#when she said 'your weight is really fluctuating'

[banannabethchase]

*beats off the negative body image and self esteem issues with the newly acquired handheld vacuum cleaner*

[dfortrafalgar]

Withdrawal

Four days off your hormone birth control pill left you with one unexpected side effect.

Law x Fem Reader

Warnings: MATURE 18+, MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS INTERACTING WITH THIS POST WILL BE BLOCKED, this is all smut like pureee smut, every generic smut tag needed is here, pinv sx, biting, dry humping, creampie, unprotected sex (dont), biting, wet and messy, etc etc bless

Also Posted on AO3

It had been a mere 4 days since you stopped taking a daily hormone pill to control your crippling period cramps.  After all, it was near impossible to get a hold of the same medicines aboard a submarine that spent ninety percent of its time hundreds of meters below the ocean’s surface.  As such, you exhausted the six-month supply of the tiny pills that you had brought with you when you joined the Heart Pirates, slowly counting down the days when you would inevitably run out.

You had discussed your waning pill count with Ikkaku on multiple occasions, and she relayed you with her own experiences in her teenage years.

“When I stopped taking hormone pills, my period lasted for, like, two weeks before it became regular again!” she had said, throwing her hands in the air in an exasperated display as she recounted her memories.  “It sucked.  My cramps were really bad, too, but they got a bit better overtime.”

You had assumed, due to very little knowledge otherwise, that your experience would be largely the same.  It made sense in the few biology books you had studied during your downtime spent on the floor in the crew library.  You would cease taking your daily pill, your hormones would fluctuate as your body adjusted to the lack of a steady balance, and eventually you would go back to living life as you did years before you began your regimen.  You read up on a few additional side effects along with heavier and longer bouts of bleeding and increased amounts of bloating and general discomfort.  Mostly changes in body mass and occasional reports of differing mental symptoms, which you had readied yourself for as your supply turned into a week's worth, and then down to a single pill, and then nothing at all.

You had Law, your sweet, awkward, broomstick of a boyfriend, to pull on his metaphorical physician’s coat and help you out when needed, as well.  He told you, based on his own research (that he didn’t start until after you told him you were down to only two months left of pills), that he could administer remedies if you had bad cramp flare ups or serious, debilitating bleeding.  He followed his reassurance with a tender kiss to your cheek as you smiled at him, thanking him for his generosity and understanding.

You swallowed your last pill 4 days ago.  So far, none of the symptoms you had prepared yourself for had made themselves known.  No bloating, no period (yet), no fluctuating mental state, no change in weight.

Instead, starting 24 hours after your first pill-less day, you were plagued with intense, irreparable horniness, which had now gone on for 3 entire days.

Three days.  72 hours of a persistent wetness between your thighs, a constant warmth fluttering deep within the recesses of your gut that had you clenching around nothing at all hours of the day.  You were able to perform your work just fine, but every time Law would pass by you in the hallway, his fleeting touches would leave electric sparks through your boiler suit, his metal-tinged smell lingering in your nostrils more than usual, his golden irises etching themselves into your eyelids.  You were acutely aware of the sensation of dampness increasing between your legs whenever he made contact with you, which was very, very often.

You and Law had fucked before.  You fucked as often as you could, which, given your respective roles aboard a pirate submarine, was only about once a week, twice if you were lucky (and this was already more often than Law could’ve ever anticipated).  You were no stranger to the primal want that made you salivate, endlessly craving the calloused touch of your boyfriend’s lanky fingers against your hips.

But this, the unabashed depravity that started after you stopped your hormone pills, was on a completely different level.  Each day seemed to get worse, more unbearable.  It was as if your body was screaming at you to pursue your lover and beg him to dick you as deep into his mattress as he possibly could.  The mere thought made your face flush with blood.  During the times where you were left alone in Law’s bed while he was out being a captain, you tried to tend to your needs with your fingers.  You managed once to make yourself cum three times in a row without feeling any sense of relief.  Post-orgasm euphoria would instantly be replaced with more intense lust and longing, leaving you frustrated and bewildered.

Had you told him about this?  No, of course not.  Had he asked you about your condition in the days following your cessation?  Yes, multiple times.  He was constantly pleased with your content, “I feel great!” responses, and didn’t press the issue further, knowing you would come to him if you started to feel discomfort.

But this was a ‘discomfort’ that made your pride as a pirate, as a strong, semi-independent woman, waver ever so slightly.  Simply because you weren’t really keen to beg like a pathetic animal in heat.  (That had only happened once in the bedroom between you and your stone-cold captain-turned-boyfriend, and not only had the words that left your mouth embarrass you to a previously unknown degree, but they left Law feeling unbelievably awkward.  The two of you ended up not having sex and instead simply falling asleep.)

Unbeknownst to you, however, your inner, wet, sweaty turmoil started to be noticed by the crew due to your wavering performance.  You were spacing out far more than usual, keeping your head bowed consistently, contrasting your former upbeat, hardworking, and friendly personality.  Multiple times, fingers had to be snapped in your face to grab your attention from the clutches of daydreams that had your eyes glazed over.

And what the crew picked up on, Law would pick up on, if he didn’t notice it first.

Four days.  Four days of this.

Your watch shift had ended for the day, allowing you to retreat to the captain’s quarters that you shared with Law, shedding your boiler suit for comfortable loungewear, excited to get off your feet and relax in bed with a book you had started in an attempt to distract your mind from your perverted thoughts.  You had just barely opened the page before the heavy steel door opened, revealing your boyfriend to you as he stepped into the room, closing and locking the hatch behind him.

“Are you okay?” he asked, plainly.  His face showed no expression, which was usual, but the aura he radiated sent a nervous chill down your spine.  It was somewhere along the tightrope between concerned and mildly frustrated.

“Yeah, why?” you responded, a fleeting attempt to match his energy.  You tucked your knees to your chest as the taller man approached the bed, flopping onto it and sitting cross-legged before you.

“It seems like you’ve been a lot more spacy these past few days.  Some of the crew told me it appeared that your work has been lacking, and I was wondering if it had something to do with your pill withdrawal.”

You bit the inside of your bottom lip, anxiously digging through your scrambled thoughts for a proper answer.  Before you had a chance to respond, however, Law continued speaking.

“If you’re feeling any signs of negative mental health, I want you to tell me right away.  I’m being serious, any signs of depression, anxiety, intense stress, nightmares–”

“I’m not depressed, Law, I promise,” you reassured.  This wasn’t a lie, you really weren’t depressed.  You were slightly anxious, yes, and definitely stressed due to the constant feeling of a throbbing pulse within your clit every single time you sat down, but you weren’t depressed.

“Something is clearly bothering you, though.  I’m here to help you.”

His affirmations once again made you falter.  Your eyes stayed glued to his, afraid to look anywhere else.

“I…” you began, voice low and wispy.  “I don’t really know how to say it…”

Your response made Law’s eyebrows cock in confusion.  “Say… what?”

You finally discarded your book to the side table, leaving your empty hands to fidget with each other.  “Uhm… what’s been bothering me.”

“Is it something that I can help you with, or is it something that you feel you have to manage on your own?”

Curse Law’s analytical prowess.  Sometimes you wished his rare moments of being a dorky airhead were more common, especially in situations like this.  Swallowing your pride, you replied, “The first one, I hope.”

“You hope?”

“Law…” you grumbled, dropping your head into your curled legs so that your forehead rested on your kneecaps.  It really shouldn’t have been a hard conversation, you knew Law would understand.  But the four consecutive days of nonstop horny fantasy and masturbation sessions that only left you more desperate had officially started to melt your neurons into mush.

“Can you please tell me?  At least so I know that you’re not in pain?”  Law kept his voice low and calm, but his face clearly gave away his profound concern for your sorry state.

You drew in a deep, shaky inhale.  Refusing to lift your head to meet his eyes, you finally swallowed your pride and revealed the truth.  “I’ve been hornier than I’ve ever been in my entire life for the past four days.”

Your confession was not at all what Law was anticipating, judging by his prolonged silence.  You slowly lifted your head, apprehensively searching for his eyes, which, when you found them, were slightly widened.  The tip of his straight nose was flushed a rosy pink color.

“Ohhh,” was all he said in response to your confession.

This didn’t instill much confidence in you.  With a dry chuckle, you quipped back, “That’s all you’re gonna say?”

Law rapidly backpedaled, shaking his head frantically.  “No, of course not.  Your behavior just makes… a lot more sense now.”

Uncomfortable silence filled the space around the two of you.  You could almost see the gears working in Law’s head as he struggled to figure out how exactly he could best help you with your situation, without outright saying it.  It didn’t matter how many times the two of you connected between his sheets, the simple word ‘sex’ left Law flustered and fidgeting like an innocent schoolboy.

“Is there…” he began, voice low.  “Anything you want me to do?”

“Do you want my honest answer?” you asked back.

The staring contest you were currently partaking in had both of your hearts beating a mile a minute.  He simply gave you a curt nod as a reply to your question.

You lowered your knees from your chest slightly, still keeping your arms wrapped around your legs.  “I want you to fuck me until I can’t stand anymore.”

“Damn.”

“You said you wanted my honest answer!” you cried out.  You loved your boyfriend more than anything in this world, but his awkward, stubborn demeanor would really get on your nerves in the wrong circumstances, such as this very moment.

“I know, I know,” he reassured.  He bowed his head away from yours, hiding his eyes under the brim of his hat.  “I just… didn’t expect that.”

“In my defense, I told you I’ve been painfully horny.”

Law pinched the bridge of his nose, once again repeating an exasperated, “I know.”

You lowered your legs further, keeping your hands on your kneecaps as you hunched your shoulders forward.  “Can you please help me?  Please?”  Your voice was low, airy, almost coming out as a whimper.  “It’s been four days, Law.  Everything I try to make myself feel better makes me more and more uncomfortable.”

Your tone really did sound desperate, and Law’s chest clenched at your demeanor.  He glanced back up at your face, your eyebrows scrunched in an odd agony.  He could almost feel the burning of your face from where he sat.  Out of all the withdrawal symptoms the two of you had discussed before your medication ran out, this was the last one that he would’ve expected, and clearly that was the same for you.

“I’ll see what I can do to help,” he uttered.

“You don’t need to ‘see’ anything, Law, I need your dick in me.  Right now.  You know I don’t like begging, you have no idea how embarrassed I feel, but I’m desperate, Law, I’m desperate!”  You were pleading with him now, officially losing your grip on yourself as you began to crawl towards him, placing your hand on his thigh and pushing yourself forward to bury your face in the junction between his neck and shoulder.  “I would rather be depressed.”

A dry chuckle from his throat broke the awkward, stifling atmosphere.  “Don’t say that, I don’t want you to be depressed.”  He rested his arm around your waist, gently pulling you closer to him.  It almost didn’t register how you were beginning to straddle his waist, your fluttering breaths ghosting over his jugular.  

You let out a pathetic whimper, both of your arms now dangled over his shoulders as your hips slotted against his, an uncomfortable position on the bed for both of you, but you were clearly out of your mind as you searched for any semblance of friction to satiate the red-hot need in your core.  Your muscles gyrated on their own, a weary moan leaving your lips, hoping to use the stiffness of his jeans to stimulate your clit from under your loungewear.

Law truly felt bad for your beaten state, and with your body pressed against his, he could feel just how flustered you really were.  With a tender kiss against the shell of your ear, he pushed you back onto the bed, swiftly removing your pajama bottoms and underwear.  A deep crimson blush spread across his tanned cheeks at the sight of you, a persistent, heavy, glistening moistness coating your labia.

“You weren’t kidding,” was all he muttered.

“You thought I’d make this up?!” you pleaded.

“No, of course not.”  He rubbed a calloused hand across your cheek, smiling sweetly as you turned your face to nestle into his touch.  “I’m just sorry it’s been so bad.”

“Apologize with your body.  Please.  Don’t make me keep begging, Law, I can’t take it anymore.”

Somewhere deep inside the stoic captain’s mind was a perverted beast that quite enjoyed the sight of you practically weeping and writhing under him as your body subconsciously demanded any stimulation as soon as possible.  A sadistic side of him wanted to keep you begging, wanted to break you until you sobbed into his chest, losing your humanity to your instinctual, hormonal urges.

But he loved you too much for that, at least in your current worked-up state.  He didn’t want to prolong your suffering.

Without wasting any more time as you lay completely vulnerable and demanding beneath him, he took his hand and trailed two fingers through your folds, stifling a sharp breath at just how wet you really were.  Sticky yet thin and fluid, your sweet, musky scent traveled to his nose and made his stomach clench.  He bit back any other witty comments that sat on his tongue and instead slipped his middle finger into your cunt, using his thumb to stimulate your clit simultaneously.  Your hands flew to cover your mouth, your eyes clenched shut as you involuntarily bucked into his hand, encouraging him to slip a second finger into you to increase the sensation.

“Law,” you moaned out.  One of your hands grabbed his wrist, stopping his movements.  He gazed at you, waiting for your next move.  “I’ve been doing that to myself and nothing’s worked.  I need you.”

The raven-haired man bit the inside of his cheek at your words.  He pulled his fingers out of your cunt, haphazardly wiping your fluids on his jeans as he reached for his fly and tugged on the zipper, the metal button following suit.  He slipped off the bed to let his pants and boxers fall to the floor before discarding his shirt.  You salivated at the sight of him (you felt truly helpless in your hormonal, sex-crazed state).  You tugged your own t-shirt over your head and threw it to the floor beneath the bed.  Law once again positioned himself above you, an inked hand idly stroking his half-hard penis as he surveyed your pitiful form below him, sprawled out, legs spread, mouth hung open as you took in shallow breaths.  He rubbed the head of his penis along your sopping pussy, rubbing your slick down his length with his hand.

“I’m gonna be honest,” he muttered, reveling in the scorching heat that traveled to his groin as his cock filled with blood.  “I didn’t think it was possible for a woman to be this wet.”

“How do you think I feel?” you quipped back, your mouth curling into a meager grin.  “I’ve been constantly wondering if I pissed my pants without realizing.”

Your words made a bark of laughter exit Law’s mouth, which eased your stress and made your own chest feel lighter.  He continued stroking your fluid over his dick as he responded, “This isn’t going to help you, I don’t think.”

You reached a hand forward and trailed it along his shoulder, tracing his tattoo in the process.  “I can’t even care anymore, really.”

Law supported himself above you with one hand, dipping down to plant a sweet kiss against your lips.  You pushed yourself up on your elbows to deepen the exchange, parting your mouth and brushing your tongue along his lower lip.  Instead of opening for you, he pulled back with a mischievous grin.

“You’re already begging for this, you’re gonna have to wait for whatever sloppy kisses you want.”

“You’re an asshole,” you retorted, but shuddered out a sigh at the feeling of Law’s dick parting your labia and slipping into your opening little by little.  The excess wetness produced by your own body made the ordeal much easier, which also made it much easier for Law to tease you in his own, stubborn way, finally looking past the awkwardness of your hormone-driven desperation.  He removed the tip of his cock from your entrance, making you grumble under your breath.  “You said before you would do anything to make sure I’m okay!”

“Well, you’re not in pain,” he responded, voice low and rough.  The sound made your hair stand on end.  “Since you’re not in pain, I feel a bit better…” he interrupted his sentence with another tease of his tip at your warm pussy, “driving you mad.”

You groaned.  “What do I have to do to convince you to just rail me already?”

Your man smirked above you.  “You’re getting bold with your language, sweetheart.”

Your shaking hands gripped his shoulder blades as you scooted yourself down the mattress in a feeble attempt to get his cock inside you on your own.  Law merely chuckled, dipping his head into the crevice of your neck, leaving sweet kisses over your soft skin before using his hand to aid his dick in entering you completely, biting down on your skin at the same time.  The doubled sensations made you wail involuntarily, one of your own hands slapping over your mouth to muffle your desperate noises as your eyes squeezed shut.  Law sucked on the bite he made, gyrating his hips at just the right spot where his public hair brushed against your aching clit.  The hand that wasn’t covering your mouth raked down his back, making him shudder above you, detaching from your neck and licking his lips devilishly.  

“Feel better?” he asked, voice completely casual as if he wasn’t balls deep inside you.

“I’d feel a lot better if you just–”  He cut you off with a sharp thrust, the sound of wet skin slapping making hot embarrassment rush to your face.

“Just what?”

“What happened to, ‘I’ll see what I can do?’  Or, ‘I’m sorry it’s been so bad?’” you asked with a quivering voice.  “No more sympathy for your suffering girlfriend?”

“Of course I have sympathy for you, dear,” he replied, trailing the hand he had used to gather your slick on his fingers to rub down your cheek and neck, leaving a cold sensation behind.  “But when you use words like ‘rail me’ and ‘fuck me until I can’t stand anymore’ it gets kinda hard to not torture you a little bit.  Makes it more fun that way.”

You couldn’t fight the grin that crawled across your lips.  “You’re a sick, sick man.”

“And you’re a desperate, relentless woman.”

Your conversation finally halted with another deep kiss from Law as his hips began a steady pace, stroking into your cunt with deep, powerful thrusts that were as slow yet impactful and left your toes curling.  Law, despite all his uncoordinated emotions, was very good on the backstroke.  You didn’t quite know if it was simply the way his cock was shaped, or his physique, or perhaps his unintentional movements, but each thrust sent shivers down your spine and caused your back to arch into the growing flames brewing in the pit of your stomach.  His lanky arms allowed him to support himself while angling his thrusts to also brush along your clit, aiding in your euphoria.  The mixture of the head of his penis constantly brushing against your upper wall and his coarse pubic hair and firm torso stimulating your clit was addictive and made your legs quiver.  (If you ever told Law that he was, in your eyes, a ‘Sex God,’ however, he’d avoid making eye contact with you for at least a week out of sheer humiliation.  You had to keep some things to your deranged imagination.)

Amidst Law’s movements above you, you angled your hips upwards and wrapped your legs around his waist, keeping his thrusts deep and deliberate.  Your attempts to keep your sounds to a minimum were futile when Law hooked his hands around the backs of your knees, removing your legs from his body and holding them up in the air.  Your body curled for him and he kneeled above you, still fully inserted.  The new angle was deeper than before and had your eyes glued shut, mouth hung open and lewd sounds escaping your lungs with every shuddering breath.  You held your legs in the air while one of Law’s inked hands traveled downward to your clit, resuming ministrations on your swollen nub that this new position didn’t quite provide.

Law wouldn’t admit it, but the absolutely depraved sounds of your wet pussy sucking in his dick with every thrust had him painfully erect inside of you.  He was sure you could feel the way his cock twitched every now and then with the way your face would contort in immeasurable pleasure.  Half of him was concerned that the soggy noises could be heard from outside the bedroom, either through the heavy steel hatch door or through the walls, but the other half of him was too focused on the electric shocks that sparked through his dick that craved for him to keep chasing his release.

Your own climax was rapidly approaching, Law’s thrusts growing slightly unsteady as his own impending release slowly creeped up on him.  His calloused thumb rubbing counter-clockwise circles against your clit was the perfect stimulation you needed along with his perfect cock, and before you had time to suck in another deep gulp of oxygen, your body was convulsing around him, hips gyrating around him as you desperately moaned, still trying to stifle your noises.  The squelching sound that emanated from between your bodies only seemed to increase after your orgasm, more fluid from your seemingly endless arousal making Law’s dick slip easier and easier through your tight folds.  The feeling of your cunt clenching around him made his throat clench, swallowing tightly as a building pressure formed at the base of his dick.  He felt it as deep as his vertebrae.  

His calculated thumb never ceased its motions against your clit, staying consistent throughout your orgasm.  Your fingers clenched the bed sheets beneath you as you pleaded with the man above you to slow down, that the pleasure from your clit was so good it was almost painful, but right as you began to release another moaning plead, a second orgasm washed over you, causing your muscles to rapidly convulse as your hips shook against his body.

“Fuck,” Law groaned out, his own bubble growing closer and closer to bursting with each of your gyrations.

“Law…” you heaved.  “Please come inside me.  Please, please.  I need you to come inside of me.”

Law swallowed thickly, eyeing your trembling form beneath him.  “Are you sure?”  The implications were slightly more concerning considering this had all started after you stopped a controlled hormone pill.  Getting you pregnant wouldn’t be ideal on a submarine, and there would definitely be a lot of discussion should that consequence happen, but at the same time…

He groaned.  The feeling of your pussy keeping him glued to your body was too addicting to say no to.  Law bit back his inhibitions and nodded his head.  He could already tell his own orgasm was going to be one for the ages, your desperate horniness seeming to affect him as well.  His hips were starting to stutter in their pace as his climax creeped up his spine and through his pelvis.

You covered your mouth as a sob left your throat, climaxing for a third time on the motions against your clit and G-spot.  The involuntary gyrations of your hips finally did Law in.  His hips snapped forward, dropping your legs to the bed and placing his hands on your lower stomach, pressing downward as he desperately rammed into you, moaning your name among a string of breathless curses as he released his cum inside your drenched pussy.  You were in complete bliss, never having heard such noises leave Law’s mouth during any of your other intimate sessions.  You didn’t think you’d be able to get off without his deep, gruff moans anymore.

Law finally stilled both his hand and his hips, leaving you twitching and completely fucked out below him.  His aching cock slipped out of you as soon as he pulled away, leaving you both feeling cold and very aware of the crazy mess the two of you had made on his bed sheets.  

“Shit…” Law groaned as he flopped backwards.  His feet were up by your waist, while yours were still draped across his hips, both pairs of legs parted.  The smell of sex permeated the air and you were positive you’d be able to smell it in the hallway if the door was opened.

You didn’t respond for a while, only heavy breaths entering and exiting your chest as you fought to catch up on air that had been violently forced out of you.

“Are you okay?” Law finally asked, barely having energy to pick up his head to gaze at you.

“Yeah… I’m fine.  You?”

“Completely spent.”

You shared a breathless laugh that lingered in the air, a soft pink cloud above you.

“I feel disgusting now,” you finally said after some more moments of comfortable silence.

“Good disgusting or bad disgusting?” Law asked back.

“Good, I think,” you replied.  “I don’t think I’ll be able to fuck for at least a month now, though.”

“You and me both.”  Law finally mustered up the energy to sit himself up on his elbows.  You did the same, though your arms were much more shaky than his.  “Have I ever made you come three times before?”

“Never.”

Law pondered your response for a few seconds before flashing a roguish grin.  “Damn, I’m good.”

“You can be prideful after you clean me up,” you groaned.

You wearily held your arm into the air, letting your hand flop back and forth as you waved.  Law chuckled, tiredly swinging his legs off of the bed.  He ignored your arm, instead choosing to scoop you up by your knees and shoulders, holding you close to his chest.  Your head plopped onto his shoulder, eyes closed and breaths finally steady.  Law gazed at the substantial wet patch that now tainted his white bed sheets, but kept his mouth shut.  Maybe six months ago he would’ve been disgusted at the mess you two had made, but with you fucked out and blissful in his arms and his own body tingling with a hot pink sensation that he couldn’t get enough of, he didn’t think it was very important.

With a hushed whisper, a blue glow enveloped the two of you and a swift hand motion teleported you to the bathroom.  Where, despite your fatigue, your sex only continued in the shower.

[risriswrites]

Booze, Burgers, and Bartenders

summary: short love story involving rooster and penny's favorite bartender.

pairing: bradley bradshaw x fem reader

warnings: none really, just some mild language and minor angst (if you can even call it that)

author's note: wow!! thank you guys so much for all of the love on my second fic "just roommates". i don't have a lot to say about it because honestly i'm speechless! with that being said, this fic has been in the works for months now and i'm exhausted with it. i wanted to write this and get it out back in may but everything with college really held me back and then from there i've just been enjoying summer and have been putting it off. so i apologize for the wait, but i hope y'all enjoy it!! likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated :)

word count: 5.7k

“Penny! Where are the extra bottles of Budweiser?” you call out, body crouched just below the countertop of the bar in an effort to find a hidden Budweiser bottle behind all the Corona’s.

Somewhere in the bar, Penny shouts back to you, a muffled, “Just got a new shipment order in this morning! Check in the backroom, they’re probably still in their packaging!” reaches your ears.

Huffing, you force yourself back to a standing position, leaning your weight against the bar for a few seconds before pushing off and heading towards the backroom.

Flickering the light switch on once the door is fully open, you begin the tedious search for the famous beer the patrons preferred to order at Penny’s bar. Sighing to yourself, you grab a stool just in case the box was placed on one of the top shelves. Jaxson had a habit of doing that, he knew both yourself and Penny preferred the heavier boxes on the bottom shelves, but he somehow always managed to “forget” that important factor.

Crouching low you start with the bottom shelves before moving upwards. Luckily, Jaxson put the newest box of Budweiser’s one shelf above the middle. Lifting the box into your arms, you steady yourself before moving back out of the room and towards the bar.

Maneuvering around the tables and chairs scattered throughout the bar was easier said than done. It wasn’t until you were able to push the box onto the countertop that you could take a breath, leaning your body weight onto the bar again with a huff. Flicking your hair over your shoulder, you notice Penny coming into your field of vision, a sly grin on her face.

“Jaxson leave the box on the top shelf again?” she questions, quirking a curious brow in the process.

Pinning her with a joking glare you smile, “Not this time, but it’s still heavy.”

“Hey, I’ve been doing it for ten years, trust me hon, it doesn’t get much easier” she chuckles.

Throwing your head back with a groan, you grip the edges of the bar, leaning back on your heels, “I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon,” straightening back up on your two feet, you turn to face Penny again, fixing her with your stare and point in her direction, “but, if Jaxson continues to put new, heavy, boxes on the top shelf, I can’t guarantee he’ll be around forever.”

Penny lets out a snort and nods her head in understanding, “I’m right there with you, but until then,” she gets up from her seat at the bar and pats the box of beer twice, “let’s get these in the fridge.”

With a forced laugh and a mock salute, you let out a “You got it Pen,” and resume struggling against the bottles of booze.

~

Nights at the Hard Deck fluctuated. Weekdays were a little slow, apart from Friday nights, with Saturdays being the busiest. Not that you’re complaining since that’s when you receive the most tips. And having the local aviators around as eye candy wasn’t so bad, plus, they’re generous tippers.

Tonight though, there had been an abundance of new faces floating around the bar. Mainly naval aviators, not to your surprise, but the sheer amount that had been crowding the bar was just a tad overwhelming.

Even Jaxson was flustered, his eyes flitting back and forth from you to Penny in search of some assistance. Unfortunately for everyone, you each were too busy struggling with keeping up with your own sides of the bar, and just when you thought you had a second to breathe, another patron would waltz up to your side and ask for a drink.

Glancing over towards Penny, you notice her interacting with a brunette clad in a leather jacket, an easygoing smile accompanying the glint in his eyes as he spoke with her. Smirking to yourself, you keep this interaction in mind and turn back to the guy in front of you, grabbing a bucket, loading it with ice and the six coronas he ordered, popping the tab off one before handing it to him with a smile, “Here ya go.”

The blond shoots you a smile, and pats a hand on the bar, shouting a “thanks” back in your direction. Moving around your section, you plucked empty bottles off the bar top and disposed of them in the large trash bin under the bar. And just as you were about to grab a clean washrag to tend to simpler tasks than dealing with the local riff raffs of the bar, another patron squeezes their way up to your side of the bar.

Flicking your gaze over to the guy you shoot him a small smile, “I’ll be with you in a second.” Snatching the wash rag, you tuck it into your jean shorts and take two strides back to the bar, leaning your forearms on the top, you shoot the mystery man a small smile, and pose the million-dollar question, “What can I get ya?”

After mixing the jack and coke your customer requested, you accept the twenty and continue working around the bar, popping bottle-tops off Corona’s, Heineken’s, and the bar favorite, Budweiser. All while simultaneously wiping any spills off the countertop.

A few hours later, the Hard Deck is looking less and less crowded, with all the civilians having cleared out. Which allows for you to sidle over to Penny and pester her for the next two hours before closing, sipping on your Coca-Cola in the meantime.

“Haven’t seen you all night, how’d it go?” Penny questions, permanent smile on her face and a light in her eyes you haven’t seen in a while.

Quirking your head to the side, you raise your eyebrows, “Clearly not as eventful as yours,” you smirk. Wiggling your eyebrows you throw out a second question, “Who’s got you all hot and bothered?”

Penny giggles at your playfulness, swatting at you with her dishrag, “No one special.”

“Now that, is a lie if I’ve ever heard one.” you point at her with the pinky finger that had been resting around the bright red can you’ve been holding.

Bringing the can back up to your lips, you smile, “Wouldn’t have anything to do with that brunette with the brown leather jacket decorated in naval patches, would it?”

This earns you another swat from the dishrag.

Leaning away from her, your smirk grows wider, “I’m taking that as a yes.”

Penny playfully glares at you for the second time today, and peers around you, nodding her head in the direction of your side of the bar, “You’ve got another one.”

Giggling to yourself you turn your head in the direction Penny motioned to, the sight before you halting your giggling almost instantaneously.

Bradley Bradshaw.

Cussing under your breath, you take the last sip of your coke and turn to make your way towards him, receiving a swat from Penny’s dishrag in the process.

“Bradshaw.”

The man of the hour turns in his seat towards you, honey brown eyes gazing into yours for a brief moment before one side of his mouth quirks up into a half smile, “Hey.”

“What made the navy drag your ass back here for?” you ask, snorting at his attempt at remaining casual, folding your arms over each other, jutting your hip out in a stance that you hope comes across as vaguely threatening.

Bradley taps his thumb on the bar top and shoots you an award-winning smile, “I’m not really sure about that yet, sweets” he states, his voice coming out in a low rasp, while his eyes wander behind you towards the bottles of liquor.

Rolling your eyes at the nickname, you open your mouth to shoot him a smart-ass retort, but instead, choose to close it and offer up the same line you use on everyone else, “What can I get you to drink?”

Bradley refocuses his eyes back onto yours, lips forming into a frown at your lack of retaliation, “Bottle of Budweiser if you have any would be great.”

Moving on autopilot, you bend down and sort through the fridge for another Budweiser, gripping the bottle and popping the top off, before sliding it forward towards the tall hunk of muscle in front of you, “You opening up a tab?”

Bradley looks over towards the pool tables where his friends were gathered around, no doubt betting on who was going to have to pay for the next round of beers. Turning his attention back to you, he stands from his seat, pulling his wallet out from his back jean pocket and holds his card out to you, “If you don’t mind, that’d be great sweets” sending you a small smile in the process.

Plucking the card from his grasp, you send a sarcastic smile his way before turning to the computer to input his information.

Bradley lets his gaze linger on you for a moment, then sets off back to his friends.

Hangman is the first to comment on Bradley’s singular beer and the sour look on his face, earning him a rough shove from Phoenix.

Nat turns to face Bradley, offering a sympathetic look, “Didn’t go well I take it?” she mumbles.

Hangman snorts and gestures with his beer towards the bar where you’re currently standing with Penny, “Judging by the way she’s standing,” sucking a breath through his teeth, “I’d say it went swimmingly.”

Jake goes to sip his beer with a smirk on his lips, satisfied with his dig, until Natasha forcefully bumps his elbow, forcing his beer to miss his mouth and instead spill down his shirt. Glancing towards her, scowl present on his face, Nat flutters her eyelashes and pouts, “Oops.”

Bradley covers his laugh with a sip of his beer, looking towards the dart board as a distraction.

“Maybe you should go get cleaned up.” Phoenix smiles, her words sickeningly sweet and not up for debate.

Grumbling to himself, Jake gets up from his seat and makes his way towards the bathroom of the Hard Deck. Once he’s out of sight, Nat fixes her gaze on Bradley, “Alright, tell me what’s going on.”

A huff slips past Bradley’s lips and he slumps into the seat adjacent to Phoenix, “That’s the thing Nat, it’s not really going anywhere.”

Nursing her own beer, Nat plays with the perspiration sliding down the bottle, “It’s probably gonna take some time Bradley. You can’t just show up after not talking to her for a year,” sparing you a brief glance she watches the way you smile and pop a cap off the bottle for a customer you’d been serving for the better half of the night, “stuff like that actually bothers a girl yaknow” emphasizing her words with a pointed look.

Bradley taps his thumb against the tabletop, a low groan leaving his throat, “I know Nat, I just didn’t know how to tell her I was being deployed for six months and then dealing with the Uranium mission on top of that,” he pauses briefly to sip on his beer, “It’s not fair to her.”

Natasha nods briefly, understanding where he’s coming from, “I get that, but that’s not your decision to make.” Pointing at him with her bottle briefly, she maneuvers it to gesture towards you, “She’s a big girl, she can make her own decisions.”

Bradley nods his head in understanding, moving his gaze to survey the room briefly, a red blush painting his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

Sensing how flustered he was Nat slaps the table and shoots him a sympathetic smile, “I’m going to get us a few more beers from our favorite girl. When I get back, you’re going to be done with all that sulking and were going to kick Coyote and Hangman’s asses in eight ball.”

An, “In your dreams hot shot,” settling over both Natasha’s and Bradley’s ears, the pair rolling their eyes simultaneously at the overconfident voice of Jake Seresin.

~

“Ready to start cleaning up? It’s twenty minutes before we close.” Penny asks, the clinking of glass bottles ringing in your ears when she tosses them into the trash.

Peeking at her from over your shoulder you send an exhausted smile her way, “Definitely, tonight’s rush took a lot out of me.”

Biting her lower lip, Penny begins wiping down the counter, “That the only thing that took a lot out of you tonight? Or did a certain tall, mustached naval aviator have something to do with it?”

She doesn’t look over at you when you whip your head to glare at her, instead choosing to continue to innocently wipe at the sticky bar top.

“Don’t start.”

Moving away from her, you begin to collect the remaining empties and toss them in the trash.

Ignoring her for another ten minutes, you busy yourself by sweeping up around the front of the building, avoiding Bradley and his lingering group of friends.

Maneuvering back to the bar, you grab the remaining glasses and bring them to the dishwasher in the backroom. Once you’ve loaded it up, you put in the dishwasher detergent and start it on a regular cycle, heading back out to the bar to help Penny finish up.

Gripping the rag in your hand you begin wiping down any places Penny may have missed, hyper fixating on the task at hand to avoid looking over at the man who ghosted you a year ago.

Penny eases herself into the space you were occupying, placing a hand on your shoulder in an attempt at gaining your attention. Looking up to the ceiling you breathe out, turning your head to give her your full attention. An apologetic smile is what meets you and you instantly feel your resolve soften.

“I’m only going to say this once, and from now on I won’t mention it.” Nodding her head in Bradley’s direction she continued, “He’s a good guy Hon, but unfortunately, he’s still a guy. And guys make stupid mistakes. Trust me,” an eye roll from her ensuing shortly after.

“I’m not telling you that you need to forgive him, but maybe hear him out?” she coaxes.

Looking over towards him, you watch as his drunken form laughs with his friends, “I’ll think about it Pen.”

“Okay honey,” leaning away from you she squeezes your shoulder, “Oh and I’ve gotta go pick up Amelia, soo could you close up?” she pleads.

Throwing your head up, you laugh, “Oh I see, just trying to butter me up so you can sneak out to go be with that Naval officer.”

Penny bites her lip at the thought and begins heading for the door, “Not yet, but maybe eventually,” she vocalizes, shooting you a wink in the process. “Alright guys and gals, time to go!” she calls out to the last group lingering at the back of the bar.

The blond calls back to her, “You got it Pen!”

Giggling to yourself, you finish up a few more tasks as the remaining aviators file out. Going to the storage room to grab some beers to restock the fridges for the following day, it’s always easier on you guys the next day if you restock the night before.

Heading back out to the bar you notice the handsome aviator you’ve been avoiding all night, sitting right where he had been earlier that night.

“Heyyy” Bradley smiles, clearly drunk judging by the flush that’s blossomed over his cheeks, neck, and ears.

Chuckling to yourself, you let an amused smile crawl across your face, “To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you again?”

Bradley hiccups and leans his head on the bar top, “I need to,” another hiccup interrupts him before he continues, “close out my tab” he rasps.

Nodding to yourself, you go over to the computer and close out his tab, printing his receipt and wrapping it around his card, you turn back to him and place the card on the bar top, sliding it towards his drunken form.

Bradley looks you over and smiles, “You’re really pretty.”

Choosing not to laugh at his words you fold your arms over each other and smile at him, “How are you getting home, Bradley?”

He hums, still looking you over in a daze, “I drove.”

Shifting a little in his seat, he uses one arm to reach into his back pocket, presenting you with the keys to his infamous blue bronco, jingling them in front of you with a goofy smile on his face.

Leaning towards him you grip your hand around his, easing the keys from his hand into yours. His eyes watching your hand as it encloses around his.

“I’ll be taking those big boy.”

Bradley groans, reaching his arms out towards you as you lean away from him, “Nooo, come back, I need those.” he whines out.

Shaking your head you muffle a chuckle at his drunkenness, “Bradshaw you can’t drive yourself home,” nibbling on your lower lip you spit the words out before you can take them back, “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

Bradley shoots his head up at your statement, “You’re taking me, where?” he questions.

Rounding the bar, you grab your purse in the process heading towards Bradley, “I am going to take you home.”

“How do you know where I live?” he asks, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Cute.

Smirking at him, you quirk your own eyebrow, “I’m a witch.”

Bradley points at you lazily and whispers, “If you’re a witch, then tell me what I’m thinking about right now.” Promptly closing his eyes afterwards.

Looking up, you shake your head, smile growing wider on your face, “Burgers” you declare confidently, crossing your arms in the process. As if this motherfucker didn’t spend every waking minute with you for a year.

His eyes instantly open, mouth dropping in amazement, an emphasized “Yes” leaving his lips.

Offering your hand to him, you give him a small nod, “We can get some on the way home if you want?”

Bradley eyes you skeptically, “You promise?”

Smiling, you fold your fingers in, leaving your pinky out for him, “I promise.”

Slowly, Bradley wraps his own pinky around yours, giving it a firm squeeze.

“Alright, let’s get going. Joey’s Burgers sounds amazing right now.” Giving his hand a squeeze, you lead the way out of the bar, Bradley stumbling behind you, mumbling about some triple patty burger that they recently added to the menu.

Once the two of you managed to make it out the front door, you turned back to lock up, Bradley leaning his head on your shoulder as you did, making it a little more difficult to maneuver around in the process.

“Okay tiger, lets get you in the car.”

Leaning his weight on you some more, he scrunches up his face in confusion, “I’m not tiger, I’m rooster.”

Lugging his weight across the graveled parking lot and towards the bronco, you snicker at his words, “I know Bradley, it’s just a nickname.”  Earning a low groan from Bradley in response.

Once you’ve made it to the bronco, you focus on getting Bradley’s passenger door open, all while he leans more and more of his weight on you, at this rate the navy should just hire you if you can lug a full-grown man around a dark gravel parking lot.

After you’ve managed to get the door open, you coax Bradley into the passenger seat with the promise of burgers and a movie once you got him home. Rounding the car after ensuring he’s buckled himself in and jumping into the driver's seat.

Looking over towards him, you note the way he’s leaned his head against the window, arms folded over each other, in what you could only guess is an attempt at staying warm. Mindful of his potentially cold state, you don’t bother with turning the air conditioning on, and keep the volume of the radio low, trying to allow Bradley to relax as much as possible. He’s lucky he’s cute when he’s drunk.

Pulling out of the parking lot of the Hard Deck, you make your way down the street to Joey’s Burgers, ordering two large fries, two medium soda’s, one triple patty burger for Bradley, and one regular cheeseburger (with only ketchup) for yourself. Then continuing your mission of getting Bradley back home for the night before he’s sobered enough to realize he’d not only let you drive him home, but also from the driver’s seat of his beloved bronco.

~

Parking Bradley’s bronco wasn’t an issue, however, getting Bradley to move out of his passenger seat was.

Pleadingly, you rushed out a whispered, “Bradley, please get out of the car, you can’t stay in there all night.”

Receiving only an annoyed grumble in response, you tried again in the form of bribery, “I got you your favorite burger from Joey’s, if you get out of the car you can eat it while we watch a movie.”

This gets his attention and before you know it, you’re lugging Bradley out of his seat and across the parking lot. Somehow, he’s gotten heavier in the past twenty minutes of your drive. Mumbling to no one in particular, you let out a low, “He’s got a lot of groveling to do after this.” Huffing out a breath, you manage to pull him up the steps of the cozy one-story house, forcing Bradley to lean against the wall while you unlock the door.

Once you’ve managed to get the door open, you pull the brunette aviator over the threshold and towards the couch, kicking the door closed once you’ve made it inside.

The grey couch that had been centered towards the edge of the living room absorbs a drunk Bradley Bradshaw into its cushions, earning a content hum from him in response.

Throwing yourself down next to him, an audible sigh slips past your lips, leaning your head against the cushions in an attempt at seeking a moment of comfort before you inevitably must help Bradley into bed.

Lolling his head to the side Bradley fixes his gaze on you, eyes trailing across the expanse of your face, when the question, “What happened to my burger?” comes tumbling out of his mouth.

A sharp laugh is what Bradley gets in response, along with a, “I swear you become more and more like a dog as the night goes on.” Bradley is too drunk to understand what that’s supposed to mean, so instead, he widens his eyes and tilts his head a little, a silent question in regard to the aforementioned burger.

Yep, definitely dog like.

Swiping the bag of burgers and fries from the table, you pull Bradley’s special burger; along with a few napkins, out and hand them over to the man of the hour, who immediately starts to gobble it down like he hasn’t eaten in days.

While the man who resembles a golden retriever consumes his food next to you, you start the venture of looking for a movie you wouldn’t mind focusing your attention on until Bradley falls asleep, settling on “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”.

Settling into the couch again, you curl your legs up underneath you and proceed to snack on the fries you’d gotten.

Everything was calm, for a total of thirty seconds.

Your peace being ruined by an overgrown buffoon looming over you to steal one of your fries from its container.

“You know, I got you your own fries,” you snicker, side-eyeing the Topgun graduate who has resorted to looking like a kicked puppy from your scolding.

“Yours tastes better.”

Snorting at the remark, you shake your head in exasperation, “Finish your food and if you’re still hungry, you can have some of mine.”

Seemingly pleased with the compromise, Bradley gets comfortable on the couch once more, and continues with consuming the fried potato.

After some time has passed, Bradley satisfied with his food and no longer pestering you for yours, you make an attempt to clean up. Which is instantly foiled by a tipsy Bradley Bradshaw, “Why do you hate me?”

“I don’t hate you Bradley,” you wave him off, continuing your advances towards the kitchen.

Bradley forces himself off of the couch, stumbling after your composed form, “Sure seemed like it earlier.”

Tossing the leftover food in the trash, you grab a paper towel and the spray bottle of cleaner he always left under the sink, “And I don’t recall you being particularly sober within the past two hours.”

A small smirk graces Bradley’s lips while he leans his body weight against the doorframe of the kitchen arms folded over each other, “I had a triple patty burger from Joey’s an hour ago.”

Rolling your eyes at his retort, you push past him to get back to his living room, “You’re welcome then.”

Like a piece of gum on the bottom of your shoe, Bradley follows after you, “You don’t have to clean.”

Better than having to look at him while he’s sober and engage in this conversation.

Pulling your eyebrows together, you force yourself to concentrate on the coffee table littered with grease stains from the bag and a few misplaced French fries, completely ignoring Bradley’s piercing gaze.

Hearing him sigh, your gaze breaks from the table and flits to where he’s standing. Looks more like leaning to you since he’s clearly still feeling some of the effects of the alcohol. As your eyes roam over his figure, you take in his posture, his arms, and lastly his eyes, which are locked on yours and the way you’re examining him.

Looking up to the ceiling, you huff, bending to your full height. Abandoning the damp paper towel on the semi-clean coffee table before you address him.

“I don’t hate you.”

Bradley’s eyebrows lift, one side of his mouth quirking up in a half-hearted smirk, mustache following suit, “So you’ve said.”

Your eyebrows crease while your eyes pinch, fixing him with a glaring look, “But I don’t appreciate being led on for months either,” your tone heavy in the way you spoke to him.

Bradley visibly winces at the jab, “I know, not my proudest moment.”

Crossing your arms over each other, you jut your hip out, “Why’d you do it then?”  

Bradley crosses the room slowly, moving closer to your defensive stance with a slowness that resembled someone afraid of spooking a baby deer, “I didn’t want you to get caught up in all my shit.”

“One mission for six months is bad enough,” he pauses, “Another mission with no guarantee of survival a month after the last isn’t something I wanted to put you through.”

Your frown that you’d adorned for majority of this conversation, deepens, “That’s not something you get to decide, Bradley.”

A forced chuckle slips past your lips, “I’m a big girl, I’ve been able to make my own decisions for myself, for years. I don’t need you and your hero complex thinking you can make those decisions for me.”

Your eyes roam his face scowl still prominent. Finally uncrossing your arms, you poke a finger into his chest, “You should be able to trust me enough to tell me those things, and allow me to decide if it’s too much,” you pause taking a step back, hand retreating back to your side, “or if I care about you enough to stick around.”

Bradley tenderly reaches for the hand you’d forced back to your side, threading his fingers through yours, “I know, trust me I do. I just thought I’d be protecting you,” he breathes out, using his hand to bring you closer to him.

Your hardened gaze softens at his words, he thought he could protect you from himself, from heartache.

Settling your other hand on his chest, you tilt your chin up, the height difference between the two of you showing in the close distance you’re in.

“Like I said before,” you whisper, “That kind of decision I can make on my own.”

Bradley’s eyes are half-lidded as he looks at you, processing your words and what to do next with them.

Silence falls over the two of you, the only noise emanating from the tv next to you.

Breaking his gaze, you look behind him to see the clock hanging from the wall that’s surrounded by framed pictures of his parents along with a few pictures of himself with some of his squadron, taking note of the time.

Glancing back to him, you mumble, “You should probably go to bed.”

Bradley huffs at your suggestion but makes no move to argue.

Instead, he grips your other hand in his and pulls you closer, tilting his head to the side, “Tuck me in?”

Laughing to yourself at his suggestion, you give him a small nod, taking the lead down the hall to his bedroom, “Sure, do you want some warm milk while were at it?” you tease.

Bradley hums from behind you, “Now that you mention it,” he trails off, biting his lower lip to contain his laughter.

“Keep dreaming aviator,” you chortle.

“Oh I intend to,” is the retort you get in return.

Turning into his bedroom you push him towards his closet and gesture for him to change, turning your back to him in an attempt to avoid being distracted by his charm and physique, reacquainting yourself with his bedroom instead.

Not much has changed apart from the bedding which had gone from a pale blue to a darker green.

A raspy, “I’m decent,” makes its way to your ears and you turn to look for the source. Intaking a sharp breath at the sight of Bradley Bradshaw in a plain white t-shirt, and boxers, eyes roaming the expanse of his body before deciding you’ve ogled him too much.

Moving your eyes away from his lower half, you make your way to the closet in search of your own shirt and boxer combo, cause if you’re staying there’s no way you’re staying in your “The Hard Deck” tank top and jean shorts.

Wordlessly, Bradley sidles up behind you and reaches for his old training tee from his first days at Topgun, handing you the shirt and a pair of gray boxers to match.

Mumbling a soft “Thanks”, you make sure he turns all the way around before stripping down to put the new garments on.

Once comfortable, you glance to the opposite side of the bed Bradley’s in, fiddling with your fingers as you fight yourself on whether or not you can trust yourself with him again.

Screw it.

Acting before fully thinking through your decision, you climb into bed beside him, hiding under the covers for some warmth, and maybe from Bradley.

It’s Bradley’s warm hands that bring you out of your thoughts, hooked around your waist and pulling you to him, “You’re thinking too loud,” he mumbles, one leg slotting between yours.

Reaching up with your right hand, you glide your fingers through his locks, earning a sigh of content from him, “I just don’t want to get hurt again,” you confess, tugging your lower lip between your teeth.

The confession has Bradley propping himself up onto his elbow, his free hand finding your own, putting it square against his, measuring the sizes of your individual palms, slotting his fingers between your own once he’s satisfied.

“I can’t promise that being with me will never hurt,” he states, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Sighing, he continues, “I don’t know if something will happen to me when I’m in the air.”

You nod solemnly at his confession, running everything over in your head, the pros and cons of being with him, loving him. What that might do to you.

Bradley tilts his head toward yours, catching your eyes once more, “But,” he pauses, “I can promise that I’ll never voluntarily hurt you again, and I will do everything in my power to come home to you.” He finishes, voice shaky and his eyes displaying a vulnerability you’ve never seen before.

Scanning his honey-colored irises, you search for any doubt he may have hidden, finding none, a soft smile graces your lips.

Leaning forward, you nudge your forehead against his, eyes fluttering closed at the contact, “Okay” you whisper.

Opening your eyes to scan his face, trailing along the faint freckles that litter his cheeks, your smile widens, “but this is your last shot Bradshaw, don’t ruin it,” you tease.

Bradley grins back at you before closing the gap between the two of you, slotting his lips against yours in a kiss that had been a long time coming; by at least a year.

His tongue traces the bottom of your lip and without much coaxing, you open your mouth enough for him to slip his tongue in, maneuvering his body over yours for easier access. Bradley slides his hands down your frame to trace circles into your hip, while the other braces himself next to you.

Breaking the kiss, Bradley maneuvers his lips down towards your exposed neck, trailing open mouthed kisses lower each time before coming back to your lips, catching them with his over and over until the two of you have settled into a relaxed state, lazy open-mouthed kisses replacing the urgent ones you were enacting before.

Gently reaching your hand up, you slot your fingers into Bradley’s tousled locks, tugging ever so slightly, earning a low groan from him in response.

Smiling to yourself, you slot your lips against his one last time before leaning back, appraising him with a gentle smile adorning your lips, “I thought we agreed on sleep?”

Chuckling, Bradley moves a stray hair out of your face, “Sweets, will you please put me out of my misery and go on a date with me?”

Clicking your tongue, you drag him down closer to you, snuggling into his chest as you make yourself comfortable.

 “Mmm, dating the bartender, huh? Hope it’s for more than free drinks,” you quiz, trailing a hand down to his abs, tracing each one with your fingers.

A tender kiss is placed to the crown of your head, while one large hand sneaks under the back of your shirt, tracing small circles across your skin, “Definitely.”

Humming, you close your eyes, content with the warmth emanating from Bradley and his tender touches, “That’s nice.”

Bradley chuckles at your drowsy state, “So is that a yes?”

He receives a chaste kiss that’s pressed to his shirt, right where his heart is as you mumble out, “It’s a yes Bradshaw.”  

[oars]

hiii I want to know more about appindex 👉👈

what is his relationship like with the other party members?

How easily does she trust other people?

If they are stressed or upset is there a thing/place/action that is comforting to him?

also anything else you want to share?

(I LOVE her design by the way, their appearance immediately caught my attention. Love your use of color too)

sorry this took me so long i swear when i saw this ask i started squealinf abd looking like this

gonna put it under a read more since um im gonna assume this will get really long lol

disclaimer im gonna straight spill my thoughts sorry if things stop making sense

i made a small comic just for the first question but tumblr doesnt like it for some reason and it prevents it from showing up unless you go directly to my blog :<

anyways i think overall appindex is like a mother of at least 6. companions come to them in the middle of the night like "i frew up :(" that typa thing

since family/clan n loyalty is very important to dragonborn and appindex just lost theirs before being abducted they are very quick to attach to these losers

i think while appin is not under the control of any god, lord, devil, etc they've created a personal hell of his own bc he tries to bear all responsibilities and burdens of those around him bc he's scared of failing and losing too much again. or all he has left really. that can make them kind of overbearing and it would be annoying if like the main companions didn't have issues and lowkey liked the attention.

what does get annoying is that it comes off as appindex not trusting their companions to do any heavy lifting but that improves in like act 2-3 especially since that's around the part the tav is expected to save baldurs gate. and the world like that's way too much weight for appin to carry on their own without breaking so atp they don't really have a choice but to let their companions share some of that albeit verrrry reluctantly

slightly more specific relations ---

shadowheart: shart is the first appin gets close to even if shes older i like to think she's like a little sister to appindex anyways <3 i should just show screenshots of the epilogue conversation bc it feels so fitting. probably one of the only companions to recognize appin's exhaustion and nag her

karlach: close in a years long tumblr mutual type intimacy way. "i'd let my mutuals come inside idc" type relationship. they occasionally sleep and cuddle naked. as good friends do. it's nice having someone they could rely on for literal heavy lifting and hitting bc in appin's eyes the rest of his companions are made of sticks and paper, save for lae'zel. girls who rip off heads with their bare hands and paint their nails in the blood :3

astarion: i do not know how to explain their relationship early on bc it fluctuates in my head. obviously irritated by how appin stops to help anyone and everyone especially since most of those people in act 1 are parents and children. appindex definitely laughs at his lame ass "seduction" bc it's pretty see through; it becomes less about seducing and just aiming making them laugh. appin probably said "im proud of you" at some point and it got to his head now he's vying for their attention and validation (get in line). my white hollow boned elf i'd probably give my organs to if he asked - appin

i think appindex is the more mature one, mentally and emotionally, especially since dragonborn develop and mature much earlier than elves do and i feel like dying young and being under cazador's control stunted astarions own maturity a bit. the result is appindex treating him like a child sometimes; not trusting him to do a number of things, scolding him,"dont treating me like a child" "dont act like one" etc etc. i think at some point he just does it and wears on appindex's extensive patience on purpose because he's a little freak like that :/. appin does not think its cute

ok no more of them next question

i think appindex is pretty trusting in a way. if they feel like they have no reason to feel threatened by someone they'll have their trust but that doesn't mean it can't be lost ofc. which is why they trust laezel and astarion so easily. why would they be scared of a tiny white elf who can't even get them to knife point (he failed that).

he does struggle to trust others to do things for them though, if he were ever to be out of commission or on the verge of it it would be like pulling teeth to try and get him to let someone else lead temporarily.

appin holds onto a piece of kednyr's old blanket bc it still smells like her :thumbs_up: karlach gives her a teddy bear with that piece attached to it as a gift. astarion may have helped but he will not confirm

extra notes ermm appin lived in the upper city, not a patriar or a servant, they just co-run an expensive smithy there.

as a passionate blacksmith (and someone who wants to become an artificer) appin is really intrigued by karlach's engine and wishes they could collaborate with dammon on how to fix it or make her a new one entirely

to add onto that he's extremely fascinated by the grymforge in the underdark its like a theme park to him. it is their nerdiest point in the storyline

they can stay underwater for a good period of time; an hour is their highest time

andd she has a prosthetic leg around age 40-45 sorry this got so long . this things in my head 24/7 rn i tried to omit some things to make it shorter but oh well

[beardedmrbean]

Demi Lovato has bi polar and the medication regiment for that makes your weight fluctuate wildly too. I feel bad for her because she's said she has literal brain damage from her overdose, she can't legally drive. She's been through it and people just make fun of her so much for being cringe when really she's so so unwell

ya person I'm closest to in the world has bipolar and the meds fuck up her appetite so she's eating more and it's a struggle to not put on weight.

I still thin she's cute as a button any which way and also think it's much better to have a few extra pounds on and still be here as opposed to the alternatives that can happen with not just bipolar lots of various mental illness can do that to you,

Most bipolar treatment also double as schizophrenia treatments if that tells you anything.

Neither are something to be scared of, like I said got my BP BFF but there's different things you need to be aware of and prepared for.

Speaking of

Got this from last year with Amanda Bynes

Stuff's spooky luckily in her case she was present enough to call herself in.

Might be awful to say, but it's real bummer for the entertainment world since both of them are funny as hell and have great natural comedic timing.

It is far more important that they get the help they need though and I'm glad they have the resources to do that.

Maybe the two of them and some of the others out there that are struggling with this set up some stuff to help others.

[candispice]

What to do before going out onto the ice — and if you fall through

Alanna Green, the Red Cross prevention and safety and disaster management co-ordinator for P.E.I., offers these suggestions to help people stay safe on the ice.

1. Ice thickness

Depending on what people are doing on the ice, Green said, different levels of thickness are necessary for it to be safe: 15 centimetres for walking or skating, 20 cm for having lots of people doing different things, and 25 cm for snowmobiling.

She said people should check more than one spot of the ice to make sure it isn't thin in places.

Green said the colour of the ice can be a good indicator of whether it is safe to walk, skate or snowmobile across.

"Generally speaking, whenever you're looking at the ice it should be blue, blue is the strongest ice you should see," she said.

"If it's white and opaque that usually has snow formed inside the ice so it's not as strong.

"If you're looking at it and it's grey or you can see water moving that's definitely something to steer away from."

Green also said the body of water you are trying to use could affect how safe the ice is.

"Moving ice is generally a little thinner because it's constantly moving, but standing ice in a lake or something like that would probably be better," she said.

2. Weather conditions

If you're planning to go for a skate or ride on the ice, make sure you have been paying attention to weather in the days before, Green said.

"People think, 'Oh it's been so cold outside it's gotta be thick.'"

But she said ice conditions can fluctuate depending upon the sun and the heat throughout the day.

"Once you've got a good layer of ice on there it should be OK but, again, always make sure you're checking in advance and always checking the weather as well," she said.

"You really need to keep in mind those factors, and always keep in mind with weather conditions anytime you're going out to to do those activities on the ice."

3. Don't go out alone or at night

Green said going onto the ice at night can be dangerous because you can't see the colour of it, and you might not spot some of the potential hazards that could affect ice safety.

"You can't see the thickness and you can't see the things that are around," she said.

She also warned people not to venture out alone, and to tell others the location you plan to go.

"You want to make sure that people know where you're going, when you're going to be back, and you never go alone," Green said.

4. Escaping danger

If you do fall through the ice, Green said, try and make as much noise as you can calling for help.

"Resist the urge to climb back out of the water that you fell into, the ice may be weak in that area," she said.

Green said while on your belly, you should get as much of your body out of the water as possible before reaching forward onto the ice that's not broken — making sure you're not pushing down. Then you have to start "kicking your legs as opposed to reaching and pulling."

She also said if you see someone in danger, the first thing to do is call emergency services for help.

Once that's done, it's best to try and find something to throw out to the person in the water, or an object that can reach them.

"The safest way to perform rescues is from shore," she said. "Try not to go out, as much as you can."

She added that if you have to go out onto to the ice to help, you should stay low and spread your weight as much as possible over the ice.

[goldenfharry]

So, from my understanding, you are saying that whoever believes that this is a real relationship is actually defending a very shitty boyfriend when they shouldn’t

I’ve never seen someone put it so perfectly. If you believe that this relationship is real then Harry is a really shitty boyfriend and everyone’s applauding that. This woman gets death threats to her and her kids, people are making fun of her children, people are tearing her looks down. You can see the amount of weight that she has lost a game during this PR stuff. Her weight has fluctuated a lot, she has gotten so much work done to fit the narrative of what his girlfriend look like an his girlfriendbecause his fans of her insecure. There’s nothing about this “relationship” that his goals or cute. He doesn’t defend her ever. She was accused of having an affair and there is a lot of evidence that supports that and instead of coming out and saying that it wasn’t true he put out a statement through to a source calling himself blameless. When he could’ve defended their relationship. when the GQ article came out with Jason on the cover and it was confirmed they broke up in November he did nothing to defend her, when she was served he did nothing to defend her. She is made fun of and bullied in the internet everyday and had to turn off her Instagram comments and he has done nothing to defend her. People have said she was involved with the shit that Harvey Weinstein Did and have basically Assassinated her character and he has done nothing to defend her. A lot of the shit that the fans are uncovering and talking about are defamatory things , things that could ruin her reputation and career and he has done nothing to defend her. She is constantly travelling around the world to take your time away from her kids to be with him whenever it fits his schedule and his needs and doesn’t do use the same for her whatsoever.So if you think that this relationship is real then Harry doesn’t give a fuck about her and is it a very good boyfriend and you guys are defending and shipping A fucked up relationship. If I was getting attacked by my boyfriends fans on a daily basis, then lying about me, then assassinate my character and try to ruin my career and my boyfriend didn’t stick up for me I would fucking dump him Because all the shit that’s happening to me is because of him

He doesn’t defend her because he doesn’t feel the need to. It shows that they don’t have enough proximity for him to just simply be vocal about it. Despite that, everything that is happening to her in terms of hate it’s not his fault directly. Each individual that sends hate to her is deliberately choosing to. We are all owners of our own actions. When I write about her on my blog, it’s not Harry’s fault, it’s mine. I might have a blog because of him, but I am responsible for all that I write and my actions. It’s not Harry that makes his fans hate on her. I struggle to believe that if he had a choice, he would choose for her to be this hated. But the hate, even thought I don’t agree with a lot of shit, the hate against her kids for example also comes from a place where she doesn’t protect them enough. In fact, she uses them and puts them right in the middle of the spotlight when she knows what will happen. It just shows who she is. A lot of things that you point on this ask were situations created by her, that lead to reactions. Because trust me, she wants the hate as well. It makes her talked, it makes her seen. Closing comments? Typical move for eventually pay off as the poor victim. Everything that she does has a purpose and is extremely calculated.

[hopelesslilacskies]

I want to speak about noses today.

In our modern days society, having a nosejob has become very common, to the point where we all know someone who has had or will have a nose job.

Whilst I can understand the need for some people to change what they can in order to feel better, I also think nose jobs, lip fillers and boob jobs have become, in a vast majority of cases, a shortcut acting like a bandage on bigger and deeper problems.

Lately, my sister told me she had met with a surgeon to get a nose job, to have the same nose as Ariana Grande. She explained that she always hated her nose and that this surgery would give her the ability to finally LIVE. I got so shocked by the announcement that I didn't really know how to react or what to tell her.

My sister has always been a gorgeous girl, everyone who met her said so. She has a Mediterranean type with long and luxurious brown hair with gold undertones, big dark eyes, a very well proportioned body with average height and a super slim greek nose. So indeed, when you look at her profile, she doesn't have that oh so common button nose that tilts upright but a Greek statue nose, with character and presence.

I never thought her nose was big, au contraire. I rarely look at her from the side, so I mostly thought she had a super small nose. And I really had no opinion on her profile. To me, she is overall beautiful with a nose that is hers and suits her face and same for everyone else, nobody ever mentioned anything about her nose.

However, it seems it has always been her biggest insecurity to the point she doesn't feel like she can enjoy life to the fullest, which saddened me like crazy.

How come we get to be gorgeous and feel so insecure about a tiny detail on our faces?

I also have a kind of "there" nose. Mine is more roman, with a little bump, and I used to think it was huuuge until I realised it isn't. Society made me feel like it was because almost every single person we see on TV has a tiny (fake) button nose. Nose job is in every teen movie, presented like THE thing that helped the gorgeous and successful character become gorgeous and successful. So, not only do we get the message that anyone with a normal nose is ugly, but also that our success in life depend on it.

Isn't it completely twisted? Seriously.

We are fed so much lies and bullshit that we are ready to get fucking painful and potentially desastrous surgeries and interventions to look like people who aren't even happier than us with their perfect noses, plump lips, tiny waists and round boobs and butts.

Do you know how it is amongst models? You know, those gorgeous girls representing the "ideal"? Everyone thinks they're ugly.

I have never felt uglier than when I was 56kg for my 173cm at 20. Everyone thought I was gorgeous, and I felt like a fucking monster, a skinny, bony, flat chested, thin liped big nosed monster.

Now, I gained a little weight, haven't had any work done, and never felt better. Because I have made peace with myself and stoped allowing the medias to make me feel bad about myself.

Everyone on the bloody planet is always scanding that "difference is beautiful" and to "be your true self" while cutting their faces and bodies to fit the mold. Damn. Throw the mold.

You are fucking GORGEOUS the way you are, if only you allow yourself to see it. There will be days where you will feel like shit, pictures where you have a double chin, and your body WILL have rolls, even if you're skinny, because skin acts that way. You will have hairs, you will have pimples, you will have fluctuations in your weight, and stretchmarks, and cellulite, and everything in between, like we all do. And you will still be gorgeous.

Then, people will still get nosejobs and other surgeries, maybe even you reading this, maybe even me someday, who knows. But shouldn't we try to love ourselves the way we are before and try to free ourselves from what the medias are feeding us?

If I ever have kids, I don't want them to think they are ugly because they don't have everybody's nose. I want them to feel good because they are unique in a world where everyone starts to look like the other. It's so easy to love anybody else but ourselves.

I dare you to tell me these girls need anything done.

Then why would you?

With all my love.

HLS

[nightmareeclipse1]

Uh hi! I’m sorry to bother you but do you think you could do a mha comfort? It’s totally fine if you cant/ don’t want to! If you do however can the character be Sero, Mina, kiri, amajiki, or mirio? Any of them would be awesome! Fic would be a fem reader who’s weight fluctuates a lot? She gains 6 pounds, lose 7 pounds, gain 8 lose 5, and it sucks. it’s me I know that i can’t always make it too the gym and don’t have motivation to do it anywhere else, it’s just so frustrating I need to stay skinny and I never seem to be able to, and even if I think positive about my body someone always has to tear it down: Convo I actually had: me: I love my thighs! person: oh don’t worry ——- I’m fat too” says a 98 pound girl. I felt self conscious for the rest of the day and it was the first time someone had inadvertently said I was fat and it’s been hurting my self image. Thing is I’m not even fat, I’m not skinny but I’m not fat (which fat is not a bad thing any way) I have rolls and thighs. I’m not used to not being underweight and now I have a muffin top and my thighs stick out in tight clothes. And it’s worse cause Im a foodie and I stress eat and then feel bad about myself and try not to eat for a while but food just looks so good. I hope you have a good day and even if you don’t write this just know your an awesome writer and you make my day better with your fics, much love!

omfg, I understand where your coming from and it happens to me too! It sucks but I will do my best! Thank you for getting me to post and sorry I couldn't do this sooner!

Soft bakusquad x fem y/n (separately)

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Warnings: none, mostly fluff with a hint of swearing/cussing

Authors note: Before you start, please check out my account for for multi-fandom (mostly Genshin Impact and My Hero Academia) content! I also take requests, enjoy! I tried my best for Mina's one bc I am a straight female soooo.... it might not be the best....Keep reading

Mina

omfg she would absolutely love your Tiger Stripes/Stretch marks whatever you wanna call em! Don't try to convince me she wouldn't trace them whenever she's cuddling with you or lying in your lap!

Mina would totally understand if you felt self conscious and wasn't comfortable in a conversation. Y'all would have a safe word or something that you would use to say "Caan we please leave?" and you would make an excuse and leave. BONUS she would totally melt a person's pants off if you took it badly 🥰

Notices when you gain or lose weight but is really chill about it! Mina won't mind or bring it up!

Sero

He knows that you get uncomfortable with your weight and won't force you to eat or stop eating but he notices when you start starting yourself and makes a small portion of Mexican and leaves it outside your dorm! <3

like Mina he adores your stretch marks and will trace em, but he always asks before putting his hands on your body!

If someone makes a comment on your weight he just glares at them and snakes his arm around your waist.

Sero notices when you start to fidget and will make little strips of tape for you to fiddle with.

If you are harassed by mineta about your stretch marks and your weight Sero will not hesitate to cocoon him in tape and hang him from a balcony

Kirishima

He understands boundaries when it comes to stuff like this as he constantly works out and doesn't push you to do anything about it but when you do, you do it together!

Ok, you should notice the trend right? The bakusquad love stretch marks! Kiri has a few of his own and it shows in his hero costume so he understands!

He thinks you're "manly" for being open about it with him and you trace each other's stretch marks!

When you're stressed out Kiri shows up at your dorm with a 4 litre bucket of ice cream for the two of you to share while watching a movie if your choice <3

Denki

In an uncomfortable situation with someone making comments on your weight he pick pockets their phone and steals their battery then wraps his arms around you and walks away after putting it back in their pocket.

Calls your stretch marks "lightning strikes" because it makes them sound cool and he adores them because it looks like it's part of his quirk. BONUS if you allow him to he will draw over them in electric or neon yellow so you guys match!

He will take you on street food shopping sprees when you're in a shit mood to make your feel better! Afterwards you will play video games in his dorm until 11pm or until you fall asleep in his lap (we all know being sad is exhausting) and he traces your lightning strikes with his fingers.

Bakugou

Would beat the shit out of anyone that makes a comment on your weight or stretch marks. Whether it be a civilian, classmate, teacher or villain he forces them to apologise then becomes a tsundere about it for the rest of the day! You love him for it tho <3

You try out all his new dishes and make food together before he goes to bed, BONUS he stands behind you and puts his hands over yours to "help" you cut he doesn't want you to get hurt or he just wants to be around you!

Hugs from behind where he puts his hands over your stretch marks and runs his fingers in circles over them when he is tired 🥰

Like Kiri he understands if you don't want to go work out but love s it when you do it together!

On rough days he spoons you while watching movies with you!

[childeproof]

little carmison blurb. i’ll rewrite this later maybe ( ? ) TW FOR HEAVY WEIGHT TALK this is me coping with my own weight fluctuating

“fuck,” james mutters, gripping her stomach and peering down at her thighs. she’d always been slender, more so underweight in the last two years, but now, she had gained some chub. a frown graces her lips, “i’m getting fat, i think.”

“thank god,” carmen replies from outside the bathroom. it only takes a few moments for him to appear behind jamison in the mirror. “i was starting to think you weren’t eating my food.”

he kisses the back of her head, wrapping his arms around her; there’s something oddly warm about this action, oddly welcoming. james leans into the touch before huffing.

“i love your food. don’t be ridiculous. i’m getting fat, though. you’re fattening me,” she mumbles, giving him a quick glare in the mirror.

he rolls his eyes, “i like your fat. don’t you like my fat?

“you’re not fat, dumbfuck, you’re muscled. like a.. y’know, a bear.”

“well, whatever. i like your fat ass,” carmen mutters, leaning over to kiss her cheek only to be stopped by her hand waving him off. her nose twitches in annoyance before her face contorts into an expression of mild anger.

”’i like you fatass’? really, carmen?” jamison turns to look at him head on, her right pointer finger finding its way to berzatto’s chest.

“no, no—“ his hands find a way back to her waist, “‘i like your fat ass’, i said. jesus, james. ass, i like your ass.”

“oh,” she murmured before chuckling quietly, almost embarrassed. “thank you.”

he laughed, running his hand through his hair, “i love you, james. when you’re skinny, i love you. when you’re fat, i love you. even when you’re mad at me, i fucking love you.”

“shut up,” she sighs, though a smile is in plain on sight on her face. “i love you too, ass.”

[hitsvzen]

trigger warnings ! alcohol

BIO

name ! [ redacted ]

nicknames ! ichihara yuuko

titles ! witch of dimensions / spacetime witch / far eastern witch

description ! a witch who can only be found when her services are required . her shop that is located in modern day tokyo, too, operates in the same manner - that is to say, they must have a wish for her to grant .

ABOUT

birthday ! unknown

age ! unknown, currently frozen in time

region ! tokyo, japan (?)

ORIENTATION

gender ! feminine

pronouns ! she/her

romantic orientation ! demi

sexual orientation ! pan

PREFERENCES

hobbies ! teasing others / visiting (and annoying) a certain species of birb

likes ! alcohol / snacks that go well with alcohol

dislikes ! running out of alcohol (and snacks)

fears ! sincere bonds with others / losing those she cares about again

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

faceclaim (fc) ! n/a

height ! 5'11" (180 cm)

mma weight class ! flyweight

eye colour ! fluctuates according to her whims

hair colour ! black

hairstyle ! straight, length also dependent on her whims

usual attire ! elaborate and over-the-top clothing

notable features ! butterfly and eye motif

INVENTORY

personal affects ! kiseru pipe with interchangeable metal bits

gifts ! sake bottle from hiroto (unopened)

FACTION

alignment ! lawful good

allegiance ! the order of the universe

profession ! shop owner / wish dealer

RELATIONSHIPS

ancestry ! unknown

same generation ! unknown

progeniture ! -

romantic ! mm falkner / hiroto (presumed unrequited on his side) / cf falkner (???)

platonic ! obaa-chan / watanuki kunihiro (former employee/ex-minion) / bird man, lth falkner

antagonistic ! fei wang reed

other ! clow reed (complicated) / marudashi and morodashi (created to assist with the shop) / soel and larg (created with clow reed, based on an old mutual friend) / sassy peacock, pp falkner (oops she's using a mask yet again)

MAINS

bird man / (lth) falkner (ancient-pokehistorian) ! her oldest friend, and one she regrets she cannot simply steal away from his world . short of death itself finally taking her, she will be there for him to the very ends of his world . / "hey, little bird . up for another trip ? i promise there won't be clotheslines involved where we're going ! nooo promises on the jam, though ."

(mm) falkner (ancient-pokehistorian) ! chanced upon in the woods one day, and she has not left his irritated self ever since . she has also yet to stop annoying him to this day, come what may of their doomed future . / "aaaam i really annoying you, hmm ~? awww, you're embarrassed ~ c'mere, c'mere, i just want to see that cute face of yours !"

hiroto / (ss) falkner (ancient-pokehistorian) ! she had been a former "client" of his in the brothel he worked at until they formed a contract, and now he was working for her in the shop . a bit distant from him due to a certain incident, but she has been getting over it and now he has to watch out for her little pranks like everyone else (a shame she couldn't just make him do the groceries since he's new to the world, and he's surprisingly more overdressed than her) . / "if you open that, it will turn you orange ! waaah, if you know i'm just joking, you don't have to level me with that look ; insubordination, insubordination, i tell you !"

(cf) falkner (ancient-pokehistorian) ! what started as a curiosity became an actual business venture as well as whatever she has going on with the son of her new textile merchant business partner . she will still tease him about that one time with his dad at work . / "the rumors are still getting to you ? why don't we give them something to actually talk about ? waaaaait, come back ! i was just teasing you ~"

SKILLS

magic ! the exact scope and nature of her magic is unknown . as her titles suggest, she can travel across different worlds . her magic circle is also uniquely complex, implying that her capabilities are extensive and perhaps beyond the understanding of fellow practioners of magic ; alternatively, it could be said that her magic was lost to time .

wish granting ! with but a few exceptions, she can grant the wishes of others . however, it always comes at a price (that is not necessarily paid by the beneficiary of the wish) of equal magnitude or value .

VERSES

clamp ! default verse, open to crossovers . the witch is said to be an eccentric character running a specialty shop in the heart of tokyo .

pokemon au (sort of) ! yuuko is an entrepeneur of sorts who travels across space and time to do her job . often found in the presence of a certain bird man whether or not he is actually a bird in that specific world . pay no mind to her ruffling his feathers in some manner or another .

[dokyeomini]

im gonna start this with a conversation i've had. one of my coursemates lost a ton of weight in like a year or so and he said that after losing it he's been getting lots of more attention (particularly romantic). one of my other coursemates then questioned that saying that it's probably bc he's more confident and more open now etc etc. and the thing is bc she is so so nice she actually probably assumes most people are like that. that they don't have a bias or whatever. but i think some people still do (whether it's smth they subconsciously have picked up or internalized). i don't even think that she's wrong about the being more confident and open part but as someone whose weight has fluctuated a lot since i was like 13.. there is some kind of a difference in what assumptions people make about you when you're fat. not that these are people you wanna think about at all tho... they're just ignorant or assholes. but they are people who might have a part in your life. maybe even your doctor l o l

but also i think it's smth that can really really get stuck in your head and you start seeking proof for it everywhere and maybe start assuming what people actually think about you and why. (im very guilty of trying ro read people's minds and since i started working on i just remember how i would spiral after reading stuff abt how shitty people can be. that's a personal sidenote...) i hope this doesn't come off as toxic positivity but . there are people who actually genuinely do not assume you're x thing bc your body looks like whatever it looks like. it's also hurtful to your friends who are genuine if you assume they're secretly thinking ill of you or whatever.

[25mn]

What Is Vanilla Extract?

Vanilla is precious in most baking recipes, yet unadulterated vanilla concentrate has an undeniable cost when you get it.

Whether you choose to painstakingly reduce expenses by buying counterfeit vanilla or go overboard on unadulterated vanilla concentrate, it means a lot to know how long your concentrate endures.

Does vanilla concentrate turn sour?

Vanilla concentrate has an endless time span of usability with regards to food handling. Nonetheless, it will lose its flavor and fragrance over the long run. In any case, you ought to have quite a while to utilize your concentrate before you need to stress over its quality, the same length as you store it appropriately.

In this article, we will analyze unadulterated and fake vanilla concentrates with regards to their timeframe of realistic usability. We'll likewise discuss the inconveniences of capacity and figure out how to store vanilla concentrate to boost its quality for quite a while.

What Is Vanilla Extract? Vanilla concentrate is a critical fixing in many baking recipes. Bring the wonderful fragrance and sensitive kind of vanilla to your pastries.

Unadulterated vanilla concentrate is made by macerating or crushing and pounding vanilla beans in an answer of water and ethanol.

As indicated by the USDA, to be viewed as unadulterated, vanilla concentrate should have something like 35% liquor and at least 100 grams of vanilla beans per liter of fluid.

The primary wellspring of the vanilla flavor comes from a compound called vanillin. Albeit the vanilla bean has numerous different mixtures that add profundity and intricacy to the kind of the concentrate.

Counterfeit vanilla concentrate is additionally extremely famous on the grounds that it is substantially less costly than the unadulterated concentrate. Counterfeit vanilla is produced using artificially delivered vanillin, which is really a result of wood mash.

Since it is engineered and misses the mark on other regular supplements and smells of the entire case, certain individuals find counterfeit vanilla concentrate less tasty or fulfilling than unadulterated vanilla concentrate.

Since it is utilized basically in baking with numerous different fixings and flavors, fake concentrate is an extraordinary and economical option for most purposes.

Vanilla concentrate is a fixing in large numbers of our heated products. This normal expansion really conveys large weight — 1 teaspoon totally changes a decent pastry into an extraordinary treat. You can't make a couple of staples like vanilla cake, vanilla cupcakes, or vanilla buttercream without it.

A dear peruser named Jill messaged me last year and said that once she started making her own vanilla concentrate, her prepared products tasted far better than previously. She let me know the mysteries are to utilize additional vanilla beans and allowed the concentrate to sit for no less than a half year prior to utilizing.

I never remembered to distribute a post about natively constructed vanilla concentrate since it's basic. However, Jill's words were sufficient to persuade me that all cooks ought to realize that a less expensive AND better tasting vanilla concentrate is just 2 fixings away.

hand crafted vanilla concentrate in glass bottles Why Make Natively constructed Vanilla Concentrate? Why make vanilla concentrate when you can simply get it from the store? Great inquiry. With the cost of vanilla continually fluctuating, it's exceptionally cost effective to make your own. In addition, you have some control over the strength of its flavor. This is KEY in light of the fact that numerous expensive locally acquired choices come up short on fundamental profundity of flavor that makes great vanilla… great vanilla. This is either on the grounds that the vanilla concentrate is impersonation and made with counterfeit or engineered fixings or brands cut back on how much genuine vanilla in each jug. You're not paying for good vanilla, you're paying for the comfort of feeble packaged vanilla.

(Coincidentally, last year I was essential for a visually impaired trial of various locally acquired unadulterated vanillas and McCormick won by a surprising margin. It was the gathering's top decision in both flavor and smell.)

In the event that you open a jug of a few locally acquired vanilla concentrates and a container of hand crafted vanilla, you will quickly smell the distinction. What's more, this distinction straightforwardly moves into your hand crafted prepared merchandise.

Custom made Vanilla Concentrate: Video Instructional exercise

vanilla beans What You Want for Natively constructed Vanilla Concentrate All you're doing is pouring liquor over split vanilla beans and allowing the invention to progress in years over the long haul. Give it a shake occasionally. It's simply simple.

Vanilla Beans: You can find vanilla beans all things considered significant supermarkets in the flavor passageway. In the event that you can't find them, have a go at buying them on the web. I use and energetically suggest these choices — they're additionally what I use when I make vanilla sugar — Madagascar vanilla beans, these Tahitian vanilla beans, or these Tahitian vanilla beans. (Note that each are various amounts.) I've made vanilla with them all. The beans are a liberal size, quite stout, top caliber, and ideal for hand crafted vanilla. Vanilla beans named "Grade B" are explicitly sold for the purpose of separating, however I've made vanilla with Grade A beans and it tastes perfect. Use all things considered.

80 proof Liquor: Vanilla concentrate is generally usually produced using vodka, yet you can utilize whiskey, cognac, or rum all things being equal. I for the most part use vodka, yet the one container of whiskey vanilla I made 7 months prior is Heavenly.

Don't bother going overboard on costly liquor. This is most likely the main time somebody will advise you to purchase the modest stuff!! All the vanilla's flavor is from the vanilla beans, so spend your cash on those. Keep away from enhanced vodkas as they frequently contain counterfeit flavors, which nullifies the reason for making your own unadulterated vanilla.

Glass Containers or Containers with Tight Seal: We suggest 8 ounce bottles. These jugs have a helpful swing top with an extremely close seal. Extraordinary for giving. Sanitizing the jugs is great, however we've avoided that step with no issue in the result of the vanilla. In the event that your jugs or containers have no plastic pieces connected, we suggest sanitizing them prior to utilizing.

[dadbodblog]

Getting Over My Biggest Fear

Before I get into what I'm actually afraid of, I'll share a little bit of my story and how I got here.

When I was a teen, I was obese. I was bullied a lot in school and, to deal with my emotions, I ate more...that viscous circle. Without getting into too much detail, I dealt with depression everyday. Although I didn't exactly know what that was because, back in 2004, depression was never really discussed openly and so I didn't know what I was feeling, but I wasn't feeling good.

When I graduated high school, my best friend Johnny and I got gym memberships. I had a lot of people doubting that I would continue to go to the gym. Some people thought I would go for a week and quit. They would keep charging my gym membership and I was be at home playing video games and eating my feelings once again.

But I stayed on track, eating healthy, going to the gym with Johnny almost everyday and ended up losing 100lbs in the process.

Since 2010, my weight has fluctuated but I always managed to get back on track to keep it off.

Since COVID turned the world upside down in 2020, I've struggled a lot with managing my weight. I know many people did too, but when I was a teen, my weight was the source of my depression and I didn't want to go back there.

Since 2020, I tried every diet under the sun from keto, plant based, paleo, intermittent fasting, WW and so many others just to get my weight back down to where I felt good.

All this yo-yo dieting has really messed with my mind and my body and now, no matter what I do, I can't seem to lose weight.

I started watching Layne Norton and James Smith on YouTube and social media. They seem to talk about everything I've been doing wrong. From being in a calorie deficit for too long, eliminating carbs, trying new diets, and not being consistent to see results. I was over training, undereating and it wasn't benefiting my mental and physical health.

I would eat under 2200 calories everyday and would binge eat or have a "cheat day" on the weekends. (for reference I'm 6ft 6in tall and weighted 240lbs. 2200 calories was over a 20% calorie deficit).

Years ago, I had heard of "reverse dieting" but never put a lot of thought into. When I learned that it's the process of slowly adding calories back into your diet over a few weeks or months to allow you to eat more food after a diet while also increasing your metabolism and preventing fat (re)gain...this scared the s**t out of me.

The idea of eating more food worried me. The idea that I could possibly gain weight is what I'm AFRAID OF. How could I do a reverse diet the right way when I'm afraid of the scale and what it would tell me.

My mind immediately goes into this spiral of thoughts:

"I can't gain weight now, I'm about to be a dad for the first time. I have to be lean and fit so I can play with her and keep up with her. What if I gain weight and none of my clothes fit, what then? I can't afford to buy new clothes now that we have a baby on the way"

These are actual thoughts that came into my head.

Then, my wife recently said something that has resonated with me.

She told me the old quote from Albert Einstein, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

I was driving myself insane doing the same thing over and over again expecting to lose weight. I would drop my calories lower and lower and it wouldn't work, I would then get down on myself and binge each to deal with my feelings, and then drop the calories again. Round and Round I go again

Well here I am today, my first week of reverse dieting, I gained a pound and...I'm not afraid. I needed to make this change, to give my body a break and allow myself to eat food AND ENJOY IT. Now, I'm not eating ice cream and cookies. I still eat plenty of protein, good sources of carbs and fats and I still count my macros. I feel good about my journey and I'm excited to see what my results could be.

I could update you in a few weeks and tell you that I gained another pound, but I have to trust the process. I have to get rid of the fear of gaining weight.

[newlyy]

how to stop resenting your mom for also being a victim of the patriarchy

[papergirllife]

Jeong Jaehyun

Fwb! Jaehyun x reader

What started off as just a casual fling with Johnny’s sister, Jaehyun finds himself spiraling when he realises his feelings for you, and if that wasn’t messy enough, his best friend just has to catch him in the act.

warnings : unprotected sex, rough sex, cream pie, fluff, etc.

Summer holidays during your university is usually filled with kids looking forward to going out together and going on the adventure they had planned at the start of the school year, or some, just want a gateway to Jeju to relax, but you? You had other plans.

Instead of leaving Seoul, you plan on staying right here, spending time with your brother, Johnny, and his members, but right now, you are planning to go see Jaehyun, only Jaehyun.

Sleeping with Jaehyun was supposed to be a one time thing, it was one night at their dorms when the guys were discussing about Jaehyun’s escapades, he had a renowned reputation for being a lady’s man in their company, and you heard his dick was a ten out of ten, so why not give it a go?

It has been 5 months since the start of this friend with benefits relationship, the two of you weren’t exclusive, but neither of you seem to have found anyone better.

Right after your last class, you got a text from Jaehyun.

Jungwoo is out with his sister and Johnny is out with Mark, come hang out ;)

You typed a quick okay, heading to the bus station to get to their dorms as soon as possible.

When you got there, you had unfortunately bumped into Donghyuck when he was on his way out.

“Noona? You're here to see Johnny? He's out with Mark though,” Donghyuck informed you.

“It's alright, I'm in no rush, I'll just wait for him here,” you said before letting yourself in, looking around to see if anyone else was around before sneaking up to the tenth floor, heading into Jaehyun’s room.

“Hi baby, you look gorgeous today, like you always do,” Jaehyun complimented, his arms outstretched to envelope you in his arms, the two of you staying like this for almost two minutes, just relishing in each others warmth.

“I missed you, Jaehyun,” you said, your feet moving forward in little steps, plopping him onto the bed with your added weight.

“We were literally just hugging, what's gotten you so worked up?” Jaehyun asked, his eyes lighting up at how yours was shining at his.

“I'm just in a good mood, and when I'm in a good mood, my sex drive tends to fluctuate,” you said, removing your cardigan, feeling the heat building up within you, revealing your cute bra underneath, soft pink just like the tips of his ears.

Jaehyun reaches out, the pads of his thumbs touching your clothed breasts, tracing the lace patterns, he reached the back of your bra, unclasping it, letting it fall below your shoulders, sliding it off your arms.

You tug the hem of Jaehyun's shirt, taking it off him to expose his chiseled body, letting your hands wander the expanse of his smooth skin, going all the way to his muscular back, holding onto him as he manoeuvres the two of you onto his bed, laying your head gently on the pillow.

“You have sheets,” you said, surprised to feel linen silk beneath you.

“Just for you,” he said, eyes looking downwards, embarrassed that he's lazy to place sheets onto the mattress when he's alone.

“You wouldn’t have to if we went to my place instead, then we could’ve been as loud as we want,” you said as Jaehyun nipped the skin just beside your nub, marking you in places only the two of you can see.

“Wanted to see you in my bed,” Jaehyun mumbled before taking your nipple into his mouth, sucking it like a newborn baby as his other hand wanders to your skirt, flipping it up to rub circles on your clothed clit, your breathing staggers at the ministrations, biting down onto your lip to silence yourself.

“Hurry, Jae, Johnny might be back soon,” you said before bucking your hips up, signaling him to pick up the pace.

“Are you sure you're wet enough? It was a week ago when we last had sex,” Jaehyun reminded you, fearing that he'd hurt you without proper foreplay.

“You literally sent a dick pic two nights ago, I'm fine, I’m really wet right now, shouldn't you do something about it?” you said, whispering the last part in a seductive tone that you know drives Jaehyun insane, tempting him.

“Fuck, okay,” Jaehyun immediately agrees, his cock jolting up at the thought of you touching yourself to him, Jaehyun stands up to take off his pants tugging down your panties after, a trail of arousal in between your thighs.

Jaehyun inserts two fingers inside you, making a scissoring motion, making sure you’re loose enough as he licks the trail of juices on your thigh, his teeth grazing the expanse of your thigh, biting down onto the flesh near your heat, sucking on it harshly until a flower blooms, red and purple dusting your skin.

After cleaning you up, he lined himself at your entrance, pushing in an inch, feeling how wet you were, he decided to just slam his whole length inside you, a loud whine of his name falling from your lips as your chest arched into his touch, he observed your face, taking in how you had a dazed look in your eyes, smiling slightly at how full you feel when he was all the way in, letting you adjust before he decides to move, but you seem to be more impatient today.

“What are you waiting for? Fuck me,” you said, feeling Jaehyun twitch inside you.

“Watch your mouth, baby,” Jaehyun said before giving your butt a spank, the pain was mild, just the right amount to remind you who's in charge and still feels arousing to you.

Jaehyun pulls out majority of his length, leaving the tip in before sheathing it back in quickly. You moan at the sudden pleasure, instinctively, Jaehyun covers your mouth before continuing his pace, snapping his hips against yours, the tip of his length brushing your sweet spot at every thrust, Jaehyun knew your body like the back of his hand, using it to his advantage, he’d always position himself right at that angle whenever the two of you needed to be quick.

Jaehyun removes his hand from your mouth when he felt both of you reaching your high soon, lips capturing yours, the feeling of your warm walls clenching around him was a feeling he could only describe as euphoric, slowly tipping him over to his orgasm.

With a hand to spare now, Jaehyun lets his hand travel southwards your body, parting your folds to reveal your swollen clit to him, rubbing it in harsh circles, pushing you over the edge as yours legs jolted from the sudden orgasm, your walls spasming around Jaehyun, as you struggled not to scream aloud, muffling your sounds with your arm, your high pushed him over the edge as well, harshly pulling your arm away, he crashes his lips against yours, swallowing your moans as he gives you a few last sloppy pumps to ride out both your highs.

When the two of you finished, Jaehyun pulled out slowly, watching the mixture of cum escaping your core, pride swelling at the sinful scene.

Jaehyun gets up to pull tissues from the box, wiping you clean before crashing onto the bed beside you, tugging the blankets up as he captures you in his hold, making sure you won’t get cold.

Just as you were about to fall asleep, someone barges in Jaehyun's room, making you jump at the sound.

“Hey, Jae, my sister left, wanna get coffee together? I'll just drop off her drink on the way back,” Johnny said quickly, halting in his tracks when he sees you, his sister, in his best friend’s bed, the both of you obviously naked underneath.

“What the fuck?!” Johnny asked, looking at his friend with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

“You, out,” Johnny ordered, pointing his finger at Jaehyun.

Jaehyun curses under his breath, slipping out of bed to dress himself.

“We should explain this together,” you said, knowing how angry Johnny could get.

“No, it's alright, get some rest, I can handle this,” Jaehyun said before heading out of his room.

By the time he was out, all of the members on the 10th floor were hanging around the living area, some were here for the pipping hot tea, some were here to make sure things won't get out of hand.

“You could've slept with anyone, why my sister? Aren't the girls at the company enough for you?” Johnny questioned, his tone borderline mad.

“Look, Johnny, hear me out. I stopped sleeping around with other girls, I think most of you realised that, I haven't been bringing girls over for a long time now,” Jaehyun started off, his friends nodding, just realising that their friend hasn’t been bringing hook ups home like the past.

“The thing is, I really like her, Johnny, I didn’t mean to catch feelings, but once I realised that, I couldn't even look at anyone other than your sister, just give me some time to tell her that myself,” Jaehyun said, finishing up his explanation, praying that he’d make out of this unscathed.

Johnny looked at him, noting how serious he looks right now, nothing like the Jaehyun who joked about how ladies get in line for him.

“Okay, as long as you don't break her heart. If she comes to me crying, you’re a dead man, Jeong Jaehyun,” Johnny warned, his eyes deathly.

Jaehyun, releasing a breath of air he was holding in, nods at his friend before going back to his room, only to find out that you were up, dressed in his shirt, a goofy smile on your face that he adores.

“I heard everything,” you started off with, “and I really like you too, Jae,” you said before opening your arms, gesturing him into a hug.

“Wait, really?” Jaehyun asked in disbelief, but nevertheless requited your hug.

“Yes, you idiot, took you long enough to realise,” you said before kissing him on the lips passionately, the pace slower than usual, just so you could express your feelings for him.

Jaehyun pulls away shortly after, his hands mushing your cheeks together, a lovesick smile on his face before he pulls you in another kiss, the two of you falling onto his bed in giggles like two teenagers in love.