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keruimi · 4 months

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Your Dream

Pairing: Obanai Iguro x reader

Warnings: Mention of Sexual Abuse, Death, Total Angst

Note: It has a similar plot with my other Obanai Oneshot but why do I feel like this hurts more? Anyways, I am back to writing Kny especially when it's angst. And yes, it's Obanai Iguro again, my favorite character. The only reason I wrote this is because of the Obamitsu Angst in my fyp like stop reminding me, it really hurts. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it because I don't want to suffer alone.

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It was a normal life I live, working as an average kakushi who is mostly assigned in the kitchen.

When an odd request from Oyakata-sama changes my routine. When he assigned me to deliver meals to the new pillar, the Snake Hashira, Obanai Iguro.

At the age of eighteen, I finally experienced the anger of a Hashira with just my presence.

Knowing I was silent my whole life, I never found the reason why the Hashira glared at me on our first meeting.

I can't even count how many meals have been ignored or thrown whenever I deliver it to him.

Feeding the Snake Hashira became part of my routine that I completely memorize the route of his manor since he doesn't want anyone to be with him.

"Y/n, please take care of Obanai Iguro's health for me"

Those are the words I hold onto as I tolerated the cold treatment of the Hashira.

I lost track of the times I stay outside the freezing cold when he doesn't want to open his door for me.

It became more torturing when my heart suddenly beat faster when he started treating me differently after a year.

When he finally started to accept the food I cooked and delivered to his manor. Even if he can't finish it, I am thankful that it wouldn't become a waste anymore.

I knew our simple interaction progressed more when he allowed me to come closer to his space. Even a job that I shouldn't be doing, I'm doing it for him.

Like cleaning his manor, grinding ink for him, and helping him sort different poetry he has written.

Those simple moments introduce me to the new side of him that I slowly fell in love with.

It made me want to try harder until the walls he built around him completely fall down.

Until he can finally open his heart to me.

But that friendship I tried to stabilize, brick by brick, became nothing when he met her in the Ubuyashiki mansion.

My effort is almost nothing with how easy she manages to make him soften to her.

And I started to look for the reasons why.

The friendship I tried so hard to build is ruined and I felt like I went back to the first time we met.

The cautious aura that made it difficult for me to connect to him.

And I knew those thoughts are really happening when the food I brought is left untouched.

"I have already eaten with Mitsuri"

It was the sentence I kept hearing but I didn't stop doing my duty of making his food for him.

Because I learned to love taking care of him.

Those tasty delicacies I used to love cooking, change when I noticed he was disgusted just by the smell of it.

I adjusted so many things that I completely forgot what I really love.

Just to serve him right.

I prevent the cough that is threatening to leave my mouth as I grind ink for the Hashira I am serving.

As he wrote the letter he always sent to her.

It was breaking me. But I have no right to feel anything for him.

I already knew ever since, that a high-ranking warrior like him is not meant to love me.

But the weak side of me silently yearn that he can return it.

But seeing how in love he is with another woman. I knew I never had a place in his heart.

But just a mere presence that accompanies him in the garden.

I was just a shadow he would never notice. A person that serves him, and he would not change his perspective on me.

I was beside him so I could serve him, not to love him.

I wipe the single tear and escape my eyes before he notices as I force my body to move according to what he wishes.

While he remained clueless of my emotion that I tried so hard to get rid of.

The emotion that broke my heart when I saw the ring in his room while I was cleaning.

I could never look at the mirror just to see how my eyes portrayed the pain I felt when I saw it.

"Obanai-san really liked Mitsuri, don't you?" I mustered up the courage to speak my thoughts with a slight teasing tone as my back faced him.

I bit my lip to stop the sob that is threatening to be heard as I heard shuffling behind me.

"Obanai-san must treat Mitsuri-san right. Marriage is a dream for every woman. Especially when they will have a good man to love" I turned to him with a smile as I slowly opened my eyes and saw how soft his eyes turned because of embarrassment.

I don't know his past. I don't know what he loves.

I don't know Obanai Iguro.

But I know he has a hard time trusting others.

"I hope you both live a happy life" I managed to let out but it came out as a whisper as I took my things and left the room.

I froze the moment I left his manor as the tears I managed to subside finally escaped my eyes as I found myself crying on the way back to the village I live in.

I knew it was coming but my heart won't stop aching. My eyes can't stop crying. My mouth can't stop sobbing.

I really love him.

But he is not mine.

~•°•~

I lost track of the years when the female kakushi started to serve me.

The only woman I allow to enter my manor with the excuse of serving me.

Because I thought of changing myself even a little no matter how much I feel fear or disgusted by a female approaching me.

Because she gave effort to providing me with the most comfortable thing I needed. Especially during my meal time.

Starting with a simple window being opened, creating less flavorful food that I can tolerate.

I knew she was adjusting for me so I let her presence in my everyday life. Until that became like a friendship I was thankful for.

I can talk to someone about things without including battles.

I love her like a family.

That explained how my body felt frozen when I heard the news of what happened to her on the way to my manor.

The news of her being taken advantage of by a man who manages to memorize her route to my manor due to her everyday routine of walking her way there.

The anger I felt was unexplainable that I can find myself hurting a fellow human.

I knew humans can be evil, but I didn't know I could hate them more than I hate demons.

But I thought I made a mistake too.

If I just let her stay in my manor so she wouldn't exert too much energy just for my food, I could protect her better.

I know I'm slowly losing control when my self-restraint almost fell apart when I visited her quarters and I found her silently sitting at the corner of her room, hugging her knees.

As the spark in her eyes completely vanishes.

"She refused to eat nor let another woman near her. When the others approach her, she flinches. We don't know how to approach her anymore" the Kakushi who led me to her room stuttered out as I felt my hand grip the wooden door in anger.

Yet my eyes badly wanted to cry for her.

"Shinobu tried to check on her but she started to cry whether she was near. We just confirm the situation when the evidence of the sexual abuse was present in her body when we found her unconscious in the forest"

"Stop talking" I snap at him who immediately keeps his mouth shut as my snake hiss at him who scurried away.

"Y/n, it's me" I knocked on the door even though it was already open to make her aware of my presence in the room.

I don't know how I control my voice who I thought will be expressed in a trembled tone.

I am a man.

That is the first thought that came to my mind that made me decide to sit at the floor near the door.

"Obanai Iguro, you know me, right?" I spoke again and she kept her silence making my hands tighten its hold on my pants.

I'm not used to this side of her.

"Are you scared of me?" I asked slowly as silence occupied the entire room before she shook her head a little.

"May I come closer?"

With that question, I notice how her hands tighten on the blanket surrounding her making me release a shaky breath.

I never knew I was willing to hurt a fellow human just for her.

It made me want to make the man suffer badly. Worse than what he did to her.

"I'm sorry" I was left speechless when those were left on her lips and I immediately shook my head.

"Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. It was them that wronged you" I am not good at words but I wanted to completely express my concern and pain for her.

I badly wanted to avenge her.

"It was me who should apologize because I was not there for you"

"I am not your responsibility..." She whispered and I shook my head once again, wishing for her to look at me even once so she can see how badly I am hurt for what she has experience.

How desperate I am to show she was not alone during this time.

"You are. Because you are important to me" I felt tears in my eyes as Kaburamaru slithered his way to her and slowly circled around her shoulder in a protective manner.

"I am tainted..."

"You're not" I firmly stated. "I am the tainted one between the two of us" those words quickly left my lips without any hesitations and she finally had the courage to look in my direction.

"So don't look at yourself that way. For me, you are still the same Y/n that accompanied me" I stuttered out as I tried to stabilize my breathing.

"I will seek justice for you. That's a promise"

I saw how a tear left her eyes as she looked outside the window. Removing her gaze on me.

"In our generation, marriage is every woman's dreams. Is a symbol of acceptance. Is where you will really feel you are loved and chosen by someone" she whispered.

"But in order to be chosen, you need to be pure, compliant, and well-mannered. That's what it takes to be a good wife" she stated as Kaburamaru nuzzled his head on her cheek when he noticed her difficulty in breathing.

I badly want to lend her my shoulder to lean on, an advice to make her mind clear. But in this situation, we both knew she just needed an ear to listen to her.

Someone to comfort her with just presence.

"But if you don't meet those requirements, you will be shunned by society. You will lose the qualification that a wife has."

"Right now, I will not be the wife of someone. I will not be married to a man I will dedicate my life to. Because I don't have my purity that only my husband should have." She whispered.

It was a painful word to state out loud. But right now, I can't read her.

Because she completely closed off her emotions.

"I don't fit the standard that a wife should have." She whispered as she buried herself in her blanket that hid herself from me.

"And it hurted so badly"

I closed my eyes when she spoke those words.

And I hate myself because I can't do anything for her but just torture her attacker.

"What else is your dream other than marriage?" I ask her as she closes her eyes to rest it for a little while.

"I want to meet the one that is willing to spend their entire life with me" it was a hopeful wish.

Silence occupy the room and I thought she fall asleep until she whispered the words I never expected to hear from her.

"I love you..." It was barely heard but I knew it was the words she hide for so long.

That made it known to me that I could grant that dream to her.

But I decide to give her the time she needs to heal from that painful experience.

She needs to heal.

Those are the thoughts I could only think of as I laid her down in her bed in a more comfortable position when I noticed she had finally fallen asleep.

But I never expected that it would be the last time I would see her with her eyes open.

Because when I came back the next day, the news of her death was the one that greeted me.

It was a nocturnal death because her heart failed during her sleep.

It finally felt like my whole world collapsed and my mind completely shut down.

If it weren't for Sanemi being beside me, I would have completely fallen on the floor as I kneel in front of her room.

It hurts.

I wanted it to stop.

But I know that nothing could make her happy anymore.

Because that nightmare would continue living within her for the rest of her life.

I never manage to cherish her smiles more. I only shrugged the moments I have with her because I thought we would stay that way.

That I never knew I was running out of time.

It took every cell in my body to approach her cold body that is covered with white cloth as I kneeled beside her.

I silently slid the ring that she found on my mansion in her finger as tears continued escaping from my eyes as Sanemi just stood behind me.

I lost someone who made me feel like I have the family I never have.

In this life, we were parted to heal.

But I will make sure that her wish will be granted.

"In this life" I started to whisper as my lips lean on her fingers where the ring stays.

"As God as my witness, I promise to take you as my bride. Give myself as your other half" I keep mumbling as I squeeze her cold hand as tears continue to fall from my eyes.

"That even death can never separate us. Because in our next life, I'll make sure, that I will utter this words to you again"

And in that life, you will be alive to hear it

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ddarker-dreams · 2 years

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each version of yan scaramouche throughout the years is ridiculously clinging in their own strange way.

as kabukimono, the others at tatarasuna often joke that he follows you around like a duckling. there are practically stars in his eyes whenever you’re so much as mentioned, he’s absolutely smitten. his way of getting closer to you — and staying there — had a rather innocent origin. he just so happened to notice that you dote on him even more whenever he makes a mistake or seems to be struggling with ‘simple’ human tasks. at first, he really was having difficulty with things such as getting dressed and brushing his hair, but over time, he learned to conceal his progress so you would take the time to help him.

the unknown feeling that blossomed in his chest whenever your fingers brushed or he was close enough to smell the incense on your clothes was divine. he’d come up with any excuse to remain by your side, leaning into his harmless image a little too much, albeit subconsciously. after all, you may not have been so willing to allow a man in your bed just because he claimed his nightmares were making it difficult for him to sleep... but because you think he’s so sweet and lacking any ulterior motive, you don’t even bat an eyelash, gladly opening up the futon for him to lay beside you. he just can’t help himself. there’s nowhere he’d rather be than with you.

as scaramouche, he has a simple and ineffective formula. keep the doors locked + be the only person you can have verbal interaction with = profit? (there is no profit to be had). you’re so sick of him but he’s there anyway. what makes matters worse is his audacity to act like he’s doing you a favor, spending a few hours of his busy day entertaining someone such as yourself. he says it that way too. word for word. with his nose in the air. you really can’t stand him. this method is what he prefers to utilize by far. sure, there might be some sour feelings on your side, yet it eliminates the risk of you leaving him altogether. he can withstand anything — your glares, the frequent cold shoulder treatment you give him — because it means you’re still there.

for a person who comes off as greedy as he does, he’s surprisingly content with very little. the slivers of mostly negative attention you give are enough to sustain him, the same way a cactus can survive on very little water. if the balladeer had it his way, he’d always be in your vicinity, but unfortunately, he has constant work as a harbinger. which is why he leaves reminders of his existence on and around you to compensate for his absence. even if he can’t physically be with you, the lingering touches you feel and the marks you see make him impossible to forget.

as the wanderer, he’s essentially jobless, allowing him twenty-four hours in the day to stick by your side. to make matters worse, the dendro archon herself came to you to ask for your cooperation. lesser lord kusanali has seen how taken with you he is, and after some observation, decides you’d be a good influence on the ‘reformed’ wanderer. lucky you. instead of following you around like a cute duckling, he’s more of a feral stray cat. you’ll ask him if he has anything better to do and he’ll shrug and say not really. trying to throw him off your trail is impossible as well, his ability to track you down is uncanny. he claims that he has a sixth sense for ‘sensing idiots’ every time he catches you.

in his humble opinion, there’s just nothing more thrilling than seeing every side of you there is to see. he doesn’t want to miss a second. if he isn’t in the mood to chase after you and you try to run away, you’ll end up facing a gust strong enough to knock you off your feet. should he be in a good mood, he’ll catch you. if he isn’t, however... he’ll let you fall over and snicker over your misfortune. his antics to keep you close are mostly bearable, since he doesn’t freeload and offers a decent amount of help in your journeys, whether it be fighting off hoards of monsters or cooking meals. it becomes far more sinister if anyone tries to intrude on what he perceives to be your special relationship, though.

#scaramouche x reader #wanderer x reader #kunikuzushi x reader #yandere scaramouche x reader #yandere wanderer x reader #yandere kunikuzushi x reader #genshin impact x reader #yandere genshin impact x reader #yandere x reader #scaramouche brainrot #my stuff

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probablyasocialecologist · 1 month

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While maintaining that “for some, the best outcome will be transition,” it nevertheless effectively recommended that the N.H.S. abandon the guidelines embraced by major mainstream medical associations and restrict the use of medications that have been offered for decades to adolescents across the globe with vanishingly few negative side effects or regrets. The reason, the report says, is that these treatments are insufficiently supported by reliable, long-term evidence. Then, remarkably, the report recommends treatments — psychological treatment and medications for depression and anxiety — that have even less proof behind them in helping children (or adults) with gender dysphoria, though they may help with other mental health issues, and many children with dysphoria already get these treatments. And for all its insistence of evidence, the report is peppered with mere speculation about the potential causes of gender dysphoria: pornography and the phenomenon of social contagion are invoked, with zero credible evidence to support them. It is a strange document. Social conservatives welcomed the report. But it has also been heralded in some liberal quarters in Britain, where even the Labour Party has supported its conclusions, and around the world as a model of open-minded rationalism, of well-intentioned — progressive, even — unbiased scientific inquiry attempting to provide information in young people’s best interests. This, they declare, is what following the science and the evidence looks like. But is it? In an effort to evaluate the Cass report’s findings and recommendations, I spent the months since it was released poring over the document, researching the history of transgender medicine and interviewing experts in gender-affirming care as well as epidemiologists and research scientists about the role of scientific evidence in determining care standards. What I have come to realize is that this report, for all its claims of impartiality, is fundamentally a subjective, political document.

[...]

A great deal of the media coverage of gender-affirming care in the West has painted a picture of huge numbers of children, some of them suffering from profound mental illness, rushed into medical transition, practically force-fed puberty blockers and hormones, then fast-tracked to surgery once they turned 18, based on unproven treatment and perhaps bogus science. But the report itself not only fails to show any evidence of significant regret among patients or other forms of harm; its own data also contradicts the notion of rushed transition. Of the more than 3,300 medical records examined as part of the review, about a quarter of children and adolescents were referred to an endocrinologist, which suggests a significant screening process. Indeed, on average, patients had more than a half dozen consultations before being referred. If anything, the evidence suggests a lack of care bordering on neglect, which is not surprising considering that millions of people are on waiting lists for treatment of all kinds by Britain’s crumbling health system. One of the most common pieces of feedback was that young people lingered on waiting lists, sometimes for years. A number of participants in focus groups convened for the purpose of the report said they felt that they had to “prove” to clinicians that they were transgender.

[...]

At one point the report posits that because a child has never had the experience of growing up in their assigned sex, they would have no way to know whether they might regret transition. “They may have had a different outcome without medical intervention and would not have needed to take lifelong hormones,” the report says, referring to children assigned female at birth. It is hard to know what to make of a statement like that. A person gets only one life; waiting to see how it works out isn’t really an option. To a queer woman like me, this is an ominous echo of something many of us have heard many times in our lives: Maybe you just haven’t met the right man yet. The wish — whether expressed by a parent, a teacher, a therapist or a suitor — is a wish for a child not to be queer. It is hard to find a satisfying explanation for these kinds of conjectures and conclusions in the report other than this one: Many people find transgender people at best unsettling and possibly deluded or mentally ill, or at worst immoral and unnatural. They appear to believe it would be better not to be trans. As much as Cass’s report insists that all lives — trans lives, cis lives, nonbinary lives — have equal value, taken in full it seems to have a clear, paramount goal: making living life in the sex you are assigned at birth as attractive and likely as possible. Whether Cass wants to acknowledge it or not, that is a value judgment: It is better to learn to live with your assigned sex than try to change it. If this is what Cass personally believes is right, fair enough. It can charitably be called a cultural, political or religious belief. But it is not a medical or scientific judgment.

13 Aug 2024 | Link

#lgbt #transgender #cass report #cass review #puberty blockers

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within-your-eyes-if · 5 months

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Phew

Hi everyone!

I'm excited to share that Chapter One's NSFW revisions and additions are officially complete. The core of the vice system is now implemented, and I’m meticulously combing through to polish any areas I might have missed. I've also cleaned up some coding, implemented object arrays to better track your piercings and/or accessories, addressed a few reported errors, and made several other improvements (go me!).

Progress on Chapter 2 continues; the NSFW scenes are still being refined and drafted. These revisions have given me a permanent: ಠ_ಠ (though I'm glad some of you still love the old stuff ♥) — but I'm steadily moving forward. After that, Chapter 3 awaits the same level of treatment.

Looking ahead, my next update might just be a call for beta testers — so stay tuned if you're interested in being part of the fine-tuning process!

Anyway, I thought you'd all like to know how it's coming along. I'm proud of the progress I've been able to make over the last few days. I promise I'm not rushing and am taking care of myself during all this! Thank you for your support and kindness!

#wye progress update #within your eyes if #wye general information

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n3on-graveston3s-calling · 11 months

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No Plan [ The Still of Your Hand ]

Characters: Shanks, Benn Beckman ( Briefly ), Reader Rating: E Word Count: 4,874 Warnings / Tags: Medical trauma (brief), phantom limb syndrome, medical talk, Reader is the ship's doctor, Dom!Reader (surprise), Shanks needs a break Author's Note: This is 13 pages of smut with some plot. I hope you enjoy. Also, my requests are open if y'all want anything... Specific. MDNI: THIS IS 18+ CONTENT.

Part II of the Think I Need Someone Older series [ Part I: Mihawk ] ─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

“Sweetheart, give me a hand, yeah?” Shanks called out, drawing your attention away from the journal you’d been writing in- tracking your progress in logs as you sailed with the infamous Red Hair Pirates. You weren’t necessarily a permanent part of the crew- moreso, they were a means to your end. You abandoned your journal for the time being, rising from your seat on the deck of the ship to cross over to the captain. Restocking from the last port you’d docked at; he’d opened up a box of medical supplies.

Another reason you were here- to play temporary doctor while their own was laid up.

“Sure, sure. Make me do all the hard work,” you teased, grabbing hold of the box of rubbing alcohol- ten glass bottles. He’d paid a pretty price for these supplies, you noted. “‘S like you got a mini hospital runnin’ on this ship.”

“I like to be prepared, love.” He shrugged, lips curving into a wide grin. It’s not a big surprise, really; after what he’d gone through over the years, of course he’d want to be prepared. You never know when a Neptunian is going to rise out of the water and take a bite out of you.

You turned, shuffling your way into the small room that was used as a med bay as he followed after, a box tucked against his side. You could hear Roux laughing through the wall; the kitchen was on the other side. No doubt, he was bothering Benn while cooking up the crew’s dinner for the evening. You’d never tasted better cooking than what Lucky Roux could make. “Are we expecting to be overrun?” You couldn’t help but joke, drawing a laugh out of the other. “I mean, granted- your supplies were low when I joined you.”

“We’re not the best at keeping up with supplies-”

“-that aren’t liquor? Yeah, I’ve noticed.” A roll of the eyes as you lean over at the waist, sliding the remaining bottles into a cabinet.

Shanks paused, hand raised, sterile cloth clutched in hand as he watched you. He couldn’t deny the lust that coursed through him when he thought of you; the way you’d bite back at the comments from the crew with no hesitation. How you’d stood up to Benn when he’d questioned your decision regarding the treatment of Yasopp’s latest injury. How you hadn’t minced your words when talking to himself. You had a spine of steel and a bite to match. And by the Gods, he liked that. Not to mention the view you were giving right now. His gaze traced over the dip in your spine, the way you stretched forward, how your thighs spread-

You rose.

His gaze averted quickly, placing the sterilized cloth in a container. “We like to drink.” He mumbled, a feeling of almost shame washing over him. It was broken though by a phantom pain racing through where his left arm would have been. A gasp spills free from between clenched teeth, his brows drawing inward as he drops the box, grasping at the stub that remained. He could swear he could feel his hand in that moment- or what it would feel like, clenched into a tight fist.

“Shanks-” You murmured, reaching out to settle a hand on his remaining arm, brows raised in alarm and worry. “Shanks, sit down- you’re pale.”

“‘M fine,” he tried to argue, yet allowed you to lead him to sit on the edge of the cot. It took your hand against his chest for him to lay back, drawing shallow breaths in. This was… Not normal, necessarily. Sure, he’d gotten phantom pains on occasion, but it had been months since the last occurrence. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“I know. But it’s also time to change out those bandages, right?” You offered a small, disarming smile. The bandages prevented the skin from growing agitated and raw due to the salt in the air- and the water. “C’mon, old man. Let me see.”

“Old man?” He scoffed, shaking his head as he let the coat fall from his shoulders. “I’m not that much older than you… Am I?” His lips pursed into a frown as he considered his age. He’d only just turned thirty-eight, he wasn’t that old. Hell, by the standards of the men on his ship- and the men and women he’d sailed with in the past- he was still young!

“You’ve got a good few years on me,” you hummed, winking playfully as you turned your attention to the tied sleeve. Without thinking, you reached forward, gripping the edges of his shirt- only to have his hand reach out quickly, grasping your wrist. You looked up, meeting a playful crimson gaze and a slowly growing smirk.

“Now, if ye wanted me out of my clothes that badly, all ye needed to do was ask.” Shanks teased, a soft edge of a growl to his voice that had your heart skipping a beat. Oh. Oh, you totally understood how men and women alike fell under him with ease.

“That’s not-” You argued, only to huff and tug his shirt up- and over his head, covering his face. “Smother.”

“Oy, oy!” He laughed loudly, reaching up to tug the shirt the rest of the way over his head. Torso revealed, he leaned back against the inclined bed casually, grin spread across his lips. “Happy, Doc?”

“You’re insufferable.” You rolled your eyes before setting to removing the old bandages. You’d heard the story about how he had lost the arm, but it was still riveting to think of. A Neptunian- and he survived. Whoever had handled the care when it occurred had done a damn good job. “Are you still having the phantom pain now?”

“No.” Shanks sighed, looking over to study your hands. “Not now that I can-... Well, see.”

“Right.” You hummed, careful with your touches. “You’re staring.”

“Can’t help it.”

“Why’s that?”

“... Anyone ever tell you that you have beautiful eyes?”

“Yep. Tons.” You grinned cheekily as you began to rewrap the amputated appendage. “Though, I’ll gladly hear it from you more often, if you’d be so kind.”

“Did you paint your nails?” His question caught you off guard.

You tied off the knot before pulling your hands back to study. You had painted them the night before, a vivid shade of ruby. You showed your hands to your Captain, who watched your every movement like a hawk. How… Curious. “I did. Do you like them?”

He reached up, grasping one to draw it closer- before he leaned down, pressing a lingering kiss to your knuckles. “I think the color is… Very flattering.” He spoke against your knuckles, the rasp of his voice stirring the coals of want. Your voice felt stuck in your throat as his stubble scraped gently against your fingers. “Such beautiful hands…”

The sound of footsteps broke you both apart, Shanks not dropping your hand but sitting upright. You, however, pulled your hand back as Benn appeared, a brow raised as he studied you. “Logs?”

“Ah, shite.” Shanks sighed, grabbing hold of his shirt to tug back on, followed by the coat. “Fine, fine. I dunno what I’d do without you, Benn.”

“Be in trouble.” Benn commented with a knowing smirk, meeting your gaze over Shanks’ head. “Yasopp also wants to know where the box is with his ammo.”

“It’s a box. Marked ammunition.” You grumbled, tossing the scraps of bandage into the trash, hiding the way your cheeks had flushed at being caught. But nothing had happened. Nothing- except for Shanks holding your hand to his lips, except for the needy rasp in his voice, except for the way he’d looked at you as if he wanted to devour you on the spot.

Your captain wanted you.

You wanted him.

What a dangerous game.

You ducked out after Benn, crossing over to the forecastle deck, retrieving your journal and inkwell from the box you’d set them in- to save them from sliding about deck. You couldn’t remember what you had been writing, too flustered over what had just occurred. Swallowing roughly, you focused instead on the horizon- on the gathering clouds. A storm? The wind had shifted, rain cooled. It would be a rough night, it seemed, unless the ship was able to skirt the storm.

It was a storm. A nasty one that had all hands on deck. You yelled over to Yasopp, only for your voice to be drowned out in the sound of waves crashing onto the deck. You cursed as you grabbed onto the railing. Even on the edges of it, the sea had turned against you for the night. Shanks stood at the wheel, shouting commands as he steered the ship into the angered waves. Roux grabbed your arm and dragged you below deck; there was only so much you yourself could do in this situation. It was better to stay below and wait it out with a few others of the crew.

You felt the bow rise high, watched as barrels rolled and boxes slid or fully toppled over, before the bow crashed and the stern rose. Into the waves, Shanks had said. That was the safest way to ride this out. If they went with the waves, the keel would break, and everyone would drown.

You weren’t sure how long it was until the ocean settled. Long enough that you had managed to find a space where you wouldn’t fall over with each rock of the ship. You rose to your feet, stretching with a grimace as you wandered from your hiding spot. Something was tugging at the back of your mind, leading you through the ship. You found your destination in the form of the Captain’s Quarters. A glance behind you showed that the sun hadn’t risen yet; the moon was still in the sky, though steadily falling towards the horizon. But light spilled from beneath the door, signifying that Shanks was still awake. You knocked, waiting-

“Enter!” He called, voice muffled by the heavy wood.

You opened the door, stepping in before closing it behind yourself. “You’re still awake.”

“Unfortunately.” He offered a weary smile; the shadows beneath his gaze showing just how exhausted he was. He sighed, leaning back in his seat. “Wanted to make sure we’d be clear of the storm.”

“It’s to our southeast now,” you made your way over, leaning your hip against the desk. “You need to rest, Cap.”

“Too wound up, now.” A vague gesture about; you understood that. Adrenaline in the system weaned away, leaving nothing but anxiety and muscles tensed too tightly to relax.

Your fingers tapped upon the wood, drawing his attention once more. You didn’t notice at first, until he didn’t say anything else. No followup quip. Head tilting, you studied Shanks as he watched your hand, enraptured by the movement of your fingers. An idea came to mind, one wicked enough to prompt blood to rush to the surface of your cheeks, to have your thighs squeezing together at the mere thought.

“Let me help you.”

“Pardon?” He pulled his gaze away, watching as you moved around the edge of the desk, stepping closer to him. He pushed his seat back, gaze roving over your form, drinking in how you looked in the golden light of the oil lamp. Hair slightly mused from the little sleep you’d gotten, bottom lip swollen from you biting it. “How?”

“You need to… Relax, yes?” You didn’t settle on his lap like he’d been expecting- but rather, you stood behind him, hands resting upon his shoulders. “Let me help you relax. Take away some of this awful tension you’ve been keeping.” Your fingers dug into the muscle beneath, drawing out a pleased groan as his head dropped forward. “Gods, Shanks- you’ve got more knots than the ratlines.”

A humored chuckle escaped, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he straightened up a touch, leaning into your touch more as your thumbs dug into his shoulders, drifting closer to his neck. He exhaled slowly, the subtle rumble of a groan coloring the sound. The sound drew a shudder across your skin; this was dangerous. But you couldn’t stop, even as one of your hands settled around his throat, the other under his chin, prompting his head to tilt back. Auburn tresses shifted back with the movement, baring the scars that laid across his eye- and the hunger within his gaze, pupils blown. You squeezed against his throat for a moment, pressing in at the sides rather down against the windpipe-

He moaned.

Eyes falling shut, mouth dropping open, the sound spilling forth like music to your ears.

“I can reach better in bed.” Your voice was barely above a murmur as you retracted your hands, watching as his gaze snapped open at the loss of touch. “If you want more.”

“Please.” He breathed, rising slowly to turn towards you. Shanks was a tall man, towering over your form. He reached out, cupping your cheek as he leaned down. His lips met yours in a slow, languid kiss; no rush to it, but the heat had your knees buckling, reaching up to take hold of his shoulders. “Please,” he repeated into the kiss, backing you against the window frames, pressing into you. He hungered for you, you realized: his kiss was full of the same kind of greed a man starved would harbor. You pulled back, only to graze his lower lip with your teeth.

“Go,” you whispered, watching the way he grinned, turning away to saunter into his room. His shirt was tugged off and tossed to the side carelessly. You didn’t undress, not yet- though, you did unlace your boots and kick them aside before following. You had a plan for this- a plan to help your beloved captain relax.

To release the tension that ate at him.

“On the bed.” You ordered, watching as he paused. “Did I stutter?”

“No.” He answered quickly, shaking his head as he made his way to the bed. It was certainly fit for a captain- large enough to fit four, with bedsheets that you were certain cost more than you had on your person. Shanks grinned as he climbed onto the bed, settling on his knees in the center. “Aren’t you going to undress?”

“Not yet,” you smiled sweetly as you approached, steps slow- measured. He was already nearly bursting at the seams- quite literally, you noticed by the way his trousers strained at the front. “I have an idea. You’ll let me take care of you, won’t you?” Your lip fell into a subtle pout as you reached out, cupping his cheeks as he shuffled closer, leaning into your touch as it trailed from his cheeks, to his jaw, to the base of his throat. “You’ll let me ease your worries, yes?”

“Yes,” he breathed, lips parting as your hands smoothed over his chest, taking a moment to massage his pecs. His lips titled up in a smile.

“You’ll let me,” you began, hands settling on his hips, offering a gentle yet firm squeeze before one hand drifted forward, drifting across the bulge that sat prettily for you. He shuddered, eyes falling shut at your touch. “Take away your stress?”

“Yes, please. Please,” oh, he nearly whined as you undid the button of his trousers before tugging them down. You weren’t shocked to see a lack of underwear. Of course not. “Gods, you’re perfect.”

“That’s my boy. Look at you- already hard just from a massage and a kiss. You poor thing!” Cooing, your fingers traced along the prominent vein that sat upon the underside of his cock. Shanks shuddered at the light touch, his eyes falling shut as he shuddered. You couldn’t resist, leaning into pepper kisses along his jawline as you continued your featherlight touches, feeling the way he twitched at the teasing feeling.

His hand reached out almost hesitantly, grasping at the front of your shirt, pulling hard enough on accident to send you both toppling onto the bed. A bark of laughter escaped as he sprawled on his back with you atop him. “Not what I planned, but I like this, too,” he grinned up at you as you pushed yourself up to hover over him. With his red hair splayed out about the sheets, your breath caught in your chest.

Shanks was a remarkable sight. Skin tanned to a warm tone, gaze bright despite the lust that clung to him, the faint smattering of freckles across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. You leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, unable to hold yourself back. An appreciative sigh spilled from Shanks as he reached up, cupping the back of your head, holding you closer to deepen the kiss. Teeth nipped at your bottom lip, stirring the heat that had already begun to spread through you.

No- no, he wouldn’t get the upper hand here. You returned the nip in a harsher manner, pulling free a startled gasp from your lover as you pulled back, licking at your kiss bruised lips. “Be a good boy- take off your shirt,” as you spoke, you moved, turning to face the headboard. You adjusted the pillows, stacking them to offer your back respite as you settled down with a sigh. Better, much better.

Shanks rushed as he pulled his shirt off, tossing it to Gods know where before turning to face you. His cheeks flushed, a breathless smile curving his lips as he sat upon his knees proudly.

“Pants, too.”

“Bossy,” he muttered as he took a moment to wiggle out of his trousers, letting them slide off the side of the bed to the floor below. They’ll be fine down there, you decided as you beckoned him closer. His smile turned dangerous as he shuffled closer-

“No, no. Not like that, sweetheart,” you shook your head, watching in amusement as he paused, visibly confused. “Come, lay back against my chest.”

“Lay- oh. Oh!” Realization dawned as he understood your plan, coming to settle his back against your chest, his head resting on your right shoulder. “What about you?” He asked, turning his head to press lingering kisses along your throat. “When do I get a taste of you?”

“Later. This is about you, Captain,” your hand smoothed down his side, nails digging into tanned skin, drawing forth soft red lines along his pelvis. His hips jerked at the pain, a hiss of breath sucked in between clenched teeth. A living work of art, you thought to yourself as your hand smoothed upwards, pausing to tweak a nipple. Another hiss, another shift of his hips into open air. “How often do you get treated like this?”

“Not… Often,” came the soft admittance as he busied himself with sucking bruises into your throat, bound and determined to try to get you as worked up as he was. “Usually, I’m the one in charge.”

A soft moan slipped past your lips at the feeling of his teeth sinking in; that would certainly leave a pretty bruise come morning. “What a shame. I know that must get so tiring for you, yes?” Your fingers settled on his jaw, tilting his head away from your neck. You shifted slightly, adjusting to get a better view as you tapped your fingers against his lips. “Open for me, darling.” Not a request.

Shanks obeyed. His lips parted, allowing your fingers entry before he closed his lips around the digits, eyes falling shut in tandem as his tongue laved at your fingers. You could imagine- rather vividly- what else that sinful mouth could do with the way his cheeks hollowed out, how his tongue curved around your fingers, coating them liberally. Sure, you could have been crude and spat in your palm- but this was better, far better than you could have ever imagined.

Especially as your free hand settled on his chest, massaging his pec slowly, squeezing the sensitive muscle. Fingers traced his nipple, watching as it hardened beneath your touch, as goosebumps broke across his skin. It was almost cute, you thought to yourself- how sensitive, how receptive Shanks was to your touch. You withdrew your fingers, though he wasn’t satisfied yet- reaching up to grasp your wrist, tongue laving along your palm.

You squeaked.

“That should do it, eh, treasure?” Shanks rasped, grinning up at you as you shook your head in disbelief. He knew your plan, the bastard. He reached over to the bedside table, tugging the drawer open to pull out a small glass vial. “Though, this might work a touch better.”

“Said the man who was just giving my fingers essential fellatio.” You quipped, cheeks flushed as he laughed, watching you wipe your fingers clean. “Give it.”

“Here,” he settled it in your palm, though took your momentary distraction to sweep in, stealing another kiss from you. You gripped the bottle in one hand while the other swept upwards, cupping his cheek. The angle was a tad awkward, but that didn’t matter- not with the way Shanks seemed bound and determined to get a reaction out of you from a kiss alone.

And a reaction, he got, as his hand settled on your waist, smoothed down to palm between your thighs. You gasped raggedly into the kiss, pulling back from him to frown. “You’re an ass- now lay back, for Gods’ sakes.”

“Can’t help it. You don’t know how long I’ve wanted you- wanted this. To touch you,” his back settled against your chest once more. Your arms wound around his middle as you worked the cork out of the bottle, using the lube to slick up your fingers and palm. “How many nights I’ve spent in this bed, thinking of what it’d be like to have you here.”

“That so?” You hummed, listening to the hitch in his breath as your hand settled around him, dragging upwards slowly- base to tip, back down again. “What did you picture? Tell me your fantasies, Shanks,” your free hand settled at the base of his throat once more as his head tilted back, brows drawn inwards. “Did you picture me under you? Begging for your touch?”

“Fuck,” he hissed, hips shifting to slowly grind into your touch, thighs tensing at the subtle scrape of your nails along the sensitive skin of his cock. “Yes- yes, of that. Of how your mouth would feel around my cock. How- oh- how I’d love to watch you take every inch of me.”

“Every inch?” He twitched in your grasp as you circled the head. Curiosity got the better of you as your palm smoothed over the tip- and oh, what a reaction that garnered! His hips stuttered upwards, his words failed as he moaned loudly, hand flying up to grab at your wrist.

“Shit!” He gasped out a laugh, eyes hazy as he shook his head. “How- yer a little minx,” his accent had grown thicker as he fell beneath the waves of arousal that crashed over him. “Don’t stop.”

“Keep your hand to yourself, and I won’t.” It was interesting- to be in control of this situation. Shanks huffed, but reached up, taking hold of your free hand to lace your fingers together. Such an intimate gesture… You smiled to yourself before regaining your pace. Faster, now- eagerly jerking him off as he continued to moan and writhe beneath your touch. How precum leaked from his tip, aiding in the glide of your palm. You broke your pattern, reaching down to fondle his balls, offering the barest hint of a squeeze.

Shanks nearly sobbed out at the feeling. “Close- close, dear Gods I’m so close, don’t stop!” He pleaded with you, turning his head to tuck in against your throat.

Your fingers circled his base- and squeezed.

“Oh, you BASTARD.” He gasped, panting against your throat as you staved off his impending orgasm.

“Did you really think I’d let you cum that easily?” You grinned as you began to touch lightly once more- as you did in the beginning. “I told you I’d be taking care of you, didn’t I, Captain?”

“I didn’t think it’d be… Oh- ha- like this,” he mumbled against you, his hips twitching up into your touch. You hummed, your grip tightening and holding still, letting Shanks rut up into the warm squeeze. “Oh, my treasure- please, please-”

“Please what? Don’t tell me you’re close again already!”

“Can’t help- can’t help it!” He whined- and oh, how that was music to your ears as he fucked in earnest into your grip. “Please!”

“No.” You drew your hand away completely, listening to the frustrated groan that escaped Shanks. “You can wait a little longer, yes?”

“You’re evil.”

“But, baby,” you murmured, tilting his chin up to meet his gaze. Hazy- hard for him to focus. He wasn’t one who dabbled in edging often, you noted; he truly wouldn’t last beyond one more round, not unless you wished to deal with consequences. That was a boundary yet to be discussed. “Tell me it doesn’t feel good. Tell me you don’t feel like pure lightning right now.” Shanks sighed, drawing in a calming breath. “Good boy, just like that. I promise I’ll let you cum this time-”

“Oh, thank Gods-”

“If you beg.”

“Beg?” He blinked, the haze clearing from his gaze for a moment. Beg? That’s all he had to do? Oh, he could beg. His grin sharpened as he settled back down, your hand pressing against his chest, pulling him down. “Beg for ye?”

“Beg for me to let you cum.”

“I don’t beg.”

“Then suffer.” You grinned, palm smoothing over the head of his cock, fingers curving down as you rotated your wrist, stimulating the glands in ways he didn’t know was possible.

He jolted against your hold, a hoarse cry escaping his lips. “Sweet Eros!” He sobbed to the God of Pleasure, stomach tensing up as your hand began to stroke in earnest.

You leaned your head down, your lips caressing his ear. “I’ll be nice- you don’t need to beg this time. Next time, you will, but this time? I want you to cum, Shanks. I want you to cum for me. I wanna hear you cry for me. Can you do that? Can you be a good boy and cry for me? Let everyone know who’s gotten you to this point?”

Your words, the way your hand was twisting, it was all too much for the Captain. His head fell back against your shoulder as he moaned out your name- long, loud, repeating it like a mantra as he spilled over your hand, onto his stomach, making a mess. You pressed kiss after kiss his temple as he shuddered through it until his hand gently pushed at your wrist; the overstimulation too much for him.

Your- now dirtied- hand settled to the side while your clean hand smoothed over his chest, feeling the way his breathing gradually evened out over the next few minutes. “You did so good,” you murmured, pressing another kiss to his temple as he sighed, stretching. “I expected no less from my Captain.”

“You must be a siren,” he decided as he sat up, looking at you over his shoulder. “Here, I’ll get a-”

“Nope.” You had already clambered out of the bed and made your way to his private bathroom. “Stay. I’m grabbing a towel!” You called back, though you took a moment to study the marks he’d left on your throat. Five of them. Five. On one side. And one was certainly a visible bite mark, the dog. You returned with a warmed wash cloth to see Shanks lazing on the bed, arm behind his head, his gaze tracking your movements like a cat of prey.

This was far from over, you thought distantly.

“How do you feel?” You asked as you wiped his stomach clean, taking a moment to teasing lick a spot clean just to hear the way he’d hissed.

“Relaxed,” came the admittance as he reached out, taking your hand to pull you in. You tossed the rag aside, climbing into bed beside him. His arm wrapped around you, holding you in against his side. “You didn’t-”

“Wasn’t about me.”

“... Do you want to?”

You turned your head, pressing gentle kisses along his jawline. “Later, you can make it up to me. For now, you should rest. That was a lot- more than what you’re normally used to, right?”

“Mm. Normally the one edging others, not being edged.”

“Exactly.” You grabbed the blankets- blessedly unsoiled- and tugged them up, covering your legs. “Get a few hours of sleep. Ben can handle the morning, can’t he?”

Shanks didn’t argue, shuffling down beneath the blankets. He sighed deeply as you settled against his side, arm tossed over his stomach, leg over his hip. “Could get used to this, yeknow,” he mumbled, sleep already starting to drag him under.

“So could I,” you whispered, listening to the pleased hum that rumbled in his chest. You smiled to yourself as Shanks fell asleep, your own eyes closing. A few hours of sleep could do you both good.

You’d need it, for what he had planned in retaliation.

#one piece #shanks smut #shanks x reader #one piece smut #shanks x you #one piece imagines #think i need someone older #kanon's writings #TW: medical trauma #TW: phantom limb syndrome #yeah that's all I can think of enjoy

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ana-bananya · 4 months

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List of organizations and fundraisers to you can donate to to help Palestine:

The numbers are simply to help me keep track of how many links I've added since tumblr has a 100 link limit on posts.

Most of these links will take you the posts I've made about these fundraisers that provide brief summaries so you can check for verification and see where your money is going.

‼️ indicates that a fundraiser has experienced a decrease in donations or has been without donations for some time

Last progress update done on August 6th 2024

Palestinian Red Cresent

Crips for Esims for Gaza

Care for Gaza

Gaza Direct Aid

Heal Palestine

Help Mohammed Alzaanin's family evacuate from Gaza (€96,887/€118,000) ‼️ Mohammad and his family evacuated to Egypt but need support to afford their father's surgery.

Help Shahed and her family afford treatment in Egypt (€81,267/€115,000)

Help Majd Omar evacuate his family and save his mom from cancer (€10,527/€47,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help evacuate Adam, Iyad, and the Al-Kafarna family ($152,030/$150,000)

Help Save Ahmed and His Family ($13,418/$35,000 - VERY low on funds)

Help Amer Abdelmalek evacuate his family to Canada ($70,763 CAD/$100,000 CAD)

Help Yazan, Sara, and Adam evacuate ($3,346 CAD/$25,000 CAD - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Waleed's family evacuate to safety ($8,969/$36,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Dr. Sarah’s family ($84,658/$100,000) ‼️

Save Mohamed's family, refugees in Rafah Donations have been suspended, I have reached out to the organizer to ask and am awaiting a response.

Help Afaf Masoud evacuate her family (€104,636/€110,000)

Help Ghada Karyym's family evacuate and afford medical treatment (€42,847/€60,000) ‼️

Help my family and I to evacuate from Gaza, organized by Shaymaa Abudalu ($34,662 CAD/$50,000 CAD) ‼️

Help evacuate Mahmoud's family out of Gaza (€143,652/€150,000)

Help Al Helou family from Gaza ($81,959/$110,000 ‼️)

Help Save Hassan's Orphans ($27,475/$38,000)

Support Surgeon Serving Gaza City ($177,043/$220,000)

Help Abdelfattah sami Halawa evacuate his family ($40,747 CAD/$100,000 CAD - VERY Low on funds)

Help Evacuate 3yo Karaz ($859 CAD/$60,000 CAD - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Nour's newborns twins and her family evacuate to safety ($1,563/$50,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Evacuate Fares and his family from Gaza (£29,647/£50,000)

Donate to help Deyaa and his family escape Gaza €30,659 raised

Donate to help Ibrahim and his family evacuate (€105,053/€115,000) Ibrahim and his family evacuated to Egypt. All further donations will go towards helping the rest of their family in Gaza and supporting their lives in Egypt.

Help Israa Harb evacuate her family and afford medical care for her family (€37,460/€60,000)

Help Mohammed Elhaj Mohamed's family evacuate and rebuild their lives (€7,414/€65,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Sara Thabit Doghmash evacuate her family and afford surgery for her father and brothers (€44,734/€100,000) ‼️

Support Mona Abu Hamda evacuate her family in Egypt ($91,942/$150,000) Mona and her family have evacuated, all future donations will help support them in Egypt

Help Sama and Tasneem evacuate and continue their education ($11,686/$50,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Donate to help evacuate Asmaa and her sister so they can access medical care (€43,133/€100,000) ‼️

Help Reham evacuate her family of 14 to save her mother and brother (£3,173/£40,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Donate to help Enas’s family escape Gaza ($27,768 AUD/$50,000 AUD)

Help Bahjat evacuate his parents and sisters ($30,400/$35,000) ‼️

Support Ziad Shaheen’s family in Gaza ($11,255/$18,000) ‼️

Help Zaina and her baby brother evacuate ($7,449 CAD/$80,000 CAD - VERY low on funds) Donations are suspended for this page as Zaina's gfm manager works on making a new one after encountering troubles

Help Mustafa evacuate his family and get treatment for his 8 year old son (€177/€90,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Moin and his family evacuate ($15,102/$30,000) Please also consider supporting Moin's siblings

Help Salem and fellow displaced families afford necessities ($18,533/$40,000)

Evacuate Fadi's Family from Gaza ($38,573/$62,500)

Help Tahani save her children and husband ($18,084/$50,000 - VERY low on funds)

Help Sahar evacuate her husband and daughter (€19,221/€30,000 - VERY low on funds)

Help Yusuf's family evacuate and treat his kidney failure (€42,016/€85,000) ‼️

Help Ahmed family to travel to a save place (£8,463/£30,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Save a Pregnant Mother's Life and Support Her Family (€27,365/€45,000)

Khader and Ragheb Appeal: Rebuilding Life Beyond the Horrors (€2,573/€55,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Donate to help baby Elana and her mother (€11,301/€30,000 - VERY low on funds)

Help my Family To Evacuate Gaza, organized by Mohammed Bardaweel (€7,095/€37,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Shahd evacuate his family ($80,250/$80,000)

Help Mohammed Alanqer evacuate his wife and children (€49,906/€58,000)

Help Firas Salem save his family (€34,384/€65,000) ‼️

Save Hassan's sisters Donations have been suspended, I have reached out to the organizer and am awaiting a response

Help Tala treat her mother's cancer (€13,077/€40,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Hamza Hilles get his family out of Gaza (€3,180/€30,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Mohammed Hilles evacuate his family (€26,762/€37,000)

Help Rania evacuate her husband and children (£1,196/£35,000 - VERY low on funds)

Help Tawfik evacuate his parents and younger siblings ($17,540/$40,000 - VERY low on funds)

Help Us Escape Gaza: A Mother's Plea for Safety (€12,461/€16,000)

Save The Sharif Family ($9,576/$90,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Fadi Ayyad's family evacuate and continue their lives outside of Gaza ($31,409/$35,000)

Save Mahmoud Khalaf's family (€19,118/€30,000)

Hani Al-Sharif and family's evacuation fund ($3,795/$50,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Support Ahmed's family's evacuation (€45,918/€49,000)

Help baby Omer evacuate and get treatment ($27,152/$55,000)

Save Yazan's family (€3,976/€50,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Support the Shamaly family's evacuation (24,160 CAD/$90,000 CAD - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Help Samer's family evacuate (kr102,362 SEK/kr450,000 SEK - VERY low on funds)

Evacuate Basel's family (CHF5,266/CHF60,000 - VERY low on funds)

A Father's Plea: Help Save My Family (€11,412/€23,000 - VERY low on funds)

Help Walaa evacuate and get access to insulin ($9,392 CAD/$50,000 CAD - VERY low on funds)

Dr. Mohammed Aldeeb's family evacuation fund (€33,904/€55,000)

Ahmed Balousha's family evacuation fund (€4,685/€15,000 - VERY low on funds)

Support Ashraf's Family Rebuild Their Lives (€15,672/€20,000)

Save Amira's family (€19,641/€29,000)

Save Khaled, Rajaa, and Kram ($8,130 CAD/$20,000 CAD - VERY low on funds)

Support Muhammad Al-Habil and his family's evacuation (€20,100/€50,000)

Save Wafaa's family (€16,312/€100,000 - VERY low on funds)

Support Mohiy, Wafaa's brother ($8,967/$31,000 - VERY low on funds)

Support Fidaa, Wafaa and Mohiy's sister ($5,206/$10,000)

Help Mohammed Al-Seifi's family survive ($3,445/$7,000)

Support Ameina and her family ($20,312/$100,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Save Iyad's family (CHF10,005/CHF20,000 - VERY low on funds)

Amjad's family evacuation (€3,215/€97,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Aseel Asaad's family ($5,253/$20,000 - VERY low on funds) Aseel previously reached out to me here. The link attached to her name is her new fundraiser, please donate there.

Hanaa, Muhammad, and their son Yusuf (£6,809/£20,000 - VERY low on funds)

Mahmoud Alkhaldi's family ($6,472/$50,000 - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Abdelrahman's family (€14,365/€20,000)

Maria's family ($361 CAD/$30,000 CAD - VERY low on funds) ‼️

Falestine and her son Youssef ($7,595/$40,000 - VERY low in funds)

Motaz, Fedaa, and their children (kr3,646 SEK/kr250,000 SEK - VERY low on funds)

Hadiya's family (€3,370/€50,000 - VERY low on funds)

#Palestine #free palestine #Gaza #Rafah #all eyes on rafah #mutual aid #Crowd funding

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photmath · 2 months

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Comme Les Fleurs - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Gala Summary: Left with no other options, Kylian must rehab his newly injured leg at a stranger’s home for the next month and she isn’t at all what he expects. Meanwhile, Aurèle has to deal with easily-irritated and sullen Kylian as she opens her home to him. Word Count: 9.2k Warnings: very rusty writing, some angst, brief out-of-character kylian Note: Yeahhh, so this was long overdue.

Aurie had forgotten what it felt to be engrossed with a man. The tightness of her chest and the feel of her throat closing up when things were at unease between them. It had been a while since her last relationship, and although she and Kylian hadn’t defined their terms yet, things were getting serious between them. The constant worry that would creep in after not hearing from him for a couple of hours was a sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time. She despised it.

It felt childish to feel like this. Aurie was too grown up to be feeling like a preteen girl with a crush. Plus, she had too many jobs to do.

“Aurie,” Camille repeats, snatching Aurie’s attention.

“What?” Aurie spins around, her fingers smudged in hot glue.

“Are you seriously still fussing with the sign? The dance starts in a couple of hours, at this point you are going to ruin it if you continue,” Camille says as she puts the final pieces together for the centerpieces. “Simi! Help me place the centerpieces on the tables please.”

The three of them, alongside Raphael, had spent the last three days setting up the gala and it was finally all coming together. The colors of summer, all splattered around the ballroom. Flowers wrapped around chairs and tables—Simi even had a flower crown. The glass centerpieces that were lanterns were filled with yellow chrysanthemums and twinkling lights inside. The pillars of the ballroom had been neatly wrapped in green leaves, colored flowers pinched into them seamlessly.

It was beautiful.

Aurie distracted herself from Kylian’s silence decorating the pillars the other night, having never left the nursing home until the next morning. Maria and Estrella had come into the ballroom seeking silence and there they found Aurie tediously working on a ladder to drape pastel colored curtains.

It had been a week since her window was ransacked. A week since having to have a few of Kylian’s security guards at her place—Bleu getting accustomed (and healing) to their presence—and a week since Aurie last saw Kylian.

She hated it.

Kylian had been in Paris, getting treatment from Martin, as he did whatever he was doing—Aurie was still out of the loop. Every time he called her it was the same: he’ll let her know when he has time to talk. But it was infuriating because he would call her when he barely had time to talk and there was so much to say but could never be uttered because Kylian was racing around. So why even call in the first place?!

She detested it.

Usually she was the one who sought to avoid serious conversations, but with the roles now being reversed, made her want to scream. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep also sneaking up onto her, but either way, nothing had been the same. Not since Kylian confessed that he loved her.

He wasn’t entirely silent. Throughout the day, he would send her messages such as:

I can’t wait to hold you.

I just want to be in your arms.

I miss you—so much, mon amour.

And it made Aurie all even more confused. What could possibly be occupying his time that he couldn’t even give her an hour of his time? Martin and Dr. Minic had given her their documents of his session with him last week. His temperament was a lot better, but there was also redacted information about a “couple” of stressors. Why was it redacted?! Martin’s notes about Kylian’s calf were nothing but positive progress: “Showing great progress under Aurie’s care, and on track for the first week of preseason. No international competitions.”

But then she read the next couple of lines: “Will be monitored in Paris for the next week (or so) under Martin’s care as he has many meetings in Paris. Will begin some light sessions with a ball and sprinting.”

How many meetings is too many? And why? For how long? There were endless questions that Aurie had but still could not get answers. Most were about Kylian but a few daunting ones were about her—did she do something wrong? Was his progress actually not on track?

For fucks sake.

The silence from Kylian and then vague answers from Martin were fucking awful. All of her phone calls to Martin were the same: “Aurie, don’t worry. He is doing really well. He has some things to do here so it’s better for me to take care of him so that he isn’t constantly traveling.”

And as if to make matters worse, Aurie’s mother showed up to her door the other day wondering why her window was blue. Aurie lied and said she broke it while playing with Bleu upstairs—but then Bleu came jogging towards them and Elina saw his still red gash on his snout. When she finally told her mom the truth, it was all the same thing: “He’s ruining you…you’ve come so far. You gave it all up for this job, imagine how much you’ll give up following that man.”

Aurie blinks away tears as her hands shake while dotting the last drop of glue. She presses down a green leaf onto the glue. The sign for the summer gala was now finally done, even if Camille said it looked fine an hour ago—it didn’t. But now, it was perfect. There were green leaves and pink flowers that swooped around the words: “Summer Garden Soirée.”

She leaves the sign to dry and gets up from her seat, seeing Simone and Camille arrange the last centerpiece together at the other end of the ballroom. She sneaks out of it quietly, her legs unbalanced like Bambi on ice.

Aurie’s phone buzzes a couple of times and she digs it out of her pocket and notices it’s a random number calling her. She declines the call, but then a previous message on her lock screen reads: “It’s Brice.”

She sighs, answering his next incoming call. He greets excitedly, “Hey! I’m out shopping for Kylian—uh what color is your dress?”

“My dress?” Aurie furrows her eyebrows.

“Mm-hmm,” he shuffles around, the sound of hangers sliding across the metal bar fills her ear. “For the gala.”

“Uh…” Aurie thinks. She knew the color of her dress but why did they need it? Kylian didn’t say he was coming to the gala. “What for?”

Brice chuckles, “Kylian did say you were stubborn. I need it to match his tie.”

“He isn’t coming tonight.”

Brice pauses on the other line, the sound of him moving hangers comes to a halt, “Oh. Uh—did he not get invited?”

“Brice,” Aurie pauses, utterly confused. She knows nothing about Kylian’s whereabouts. Brice knew more. She sighs deeply, “I mean…yeah he was invited but after everything that happened…I didn’t think he’d be coming.”

“Mm-hmm,” Brice repeats, the metal grinding on metal continues. “Well he said he was gonna be there tonight—”

“News to me,” Aurie mutters, and then closes her eyes and silently curses herself for letting her sarcastic remark slip out.

Brice sighs on the other side, “Aurie…it won’t always be like this…he just has a lot going on right now. I promise he’ll tell you everything when he can. This is the first time something like this has happened.”

Aurie stays quiet, now leaning against the hallway. The first time? What the hell is that supposed to mean? But it is still the same thing everyone has told her. “Yeah…”

“Hang in there,” he encourages.

“Mm-hmm,” she mumbles, desperately trying to make her voice strong. Everything about this situation was hard. This wasn’t the same Kylian she had been exposed to—and she was realizing that this is probably how he was before they met—his real self. A glimpse of what their future would be like.

And in all honesty, Aurie wasn’t strong enough for this. She couldn’t bear the silence, not when Kylian seemed to always want to seek her out. Was it because he was forced into her house, so naturally he reached towards her? If he had been in Paris this entire time, and she was visiting him, would things have been different? Or is it—

“Aurie,” Brice says softly, “the color of your dress?”

“Green, like an emerald green,” she answers quickly.

“Okay, thank you. I’ll talk to you later,” he sighs. “Take care, Aurie.”

Aurie hangs up the call as quickly as she can. She closes her eyes and leans her head against the wall. Her phone buzzes again and she audibly groans, but her heart sinks at seeing Kylian’s name pop up…and his smiling photo they took outside when they were chopping wood. His dimple is so deep and pronounced in it.

Her fingers instinctively graze her necklace, the gold daisy he gifted her now a source of comfort. But she couldn’t answer the phone. She couldn’t bring herself to press the ‘accept’ button, which only made her only feel worse. She sighs as it goes to voicemail, and then Kylian sends her a message almost immediately:

I miss you, call me when you can bébé

Aurie frowns at the message, forcing herself to send him one back:

I miss you too, I will

Aurie went home and napped for almost three hours and caught up on sleep she had missed the past couple of days. The window had been patched and fixed by now. Maple still slept in Kylian’s room, while Bleu seemed to be getting much calmer each day. He had been waking up to every slightest bit of noise—the security guards switching, animals rustling around, or even thunderstorms. He would whine or bark so aggressively that Aurie would have to get up and open her bedroom door so that he could go search for the problem.

She had showered and taken her dress and makeup to the nursing home. She got dressed with Maria and Estrella, the two of them filling the room with endless laughs making her forget all about her troubles. Everything seemed insignificant in their presence.

And they looked stunning. They wore matching puffy and ruffled dresses—purple and pink. Their jewelry was simple but elegant with just enough sparkle. They let Aurie do their makeup and it wasn’t like Aurie could do impeccable makeup but it was enough for the gala. Plus, it made them all laugh even more when she messed up.

With the gala set to start in half an hour, Aurie left their room and made her way towards the ballroom. The cake is decorated just as she imagined it, a traditional 3-tier light pink cake with a white border. A couple of decorative butterflies were centered on the top and down one side of it. The photo booth and drop were in a corner, different colors of greenery and flowers made the border. Instead of balloons, it was bunches of flowers that made the booth pop.

“Tatie Aurie!” Simone yells as she catches Aurie off guard. She didn’t hear the ballroom doors open. Simone comes crashing to Aurie’s dress, “The green! So pretty!”

Aurie smiles, watching Simone’s face light up as she looks up at her. Her little yellow poofy dress flowed all the way down to her sparking silver slippers. And that flower crown that Aurie made earlier, on top of Simone’s head proudly. “You look so pretty too, Simi.”

Simone blushes with a smile, “Thank you, I brought you a surprise—look!”

Aurie had been so caught up with Simone that she didn’t even notice someone else walked in behind her. She turns towards the door, and Kylian is standing there in a black tuxedo with a matching green bow tie. He wears a sloppy but nervous grin once Aurie sees him. His hands fidget with the buttons before he clasps them tightly together.

Aurie’s breath hitches, not at all anticipating to see him here. Sure, Brice had let her know, but she didn’t believe him. It was almost like she was getting used to Kylian's absence that she was no longer expecting him to show up when she searched for him. But here he was, standing at the entrance, his eyes twinkling and growing fonder with each passing second.

“I’m going to go find my mommy now,” Simone whispers, making Aurie look down at her with a hesitant but then genuine smile. Simone trots off towards Kylian, his eyes soft as he watches her skip past him and then out the door. They watch her both in silence until the door shuts.

Kylian struts towards Aurie in a few, long strides, kissing her temple and then embracing her firmly. His head fits right into her shoulder as he leans down, a shaky sigh escaping his lips. Aurie’s arms wrap around his back tightly, her head nuzzled into his chest and for the moment she doesn’t even care if makeup transfers onto his tux.

God, she had missed him so much. There was no denying it. She missed his scent, his strong and protective arms.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. She really didn’t want to cry right now but she can’t help it. It felt like she had been holding it all in and now she was finally able to release them. All the unanswered questions, the lack of sleep, the stress—it was all coming out at the wrong time.

Kylian hugs her tighter, his hands wrapping tightly on her lower back. “I know,” he repeats.

“Kylian,” she croaks.

He cradles the back of her head with his hand, holding her close to him. “I’m sorry, Aurèle.”

“Stop apologizing,” she mumbles, her voice trembling as she sniffles. “I’ve ruined my makeup.”

He chuckles softly, “We can fix it.”

“And your tux.”

“It’s okay,” he murmurs. He closes his eyes softly. He hated seeing her like this and if his week wasn’t so fucking hectic, he wouldn’t have made her feel like this. He kisses her temple and leaves his lips pressed up against it. “I’m sorry, mon amour.”

“Just tell me what’s going on,” her voice trembles as she speaks. Kylian’s heart sinks.

He pulls his head away from her slowly, far enough to see her confused and hurt eyes. Her makeup messed up from her tears. He frowns, “Can we go somewhere more private?”

“Just tell me,” she pleads—demands.

Kylian purses his lips, glancing around at the ballroom. It was so beautiful that he momentarily got distracted with it, and he looked at all the decorations that he knew she had been working hard on. His fingers press into her lower back more firmly.

“It’s only us in here,” she waves around. He would have chuckled at her sassiness any other time but he can’t seem to find the courage to do so now.

He looks back at her, searching her eyes and his knees buckle at the sight. They’re patient, full of adoration—but hurt. Gleaming with tears of confusion, anger, and exhaustion. He sighs, “I’m moving to Madrid. It was finalized this week.”

The silence that follows is deafening. Her eyebrows raise softly and that is all the emotion she expressed. She isn’t confused or hurt…she’s…unreadable. He can’t decipher her look.

“Oh,” she says.

Kylian furrows his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue, but she never does.

A part of Aurie feels relieved, that his silence was warranted. It was a big deal. It was a huge deal. This silence was possibly just a single occurrence and most likely wouldn’t happen again. All the cryptic messages from him, Martin, Dr. Minic, and Brice—they all made sense. It all made sense. Sure, they still have much to say, but with maybe fifteen minutes until the doors opened, they couldn’t hash out everything right here.

“Okay,” she says, blowing a relieved sigh.

“Okay?”

“You want this right?”

He nods slowly, confused, “Yeah…” His hands let go of her waist and rested on his own hips. “That’s it?”

“Well we certainly can’t talk about this right now,” Aurie says. “Congratulations though, Kylian. For going to Real Madrid, I hear that’s a great team.”

Kylian chuckles, still slightly confused, “You’re being weird, but thank you.”

Aurie smiles, her hand capturing his palm as she leads him out of the ballroom. With their hands intertwined, they walk to the front of the nursing home to retrieve Aurie’s makeup bag. As they enter one of the restrooms, she locks the door.

“I’m happy for you, Kylian,” she says truthfully, “I kind of remember the whole thing about you and Madrid some years ago.” They share a small laugh. “So I’m glad it worked out.”

“But?”

“No buts.”

Aurie stands in front of the mirror and wipes her face with a makeup towel as Kylian comes behind her and slides his hands around her waist. His frontside bumps into her backside and he kisses her neck, smiling bashfully at her, “I’ve wanted to tell you for so long but I couldn’t—and still can’t—so you don’t know anything. It’s a secret.”

Aurie chuckles as she reapplies her makeup. She doesn’t put too much on this time because she knows the night might call for more tears.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he sighs heavily against her shoulder, his eyes peering up at hers in the mirror as he tucks his head into her neck. His lips graze her skin tenderly, pecking the skin before he fully rests his chin against her shoulder. His arms bring her into an actual embrace from behind. Her body flushes against his and they both share a sigh. Full of longing, more unspoken words, but for now, they are soaking in each other’s breath as if they need it to survive.

“I’m sorry for hurting you.”

“I know,” she whispers. “I know you didn’t mean it. I’ve missed you too.”

“If I could’ve handled that situation any better, I would’ve, chérie. I would’ve flown you with me to Madrid.”

“You went to Madrid?” she furrowed her eyebrows, a small chuckle rising out of her.

His knees buckle at the feel of her laugh against him, “Yeah.” He sighs softly. “I did, to discuss further with Florentino Pérez.”

“That is so…cool,” Aurie says, amazed. He laughs when he sees her eyes full of wonder in the mirror. “You can just get on a plane and fly.”

Kylian’s chest rumbles again with another laugh, “Why is that? Do you want to get a plane and just go away too?”

Aurie shrugs. After the week from hell she’s had, she wouldn’t mind dropping it off and forgetting all about her troubles to rest at some unknown location. Even if her main trouble was staring right back at her, it would be better than the shitty week she endured.

Kylian notices the slight drop in Aurie’s eyes and squeezes her hips firmly again. He brings his head up to kiss her cheek, languidly and chaste. “I’m really sorry, Aurèle. I’ve felt awful ever since I left that day. Had I known I wasn't going to see you for a week, I would’ve held you a little tighter that night and told you right then and there but it just happened.”

Aurie blinks away the tears, “Kylian, stop talking please. We can talk about all of this later okay? I promise. I just can’t right now—I know you didn’t mean it.”

Kylian nods slowly as he stands up straighter. His hands remain on her waist and the fleeting thought of her avoidance invades his mind. “Don’t avoid this, Aurie.”

She turns around to face him, the makeup brush stops mid-motion. “I’m not. The gala is about to start in five minutes.”

“I know, but,” he sighs, “I don’t want us to go long without talking.”

“We aren’t,” she promises again. Her voice is unwavering as she says it and he hates that he came at a bad time. Hates that his flight was delayed because if he had come the original time, they would’ve had an hour to catch up and resolve their issues.

Aurie senses the doubt on Kylian’s features and so she soothes her hand across his freshly-shaved jaw, “I’m not running away from this, Kylian.”

“Okay,” he whispers softly. He leans in to kiss the space between her brows and then kisses her lips softly.

She chuckles, “I’m almost done here.”

Kylian instinctively grins as he lets her turn around to finish her makeup. He glances at himself in the mirror to make sure his tux still appeared fine, and there was a small spot of makeup that had rubbed off from Aurie but it was unnoticeable. He adjusts his bowtie and then slips his hand onto Aurie’s back. He wants to steal every moment of her that he can, especially after experiencing how his life would be without her.

A chill runs down Kylian’s back at the possibility. The sudden realization that Aurie probably wouldn’t be coming with him to Madrid and his face stills. His eyes land on her daisy necklace as he thinks—horrifically—his life without her presence now. He’s gotten so used to her the past month that the one week away from her was enough to make him groan into the pillows at night and stare aimlessly into every empty seat. A week that felt so long—

Aurie spins around, snapping Kylian out of his thoughts, and his hand rests now against her hip.

“Let’s go,” she beams and clasps her hands with his. He swallows his emotions down harshly as he follows her. He masks his face quickly once he sees Camille and Simone, Raphael tailing the two of them.

Across the corridor, a couple of guests and their family members begin to trickle into the ballroom. Aurie leaps out of Kylian’s hand and he lets her go do her job, wistfully smiling from across the corridor. Simone chases after her happily, giggling cheerfully. Camille steals a glance at Kylian and notes how content he looks.

The gala proceeds as planned; Aurie camps out at the photodrop section because all the residents want a photo with her. She doesn’t mind it at all. Kylian shares his fair share of taking photos and autographs as well, even dancing with many residents who were left unimpressed with his hesitant dancing skills but they let him lead anyway. Kylian’s politeness and charm woo the residents’ families.

Kylian steals a couple of photos with Aurie and Simone at the photo booth, making silly faces with the both of them. Simone wraps her arms around both him and Aurie as he holds her up.

The dinner portion of the gala goes smoothly as planned, there is even food leftover for seconds. Kylian and Aurie sit together with Camille, Raphael, and Simi. But as the hostess Aurie is, she can barely eat or sit down. Her mind is on too many different things—the DJ, the small mishap with a bouquet on the photodrop getting loose, and making sure that everyone actually gets a plate of food. Even with the help of volunteers from the local university and staff working to make sure the event goes smoothly, Aurie has to be in the middle of it to confirm everything is good. Eventually, she sits back down at the table and Kylian encourages her to eat but her bites are small.

Later on, he dances with her to two songs—he takes count because he stepped on her heels a couple of times and he felt bad. Aurie only encouraged him though, never chastising him or getting upset. The sound of the music drowned out that he could only hear her giggles in his ear and the feel of her hands wrapped around his neck.

Even with Aurie and him separated for most of the night, it didn’t stop him from constantly stealing glances of her from across the room. His eyes would focus on anything and everything when he looked her way, such as her necklace or her smile that never failed to make his knees buckle.

Now, as Aurie takes a breather outside in the corridor of the gala, she runs into her two favorite troublemakers, Maria and Estrella.

“What are you two doing out here?” she announces with a smile, sipping on her cup of water. The two women startle and then turn around in their walkers. Their faces trying to recover after being caught red handed. Aurie’s smirk only grows. “What is it?”

Estrella laughs, her pink gown sparkling against the corridor’s lights, “We were just having a break.”

“Really?”

Maria nods, “Estrella is escaping Claude. He won’t stop talking!”

The three of them share a laugh. Aurie walks closer to them and leans against the wall, resting her head on it with a somber smile.

“What’s the matter, Aurèle?” Maria inquires, her face immediately etching with concern. Estrella follows suit and steps closer gingerly.

“Nothing,” Aurie smiles softly. “I am just thinking…tonight has gone better than I expected. Everyone looks like they are having a good time.”

“Well of course, you are always the best planner,” Maria says. “Do you remember when you organized that dinner and we ran out of sides? Many of the residents were upset and it was your first week here, but you quickly found a solution and it was perfect.”

Aurie smiles again at the memory, “Yeah, I remember.”

“Plus, Simi and the other kids make us feel young,” Estrella adds. “And that boy of yours, Kylian. He is a charmer—can work on his dancing skills though.”

Aurie snorts, “He tries.”

Estrella gives her another look, “What’s really bothering you?”

Aurie deeply exhales. “What do you guys think about Kylian?”

“He really loves you, darling,” Maria smiles. “I remember my love like that. It’s beautiful to witness.”

“I know,” Aurie says truthfully. It scares her that she knows exactly what Kylian’s love entails and how deeply it shows. Even with their week apart and their short time together, it was difficult for it all to be a cruel ruse. “But the famous part of him…the side of him that is going to Madrid. With crazy fans…harsh critics. A huge life. That side of him?”

Maria and Estrella share a look with each other. The mischievous mood of the corridor had quickly turned pensive. The ballroom’s door suddenly opens up and the three of them turn around quickly. It is just another resident making their way to the restroom. Maria says, “Do you want to go out in the garden to talk more?”

“Sure,” Aurie says softly, walking in between the two women. “You guys are great.”

Estrella chuckles, “We know you have been working hard for this. So let’s go outside so you can get a breather.”

Aurie snickers although her heart feels heavy. If she were to move to Madrid, she would miss this. She would leave this life behind. It would mean leaving the nursing home that her mother worked so hard on shaming her for working there. The coworkers and friends at the hospital and nursing home that she has made along the way, she would leave them too. Two places that drew her back to her real self, especially the home. Without this place, she would still be a physio for PSG, feeling miserable because keeping up with the workload was too much for her. Every day she felt like she was drowning. She never felt like she was underwater here, even when her first week had been so rocky and the residents were reluctant to trust her.

She memorizes the cream-colored painted walls and white tiles as they lead up to a set of doors. The night sky is in full effect, with glittering stars and a crescent moon. She smiles as she sits down. Maria and Estrella gingerly set their walkers aside and sit down on the bench on either side of her.

“Do you love him?” Maria asks.

Aurie simpers, “Yeah.” She looks at Maria, “I do…it would just be so fast. I barely met the man almost a month and some weeks ago.”

Maria chuckles, “I married my husband after three weeks of knowing him. We were married until he passed, for 57 years.”

Aurie bursts into a small laugh, “Three weeks?! That is too fast.”

“You love him though?”

“Yes, but I wouldn’t be able to do that.”

“Would you be able to uproot your life to live with him at least?” Estrella asks. “If he really is going to Madrid like the rumors say…would you be able to do that? To try?”

Aurie freezes momentarily. Sure she was just thinking about the possibility but she hadn’t come up with an answer. It was too soon to say.

“I don’t know,” Aurie says. “I’ve left here many times and still always come back.”

“Can you imagine a life in Madrid at least?” Estrella proposes. Her hand touches where Aurie’s knee would be over her dress.

Aurie stills. Images of her in the Santiago Bernabéu appear and while the two of them seem happy, it feels empty to imagine her life without the nursing home.

Maria says, “You need to go, Aurie. If it doesn’t work out, you will always have here. You have so much life and love to give. If you don’t go for him, go for yourself. Explore Madrid. Pretend it’s a vacation if you will.”

Aurie chuckles softly, “That is absurd, Maria. This is my home.”

“You can always visit home, Aurèle,” Estrella sighs. “You don’t have to live with him immediately…like a trial run.”

Aurie snorts, “You guys, do you hear yourselves? What will happen here while I’m gone on this ‘vacation’ and ‘trial run?’” Aurie makes quotation marks with her fingers. “To uproot my entire life for a man…I mean? It sounds a little pathetic.”

For the first time in a long time, Aurie’s mother, Elina, sneaks into her head again. That chasing and following Kylian would ruin her. Maybe Elina was right. Maybe she was seeing Kylian’s plan all along.

“Aurèle,” Estrella snaps her fingers in front of her face. “It’s not pathetic, you know why? Because you are able to afford it. You are able to afford to try it out. You have time to see if it works. You have the skill and power to find a job over there—although you wouldn’t need money with that man’s kind of pockets.”

Maria interrupts with a chuckle and Aurie smiles sadly.

“And what have you done when it hasn’t worked?” Estrella asks rhetorically. “You’ve picked yourself up and kept going. Tenías ganas. You did that, no one else.”

Aurie feels the few tears that slip out and once they start, she can’t stop them. Tears stream down her face as she tries to wipe them away. The girls pull her into a side hug and lay their heads down onto her shoulders which only makes her cry harder.

“What about you two?” she asks with a wobbly voice.

“We will be fine,” Maria says. “Do not worry about us. You will always have us.”

“Phones work too,” Estrella adds and it makes the other two laugh.

“Plus,” Maria continues, “you can always visit us. Knowing you, you would probably come every two weeks.”

Aurie laughs as she wipes the tears, feeling a little better. She could always visit. Kylian had a jet that he could fly anywhere with and even if she couldn’t use that because let’s be honest, she wouldn’t want to, she could find a commercial flight.

“We will miss you certainly,” Estrella says, “but you won’t really be gone. There will always be a piece of you here.”

Aurie smiles fondly, wrapping her arms around the two bestfriends, “If I do end up leaving, I am going to miss you both so much.”

“‘If?’” Maria and Estrella shriek.

“We didn’t do all this crying for nothing!” Estrella chastises. “I will book your flight tonight.”

Aurie laughs loudly, “No, no, I am kidding. But seriously, Kylian hasn’t asked me to move anywhere, and if he does, it will still be my decision in the end.”

They nod understandably. “Yeah-mmkay.”

Aurie snickers, “I’m glad it took the possibility of me leaving for you two to show your true colors. Who knew you two loved me so much.”

“Oh Aurie—”

“You are full of jokes today—”

Aurie laughs again and unwraps her arms around them, “Thank you for this. I needed to get more tears out and this was perfect.”

“Of course, princesa,” Estrella smiles. “Always breaks our hearts to see you sad.”

“I know,” Aurie wipes her face more. “I am just emotional.”

Maria agrees and helps clean Aurie’s makeup with a tissue from her small purse, “Why even put makeup on if you will cry it off?”

“I know, I know,” Aurie repeats, enjoying getting pampered by her. They never let her look like a fool. Something they kept true since when Aurie first met them, and they let Aurie know her hair was all kinds of messed up from the bad weather.

The three of them make it back to the gala without a batted eye in their direction, seamlessly blending into the crowd. Kylian was too engrossed in conversation with a collection of teenage boys that were related to the residents. He was sitting in a chair, relaxed with his legs open and his arms resting against the empty seat next to him. His eyes were in deep concentration as he gave the boys advice on how to improve their football and mental skills.

Aurie notices him immediately and lets him continue the conversation. She mingles around with the other guests and makes sure all the refreshments are stocked. Raphael and Simone are sitting down at the table. Simone’s head is resting against her father’s shoulder as he holds her in his lap. Raphael now wears the flower crown, Simone most likely putting it on him. Aurie grabs two lemonades and heads in that direction.

Raphael gives her a kind smile, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Aurie smiles, gently tapping Simone’s back. Her hair is disheveled and her shoes scraped up. She peers up to look at her and gives her a tired smile. “Tired, Simi?”

Simone nods sleepily, “I ran too much with the other kids.”

“Aww,” Aurie chuckles, glancing back at Raphael.

“She’ll sleep well tonight.”

“She will,” Aurie agrees. “Where’s Camille?”

Raphael looks in the direction he last saw her, “Restroom, although I think she was trying to find you. Where did you go anyway?”

“To the garden with Maria and Estrella.”

“Ah,” he tsks, motioning to the cup of lemonade. Aurie nods and pushes it towards him for him to sip. Simone’s eyes blink heavily.

The two of them chat longer briefly until Aurie gets up to mingle with more guests. And as she crosses an empty table, Kylian grabs her forearm gently, “Sit.”

“Sit?” she looks up at him with a surprised smile. “Hello to you too, princess.”

Kylian rolls his eyes, feigning to be flustered, “You gotta eat something because I know you will want to help tearing all of this down.” He pulls a chair open with his foot and motions her down. He slides the plate of food in front of her. Aurie chuckles as she sits down in the propped seat. As Kylian sits down beside her, he kisses her cheek.

Aurie does just that. She eats while Kylian talks about his conversation with the teenage boys and the guests.

“You owe many people dances,” he mentions. “The ladies weren’t happy with my skills…and the men kept coming up to ask me if it was okay to dance with ‘my woman’ and I said yes.” Kylian grins cheekily.

“Why would you say that?” Aurie chuckles, not upset at all, just endeared from his reaction.

Kylian shrugs, “I liked the sound of them calling you my girlfriend, my girl, or my lady as some of them said.”

Aurie cringes, feeling older with the formality. “‘Lady?’”

Kylian chuckles and sits up to kiss her cheek, his arm resting around her seat, “My lady. You forgot a word, mon amour.”

Aurie’s cheeks warm at Kylian’s excited rant, his hands jesting around in the air. His continuous rambling should be annoying but it’s like music to her eyes. She hadn’t heard his voice the past week and hearing it all once again, it made her content. Such a simple sound, and it was all hers. Right here in front of her.

As she finishes her food, she clasps her hands with his underneath the table on her knee. He smiles when he feels it, pulling her empty plate off to the side so that he can lean against the table with his elbow propped up. His smile falters, “You…took off your makeup? Or some of it?”

Aurie’s smile wavers. “Do you have to notice everything?” Always so attentive.

“What was it?”

“I cried some more outside with Maria and Estrella.”

“Ah,” he frowns. His thumb strokes Aurie’s hand. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not yet.”

Kylian’s hand squeezes hers in a sign of reassurance. The pads of his fingertips bristle over her nails. “Okay.”

FIVE HOURS BEFORE

Kylian could practically hear the blood pumping through heart as the rain storm raged through Madrid. His palms were sweaty as he looked out the plane’s window. His flight was already set to be delayed an hour now and he was running out of time to find a tuxedo.

“Relax, I can go to the store real quick,” Brice suggested, watching Kylian’s face grow anxious the longer they sat on the tarmac. His bouncing knee was bound to burn a hole through the plane’s floor.

Kylian shook his head. “We’re gonna be too late.”

“No we aren’t. The dance will probably be three hours long so that gives us more time.”

“I need to talk to her beforehand, I can’t just walk up in there,” Kylian groaned, rubbing his face with his face. “She’ll be upset. And most of all, she deserves an explanation for my silence.”

Brice exhaled softly, staring across the small space at his best friend. “She’ll understand. She’s…sensible.”

Kylian snorted. “Too sensible. She probably wouldn’t want to cause a scene.”

“Would you though?” Brice questioned and Kylian quieted down as he opened his eyes. He wouldn’t. That wasn’t the time nor place to talk about why he’s been gone. He should’ve never been absent in the first place. But one missed phone call after the other and it began to get pathetic to continue apologizing for it. He could tell she felt the shift as well—who wouldn’t—through her short responses.

And god did he miss her. He hated being away from her for so long without a proper goodbye.

Brice shuffled up to his feet, grabbing his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. “You stay here, I’m gonna find you a tuxedo.”

Kylian sighed, his head rolling as he watched him walk by. “And if the plane takes off?”

“It won’t, but if it does, I’ll just have it transferred to a store in Paris and someone will give it to you there when you land,” Brice reassured. “Just relax. It won’t bring you any help if you see Aurie and you feel anxious.”

Kylian nodded wordlessly, watching Brice exit the plane swiftly and then jog into a black van. He was beginning to accept that they wouldn’t have much time to talk when he did arrive before the gala began. With the minimum two hour flight and hour drive out of Paris, it would be a miracle if he even had a moment to share with Aurie.

Screw it, he thought.

Bouncing up from his seat he raced out of the flight and caught up to the van, knocking on the dew-plastered window before it drove off. Brice opened the door confused. “What?”

“Move over,” Kylian said, his eyebrows pinching as he felt droplets land on him.

Brice slid over to the other seat beside him without saying a word. Kylian couldn’t stand being on a plane alone with nothing to distract him for who knows how long.

Mac and Paul sat quietly in the front seat and they drove them to a Dior store. It was unusual for Kylian to not have a tuxedo ready on hand for an event like this but truthfully, all of his old tuxedos were too fancy for the occasion. He could’ve gone with a suit, but he wanted to be a bit more dressed up for Aurie.

And while his measurements were already on hand with Brice—and Dior—he still needed to pick it up and the downpour was making it difficult for anyone to drive to the airport to drop it off in time.

Although it seemed like they had all the damn time in the world now.

Kylian cursed softly as the rain got heavier once they entered the bustling streets of Madrid. The rain on the window blurred everything in his view.

Once the van halted, Brice and Kylian rushed out with their heads ducked. Paul was right on their side, attempting to hold out an umbrella for them but they rushed inside too fast that it was no use.

“What’s the color of her dress?” Brice asked.

“Green,” Kylian said, eyeing the racks of the suits.

“There’s hundreds of shades of green, Ky, what kind of green?”

Kylian paused at the associate coming up to him with the tuxedo in tow. Kylian grabbed it politely and held it over the back of shoulder before he glanced at Brice.

He had no idea what color green it was. He didn’t think to ask, barely even finding it out that it was green in general—was it even green? The more he thought of it, the more he doubted.

Brice’s face dropped. “You forgot?”

Kylian rubbed his face in despair. He was going to lose it. He was so tired, desperately needing sleep because the past couple of days he rarely got any. And not being able to talk to Aurie drained him.

He pursed his lips, the hand gripping onto the hanger of the tuxedo becoming like a lifeline.

Brice pulled his phone out of his pocket, promptly tapping along it and then holding it up his ear. He stood close to Kylian and scooted the other suits on the rack to calm himself down. They were both getting frustrated.

Brice tsks to himself when the call declines, immediately tapping the contact again and sending them a text. Kylian furrowed his eyebrows, trying to lean in closer to make out who the other person was.

He calls them again and masks his annoyance with enthusiasm. “Hey! I'm out shopping for Kylian—uh what color is your dress?”

Kylian’s eyes bulged as he overheard his words, reaching out for Brice’s phone. Pivoting his body, Brice bumped into the racks again and tried to straighten out the hangers. He successfully shielded his phone from Kylian.

“My dress?” Kylian overheard, stilling at her voice.

“Mm-hmm,” Brice nods with a scowl in Kylian’s direction. Fixing the hangers, he glared at Kylian. “For the gala.”

“Uh…” Aurie thought. Kylian’s hands paused on Brice’s forearm. “What for?”

Kylian can’t tell if the noise that comes out of Brice is a snort or a chuckle. “Kylian did say you were stubborn. I need it to match his tie.”

“He isn't coming tonight,” she responded. They halted in their fussing, Kylian stared at Brice in shock, his lips parting softly.

“Oh,” Brice said. Kylian urged him to continue the conversation with the flick of his hand. “Uh��did he not get invited?”

“Brice,” Aurie started and her tone stabbed Kylian right into his chest. He grimaced, rubbing the spot, she sounded upset and confused. “I mean…yeah he was invited but after everything that happened…I didn't think he'd be coming.”

Kylian sighed, rubbing his head. God he was going to get a headache, he could feel it. All of this miscommunication was stupid and unnecessary. Why did he have to keep it a secret anyway?

“Mm-hmm,” Brice mumbled, sliding the hangers to grab Kylian’s attention. He knew his best friend was starting to feel discouraged about the whole ordeal. “Well he said he was gonna be there tonight—”

“News to me.”

Kylian felt gutted hearing her remark and he shook his head quickly. Brice shouldn’t make any more promises to her because with the way this weather was, who knew if he was actually going to make it?! Despite the tightness in his chest, he motioned for Brice to end the phone call. He’ll buy every shade of green he has to.

Brice sighed, watching Kylian’s shoulders deflate and ignoring his plea. “Aurie…it won't always be like this…he just has a lot going on right now. I promise he'll tell you everything when he can. This is the first time something like this has happened.”

Kylian groaned, closing his eyes. It took a while for Aurie to respond and when she did, her voice sounded so small that Kylian could barely hear it. “Yeah…”

“Hang in there,” Brice encouraged, flickering his eyes towards Kylian.

Another agonizing moment goes by while Kylian eyes the green ties and bow ties. Maybe he could sneak in to get a look at her dress and then fix the tie onto himself in the parking lot. Hell, did he even really need a bow tie at this point?

“Aurie,” Brice said softly, getting Kylian’s attention. “The color of your dress?”

“Green, like an emerald green,” she answered quickly.

Of course it was, like the color of most of her plants. He should’ve known that.

“Okay, thank you. I'll talk to you later,” Brice sighed. “Take care, Aurie.”

Once he ended the call, Kylian looked at him remorsefully.

“Yeah, she’s upset,” Brice said curtly.

Kylian huffed, exiting the store with his tuxedo, leaving Brice to pick out a bow tie. He needed to call Aurie.

Once in the car, Paul shut the door behind him while he found Aurie’s contact quickly—it being his most recent—and called her. With each hum of the ringtone, his knee bounced and shook the car. The tuxedo was loosely draped across the seat and at this point he didn’t care if it got wrinkled.

“C’mon, Aurie,” he muttered.

But the call didn’t go through. It went to her voicemail, causing him to groan loudly.

He hesitated to call again. She was upset, no doubt about it. Hurt most likely.

He sighed, sending her a text instead:

I miss you, call me when you can bébé

He watched as the message was read and then saw her type a message back. He held his breath, hoping that the typing bubbles wouldn’t disappear.

I miss you too, I will

He frowned and shut his phone off. He didn’t have time to think about the message because Brice came in, tossing the green bow tie and receipt towards Kylian’s lap.

“Why are you upset?” Kylian asked, confused, although there was a slight irritation in his tone.

“Because, whatever is going on between you could’ve been avoided,” Brice exhaled sharply and clicked his seatbelt after he moved Kylian’s tuxedo.

“I know, but it’s been a hectic week, I couldn’t tell her,” Kylian defended himself.

“Yeah but saying something—anything, really—is better than not saying anything at all. I mean come on, Kylian, how much do you actually like her to be treating her like this?”

Kylian gaped but Brice shook his head.

“No,” Brice grumbled. “She’s perfect for you. I don’t get why you’re acting like a child.”

“I want to tell her but it has to be in person. I can’t even tell anyone yet.”

“But Aurie is different,” Brice sighed. “She isn’t just ‘anyone’ right? Or so I thought.”

Kylian pursed his lips. No, Aurie wasn’t just someone. She was someone he cared about, deeply and quickly, but still struggled to show it. Even with the tumultuous week he went through this week, he should’ve spared more time for her.

His trip to Madrid was abrupt and quickly planned by his mother and Florentino Pérez. One day he was in front of Dr. Minic and Martin for another mental evaluation and rehab, and the next day he was in Madrid getting tests done on his physical fitness.

It all went too fast.

Way too fast for Kylian to catch his breath and tell Aurie.

“I know,” Kylian sighed.

Brice eyed him, his disapproval slowly dissipating when he saw how stressed Kylian was. His eyes stared blankly at the back of the driver’s seat. Brice exhaled, “I know this is the first time something like this happened, the timing of everything and all, and you’re handling a lot of stuff at once, but don’t push her away and expect her to welcome you with open arms. You screwed up—sure—but Aurie is reasonable, she’ll understand if you just tell her the truth.”

Kylian nodded, digesting Brice’s words as he continued staring ahead with a dull gaze.

In the midst of Kylian droning his thoughts away, they return to the airport and climb up the jet’s stairs. The rain stopped and they took off about half an hour later.

Two hours later, Kylian was jolted awake in his seat by Brice.

“Come on,” he motioned, holding both his and Kylian’s bag on his shoulders. Kylian stood up and grabbed his bag from him and then tuxedo bag.

“What time is it?”

Brice tilted his head, his lips tight, “You have maybe an hour and a half. Probably just thirty minutes by the time we get to the gala.”

“Where’s your suit?” Kylian realized, barely noticing that Brice only had the suit he took to Madrid somewhere in his bag.

“I’m not going, but you are,” Brice reassured him as they climbed into the car. “However, you do have to get ready in the car.”

Kylian sighed. This wasn’t his first time getting ready in a car and most likely wouldn’t be his last. Each time he hated it, the height was entirely too small to maneuver around in there.

He would be fine without Brice at the gala but it would’ve been nice to have alongside him to calm him down.

Kylian undressed and dressed fast in the back seat, adjusting his bow tie over and over again. Finally when they arrived at the nursing home, Kylian was able to adjust his tuxedo better outside of the car and then quickly walk in to find Aurie.

Inside, he was met with the familiar walls he would walk through for Aurie’s bingo sessions with the residents. Turning the corner, he ran into Simone.

“Kee-lan!” she cheesed and pulled him into a hug. Her arms barely reached around his thighs as he bent down properly to give her a hug.

“Hey,” he beamed, adjusting the flower crown on her head. “What are you doing here alone?”

“I’m not alone,” she replied, pointing a nimble finger at a door that was opening. Camille and Raphael walked out of a small room in their matching purple dress and suit respectively.

They smiled at Kylian, greeting him warmly before Simone looked up at him, her eyes glimmering with curiosity. “You want to see Tatie Aurie?”

Kylian chuckled, his cheeks flushing with heat, “Yeah.”

“Okay, follow me,” she smiled and led him to the ballroom doors. “I haven’t seen her yet too.”

Kylian’s hands shook as he adjusted the buttons of his tux. Simone was doing good at distracting him but once they stopped at the door, he gulped.

“In here,” Simon paused and pointed at the doorknob. Her small hand reached out towards the handle and pulled it down, opening the door wide enough for the both of them to fit. He found Aurie before Simone could. His breath caught in his throat as he took in her stunning dress and pure beauty. His hands stopped trembling as he watched her adjust a centerpiece. His damn knees wanted to buckle.

Simone took off running and screamed, “Tatie Aurie!”

Kylian’s thoughts blurred as he watched them hug, his mind racing with what he should say first and what he could save for later. All his thoughts jumbled together in her presence that they didn't quiet down until her eyes landed on his.

PRESENT

Kylian watches blissfully as Aurie dances with the guests he promised would get time with her. She moves effortlessly on the floor, her steps light and her smile unwavering, as if she’s free from all worries. The sight warms Kylian’s heart.

Simone rests peacefully against his shoulder. Kylian had suggested Raphael switch off holding her so Raphael and Camille could share a dance, and he was grateful that Simone occupied his arms, providing an excuse to avoid the dance floor.

Time passes slowly, but Kylian doesn’t mind it. He’d rather soak in the gala that Aurie had been perfecting for weeks now. Every few minutes, her eyes find him with a radiant smile, and his fingers itch to reach out and touch her.

As the song changes, Camille approaches Kylian from behind, startling him as she appears beside him.

She chuckles, “Sorry, here I’ll take Simi.”

“Are you sure?” he asks. Camille’s hair is now frizzy, her skin glimmers with a small layer of sweat.

She nods. “Rafa and I danced too hard and now we need a breather.”

Kylian chuckles, carefully standing up and passing a sleeping Simone to her mother. Her small frame cuddles into Camille’s chest as Kylian pulls the seat out for her to sit in.

“Thank you,” Camille smiles. Kylian shimmies off his tuxedo jacket and drapes it over a chair nearby. He loosens the cuffs of his sleeves and heads toward a glowing Aurie.

As she notices him, her eyes light up with a sparkling smile, and he laughs nervously. She thanks her previous partner for the dance and wraps her arms around Kylian’s neck when they meet.

He kisses her nose as his hands settle on her waist. “Having fun?”

“Lots,” she smiles. She pecks his lips and then sways him to the slow rhythm of the song. Her fingers play with the collar of his white dress shirt. “You look really handsome.”

“Thank you,” he simpers. “You look stunning. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off of you all night.”

Aurie’s cheeks warm, and then her smile dips. Her hands tighten around his neck and he raises an eyebrow.

“What?” he whispers.

“I want to meet your family,” she admits. “I know I don’t have the best track record of families and mine is small, but…I want to meet yours. Soon. Plan it on my calendar and everything.”

Kylian's smile widens. “Okay. How about in two days?”

“Deal.”

Aurie leans in to kiss him, the kiss chaste and delicate, without an urgency but a promise. Kylian has rarely ever invited a girl to meet his parents, let alone the rest of the family. And Aurie, always reluctant to meet parents not just because of her time working in pediatrics, but of what this particular set of parents meant.

Of what it could mean for the future.

-------

Note: So sorry for the longest delay I’ve ever had, was on my last year of uni and yeah…life happened. Experienced many joys and lows over the last bouts of months, met a bunch of great people, stepped out of my comfort zone, and studied hard while dabbling in many outings. Not only that but I felt inspired to write for a couple of different players and scenarios and kept feeling stuck on this particular story, but I’m starting to find my groove back. Hopefully if all goes well, this story will at least have one more chapter (the epilogue) or two. Thank you for everyone who stuck by this story. It’s been fun closing the journey of Aurie and Kylian and I can’t wait to finish it soon, not only for you but for me. (:

Taglist: @karotland @mrs-bellingham @kylianswifey @kymb-10 @fictional-l0v3r @chaotic-taco-collector-blog @itsjuspenny-blog @mattmurdocksbigtoe @formula101x @et-in-arcadia-ego77 @lovekm @okayymochi @titti-maja @jokertbh @venus2eros @heli991113 @neymarloverxxx @444jodie @mm2007 @freespirit-51 @flawlessdiamond1 @euphoriapillz @imagesthatlive @ohpuckyeah @nothingtoes

#kylian mbappe x oc #kylian mbappe x reader #kylian mbappe fic #em.writes #comme les fleurs

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reasonsforhope · 28 days

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"Malaria once cast a long shadow over Lao PDR [Laos]. In 1997, an estimated 462,000 people were infected with significant economic and social impacts.

Education and employment were disrupted, and countless lives were lost. The disease's grip extended far beyond the initial illness, with long-term health consequences a heavy burden on communities.

However, a dramatic shift has occurred. Thanks to accelerated strategies implemented by the National Malaria Control and Elimination Program, Ministry of Health and its partners, including the World Health Organization and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), malaria cases have dropped by over 90 percent over the past decade, with just 809 cases in 2023. The nation is now on the brink of eliminating Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite, by the end of 2025.

While many unsung heroes play crucial roles behind the scenes, including at the community level, a key group is laboratory technicians (microscopists). These dedicated individuals are the eyes on the ground, detecting, tracking, and monitoring malaria cases in high-risk areas...

While rapid tests are valuable tools, Somphan emphasizes the importance of microscopic examination – considered by WHO to be the “gold standard” for malaria diagnosis, and an important skill for every country’s health workforce to maintain for malaria elimination, and broader health security efforts.

Positively - her efforts, and the efforts of healthcare workers and health educators, are paying off.

"People are now more aware of malaria and its dangers," Somphan says. "They have come to understand the seriousness of malaria and the importance of early diagnosis and proper treatment. They now recognize that avoiding hospitalization could lead to prolonged illness and greater disruption to their lives…they are more likely to seek medical attention, even for mild symptoms."

The increasing number of patients coming for testing – sometimes up to 40 per day – is a testament to increased capacity and awareness in the community. But, she notes – they more increasingly have quiet days – a reflection of progress towards eliminating the disease."

-via USAID, August 20, 2024

#malaria #laos #public health #disease #southeast asia #microscope #microbiology #good news #hope

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shesoluxurioussx · 1 month

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🌟 6-Month Glow-Up Challenge 💗

Month 1: Self-Care & Wellness

Physical Health: Start a new workout routine or enhance your current one. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise, 3-5 times a week, and incorporate a daily goal of 10,000 steps.

Mental Health: Begin a daily meditation or journaling practice. Set aside 10 minutes each day for mindfulness.

Skincare: Establish a skincare routine tailored to your skin type. Cleanse, tone, and moisturize daily.

Month 2: Personal Style & Grooming

Wardrobe Refresh: Evaluate your wardrobe and add a few key pieces that make you feel confident. Experiment with new styles or colors.

Hair Care: Try a new haircut or hair color. Maintain regular trims and hair treatments.

Grooming: Establish a grooming routine that includes regular nail care, eyebrow shaping, and other personal grooming habits.

Month 3: Learning & Growth

Skill Development: Take up a new hobby or skill, whether it’s cooking, painting, or learning a new language.

Reading: Read a book related to personal growth or a topic you're passionate about. Aim for at least one book this month.

Courses: Enroll in an online course or workshop that interests you.

Month 4: Social & Professional Development

Networking: Connect with new people in your field or area of interest. Attend networking events or join professional groups.

Career Goals: Set clear, achievable career goals. Update your resume or LinkedIn profile and work on a project that showcases your skills.

Social Life: Strengthen relationships with friends and family. Plan a gathering or reach out to someone you’ve lost touch with.

Month 5: Nutrition & Fitness

Healthy Eating: Incorporate more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into your diet. Try meal prepping or cooking new, healthy recipes.

Hydration: Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Keep track with a water bottle or app.

Fitness Challenge: Set a specific fitness goal, like running a certain distance or achieving a new personal best. Continue aiming for 10,000 steps daily.

Month 6: Reflection & Celebration

Self-Reflection: Review your progress and reflect on how you’ve grown over the past 5 months. Write down your achievements and any areas for improvement.

Celebrate: Treat yourself to something special. It could be a spa day, a new outfit, or a fun activity you enjoy.

Future Goals: Set new goals for the next 6 months based on your experiences and growth.

#shesluxurioussx #luxurious #glow up #becoming that girl #level up #that girl

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queenshelby · 4 months

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An Illicit Affair

Part 42: Big News

Pairing: Cillian Murphy (46) x Reader (23)

Warning: Age-Gap, Taboo Relationship, Infidelity

Life, however, had other plans for you and it was a Monday afternoon, exactly four days before your trip to Los Angeles, that you received some life changing news.

You had just finished yet another treatment session with your therapist who informed you that you were ready to walk unaided again, albeit slowly. No high heels and no strenuous activities for at least another week, but progress, nonetheless.

Exiting the therapy room with a smile on your face, life seemed to be looking up and, without your crutches, you made your way to the day-clinic adjacent to the therapy canter on campus to see your friend Lucy.

You had been catching up with her every week for a coffee, following your sessions, but today, you were actually meeting her for something else. You had a medical appointment with her that day to get back on track with your general health.

Since the accident, you had been neglecting your iron levels for which, until then, you had been taking tablets every day. On top of that, you needed and wanted to get back on to some form of birth control, sensing Cillian's growing frustration of having to pull out whenever you were intimate with one another.

As a medical student yourself, you knew that this wasn't even an appropriate method of preventing pregnancy and whilst Cillian had fantastic self-control, you knew not to push your luck.

Having children was not on your radar right now. Your life was way too complicated to start a family , and there were still so many things you wanted to do and achieve. However, the idea of growing old with Cillian was a comforting thought, and the possibility of having a child together one day was not entirely off the table. One day, in about five years or so, this would be a possibility.

As you walked in the day-clinic, there was a line of people waiting to check-in and the atmosphere buzzed with activity as nurses hurriedly called out names and directed patients to the correct rooms.

Seating arrangements were limited, but there was a spare seat available by the window, not far from Lucy's consultancy room.

Fellow students and nurses you knew quickly came to greet you, some even lingering a moment longer just to ask about your recovery, expressing their concerns and support. You exchanged pleasantries and politely nodded along as they peppered you with questions you had grown accustomed to answering.

Finally, catching sight of your best friend Lucy, you greeted her excitedly and she quickly asked one of the nurses for your file before calling you into her consultancy room.

She gave you a warm hug as always before asking you to follow her.

"How is the treatment going, babe? I can see the crutches are gone!" exclaimed Lucy, a wide smile spreading across her face as she stepped back from the doorway.

"It's going good, and I won't be needing the crutches for the Academy Awards it seems," you told her , returning her smile with a bright one of your own.

"That's fantastic news, Y/N! I'm so fucking proud of you," Lucy said, beaming at you while she opened the medical cabinet and retrieved a few ampules and a syringe.

"And how is Cillian? Is he getting nervous yet?" Lucy asked as you sat next to her on an exam table in her consultation room.

"Oh, he's a mess. But he won't admit it," you replied, chuckling softly. "He's definitely nervous and hopeful," you continued, your tone sincere and genuine. "But I know he is going to win that Oscar. He has to win," you said emphatically, your voice filled with confidence and conviction.

Lucy nodded her head in agreement. "He's a shoo-in for the award this year. It's about damn time!" she exclaimed with a grin, injecting some humor into the situation.

You chuckled, still amazed by how different your life had become in just a few short months. "It still feels surreal to me. Like it hasn't fully sunk in yet," you continued, running your fingers along the barrel of the ampule Lucy had placed next to you before taking a deep breath and rolling up your sleeve. "You know, he asked me to move to the suburbs with him?" you said, smiling slightly as you looked up at Lucy, your eyes sparkling with hope and excitement.

Lucy's face lit up with surprise and excitement. "Oh my god, Y/N, that's amazing news! Are you going to do it?"

You nodded your head, your smile widening. "Yes. I mean, I love him and I think that I want to build a life with him. And I'm excited to see where that takes us," you answered Lucy enthusiastically, feeling your heart race at the thought of building a life with Cillian.

"That's fantastic, Y/N! I'm so happy for you," Lucy beamed, before moving on to discuss your medical issues. You went over your iron levels and Lucy took a few blood tests for you to be sent to the lab.

"We should have them back in a few days but you already know that, don't you?" she chuckled as she labelled the blood vials and placed them in the appropriate container.

"Yeah, I do," you replied, still grinning from ear to ear. "I actually can't wait to come back to work either, which will happen a week or so after we come back from LA," you exclaimed while Lucy examined your files.

"So, birth control was another thing you wanted to get sorted, right?" Lucy then asked with a smile and you nodded.

"Yeah, I was thinking the depo shot," you said, knowing that it was a reliable and convenient method.

"That's a practical choice, but what have you been using until now? There aren't any prescriptions on your file since the accident," Lucy inquired, her brows furrowed in concern as she flipped through your medical file.

You looked away, feeling a little embarrassed at the truth you were about to reveal.

"We have been using anything, just self-control measures really," you stammered out, cheeks heating as you avoided Lucy's gaze.

"Really Y/N?" Lucy laughed out loud. "Because, as a med student yourself, you should know better than that," she chided, but there was a playful tone in her voice.

"I know, I know and that's why I am here," you admitted, blushing at your previous response. "I just... things have been hectic and whilst we didn't have any accidents yet, I don't really want to push my luck," you confessed, feeling a surge of embarrassment at being so open about your sex life with Lucy, but knowing that she was your best friend and would always have your back.

Lucy let out a chuckle, understanding your predicament. "Go and pee in the cup then while I get the depo shot ready," she chuckled, handing you a sample cup and gesturing towards the bathroom.

"Why do you need a urine sample?" you asked , confusion flooding your visage as you walked towards the bathroom door.

"Well, before I give you the shot, I just want to rule out that you are not, -" Lucy began to say but you interrupted her.

"I am not pregnant, Lu!" you interrupted her, rolling your eyes and shaking your head. "We have been careful, I promise," you explained, feeling slightly annoyed at the implication that you wouldn't know if you were pregnant or not.

Lucy held her hands up in a defensive gesture. "I know that, Y/N. But this is the protocol now, and it's better to rule out any possibilities," she told you, her voice gentle as she smiled reassuringly.

"Now hurry up and give me the sample," she said, her tone light and playful.

You rolled your eyes again, chuckling to yourself, but you did as she asked and grabbed a clean urine container from the rack.

You knew that she was just doing her job and were aware of some rare cases where women fell pregnant from intercourse even where their partner did not finish inside. It was uncommon, but not impossible.

Upon returning to the examination room and handing the sample to Lucy, she nodded and took the container from you. "Thanks, babe," she said, her voice warm and understanding.

She then put on some gloves and opened the container to check the sample, dipping a dip-stick into it, before turning to you again.

"Now tell me, have you found a house yet?" she asked as she began to prepare the injection.

"We have been looking at a few houses actually, yes," you replied, your voice filled with excitement. "It's a bit overwhelming, to be honest, but also really exciting," you continued, relishing in the thought of starting this new chapter in your life with Cillian.

"I bet it is!" Lucy exclaimed before turning back to the sample while you kept on talking about the house-hunting experience.

"There is one place, though, that I think we both really like, but god I think it is way too expensive," you said with a chuckle while Lucy turned silent and pale.

"Uh-huh," she simply murmured before putting another dip -stick into the sample.

"What, Lu?" you asked, seeing how your friend had become rather quiet and when she did not immediately respond and put yet another stick into your sample, you became concerned.

"Lucy?" you probed further.

"Y/N, I, uhm," she began to say, her voice barely audible as she moved the chair next to the exam bed and sat down. There was a serious expression on her face that unnerved you, and she took a deep breath before speaking again.

"I am so sorry, I don't know how to say this but, babe, you are pregnant," Lucy blurted out, her voice trembling as she revealed the results from your urine sample.

At first, you didn't understand what Lucy had just said and then, almost instinctually, your chin dropped.

"That can't be right, Lu. We had no accidents and the chances of falling pregnant are -," you stammered, unable to finish your sentence, your mind reeling from the news.

Lucy gave you a sympathetic look. "I am sorry, babe, but I just checked three times. You are definitely pregnant," she confirmed, her voice still trembling slightly.

You felt your heart drop to the pit of your stomach. The news was too much to process, and you sat there, frozen in shock.

"No, no, no," you muttered, shaking your head as you tried to wrap your mind around the unexpected turn of events.

Lucy reached out and placed a comforting hand on your arm. "I know this isn't what you were expecting, but it's not the end of the world," she reassured you, her voice gentle. "There are options and you know that already," she said, not needing to remind you of your medical studies.

You nodded numbly, still not able to completely process the news. Your mind was racing with thoughts and questions, but none of them felt clear or rational. You simply felt overwhelmed.

"Can you give me a script for mifeprestone?" you asked Lucy, your voice almost robotic as you tried to process the news. Your mind was still reeling, and you found it hard to believe that you were actually pregnant.

Lucy nodded. "Of course, I will write it up for you, but we need to get an ultrasound first before the gynecologist on call will sign off on it," she explained, her voice soft and soothing.

"Can we do it now? I can walk over to the maternity ward," you told Lucy, trying to stay calm as the reality of the situation sank in.

"Sure, I will come with you. I am due for my break anyway," Lucy agreed, her voice still gentle as she stood up and walked over to her computer to write the prescription and necessary referrals.

As you waited for Lucy to print out the script and referrals, you couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions. You were surprised, scared, and a little disappointed, but you also knew that you had options. And you were grateful for that.

After Lucy handed you the script, you both walked over to the maternity ward in silence. It was a short walk, but it felt like an eternity.

You kept up a brisk pace, your hand clenched tight around the prescription slip. Lucy walked alongside you, her arm linked in yours, offering comfort and support.

Inside the maternity ward, you found yourself waiting in a crowded reception area. A nursing assistant called out names, directing patients to the various stations and clinics. You glanced around, your eyes scanning the crowd, feeling both overwhelmed and self-conscious.

Minutes ticked by, and you wondered if they would need to wait much longer before someone could assist you. But then, a woman with a warm smile approached you.

"Y/N, right?" she asked, her voice friendly and welcoming and you nodded, relieved that your turn had finally come.

The nurse led you both to a private consulting room where she quickly scanned your documents and checked your vitals. After a brief discussion about your issue, she nodded sagely, understandably nodding her head at your request.

"Alright Love, jump up on the table for me. I'm just going to take a quick scan, just to confirm the dates and then we can get one of the doctors to sign off on your prescription," the woman said and it took every ounce of energy and self-restraint you could muster not to cry.

You laid down as indicated and lifted up your jumper slightly to reveal your belly as the nurse carefully applied gel to the transducer and began swirling it around, taking measurements of the embryo growing inside you.

The images she projected onto the screen hung above the bed were black and white, but to you, they seemed more vivid and impactful than any colorful picture could ever be. You could clearly see the tiny developing limbs and torso, akin to a tiny alien who had somehow managed to taken root in your womb. The movements were minute and almost imperceptible, the size scarcely larger than you had expected.

"Holy shit," you said almost as at the same time as Lucy as you realized from seeing the pictures along that you were much further along than you had anticipated.

"I am sorry to ask, but when was your last period?" the nurse inquired gently, her voice not judgmental, but full of concern, as she cleaned the transducer.

"About four months ago, before the accident," you admitted, still staring intently at the images on the screen, your mind struggling to comprehend the reality of the situation. "But when I asked the surgeon about it during one of my follow up appointments, he said that not having a period for a while was normal, especially after an accident like mine," you continued, feeling an eerie sense of confusion settle over you.

The nurse nodded understandingly. "It's true that sometimes women experience temporary amenorrhoea after a traumatic incident or surgery, but it's unusual for it to last for this long," she explained gently. "You are about 19 weeks pregnant , honey," the nurse said softly, patting your hand gently.

You felt a sudden wave of emotions overtake you, a mixture of confusion, fear and disbelief. How had this happened? You had always been so careful, taking every precaution to avoid an unplanned pregnancy, especially before the accident. And yet, here you were, sitting on a cold exam table, staring at the ultrasound images of a baby that you had never expected to have.

"Are you sure there are no mistakes?" Lucy asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she squeezed your other hand, trying to offer you comfort. "I mean, she would have been pregnant before the accident, so why wasn't it picked up then?" Lucy asked, her voice a mix of confusion and concern while the nurse called in one of the head gynecologists who, later, explained that you could have fallen pregnant just before the accident, which is why it wasn't picked up in the tests. It was simply too early to tell.

But as the doctor went over the results in detail, explaining the situation to you both, one thing became abundantly clear: there could be no mistaking it. You were definitely pregnant.

The room seemed to spin around you. You couldn't believe it. You hadn't thought it was possible. You blinked hard, trying to push back the tears that were threatening to spill over. " I... I can't have a baby. Not now," you whispered, your voice shaking as you tried to hold it together. "I don't know if I can do this."

Lucy leaned in closer to you, squeezing your hand reassuringly. "Hey, it's going to be okay," she said soothingly. "And maybe it's a sign, babe. Maybe this was meant to be because, for a fetus to survive what your body went through in those last three or four months, is pretty remarkable," Lucy said, her voice gentle and soothing, her eyes filled with encouragement and hope.

You nodded, understanding where Lucy was coming from. And she was right, it was a miracle that the baby had survived the accident and the subsequent surgeries and treatments. But still, you couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events.

"With the medication and treatments I had those last few months, what are the chances of damage to the baby?" you asked, your voice now shaking as fear gripped your chest.

"The risk is minimal, with all the medications you have received being either A Class or B Class medicines, and the fetus looks well developed, so I wouldn't worry, but let's have a closer look at the organs for any abnormalities, " the doctor reassured you, smiling warmly before conducting a more detailed ultrasound, carefully examining every organ of the growing fetus.

Minutes passed, and Lucy kept squeezing your hand, maintaining eye contact to reassure you as you watched, in utter amazement and disbelief, as the doctor pointed out the different organs and limbs on the screen.

The little being inside you was kicking and moving, a testimony to its vibrant health and development.

Finally, the doctor nodded and turned off the machine. "All is well in there, and the baby is healthy and growing perfectly," he then finally said, and you couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over you, even though you were by no means ready for this.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" you asked almost as if you were in a trance , still not quite able to comprehend the enormity of the news.

The doctor nodded and gestured to the ultrasound screen. "Well, this area here would indicate that your baby is a boy," he said softly, pointing to a slightly wider section in the grainy, black and white picture.

You kept staring at the ultrasound screen, unable to tear your gaze away from the small, wriggling figure. "A boy," you murmured softly, almost to yourself before breaking out in tears.

You couldn't help but feel a pang of fear and uncertainty in that moment.

You had never dreamt of becoming a mother, at least not this soon, not under these circumstances. And although you knew that you could rely on Cillian to support you, you were still hesitant to bring a child into the world so abruptly.

With everything that was going on in your lives, the timing was absolutely terrible and you were unsure whether or not motherhood would break you. You weren't ready for this and not to mention the fact that your relationship was still very new and complicated.

You had no idea how you would explain this to Cillian and the thought of telling him made you sick to your stomach.

NOTE: Yes I know I am predictable. I cannot help myself! I love writing pregnancies into my fics, so no judgment please.

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