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leggerefiore · 2 years

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I'm rather surprised I hadn't realized no one was asking about the incomplete hybrid brothers! Honestly, since you wrote Arachnida, incomplete hybrid galvantula Ingo has taken up a ridiculous amount of my brain space.

I can imagine it's actually HARDER for him to find a mate than Emmet; with Emmet, you can't deny he's a hybrid; it's all on the table when you approach him to date him. Meanwhile, Ingo is actively hiding his arachnidan traits; he needs to appear as human as possible to minimize discrimination while working as a subway boss, so he's gotta be way more on guard when it comes to dating. It'll only take one bigoted person to reveal his hybrid identity and possibly lead to him being fired, and the general public turning on him for it. Add his insanely busy work schedule and he simply just gives up on the idea of romance, despite how desperately he wants a family. For a few years he's just vicariously living through his brother before he meets his s/o.

I headcanon it's probably someone who comes from a place with little or no hybrids and not much knowledge on the subject, and they learn about what hybrids are like simply through the friendship they build with Ingo. It starts with something simple like noticing his hidden eyes when he goes to wipe his brow on a hot day, to seeing him do some strange hybrid behavior that they ask Ingo to explain (he's mildly mortified, but future s/o is just curious about them!) to being BLOWN AWAY when they finally meet Emmet for the first time. Like, come on, you can't deny how mind blowing it is that these twins have such incredibly different bodies simply due to how Ingo developed differently than his brother. Future s/o finds all the things that makes them different charming and finds themselves wanting to know more as they fall more in love with Ingo, while Ingo falls for them as he comes to truly appreciate how much they embrace and respect him not only for his differences as a hybrid, but the things that make him unique as an incomplete hybrid as well.

SORRY I know the other ask was long w/ my ideas on incomplete hybrid Ingo headcanons wrt dating so here's a few heacdanons on his biology too (feel free to add your own ideas or debate mine as well):

Ingo actually started growing the extra legs before he stopped developing as a hybrid, but they were small and vestigial. He had them surgically removed because the way they jutted from his waist made it difficult to wear shirts. He has long matching scars on both sides of his wait where they were removed.

Because he rarely uses his venom (probably mostly eats fast food and small, quick meals) he has a hard time controlling his venom flow, specifically making it stop. The first time he gives his s/o a few love bites he injects so much venom in them their heart almost stops and he has to dump them off at the emergency room and flee. (He does not WANT to abandon them there but he will absolutely get arrested if they know he did this.) He feels like the biggest dirtbag ever over the whole incident. He's sent you no less than 142 message over the course of the day and a half you were hospitalized apologizing and self-flagellating over almost killing you. He's bawling when you get home and you have to assure him that you know it was an accident, and no, you're not gonna leave him. Stuff happens and you know he'd never do this on purpose.

Emmet and his mom don't believe that such a thing can be true of such a gentle son/brother until you have him demonstrate for them by having him bite into one of those venom collection cups. They're both staring at him wide-eyed as he shoots just… an absolutely comical amount of venom into the cup at breakneck speed. Just a solid stream of venom. His mom says "Ok, that's enough, we get it" and Ingo takes his fangs out of the cup and tries to stop but he's struggling to stop the flow and his own venom is pouring out of his mouth as he's trying to speak and it's dripping down his chin and this is easily the most mortified you have or ever will see Ingo in his life.

It takes you a long while after this to convince him to give you love bites again, and only because you practically beg for it. You loved the sensation of it the first time, just not when it got to the point where it almost killed you. He's been working on his venom control since the incident, so the injection isn't quite as strong as the first time, but he still times how long he bites very carefully so as not to overwhelm you, and he still has venom dripping down his lips after each bite. Thankfully, orally ingested venom isn't nearly as potent as when it is injected directly into the blood stream, so you're still happy to make out with him after without being poisoned again.

SORRY I JUST HAVE SO MANY IDEAS and I am trying not to send just one giant wall of an ask that is completely incomprehensible and impossible to read. Final thought based on your response to my first ask: Ingo's s/o finding out that he can make small bits of webbing, but not enough actually make use of, so s/o asks Ingo to make however much he can and put it to the side for the s/o. He's not sure why they're asking because it's really just so little, but over the course of a few weeks or months there's actually a decent sized pile growing on s/os desk until one day it's gone. Ingo feels a little dejected because was his silk not good enough? You had asked him for it, hadn't you? But he doesn't say anything about it; just assumes you gave up on it, because he was a bad mate who couldn't provide enough silk for his partner. But about a week later he sees you wearing a sweater you made from the silk he had produced!

You found out about how mareep and wooloo wool could be made into skeins, so you had wanted to try it with galvantula webbing. You had waited to collect enough silk to try to make a skein with, and then gone to a crafts place where you could rent a spinning wheel to attempt to make the skein, and when your experiment was a success, you couldn't help but go straight into making something you could wear to remind you of him when he was away. Ingo is overjoyed that you were so creative and talented enough to be able to take his meager offerings and turn them into something beautiful. Man just straight up bawls for hours while telling you how much he loves you.

He ends up buying you a spinning wheel (they are quite expensive, hence why you wanted to try on a rented one first!) and it becomes a ritual where he adds his silk to a pile near the wheel and you craft it into skeins once there's enough to make webs and blankets from. Nothing makes him happier to call you his mate than when you create the first web blanket from his own silk to cradle his firstborn in.

i had no idea incomplete hybrid ingo was so beloved... does he need some proper HCs, too? also wonderful, wonderful thoughts anon

It is definitely harder for Ingo to date. Hybrids are seen as weird, freaskish creatures that shouldn't be apart of polite society, but incomplete hybrids are living testimonies as why humans shouldn't mate with them. They're deformed, not quite human or monster beings who probably live entire lives of pain and suffering. They don't. There may be discomfort from how they develop the features from whatever hybrid they're mixed with, especially if they are essentially useless and vestigial , as you said.

His father taught him how to pretend to be human, as Ingo begged him to in a want to support Emmet and his mother should something happen to his father. He attended many different schools before settling on homeschooling because as he developed more unfortunate arachnid features came through. The underdeveloped appendages during his later teens, an attempt as a third pair of eyes that were never to be and just sealed back closed, and, of course, his venom problem. He likely found out about it when biting into something soft, like bread, during elementary school. It just kept coming, and he was sobbing, terrified of what a freak he so clearly was. His father was called and claimed he had some rare saliva related disorder, before dragging him away.

Ingo definitely accepted the idea of living his life alone. He dreams of a family and settling down with someone, but his youth left him a bit traumatised about how humans view him while the experiences of his adulthood have taught him just how vile both incomplete and complete hybrids are viewed. A few coworkers from when he started as a depot agent told him all about how they used to chase hybrids out of the station when they tried to ride the train and asked if Ingo was interested in participating. His knowledge of 'pretending' kicked in, and he agreed. The vile terms and physicality they hit the poor Ariados hybrid with left deep scars on his soul. An unspoken companionship with the hybrid led to him creating some false emergency situation and rushing them to safety. They knew what he is instantly, able to smell his pheromones. He was thanked so many times before they rushed off.

Needless to say, he swept away those who were openly biased toward hybrids when he ascended the workplace ladder. His life is spent a bit in paranoia that he will be revealed as an incomplete hybrid and experience what he had growing up. That wasn't to say people weren't accepting of him, Elesa, a full human, loved him like a sibling and even encouraged him to start hinting at his status. He refused. Just because a cat boy could be an Elite Four member did not mean an incomplete spider hybrid could run the subways.

He definitely removed some of his useless features in pursuit of becoming a 'proper human being', his mother and brother mortified at the thought. When he returned home from his surgery, his mother just clicked sadly at him. Her six eyes refused to leave where the limbs once were. He also struggled with not clicking when he was younger, as it was the main form in which he communicated with his family, barring his father. Kids thought he was weird and bullied him for his strange habit. Ingo refused to click for the longest time afterwards, once again upsetting his mother and brother. She sat him down, eventually, to remind him that he would never be a human no matter how much he tried. Her love for him was unyielding, but it hurt her to see him reject so much of himself.

This is why, when Ingo is at home or with his brother or Elesa, he uses his second pair of eyes. Usually, he tries to only speak in clicks with Emmet unless it would be exclusionary to do so. Elesa tried to learn their language but messed up horribly and send either complete nonsense or something a bit vulgar.

Also, Ingo would quite literally die if his mate took his seemingly useless silk and made it into something. He wants to learn what their doing, as well. It might not be the traditional way of weaving his silk, but it is the closest he can get. His heart is full when he sees his newborn son wrapped in a blanket from his web.

Funnily enough, Emmet used to bully Ingo for having uncontrollable poison glands. It got to a point where his mother was constantly intervening. Though, she was confused by his inability to. It was quite easy. She tries to teach him, but he just gives up and sticks to human food. He prefers it. He says, not jealous at all of Emmet's pretty webs that can actually catch things. Or his venom control. Or his nicer, stronger electrical pulse. Or his properly developing body. Ingo could live with humans unlike him. That was cooler. He's standing there with his arms crossed and nearly in tears.

As touched on before, incomplete hybrid Ingo reproduces like humans, so his kid will be a live-birth plus full term human pregnancy. On the bright side, this completely sells the illusion he's human. On the down side, his kid also has four eyes. Less spider features however, if his mate is a human.

Bonus: Incomplete Hybrid Warden Ingo terrifies Melli with his endless venom trick. Lady Sneaseler loves their typing match and is protective over her weird not-bug, not-human. Jublife is confused by him. Is he a human Warden? Are those allowed by the clans? Cyllene is terrified when she learns he's a bug type hybrid. How do they look so human now? Ingo can't recall, but he feels like it's definitely related to the scars on his abdomen. He traces them with sorrow, the sensation bring forth odd emotions. He clicks to himself, but the meanings are lost on him. Why does he recall himself looking like a complete hybrid when he tries to think back? He's terribly confused and depressed. He devotes himself entirely to his Warden duties to distract himself while searching for a mate. His heart feels empty, so he's seeking to fill it. A family seems like a good place to start. He hopes for twins as children.

#ingo.ima #pokehybrid au

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fmarkets · 5 months

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Vicarious Surgical Inc. Defies Expectations with Reduced Operating Losses Despite Challenging Quarter $RBOT #SP500 #NYSE

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persons-caldo · 1 year

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Article 221 - Cuadra vs. Monfort

Article 221. Parents and other persons exercising parental authority shall be civilly liable for the injuries and damages caused by the acts or omissions of their unemancipated children living in their company and under their parental authority subject to the appropriate defenses provided by law. (2180(2)a and (4)a )

Maria Teresa Cuadra v. Alfonso Monfort 35 SCRA 160

FACTS:

Maria Teresa Cuadra and Maria Teresa Monfort were both classmates in Mabini Elementary School Bacolod City. In July 1962, their teacher assigned the class to weed the school premises. While they were doing so, MT Monfort found a headband and she jokingly shouted it as an earthworm and thereafter tossed it at MT Cuadra who was hit in her eye. MT Cuadra’s eye got infected. She was brought to the hospital; her eyes were attempted to be surgically repaired but she nevertheless got blind in her right eye. MT Cuadra’s parents sued Alfonso Monfort (MT Monfort’s dad) based on Article 2180 of the Civil Code. The lower court ruled that Monfort should pay for actual damages (cost of hospitalization), moral damages and attorney’s fees.

ISSUE:

Whether or not Monfort is liable under Article 2180

HELD:

No. Article 2180 provides that the father, in case of his incapacity or death, the mother, is responsible for the damages caused by the minor children who live in their company. The basis of this vicarious, although primary, liability is fault or negligence, which is presumed from that which accompanied the causative act or omission. The presumption is merely prima facie and may therefore be rebutted. This is the clear and logical inference that may be drawn from the last paragraph of Article 2180, which states “that the responsibility treated of in this Article shall cease when the persons herein mentioned prove that they observed all the diligence of a good father of a family to prevent damage.”

In the case at bar there is nothing from which it may be inferred that Alfonso Monfort could have prevented the damage by the observance of due care, or that he was in any way remiss in the exercise of his parental authority in failing to foresee such damage, or the act which caused it. On the contrary, his child was at school, where it was his duty to send her and where she was, as he had the right to expect her to be, under the care and supervision of the teacher. And as far as the act which caused the injury was concerned, it was an innocent prank not unusual among children at play and which no parent, however careful, would have any special reason to anticipate much less guard against. Nor did it reveal any mischievous propensity, or indeed any trait in the child’s character which would reflect unfavorably on her upbringing and for which the blame could be attributed to her parents.

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robynsztyndor · 1 year

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Malpractice lawsuit examples

If a doctor or hospital does not follow accepted medical procedures, the injury they caused may give rise to a malpractice claim. This duty violation may be compensatory or punitive, intentional or purposeful. According to a legal doctrine called vicarious responsibility, the employer of a negligent medical provider may also be accountable for the patient's harm. A patient in such circumstances may be entitled to sue both the negligent healthcare provider and their employer.

A doctor's failure to diagnose an illness that could have been life-threatening is another typical medical malpractice case that results in legal action. An illustration of this would be a clinician overlooking the potentially fatal danger of umbilical cord prolapse. This carelessness damages the newborn's brain and needs a postponed C-section.

Failure to appropriately diagnose a patient by a clinician or hospital is another medical malpractice. This can result in inadequate care or possibly no care at all. Misdiagnosis occurs more frequently than pharmacological or surgical mistakes, and occasionally a patient's symptoms are particular and challenging to diagnose. Failure to diagnose in these circumstances may constitute malpractice. According to the legal system, there must be a direct causal connection between malpractice and the wrong result.

A Miami photojournalist fatally injected with unlabeled formaldehyde is the subject of another malpractice case. In addition, a medical technician accidentally removed a patient's breathing tube in a different incident. In the end, the patient passed away. Another example of a malpractice claim is a woman who received a $9.5 million payout due to medical misconduct. The patient sued the surgeon for malpractice after she lost a limb due to the surgeon's mistake.

The majority of malpractice claims are made against surgeons. Examples of surgical blunders are operating on the incorrect portion of the body, leaving surgical equipment inside the body, or unintentionally puncturing an organ. This may result in more harm and dangerous extra surgery. A potential error in the delivery of anesthetic also carries a risk of brain injury, long-term impairment, and even fatality.

Similarly, failing to diagnose a patient's disease correctly might result in potentially fatal complications like pulmonary embolism or stroke. In other instances, a doctor could miss a condition by misinterpreting symptoms that unrelated issues could bring. In certain situations, the patient might not get the proper care or need substantial medical care for an asymptomatic condition.

Surgery is the worst instance of medical carelessness. Regardless of how minor the surgery may be, the patient still wants a trained surgeon to perform it properly. In this situation, a doctor can misread the patient's chart, disregard treatment guidelines, or even approve the patient for an unneeded procedure. These incidents can all have catastrophic repercussions. Patients should be informed of these potential problems to lower their likelihood of experiencing the medical error.

Lawsuits alleging medical malpractice are primarily brought in state trial courts. However, legal actions for medical misconduct may also be brought in federal courts. Although this option is not typically available, it may be in some situations, mainly when dealing with national concerns or various states. There are some federal district courts in each state, and some cities are spread across two or more judicial districts. The lawsuit will probably be filed in federal district court if the doctor or hospital has already been sued under federal law or is associated with a federal government program.

A malpractice lawsuit may result if a physician or medical facility disregards the appropriate standard of care. Sometimes the doctor's negligence caused the patient to sustain a devastating injury. In other cases, a doctor's disregard for the accepted standard of care led to fatalities or serious injuries. For instance, prolonged respiratory arrest and severe brain damage could result from a clinician failing to monitor a patient's breathing during surgery.

A medical malpractice case may be difficult and tumultuous. Thankfully, many issues are resolved outside of court. The insurance company will equitably compensate the plaintiff rather than proceed to trial. A lawsuit often starts with submitting a legal document called a pleading outlining the alleged wrongdoings committed by a defendant doctor. Depending on the relevant jurisdiction, the court could also demand that a legal process be served. This entails delivering papers to a defendant's doctor via a process server or an affidavit of service.

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shreyas-inkwood · 2 years

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Virtual Reality Redefines Prospects in Healthcare Applications

Primarily customized for medical education, the adoption of virtual reality (VR) has enabled healthcare professionals and patients to interact with simulated environments. Estimates suggest the global VR in healthcare market will grow at a CAGR of 30.62% during the forecast years, 2022 to 2030. The market’s notable growth is propelled by the increasing use of VR for training purposes, the rising aging population, and the surge in VR-based start-ups like MindMaze, zSpace, Vicarious Surgical, and Firsthand, among others

Prevalence of VR in Healthcare: Statistics and Growth Analysis

According to research, healthcare is expected to be one of the leading adopters of VR technology. Almost 82% of experts in the medical industry assert that virtual reality creates a convenient approach to learning for practicing students and professionals alike. Likewise, 62% of patients were reported to accept virtual reality healthcare services as an alternative to traditional medical management.

The prevalence of virtual reality in healthcare is reflected in the growing product innovation, key applications in technology, and interference from end-users. Moreover, the adoption of hardware and software as VR-based components plays an essential role in the market. As the leading end-user, the hospitals & clinics segment is set to grow with the highest CAGR. In addition, projectors and displays are set to represent the most widely-adopted form of technology during the forecast years.

Leading contributors to the market, including General Electric, Alphabet Inc (Google), Sony Corporation, and others, aim to expand their global reach by employing comprehensive strategies. These include partnerships & collaborations, and joint ventures with well-established organizations and end-users in the market. For instance, the United States government is encouraging major companies such as Philips Healthcare to build solid research and development bases in VR, thus driving the regional market growth in North America.

Market by Application & Advances of VR in Healthcare

The architecture of VR applications in the healthcare industry primarily depends on their adoption in medical facilities, educational centers, and surgical fields. In this regard, applications, such as dentistry, autism treatment, and phobia treatment, are gradually being explored, thus generating lucrative opportunities for the market.

Surgical Planning – In 2021, the global VR in healthcare market by surgical planning contributed nearly 81% of the market’s share. The segment’s significant adoption is accredited to the fact that VR assists surgeons in the pre-operative planning of surgeries by delivering an enhanced view of the complex human body anatomy.

Behavioral Neurology/Rehabilitation – As per Inkwood Research, the behavioral neurology/rehabilitation segment is set to grow with a CAGR of 29.05% during the forecast years. The segment’s growth is primarily fuelled by the introduction of various platforms and subsequent innovations. For example, CleVR is a platform that uses virtual reality technology for the management of animated social situations for patient treatment.

Pain Management – As one of the most common VR-based applications, pain management captured a revenue share of 13% in 2021. For instance, in North America, pain management is an alarmingly increasing healthcare concern, given that an estimated 100 million adults in the United States suffer from chronic pain. Since VR-based therapies are used to overcome addiction to opioids and facilitate pain management, the North America VR in healthcare market is set to foresee substantial growth prospects.

VR Medical Education & Training – Future Prospects

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), the expenditure on healthcare globally more than doubled over the last 20 years. This is primarily accredited to the rise in government spending, particularly in upper-middle and high-income countries. Hence, the growth in medical expenditure is set to generate opportunities like the introduction and upgradation of VR-based technologies for education and training in healthcare.

By practicing in a VR-3D environment, employees can modify their skills and start the job with a near-perfect command, thus providing the global VR in healthcare market with numerous growth prospects.

Key developments by leading players in VR for medical training include:

Embodied Labs, a brand specializing in Immersive Educational Technologies, incorporates virtual reality software to teach caretakers.

Floreo provides an optimum platform, Floreo VR, for people and children with autism, utilizing virtual reality to educate linguistic, behavioral, social, and motor abilities.

Surgical Theater aids surgeons in improving their pre-operative planning. For example, if a patient is scheduled for a brain tumor operation, surgeons can view the procedure’s virtual reality simulation.

However, these opportunities can advance further primarily with the presence of skilled professionals. Hence, in order to overcome the shortage of experienced personnel in healthcare centers, workforce planning and active partnerships from the tertiary education sector as well as other national bodies are pivotal.

#Virtual Reality #healthcare it #healthcare #medical #inkwood research #market research report #market research reports

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raccooninthedaytime · 3 years

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Guys i want a caaaaaaaaaaaat 😭😫 i want one so bad but ya girl’s allergic and will get v sick 😭😭

#thoughts from the dumpster #petition to surgically remove my allergies #i want a cat so damn bad #im so so so sad i want a kitty caf #i keep watching cat videos so i can live vicariously through people #people who can pet cats and then touch their face and NOT sneeze their sinuses inside out #i want. cat.

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doebt · 4 years

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also totally unrelated but i look at idk like. gore blogs and pics a lot, its like, probably unhealthy, but it satisfies some deep part of me. but man a lot of them are like..what if this is a photo of an actual murder, or the aftermath of a suicide..i dont want to like. gain any small ‘happiness’ from what might be a photo of some horrible tragedy

#not that i am gaining 'happiness' per se i am not sure what i am gaining but its something #whatever it is #like that better be fake blood on that knife..you know #and it feels like a moral dilemma sometimes #well. all the time #like what right do i have to get anything out of this pic that could very well be something horrifying #and theres no way for me to like. know #but there is just something about seeing blood pooling on a tile floor that is insanely pleasing to me. like. deeply #or worse than that like...stab wounds or stitched up lacerations #or autopsy photos. or surgical photos...like being able to see all those veins and bones and layers #blood is my favorite though. i am literally obsessed #like...theres something wrong with me..is it just my ever evolving obsession with pain manifesting in this way..am i just #living vicariously through photos of other peoples pain.. i dont know #its like this horrible dark corner of my heart that just craves it #and this feels completely separate from literally wanting to consume blood bc that is there too and thats way freakier than this is #i know im not the only one though i mean why else do these gore blogs exist. so many people are just edgy #but for me its like. i need it or something #im picky though. i will throw up if i look at a photo of a bloated corpse. ive seen so much i wish i never saw #it has to be clean #wanting to essentially drink blood is like ok i can blame that on an iron deficiency or some medical condition thats fine sure whatever #but man..this is like...idk....i feel pretty terrible..like a really bad person even though i would never hurt anyone and #if i saw a pic that was obviously someone in unintentional pain or an actual crimescene i would like. it makes me nauseous i hate it #ok im done i gotta go to bed #sorry for being such a freak lately i just feel really bad and have to get it out

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rebeccathenaturalist · 4 years

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I admit I'm a sucker for adorable animals in videos and pictures. With all the troubles in the world today, sometimes it's nice to vicariously immerse myself in piles of puppies, kittens, and other cute critters. Unfortunately, sometimes the media I'm consuming is a source of troubles itself. Many times ignorance about animal behavior is at the root of the cruelty, though there are situations that are born out of greed for money, prestige, likes, and so forth.

Obviously some of these videos have worse origins than others. The upset gecko gaping its mouth at its supposed rival in a mirror isn't being nearly as badly mistreated as the loris that's starving to death due to an incomplete or incorrect diet. What's important is developing a critical eye for this sort of media and learning more about how to assess whether the animals involved are actually enjoying themselves or not.

Here's some sauce for those of you who want to read further:

http://blog.whyanimalsdothething.com/ - Why Animals Do the Thing (@why-animals-do-the-thing) is a great start to learning more about animal behavior, which ones are healthy and which ones indicate stress (here's an especially good post that goes into even more detail about some of these viral videos and photos: http://blog.whyanimalsdothething.com/post/128327199132/animal-science)

http://thehsi.org/2015/04/01/the-cruel-cost-of-cute/ - the Herpetological Society of Ireland explores more about the cruelty behind staged frog photos and more

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/whimsical-wildlife-photography-isnt-seems - more on those staged photos, including some good links throughout the article

http://chimpsnw.org/2013/10/take-action-tuesday-new-childrens-book-exploits-anjana-and-tiger-cubs/ - goes into more detail about how TIGERS and similar organizations exploit wildlife for profit

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pdfs/BathingBunnies-RO.pdf - if you absolutely must bathe a rabbit, here's when and how to do it as safely as possible

Species portrayed: Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), Sunda slow loris (Nycticebus coucang), orangutan (Pongo sp.), tiger (Panthera tigris), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), scrub frog (Rhacophorus sp.), rhinoceros beetle (Dynastinae sp.), domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), tokay gecko (Gekko gecko)

12-11-19 note: Hey, I’ve added a transcript of the comic panels above down below the read more cut. I have to run to an appointment now but will try to add neat links people post in the notes later on. Meanwhile, please reblog this version so that more people can enjoy this comic, including those who may have trouble reading the written text or who use text readers. Thanks!

Comic transcript:

[Panel 1: a puppy plays in a grassy field on a computer monitor] title: Not So Cute Animal Videos. Feeling stressed? Why not watch some cute animal videos online?

[Panel 2: the puppy is now looking quizzically out of the monitor at the viewer] I hate to be a downer, but unfortunately some of these videos actually show animals in distress. (Sorry, I know you were trying to destress.)

[Panel 3: a Sunda slow loris is being tickled by a human hand and has its arms raised in defense] A viral video from a few years ago shows a slow loris raising its arms as it is tickled. It’s not having fun; instead, it’s trying to access venom glands in its arms, glands that were surgically removed. Like other slow lorises in the pet trade, it also likely had its canine teeth pulled out without anesthetic, and was originally poached from a wild population along with the rest of its family. Lorises are cute, but they make poor pets and most die very young.

[Panel 4: a young orangutan is bottle feeding a tiger cub] In 2015, a video appeared showing a young orangutan bottle-feeding tiger cubs. it was created by T.I.G.E.R.S, a facility that separates cubs from their mothers to be used for cub-petting and photo sessions. Not only is this stressful for all animals involved, but the facility breeds tigers, ligers (lion-tiger hybrids not found in nature) and other exotics only for display and “experiences” for tourists, not reintroduction into the wild. (I’ll go deeper into the problems with cub-petting and other such attractions in a later comic.)

[Panel 5: two whitetail deer are shown, one of which seems to be asking for food like bread, an apple, and a cookie] It’s not just captive animals, either. YouTube is full of videos of people feeding deer. Even in cases where the deer aren’t being fed something that will make them sick, it encourages them to see humans as a source of food and lose their fear of us. This leads to the deer being more aggressive in seeking food, as well as more deer hit by cars, not running from hunters, and other deer-human conflicts. Artificially increasing the amount of food in the habitat causes overpopulation, which means more deer dying of starvation and disease, slow, painful ways to die.

[Panel 6: a frog is riding on the back of a rhinoceros beetle, but looks as though it is in distress] It’s not just videos, either. Those photos of frogs riding beetles, holding leaves, or dancing, are often staged by gluing the frog in place or sewing fishing line through its toes and posing it like a marionette.

[Panel 7: fishing line runs through the pads of a frog’s toes] So how can you tell which media is legitimate? First consider the source. If it was made by a cub-petting “sanctuary” or that otherwise profits from animal “encounters”, be skeptical. Look at the animal’s expression and body language without anthropomorphizing--judging them by human expressions. For example, many animals show fear or pain with an open mouth similar to a “smile”.

[Panel 8: a white domestic rabbit is sitting on its back legs in a bathtub of water, with a distressed expression] To responsibly enjoy cute animal videos, learn about animal behavior. Ask rabbit owners whether that bunny in a bath is having fun, and they’ll tell you no! It’s actually trying to stay above the water so as to not drown, and is under severe stress. Remember that behaviors that are positive in humans are often distress signals in animals. Look at it this way--each new video is an opportunity to learn something new!

[Panel 9: a tokay gecko has its mouth open in a threat display while next to a mirror showing its reflection] If something looks too good to be true, research it. If a video showing a lizard “smiling” at a mirror goes viral, search online for “lizard smiling at mirror” plus a word like “scared” or “cruelty” or “bad”. Chances are someone will have written about why this animal is stressed and upset, not happy.

[Panel 10: The cute puppy from the first two panels is now happily playing with a ball] Thankfully there are lots of cute animal videos and pictures that show animals genuinely having fun. With a little care and research, you can enjoy these guilt-free!

#wildlife #animal welfare #animal cruelty #cute animals #nature

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skepticbeliever-bookclub · 3 years

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Hello, shippers & readers, we're back at it again with yet another of our voted and majority-chosen reads.

This time we, once again, found ourselves revisiting a very dear-to-our-heart fandom classic: Ghouls in my head, Fires Underground, a skilled surgical dissection into the experience of the "and they were roommates" trope with a heaping dose of an emotional cross-section of these two men trying to navigate sexuality, intimacy, and trust as written by the very talented liminalweirdo.

When we say that there were tears, yells and even at times speechlessness, we're not exaggerating. This fic was a hot and gorgeous study in a reader's reaction to being confronted with a reality where two people fit in all the right ways but insecurity, social cues and anxieties keep them at odds-- which is perhaps why our discussion excerpts are longer this time!

Rating: E

Summary: Shane ends up living at Ryan's and really, it's no big deal. Until it is.

Book Club Thoughts

I always know when it comes to this author that we're about to get long descriptions of either boys' psyche and the depth of feeling is always going to get uncomfortably close to home

it's almost strange that this was written in 2018 because it feels like a 2021 fic and then suddenly you hear an off detail and it's like, damn, how did they so perfectly capture their neuroses even back then. really impressive

i think this is the first fic we've done in some time that just sits us down and makes us vicariously experience the discomfort of deep insecurities and anxieties that come with being queer and in love with your best friend

There's something universal in there - of settling and not realising you are until you see what you could have 'cause the strung up glass is pretty and probably fun but god imagine having the whole window to look at. Glass fragments don't keep out the rain! The window does!

[the author's] metaphors though. Her prose gut punches but not in a sequential fashion. She gets you comfortable, at ease with exposition and dialogue that's snappy and real and rhythmic then she goes in

The author writes truly poetically and beautifully. The way Shane is described always pulling back and having trouble opening or saying what he really wants and how it always breaks down when he is around Ryan.

for me, this fic like, set a tone for what friends to lovers could be. the descriptions are incredible, especially when we get down into it, and there's so much introspection on either side

When we were doing the live read for the first chapter, we were talking about how good the dialogue is in this fic - and it really is excellent

I think it actually fucking rips me apart how incredibly beautiful it is when Ryan says he’s willing to take the time to make sure sex is pleasurable for Shane

i thought the pov switching was unbelievably adept

the nice...symmetry perhaps of them both having that family relationship. and they've reached a point by then when they are ready to open up emotionally about the real stuff and what's realer than family

there's a lot going on and a lot to think about, but it all sort of boils down to the magnetism and how they try to fight it, and eventually just snap together

I think it’s one of the most realistic characterization of Shane I’ve seen seen even thought a lot of fics get him right. But this one just feels so close for some reason? Ryan being the one that pulls him through is just chefs kiss

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT DISCUSSION? CHECK OUT THE FAQ, AND SEND US AN ASK! IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR FIC RECS, PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR READS, NOMINEES AND BOOK CLUB REC LISTS!

#shyan #shyan fic #skeptic believer #otp: we took an oath #read of the week #roommates #sbbbookclub #angst #multichaptered #long post

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let-the-dream-begin · 3 years

Text

In My Daughter’s Eyes Chapter 25: Riding a Bike

Chapter 24

Read on AO3

Jamie was simultaneously in Heaven and in Hell.

The Heaven part was Claire Beauchamp’s hand laced in his, walking from the parking meter to the restaurant on the water, down port in Port Jefferson. If dinner was as long as he’d planned for, the timing would be perfect for them to be walking around just as the sun was setting so that the colors would dance on her skin, in her curls, in her eyes. She was so much more relaxed than she was on that first date, so much more comfortable in the restaurant this time, one by the name of Old Fields. She loved that they could see the water, loved the flowers and wee plants around them at their outdoor table (he knew she would), loved the string of lights crisscrossing back and forth above their heads. She was illuminated like an angel.

The Hell part was what he’d committed to doing after this.

Not that it would be Hell, not at all. Christ, the thought of giving himself to her that way, the thought of her being his first (and only, if he had anything to say about it, though he couldn’t exactly say that this early without sounding like a nutter), the thought of finally giving in to those urges he’d felt since the first time she’d pressed her body against his in that bloody office…

That too, was Heaven.

But the waiting. The anticipation.

Christ, he was nervous.

He wanted to do it right, wanted to please her, wanted her to like it. He wanted her to like it as much as he already knew he would. He didn’t want to lose his head, or lose it too soon. He’d heard his friends ribbing each other as teenagers, how they’d lost it nearly the second they were inside for their first time. Claire deserved better than that.

Then he remembered she hadn’t been pleasured as such in years, and his throat went dry. He couldn’t disappoint her. He just couldn’t. It was not an option.

“Jamie?”

“Hm?”

He was pulled from his whirling thoughts by that reminder of Heaven, her gentle voice, warm, soft fingertips on his wrist; on his pulse, he realized. He looked up into her face when he realized she was not going to say anything else, and saw her gazing softly at him, eyebrows raised inquisitively.

“You’re very loud without saying a word,” she said.

Jamie chuckled nervously, feeling himself blush. “Aye, sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” she tightened her grip on his wrist. “That’s not why I said that.” He wet his lips, nodding. “Are you…nervous? About…later.”

Throat dry, causing pain when he swallowed, he nodded. “Feels foolish, but aye.”

“It’s not.” Her thumb rubbed calming circles over his pulse, and it felt like she was literally soothing his heartbeat back to a steady rhythm. That was her affect, her healing touch, her magic. “It’s normal. I’m…I am, too.” He watched a beautiful blush begin at her sternum and creep its way up her neck and into her face, like watching flowers bloom up and down a vine.

“But I…” she went on, breathing shakily. “I really, really want to, Jamie.”

Jamie thought he might just die.

Her voice was low and husky in a way he’d never heard, and she did not break eye contact. He nodded, his jaw agape.

“Aye,” he somehow managed to stutter. “I…I do, too.”

She brought his fingers to her lips, and he prayed she would not feel how clammy his hand was.

“Worrying about it now won’t change anything that happens later,” she whispered, causing the hairs on his hand and wrist to stand on end, tickled by her breath. “It’ll be okay.”

And though he still felt like he might vomit, or faint, or keel over, he knew she was right.

He tried to focus instead on the menu, on the bread basket in between them, on watching Claire break the bread into pieces before putting it in her mouth, not biting it. He tried to think of those hands, delicately breaking bread, holding surgical equipment, of those fingers tying stitches, stroking the brow of a frightened child on a stretcher. And then the bread was popped between her lips, and he could think of nothing but those lips, doing…well…

The waiter thankfully interrupted that next train of thought, and they each ordered. Jamie ordered the buttermilk fried chicken, which came with cornbread, coleslaw, and french fries, which he swapped for sweet potato fries. He caught a glint in Claire’s eye when he asked for the substitution, and he immediately knew she’d be having quite a few of those fries. Claire ordered butternut squash ravioli, and Jamie smiled as he handed the waiter their menus. He’d have to make that for her sometime; he wasn’t too bad at ravioli and other pasta dishes if he did say so himself.

The more rounds of drinks they got, the more relaxed they both felt, and the more Jamie could look at the lights dancing on Claire’s skin without thinking of the terror of the rest of her skin being bared to him.

Well, not entirely.

It was always there, in the back of his mind, but Claire’s melodic laugh, her pensive gaze as she stared over the water, the way she jumped when the ferry horn blared, and that damned healing touch of hers always pulled him back out of his head. She talked about patients and incidents at work, about Joe saving her sanity nearly once an hour, about Faith’s new habit of laying out every one of her barbies on the coffee table in the morning and leaving them there untouched until it was bedtime, only to repeat the process every morning, about how Faith arranged the furniture in her dollhouse. Jamie talked about his own clients, about how great Faith was doing with Jessica, and he told a particularly long anecdote about his one client with Down Syndrome, Holly.

“I dinna ken what to do about that one,” Jamie said, shaking his head. “She’s making braw progress, just great. Her fine motor is getting so much better, her strength is improving, she communicates great wi’ the horse and wi’ us. But she…Christ, how do I say it…”

“She has a crush on you,” Claire said, putting her chin in her hands and smiling.

“Aye! How d’ye know?”

“I’ve seen her at the events. She’s the sweetest thing, but she’s especially sweet to you,” Claire said, her eyes bright with mirth. “How old is she again?”

“Eleven,” Jamie said. “The problem is, she does so well wi’ me, right? But I dinna ken if it’s just because she’s, well, sweet on me. And is that ethical? For her to progress so well because she’s sweet on a grown man more’n twice her age?”

Claire laughed. “Well, it isn’t your fault. You do what you can for her and you keep it professional. She’ll outgrow it, I’m sure.”

“I’m no’ so sure,” Jamie said. “Doesna help that her mam encourages her.”

“Perhaps she has her own crush and she’s living vicariously through Holly.” Claire took a cheeky sip of wine, and Jamie barked with laughter.

“Shameless, Sassenach.”

“What? It’s quite difficult for a woman to resist someone like you. And good with kids, and animals?” She put down her wine glass. “You’re a dreamboat, darling. I’m quite aware how lucky I am. And I would be even if the other moms weren’t constantly reminding me.”

The thought made Jamie blush; all the mothers ogling at him from where he couldn’t see, telling Claire about said ogling.

Claire suddenly shook her head, mouth and eyes wide with disbelief.

“What?”

“It’s like…you don’t even know.” She rested an arm on the table, leaning her chin in her other hand.

“Dinna ken what?”

She bit her lip, perhaps stifling a laugh, or trying to stop herself from saying it. “I’ll…I’ll tell you later.”

His stomach flipped.

When dinner arrived, Claire did steal quite a few of his sweet potato fries, and he didn’t have it in him to tease her for it. She thoroughly enjoyed her own meal, and he catalogued that knowledge away, along with the knowledge of her love of sweet potato. They skipped dessert, Jamie promising her well-priced ice cream instead.

Said ice cream was obtained at a little shop tucked away at the corner of a narrow pedestrian cobblestone walkway. Claire was completely enamored with every little shop and cafe they passed, remarking how “sweet” or how “darling” everything looked, and Jamie wanted to kiss her senseless.

He ordered moose-tracks, which Claire had apparently never had, and Claire got her usual soft-serve vanilla with rainbow sprinkles on a cone. Jamie gave her a bite of his, and she nodded in approval, saying she might actually get that next time.

Next time.

The thought of an endless future of holding Claire’s hand at sunset with ice cream on her tongue was making him dizzy.

They strolled closer and closer to the water, chatting and eating. Claire insisted Jamie have a lick of her ice cream since she’d tried his, but Jamie was certain she just wanted to watch him make a mess of his face with the quickly melting mess. She got her wish, if that was her intention.

When they reached the beach, Jamie asked Claire to hand him her shoes; the wedges she was wearing were not conducive to walking in the sand. She obliged, and they walked on. They walked along the shoreline, passing groups of young people with grilles, families or couples with dogs. There was even a lone swimmer, stroking valiantly in the near still water.

Claire was looking out over the harbor, at the boats, the birds, the colors in the sky. “This really is so beautiful, Jamie.”

“I’m glad ye like it,” he said. “I used to come here by myself just to think. I come wi’ Toni to get food and people watch. It’s very fine to have you here.”

She bit into her cone, and he smiled, finally giving into the urge to kiss her cheek, even as she chewed.

They eventually found their way to a dock, and they sat on the edge, dangling their feet, Claire’s shoes sitting behind them. The sun was mere minutes from setting now, and Jamie’s heart could have burst. He’d calculated the timing just right; he’d gotten to see all of nature’s glowing colors in various states of sunset reflected on Claire’s skin, her hair, her eyes. He could swear that her eyes literally changed color depending on the color of the light around them. She was truly ethereal, so much so that his stomach settled for the first time all night.

They sat swinging their feet, Claire resting her head on Jamie’s shoulder, Jamie holding her against him. It was perfect. The scent of her was driving him mad, that sweet perfume, lemongrass, and that deep herbal essence that always permeated her, likely from her garden. Then they were kissing, madly and deeply, and someone could have docked their boat right next to them and Jamie wouldn’t have noticed.

——

When Jamie opened the back door of his car to retrieve Claire’s overnight bag for her, she noticed that he wiped his hands on his trousers before actually picking up the bag.

He was sweating.

She wanted to tell him that it was going to be alright, that it was not going to be as terrifying as he dreaded, that she’d be happy no matter how he performed.

Not that she wasn’t thinking about how he would perform.

It was perhaps a bit unfair to place such high expectations on him. He was virginal after all. But God, there was something about him that had Claire convinced that she wouldn’t be able to walk tomorrow. And she eagerly awaited it.

She’d wanted him, very badly, for a long, long time. Longer than she cared to admit. And she very well might finish at the first contact and then he’d have nothing to worry about.

Before Claire could reveal her horrendously mortifying train of thought, Jamie was unlocking the front door. He lived on the bottom floor of his building, and there were outdoor entrances like there were at her building.

“It’s no’ much,” he said sheepishly, turning on the lights. “Bachelor pad, after all.”

Claire looked around the living room they stepped into, her chest warming. “It’s lovely.”

There was a gray couch facing a not-too-big tellie, a coffee table in the center of a woven blue area rug that matched the tartan blanket draped over the back of the couch. There were burgundy-red throw pillows that matched the red on the tartan.

“Fraser tartan,” Claire said, rubbing the fabric between her fingers. “Right?”

“Aye,” Jamie said eagerly, beaming. “Ye remembered.”

“Remembered?” Claire snorted. “I have been entirely unable to forget the sight.”

She moved on to examine photos on the wall behind the couch, and she saw him blush out of the corner of her eye. She recognized Jenny and Ian from pictures on Jamie’s phone; there were photos from their wedding with Jamie in them, photos of the children, with and without Jamie. There was a photo of three cheesy grins on eager children, two of them redheaded little boys. The one in the middle leaned heavily on his sister and brother, grinning the brightest of all. Willie.

Above them was a photo of them with their parents. Ellen was beautiful. Like a Goddess or an Amazon. Her jawline could cut ice, and her high cheekbones gave way to cat-like eyes.

“You look so much like her,” Claire said softly. She felt him come up closer behind her.

“Thank you.”

She turned to offer him a sad but loving smile, wrapping her arms around his middle and resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes wandered over Ellen and Brian’s wedding photo, both of them elegant and regal, Brian in his full Fraser regalia, Ellen in a gorgeous, very eighties gown.

“Your family is so beautiful, Jamie.” Claire gave him a squeeze. “Just looking at these I can tell how much love there is between all of you.”

Claire had always wondered what it was like to have family like that. Of course Lamb had been her family, and she loved him endlessly. She always would. But family like this, family to fill a wall with and look at similarities between…she’d never had such a thing. So she always wondered.

“I can’t wait to meet them someday.”

She said it softly, so softly that she might be able to take it back if she needed. But Jamie squeezed her back and kissed the top of her head.

“I canna wait either, mo ghraidh.”

They took off their shoes and moved into the kitchen, the counters empty and spotless save his coffee maker and a blender, quite unlike the ever-present mess in her kitchen. There were white roses in the center of the table, and Claire got the distinct feeling that he didn’t always have such a thing.

“For you, Milady.” He gallantly offered her a rose from the bunch, and she deeply inhaled its fresh scent, looking up at him through her lashes. The whisky came next, and then they were on the couch, glasses in hand, rose tucked behind Claire’s ear. They would go back and forth between talking animatedly, laughing, teasing, and then utter silence, sipping their glasses uncomfortably, sweat pooling at the base of Claire’s back. And probably under her arms. This went on for far too long before Claire decided to say something.

“So — ”

“Listen, I —”

They both snapped their mouths shut, blushing fiercely. They stumbled apologies over each other, but then Claire stopped it all.

“You first,” she insisted.

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “I was ehm…gonna…well…” He ran a hand through his hair, and Claire’s heart strained to see it was trembling. “I dinna ken what to do right about now. I mean, I ken what to do!” he corrected quickly, but he hadn’t needed to. Claire knew what he meant. “It’s just — ”

“No, I know. I know what you mean.” Claire took another sip of her drink. “I don’t…know what’s next either.”

Jamie laughed, a shaky, nervous sound. Claire wanted to take him in her arms and soothe him, kiss away all his fear. Yet she also wanted to pounce him right there, make him spill his whisky all over that beautiful carpet and drag him to the bed and leave it there until morning.

Though that didn’t seem very productive.

“I was going to say that you don’t have to worry about condoms,” Claire said, nodding curtly. “I mean, I know you don’t have anything, and I don’t. Unless you want — ”

He shook his head. “I trust ye.”

Claire nodded. “And well, I’m on the pill. So.”

He nodded thoughtfully, sipping his drink again. She saw the unasked question in his eye. She didn’t need to prove to him that she wasn’t just ready to start sleeping around at any given moment, but she wanted to.

“I took it even before I started having sex,” she explained. “Bad periods. Really bad.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s alright,” Claire waved it off. “It was convenient when I started having sex. Then Frank wanted kids right after getting married even though I was still in medical school, so I went off it. Went right back on it as soon as I could after Faith was born.”

“Frank wanted kids?”

She saw the regret as soon as he said it, flashing in his eyes like a storm.

“Exactly,” Claire said. “I don’t need to tell you of all people that Faith is my joy and blessing and…everything to me,” she said, her chest aching. “But…I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to even start trying until the age I am now. Pregnancy and infancy during med school was really hard.”

“I canna imagine.” He put a hand on her knee, squeezing. “Ye’re brave, Claire. And strong.”

She smiled weakly. “I didn’t feel like it at the time. I couldn’t even say no to him. Even though I knew why he was doing it.”

He didn’t want to ask, she could tell. He squeezed her knee harder and rubbed his thumb over her kneecap.

“He thought I’d give it up,” she said simply, shrugging. “Being a doctor. If I had children. Thought I’d resign myself to barefoot and pregnant.”

Jamie’s every feature darkened. Claire covered his hand with hers on her knee.

“I’m sorry we got into that tonight. I didn’t mean…at all…”

Unprompted and unexpectedly, Jamie’s lips met hers, harder than they had all night. He pulled away, and Claire felt breathless.

“What was that for…? I didn’t exactly set the mood…” Claire rolled her eyes in admonishment of herself.

“I admire the hell out of you, Sassenach.”

Overwhelmed with affection, Claire kissed him back.

When they pulled apart, Claire took note of the time from the digital clock on the cable box.

“I need to call Gail, get the updates, make sure Faith went down okay,” Claire said, reaching for her phone. Gail and Delia were spending the whole night at the apartment rather than Faith sleeping at their house; Claire had been worried that Faith would panic if nighttime routine was not at home.

“Do you want to…” Claire put her drink down on the coffee table as she pulled out her phone. “Meet me in the bedroom?”

She thought he might drop his drink; she almost jerked her hand forward to catch it.

“Ah — yes, aye, that’s fine,” he stammered. He set his glass down beside hers and stood up. “I’ll just…do that.”

She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. If she hadn't already had three overtly sexual encounters with this man, these interactions would convince her that she was in for a rough night.

Gail gave a glowing report for Faith’s behavior and informed Claire that she and Delia were fast asleep, Delia in her sleeping bag next to Faith’s bed. Claire thanked her for the millionth time in just that one phone call, and then she hung up. She suddenly got the urge to wipe her palms on her dress. Now she was sweaty.

Christ.

She took a deep breath, in the nose, and out the mouth.

It’s just sex, Beauchamp. It’s like riding a bike.

Just sex…

It couldn’t ever be just sex with someone like Jamie. Not when she was his first, not when she felt…the way she did about him.

Christ.

She forced herself off the couch, swaying only slightly when she stood, and not from the alcohol.

She made sure she was breathing as she headed in the direction that Jamie had gone and into the room. His head popped up from his task. He was turning down the comforter, having already put the throw pillows on the floor in the corner.

“Yer bag is on the dresser,” he gestured to the dresser where there was, indeed, her overnight bag. She briefly wondered if she’d even bother sleeping in pajamas, then the image of her naked body pressed tightly against his seared her mind, and she thought she might fall over.

“Faith alright?”

“Hm? Oh, yes, she’s asleep, Gail said she was great. Stubborn about dinner, wanted to eat Delia’s food instead of her own, but Gail was able to get it straightened.”

Please, do keep drawling on about your five year old while Jamie Fucking Fraser turns down his bed to fuck you in.

“Good, glad to hear it.” He flashed her a grin, then straightened up. “The bathroom is an ensuite. Right through there.” He gestured, and Claire nodded in acknowledgement.

Then there they stood, six feet apart from one another, no excuses left. Jamie wiped his palms on his pants, and Claire fought the urge to do the same on her dress. It was yellow, another high-low dress with flowing cap sleeves. How she hadn’t managed to sweat through it yet was beyond her.

Jamie took a step forward, hesitantly. “I’d like to kiss ye now, Sassenach. If that’s alright.”

Claire inhaled on a gasp, then exhaled tremulously. She nodded without words, taking her own step forward.

Like riding a bike.

He closed the gap between them, cupping her face sweetly.

Like riding a bike with someone that makes your heart feel like it’s going to explode from beneath your sternum.

He dipped down and kissed her, gentle as ever. In the back of her mind, in a place that she wished would shut up, she prayed that he wouldn’t be that gentle all night.

She could feel the sweat on his palms that he’d tried so desperately to be rid of, clammy on her face, but she focused instead on the feel of his lips, on the gentle probing of his tongue, mingling with hers. Her hands had been resting absently on his chest, but she snaked them up now, wrapping them around his neck. She wanted to be closer, needed to be. Her heartbeat was erratic, and she wanted to feel his thrumming in desperate time with hers, right up against her.

His hands moved too, threading through her hair, tugging gently so he could tip her back for better access. She sighed with contentment, smiling against him and reaching her hands under his collar to scratch his neck. He groaned as she raked her nails down, tugging harder on her hair. She’d apparently unleashed something, because he redoubled his efforts, flipping them around so he could push her to the bed. They crashed down together, and before Claire could blink, Jamie was lying perpendicular to the headboard, legs dangling off the bed, and she was hovering over him, kissing him senseless.

Something that had been simmering in her all night began rising, steaming. If she was sweaty before, she was melting now. She ran her hands all over his chest, his arms; he peppered kisses all over her neck and collarbones and even the swell of her breasts. His hands alternated between running up and down her back and squeezing her arse over her dress. She needed more. Nerves were gone, and she was ready to throw a leg over him and straddle him now. Hell, if she finished fully clothed she could still be ready for more. She moaned loudly as Jamie bit her bottom lip, sinking her nails into his neck. She was about to throw her leg over him, but then he abruptly sat up, digging his own nails into her shoulders and clawing down her arms, no doubt leaving already fading streaks of red. Claire began kissing his neck, biting, nibbling, licking, then —

“What were ye gonna say?”

She barely registered that he’d even talked. She picked up her head and looked at him blearily, her chest heaving.

“What…?”

“At dinner…when ye said, ‘I’ll yell ye later’…”

“Oh.” It came flooding back, the way he’d looked when she mentioned all the mothers lusting after him, what that look did to her.

She smiled widely at him, at first genuine and sweet, and then it morphed into something wickeder. No, she would not straddle him just yet.

She slowly, torturously slowly, ran her tongue along his bottom lip, and then nipped at it with her teeth. “You don’t even know…” She trailed her fingers down his neck, stopping at the buttons of his shirt to start undoing them. “How God damn,” another button, “bloody,” another button, “beautiful you are.” She pushed the fabric of his shirt apart, four buttons open now, and kissed his sternum. “How…” another button, another kiss, “fucking…” another button, another kiss, “hot you are, Jamie.”

His shirt was entirely undone now, and she yanked it out of his pants and over his shoulders. She moaned in appreciation of his body, beautiful indeed, sculpted from fine marble. She ran her hands down his chest, his stomach, then back up.

“God, Jamie…” She was completely breathless, and he was barely even touching her. “The first time I saw these muscles, under that wet t-shirt…I was ready to bloody have you on that counter.”

He growled then, finally moving, capturing her lips with his with an aggression she didn’t know he was capable of. She whimpered in surprised appreciation, running her hands back up his perfect torso to thread her arms around his neck as his snaked around her waist.

“Christ, Sassenach,” Jamie groaned, kissing her neck fiercely. “I wanted ye…I wanted ye so badly that day I could scarcely breathe…”

She laughed, a throaty, wanton sound. “I know you did…” She ran a hand down the planes of his torso again and then walked her fingers down, down, down…until Jamie cried out, jerking into her hand. “I could feel it.” She palmed him gently over his pants, and Jamie sounded like he was choking on something. Claire chuckled darkly and continued kissing him sloppily as she rubbed him, becoming less and less gentle.

“What did you do?” she panted, nibbling his earlobe. “That day? What did you do with…this?” She gave a particularly hard squeeze, and he cried out again against her neck, latching his teeth there, and she whimpered.

“I…” She felt him swallow, hard. “I tried not to, Sassenach, I didna…” He hissed; she did not stop touching him, “want to dishonor ye.”

“Tell me, Jamie,” she breathed. “And I’ll tell you what I did.”

He let out a soft moan at that, a beautiful, endlessly endearing sound. “Oh, Christ…” His voice was gravelly in a way that made Claire’s stomach turn to liquid. “I…I took myself in my hand, and I…” Claire was unable to suppress a moan at the thought of her sweet, shy lad touching himself for her. “I imagined this. Only it’s…” He kissed her deeply, lapping at her mouth with his tongue like he was desperately hungry. “It’s better than I could ever imagine.”

And we’re just getting started, my lad.

Claire kissed him back, finally letting her hand leave him so she could grasp both of his shoulders. “I…” she panted. “God, I touched myself too, Jamie.” She pushed his shoulders down. “I couldn’t help it.” She straddled him, and he hissed at the contact, gripping her hips. God, he felt huge under her like this, and it sent a shudder through her entire body at the thought of taking him inside her.

“Then I…” She braced herself on his shoulders and began rocking her hips, just as she’d done that night. “I did this, on a…a pillow.” She laughed through the words, even as she ground down harder on him. “And I imagined this.”

His grip on her hips tightened, and his hands moved under her dress, under her underwear to grab the flesh of her arse. She groaned as he dug his fingers into that flesh, continuing to seek her pleasure with her thrusts.

Not enough. More. More.

Claire stilled her hips and removed her hands from his shoulders so she could find the edge of her dress. Jamie’s grip on her arse became impossibly tighter; his whole body seemed to freeze up and stiffen beneath her. She smirked, feeling herself flush at the thought of letting him see her. And then the dress was off and discarded, leaving her in the lacy white matching set she’d worn just for the occasion. He raked his eyes over her frantically, as if he didn’t know where to look, where to settle his gaze. His eyes were practically bugging out of his head, and he looked like he might lose consciousness. Claire flipped her hair to one side and leaned down to kiss him, gently gripping both sides of his face. She did not move her hips again, just kissed him gently, sweetly.

It’s okay. Take your time.

After a few lingering, deep kisses, Jamie finally moved his hands away from her arse and up the length of her back, bracing her against him. He flipped her onto her back and began peppering kisses on her neck, the crook of her shoulder, her jawline, all while sculpting his fingertips over the length of her collarbones. Claire kept her fingers threaded through his curls, tugging gently on occasion. He latched onto that spot, just above her collarbone where her neck began, and Claire cried out, the pooling heat within her rising to a boiling point. His hand snaked down the length of her torso, sliding over her bra, her waist, then resting on the small of her back. She felt his lips curl into a smile against her skin, and he softly kissed the spot he'd just assaulted, before trailing his tongue up the length of her neck and her jawline before finally coming home to her mouth.

She moaned greedily into his mouth, sucking hard on his tongue, combining it with hers. She moved her hands to the sides of his face, as if to pull him impossibly closer. He kissed her urgently, and she could feel the hard proof of his arousal on her thigh, but his hands remained still. Picking up on his shyness, Claire removed a hand from his face and took hold of the hand that was still stationary on the small of her back. He either didn't notice or didn't care, far too occupied with devouring her lips and tongue, tasting her teeth. She brought his hand back up the length of her torso, stopping on the left cup of her bra. She flattened his hand and firmly pressed his palm into the soft flesh.

He stopped kissing her then, and she felt him grow even harder, if that were even possible. He looked into her eyes, the bright blue almost gone, darkened with desire. His lips were hanging open in aroused shock, and the sight of them, swollen and red from her own assault made her squirm.

She gave him a wicked grin and pressed his hand harder onto her breast, groaning through her teeth, her jaw jutting forward. Despite how obvious it was that this was enjoyable for her, and him for that matter, Jamie still hesitated to squeeze on his own, floundering when her hand left his.

"Jamie..." She somehow found enough breath to pant out his name. "Touch me, Jamie, please."

Jamie gulped, and she watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, having to bite her lip to stifle the moan it elicited from her. God, everything he did made her simply melt.

He repositioned himself slightly so that he could bring a second hand, trembling like mad, to her other, neglected breast. He took them in his hands with bated breath, and the sight of him, in awe of her like this was nearly enough to make her come without any stimulation at all. He ran his thumbs back and forth over the lacy material of her bra, and she groaned at the contact to her nipples, even through the fabric.

Still, he was hesitant.

"Don't be gentle," she blurted out, unable to stop herself. "Touch me, Jamie. Please."

Something finally seemed to click; something unleashed from within him. His hands roughly squeezed her breasts, and Claire arched her back as a strangled cry ripped through her.

"Yes, Jamie..." He reached one of his hands under the cup, and she gasped at the flesh-on-flesh contact. "Yes..."

Like a man possessed, he tugged at the straps of her bra, and without even thinking twice, she slipped her arms out of the straps as he reached underneath her to unhook it. Claire couldn't help but giggle; his fingers were practically vibrating with how fiercely he trembled; it took him far longer than it should have for him to unhook the bloody thing.

When he finally succeeded, and her breasts were free, she sighed with contentment. He unceremoniously discarded it behind him and returned to his former position, fueled even further by the full sight of them now. She swore she heard him growl as he took hold of her breasts again, and Claire moaned at the sensation. He kneaded roughly, pushing them together and apart, trapping her nipples between his fingers. He dipped his head to kiss her sternum, and Claire blushed, knowing full well there was a pool of sweat gathered there. He didn't seem to mind, however, as his lips and tongue devoured her there, and then trailed kisses up the mound of her breast.

Claire gasped raggedly as his lips latched onto the nipple, kissing it over and over before firmly sucking and circling his tongue around it rapidly, all while still kneading the other breast. Claire was becoming feral: her hands were pushing into his head with a force that was surely uncomfortable for him, her heavy panting had quickly morphed into repeated, loud keening noises, and she was bucking her hips into thin air. She briefly wondered if it was possible to come just from this, with her lower extremities completely untouched. She certainly felt like it was possible.

Evidently, she'd never get to find out.

He switched his mouth to her other breast and trailed his hand, flat, down the expanse of her stomach, and Claire groaned in anticipation of the oncoming sensation. He slid his hand over her underwear and palmed her, his hand completely covering the entire surface area. Claire moaned loudly; his hand was so warm and large, the heat pressing into her almost made her come undone on its own. Noticing how enthusiastically she responded to this, Jamie kept his hand flat and large as he could on her, kneading and squeezing almost like he had done to her breasts, only gentler. She rolled her hips, keening incessantly as he carried on. After a while, he slowed his hand to a stop and kept his fingers still, then began grinding the heel of his hand into her, pressing directly into that bundle of nerves that had so been craving his touch.

She loudly cried out at the sensation, but he only let it last briefly. He had other plans. All the while, his mouth had not left her breast, kissing the skin, the nipple, licking, sucking. Now, his mouth hovered over hers as his fingers tantalizingly teased the top of her underwear. He inched them underneath, slowly, so fucking slowly.

"Please, Jamie," she cried out, not even having the mental capacity to consider how wanton she sounded.

He chuckled against her mouth, kissing her hard again. She groaned into him as his fingers teased her entrance to gather her natural lubricant, and he chuckled again, his chest rumbling.

He's laughing at how you're dripping wet already, you sex-fiend.

Not wasting any more time, he began rubbing, up and down, side to side, circling…

“Jamie…Jamie…fuck…”

Claire was completely lost.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, her back completely arched, her fingers threaded in his hair again. He knew exactly when he spent too long in a certain spot, and he moved, he knew exactly when he needed to slow down, when he needed to speed up. He was watching her face intently, listening to her body, and of course to those noises.

Claire had no concept of how loud she was being now; she couldn't even hear herself anymore. The only thing she could hear was his panting in her ear, the purring in his throat, the chuckling growls in his chest. The world narrowed down to his fingers, taking up a pace with a quickness she had never felt before. Every breath she inhaled was a ragged gasp, every breath she released was a tortured moan.

Jamie latched teeth onto her nipple, and she was undone.

She came with a ferocity she hadn’t thought possible, her mouth hanging open, as screams, practically sobs, erupted from her.

His fingers slowed, gently stroking her down from her high. She was seeing stars as he kissed her lips again, and she kissed him back with a fervor she didn’t even know she could muster after the numbing orgasm he’d just given her. She kissed him until she was sure she would faint, only pulling away to ensure she didn’t drop dead for lack of air. She panted heavily, her walls still clenching inside her, her thighs still twitching. His hand left her, gently stroking up and down her ribcage. He was grinning down at her like a fool, clearly quite pleased with himself.

“Where the bloody hell did you learn how to do that?” Claire panted, her eyes hardly able to focus her vision.

He smirked at her, cocking an eyebrow. “I said I was a virgin, Sassenach.” He chuckled lightly and kissed her again. “No’ a monk.”

Claire shook her head in disbelief, completely dumbfounded. Would he ever cease to amaze her?

“Was it really all that good?”

She could tell that he was trying to play it off as a joke, attempting sarcasm, playing up his cockiness. But she could see right through it, could tell that he needed the reassurance from her verbally.

To answer him, Claire firmly took hold of both sides of his face and kissed him hard. When she pulled away she looked into his eyes, whispering: “Unbelievable.”

His grin widened again, and he kissed her back, threading his fingers through her hair. They pulled apart again and settled in to lay down, facing each other, foreheads pressed together.

“Ye’re beautiful when ye fall apart, Claire,” he whispered reverently, pushing a stray curl out of her sweaty face.

She felt her face get hot, but not from arousal this time. “Really…? I found myself resembling nothing short of a wanton slut.”

She’d meant it as a joke, and looked at him as such, smiling sheepishly. But his eyes had darkened again, and his face was almost gravely serious.

“No, Sassenach,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. “Ye’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Watching ye in the throes of yer passion is…is beyond description, Claire. I dinna want to ever forget it.”

Claire felt tears stinging her eyes, and she felt ridiculous. Am I really about to cry because my boyfriend thinks I’m pretty when I come…?

But it wasn’t as simple as that. Not really.

The truth of his words, the depth of their meaning sank in, and Claire felt her heart being pulled to his. She was unable to stop herself from kissing him again, overcome with tenderness. The kiss gradually deepened, and it wasn’t long before Claire found herself burning, wanting again. She moved her hands down the expanse of his bare chest as he continued kissing her, stopping at his hips, where his pants began. She tugged on his belt until she got it undone, and Jamie smirked against her lips as she pulled it through the belt loops, discarding it over her shoulder.

“You…” she breathed out between kisses. “Are wearing…” She undid his fly. “Far too much clothing.”

He growled in response, deepening the kiss even as he tugged on his slacks, breaking away only to get them over his knees and heels, finally kicking them onto the floor. He laid back down beside her again, thrusting his tongue back into her mouth with an urgency that made her moan. His hardness was pressing firmly into her as they continued their exploration of each other’s mouths, and Claire found herself unable to resist rocking her hips against him. He mirrored her actions, grinding against her thigh. Claire draped her leg over his hips to increase her own friction, and slid her other thigh between both of his to increase friction for him, pressing the top of her thigh into his erection.

He let out a shuddering groan, a sound that sent heat shooting to her center. They began madly rocking together, their lips never leaving one another’s. Claire groaned and grunted as she fought to maintain a steady rhythm that stimulated her just right on him, the ever-present reminder of his arousal on her thigh driving her mad. Jamie was panting and groaning, his thrusts becoming frantic.

“Claire…” Jamie choked out, finally releasing her mouth. “I canna…I’m gonnae…”

“No.” Claire immediately stopped rocking. “Not like this.”

Every vein in his face was popping out, and he was dripping with sweat. Claire unthreaded herself from him and tugged on his briefs, and he obliged, sitting up and sliding them all the way off. Claire gasped raggedly as he was unsheathed. She’d guessed the relative size of him through clothing far earlier in their friendship than she’d have liked to admit, but to fully see it was another matter entirely.

She had to have him. Now.

She sat up, reached out and grabbed him, and he cried out. She squeezed and stroked oh-so-gently, not wanting to accidentally set him off this way, but wanting very badly to feel him in her hands first. He let his head fall backward, his mouth stuck open, his eyes looking up to the ceiling.

“Christ, Sassenach…” he hissed.

Claire chuckled softly, enjoying her turn to have power over him. “Are you ready, Jamie?

Ready for me to take your virginity?

The thought sent another jet of heat to her center, and she felt herself growing impossibly wet.

“Are you?” he asked.

She smirked and made a show of removing her underwear, exposing that arse that she knew he adored, wiggling them down torturously slowly. She could feel her own wetness trailing down her thigh without the barrier to stop it from doing so. When they were finally discarded, she rose up on her knees and took his hand in hers, bringing it between her legs. They both gasped, she from the sensation, and he from the arousal of feeling how ready she really was.

Claire held his hand there, letting him soak in the moment. She looked him directly in the eye. “What do you think?” she said breathily.

He growled again and kissed her hungrily, both of them kneeling in the center of the bed.

Yes, they were both quite ready.

They kissed and kissed and kissed, and Claire didn’t even notice that Jamie was gradually, gently, pushing her back. She sat back and untucked her legs from beneath her, spreading them, until she was laying on the pillows, Jamie braced above her. Jamie stared into her face, eyes wide, mouth agape. Claire had to stifle the urge to laugh. But God, was he beautiful.

“I…” he stammered. “I’m sorry if I…”

Claire silenced him with a kiss, gripping both sides of his face. “It’s alright.” She kissed him again, dragging her teeth along his bottom lip until it popped out. “Do what you must.”

Jamie let out a shuddering groan that had Claire arching her back, raising her hips for him. He took hold of himself, lining himself up. Claire could feel him, grazing every inch of sensitive flesh that he’d already given his attentions to, and then he was there, right against her.

Do it, Jamie. God, do it!

She wanted to scream.

Instead, she took in the question in his eyes, the bob of his Adam’s apple, still holding his face, and she nodded.

Then she did scream, or something akin to it at least. It was loud, whatever it was.

Her first thought was that she’d never been so completely filled by any other man she’d slept with. Her second thought was that that was a horrible thought to have. Her third thought was that she didn’t give a fuck.

He wasn’t moving; he was just staring at her with his hands braced on either side of her head. Claire was still catching her breath from his initial thrust, and she realized embarrassingly that she was white-knuckling the poor lad’s face. She eased her grip and brought his face down to hers, kissing him, swirling her tongue with his. She rose her hips up, thrusting against him herself, then he took the hint, beginning to move. Claire keened against his lips as he stirred inside her, and then she cried out again when he pulled back and slammed back in. Jamie made his own noise, choked and strangled. God, he was so fucking endearing, even as he hammered inside her.

He gave another thrust, and then he set a rhythm. Claire threaded an arm around his neck, pressing his head into the crook of her neck. He clearly didn’t have the brain capacity to do anything there but breathe, but that was enough. His panting, hot breath on her skin and his noises directly in her ear were a lovely sensation. With her other hand, she reached down to take purchase on his arse, smooth and firm. She held onto it as if for dear life, as if she could push him even deeper into her if she tried.

After not long at all, he began to speed up, and Claire knew he wouldn’t last much longer. She also knew she was going to die if she didn’t finish with him inside her. So she removed her hand from his arse and brought it between them, rubbing herself relentlessly. Eventually, she thought to herself, she’d bring his hand there while they fucked. For now, the lad could barely keep himself from crushing her. She didn’t blame him.

A new surge of pleasure coursed through her, an electric height only achieved by combining both pleasure points on her body, heightened further still when one was far larger than a few fingers. Claire’s moaning was unrestrained now; every thrust elicited yet another high-pitched cry. She tightened her arm around his neck, threading her fingers in his thick red curls. He began moaning against her skin with every breath, and Claire increased the pace of her fingers.

So close.

And then Jamie yelled against her, biting down on her shoulder. His body went rigid, freezing inside her. She felt the familiar warm rush of his seed filling her, and she kept rubbing herself.

“Jamie!”

A plea, a demand…it was anyone’s guess.

Whether he knew what she meant or not, he gave one final thrust, and it was enough. She screamed again, louder than she had all night, clenching tightly around him, yanking her hand away from herself out of pure overstimulation and then braced her hand on his arse again, squeezing tightly.

He remained still as she continued to grasp him tightly, pulse around him, spasm her hips erratically, shivering. He’d collapsed onto his elbows, and sweat dripped from his hair onto her forehead, disappearing into her own hair. They were both gasping for air, panting desperately against each other’s skin. Claire could taste her own sweat on her upper lip, could see and feel the sheen of sweat all over his body as well as hers. For a moment they stayed like that, panting and gasping, and then Jamie collapsed to the right, surely unable to hold himself up anymore. He slid out of her, collapsing onto his back, still breathing heavily.

Claire stared at the ceiling for a moment, feeling far too much like jell-o to be able to move, but before long, she missed his warmth above her, around her. She flopped over onto her stomach, landing bodily on his chest. The sound it made was rather horrid, and Claire snorted. Jamie had no reaction, and Claire propped her head on her hands atop his chest. She found him with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

“Don’t die on me now,” she said.

Jamie groaned unintelligibly, his eyes still closed.

“Well,” Claire said haughtily, folding her arms over his chest and laying her head on them. “At least you didn’t die a virgin.”

A loud slap filled the air, followed by a sharp sting, simultaneous with a loud shriek. Claire jolted, sitting up.

“You little bastard!”

Jamie was literally howling with laughter.

“I’m sorry lass!” he wheezed. “I didna realize it would be so loud!”

“Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ!” she cried, swatting at his arm. Both of them had done this while they were fully clothed, teasing. But evidently, Jamie had never smacked a naked arse before. Which would make sense.

She erupted into giggles right with him, collapsing onto his chest again, where he readily wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.

“Oh, Christ…” He was still laughing, rubbing her back.

“That’s what you get for almost falling asleep on me!” Claire said, still sputtering herself.

They calmed themselves down, still teasing and shuddering with laughter, Jamie rocking her in his arms unintentionally. They quieted, and a sense of contentment filled the air.

“Ye…ye liked it, then?”

Claire was unable to stifle another laugh. “I’m sorry, it’s not funny…” She giggled again, then kissed his sternum. “I did. I did like it, Jamie. A lot.”

She could feel as well as hear his sigh of relief, his chest deflating, taking her with it. He kissed her head again. “So did I, Sassenach.”

She picked her head up, resting her chin on her hands again. “Was it like you thought it would be?”

Jamie grinned crookedly, and Claire was shocked by her desire to kiss every inch of that mouth, so soon after. “Better.”

She was unable to stop herself then, kissing him soundly. He kissed back with equal fervor until they were both breathless. Then he pulled away, and Claire looked at him questioningly.

“Would ye…” He gulped, blinking. “Maybe…would ye want to do it again?”

Claire cocked a brow at him, smiling wickedly and maintaining eye contact as her hand traveled further down until she found him, already hard.

“Hm,” she hummed, impressed. “Ready already.”

Before he could push her into the pillows again, she threw a leg over his hips to straddle him. She leaned down to kiss him, and he raked his nails down her back, then kneaded her arse roughly. She could feel a hot rush, and then he chuckled darkly.

“So are you.”

Proving him right, she lowered herself onto him with effortless ease, and Jamie’s face looked like he might explode in this new position. She sighed with ecstasy, biting her lip. God, he felt good.

“For the record,” Claire began before she could stop herself. “I didn’t…hate it.”

His brow furrowed, gulping, trying to maintain focus while he was inside her. “What…?”

She took one of his hands, previously kneading her breasts, and brought it down to her arse. Hard. Loud.

Jamie’s eyes blew impossibly wide, his mouth falling open. Claire almost regretted it, almost felt like a slut bringing a kink, even a mild one, into the equation on the first night. But then his eyes darkened, and he smacked the other side of her arse with his free hand, and she let out a gasp that ended with a groan. Claire bit her lip, smiling wickedly down at him.

“Fast learner.”

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2cute · 2 years

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TEST MUSES... :) . the first one is unaffiliated & the other 4 are all affiliated w/ eachother. they’re first year residents at the same hospital & live in the same apartment building. ermmm reply / message me if ur interested in any of them :p

NAOMI SHIMADA. thirty-four years old. gay. he/they. ex fbi agent that left after seven years due to (1) fuck the fbi & what it stands for and (2) trauma. currently works as a private investigator. has what some might call a minor drinking problem but that’s neither here nor there. personality wise was somewhat similar to sp.ncer r.eid during his days at the fbi but has since become jaded and bitter. still as smart , reclusive , and strange as he was back then , just doesn’t show the former as often anymore.

DR. ALIJAH GREENE. bisexual. he/him. thirty-two. dad of an eleven year old. dropped out of college to help his then-fiance raise their kid. had to start college again a few years later. got divorced when he started medical school. he is on friendly terms with his ex , they just believed they aren’t compatible. son stays most of the time with him. kind of struggling to keep up with everything but he’s doing his best.

DR. HARIN SONG. bisexual. she/they. twenty-six. older twin by thirteen minutes. shares apartment with haneul. always struggled to prove herself to her parents but eventually just let it go and moved on from it all. paid for college + medical school through camgirling. bitter about how easy it seems her brother had it. currently the ‘shark’ of her intern group as she does whatever it takes to get the best cases. interested in becoming part of the diagnosis unit.

DR. HANEUL SONG. bisexual. he/him. twenty-six. definitely not bitter about the thirteen minutes. golden retriever type personality. enjoys making friends with a lot of people. had an athletics scholarship to get him through college & parents helped with medical school. surgical intern. just happy to be here to be honest. likes showing off even if that means he somehow gets hurt because of it. sees things through rose colored glasses.

DR. SIOBHAN WALSH. bisexual. she/her. twenty-six. aunt is the chief of the hospital & can’t practice surgery anymore because of other responsibilities so she is pushing shiv to become the best doctor in her intern group so she can live vicariously through her. crumbling under the pressure and hates being essentially a pawn in her aunt’s games. just trying to be placed anywhere but here after her residency is over. other doctors in her cohort believe that she got where she is because of nepotism.

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a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit · 2 years

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Book Review: Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Wish You Were Here is a novel that chronicles how the world, our lives, can change between heartbeats. While some may not be ready for a story that plunges directly into Covid-19's heart of darkness yet, especially since this one exposes our shared sense of fear, isolation, grief, and heartache when people first started dying and we went into global lockdown in 2020, I knew I couldn't stay away. I wanted to read something that would resonate. Something that would frame this unprecedented moment, this nightmare experience, in a context that might make it a little easier to process. To understand. I think a part of me has been searching for a literary excuse to ruminate over all that's transpired over the last year-and-a-half for a while now. I've been looking despite knowing that, once I found what I wanted, I'd be smacked with echoes of pain from the moment I opened that Pandora's Box. Still, I was ready for this. I needed it. Like the characters in this book, I have been touched by this pandemic, too. I've experienced the surreality. I know people who have fallen gravely ill, others who have died. I have a brother who is a doctor treating patients in the ICU. I also understand there are those out there who still believe this virus is "no worse than the flu" even though the science says otherwise. I have had to make changes in my own life. I've listened, I've learned. I've adapted in order to survive the New Normal. We all have. To say that we haven't would be a lie. The beauty of this book then, at least for me, was how Picoult was able to give voice - real voice - to all the people who have been existing behind the vague face of the pandemic since it first began. What I liked about that is how it did away with all the numbing statistics that track down our news screens every day and instead created a visible pulse that could be touched. Believed. Humanized. It provided readers with a specific personhood they could envision. They were allowed to meet, to get to know, a few people who were actively being affected by this virus in early 2020. They got to see and experience what was happening to them, almost vicariously. The characters in this story were all real flesh and blood people who were trying to cope with the sudden, unexpected changes Covid-19 brought to their lives. For Diana, an art specialist who thought she knew exactly what she wanted personally and professionally, that meant getting stranded in the beautiful Galápagos Islands during lockdown. Though alone there and unable to speak the language, she forms a connection with a local family and begins to reevaluate her identity. She also must work through issues she has with her mother, who is in a nursing home suffering from dementia. While there, she's separated from her boyfriend, Finn, whom she plans to marry. He's a surgical resident who is confronting the horrors and PTSD involved in being on the frontlines, at home, in New York City. His emails to her record the overwhelming burden medical professionals face in the fight to treat sick Covid patients. They also detail how hospital resources are running thin or have been stretched to crisis level. The insight he provides as a physician, as someone whose job it is to save lives, is stirring in a way that makes readers think but also leaves them bleeding with compassion. There's a Sliding Doors element that pops up part way through this book as well, so be aware of that. However, to say any more would be to spoil the overall effect...which, when it hit, sent a shock across my chest like a defibrillator because it was so heartbreakingly good! So, so good! I never saw it coming. This was one of my favorite works from Picoult so far.

Though not for the faint of heart, it's certainly a timely story that keeps readers plugged into the characters and hooked into their emotions from the beginning as they struggle to make sense of Covid. As they try try to tether themselves to something steady. It's a riveting tale of people who are orienting about all lost and adrift amid a new - and shocking - global reality. A special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

4/5 stars

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#ashlee bree's book reviews #wish you were here #jodi picoult #arcs #contemporary #women's fiction #realistic fiction #recs: ashlee approved!#read august 2021 #coming november 2021 #bookblr #book reviews #book recs #available now lovelies!

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eleanorbloom · 4 years

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When You’re Ready Ch. 06

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom) x Ethan Ramsey.

Word Count: 4.5k

Warning: SMUT 🍋 🍋 🍋 and cursing.

Summary: Bryce has decided to let go Eleanor because she’s in love with Ethan Ramsey. But a turn in her relationship with the attending might change Bryce’s plans.

A/N: Hello!

I have to tell that a part of this chapter was inspired by the illustration posted here on Tumblr. It’s canon to me that Bryce would flirt with MC pretending he’s a stranger, and not a single soul will change my mind.

Hope you enjoy the chapter, that’s, like, 70% NS*W. You have no idea how much I struggled to write this one 🥵 . He’s so fucking hot and this fucking virus doesn’t let me have booty calls and, well, you know what I mean, the abstinence is killing me, so I have to live vicariously through Eleanor to have some action in my life lol.

Taglist @utterlyinevitable @shanzay44 @choicesficwriterscreations @laiba-the-person @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268 @aylamreads @binny1985

Let me know if you wanna be added to my taglist!

___________

Chapter 6: Cool.

I like us better when we’re intertwined

The way you touch me got me losin’ my senses

Eleanor woke up the next day with a big smile on her face. She couldn’t remember the last time she woke up that happy, but surely, it’d been months. Enthusiastically, she got up from her bed to start the day. Once she was all cleaned and dressed, she went to the kitchen, where Elijah and Sienna were making breakfast. As she started to have breakfast, her friends bombarded her with questions about her absence the night before. After teasing them with evasive answers, she finally told them what had happened, and that she and Bryce were dating.

Sienna couldn’t resist an over-excited reaction and Elijah looked really happy for both of his friends. For Eleanor, who had been suffering too much because of Ramsey, and for Bryce, because he knew how much he cared for Eleanor, and how much he had been doing to make her happy.

Once the three of them were ready for another day of work, they headed to Edenbrook.

The moment their eyes met in the locker room that morning, there were sparkles just like the night before. Eleanor was feeling a little shy and nervous, as it always happens when a relationship starts, but even if Bryce was a million light-years over the moon, he cared to not make Eleanor feel uncomfortable, pressured, or overwhelmed. Just when Eleanor agreed, he planted a chaste kiss on her lips when he approached her to say hi. Even if she was feeling a little weird, after the kiss she felt relieved, calmed. She still couldn’t understand what power had Bryce over her.

Just as what happened that morning, things started to develop at Eleanor’s pace. At first, Eleanor didn’t feel comfortable enough to display too much affection in public, but as the days went by, she started to not mind that Bryce would steal a kiss from her lips or her cheek when they would bump into each other at the hospital; or that when they were at Donahue’s, Bryce would almost always put an arm around her when they were sitting together. In fact, after a week, she would find herself craving for those kisses or his touch.

One day, Eleanor was at the Nurse Station doing some paperwork, when suddenly someone approached her and said:

“Hey, I’m Bryce.”

Eleanor looked up. He was leaning on the desk with his statuesque figure and his usual flirtatious, megawatt smile.

“Hello, I’m Eleanor.” She answered, trying to look serious.

“Nice to meet you. You work here?”

“Yeah.”

“Since when? I haven’t seen you around”

“Mmm, about a year”

“Really? And how the hell I’ve been missing this angel from heaven?”

Eleanor laughed

“So smooth"—She muttered to herself—"Maybe the devil got you distracted.”

Bryce smiled knowingly.

“How are you, beautiful?”

“Good”—She smiled— “And better now that I see your smile.”

“Seriously?”

Eleanor blushed. She didn’t even think about it for a single moment before speaking from her heart, but she had no regrets. Being able to surprise him with her own feelings, and seeing him out of place without having anything flirty to say, was a divine gift.

She had been overanalyzing her feelings over the last few days, wondering if she should tell him how she felt or not, fearing that her words could confuse him, but finally had decided that she wouldn’t hide how she was feeling about him. After all, the only way Bryce could be feeling sure about her choosing him was hearing it explicitly from her mouth. Other than that, everything she says was part of the development of their relationship.

”Seriously.— She confessed.—I was missing you.”

“Damn, if I was feeling fantastic seeing you, I’m gonna burst hearing you say that.”

Eleanor knew it wasn’t an exaggeration. Bryce had a giant smile on his face, and she could see the emotion and stars blinding his eyes.

“Don’t burst please, just contain yourself so I can keep seeing you, okay?”

“Okay, I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you.”

“I was missing you too.”

Eleanor smiled at him tenderly for a few seconds, then she looked back at the folder in her hands, trying to finish it soon. As she felt that Bryce continued to stare at her without saying anything, Eleanor raised an eyebrow.

“Why you keep looking at me, weirdo?”

“Oh, sorry."—He replied, looking a bit uncomfortable. ”I-“

“Do you even work here or are you some kind of psycho who likes to watch interns doing their job?”

Bryce relaxed as he noticed Eleanor had been teasing him. It seemed that what Eleanor had told him, had caught him really off guard.

“Well, I do work here.—He replied, regaining composure— Don’t you see this surgical scrubs?

“Yeah, but you could get them anywhere as a disguise to your stalker hobby.”

Bryce chuckled.

“That’s true.”—He conceded—"Why don’t we go somewhere more… private… so I can demonstrate to you that I really work here?”

“What the hell, you just met me like 2 minutes ago and you wanna go somewhere private already?”

Bryce laughed, surprised

“Damn, I guess that was very bold.”

“Yes, but I like that, Dr. Bryce …?”

“Lahela”

“I like that, Dr. Lahela, and even if my mum taught me to not talk to strangers or go anywhere with them, I’ll join you once I finish with this paperwork.”

“Perfect. You know where to find me”—He murmured before walking out toward their favorite supply closet.

Once Eleanor was ready, she headed to the meeting point.

“Well then, Dr. Lahela, how are you going to show me you work here?”—She asked entering the room. Bryce approached her instantly, pressing her against the wall.

“I’m a surgical intern, which means I have magic hands. So…”—He took her by the hips to bring her closer to his body until they were a few inches apart. Both felt a lack of air the moment their eyes met. There was hunger in his eyes, and Bryce could say Eleanor’s mouth was thirsty of his kisses as she was slicking her tongue over her lower lip and then she gulped.

He tilted his head and began to short the distance slowly, until he captured her lips, a few gentle brushes first, just to savor her avidly after that. Eleanor wrapped her arms around his neck, converting the kiss in a voracious exchange of hidden desires.

In a matter of seconds, Bryce gripped her leg to his waist, and with his free hand encircled her waist to bring her incredibly tight, her bodies flushed. He soon moved his kisses to her cheek, then down her jaw and neck. At the feeling of his lips brushing her sensitive spot, Eleanor was invaded with goosebumps that made angle her head back involuntarily. Seeing his provocations were well received, Bryce started to rock his hips slowly to her core.

“Bryce”—She sighed when she felt a hand wandering under her scrubs, touching the skin of her back.

“Yeah?”

She pulled him away gently, biting her lower lip. Bryce took his hand away and loosed the grip on her hip.

“Elle, sorry I…”

“No, it’s not that—She assured, her face colored with heat, her chest pounding faster.—I… I want you to keep going, but not here.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I know we used to do it here before, but just for this occasion, I would like some normality, if you know what I mean.”

Bryce chuckled.

“Of course, Elle. I’d like that too.”

“So… My place, yours?”

“My place. Had to be tomorrow, though. I’m on a 24-hour shift.”

“Okay, that’s fine by me.”

They stared at each other, Bryce looking a bit hesitant to kiss her again, as things could get out of control if they keep kissing. Eleanor didn’t mind and brought her lips to his. The way he kissed her always left her craving for more, so she wouldn’t waste another second without having him.

He wrapped her waist and swapped positions, now he was against the wall and started to slide down, and Eleanor followed him until Bryce was sitting on the floor and Eleanor was sitting over his lap, her legs straddling him.

“Which part of ‘not here’ neither of us understood?”—Eleanor asked, playfully stroking his hair.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep my word. I can deal with the self-control but only until tomorrow night.”

Eleanor resumed the kiss. The heat, the anticipation was irresistible, so she couldn’t help but move her hips softly against Bryce, feeling his bulge pressing her core.

“Elle”—He sighed—“I'll keep my word but…” He couldn’t finish. He placed both hands impatiently in her ass, his skin was aching just to feel it between his fingers.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow”—She sighed as she felt his tongue and then his teeth in the crook of her neck, and his hand all over her back and hips, like he was losing his mind in the touch of her skin.

“Me neither, but we’ll have to”

“Yeah, hope time flies.”

After a few moments of sweet torture, Bryce pulled away slightly to look at her in the eyes.

“I’ve got an idea, but that means to prolong our own agony.”

“What is it?”

“Let’s go dancing? We have done almost everything but go clubbing.”

“Oooooh, yes! I’ve been thinking about it too, love the idea.”

“Tomorrow then?”

“Yes, and after that, we go to your apartment to finish this.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice”

The next day Eleanor walked toward the Atrium fully dressed in a clubbing mood, feeling like it has been ages since she was dressed like that. A tiny black leather skirt that covered sufficiently her bum and tights with a red lace tank top that defined the curves of her waist with almost surgical precision, and over it, a matched leather jacket. Bryce was waiting for her in a multicolored shirt with a black cardigan on her hands.

The moment she was in front of him, he didn’t even conceal the hungriness in his eyes.

“Shit. I don’t know if I can take you out to dance dressed like that.”

“Oh, come on, let me have this put on for at least an hour, then you can take it off me at your please.”

“Damn Eleanor, you’re wild tonight”

“I’m in a clubbing outfit, Bryce. When I’m dressed like this, I’m a hoe, so get used to it.”

“But you’ll only be a hoe with me, right?”

“Of course, I’ll be your hoe tonight”

“Oh, crap, let’s go already before I drag you to my apartment.”—He complained, taking her by the hand.

After a short uber ride, they sauntered into a colorful nightclub, loud music already beating. Some hip hop and Latin hits. The fact that the club had Latin hits, was a special request by Eleanor, due that she enjoyed dancing reggaeton because of her Latin roots. After a few shots, Eleanor felt the music took control of her body, so she held Bryce by the hand and guide him into the middle of the crowd, moving her hips to the sexy Latin song that was playing. Bryce followed suit and placed a hand on her hip.

“It will always amaze me how well you dance, really”—She whispered in his ear.

Bryce kept pace with her, even though sometimes they would only mock and overact some moves just to end up laughing and kissing passionately.

After ten minutes of dancing, Eleanor was feeling the heat after realizing that dancing was foreplay for what was next. The way Bryce was moving his hips, the way he was touching her skin, roaming her hips, her waist, and how he pressed her back against his chest, was being the sexiest foreplay they could’ve ever done that night.

Eleanor was feeling the anticipation, the desperation to touch his body, to feel his mouth against every inch of her skin. And Bryce wasn’t thinking any differently.

Half an hour later, they were all sweated. But that just made them look even sexier. Eleanor gave him a heated, sloppy kiss, while Con Calma from Daddy Yankee was invading the dancefloor. She started to move her hips incessantly, then she turned her back to him seductively. Bryce pulled her by the waist, her body flush against his chest, and whispered in her ear:

“You moving like that is going me crazy”—Then he kissed the crook of her neck while one hand was wandering over her breasts and the other at her hips and tights not minding they were in a public space. Eleanor shuddered then turned back to him, and kissed him again, this time hard.

"Let’s go to your apartment."—She said in a husky murmur.—"I’m done with this foreplay.”

Bryce looked at her with such hungriness, that neither of them could suppress the desire for each other as if the world was about to end. Bryce lowered his hand past her hips, to caress her butt under her skirt, and grabbed it with both hands.

“Hey, someone’s eager”

“Can you tell?”—He whispered as he rocked his hips against hers.

Eleanor felt his bulge for the first time and didn’t even hesitate before put hand subtly over his pants, caressing him while feeling how it tightened at her touch.

“Fuck, Eleanor”—He groaned in her ear.

“I can’t wait to have it in my hands, in my mouth.” She whispered in a sultry voice.

“Oh, come on, let’s go”—He commanded, taking her by the hand. He practically dragged her through the dancefloor. In a matter of minutes, they had collected their clothes from the wardrobe and gotten a taxi.

It was the longest trip of their lives, between trying to take their hands off each other to not put a scene on the taxi; and trying to conceal the panting in their breaths, while the clothes were itching in their bodies, and the dirty words said were resonating in their minds.

When they reached the elevator in the building, Bryce took her cheeks and kissed her hard.

“Finally. I don’t know if I could’ve handled another minute”—He said, his voice sultry.

“Neither do I”—She replied, tugging his hair tightly.

When they reached the floor, he pushed her down the hall without parting lips, not even when they got to the door. Bryce opened it up almost blindly. They stepped inside, Bryce slamming the door shut while pulling Eleanor against the door, devouring her lips ravenously, drinking from her skin in every inch he caressed with his lips.

“Fuck yes”—She sighed. Bryce took her jacket off. He observed her lace tank top.

“Finally I can get rid of this sinful piece of fabric that’s been bothering me the whole night”—He said while cupping her breast tightly.

“You’ll have to wait a bit more”—She murmured, the moment she started to slid her hands over his torso, his muscles taut under his clothes. She removed his cardigan and shirt in one motion, leaving her torso bare. She watched him carefully, hungrily a few seconds, before began to kiss him all over his chest, pecs, and nipples.

“Eleanor”—Bryce shuddered at her touch, feeling her hands on his chest and her tongue stimulating his nipples. He smiled at the fact she remembered how much he loved this.

"God, I wanted this so …"—She whispered as she left a trail of kisses all over his torso—"So much.”

Feeling a bit dizzy, Bryce took her face and led her to his mouth. A dance of lips and tongues that became more and more ferocious, thirsty, needy. They needed more flesh, more heat, more pleasure. Bryce unzipped her skirt and pulled it down in a blink. In the next, his hands were skimming her ass with his hands expertly, while licking and biting the crook of her neck, just to finally slip his finger middle in her wet core. She moaned at his touch, cursing him. He just chuckled.

Then, he resumed his task, sliding his lips to the junction of her breasts, removing the annoying top in a single movement. When he intended to get rid of her bra, he stopped in his tracks, stunned at the look of her figure deliciously adorned in garnet-laced lingerie. He gasped when he met her eyes and found she was looking at him as if she knew how gloriously she looked that night. That self-assured look, that wasn’t recurrent in her, made his heart skip.

“God, you’re the most beautiful creation of the universe.”

“After you?”

“No. Top spot.”

“Wow, now that’s a compliment, Johnny Bravo.”

They both laughed and kissed tenderly.

“I wanna taste every inch of you”—He muffled after a few seconds, biting her ear.

“What are you waiting for?”

He brought his lips to her neck, first sliding soft kisses until he finally opened his mouth and began to bite her. Eleanor tugged his hair at the sensation in her sensitive spot. Bryce moved his hands to her back, unclasping her bra and tossing it to the ground. He massaged both breasts with his soft hands, just to then capture her nipples with his mouth, tasting and drinking the sweetness of her skin, of her pleasure.

“Holy fuck, yes”—She whimpered, feeling an electric shock waving to her core.

Suddenly, Eleanor felt a rush of pleasure in her sex. She opened her eyes just to find that Bryce had reached under her panties and was working on her sweet spot delicately.

“Oh God, Bryce”

“Ya like that?

The panties fell to the floor, his hands still rubbing her core, while her legs began to shake. She brought one leg up to Bryce’s hip to hold on him.

“Yes. Fuck, yes, just like… Ahhh”—She moaned as his finger pick up speed—“Bryce!”

“Yes, I love when you cry my name, babe, I wanna hear you.”

“Br… Fff... ”—But she couldn’t say anything.

Eleanor closed her eyes, completely overwhelmed with the sensations on her body.

"Look at me"—He ordered, serious.

Eleanor obeyed and looked at Bryce, who was staring at her hungrily as he continued to work on her clit.

"Bryce…” —She sighed, incapable to take her eyes off him, hypnotized. As if a magnet attracted her gaze to Bryce’s eyes, who had a serious and excited look that she had never seen before.

Suddenly he parted from her and started to kiss her shoulders, her chest, her abdomen until he reached the origin of her ecstasy. She felt his tongue gently caressing her clit, then devouring her folds eagerly.

“Ohmygod, Bryce”—She moaned, pulling his hair with both hands, completely desperate.

"Bryce, fuck…"—Her legs began to tremble incessantly, her strength leaving her body— "I’m gonna fall …”

In one swift motion, Bryce stood up, took her in his arms and laid her down on the couch that was a few feets away; and got on his knees. He took her tights gently in his arms to supported them on his shoulders, then he leaned to her sex, and began to move his head and tongue in circles, and then in lines, alternating the rhythm and intensity of the touch.

“Mmmm. You taste so good”—He sighed.

Eleanor looked down and realized that Bryce was staring at her, all focused on her pleasure. She stroked the strands of hair that fell in his forehead, and then rested a hand on his head, tugging his hair gently as she guided a pace, while with the other hand she tried to keep balance on the couch.

“Bryce”—She whimpered. Bryce huffed against her folds, making Eleanor pant at the vibrations in her clit. Then he took both hands to her breasts and started to massage and grip her nipples. Eleanor started to move her hips involuntarily. She was close to her climax.

“Give it to me, baby”—Bryce whispered, parting from her core just a second, and then he introduced two fingers in her center while licking her clit with the tip of his tongue quickly.

Eleanor couldn’t hold it anymore

“Yes, Bryce, FUCK YES!”—She groaned loudly, from the depths of her core, convulsing on the couch to finally vanishing into thin air.

She had reached a limit never before explored, which immersed her into a cloud of pleasure that caused her to float peacefully. Her head was spinning, losing track of time and space, feeling like she was floating in a sky full of pastel tones and sweet scents. It was warm and quiet.

She still could feel his tongue in her, getting every bit of her juices, savoring it like it was the most precious nectar, causing her a soft but pleasant sensation.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but when she opened her eyes, she found herself being carried by Bryce like a koala bear to his room.

He placed her in the bed, delicately. She tried to narrow her eyes in Bryce’s direction, but it was still very blurry. She could tell, however, that he was taking off her pants, leaving only his underwear, and then he lunged to her side.

“Fuck”—She sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

"Umh? Nothing, just…"—She said, turning her face towards him, unable to look at him.

Bryce giggled

“What, you still haven’t come back?”

“No, I’m still floating somewhere… in a warm pink sky, near a black hole, probably.”

“Oof, I was that good, uh?”

"Good it’s an understatement"—She sighed.

Bryce rejoiced in the sight of Eleanor still with the effects of the orgasm. While she was regaining clarity, he turned to her, leaning on his elbow, to observe every inch of her exposed skin. He slid his fingertips on his favorite spots; her thighs, her hips, her waist, her breasts, her shoulders, and finally her soft little hands.

After a couple of minutes, Eleanor turned to him, exposing the curve of her waist even deeper. Bryce couldn’t help but grab her by the waist and pull her closer to his body.

“What kind of magic was that?”

“So advanced, that You-Know-Who would be jealous.”

Eleanor laughed hard. Then, she moved even closer to Bryce, sharing the warmth of their bodies. She kissed him sweetly while pushing him back onto the bed, laying on top of him. Soon, she brought her kisses to his neck, his sweet scent lusciously provocative made her more thirsty. Then she followed down his chest, his taut abdomen muscles feeling warm; until she reached the edge of his hips. She got to her knees in the middle of the bed and helped him remove his boxer. She caressed his exposed skin a few seconds, and then she leaned over him again, continuing the kisses on his hips, thighs, and then around his length. She felt his tension, the anticipation to feel her mouth in his sweet spot.

Eleanor sat back for a moment to stare at Bryce, the erotism of his figure was difficult to avoid. Bryce was serious but hungry, his expression a bit affected because of the anticipation. His naked body, with his erection not yet full, was a sight that exceeded all the dirty expectations she had had about Bryce in the last few days.

“Not for nothing all I’ve gotten on my mind since I left the supply closet was you, and the thought of eating you out tonight.”

“You have gotten incredibly good at dirty talk, what happened?”

“You.”

Eleanor wet her lips and leaned again into his crotch. She took his length with both hands and kissed the tip, first slowly and delicately, until it entered in her mouth, gaining more shape inside her. With the help of her hand, he began to stimulate the base, while with his mouth and tongue she drew circles on the tip

"God, Eleanor…"—He growled between groans—"You’re amazing.”

“Mmmm—She huffed, completely focused on him.

After a few moments, Bryce tugged her hair softly

“I want you, babe. Come with me.”

Eleanor got on her knees and watched him carefully lying on the bed, his face a little sweaty and excited. She approached him slowly, leaving her lips millimeters from him.

“I want you too. Since yesterday, and even before that.”

She kissed him. Suddenly Bryce grabbed her hips and sat her on his lap, her legs straddling him. Eleanor was surprised by his unexpectedness but smiled provocatively.

“I like it when you grow impatient.”

“I’ve been too patient, in fact.”

He kissed her hard, and after founding her entry, he pushed himself inside her. They both shuddered.

“Oh my god, yes”

“Finally”—He sighed with relief.

Eleanor began to move over him, guided by the grip of him in her hips. After a while, they parted briefly so Bryce could sit against the headboard of his bed. Once Eleanor straddled him, they kissed again, this time like desperate animals, as if each other were water and they hadn’t had a drop for days. The desperation growing inside them was primal. Eleanor lifted her hips over Bryce’s crotch, faster and faster. After a few moments, they both began to moan, their breaths colliding between kisses.

“Ohh, Bryce, you feel so fucking good inside me.”

Without warning, Bryce shifted his hands to her ass and gave her a loudly slap, causing Eleanor unexpected waves of pleasure inside her.

“Oooh fuck, yes”—She whimpered, her thrusts increasing swiftly.

“You like it?”

“Y-yes, yes, so much”

Bryce did it again, this time harder.

“Oh God, you feel amazing, Elle."—He groaned deep, sweat droplets starting to trickle down his face.

Eleanor cleared his face, then pulled him close to kiss him hard. They parted when the sensations began to consume them and their bodies began to shake.

"Ohh, ohh, yes!—She moaned, arching her back.

Bryce captured a nipple in his mouth, bringing her over the edge. She cried out his name desperately, her muscles squeezing hard, making Bryce obtain his own release seconds after.

They both found themselves in the middle of that ecstasy. Although orgasms feel different for each person, somehow they both felt like they reached exactly the same climax. Because the same cloud lulled them, and the same warmth sheltered them. Maybe the pink sky Eleanor mentioned before, rested on Bryce’s mind, making his heaven look just like hers.

Eleanor rested her forehead against his, her breathing ragged, their faces glistening with sweat. Bryce hurled himself onto the bed, taking Eleanor with him, propping her up on his lap.

"Shit"—He gasped a few minutes later when he regained some breath.

Eleanor pulled away, all sweaty and sticky, and lunged to his side, still gasping for air.

“That was… Wow. I’m glad we didn’t do it in the supply closet”—She sighed, pure satisfaction in her voice and face.

“This 36-hours waiting did worth it.”

“Yes, but I don’t know if I can handle it again.”

“There’s no need now, we both kept our promise to wait till this moment, and now that we made it…”

“Thank you for understanding and for waiting.”

“Nah, I wanted it that way too, even if yesterday seemed otherwise.”

Eleanor leaned to kiss him softly. They both cuddle in the middle of the bed until they went for the inevitable second round.

______

Chapter 7.

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