on her hip and into his lap murmuring sweet dottings into her ear, “Squeeze me hand if you could hear me baby.” He just wants to be reassured she’s doing okay –- his face crooked against her pulse point into her throat and she does so giving a weak squish to his fingers.

“Jeez.” He bumps her chin up with his head and touches their temples together – eskimo kissing her nose and her eyelids flutter when he pecks her mouth ever so lightly.

His insides are shaking anxiously from fright and he again hugs her warmly to feel her.

“’M sorry. So sorry lovie' didn’t –-.. didn’t mean to hurt ya, swear moppet was just upset tha’ y’were being so far from me. I love you so much precious ....." He presses his wet lips to the side of her head and buries his nose in her hair -- arms tightening around her waist.

".... and I don’t think lovin' you is stupid. Thinks tha’ ‘s the only best thing I’ve ever done in me life ... could never love anyone like that.” He mumbles cradling her sweaty face into his palms and patches soft kisses all over her face.

She hiccups a whimper. Nose quivering and lip wobbling — letting him kiss her pout and fists the flimsy fabric of his hoodie in her teensy hands compared to him, “’M sorry too. Sorry f'acting childish and not talking to you about it. I’m just scared I’m getting too obsessed with the idea of us and it’ll ruin us pathetically.”

“Wait. Wait woah baby ...” He grabs her gently with shoulders and pulls her back from him, “’S tha’ why you were trying to live off all by yourself?” He asks politely a bit glum she was enduring all of that herself.

When she tries to hide her face out of timidness he hooks his thumb under her chin and highers it up, “Y/N.”

“Thinks you love me so intensely?” She sniffs nodding in agreement and he smiles sweetly.

“Then fuckin' do it silly. Why d'ya think I wouldn’t want that lovlin? I want to be so loved by my sweet baby.” He almost falls back when she slings her arms around the nape of his neck and brings him down for a cuddle.

“I love you so much my Angel.” He murmurs with his face squished into her neck and fills his lungs with her warm vanillay scent.

She rubs her cheek up and down his chest like an affectionate starved puppy then stops where his heart lays under the trap of bones and kisses it three times.

Her love language. When she isn’t able to utter something she’s always appreciating him with loving actions and at the moment she did the same to exchange the sentiment.

Three kisses to heart means, “I love you so much it aches me.” He immediately catches it and pecks her nose.

"I know bub, I know."

[tommyspeakycap]

request for jack grealish one where he’s really upset over something and you’re there with him to comfort him, lots of physical contact being his love language and you being the only person he likes touching his hair ?

Comfort

You knew from the very second he walked through the door that annoyed would be an incredibly generous word to describe the emotions running through the Brummie boys head. You grimace to yourself, shoulder raising closer to your ears at the sound of the brand new front door slamming heavily behind him with a curse at the fact he couldn't get his shoes kicked off just right the first time he attempted it in the foyer.

The first game was a loss and just about all he'd gotten for the past few days was hate, stress, hate and some more fucking stress. He was exhausted. From Mykonos to Birmingham to get a bag full of clothes so he could meet Villa in London before eventually travelling to Manchester, his sleep schedule has been completely messed up and even when he did have bursts of time where he should have been sleeping, he had been laying awake scrolling through countless tweets criticising his every single move. Add to that the fact his body was exhausted from international duty and that he had wanted nothing more than to curl up by your side and let his worries melt away like he had last gotten to do nearly three whole months ago.

He doesn't know you're here. To the very best of Jack's knowledge, you were still home in Birmingham and he would probably have to broach the conversation of whether or not you'll be joining him up anytime soon, if ever. He lets out a frustrated grunt, but you know Jack better than anyone else and there's the thick sheen of his heart aching tears existing beneath his frustration.

"Hey baby."

His head snaps around to land his eyes on you the second your sweet voice meets his buzzing ears. The echos of Etihad still burn a bit of his hearing away for now, but he knows it'll return to normal by the end of the night. The tears that had previously been kept on his lash line, pushed back by his will not to breakdown for fear he might not be able to stop if he starts are now past the last line of defence, streaming over his cheeks as he crossed the floor at a pace that would send his fife rating into surefire question.

Your body makes an involuntary 'oof' as he crashes against you, his arms so tight around your body as he stops you from stumbling back with the force of his incoming hug. You don't think he's ever actually held you that tightly before, never with such dire necessity, with such urgency for you to be as close to him as he could get you.

The hair that's been allowed to fall loose from the band he'd earlier had it tied back in tickles the back of your neck as it dangles over the exposed skin. He mumbles something almost incoherent about how much he's missed you into your neck, pepping chaste kisses where his lips have landed against you in this hug. You wished you could enjoy that, but the dampening that has begun to occur over the shoulder that his head is above reminds you of the pain he must be in.

Leaving your childhood club is one thing, but leaving it when everybody else seems to think he's a monster for it is a whole different kind of agony. There were just too many emotions for people to see the kind of things Jack had given for the club and the huge opportunity he had left them with his legacy and with the money they copped for his record breaking sale.

"It's okay, Jacky." You coo, tightening your arms around you as he attempts one tighter squeeze to force the tears back into him. It's a futile attempt, his arms loosening but never dropping away from you as he squeezes his eyes shut and lets those sobs shake his body. "I got you, baby. I've got you."

There was such a mix of emotions running through him that made him feel like the world had just pushed him to the ground and taken the perfect opportunity to give his body a good kicking. First final for England in 55 years, then they lost in a penalty shootout he didn't even get to be a part of after a game he barely got to play in. Then a holiday he couldn't take with you because of work commitments and a sudden coworker needed sooner maternity leave meaning your holiday was completely eliminated. As if those things didn't dampen his spirit, all that transfer business had gone down and it was finally all hitting him.

His exhaustion had caught up, an inevitable burn out that could be messed only by the presence of you in his life. Some of this tears that stream down his cheeks and pool on the grey material of your t-shirt are ones of joy and relief for finally having you back in his arms again for the first time in far too long of a time. Jack vows he will never ever spend that amount of time without you again. Never will he let so much time pass before he gets to hold you, kiss you and tell you face to face how much he truly loves every single thing about you.

"You're my rockstar, you know." You announce, seemingly out of the blue ones his body wracking sobs had died to smaller sniffled and period tears streaking down onto you. "I've literally never been prouder of anyone in my life ever. Not only did you fucking smash the euros, but then you stayed so sweet and so amicable during such a difficult process. You handled everything so well, J. I'm so proud or you and I'm so, so happy for you." You promise, pushing him back so you can take his blotchy, tear streaked face in your head. The expanse of that face is coved in your kisses, pecked all over the surface until he's giggling like the Jack that you know so well, his laugh the most contagious sound you've ever been lucky enough to get to hear on a daily basis. "And I'm so lucky that you let me share this journey with you." You finish, landing your lips softly and perfectly onto his with a warmth and love he had been desperately missing out on for those last vital few weeks of his break.

"S' our journey," Jack mumbles in response against your lips, pulling back every so slightly so he can get a proper good look at the face he had missed so much in person. Your cute quirked eyebrows and confusion tainted eyes make him smile before he elaborates. "Not my journey, it's our journey together. All of this, just the two of us."

His words make your heart sore, flying up onto the space above you in pure glee. You had to admit there was a mild element of fear wondering if he would want you here or if he'd maybe be wanting fresh start, but that was certainly not the case for Jack.

"I love you," he says as you feel him tuck you right back into his chest with a content hum. "I love you too, but you need a wash."

Jack's laughter bellows loudly from his chest beneath your ear at your lightly playful and yet very truthful statement.

"I ran you a bubble bath for you. Bathroom's huuuuge." Your eyes are full of wonder like he thought they might be when he would get the opportunity to bring you out to his temporary Manchester abode. This is you would both stay until he could find a house to place some money down on so he can truly start to settle out the fact he's going to have the next six years of his life here in this area with this club. It makes him more than happy, being here. But something that tickles him in thought as he follows you up the stairs is that he'll get to experience all of this newness with you. You’ll get to explore the new area together, find nee places, making it home together. You had both known Soulihull like the back of your hand, now you could find new places to just be together. He can go house hunting with you. He'll let you drag him through the houses he probably wouldn't otherwise look so much into, talking about what room could be which and silly little things he wouldn't even have noticed.

He could pick a house with you that would have enough room to start a family in together within the next year or so, like you had been hoping to do depending on what the club and transfer season had brought. This brought stability, a team that would function well without a reliance on him if there were some things he had to sit out in order to build this family.

It had been, unbeknownst to you, such a pivotal part of discussions with the Manchester City agents. Jack made it clear he was looking for stability and trophies. He had done so much for Villa and now it was time for him to invest energy in bigger fights with bigger clubs that don't face relegation so constantly. He made it clear to the managers also that the was looking to be in the business of starting a family sometime soon. He was welcomed with open arms still. A club who wanted him desperately and would probably have caved to many more demands from him, not having a fraction of an issue with negotiated paternity pay and leave.

He couldn't wait to find a house and settle down here with you for the foreseeable future, even if things didn't look exactly as he thought they might've looked when you first got together as merely young adults.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours, eh?" You ask softly, running your fingers gently through his tangled and sweaty hair as he stands there in the middle of the large bathroom. Jack shrugs. There's so much in there today, not really like usual where he could sort through those thoughts and keep his head clear for every day and every game he faces.

"Just stressed," he huffs, allowing you to help him out of the brand new away strip he had been given at the beginning of the day today for his first first game with the new team.

His muscles are achy and tight, body still stiff from the cold that the rain had battered into his limbs as you easily hook off his boxers and tug them down his legs so he can step over the bathtub into the perfect temperature bubble filled water that makes him heave out a heavy sigh of relief the second it meets his skin.

"Talk to me, baby?"

And talk to you he did after he sat down in that bath with you.

He leaned back against you, allowing you to lather shampoo into the hair he trusted very few people with multiple times to massage the ache out of his skull from the previous days tension headaches. He talks about all those messages from so many unhappy people, some even City fans who didn't even want to entertain the idea of him being there. He talks about his worry of sitting on the bench season after season, telling you he was hoping to god those tweets wouldn't be further from the truth. He confided in you some of his greatest pains; the concept that he'd let his Villa teammates down and maybe even made his family unhappy despite the fact they had given him nothing but their full support and unsurprising pride just like everybody else in his immediate circle.

You massage muscle relaxing soap into all of the muscles in his body as he just talks, letting the weight of the world off of his shoulders to dissipate like the steam in the air from the bath. Only once he has everything off his chest and the waters gone cold do you both leave the bathroom, wrapped in towels then into pyjamas where he wraps you up in his arms like he's been desperate to do since the moment he touched off for International duty months ago, and he talks again.

This time, he talks to you instead of just talking out every worry and fear he's ever had.

Jack uses probably the most amount of words he's ever used in such sensible succession in order to paint you a perfect mental picture of a house just outside the city with a huge garden, fenced in for dogs and kids with a pool and enough room for all three of those future kids to have their own room, even though they'll share at first just for fun. He paints a picture of you at his games with two sons and a daughter, his name on each shirt along your back. The kids will call Foden uncle Phil and they’ll love him just like you both do. They'll get to play with the teams kids on the pitch after the games no matter how tired the guys are even if they've been thrashed in a loss. He depicts the kind of life you had both wanted for so long, somehow always deterred by something until right this moment, the time feeling like it had rolled perfectly into place for both of you.

And Jack tells you about how you'll poke fun at him when he starts to get those salt and pepper strands of hair and he'll love you no matter how you look. Your kids will learn what love is from their parents, they'll pick it up and they'll emulate it in their own lives sometime in the future. They'll stamp out hate with the hearts full of love that you will both allow those kids to grow into.

You both fall asleep together that night, wrapped in each others arms drifting off into dreams of kids that don't exist yet in a house you haven't even looked for with a future that each of you wants nothing more than to grab onto with both hands.

Jack's heart hurts for the changes he's made this week. He doubts the pain will ever fully leave him and he hopes that one day his club will welcome him back to end his career on a high note with them. However, until then the pain will be dulled by the prospect of his new future here.

One he can't wait to get stuck right into.

[boqvistsbabe]

His Baby Girl - Matthew Tkachuk

So here is the Matty fic I’ve been talking about forever. I’m sorry it’s taken so long, I’ve been going through a kind of rough patch so motivation is hard for me to come by. I came up with the idea when I was going through some intense baby fever. Also grammar and formatting will be bad, and i probably won’t fix it just for times sake. I hope y’all like it.

Word count: 1,170

Warnings: brief mentions of birth (not in detail), pregnancy, maybe some swearing

Disclaimer: ya girl has never had a child before and I haven’t really been around anyone that was pregnant (except for as a child) and the ones I have been near had complications (everything ended fine) and it was years ago so I don’t remember much. I also do not want to do a lot of research for this cause that makes me loose motivation, so this will probably not be super accurate on the pregnancy/birth part.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your body was completely exhausted. You had two days till your due date and you felt like you were about to pop. Matt had been the best help around the house and with you. He had been able to take on most of the workload when your doctor told you it was time to stop doing physical things. He had taken your intense and sometimes aggressive mood swings in stride.

Your water broke in the middle of the night. In the middle of the one night you had actually gotten to sleep on time in the last few weeks. Because despite being achy and tired most of the time, you still couldn’t manage to fall asleep when you got in bed. You had tonight though. It took all of a second to wake your sleeping husband up. He looked half dead and you felt bad, but you kind of didn’t have a choice.

“Matt, baby, my water broke we need to go to the hospital.” You spoke with a slight urgency in your voice.

“Mkay let me get the stuff out to the car then I can help you out there. Do not and I repeat, do not try and go down those stairs without me.” Was his mumbled response as he got out of bed and slipped a tshirt on. He put some shoes on and left the room.

The stuff you would need to go to the hospital was by the front door so it was ready to go whenever. You had double and triple checked the bags to make sure you had absolutely everything you could possibly need. The car seat was already in the car so Matt didn’t have to worry about that.

Matt returned moments later, “ the car is running and everything is in it except you,” he said as he walked over to where you had sat on the edge of the bed after changing into some clean sweats.

You were halfway to the hospital and you were stressed. You were worried you weren’t gonna be a good enough mom. What if you failed your kid? What if they hated you?

“Matt,” There was a sense of urgency in your voice that you didn’t mean to let slip, “what if I’m not a good mom?”

“Baby, look at me. You are going to be the best mom and I know it. You have been able to take care of me when I wasn’t feeling well. You’ve helped Taryn with stuff not even mom could help her with. Brady comes to you before he even thinks about coming to me. You’ve even helped the guys on the team when they didn’t know who else to go to. You are an amazing person and you’re going to be an even better mother. I promise you.”

You had tears in your eyes as you brought your intertwined hands up to your lips to press a soft kiss to Matt’s hand. The rest of the drive was silent except for the soft music that filled the car.

You cried tears of joy when you heard your daughters first cry reach your ears. After eight hours of labor and two hours of pushing, your baby girl had finally entered the world.

Matt was sure his heart was going to burst. As he saw the two of them together, his heart swelled. He didn’t think he could love her anymore than he already did, but he does. There you, his wife, was holding your baby girl. His baby girl. He was a father.

“Hey Dad? Do you wanna hold your daughter?” You asked him. When he looked up to meet your eyes he knew you could see the tears there. He silently nodded and moved closer to the bed.

You thought you were going g to die of cuteness as you watched Matt slowly rock back and forth, mumbling nonsense to your daughter.

Matt couldn’t think of anything more he could want in this world. He had an amazing wife and an adorable baby girl. His baby girl. She already had him wrapped around her little finger. She looked just like him too. Bright blue eyes and blonde tufts of hair on her head.

When you got home from the hospital you were both exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go to bed. Well that’s the way you felt. You were sore and achy and Matt, well Matt looked alive. Well maybe not looked it, but he was certainly acting more like it than you were. You were all three cuddled up in your bed. Matt was holding your daughter on his chest as he ran a large hand up and down her back. You were about to die from cuteness overload and you weren’t complaining.

Matt couldn’t still couldn’t believe it. He was a dad. He was a father. A father to the beautiful baby girl you had decided to name Isabella May Tkachuk. Or Bella for short. He didn’t think he could love anyone as much as he loved you, but that was before Bella came along.

When you woke up the next morning you were alone. Your husband wasn’t next to you and your daughter was missing from the bassinet next to your bed. And the clock read eleven o’clock. It seems that Matt decided to let you sleep in while you could. As you padded slowly down the stairs you could hear Matt talking. When you rounded the corner and saw him sitting on the couch watching some old game tape of his, with Bella on his bare chest as he explained what was going on to her; even though he knew she couldn’t understand a thing he was saying. You just about melted right then and there. Then when he gently pressed a kiss to her forehead and told your daughter that he loved her, you did melt.

“Morning Matty,” you mumbled as you walked around the couch and gingerly sat next to him.

“Mornin baby.” He looked over at you with a big smile.

“Already teaching her how to play?” You asked him.

“Of course. She’s a natural I just know it.”

“Think she’s gonna be as good as her dad?”

“She’s gonna be better. She’s gonna be a household name. Isabella Tkachuk greatest hockey player ever. I can see it now.”

“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves yet. Maybe we should start with breakfast.”

“Mmm, it’s already on the table ready whenever you are.”

“Thank you baby. After I eat I’ll feed Bella.”

“Mmkay.” Was all you got in response as you walked into the kitchen.

Matt doesn’t think he’ll ever get over his little Isabella. With her sparkling blue eyes and her mother’s nose. He was obsessed. And he already knew he was gonna have to worry about boy or girl drama with his baby. His little girl. His baby girl. Isabella May Tkachuk had his whole heart and he was okay with that. Cause she was his baby girl.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry that this took forever to come out. And on top of that it wasn’t that great. Here it is though. I hope y’all enjoyed it even with how shitty it turned out. I also have another Matty Dad fic that hopefully I can get out in the next few weeks. <— that one is the one that’s actually on my WIP list.

Tagging some friends: @jamiedrysdales @joshsandersons @pierreslucdubois @bowenbyram @stickrabbits @workhorsefromwhitehorse24 @calgarycanuck

[blxetsi]

Hey u! If you write for Erwin could I maybe request like some fluffy headcanons where they just take care of each other after an expedition? Thank you so much <3

hey you ! ty for requesting this was fun to make 🤩🤚

caring for erwin smith after an expedition headcanons (canonverse)

lowercase intended !

warnings: mentions of death, titans, gore maybe idk ???, female reader kinda ??? idk i didnt use gendered pronouns u decide

enjoy friends 😎🙏,

the ride back was hard.

- everyone always says "it was supposed to be an easy mission !" but this time it really was. which makes it so hard to understand why just so many of your comrades had to die

- you rode back near a wagon filled with bodies, the most abled bodied people were going to be tasked with getting their bodies identified and sorted, then ready to be buried.

- after that, whichever squad leader had those soldiers would have to write to the families, to send a formal apology as well as details of the situation.

- you knew that no matter what, even if there was just one death or a thousand, erwin would have a hefty stack of paperwork to go through

- from writing his own report to looking over others, going through soldier files to order out the deceased ones, and signing any letters that come his way from squad leaders.

- you had your own job to do. although it wasn't identifying bodies, you had to go back to the infirmary with the injured, and work with the doctors and nurses there to try and save the injured.

- your head was filled with names and tallies, who got hit where, how long has this person been passed out, when did we set their dislocated shoulder, they suffered a nasty head laceration, did i ever check their pupils ?

- you and erwin both had a lot on your plates, and you knew you wouldn't be able to see him until hours later, maybe not even until the next day

- and as much as you wanted to go see your fiance, who would be silently beating himself up over this, you couldn't, your responsabilities always came first, just as his did

- so after hours upon hours in the medical hallway, with nurses and doctors flowing from one room from the next, soldiers coming in with gurneys to transport soldiers that had passed, their names already being added to a list of fallen soldiers.

- it was about one in the morning when things finally started to die down. nurses that were tasked with the night shift had been helping greatly, as others were ready to pass out. you'd been employed by the scouts for years, first as a medic, then after almost dying from an abnormal on a mission, retired from the field to become one of the on call doctors at the base, before coming out of your haitus to rejoin your squad. since you had so much experience on and off the field, you could keep going. you were tired, but your body just couldn't stop moving.

- you decides itd be good for a shower, and saw lots of soldiers there with you.

- it was quiet, which wasnt normal but not surprising considering the circumstances. most times in the showers girls would be helping each other braid their hair, or sharing soaps and lotions, chatting about whatever happened that day on base. the boys' showers were usually even more rowdy, youd almost be able to hear them next door.

- you were surprised by just how much blood and dirt came off of you. you didnt feel like you treated or assisted a lot of people today, but maybe thats just because this whole days been a blur. because the showers had been used so frequently you had ice cold water streaming down your body, after soaping down your body, getting into every nook and cranny and line you could, you shut off the water, before wrappy your body in a towel and going to one of the sinks there

- you brushed your hair (which took some time) and brushed your teeth before making your way back to the dorms, where you found some pajamas to change into.

- your roommates were all asleep, two snoring, one not. you knew they were absolutely exhausted, and silently hoped that theyd get to sleep in the next day

- you made your way to the lounge room, finding some stragglers stationed around. two sitting on a couch, one sitting on the ground in front of them, someone at a near by table with a chess board in front of them, and another had come out of the kitchen with some tea.

- you knew walking around was useless, youd just disturb others and could possibly get yourself in trouble. but you couldnt help it. it was just past two in the morning now, and you knew even if you only got an hour of sleep, you were sure to wake up in a cold sweat from a nightmare.

- so where do you go ? erwins.

- getting there was easy, you knew this route like the back of your hand. from coming in tk hand him reports from the medical hallway, to sneaking in after curfew for goodnight kisses, making your way to his office was like second nature to you.

- you didnt bother knocking, and he didnt bother looking up at you. he knew only you would dare to interrupt the commander after curfew without identifying yourself, and although he had asked you to knock you absolutely could not.

- you slowly stepped in, your bare feet padding against the squeaking floorboards. you sat in a chair in front of his desk, and simply watched him while he wrote.

- he wasnt in his uniform now, but in pajamas like yourself, you were glad he found the time to shower and change, his hair drying and frizzing up the tiniest bit.

- it was quiet, the only noises you could hear were the scribbling of his pen against paper, and the soft whistling of his nose as he breathed, time blended together until finally he stopped, and simply looked at you.

"my dear, why don't you sleep ?" he asked.

you gave him a soft smile, not noticing until now just how droopy your eyes had become. "because then i wouldn't be able to stare at you, my love." your voice was nothing but a whisper, and with the way the wind howled erratically outside, like it was mourning the fallen with you and everyone else, erwin wouldve missed it.

"you flatter me too much." he replied, his deep voice breaking off at the end.

you two stared like that for a while, just remembering every detail of the other person. the candle light was getting dimmer as the wax kept melting, but the soft glow it gave made all your beauty stand out to erwin. although it was a depressing moment, he still found time to admire just how perfect you looked. he could've lost you today, and he knows that. he stopped vocalizing things like that long ago, as your answer would always be "well you didnt, and you never will !" he didn't need you jinxing yourself like that.

you observed the bags under his eyes while he observed your own. erwin felt worried that youd be all sore and achy, from running around performing medical miracles on his soldiers from afternoon into night. you however, were worried if his shoulders and back were sore, from sitting in the same position, hunched over for hours on end. you knew how easily his muscles tightened, you didn't want him to be in any discomfort, especially after today.

you were the first to look away, staring at one of the candles on his table, watching a race between two wax droplets, trying to see which one would hit the metal candle holder first.

"-my dear ?"

you turned your head back towards your man, giving him a hum of acknowledgment.

"i asked if you were ready to go to sleep, y/n." he repeated. his thick brows furrowed a bit, showcasing some wrinkles he had on his forehead. his eyes showed visible worry in them for you, and you couldn't help but return them.

"will you sleep with me please ?" you whispered. the day had caught up with you, and now the only thing you wanted was for erwin to be safe in your arms as he finally let go of this awful day.

erwin looked down at his work, weighing the actions of his possible decision. you were so sure he would decline, while sending you off back to your dorm to ensure you didn't bother him. you could feel your eyes fill with tears, erwins being becoming blurry. you couldnt conceal the whimper that left your mouth, clamping your hand against it to muffle anything else. your head turned down into your lap, while you felt hot tears hit your pajama bottoms.

erwin wordlessy got up, before moving to your side. you tried to protest but you couldn't take your hand away from your lips, afraid youd let out a sob.

the blond put one arm under your knees, while the other took your right hand and slung it around his shoulders. he let out a quiet grunt as he picked you up, before nuzzling your head into his neck as he made his way into his bedroom, which was connected to his office.

it was a small room, but there was a big bed that could probably fit quite a few people. he slowly sat you down on the edge, which was his side of the bed. pulling away he got on his knees in front of you, rubbing up and down your arms.

you gripped his shoulders as you gasped for breath. "you- you can't leave me. please erwin i- you have to stay." you sobbed, trying to pull him closer by his shirt.

he shushed you quietly, urging you to lay back as he pulled the covers away, he tucked you in silently, wiping your cheeks and forehead before joining you on the other side.

his pillow smelled like him, and you turned your head to breathe it in better, needing erwin and his comfort.

pulling the covers up around his waist, he leaned into your touch, your arms coming out to wrap around his shoulders. you pulled him into your chest, and you rubbed his back with one hand while the other cradled his head to your beating heart.

he didn't offer you any words of comfort, erwin knew that it wasnt what you needed right now. you didn't need reassurance, or promises that could be broken, you just needed him. and he would fully give himself over to you if he could.

your cries had died down until all you did was sniffle and let out the occasional shaky breath, and erwin found it a bit odd that instead of needing to be nurtured, youd need to nuture to feel better. instead of feeling protected, you needed to feel like you could protect to calm yourself.

slowly but surely you recovered, until all that was left were puffy eyes and soft sighs.

erwin tried to push himself up, to face you, but you pushed him back into your chest, making him chuckle slightly. you continued to rub his back, feeling his shoulder blades and muscle, and around his neck too. you kept your nose in his hair, no doubt getting snot in it but you knew right now erwin didnt care. you breathed in his shampoo while carding your hand through the short strands.

the commander would be lying if he said this didn't help him too. just a bit of alone time with the one he loved, being held the way a parent would cradle their child. he truly felt at peace in these moments with you, he felt warm and safe in your embrace. he wasn't a leader anymore, he wasn't a soldier. right now he was just a man, being held in the arms of the person he absolutely adored. and that was enough for him. because you would always be enough for him.

he whispered out your name, only hearing a soft hum in reply. he glanced up at you to see your head against the pillow, your eyes closed. he smiled before kissing your collarbone.

"i love you, my dear."

thats it !!! i hope you enjoyed !! love u all, requests r open ❤️❤️❤️

[darthkruge]

Anakin taking care of you while you’re sick 👉👈

Anakin Skywalker x Sick!Reader Headcanons

Warnings: Sickness, mentions of vomiting but nothing detailed

Words: 1.5k

A/N: Anon, I hope you feel better if you’re sick!! Also so many of my friends aren’t feeling well, either! I know @beskar-tano and @artiza-n have been feeling shitty and @buckysbeloved and @anakinlove were feeling a little worse for wear, too, if I remember correctly. Wishing all of y’all (+ anyone else who might be feeling under the weather) fast recoveries!! 

gif credit

Let me start this off by saying that Anakin does not get grossed out. He’s surrounded by dying soldiers everyday and when they’re deep on missions? Safe to say they don’t always have access to a nice refresher. So if you ever try and say you’re disgusting or he can’t see you because you feel too gross, he’s having none of that.

First, he reassures you that you’re beautiful. And it’s true, too. You could literally be on death’s door and Anakin would still think you’re the most gorgeous person he’s ever seen. And second, he’s just completely unphased. 

He will literally stay by your side the entire time until you feel better and then for at least a good 48 hours afterward, wanting to make sure you’re back to your normal self. 

The only time he’d leave is if you asked him to. He knows that sometimes you just feel really shitty and need to be alone. Most of all, he wants you to be comfortable. But if you do ask him to leave, he keeps close. He won’t go on missions and keeps his commlink on him at all times, just in case you need anything. And if he doesn’t hear from you in a while, he checks in to make sure you’re okay.

If you’re just being stubborn and/or it’s difficult for you to accept help even though you desperately want it, he can see through that. He knows you so well, he can tell if you actually want space or if you just don’t know how to ask for his comfort. And if it’s the latter, he gives you really easy outs. He’ll put it on him, saying “I’d feel a lot better if I was here, my love. I want to make sure you’re okay, is that alright?” 

If you have a favorite piece of his clothing, he lets you wear it. This is not just when you’re sick, either. But if you’re not feeling great, he makes extra sure to wash it if it's not already clean and brings it over so you can have it. 

Anakin gets nervous when you’re sick; he feels helpless and you’re normally so strong and now you’re weak and in pain and there’s nothing he can do to make it go away. To compensate, he’s constantly doing stuff for you. It helps him keep busy and he feels like he’s helping you, so it’s a natural solution.

Will bring you absolutely anything you ask for. And if you say you’re fine and that you don’t need anything, he’ll probably still bring you stuff. He makes sure you’re always stocked up with tissues, food, water, medicine, blankets, etc. 

I headcanon Anakin as a good cook, at least with a few core recipes. One of the recipes he made sure to memorize is a really good soup. He asked you what your favorite one was one time randomly after you’d been dating for about a month because he wanted to file it away in his brain for whenever you’re sick. And now as soon as you give even one cough or sniffle, you better believe he’ll make it for you. 

He basically babies you the entire time. You’re not lifting a finger until the sickness goes away. He’ll bring stuff to you or, if you’re cuddling with him, he floats it over with the Force. And if you absolutely need to go somewhere, he carries you. 

He’ll rub your back or anywhere else you might be feeling achy. I’ve talked about it before and I shall reiterate: Anakin is amazing at massages. He uses his warm, flesh hand first to start to work into your muscles, getting them ready before using his metal hand to apply a bit more pressure and work out the knots. 

If you’re throwing up, he’s in the refresher with you. He rubs your back and pulls your hair out of your face, giving you soft encouragement the whole time. “Get it out, it’s alright. You’re gonna be just fine, you’ll feel better afterward, okay? You just need to get it out of your system, love.” It’s quite soothing, especially if you’re the kind of person who hates vomiting. 

Afterward, he knows that you might be feeling really clammy and weak. If you want, he’ll gently wash your skin to get the sweat off. He’ll let you lean into him as you brush your teeth or, honestly, he’s fine doing that for you, too. 

Anakin will wait with you on the cold, tile floor for as long as you need. As soon as you feel okay enough to move or you fall asleep, he scoops you into his arms and carries you back to bed.

And if you’re throwing up at night or just overall feeling too sick to sleep, he stays up with you. He’s not going to let you be alone. 

He’ll also tell you stories or just talk to you about whatever comes to mind to distract you. He doesn’t want you to spend all day just thinking about how horrible you feel so he tries to take your mind off it and entertain you whenever possible.

Once, when Anakin was making you some food in the kitchen, you decided to try and get up and go to the refresher alone. You made it a few steps before you were hit with an overwhelming wave of dizziness and lightheadedness and just quietly called Anakin’s name, unsure if he would even hear you. It was practically a reflex. But he did and he ran over immediately, bracing you against him to steady yourself as he called a chair over to him with the Force, firmly sitting you down. 

He was so terrified when he saw your face draining of color and your body begin to crumple to the floor, he just hugged you and kissed the top of your head. He asked, “Why did you do that?! What would have happened if I didn’t hear you?!” 

“I just… you’ve done so much for me and you were already making me food and I don’t know I thought I could do it…” You answer lamely, tears pricking in your eyes as you realize not only how flawed your logic is, but also that you made him worry.

Anakin notices and quickly hushes you. “It’s okay, I’m not mad. Just scared me, that’s all. But angel we’ve talked about this! I want to help you, I like that. And besides, if you’d fallen and cracked your head open you’d need a lot more help than a ride to the refresher, huh?” 

You just nod against him and pull him closer to you. Because you’re sitting, he normally stands between your thighs and you hug his waist, pressing your face into his middle. He’ll hunch over a bit, rubbing up and down your back and your arms while pressing kisses to the top of your head. 

If your throat is sore and it hurts to talk, you’re not talking. Anakin actually has a little fun with this one. Don’t get me wrong, he hates that you’re in pain, but he likes to tease you a bit. He’ll be like “Y/N, do you think I should swap Obi-Wan’s face wash with shampoo?” and you’re shaking your head but he just says “Oh, I guess I can’t hear any objections...” 

But then you’ll croak out a “Anakin, no!” And he’s immediately “Shh! Don’t talk, you'll hurt your vocal chords!! I wouldn’t have done it anyway!! Stop talking!! Not until you feel better!!” 

If you have a headache, he’ll let you rest your head in his lap. He uses the Force to close the blinds and turn off the lights and makes sure to talk in an extra quiet tone. He’s calmly petting your hair with his flesh hand while massaging your scalp with the metal one. He’ll also massage your temples, doing so until you feel enough relief to sleep. 

He also constantly brings you cold compresses for your forehead, especially if you’re feverish. He gets you to lay down in bed and then he’ll sit beside you, one hand holding the compress to you and the other gently tracing patterns on your skin. 

Sometimes, you’re sick and emotional and the pain is really overwhelming. He gets this and if crying is going to help you, he wants you to. He’ll hold you in his arms, still, not wanting to worsen any of the symptoms by rocking you. And he’s so encouraging.

“Let it out, my love. There you go, it’s okay. I know it hurts, I know,” He’ll coo, “Baby I know, I’m so sorry. I’ve got you, you can cry, it’s okay.” 

And once you’re done he continues to hold you, cuddling you for the rest of the day.

Also, Anakin will literally hold and kiss you the entire time. Mans is not worried about catching anything from you. And if you ever say “No, Ani, you’ll get sick!!” He just “no I won’t” 

But, if you’re really serious, he’ll refrain from kissing your lips. That’s okay, though! More forehead and top of the head kisses for you <3

He’s just really accommodating and kind. He hates seeing you sick and in pain and just wants to shower you with love and care and affection until it goes away.

-----

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[numptypylon]

Epilogue

I added a short epilogue to Reunion and Intersection today, but I also wrote a much longer one, full of fluffy comfort, to get through the angst-writing in the first two chapters. It’s unedited, unfinished and ridiculously self-indulgent, and I don’t think it really goes with the story, so I elected to not post it, but I’m attaching it here, under the cut, for those interested. Keep in mind it’s a reject for a reason though; this is what my writing looks like in the explorative phase where I’m looking for the point, and in this case I didn’t really find it XD

~2K under the readmore

Callum got there early. A lot of people eyed him warily, but a letter from Queen Janai was a good smoother-of-grumpy-elf-tempers.

No-one had seen Rayla, so… she was probably not here yet.

He went to the inn, bought a large room, lit a roaring fire in there, activating the Sunfire rock he used to keep warm at night under the covers of the bed, and calling for the tub to be filled. It had the usual Skywing heating arrangement, only needing a good Fulminis to heat the water.

He resisted flying out to find her. He risked missing her again, and her leaving town before he got back.

It was about… hitting the point of intersection.

So, he waited at the city gates. He didn’t have to wait nearly as long as he expected, considering the distance she would have had to traverse. Maybe she had recovered and had travelled faster than he thought.

It was definitely her though. A small, lone figure on the mountainside.

He intended to wait for her until she got to him, but then she stopped to lean against a tree and he realized that she had not recovered and was up there sick in the snow… and that resolve evaporated like it had never been.

Like he would ever let her struggle alone a moment longer than she needed to.

 **

 It was a measure of her exhaustion that she didn’t notice him until he was basically right in front of her, and even then, her reaction was so much slower than usual.

It still… it was hard to believe it was real. For her too, surely more so.

He numbly pulled his scarf off, packing it around her neck and head. He grazed her cheek and felt it and she felt it and… she felt it, because the tears that had built up in her eyes spilled over at his touch, slipping down her dirty and flushed cheeks.

She looked ready to drop, and felt it too, when he put his arms around her and her disbelief gave way to relief. Whatever ridiculous level of stubbornness had kept her upright for the last day and night of walking through snow and up mountains when she should have been in bed… fell away and she slumped almost completely in his arms.

She sobbed hoarsely for a bit, and he let her.

And she let him, when his hand cupped the back of her head and her hair tickled his fingers and it hit him too that… it was really real, she was here.

They needed to… get to the inn though, so he pulled away and wiped his face. They could… and probably would… have a longer cry and a longer hug later. But she was sick and cold and there was a roaring fire and a filled bathtub two minutes of flight away.

“Let’s go,” he said. “I knew you were coming this way and that you were sick. And I booked a room for… you.” For them both, he hoped, but-

“What?” she blubbered. “But… aren’t… aren’t you mad?”

“I mean, of course I am, but… that’s not really… that can wait.”

“I’m…” she laughed weakly, more tears spilling over. “I’m so happy to see you and there’s… so many things I would like to say and… and I’m such a mess right now and so tired and I’m just… I’m so tired I cried earlier just because a stupid pine branch hit me in the face and knocked me off my sled and it continued down the mountain without me and I’d have to walk instead and-“

“Hey, hey!” He stroked down her flushed, wet cheeks, along fresh scratches where presumably that branch had hit her. Sledding, huh… she always was extremely resourceful and oh so daring. And that explained how she got here so fast. “Rayla, it’s okay. You can rest first. I’ll take care of things… of you. For as long as you want me to, but… definitely for the next few days.”

“How c-can you… are you… here-”

He leant his head against her forehead, relishing in the feeling of contact, even if her skin was clammy and too-hot. “That’s… complicated,” he said. “And also simple. You called me here. I came.”

“Manis. Pluma. Volantis.”

 **

 She staggered, when they set down, steadying herself on his shoulder, and Callum was glad he had elected to land in front of the inn instead of at the city gates.

She definitely wasn’t well yet, her breath rasping in her throat, her forehead beading with sweat, cheeks and ears flushed. The fever had maybe broken, but it hadn’t quite left. And she was exhausted, trembling with the effort of staying upright, her eyes dull and glassy.

People were staring, when they went inside, but the innkeeper came over and recommended the soup of the day, and their house-made herbal tea blend with Sky Yak milk, and assured them it would be brought to their room shortly, with a look of very obvious sympathy at Rayla.

And then the door shut behind them.

“I owe-” she started, but he cut her right off.

“No. You’re owed,” he said tightly.

“Owed what?” She sounded… nervous.

“Soup. Hot tea. A warm bed and a fire someone else made. General fussing. Love. Forgiveness. Kindness. A damn break, for once.”

“L-love?”

“Yeah, love.”

Her clumsy fingers fumbled at the clasps of her armor. They were still ice cold when he touched them, the skin red and no-doubt sore.

But she for once didn’t resist any help he gave, sinking gratefully into the tub he had prepared. A warm bath was possibly not great for her fever, but… it was pros and cons and he needed to warm up her hands and feet.

She was barely conscious when he helped her back out of the tub, so he just put her down on a towel on the bed, drying her hair as best he could. He at least managed to get her awake to pull off her own wet underwear and pull his clean night shirt over her head.

 **

 “Callum?” she asked, because… she wanted things, and she could have them. “Stay with me? Please.”

He pressed against her back, warm and real.

His hands engulfed hers, big and soft and familiar.

Full of real little details that her brain hadn’t accurately recreated.

The callus at the side of his right index finger, from his charcoal pencil. The scar from a clumsy sparring accident at the second knuckle.

His voice when he said her name and when he told her it was okay.

His kinda… snuffling non-snoring sleep-sound.

And new things, that she hadn’t known to add.

His arms, still skinny, but stronger than they had been.

His too-long hair flopping over his ears.

And things she had yet to find out.

 **

 “Morning-“ she muttered, as she woke, feeling warm. And her throat felt a lot better, too and most of that sticky, gross fever feeling was gone, although there was still some sluggish daze, everything just a bit vaguer and floatier than it should have been.

“Afternoon,” Callum corrected lightly, but there was something not so light underneath. “You slept for… 14 hours. I bet you’re hungry.”

“I bet… you were worried.” That was a long time to worry and not wake her to assuage it but just sit in it, watching her sleep.

She reached out to stroke his furrowed brow. Her hands were bandaged though, so she couldn’t touch him properly. She didn’t remember, but did recall something about Callum saying he had called a doctor, and then she must have conked out pretty hard and slept through it.

She clenched and released her hands experimentally. Seemed alright except for being stiff and sore?

“What’s wrong with me?” she asked, staring down at the thick bandages.

“Except for the illness that nearly killed you because you’re such a massive dummy? Lots of things.” He took her hands, starting to unwind the bandages. “For your hands, hopefully only frostnip. I’m supposed to check that, when you woke, take you back to the doctor if there’s signs of deeper frostbite.”

There was some thick ointment, probably the reason for the bandages. Her hands looked reddened, the fingers a bit swollen, but… not so bad. Nothing was white or black or blistered, so really, nothing to worry about, where frostbite was concerned.

Callum wasn’t satisfied with a visual inspection though, cupping her hands in his, methodically checking she could feel all her fingers and make a full fist.

“I think it’s okay,” he said, breathing out, relieved. He did tend to catastrophize- “No… no risk of amputation this time-” His fingers slid across her left wrist, the faint whitened scars from where the binding had dug into her skin and where the sunforge blade had burnt her.

“It’s definitely okay,” she said. “Barely hurts.” She cupped his face, feeling his skin just fine against her fingertips. “It’s not like back then, okay?”

“How do you feel today?”

“Better. Way better. I’m ready to go, if-”

“What?!” He stared at her in disbelief. “Absolutely not. You didn’t hear what the doctor said. But I did, she got here while you were sleeping. And absolutely not.”

“What-“ Was it not just a regular bug?

He breathed, slowly and deliberately. “You’re okay, it’s a regular winter infection going around. But you did a number on your own immune system with the hypothermia and mountain climbing and… she said you were undernourished, dehydrated, stressed and critically exhausted. And that you would do well to take a week or more to fully recover, during which you should eat and rest plenty, stay warm and keep stress down. Does that sound like your regular travel, to you?”

Well… not so much.

“So, I’ll ask again, how do you feel today?”

“Tired,” she sighed. “My hands are stiff and achy. My throat hurts. My legs are wobbly. My head feels full of snot.” She smiled, despite all that. “My heart is happy to see you. It’s okay if you’re- I know… that it’s complicated.”

“It is. We have… some things to talk about. Promise you won’t leave until we do?”

“I promise.”

“Okay. Then, I think we should put the complicated things away for a few days. Until you’re better and it doesn’t hurt your throat to talk. Because… we have a lot of talking to do.”

“You don’t… need to stay. For those few days. If it’s hurting you to-”

He sighed heavily. “It does.” Yeah, he couldn’t say that it didn’t. Being around her with so much… unresolved. She didn’t want that for him. She didn’t… want to have those long and hard conversations right now either, when she was still tired and fevered and liable to burst into tears at the slightest provocation. “But it would hurt me more to leave. Didn’t it hurt you? To leave?”

“Yeah.” So, so much.

He reached out to pack his scarf around her throat more closely, the soft, warm knit a soothing feeling against the raw ache.

“Lie down, okay? Be sick? I’ll read you a story. It has murder and dismemberment in it, I asked the innkeeper specifically.”

[aching-tummies]

Forgetful, Stressful Tummy

Lately there's been a lot of stress in my life. A lot has been going wrong and I've been stressing and trying to handle a bunch of stuff lately and being derailed by people and organizations and such. All of this has resulted in some pretty painful consequences for my stomach.

Changes in work/jobs resulting in messed up scheduling (sleep, eating, activities, etc.)? Check.

Messed up diet due to a messed up schedule from the above + changes in prices and availability of food? Check.

Anxiety-induced stomach aches? Check, check, check.

I've been getting a lot of stomach aches lately. Various kinds and stuff.

Sometimes it's like my digestive tract is just allergic to all food, ever. I'll eat something I'd usually eat and before I've even downed half my small plate of food my stomach is already cramping--like a horizontal line from left to right around the vicinity of my navel area.

I've been going hungry a lot recently. Stress and anxiety have kind of affected my appetite. Like, I know I'm hungry but I'll have very little drive to actually eat anything because I'm stressing over something or many things. There've been moments where I'll note that my stomach is growling and aching in hunger around 5PM and I'll ignore it in favor of working on whatever it is I am working on...and then have it be 1AM with me realizing the hunger pangs are back with a vengeance. I'll often opt for sleep rather than a full belly at that point and then it's like my stomach decides to throw a tantrum and suddenly I'll feel some sharp, cramping pains jolting from all over my abdomen. On the rare occasions I opt to feed my tummy in these situations the end result is the same: an achy tummy. Eating basically guarantees an upset tummy 98% of the time in this situation. It’s frustrating, having my tummy griping at me and keeping me up when it’s empty and having it griping at me and keeping me up when it decides it’s gonna forget how to digest. I end up spending a good two hours or so rubbing and soothing my angry tummy before I finally give in to unconsciousness/sleep. To borrow from the previous ask, if I were denied tummy rubs here I'd probably cry.

Sometimes I'll opt to fill my belly if I actually have an appetite (rather than just feeling hungry) and from the moment I swallow the first mouthful of whatever my stomach will be sore and achy and often outright reject the food (it'll pass right through and I'll end up hungry all over again within 20 minutes).

I've experienced a lot of upset tummies lately and I've pretty much not experienced a full/stuffed belly in a very long while...so the upsets are likely a result of the unpredictability of when I feed the thing. I think my stomach hates me because depending on whether or not I let the stress get to me I'll either put it through 6+ hours of starvation, or I'll put just enough in the tank to silence the grumbles for about an hour and a half. Or, rarely, I'll actually eat a full plate of something and have the weight of that stretching out my abused guts that seem to have forgotten what is mean digestion.

I think my capacity has shrunk drastically too. A couple of days ago I woke up absolutely starving. I had skipped dinner the night before (and survived off of a meagre offering of a single toasted bagel all day). Hell, I was woken up by the growls of my stomach because I was just that empty. I went out and I ordered a standard fast food combo. Ordinary sized burger, medium fries, and a drink. Burger and most of the drink went down alright but my stomach was cramping and griping by the time I was halfway through my fries. I wasn’t stuffed but I really didn’t feel good. It was like my stomach had decided the new “full” threshold was significantly lower than it used to be. I hadn’t reached it yet but something was getting really upset by the influx of food. I was eating with someone and I didn’t want to be super slow or to save my fries for later or whatever (we had torn the paper bag open to share fries so I couldn’t exactly wrap it back up). My stomach was cramping and aching and churning before we even left the table. I was discreetly rubbing my sore tummy as we walked back out to the car and I prayed my stomach wouldn’t force my meal out of either end before I had a chance to get to a restroom. I was barely tickling “full” and my stomach was churning up a nasty upset already.

I've noticed lately that I've got a hand to my stomach more often than I used to because at any given time there'll be some sort of an ache or discomfort in my abdomen. I'm sure it's just stress. Like...I'll be fretting over stuff and the ache just gets worse.

Ugh...as I type this I'm pausing to rub my tummy over the shirt I have on. I've managed to swallow a couple of crackers today and my stomach is griping in hunger. It's let out a few snarling grumbles. It's 7PM and I've basically given my tummy naught but crackers today. I can tell that I'm a bit hungry, but at the same time it feels like my guts are low-key upset and I'm fairly certain that no matter what I eat (when I eat) my stomach will hurt and decide it doesn't want to figure out how to digest whatever it is. I feel like I’m stuck in an in-between zone. Ravenous hunger on one end and nasty indigestion/upset on the other. I’m stuck in an uncomfortable middle-ground and there’s no up-side...I’ve either got ravenous, painful hunger to look forward to, or a night spent on the porcelain throne with a grumbling, sickly, upset tummy.

I'd absolutely love it if someone were to give me tummy rubs right now. Help my guts decide whether or not we're hungry and whether or not it'll behave and actually digest stuff. Though the idea of denying rubs for kink purposes sounds interesting...but my guts aren't particularly vocal at the moment either. All the grumbles right now are a result of the rubs and it actually stops grumbling when I pause in my rubbing to finish typing paragraphs.

Welp, off to give myself a few rubs. It’s still an uncomfortable middle-ground, but the warmth of the rubs fells kind of nice right now so I guess I’ll enjoy it before my stomach decides to force itself into one extreme or another.