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not-a-space-alien · 7 days

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K&J x MMSS 4: Valen & Jim Part 4B

So, this is the first chapter of an alternate timeline that we wrote to the fourth crossover. This diverges from the story at the original chapter 4 (I'll call it chapter "4A" and this is the "B" timeline.)

The first three chapters go the same way, and then in chapter 4, for the "B" timeline, Jim's dropoff with his sister goes without incident, meaning Valen doesn't get burned and therefore does not come back into human territory with Jim. They go their separate ways and don't meet again until years later.

Since Valen does not have the protection from Jim and Liz in this timeline, he ends up getting captured by vampires hunters when he comes back years later--the same ones that took Kane in K+J. Those hunters then get the details from Jim's book mixed up--since obviously Valen would be mentioned in it--and think of Valen as "That vampire from Jim Liberman's book," assuming he's the one who held Jim hostage without really checking the details. They then offer Valen to Jim, who showed up expecting Kane like in K+J canon. So this version would be more of a "caretaker-turned-whumpee" and "whumpee-turned-caretaker" story.

We lovingly refer to this as "the horrors version." What happens to Valen in this AU is much, much worse than what happens to him in canon MMSS.

K&J masterlist

MMSS masterlist

K&J x MMSS crossover masterlist

To be added to the taglist, contact @whumpsday

Warnings: Blood, aftermath of torture. The usual. Just some real sicko shit.

***

The rest of the meeting at the border is tense, but ultimately goes off without a hitch. Valen is ultimately happy to be rid of the car and simply runs back home. They exchanged phone numbers, and Valen calls to leave a message to say he got home safely.

They talk a little bit over the phone over the next week or two, but Valen decides to leave Jim to his human life, and goes back to focusing on his research. Down the road, he realizes he needs to spend some time on human territory to make it feasible, but by then he hasn't talked to Jim in years and doesn't want to bother him. That's when the unthinkable happens.

***

They'd told Valen that his victim, Jim Liberman, was coming to pick him up, for revenge. That he'd get his just deserts.

Valen can't remember who Jim is. He'd racked his brain, trying to think of all the people he'd ever wronged, and had come up empty. He's no stranger to tears at this point, but he cried like he'd never cried before that day, salty tears streaming down his cheeks in the same track they'd run a thousand times before, over the bare silver muzzle that had been fused with his melted skin for years at this point. They hadn't even given him a chance, they'd just assumed the worst about him and used that as evidence that he deserved the worst torture imaginable for years, and now he was going to be given to someone who was going to treat him even worse, and he couldn't even remember who or why.

Then the hunter drags him outside and throws him at the feet of the human who was to be his new jailer. And he does recognize him. They met once for a few days, 15 years ago, and Valen's hazy, pain-addled brain can't quite remember what their interaction had been. Valen found him outside, he remembers, and he'd taken him home. That was bad, right? Had he kidnapped Jim? Maybe that's what they'd been talking about.

That doesn't sound like something Valen would do, though. Well, maybe it was something he would do now, he has no way of knowing what kind of person he is now. He does remember he used to be very kind and compassionate, though, and it seems like he wouldn't have hurt a stray human. But the hunters have been telling him over and over that he's a monster, a leech, a wretched animal that deserves all the pain it's getting, so maybe he did hurt Jim, maybe he does deserve to be strung up in the sun forever with his air cut off.

But still. Even if he deserves it, it's too horrible to think about. He trembles on the ground, looking at Jim’s knees with pleading eyes. Please just kill me. Please just end this travesty of existence.

All of Jim's nerves and expectations go out the door the second he lays eyes on the vampire the hunter pushed in front of him.

Not Kane. Valen.

Jim looks at him in shock that quickly morphs into horror. He opens his mouth to object, to say you had the wrong guy and even if you had the right guy this would be unthinkable, but the words die in his throat. They're already handing Valen over to him, and only because they think he deserves revenge. He won't say anything that could even potentially jeopardize that. These hunters probably would not approve of him freeing Valen. God, they used the padded cuffs he brought for Kane, but that's a silver muzzle.

"I'll be g-going now." he says shakily to the hunter instead.

"Just give me a call if it's too much trouble and you want to return it." says Chase.

"That won't be necessary." Jim says curtly, trying to hold back tears. He and the hunter exchange goodbyes, and Jim drops to his knees, eye-level with Valen.

"Oh my god. Oh my god, Valen, holy shit, what did they do to you?" he whispers in horror.

"What did they do to you?" Just what I deserve, right? That's what they'd been saying this whole time, so he'd started to believe it. The alternative was something unthinkable.

Jim reaches to unlock the muzzle- he can try to talk to Valen about the whole please don't use persuasion on me thing later, but it's apparent that Valen won't be able to speak for a bit anyway. "I'm gonna take this off, is that okay?" he asks.

Jim is taking the muzzle off? That can't be right. The muzzle stays on was the very first rule the hunters had laid down, because he was dangerous and could use his mouth to hurt in a number of ways, and this burning sensation locked around the lower half of his face had become the only constant in his new life, and the idea that it would go away had never occurred to him as a possibility. It was part of him now, just as his skin was melted to the silver.

And why is Jim asking Is that okay? like his opinion on anything makes any difference? What is he doing, talking to Valen like he's a person? Valen doesn't answer, sitting there with eyes downcast. Some humans didn't like it when he made eye contact, they said he was trying to use persuasion on them, and that earned him the ultimate punishment: the sun. He avoided eye contact like the plague. Even just looking up at Jim earlier had been risky.

"Alright. I'm goin' for it. Sorry that there's no way to do it without it hurting, but that thing on your face can't be comfortable. Sooner I get it off, sooner you can heal, right?" Jim gives his bony shoulder a gentle squeeze. "S'gonna be okay. You're out. I- I'm gonna help you, like you helped me." His tears do fall, then.

He unlocks the muzzle and begins pulling it off. It's melted into Valen's face and almost impossible to remove. His skin tears like wet paper. Jim punctuates his efforts with a sorry every few seconds until it's off, leaving Valen's face a gory mess, lips completely gone and teeth on full display. Jim retches involuntarily at the sight. "I'm so fucking sorry, Valen. Least it's off."

Valen dissociates from the pain, just thinking of Jim’s words. It's going to be okay? I'm gonna help you? None of this sounds right, it clashes with what the hunters had been telling him for years. Like you helped me. Maybe Valen had helped this human? But then why had the hunters punished him? Helping a stray human does sound more like something Valen would have done, though, in the past, when he'd been a person and not a rabid animal.

Oh, that's right. That's the answer to what kind of person he is now, as he'd wondered earlier. He's not a person at all, he's a mindless animal, the kind that would, here still on the hunter's doorstep, immediately bite the metaphorical hand that feeds, in an attempt to turn it into the literal hand that feeds.

Valen's mouth hadn't been free in years, and all he can think of is his primal instincts urging him to take the chance to feed while he can. They hadn't needed to train the instinct out of him, because he'd had no opportunity to use it. And Jim is so very full of delicious, aromatic blood, and so soft and vulnerable, and so very, very right there next to his mouth, and Valen is so very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very hungry.

As soon as Jim says least it's off, the gory mess he'd just exposed around Valen's jaw comes to life and snaps shut over Jim's wrist.

Jim freezes, eyes wide and mouth shut tight. He cranes his neck to the side, just like he's supposed to, even though it's covered in fabric and Valen feeds from his wrist. He hasn't forgotten how to behave.

He trembles horribly as Valen feeds, crying much harder, though the only sounds that escape him are quiet sobs.

Until he starts to feel lightheaded. More lightheaded than Kane ever made him, even when Kane overfed.

"Valen, p-please." he whispers through his tears.

Nobody hears him. Valen's stomach is a blackhole that can never be filled, his heart a void that screams to be filled with violence.

Valen, p-please... Valen is gone, there's only this animal that won't stop drinking until he's forced to. He'll kill Jim, but he doesn't care, he can't.

He bites again, getting a bigger mouthful, tearing more skin, sweet, wet blood gushing into his mouth, down the front of his nearly-naked body

Jim knows it's bad bad bad, he'll be punished for sure, but he has to get away or he'll die. He pushes Valen off of him- it's easier than he'd thought it would be. His already-hurting wrist erupts even further into pain, and Jim cries out softly, cowering away from him.

Valen hasn't been strong in years. It's easy to push him off, his fangs tearing the skin as they're pulled out. He swallows what's in his mouth desperately, licking the remaining blood off his shaking, chained hands.

He bit, he attacked, he fed, the ultimate thing he wasn't allowed to do. The hunters are all still nearby, they'll surely hear Jim's pained sounds, and then he'll be punished beyond belief. But he needs the blood, he needs it, he can't think of anything else.

Jim holds his bleeding wrist to himself, sobbing.

"I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry, sir." he blubbers. "Please don't hurt me, I'm sorry. Please, I just, I don't wanna die."

Chase comes back out, hearing the commotion. "The fuck! It bit you?!"

Valen cowers when Chase comes back on the scene, his very presence instantly reducing Valen to a submissive, trembling mess. He whines like a dog, the only method of communication that had been available to him for years, and presses himself into the floor. Please don't put it back on, please please please.

Jim snaps out of it with the hunter's call. He's on a rescue mission now, he remembers. He needs to get Valen out of here safe, no matter now terrified he is of him.

"N-no." he lies, unable to stop crying. "This is the vampire's blood. Just, just tryin' to switch muzzle."

"Fuck, I told you it wasn't a good idea. You should've asked. Here, let me put the muzzle back on, it's better with it on." Chase starts to approach, going straight for the discarded silver muzzle on the ground.

Jim kicks the gore-covered monstrosity away. "No, just, use the one I've got." He doesn't want to muzzle Valen at all, especially given how painful Valen's face looks, but there's no way he can drive home with Valen unmuzzled after this. "It's in the car."

"Right, switching. Sure, your call." As Chase goes to grab the padded muzzle from the car, Jim mouths I'm sorry to Valen.

Chase fastens the muzzle onto Valen, too tight. "You good to go? Need anything else?" He assumes Jim's crying is due to seeing his captor again, emotions high.

"I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Jim insists. "I can handle this."

"Alright. Drive safe." Chase heads back inside.

Valen remains a terrified, quivering puddle on the floor, hardly able to believe he'd escaped Chase's check-in without being strapped to the board and set outside in anticipation of the sunrise. He'd swallowed blood, he'd fed, and it's better than he's felt in years despite the raw mess of his face and the new muzzle squeezing him. It doesn't burn, and his stomach has something in it, and any relief from the pain in any amount is welcome at this point.

He rolls over so he's facedown on the ground. He's muzzled again, the way he should be, and that's enough for his brain to remember he's supposed to be submissive and obedient and nonthreatening. He stares straight at the ground, no chance of eye contact

Jim shuffles back over to Valen and reaches out a shaking, bleeding hand to gently rest on his forehead. This way, if Valen lunges again, he can easily push back. Heart clenching with terror, he puts his uninjured hand under Valen's muzzled mouth.

"Please spit." he whispers. "I can't ask the hunter for first aid without letting him know you bit me. I need the bleeding to stop. Please."

Valen looks at what Jim's doing through a haze of pain and confusion. Spit. He knows that one. He has to be obedient.

As best as he can through the bit blocking his mouth, he lets bloody saliva dribble out of his mouth, stringing down into Jim's hand

"Thank you." Jim retracts both hands and rubs the saliva over his wound, thankfully stopping the bleeding pretty quick.

He takes a moment to breathe, trying to calm himself down. "Well, least I don't have to psyche myself up to feed you. Jumpin' right in the deep end." he says nervously. "Do you remember, when you found me? I was dying, and you gave me water. You saved my life. I'll never forget it. I'll make sure you get home safe, too."

Valen doesn't look at him. He can't. But Jim's words are washing over him in waves. Valen had saved his life. Yes, that sounds right. He'll make sure he gets home safe, too. That doesn't. Valen is a dangerous creature, and he'd just attacked Jim, and he was going to be disciplined and tortured. It'd already sunk in a long time ago that he was going to be imprisoned and in pain for the rest of his life, and there was no way he could let himself believe Jim's words, to open the can of worms to start hoping again, because that was always how he got hurt emotionally. Bitter tears spring into his eyes.

As shaken as he is by the bite, Jim remembers what it was like to be so thirsty he'd do anything for water. He gets it, and he can see how terrified and desperate Valen is.

"It's okay. Let's get you in the car, alright?" Jim takes Valen's arm and helps him into the back seat, figuring he might want to lie down.

He's too nervous to take the muzzle off: if Valen bites while he's driving, it'd be very bad for both of them. He does take off both sets of cuffs, though. "Hope that's a little more comfortable. It's gonna be a few hours until we get back to my place, figure you could crash there while you heal up and head home whenever you're ready. I'll take that thing off when we get home, okay?" He gestures to the muzzle. "Don't wanna get in an accident."

Valen watches Jim help him into the car, and take his manacles off, and promise him gentleness, all with wide, uncomprehending eyes. Head home? Head home???? The possibility is too absurd to comprehend. Is Jim being cruel, messing with him? No, that doesn’t make sense. If Valen really had saved Jim's life, maybe this is real?

He lies down in the back of the car, with his wrists free, limply allowing himself to be carted around. He should apologize for biting Jim as soon as he can. Maybe that will earn him less pain.

He stews in that thought for part of the ride before being once again overwhelmed by his animalistic fear, and he starts pawing at the muzzle, trying to get it off, but there's a lock on it. He whines, tears streaming down his face.

Jim hears miserable whining from behind him. "Hold on, lemme pull over and see what's up.”

He does, pulling onto the shoulder and opening the back door. "I know it sucks right now. I'm so sorry. I'd ask what's wrong, but there's a lot. What can I help you with right now?" He's hoping Valen can charade it to him. He doesn't have anything to write with, and Valen won't be able to talk until he heals, muzzle or not.

Valen claws at the muzzle on his face, worming around in the backseat, just wallowing in his desperation

"Hey, hey hey hey." Jim hesitantly reaches out and takes Valen's hands in his. "If I take that thing off you, are you gonna bite me again? I'll take it off if you think you can hold off."

Valen tries to steady himself. Jim is helping him, Jim is trying to help him. Right?

He bit Jim, and it was nowhere near enough blood to sate his hunger, but if he wants the muzzle off, he has to not bite. He can do that, right? He nods slowly

"Awesome. Thank you, I know it's gotta be hard. But you did take enough to make me woozy, so I hope it's enough, 'cause I can't give you more tonight. I only got so much blood. I'll find a way to get you more soon, though, okay?" He can ask people. Liz or Laken, maybe.

Jim unlocks the muzzle, lifting it off Valen's face. "Didn't realize that asshole put it on this tight. I'm sorry, that had to hurt, 'specially with your face. Is there anything else?"

It's off and it'll stay off if he behaves. He can do that, he can behave. He rolls over and curls up into a ball. He wishes he had something to cover himself, in case the sun comes up. Still hiding his face, he mimes a motion like pulling a blanket over himself

"Yeah, fuck, sorry." Jim should've been thinking about the fact that Valen would want some clothes for the ride home. He came expecting to have to come face to face with his abuser, only to be met with this entire situation, and his brain's on the fritz. He takes his flannel off and hands it to Valen. "Will this work for now? We'll be home in like, two hours, and then I can get you some real clothes." It’s well before sunrise, but Valen would have no way of knowing what time it is.

Still crying, Valen takes the flannel and wraps it around himself, barely managing to get his arms into the sleeves, like he doesn't remember how to put on a shirt.

Thank you. It's the most covered he's been in years, and if he gets thrown into the sun, less of him will be burned. He wants to say thank you. But no, that's talking, that's bad, he might use persuasion, he has to show he's obedient. Eyes still downcast, he nods, hoping Jim can see his appreciation non-verbally.

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything else. When we get home, I'll get you a pen and paper so you can write. You can take a bath, get into some pajamas, and I've got a bed set up in the basement for you." Jim gets back in the driver's seat and keeps going.

All of that sounds too good for him. He doesn't deserve a bath, and pajamas, and a bed. He knows that now, the hunters taught him, the hunters taught him he needs to be happy with a concrete floor and a hose and whatever pain they were giving him, because it could always, always be worse, somehow.

Valen tries to show he's grateful, but he's just so scared. He can't get his hopes up that this foggy promise of comfort from somewhere above him is real and not something he's imagining. He has a very good imagination.

He stays curled up in a ball, shaking. It's the first time in forever nothing is actively hurting him, and he has something in his stomach, and he feels okay, but all this change is making the entirety of his ordeal hit him all at once, and he can't seem to stop crying and being scared even though Jim is being kind to him. He tries to stay quiet so as not to seem ungrateful, but the tears and sobs occasionally come out in waves all the way home.

Jim's heart breaks for Valen. He has no idea what kind of unimaginable horrors he's been through, but he knows what it's like to be helpless and scared. He's just glad he can do something about it.

When they arrive home, Jim opens the back door and peers in at Valen again. He's nervous, very nervous, to be so close to Valen after the bite. But for the past decade, Valen's been almost like a deity of safety in his mind, the savior who took him from the brink of death and delivered him home. If Valen isn't safe, no one is.

"We're here, bud. C'mon, let's get you inside." he encourages, holding out a hand for Valen to take.

Valen wants to bite again. He really, really wants to. All he'd wanted to do for the past five years was bite the people who were causing him pain, and he is in pain and helpless and scared, and it's like wading through thick fog to grasp what's actually going on and what he needs to do.

Don't bite, the muzzle will stay off if you don't bite. Don't bite.

He gingerly reaches out and takes Jim's hand.

Jim takes him inside, leaving all the restraints in the car. He doesn't plan on using them. "Alright, what do you wanna do first? Bath, sleep, or write? Uh, just hold up one two or three fingers. And I'll get you some clothes."

Valen feels so overwhelmed by the way Jim is talking to him. He has to make decisions? He's too tired to think, drained and exhausted by his hunger and fear. He holds up two fingers. That was for sleep, right? Maybe he wants to just be left alone for a while

"Yeah, I bet you're exhausted. Lemme grab something for you to wear, just hang tight for a second, yeah?" Jim leaves briefly, returning with a set of soft checkered pajamas and a familiar outfit: the clothes Valen gave to Jim 10 years ago.

"I can finally return 'em." Jim says with a smile, handing everything to Valen.

Valen takes the clothes with shaking hands. He recognizes them. He finally remembers taking Jim home and caring for him when he was in need. Just as Jim is doing for him now. He buries his face in the outfit and drops to his knees, crying. He wants to say thank you. But he shouldn't try to talk, that's bad, and he should be good for Jim, who's helping him.

Jim goes down with him, rubbing his back, careful to avoid the half-healed burns. "You're gonna be alright. I've got you. I won't let anything bad happen to you. How about I show you downstairs, you get some rest, and tomorrow you can get cleaned up, get some more blood in you, and if your mouth's not healed enough to talk yet- which, yeah, I dunno how long that'll take- you can write anything you wanna say. Sound good?"

Valen tries to compose himself, sniffling. He's scared, but all he can really do is hang in there and trust that what Jim is saying is true, and that everything will be okay. Downstairs and rest sound nice.

When Jim shows him downstairs, the basement reminds him uncomfortably of his cell at the hunter's compound, although he quickly decides he'd prefer it to the upstairs anyway just because it has no windows and therefore no risk of the sun.

There's a bed, and a blanket, and a pillow. Jim intends those to be for him, right? He'd said he'd set up a bed for him. Right? But it seems so outrageously luxurious, so much more than he deserves or is used to, that he can't bring himself to accept it. He must be misunderstanding somehow, or thinking wishfully. Such things are not for him anymore, and he can't risk seeming entitled and presumptuous. He can hear the hunters' voices: You think you get a bed, leech? That's cute.

No, he can't risk it. He needs to show he'll be happy with whatever Jim gives him. Especially after he'd bitten Jim. There's no way that behavior should be rewarded like this.

He really, really wants the blanket, so maybe if he shows he knows his place, Jim will be kind and give it to him anyway, even though it's too good for him.

Valen staggers to the corner of the room and slides down onto the ground, lying on the cement floor with the clothes Jim had given him under his head as a substitute for a pillow. He hopes that misusing the clothes that way won't seem too entitled. The voices come back. Oh, you think you deserve a pillow, leech? That's cute. Since you don't know how to use them, might as well take them back.

"Oh, hey, what's wrong? Is something wrong with the air mattress? I know it's not, like, the best thing ever, but I only got... you can use my bed if you want. It's upstairs, but I can close the curtains and you should be peachy." Jim offers. "You can sleep wherever you want. Take your pick."

Oh no, no, this is too hard, it's too hard to try and figure out if it's really safe to accept the air mattress. He wants it so badly, which is the exact reason why he knows he can't have it. That is something they trained into him. He curls his bony knees up to his chest and cries, unsure of what to do

Okay, Valen is scared. He's just scared. "It's okay. Nothing's gonna hurt here." Jim says softly. "How about you put on your pajamas and get into bed? Can you do that? I'll turn around while you get changed, just like, make any noise to let me know when you're done or if you need help.”

He turns around, hoping this will encourage Valen.

Valen wishes Jim would stop phrasing things so ambiguously, and start just saying what he wants Valen to do. He is used to commands, not ambiguous suggestions. How about you put on your pajamas and get into bed could mean anything. He thinks it means Jim wants him to do that, but he really wishes Jim would just order him to use the bed so he can do it without being afraid that he's doing something he'll be punished for.

But he'd said Nothing's gonna hurt here. That doesn't seem right. How will Jim punish him, then, if he won't be using pain to do it? Unless Jim doesn't think he needs punished? Maybe he doesn't, if Valen saved him, like it seems like he did forever ago, in another life. But the hunters had seemed so sure he'd deserved it, so maybe they knew something Jim didn't.

Oh no, if that was the case then maybe there was some danger that Jim could find out what it was that made him deserve pain, and then stop being nice to him and helping him. His brain runs off in this anxious train of thought, before he tries to ground himself by the fact that Jim has turned around and clearly wants him to get changed. Just get changed, you can do it, stop using your wild imagination and just get changed.

He drops the mangled, bloodstained tatters that comprise the clothes he'd been wearing when he'd been captured to the ground, then pulls on the pajamas. They're soft and warm and cozy, and so, so wonderful and that makes him so nervous because surely this can't be for him, this has to be a mistake, right?

Say thank you, say thank you or he might take them back. He tries to remember how to talk. You have to vibrate your throat, like a growl, and move your lips, except he doesn't have those right now. He tries anyway, and it comes out as a strangulated gurgle. He puts his hands over his mouth. No, talking is bad, isn't it? He doesn't know, he'd never been given the opportunity with the hunters.

Jim turns around at the sound to see Valen dressed. "Awesome. You can go to bed now, get some rest. And don't touch the door, okay? It's got silver on it. I was, uh, expecting someone else, not you. The hunters said I was picking up Kane, so y'know, precautions. I'll leave it open, so don't worry about it. You need anything else before I head up?"

Go to bed. Go to bed, go to bed means go to the bed and lie down in it and close your eyes and go to sleep. Right? He wants to so badly. But he is so, so anxious. He wants Jim to reaffirm that he means for Valen to sleep on the air mattress. It feels like it's not going to be safe to accept the bed and the blanket and the pillow unless Jim tells him he has to.

He can't look Jim in the eye and give him a questioning facial expression. He can't ask Are you sure? Valen is completely oblivious as Jim tells him about the door--he has no intention of going near the door, or trying to escape, escape is impossible and useless to even hope for--he's laser-focused on the bed. He steps towards it and kneels again, slowly extending one hand out to touch the blanket, whimpering as though he expects Jim to hit him. Keeping his eyes low, he looks at Jim and pauses with his hand on the blanket, to give Jim an opportunity to either tell him to keep going, or to shoo him away and confirm his doubts.

"Yeah, that's it. Shit, at least Kane let me sleep in a damn bed. Go for it. You're all good." Jim gives him a thumbs-up. "Or, uh, if there's some other problem, I could get something for you to write with after all?"

Valen nods at the suggestion, and holds his hand out, trying not to cry. Why did this feel so hard?

"Alright, one second." Jim heads upstairs, coming back a moment later with a pen, paper, and a cutting board he grabbed just for a hard surface to put the paper on. He sits on the air mattress, handing Valen the materials and patting the space next to him. "What do you wanna say? It's alright, you're safe now."

Valen doesn't get up onto the bed next to Jim. He stays kneeling on the floor and takes the materials from Jim. His hand is shaky, and he fumbles with the pencil, crying as his hands struggle to write, something he hasn't done in years. Eventually he manages to get out a message in messy font: I don't deserve a bed.

Jim sighs sadly. "Yeah you do, man. You deserve a bed. Promise. Look, I don't know all of what those fuckers did to you, I can't say I know how you feel. But I do know what it's like to have to learn how to be a person again after being told over and over again I'm not one. You're a person. You deserve nice things, and you deserve to be safe, and you deserve a bed. Okay?"

Finally, finally that's enough to make him feel like he can take the bed without being anxious about it. It sounds like it's safe for the blanket and pillows too. Tears still rolling down his cheeks, he crawls into the bed underneath the blanket, balling up and tucking himself away.

"There you go. Feel free to come up and get me if you need anything, alright? Up the stairs, down the hall, first door on the left. Hope you sleep good." Jim pats him on the shoulder before getting up, turning the lights off, and heading upstairs. As promised, the door remains open.

The feeling of softness around him still feels wrong wrong wrong, after so long on hard floors, but he weeps with joy at the luxury. He falls asleep truly comfortable for the first time in years. Maybe, just maybe everything is going to be okay. He doesn't try and get out of bed, especially not to leave the room; he isn't convinced he could make it up the stairs anyway. But he doesn't even want to. He doesn't want to escape from the luxury of having a blanket.

***

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#whump #K+J #angst #whumpblr #hurt/comfort

29 notes · View notes

hollandsangel · 2 years

Note

hi! would you be open to writing dad!tom where he takes his daughter to get a vaccine and she’s really scared and he comforts her and super fluffy and adorable? if not that’s totally okay!

i want off the rails here...bare with me. warnings: mentions of needles.

⇘ ⇘ ⇘

tom is panicking a little bit in the waiting room, his daughter playing happily with the toys splayed in the corner.

“holland?” calls the nurse, and he quickly scrambles to his feet, “lilah, c’mon, baby,” the little girl turns, still fisting two letter blocks that tom has to pull from her hands. he heaves her up onto his hip but she wriggles out of his hold.

“walk,” she says, smiling when tom sets her down. she grips onto two of his fingers, waddling next her dad and jumping over the lines in the linoleum floor.

“are you ready, love?” he asks, lifting delilah onto the paper covered bench and tapping her little red shoes.

she nods once, then leans forward and pokes tom’s cheek, “daddy, why are you sad?” she asks, her little brows pulling together.

tom chuckles and boops the girls’ nose, “m’ not sad, sweet girl, just nervous,”

“nervous?” she repeats, the word slightly mispronounced in her sweet voice.

“so you’re not sad?” she looks down when she moves and the paper crinkles under her.

“not sad, lovie,”

“good,” she pokes along the bench, liking the sound the paper makes, “i don’t like when daddy sad,” she’s more focused now, and tom finds it in himself to smile down at his girl and her naiveness.

down the hall, your coworker comes to your office, “y/n? your 2:15 is here, room 4b,” you nod and push away from your desk, letting her hand you the clip board.

“thank you…oh, just her yearly set of shots, thanks, katie,”

katie nods and fixes her scub top, “no worries, and disclaimer, the dad? really hot,”

you just roll your eyes and draw the clip board into your chest, “don’t you have x-rays with whistler downstairs?”

she starts to walk away, toward the elevator, “just tell me if he’s hotter up close,” she wiggles her brows.

you shake your head and make your way to the room, mumbling to yourself when you come to fine he is hot, and his daughter is prescious.

“delilah?” you ask, and the man turns to you, still standing in front of his daughter.

“can you see say hi, sweetie?”

“hi!” she says enthusiastically, and your grin matches tom’s.

“hi there, i’m doctor y/l/n, and your dad?” you ask, to which tom holds out his hand.

“yeah, tom,” he nods, smiling at you. you will definitely be telling katie about this.

“did you bring her to get her shots last year?” you ask, turning to the counter to ready the doses.

“uh, yeah, and the year before, it’s uh, just me,” he rubs his daughter’s back as she fiddles with the hem of her dress.

“oh, well, hope to see you next year then,” you smile, flicking the needle before setting it down, “hi, delilah,” you lean down to meet her eye level, “my name is y/n, i’m gona give you a little poke okay?” she nods but doesn’t look up, “how old are you, sweetie?”

she looks at tom when you ask, and he nods, “i’m three,” she holds up three little fingers excitedly, and you can tell by her enthusiasm that tom is much more nervous than she is.

“wow, three? are you in preschool?” she shakes her head.

“no, daddy’s on a break so i get to spend every day with him!” she tells you, her smile taking up most of her sweet little face.

you look over at tom, and he’s already smiling over at delilah before at you too, “you must be having a great time..okay, delilah, are you ready?”

she gets a bit quieter and you smile down at her sympathetically, “do you wanna hold your dad’s hand?” she nods, but you don’t miss her little pout.

tom steps forward and takes her hand, which she quickly clings to it, “will it hurt daddy?” she nearly whimpers, and your heart breaks.

“just a little bit, love, but only for a second, and i’ll be right here, okay?”

“okay,”

you clean off her shoulder with a cotton ball, and try to keep her distracted, “so what have you guys been doing while dad takes a break?” you aren’t sure what he’s breaking from, but she seems to be excited about it.

“we got ice cream yesterday,” she tells you, “and we’re gonna see grandma and grandpa tomorrow– owie!”

“i’m sorry, sweetheart,” you say, “keep your arm relaxed okay, give dad’s hand a squeeze… perfect, all done,” you rub her arm a bit before reaching over to the drawer and pulling out a little case, “here, do you wanna pick a band aid, one you can show grandma and grandpa when you see them,”

she leans over and points at a pink band-aid with little flowers on it, “this one,” she sniffles, unshead tears shining in her eyes.

“ooh, that’s a pretty one, here you go,” you grab it and peel the plastic away. tom watches you with his daughter fondly, thinking that it’s your job to be good with kids, but thinking there’s something about you that makes both him and delilah comfortable.

“you can have a candy too, if it’s alright with you?” you look up at tom, and he nods, smiling when his daughter does.

“alright, that’s everything for today, if she can come back next week for the other one, that would be best,” you tell him, writing on your clip board, “i hope to see you again soon, delilah,” you watch as she licks at her lollipop, flicking your eyes up at tom cautiously, “you too, tom,”

#tsh #tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland blurb #tom holland concept #tom holland imagine #tom holland drabble #tom holland fic #tom holland fanfiction #dad!tom

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lordrandreaming · 2 months

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Offical Adoptable post!

All but 4A are up for adoption, as you can see! The rest are all waiting for good homes! Bought adoptables also get an additional art to go with them.

Row 1A to 3A are 5$ and come with a free headshot/bust!

Row 1B to 4B are 10$ and come with a free halfbody!

Row 1C to 4C are 15$ and come with a free fullbody!

Buyer gets best resolution image, as well as liberty to change the design.

Want one that's been adopted? No worries! I'll make you your own for the same price as the one you wanted. Will come with additional art!

All adopts have names for their design.

1A is 'Chocolate'

2A is 'Rusty Sunset'

3A is 'Tuxedo'

4A is 'Mars Mesa'

1B is 'Milk Tea'

2B is 'Vieroh'

3B is 'Sherbert'

4B is 'Abyss Touched'

1C is 'Arctic'

2C is 'Bleeding Heart'

3C is 'Destined Death'

4C is 'Lovely Labradorite'

Directly message me or comment to claim! If the image resolution is particularly bad, DM me and I will send you a watermarked version of the original!

#mori draws ✏#mori's adopts #wolf adoptables #character adopt #adoptables

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reginadeltrash · 2 months

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The Hazbin Hotel's rules

(but I can only use and slightly rephrase actual rules from my summer camp):

1. You can sleep in a room with whoever you want (I don't care) the only thing to remember is that we are currently 8 in this hotel, and I want it to be true next morning as well.

1b. (however if you really have to change that number we prefer murder rather than pregnancy)

2. 'Dish cleaning duty' is not under any circumstances allowed to become 'Water balloon war duty'

2b. (no matter how much you hate the person you're stuck with)

3. If you see a bug don't freak out, please, the floor is already dirty as it is, we don't need bug's blood on top of that

3b. (Niffty, please, stop breaking rule 3)

4. A 'Hotel improving meeting' cannot be held in the middle of the night

4b. (or in the bathroom)

5. If an overlord comes by please don't disturb them. They'll probably just sit in the hall and stay on their phone until the person they need arrives, anyway.

5b. (Alastor, please go talk to them as soon as possible, we all know they're here for you 99% of the time)

5c. (The previous rule does not apply to Rosie. Rosie's nice, and she's probably just here to drop food)

6. If you arrive after 2:00 A.M. you need to have a convincing excuse.

6b. ('We got lost' is not convincing, because our building is fucking huge! Try again)

7. The kitchen is reserved for people who can actually cook, everyone else can try and make their 'recipes' in the garden, so we won't have to clean.

8. If I find another attempt at a Molotov in one of the rooms I'm gonna commit a crime.

8b. (Cherri, this is 100% about you)

8c. (Didn't think I needed to specify this, but, when I say Molotov I mean every kind of explosive thing)

8d. (Yes. Including fireworks)

9. The dirty clothes need to be put in the laundry room, not on a random chandelier.

9b. (You're only allowed to break this specific rule if you had the worst day ever, and also if you promise to be the one who will retrieve those clothes the morning after.)

10. Please, read the instructions if you want to 'help' with the washing machine.

11. If Charlie is talking, you don't interrupt her, otherwise you can't whine when everyone is angry at you for making her cry and consequently craft a ninety minutes power point on 'the art of listening'.

12. If we say to meet up at like 7:00 try to be here at least for 9:00, ok?

13. No jumping or having sex in the bed

13b. (I don't care which one you were doing last night, I'm just fucking tired of repairing that bed.)

14. Windows are not a good alternative to doors.

14b. (Especially those on the second floor)

15. For the love of God! Stop complaining about the cookies we serve for breakfast! Angel made them when drunk and we need to finish them in order not to hurt his feelings.

16. The music we use during exercises is chosen by Charlie, if you have any problems with it talk with her.

16b. (Always remember the looming threat of a ninety minutes power point, though)

17. Movie night is a privilege not a right.

18. 'Murder mystery night' is just a game. Quit telling Pentious is real.

18b. (Also, no! It can't actually become 'Murder mystery night for real', Niffty)

19. Stay at least six feet away from Niffty when she's sewing, if you value all of your limbs.

20. Outsiders (like delivery guys) may not be completely on our dynamics, so please try to behave like normal human beings when they come by.

21. Singing/Instrument playing time is set from 10:00 A.M. to 9 P.M. respect it, please. We don't need another noise complaint.

22. You need to always have clothes on.

22b. (A bikini is not considered clothes from now on.)

23. If your luggage doesn't have a lock good luck my friend!

24. During the cleanliness inspection there isn't a winner.

24b. (Update. Cleanliness inspection can have a winner, if you want, just leave your rooms clean, please.

25. Please, don't cry during 'compliment game' night, because I have no idea how I should help you with that.

26. Don't make any mommy/daddy issues jokes.

26b. (They may be funny where you're from, but not here. Here people have several of them)

27. That's about it!

27b. (Please don't force me to add more, people already think we're crazy)

List redacted by:

Vaggie

#hazbin hotel #list #jokes

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idioticsky · 5 months

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Interrogation Log #1: subject #0237

Part 1| Part 3

Researcher: Dr. Maxwell Floods, Research team 03, psychologist

Subject: #0237 (Sora Zanotto)

Date: 09/18/XXXX

Time of Interrogation: 18:45-19:15

The most recent psychic captured, Sora Zanotto, has been taken in for questioning. We were looking for information about their organization or anything related to psychic's weak point. The conversation and finding are recorded below:

Dr. Floods: "Now, this shouldn't take long Zanotto, that is as long as you give the information we require. We wish to know how you psychics work, if you give us that we'll leave you out when we... take control of your organization."

0273: "Oh fuck off, I would rather die."

To get 0273 to behave, a shock was administered. The subject reacted poorly to it, this well be used in future reference.

Dr. Floods: "Willing to talk now?"

0273 gave no response. Another shock was administered, at that point 0273 responded by attacking Dr. Floods. 0273 was soon detained and set back to his room, requesting that researcher use interrogation room 4B from now on.

#psychonauts #welcome new campers #psychonauts oc #sora zanotto

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ridinroundtowntheygonfeelthisone · 10 months

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back in your asks, can i get a motherfuckin uhhhh ☎️ or 🦷 ( or both if you feel so inclined )

I don't have much going for Phone dude yet sorryyy (Forgot to mention that becuz i'm an idiot)

Also sorry for the wait, my computer was acting up (and I randomly got a severe lack of motivation)

Jaime "Jeremy" Santana-Fitzgerald 🦷

-Born September 11, 1970

-Age 42 (2012-Current)

-Mixed ½ Puerto-Rican(Mestizo) ½ African American

-Has a brown skin tone similar to (@/msalay) Yala .V.'s + Vitiligo

-Has dark brown, thin almond eyes,

Medium, straight brows

Bulbous/Rounded nose, slightly visable bridge

Full, tan/brown colored lips with a soft cupid's bow

-4B, jet black afro

-Clean shaven

-He's like 5'7

-Has an "ample" body shape

-Wears a shit ton of sweaters/sweater vests(with the button up/dress shirt) no matter the weather

-Didn't wear earrings that much but he got gold heart studs as a gift and wears them like 24/7

-Has Autism/ASD

-His first language is English and his second is Spanish

-Born in America

-He had lived in a small home with his father, mother and his twin, Fritz (Missing Child Fritz)

-When he was around 8 his parents got a divorce and his mother was the one that ended up getting custody

-Their mom was in a pretty bad state at this point and they moved back to Puerto Rico beacause their mom needed a LOT support from her family (including financial, until she got a job)

-Their mom's family was pretty happy to not only have their daughter(/sister/niece, etc) back but to also have their grandchildren/nephews/cousins living with them as well

-Jeremy and Fritz LOVED it, living in such a big house with so many relatives seemed so much better than living in that small house with just their parents and eachother, even the community seemed better in their eyes

-Butt eventually their mom decided she was ready to get back on her feet and they moved back to America in 1985 when they were 15

-Their mom started going to nursing school, with the help of money from her relatives, and Fritz and Jeremy seemed old enough to either stay home alone or go out with no adult supervision so they frequented some weird Pizzeria/Family fun center

-Jeremy started hanging out with a young employee there named "Fritz" (Fritz Smith, I'm definitely changing his first name later)

-And Fritz started making new friends at the Pizzeria so things seemed good

-Anyways "Fritz's" shift ends and he suggests that he and Jeremy go hangout somewhere outside of the Pizzeria and Jeremy agrees

-Then when he gets home his brother isn't there and he thinks "well he's probably just spending time with his friends or something and lost track of time"

-Then later his mom gets home and asks where Fritz is, Jermey says he's not sure, his mom gets worried but he's like "don't worry he's probably with a friend"

-Next morning he isn't there and NOW Jeremy's worried, he goes downstairs and his mom's panicking as on the news it speaks of a girl named Suzanne who had been hanging out with friends at "Freddy B. Fazbear's Pizzeria" and had been reported to have not came home last night by her parents

-Ofc Ms. Santana thinks the same thing happened to her son and so she reports a similar case to the the police and other parents end up doing the same

-Months go by and nothing in particular shows up and later "Freddy B. Fazbear's" faces a few lawsuits and ends up shutting down

-Ms. Santana feels bad for continuously taking money from her relatives but with how things are she doesn't have a choice

-Jeremy decides to get a job to help his mom and ends up working as a cashier, like the good friend he is, "Fritz" drives Jeremy to work :)

-A year or so later (in 1987) "Fazbear Jr's" opens up

-And since Jemery's mom is still in nursing school and Jeremy ends up hearing about how "Fritz" is working at Fazbear Jr's cuz it has decent pay, he ends up working there despite hating the Fazbear's franchise

-I thinks nows the time to say that Jeremy's real name is Jamie and the only reason he gets called "Jeremy" at the work place is because his supervisor/manager could really care less about whether he gets his name right also I just like to think that he was the least fave employee <3 (probably got something against him beacause of the lawsuit)

-He doesn't tell his mom because she thinks she'll freak out and ends up keeping/hiding the extra money for himself

-He obviously feels bad but tries to think of a positive side like "Well in a year or so when she finally graduates and gets a nursing job, I can use the money I saved up and move out so she doesn't have to worry about anything but her job and her self"

-So anyways "Fritz" goes on about how he wants to move out of his parents' house, mostly cuz it wasn't the best environment, and so he and Jeremy end up making this plan of how they were going to move out together and get some house out of town, not to far so Jeremy can still see his mom from time to time and yeah

-They meet a new coworker named Micheal and they end up becoming friends with him for a while

-"Fritz" ends up applying for newer postition of "night guard" cause it's said to pay more, he ends up not showing up to work the next day

-As soon as Jeremy's shift ended, he went over to check up on him

-"Fritz" was basically just paraniod asf and when Jeremy tried to ask him what happend he kept on being incoherent or vague all Jeremy could understand was when he said they needed "to get as far away as possible from this town/place"

-They ended up having an argument

-The next day Jeremy went to work and on his way to the storage/back room, y'know(Bite of '87 happend)

-Jeremy gets hospitalized which leads to his mom finding out about the job and she was NOT happy about it (She wasn't like, mad at Jeremy or anything just worried and stuff)

-Ok so I'm getting like really lazy to explain but he recovers, "Fritz" finally tells him what's going on an they both get the fuck out of that town

-They did NOT graduate high school("Fritz was already kind of a drop out even before the incident and stuff)

-For college/university stuff, "Fritz" got offered the opportunity to work in exchange for college tuition and Jeremy had a tuition reimbursement plan

-Anyways they get older, graduate, get better jobs, etc.

-Him and "Fritz" do get married later on

-So now he just lives a decently normal life with his husband. Until he decides to be a beta tester for a VR new game made by the Fazbear company that is

I'm tired asf rn but watch me wake up tmr, re-read this and find a bunch of spelling and grammar mistakes

#fnaf #fnaf au #jeremy fitzgerald #Jaime “Jeremy” Santana-Fitzgerald

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karthik82 · 1 year

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Wednesday (2022) Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar "Wednesday" is a Netflix show based on the character Wednesday Addams from the "Addams Family" franchise. It's a dark comedy / mystery series with 8 episodes, featuring Jenna Ortega in the title role. Wednesday joins the Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for outcasts (students like her, who are either supernatural creatures or have powers). She starts experiencing sinister visions and is led to solve a murder mystery at the school. Some of the episodes are directed by Tim Burton. The show has been receiving praise but it's probably not the type of content I'd immediately jump to see. A clip featuring Jenna's dance from one scene, set to "Bloody Mary" by Lady Gaga (which isn't actually the music in the scene) became popular (apparently on Tiktok first and then came to Instagram Reels), and all I had to do was to watch it, and even till now, Instagram is showing me lots and lots of Reels featuring Jenna Ortega and the show. So I watched it, and liked it quite a bit. I didn't think it was entirely new though, since there was a sense of familiarity about it all, and it perhaps went on for longer than it needed to. For me, the blend between the older, Harry Potter style fantasy elements and the Riverdale type modern high school elements didn't always work. However, it was engaging enough, kept one's interest in the mystery, and Jenna Ortega (and the rest of the cast) did very well. There are references to the older Addams Family show and movies. I drew Wednesday, the drawing was done with 0.5 mm 4B mechanical pencil on A5 Brustro sketchbook. You can swipe to see a scan. I missed it by a day but had I put this up yesterday, I could have said that I posted a Wednesday drawing on Wednesday! #karthikabhiram #dailymoviesketch #wednesday #jennaortega #theaddamsfamily #pencil #pencilart #pencildrawing #artistsoninstagram #708 / 15-Dec-22 (at Secunderabad) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmLLXrtrZRF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#karthikabhiram #dailymoviesketch #wednesday #jennaortega #theaddamsfamily #pencil #pencilart #pencildrawing #artistsoninstagram #708

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usafphantom2 · 1 year

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Raytheon completes tests of new U.S. "Tenmention's A. aircraft" communication system

The system provides protected communication resources using digital engineering to support Command and Joint Control of All Domains

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 11/17/2022 - 16:00 in Military

Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a company of Raytheon Technologies, successfully demonstrated the performance of the end-to-end system in its latest updates to the command and control features of the Presidential and National Voice Conference System, or PNVC, for the U.S. Air Force E-4B Nightwatch aircraft.

The PNVC is a safe and survival voice conferencing feature for the president and senior leaders to assess threats to national security and help make decisions faster. Updates include better voice quality, reduced latency, greater number of users, better situational perception and a new conference management feature.

“The improvements to the PNVC system will help ensure that our top leaders have secure connectivity with all major stakeholders in times of national crisis to stay ahead of the threat in contested environments,” said Denis Donohue, president of surveillance and network systems at RI&S. "We use digital engineering, more specifically, model-based systems engineering, as well as agile software development, to provide faster and smarter systems."

The demonstration successfully verified the performance and functionality of the PNVC component integrated into PNVC nodes using fixed settings on the ground, transportable ?? on the ground and airborne, including extremely high frequency advanced terminals. Enhanced protected communications capabilities support Nuclear Command, Control and Communications, a crucial capability to perform All-Domain Joint Command and Control, a future command and control network that will connect the entire battle space in all domains - sea, air, land, space and cyber.

The PNVC system will pass to operational tests to accelerate the transition of this critical capacity for our nation's senior leaders.

The Boeing E-4B National Airborne Operations Center - also known as "Nightwatch" - is a flying office of the secretary of defense that uses 42 different communication systems that allow connection with anyone in the world.

It was also built to resist a nuclear attack and keep the federal government fleeing from the skies, earning the nickname "the plane of the Last Judgment".

Tags: Military AviationBoeing E-4BRaytheonUSAF - United States Air Force / US Air Force

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. It has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. Uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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roman-catholic-mass-readings · 1 year

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8th February >> Mass Readings (USA)

Wednesday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Saint Jerome Emilian

Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin.

Wednesday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: Green)

First Reading Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden and placed there the man whom he had formed.

At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens – while as yet there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, but a stream was welling up out of the earth and was watering all the surface of the ground – the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and he placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The LORD God then took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden, to cultivate and care for it. The LORD God gave man this order: “You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 104:1-2a, 27-28, 29bc-30

R/ O bless the Lord, my soul!

Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD, my God, you are great indeed! You are clothed with majesty and glory, robed in light as with a cloak.

R/ O bless the Lord, my soul!

All creatures look to you to give them food in due time. When you give it to them, they gather it; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

R/ O bless the Lord, my soul!

If you take away their breath, they perish and return to their dust. When you send forth your spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

R/ O bless the Lord, my soul!

Gospel Acclamation cf. John 17:17b, 17a

Alleluia, alleluia. Your word, O Lord, is truth: consecrate us in the truth. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mark 7:14-23 What comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Saint Jerome Emilian

(Liturgical Colour: White)

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Wednesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Tobit 12:6-13 Prayer and fasting are good: but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.

The angel Raphael said to Tobit and his son: “Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory. Before all the living, acknowledge the many good things he has done for you, by blessing and extolling his name in song. Honor and proclaim God’s deeds, and do not be slack in praising him. A king’s secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of God are to be declared and made known. Praise them with due honor. Do good, and evil will not find its way to you. Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life; but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies.

“I will now tell you the whole truth; I will conceal nothing at all from you. I have already said to you, ‘A king’s secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of God are to be made known with due honor.’ I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed, it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord; and I did the same thing when you used to bury the dead. When you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead, I was sent to put you to the test.”

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-11