#does the popcorn come unbuttered?

[suiheisen]

gritty both capturing the zeitgeist as usual AND educating me on the availability of free flow butter at american cinemas

#i am intrigued……….. #is it to spritz more butter on your popcorn???? #does the popcorn come unbuttered? #or is it extra flavouring on top of that #is it at all cinemas? or just some?? #is it just pure melted liquid butter??? #anyway #i just watched oppenheimer but honestly all i can think of is that tiktok comment: ‘why einstein gotta be such a cutie patootie’ #yes i’m drained but also…. #albert ​einstein in his babygirl era #long post #gritty #barbie #barbenheimer #philadelphia flyers

[cynicalone94]

Why Won't It Stop?

Read on AO3 here.

They make an arrest that afternoon, earning themselves a rare early night, and Kim is quick to suggest that they go to the park to catch the fireworks.

Kevin and Adam are quick to agree and Antonio is in once Eva and Diego have agreed to come.

Hailey shrugs, agreeing that it sounds like fun and all eyes swivel to their final remaining teammate.

Jay tenses up as he senses their gazes on him.

“I don’t know…” he says, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.

“Please, Jay.” Kim begs. “We’ll get so much junk food and it will be so much fun.”

Hailey laughs.

“Trying to sell Jay with junk food? Kim.”

“I’ll bring some of that unbuttered popcorn you like.” Antonio offers. “And Diego would love to see you, discuss a rematch on that game of horse.”

Jay breathes out a sigh.

“Okay, yeah.” he says, and Hailey can’t help but frown at his lack of enthusiasm. “Sounds fun. I’ll uh, see you guys there then.”

And then he disappears before Hailey can ask if he’s okay.

He’s in a much better mood when he meets them at the park that night, thanking Antonio for the popcorn, chatting with Diego and even eating a hot dog.

Hailey isn’t completely convinced but she files it away, deciding not to ruin a rare night out for the team by pushing him.

As the sky begins to darken they spread their blankets out in what Kim had determined to be the prime spot.

Hailey ends up sitting next to Jay and frowns when she realizes that he’s shaking.

“You okay?” she asks, leaning closer and whispering to avoid drawing the attention of their nosy friends.

He nods, jaw set and she sighs.

Why does he always have to be such a tough guy?

The closer they get to the start of the show, the tenser he gets and she’s starting to wonder if whatever is going on with him is related to the fireworks display.

And then the first roman candle shoots high into the sky with a high pitched whistle before exploding, sending brightly colored light across the horizon.

And her partner flinches.

Actually flinches.

She looks over at him, her brain rapidly compiling the pieces of the puzzle now that they’re laid out before her.

A series fireworks go off and she watches all color drain from his face, eyes dilating and glazing over.

It’s a look she hasn’t seen since that day in a darkened warehouse, trying to rescue the kidnapped son of an accountant who’d made the mistake of agreeing to launder drug money.

Shit.

His PTSD.

No wonder he hadn’t wanted to come tonight.

She needs to get him out of here.

Conscious of the fact that touching him might not be the best idea right now, she reaches out, her hand brushing against his arm.

He jumps, looking over at her but she isn’t sure that he’s seeing her.

She leans closer.

“Jay? It’s Hailey. We’re in Chicago.” she says gently. “Can you stand up?”

He blinks back at her but struggles to his feet so hopefully he’s hearing her on some level.

“Where are you going?” Kim asks.

“Jay isn’t feeling well.” Hailey bites out through gritted teeth.

She’s furious with herself right now for not putting two and two together and realizing that this would bother him but she isn’t the only one who’d forgotten.

And everyone else here has known him longer.

“Need to eat more junk food.” Adam teases. “If that’s all it takes to make you sick.”

Hailey wants to rip them all a new one but this isn’t the time or place.

And Jay needs her right now.

She keeps a gentle hand on his elbow as she helps him navigate through the blankets. Thankfully, Kim’s prime spot had been pretty close to the path and she’s able to get him out of the crowds.

But he gets tenser with every firework that goes off and she worries that he’ll slip into some kind of flashback and she won’t be able to get him back.

She sees her jeep and steers him toward it. They can get his truck later.

She wishes she knew what to do for him.

Because she hasn’t completely lost him yet but he isn’t resurfacing either. She’s only seen this once before and thankfully shouting his name had been enough to snap him out of it.

But the fireworks are still going off and will be most of the night. She’s pretty sure he won’t find his way back entirely until they stop.

Thankfully, he’s been compliant so far and that doesn’t change as she unlocks her jeep and helps him into the passenger seat.

She buckles his seat belt for him and then closes the door, jogging around to get in the driver’s seat.

Once her own seat belt is on, she reaches over to rest her hand on his elbow again.

He doesn’t respond and, taking a deep breath, she starts the car and drives toward his apartment.

He’s still trembling and despite the warm July evening she kicks on the heater and turns up the radio.

Halfway there his hands start moving, the motions unfamiliar to her but clearly well practiced to him.

And then he opens the door and jumps out of her car.

She swerves off the road, slamming on the brakes and barely getting the car into park before she jumps out herself, racing toward his unmoving form.

Should she call for an ambulance?

He sits up as she gets closer and she closes her eyes. He’s still conscious. That’s something.

She crashes to her knees next to him, looking him over the best she can without touching him.

His arms are torn up from the gravel and she can see road rash on his side where his shirt has ridden up.

He seems to have at least protected his head somewhat and the thick material of his jeans had kept his legs safe.

She should take him to Med but she knows he hates hospitals on a good day.

Today isn’t a good day.

Scanning over his injuries again, she makes a decision.

Will meets her at Jay’s apartment, eying his brother with worried eyes.

Jay pulls away from her the moment they step through the door, making a beeline for his bedroom.

“Hey.” Will says softly, taking a gentle but firm hold of his brother’s arm. “I know you need your cave right now but I want to check you for injuries first.”

“No.” Jay says, shaking his head. “Not safe. Need… need to be safe.”

“Just give me two minutes, bud.” Will begs.

“No.” Jay repeats, louder this time as he pulls away from his brother’s hand and resumes his path. “Not safe.”

Will doesn’t stop him this time, following at a short distance as Jay rushes into the bedroom.

Hailey watches him crawl into his closet with tears in her eyes.

All this time spent worrying about his triggers and fighting to make sure that he was okay when he didn’t want to take care of himself and now she’s the one who’d triggered him.

Why hadn’t she said some thing at the precinct? She’d seen how uncomfortable he was with the idea but instead of backing him up she’d just stood there and let Kim and Antonio pressure him.

Will crawls in after his brother, using the dim light of his flashlight as a guide to gently probe for broken bones or indications of internal injuries.

After a moment he sets it down and offers her a weak smile before settling in shoulder to shoulder with his brother.

Jay doesn’t respond to his presence, simply wrapping his arms around himself. His eyes are still distant and Hailey can see him trembling from over here.

She doesn’t even notice Will looking at her until he crawls back out of the closet.

“Why don’t you sit with him for a bit.” he suggests gently. “I’m going to call Voight before it gets too late.”

“Voight?” she asks.

“He’s going to be feeling pretty shitty in the morning.” Will says softly. “Won’t be up for work.”

“I’m such an idiot.” she mutters. “I should have told him it was okay not to go.”

“He could have said something too.” Will says softly. “And now you know. Maybe next year you can help him avoid them.”

Hailey nods, swallowing hard.

There isn’t time for her guilt right now.

Her partner needs her.

She crawls into the closet, sitting next to him and risking leaning close. He doesn’t pull away and she smiles.

“I’m here Jay.” she says softly. “You’re safe.”

She doesn’t know how long they sit there in the dark, the only sound reaching them being the crashing of fireworks in the distance.

Eventually however, they start to taper off and she feels the trembling lessen somewhat.

“Why won’t it stop?”

It takes her a moment to realize that he’s talking to her and even then she isn’t sure what he’s referring to.

Does he want the fireworks to stop or his PTSD?

“I don’t know.” she says softly, reaching out to take his hand. “But you won’t deal with it alone, okay?”

He leans into her, nodding slowly.

“You ready to let Will clean up your arms?” she asks after a minute.

He shakes his head.

“Okay.” she agrees readily. “We can stay here then. As long as you need to.”

#febuwhump 2024 #febuwhumpday8 #why won't it stop #jay halstead #chicago pd #whump fic

[doitwithdaisy]

A Snack For All Adventurers

Trail mix for dogs is a great way to provide them with a tasty and healthy snack while out on a hike or walk. However, it's important to choose the right ingredients to ensure your furry friend stays safe and healthy. Some good options include unsalted and unbuttered nuts, dried fruits without added sugars, and small pieces of lean meat.Avoid using chocolate, raisins, or any ingredients that are toxic to dogs.Always consult with your veterinarian before introducing new foods to your dog's diet. Cashews are a very soft nut, whereas almonds are very hard and tend to cause gastrointestinal blockage in dogs, so it's best to opt for sliced almonds if you are planning on sharing yourtrail mix with your canine counterpart. Peanuts are another great option for a dog-safe nut in trail mix, but I am not a fan, so I opt for other ingredients since I eat much more of our trail mix than my god, Waffles, does.

Cashews and almonds are not only delicious but also packed with nutrients. Cashews are a great source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber, while almonds are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Incorporating these nuts into your diet as a human can help improve heart health, boost brain function, and aid in weight management.

Dried fruit like mango, coconut, blueberries, and strawberries are not just tasty snacks, they also come with a host of benefits. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, these chewy treats are a convenient way to get your daily dose of nutrients. Plus, they have a longer shelf life than fresh fruit and make for a great addition to our dog-safe trail mix!

Popcorn is not only a tasty snack, but it also has some amazing benefits. It is a whole grain that is high in fiber, which helps keep you feeling full and aids in digestion. Popcorn also contains antioxidants that help protect against cell damage.Additionally, it is low in calories and fat, making it a great option for those trying to maintain a healthy diet. So go ahead and enjoy some popcorn guilt-free!

Carob is a delicious and dog-safe chocolate alternative that is gaining popularity among pet lovers. This sweet treat is made from the carob tree, which produces a pod that is ground into a powder and used in baking and cooking. Unlike chocolate, carob contains no theobromine, a toxic compound for dogs, making it a safe and healthy option for furry friends. Not only is carob safe for dogs, but it also has a pleasant, slightly sweet taste that is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

#trail mix #doitwithdaisy #healthyfood #dogstagram #dogs of tumblr

[fromcainwithlove]

UH I absolutely double diddly dog dare you to write Pierre/Yuki/Charles or at least paint a detailed word picture so I can hang it on my mind palace 🙇‍♀️

omg I started this like a week ago and then forgot about it and now it’s so long I’m sorry. you’re both evil thank you.

the thing about the three of them is that pierre is the center of it, the hinge, the driving force, and he’s not used to that. it’s not that they’ve never done this kind of thing before, and pierre doesn’t mind sharing charles on occasion, because he’s beautiful and he looks good getting fucked by someone else while pierre holds him down and mumbles filth into his ear, and when the other guy leaves it’s pierre kissing charles’ flushed cheeks and heavy eyelids, and it’s never meant more than a good time.

but yuki. like, obviously yuki is not ‘some other guy.’ he’s not going to dissolve into the night when it’s over. he’s pierre’s friend and teammate, and after the bitter loss of esteban and the twisted knife of max, yuki has been this unexpected well of friendship and safety and FUN and menacing tenderness. and part of pierre doesn’t want to fuck that up, so fiercely that he laughs off every comment charles makes until finally charles sits on his legs and pushes him down by the shoulders and says firmly anyone with eyes can see he feels the same way. and that isn’t explicit permission, but it’s what charles means—it’s okay to want this, it’s okay to have this, for god’s sake do it so I don’t have to hear another story about how great yuki is.

so pierre puts on his grownup pants, the ones you wear when you’re going to ask your teammate to have a threesome with your boyfriend, but in a really mature, thoughtful, absolutely not panicking way. he gets yuki alone, which is easy, because they’re teammates, and it absolutely doesn’t take him three days and threats of violence from charles, and he asks him—if he wants to come to his hotel room to watch a basketball game (he can’t just OPEN with a threesome okay he has a plan). and yuki does, of course, because he likes hanging out with pierre doing anything. he shows up with low-fat popcorn and low-carb beer because he wants to be helpful but also not sabotage anyone’s nutrition plan, so they all sit in pierre’s hotel room and eat tragically unbuttered popcorn and drink shitty light beer and watch a basketball game.

it’s really relaxed and easy because it always is with yuki, and pierre is doing a great job of avoiding charles’ pointed looks, and the increasingly obscene hand motions he makes behind yuki’s back, but then it’s halftime. they hit a natural lull, and pierre should have paid more attention to charles because he would have seen it coming when charles sets his beer down with a decisive clunk and swings his leg over both of yuki’s to sit on his thighs.

yuki likes charles, and he even feels pretty comfortable with him, but he has never had charles in his lap, focusing the entirety of his attention on yuki, and it provokes a very physical response, and pierre is *right there watching them*, and that makes the physical response much worse for reasons yuki absolutely refuses to examine. charles leans in, so close that yuki thinks—but charles just brushes his nose over yuki’s cheek, nuzzles behind his ear, taking a breath and telling yuki he smells good. he threads his fingers in yuki’s hair, and yuki feels like he’s barely breathing but he manages to say thank you and tell charles what kind of shampoo he uses because maybe charles is just really into hair care?? his hair always looks really good and soft, and yuki has to stop thinking about that because it’s not helping at all, nothing is helping, charles is still *right there* and he’s so handsome and yuki doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do. in desperation he looks to pierre.

pierre is absolutely going to murder charles if he ever gets the blood back in his hands. yuki looks like a drowning man waving to pierre for a life jacket. he’s smaller than charles, but also curvier, and they look fucking good together, yuki’s full hips and narrow waist between charles’ knees, yuki’s thick shining hair sifting between charles’ fingers. his eyes are open so wide with this absolutely drugged mixture of panic and arousal, and pierre is helpless to do anything except smile and rest his arm across the top of the couch so his knuckles just graze yuki’s cheek. yuki turns his face into the touch, closes his eyes and kisses the tips of pierre’s fingers and they both shudder.

charles is busy pressing feather-light kisses down the other side of yuki’s face, moving his head gently where charles wants it because he pulled his hair a little and yuki whined in the not-good way. charles licks yuki’s earlobe and yuki kind of squirms and laughs and gasps at the same time, and pierre is almost frightened for him because charles’ smile is wolffish, all teeth. charles mouths over yuki’s throat, the barest scrape of teeth and yuki whines in the good way this time, a sound that makes pierre realize he’s half hard just watching them. and that absolutely wasn’t the plan, but fuck, they look so good together maybe he’s okay with just this, just watching yuki go slowly crazy under charles’ mouth.

only charles starts talking. mumbling, really, between sucking kisses and tiny bites down yuki’s neck, just loud enough for pierre to hear. saying, you know how good you look like this? a nip to yuki’s jaw. and, you know how long pierre has wanted to do this? he wants to be the one touching you, but he’s too scared. charles draws back enough to tip yuki’s face towards him, foreheads bumping, and smiles, almost too kindly, saying, his loss, hm? and yuki flushes hard, opens his mouth to say, something, maybe deny it, but then charles is sliding a hand between their bodies to cup him through his jeans and whatever he was going to say becomes a choked moan, his head falling back, eyes closed, and pierre snaps in just the way charles planned, surges forward and takes yuki’s mouth in a deep, filthy kiss.

and if yuki was overwhelmed before, he absolutely comes apart under pierre. he’s basically held himself completely still while charles teased and touched and licked him, but the moment pierre’s mouth touches his it’s like he remembers he has hands, and the best only thing they can do is hold pierre close. there’s a distant, dreamlike sense of charles shoving his shirt up, getting his mouth on yuki’s ribs, but he barely has enough brain power left to even feel it, every spare synapse devoted to the way pierre’s devouring his mouth, licking over his teeth and sucking his bottom lip until it’s hot and tender. he feels crazy with it, needs pierre’s mouth on his to breathe, everything else vague and buzzing far away until someone gets his jeans down and charles’ mouth is suddenly on him, so hot and sharp and focused that it almost brings tears to his eyes.

pierre wraps around him, cradles him close and soothes him with gentle, steadying touches even as he makes yuki watch charles suck him off, his impossibly pretty face and his red red mouth, his soft hair tangled in pierre’s fist. pierre twists his fingers, pulls hard enough that yuki winces for him, but charles groans like someone touched his dick and takes yuki all the way down, so much faster and tighter and better than the two girls yuki’s done this with, and he’s coming before he can stop it, digging his nails into his own thigh to keep his hips still and his cry quiet, a broken sound that pierre swallows in a kiss.

#i'm so sorry for how i am #they make me feral #someday i will write proper fic but 1300 words of rambling is probs enough rn #charles x pierre x yuki #asks #words #lira writes

[dreamingofscully]

no night but shadows

rating: explicit // length: 5366 words // classification: ust to rst, season 2, post-ep (f. emasculata), canon divergent or canon compliant (your choice) // summary: a worried mulder shows up at scully’s apartment late at night

thank you to @suitablyaggrieved​ @starbuckthirteen​ @fragilevixenfic​ @impulsive-astrophile​ for the amazing reviews and betas. love ya❤️

tagging @today-in-fic​

***

SCULLY’S APARTMENT, 1:15AM

Mulder hesitates, the smooth wood under his palm coolly unaware of the turmoil just beneath his skin. Making himself push forward, he knocks, not knowing and yet afraid of certainty.

His heart speeds up when he doesn’t hear someone right away. The turning of the lock abates his fear, but only a little. He’s still not sure if he’ll be faced with her mother, her sister, or her God, ready to cast judgment upon him. He’s relieved when he sees her shining red hair and curious expression.

“Mulder?”

“Can I come in?”

He told himself that he was only here to make sure his life hadn’t ended, that her report belied the fact that she’d soon be carried off in a plastic coffin to die a horrible, disfiguring death. Her unblemished skin and mild concern, only for him, gives him some courage. The rare comforting space between fear and guilt.

Scully pauses a moment, looks him up and down. She’s wearing her warm white robe, hair gently curled, face scrubbed clean, freckles peeking through the shine on her face. By contrast, he looks like he’s been to hell and back, and knows that she’s wondering if he came from a bar or some unsuccessful X-Files hunt, the product of a bad decision either way. He’s an intruder, disrupting the perfect domesticity that she’s created in her home; of course, she lets him in anyway.

Tossing off his leather jacket, he remembers to remove his shoes and slumps into the embrace of her couch; not a place for sleep or work, but conversation. She sits in the chair opposite him and waits, curling her slippered feet underneath her. He’s thankful for her patient mood.

He stares at his hands, ruminating over just what it is he’s doing here. What it is exactly that he came here for, now that he has confirmation that Scully is safe and sound. When he peers up at her, she raises an eyebrow, smiles slightly. That she doesn’t mind his barging into her life, her home, at ungodly hours gives him hope. Maybe she likes him. Just a little. He doesn’t fucking deserve it, but he holds onto that thought like a cliff’s edge, the sharp rock the only thing preventing his fast descent.

He chuckles and stares at the floor, breaking the uneasy silence that settled over them. He’s glad she can’t read his mind, his overdramatic musings at once too much and yet never enough.

“Did you want some tea? Water?”

He sits back and looks at her again. Despite the hour, she’d been awake when he knocked. The television is paused at some gruesome scene -- Rosemary’s Baby he thinks -- and there’s a giant mug of tea on the table along with a small bowl of disgustingly white unbuttered popcorn. She’s bundled and comfortable, and he thinks about her normal becoming his as well, that it feels right, despite the popcorn. The thought is banished as quickly as it forms -- he doesn’t belong here. He was the reason she’d been awake, the reason she wasn’t sleeping peacefully, as she deserved.

“Why didn’t you tell me what happened at the jail?” He accuses. Scully’s back straightens, and he knows she knows what he means because her eyes don’t harden at his challenge.

She licks her top lip and sighs, looking down at her lap...

“It didn’t matter once I saw you again, I wasn’t infected.” Her hands dance across the terrycloth of her robe. Fidgeting was her tell when she was uncomfortable with something, he knew, and usually he’d back off and let her form her thoughts, but he needed to know.

“Would you have told me if you were?”

Scully’s gaze rises sharply to meet his again, indignant protest in her blue eyes. They battle silently for a moment, but Mulder’s accusation falls flat in the truth of the matter. Of course she would. Closing his eyes, he lays his head back against the couch. He should leave, he has all the answers he needs. He just needs a few seconds to breathe.

He hears the clatter of the remote as she turns off the television, the whisper of her slippers as she crosses to him. The instinct he’d had to bolt at her approach vanishes when she rests her warm hand on his leg.

“Why are you really here, Mulder?” Her voice is soft again, worried.

His rumpled shirt and wild hair tell the truth of his emotional state. She gives and she gives and she gives. Her mind, her trust, her strength. He takes and takes. Her time, her life. But he's left with nothing in the end, while she's bursting, full of everything he wants but cannot receive.

“I... can’t keep doing this, Scully.”

Her thumb draws comforting circles around the outside of his thigh, and he focuses on it. Imagines leaving his body, following the point of her thumb straight through to her soul, somehow finding a way to tell her without using words.

“You mean putting me at risk.”

He just looks at her, sighs.

“I’ve told you I need to work. I chose to enter the FBI, to take a field position. Not to live my life safely as a doctor or a teacher. To be by your side finding the truth.” She moves her hand to cover his own, which had moved to pick at her couch, worrying the material until it frays. Does he ruin everything he touches?

“But--”

“No, Mulder,” she interrupts. “When I was in that jail, they wouldn’t give me any information. I had to go searching for it.”

“Scully, I don’t think--”

“Let me finish.”

As much as he doesn’t want her to give him any more fuel for his nightmares, he remains silent.

“I was in the incinerator. I’d opened up a body bag, was looking at one of the victims, at the pustules that covered their skin.”

Mulder winces at the memory, the pulsating greenish welts threatening to burst at any second. Right on the boy. Instead, a bullet and brain matter. Nightmares and therapy for the kid for the rest of his life.

“Doctor Osborne found me there, tried to warn me away, but it was too late. The boil evacuated. All over him, and, I thought, all over myself.” Scully pauses and looks away with a tight frown, her shoulders drooping, speaking her next words reluctantly. “I understand your guilt, Mulder. A little. He died because of me.”

Mulder shakes his head. “No, Scully… he was there by choice--”

She leans closer, presses her other hand firmly to his lips, keeping him silent. “And it’s my choice.”

Something shifts. The horror of the case fades abruptly, the heat of her body next to his comes into sharp focus, pressed near in her need to comfort. He can smell her soap, the lotion she uses on her hands. Her hair is lit from behind, shines like a halo. She’s so beautiful.

So he takes her thumb in his mouth, sees her eyes dilate and shift to watch his lips as he suckles. But she doesn’t move away.

One of his hands moves up her arm to cup her face, angling it upwards. He releases her thumb with an audible pop and she slides it over his plush lower lip, taking her own between her teeth.

“Is this okay?” Mulder leans towards her, slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer.

“Yeah,” Scully sighs.

“You sure?”

“My choice.” She grins and closes the distance between them.

Mulder didn’t think things through when he took her thumb in his mouth, but the touch of her soft lips to his dashed away any thoughts of leaving her here with only a few sweet, nearly-friendly kisses. Something sparked, instantly, as their lips connected, and neither of them would be able to pretend this was simply an inappropriate but friendly moment between colleagues.

Did she crawl into his lap, or did he pull her on top of him? Like everything between them, he thought it was a bit of both. Her tongue in his, swiping across the roof of his mouth, the cage of his teeth. She tastes like flowers, salt, and something else that he knows is just her. Time has no meaning, and when she pulls away and rests her forehead on his, they’re both gasping for breath. He’s bereft, despite her closeness; diminished, despite his need to breathe.

Needing to keep connected, he finds the space just below her ear and kisses a hot trail down to her collarbone. A hum from deep within her chest accompanies his caress. He nuzzles her skin with his cheek, finds the layers of clothing hiding her from him suddenly offensive.

Thick fuzzy terrycloth gives way to the slick smoothness of her pajamas. She shrugs her shoulders and it falls to the floor in a heap, her hot mouth connecting with his once more.

As his hands glide up her ribcage, over the silky material, all he can think about is consuming her. Holding her close and disappearing into her soft skin. He winds his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck, wonders at the feel of her small body against him. His thoughts zip from place to place: where he wants to kiss her next, memorizing the smell and feel of her, suppressing his own desires in an attempt to figure out what she likes, what she wants.

He reaches for the hem of her top, but she pulls away, stands, and holds her hand out to him. She’s smiling at him, trembling as she holds it there. Looking at her delicate fingers, he's worried that if he left the couch, he’d be just as likely to run out the door as he would to follow her. Her expression changes as she waits for him, confidence and desire giving way to uncertainty and shyness, something he’s never seen grace her features until now.

He takes her hand, lets her lead. He trusts her, more than himself.

They stand at the end of her bed, hands clasped together. He’s nervous, all of a sudden. The electricity between them fades, fills with awkwardness.

Releasing his hand, she starts unbuttoning her top, but he sees her hands shaking and knows it’s not just him. Covering her hand with her own, he places his finger at her chin and lifts her head to look at him. The light from the doorway brightens her face. Her eyes are deep indigo, and a flush brightens her cheeks. Her chest rises rapidly as they look at each other, the sound of their breathing and the ticking of the clock on her bedside table breaking the silence. As each tick and each puff of breath beats against his ears, he feels the moment slipping away.

It’s Scully who breaks the standoff. She grasps the collar of his shirt and pulls him down into a kiss. The tension between them dissipates, the passion reigniting. All of the doubt disappears at the touch of her lips against his. Her hands wind through his hair, tug not-so-gently. He resumes the task of unbuttoning her shirt, encouraging her efforts with a soft groan.

“Please, Scully,” he says, mouthing her name against her lips. Please love me. Please touch me. Please don’t stop. Please let this really be happening.

His fingers release the last button, push aside the material, graze along the smooth skin of her back. As they divest themselves of the rest of their clothing, Scully nips at his bottom lip, drawing blood in her fervor. Pulling away quickly, she raises a finger to his mouth, caresses the spot where she injured him.

“Sorry,” she says, and he sees the uncertainty start to creep back.

He shakes his head in amazement that she considers him and chuckles softly. “Don’t be.”

Scully stares at him, her eyes darkening, and a smile perking up the corners of her mouth. “You liked that?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Grabbing her shoulders, he brings her close, kissing her roughly and guiding them both onto the bed. She’s underneath him, surrounded by him. Light against dark, hard against soft.

The spark in her eyes and the playful smile both betray her enjoyment of his attempt to wrest control away from her. She doesn't give in, though, fights back just as hard, pushes him away and pulls him back. Like the tides, his Scully, the inevitable surge against time and distance.

His.

When he grinds his erection against her leg, she whimpers - whimpers. His thoughts wander to places he usually avoids: how sexy she is, whether wielding her gun or her scalpel or her skeptical gaze. And now, nothing but her luminous skin, piercing eyes, and plush lips. As his hands wrap around her waist, he encompasses all of her with the width of his hand. Her presence makes everyone else seem so insignificant, it's easy to forget that she's so fucking tiny.

Nipping and grasping turns into soft caresses, his touch feathering her ribcage, dusting along the small curve of her abdomen, slipping down to slick against her wet slit.

“Oh… yes,” Scully whispers into his ear. Her nibbles turn into licks, as if they know they want this to last, that it might not be forever. That they could make time stand still in her bed, just for tonight.

He moves downward, swirls his tongue around one hardened nipple than the other. Pausing there, finding himself stuck. Her hand brushes through his hair as he nips and teases her hardened peaks. Glancing upwards, wanting to see her, needing to know if this is right, he sees her head thrown back, her other hand tangled in her own hair, eyes squeezed shut. Her mouth is open and relaxed, uttering soft moans and unintelligible words, and then it hits him.

“Muuh...lderrr…”

The way she says his name, how it rolls off her tongue. He'd thought he'd heard it said with every possible inflection, but this is his new favorite. The cadence of the sigh-like "Mu", the extended "r". It sends a shiver down his spine, vibrating along his limbs, through the tips of his fingers and toes. He breathes against her, closes his eyes, and takes a moment to recover.

Moving upwards, he caresses the side of her face and waits for her to look at him. Her eyes open, and she blinks a few times to focus.

“Why’d you stop?”

He chuckles at her protest, at the breathy whine that peeks through. Kissing her mouth a few times, he looks at her. Watches her expression change from mildly frustrated to tender. The fan of her hair against her pillow beckons him, and he threads his fingers through the strands, combing them out neatly, giving her a halo.

Scully’s hands wander, tracing down his neck, along his shoulder blades and around to play with the hair on his chest. Dancing her thumbs across his nipples, he jerks backward, a jolt of electricity moving through him at her touch. Her grin widens and she tweaks them in her fingers, pushes him back and over, moves downwards and swipes her tongue around the sensitive flesh.

She glides her tongue along his chest, dips into his navel, lower, lower. Traveling across his skin, leaving a soothing wet trail and an aching anticipation as she moves downwards.

Gentle hands trace the veins of his cock, graze the head, sweep the drop of liquid from its tip. She’s looking at him as she tests the weight of his balls in a hand, as the other takes his cock and strokes up and down a few times. He’s impossibly hard, knows that if she continues this will end much sooner than he’d like.

He scoots away from her, evading her deft hands, and pins her underneath him. The movement is more forceful than he intended, but her mischievous smile silences his apology.

When his breathing steadies, he kisses away her pout. He drags his nose along her cheekbone and breathes in the scent of her hair. Presses gentle kisses along her neck, feeling the pulse of her jugular with his tongue. The life of her, so intertwined with his own, the steady beat keeping him afloat.

As his touch travels down her body, he feels her tense, relax, whispers encouraging him on his journey. The musky scent of her arousal, growing stronger as he dips downwards, tastes her for the first time.

She writhes as he slicks his tongue upwards along her folds, his nose bumping her clit just briefly. The hair on her mound tickles his cheek, and he loves all of her. Kissing, sucking, nibbling with his lips. He memorizes her, drowns himself in her smell, her taste, the vision of her in front of him, her voice anchoring him to the present. Resists the urge to thrust against the edge of the bed, to make this about her, to let this last.

Trembling against him, her inner walls contracting around his fingers, he steadies her with his arms, avoids being crushed by her thighs. As she relaxes, he rests his head against her and dreams of always being surrounded by her - her liquid warmth on his chin, her scent enveloping him, the salty indescribable taste of her on his tongue.

He pulls away reluctantly, searches through the pile of clothes they discarded in their haste earlier. In his pocket, he finds his wallet, in it a condom, thankfully not expired.

Climbing up next to her, he pulls her next to him and brushes a soothing kiss against the flushed skin of her shoulder. He attempts to open the package but his palms are slick from sweat and Scully, and as a bonus, he’s shaking like a nervous teenager. Feeling foolish and inadequate, he’s about to throw the damn thing across the room when her small hands encompass his and she takes the square of foil from his grasp. His emotions settle at her gentle touch, and he leans down and kisses her firmly, gratefully. As her tongue slides into his mouth and tastes him thoroughly, he wonders: does she like the taste of herself on him?

He lays down next to her as she takes over, resting his hand on her leg when she sits up, drawing circles with his thumb, remembering what started all of this tonight. He studies her, eyes traveling over the soft curves of her breasts, her slim waist, the jut of her hip, and softness of her thighs. Hearing the rip of the package, his eyes dart back upwards and he sees the wrapper hanging from her mouth. The shyness creeps back into her face as she holds the condom between them.

“If you’re not sure--” he starts.

Scully looks at him, raises her eyebrow, and shakes her head.

“It’s just been a while.”

Mulder nods but doesn’t say anything. For him, unfortunately, it hasn’t.

His mind flashes back to the memories of when she’d been taken. Shame wells up, threatens to overtake him. The details of the case in L.A. were left deliberately vague, but Scully wasn’t stupid, she could read between the lines. She knew the risks he took, what he’d done. He was a piece of shit and Scully was…Scully was--

Her hand cups his face, and he returns to her.

“No, Mulder.”

The shyness is gone, replaced by familiar certainty, his steadfast partner holding him up, rescuing him from himself. When she gets him to smile, she withdraws. She places the condom on him and is straddling him in two quick movements, bottom lip between her teeth, eyes sparkling in anticipation. Bringing him back, moving things forward. She’s efficient, his Scully.

His.

Delicate hands dance along his shoulders and press into his chest before she locks her eyes with his and adjusts himself at her entrance.

He watches as she takes him in. Her brow is furrowed, eyes squeezed shut like their lovemaking is a mystery that needs solving. Maybe it is? She inches down on his cock, agonizingly slowly, adjusting to his size before she finally surrounds him.

When she opens her eyes, looks at him, his breath catches. It’s really her.

He breathes out, feels the poison that consumes him, drives him, slip away into the darkness of her apartment. Breathing in and watching her move above him, his heart swells. He feels her everywhere, deep inside his marrow, every neuron in his brain - hers, hers. A beautiful tangle, something he hopes never unknots.

He sees her, really sees her. Her outer shell, her private warmth. All of it. But more importantly, looking into her eyes, he believes she sees him too. Even the ugliness that he tries to hide. But instead of disappointment and fear she caresses his face, loves him harder. For the first time, he believes he’s worthy, not only of her but of this.

“You feel that, Scully?” His voice breaks the silence, raspy and breathless.

She smiles briefly, grinds her hips around him, flicks her thumbs around his nipples. “Oh, yeah.”

“No,” he says, as he stills her movements with a hand on her hip. He needs to know. Is this as monumental for her as it is for him? Is all of this one-sided?

He places his hand over her sweat-slicked skin, where he feels her heart beating. He focuses on a smattering of freckles near his thumb, imagines he can see the universe. Raising his eyes to her face, he can't find adequate words to express the emotions swirling inside of him.

“This.”

She looks at him. He can feel her brain calculating all the possible meanings of his words. He hopes his eyes convey what he can’t speak.

A small nod, almost imperceptible if he hadn’t been looking for a sign. Leaning forward, she presses her lips against his. Tears fall down the side of his face as he squeezes his eyes shut.  He wraps his hand through her hair and kisses her back thoroughly, until he’s sure the tear tracks have blended into the sweat at his temples.

She starts moving again, rocking against him with soft thrusts, keeping her forehead pressed firmly against his own.

His hands wander up her back, counting her vertebrae. His teeth clasp at the junction of her neck and shoulder. He’ll have to ask her if there’s a name for it.

Slow movements shift quickly into erratic desperation. She’s tensely coiled, shoulders bunched as she grasps his chest, embeds her nails into the skin of his shoulders, marking him. Exhaustion causes her to falter, hands trembling and breath catching in her throat as he flicks his finger over her nipples, strains upwards to claim her rosy peaks with his mouth.

His Scully. His.

He takes control, wrapping his hands around her hips, marveling again at how small she is, yet how well they fit together. She’s so warm, so tight, and he’s glad for the barrier of the condom, it keeps him from falling towards the edge too quickly. What she would feel like without it, he can’t even imagine.

She’s so close, moans lengthening, deepening, a thread connecting him to this reality. The flush of her chest deepens, spreads, the pitch of her voice rises, and she stiffens as her inner walls pulse around him.

He catches her when she falls, kisses her temple. Moves her underneath him once more and waits. Watches. So beautiful. Her heavy lids lift, swollen lips reach for his, and they kiss as she returns to herself.

Her hand wraps around his neck, and she whispers in his ear. “I almost feel embarrassed.”

“For what?” Mulder pulls away to look at her.

“I feel… greedy,” she says. “This isn’t just about me, you know.”

“Believe me, Scully, I’m enjoying myself.”

She grins broadly, a smile he rarely sees that crinkles the edges of her eyes, places a dimple in her cheek. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Well get moving, then,” she says impatiently.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her laugh fades as he starts thrusting, slow for only a few moments before the pleasure at the edge of his senses calls to him. Encouraging him, she grabs onto him, bites his shoulder, lifts her legs to wrap around his waist. He buries his face into her neck, breathes Scully. Her nails pierce into the skin of his back, and he imagines she wants to crawl deep inside him just as much as he wants to crawl inside of her.

It’s that thought and the sound of her gentle whisper calling his name that pushes him over the edge. He’s floating, all the darkness banished in a moment of pure, clear light. He drives into her a few more times, strains against her soft body, and somehow remembers to collapse to her side instead of crushing her beneath him.

Lying beside her, catching his breath for a moment, he keeps his hand entwined tightly in hers. He’s afraid if he lets go he’ll wake up, have to face the reality of life without having experienced this moment with her. Turning to face her, he watches her chest rise and fall, feels her pulse in the tight grasp of his hand steady. Holds on for just a few more moments.

He rises when her hand relaxes in his, thinks she’s asleep. In her bathroom, he removes the condom and disposes of it, pees and cleans himself, fetches a warm, damp cloth and brings it out to her. She’s lying in the same position he left her, legs and arms askew, skin glowing in the moonlight from the window. One of her arms covers her eyes, and if he strains, he thinks he might hear the soft sound of her snoring. Smiling, he touches the cloth to her knee so he doesn’t startle her.

“Mmmm.”

“You sleeping?”

“Mmm, not yet.” Her voice is low and rumbly, and she peeks out beneath her arm to grin at him contentedly. “That was nice.”

“Nice?!”

She chuckles, and his breath catches at the movement. The image is burned into his brain, and he vows to make her laugh at every opportunity from now on.

“Amazing, then.” Her grin has turned into a wide, toothy smile, blue eyes peering up through sleepy lids, reassuring him of the truth of her statement.

Mulder swells with pride and cleans her up. Settling down next to her, she leans up on her elbow and kisses him, dragging her teeth along his lower lip and then looks at him. She doesn’t say a word, but in the comfortable silence, he can feel her thoughts. She’s happy, and he did that. His hand rises to cup her cheek and she sinks into it, closing her eyes and sighing. The contentment that rolls off of her wraps around him like a blanket.

Turning her face, she kisses his palm and smiles shyly. “Be right back.”

She heads to the bathroom, and Mulder adjusts himself on the bed. He fidgets again, moves on his side. There’s something wrong. Is her bed too soft? He bounces, adjusts the pillows, fetches his boxers from the floor and puts them on before sinking back under the blankets. Her comforter is soft but not overly warm.

Everything’s perfect, he thinks.

Suddenly panic rises within him, the guilt from earlier almost pushing him over with its weight. What has he done?

He sees it now, a vision manifesting with excruciating clarity. Two paths laid out in front of him. The first - the comfort of her bed, the warmth of her embrace. Bubbling happiness in his chest. A bright light that blinds him. And the second - shadows and darkness, but his eyes pierce through them. Scully at his side, banishing the darkness slowly, inch by inch. He knows he can’t have both.

This could have been something good and whole and right. A respite from the horror of their difficult cases. An island where he could forget. But he knows himself, he knows what he needs to do, and things with Scully could never be just a momentary escape.

He didn’t know… didn’t know. The intensity of their time together, the feelings that welled up within him. He didn’t think he was capable of them, knew for sure that he could lose himself in her, that she would unwittingly consume him.

When she comes out of the bathroom, he’s yanking on his jeans and can’t meet her gaze.

“You’re leaving.”

He peeks over and sees her toes digging into the rug, but he doesn't speak. Staring at it, the white and blue checks blur, and her feet disappear behind a curtain of uninvited tears. He blinks fiercely, looks away.

He continues dressing, and he hears the whisper of her pulling on her pajamas, discarded on the floor in the heat of their passion. Several times he opens his mouth to speak, thoughts half-formed into inadequate words. What he wants. What he needs. But what about what she needs? The awareness, the connection they had only minutes ago fades. It’s replaced by sudden and terrible uncertainty.

Completely clothed, he turns to her. She’s lying in bed, curled on her side away from him, her hair fanned out and hiding her face.

“Scully--”

“I know.”

She knows?

“You can’t let this interfere with the work, right? That’s what you’re going to say?” She says, voice thick and flat.

“We can’t… I can’t...”

She doesn’t say anything. He watches the rise and fall of her body as she breathes, and it steadies him.

“That was…a lot,” Mulder says, as he perches on the edge of the bed, ready to take flight at any moment. Being so near and yet knowing those last few inches, pressed against her side, are an impossible distance.

She turns to face him, face stoic, cheeks dry. It doesn’t comfort him.

“I wondered how long it would take,” Scully looks at him, hiding away. That connection they had, so intense and unexpected, scurrying away in the shadows of her bedroom.

“I could lose myself in this…and I just can’t,” he says.

“I know.” She bites her swollen lips, and his gaze can’t help but linger on them. He knows what she tastes like. How can he make himself forget?

Dread rises in his chest as they look at each other. Strangers with a tenuous connection. No longer partners from before, or lovers as of tonight, but something in-between. Would it be like this forever, or could they return to the safety of their partnership?

“Can we go back? To the way it was?” Mulder can’t believe he could be so lucky to have had this moment with Scully, that he could discard her so easily, and that she’d still be willing to stay.

At her silence, he looks up at her, the fear crawling in his belly and making him feel sick. Her hair is wild, the bed sheets tangled beneath her, but her eyes pierce into his with steely blue determination, and her mouth is set in a stubborn line. She’s sitting up ramrod straight, her back rigid, her shoulders set.

“I don't have a choice, Mulder.”

The corner of her mouth turns up in a small smile, and he lets out his breath in a ragged sigh. This quest is hers just as much as it is his, now. He knows he can’t do it without her, at least not for very long. Hates himself for indulging in this moment tonight, that he could have lost it all because of his impulsiveness.

He smiles at her sadly and wrenches his gaze away, pushes himself off of her bed, and flees from her apartment before he can change his mind. The key twists in her lock with finality, his head a mess of conflicted emotions, the walk to his car a blur.

Taking a moment in his car, head bowed, he polishes his memories of tonight. Turns it into a small gem, buries it under the weight of his obligations. Tells himself he regrets giving in, regrets the weakness that led him here tonight. Knows that deep down, his weakness is not being strong enough to stay.

#my fic #xf fanfic #mulder and scully #msr fanfic #fox mulder #dana scully #msr #x-files fanfic #xf smut #early season msr #msrheadcanon #x-files #the x-files

[admiralty-xfd]

Die Hard: Mulder vs. Scully

Because we all knew it would come down to this, at some point. Didn’t we?

“How about this one?”

Mulder pulled a well-worn cassette tape from the movie shelf. He’d begun migrating his movie collection to DVDs then stopped immediately when streaming became a “thing,” unable to keep up with the tech. He liked his VCR. He had no reason to throw it out, and still held fast to nostalgic nights of the click/thud/whirrrr he could hear in the background after the end credits would roll while he and Scully did a little rolling around of their own on the couch.

He held up the tape hopefully, waving it in front of her. “Whaddya say?”

Scully shook her head no. “I want to watch a Christmas movie.”

“This is a Christmas movie,” he replied, completely earnest.

“Die Hard is not a Christmas movie, Mulder,” Scully sighed, exasperated. “This is a ridiculous myth that needs to stop. It’s tearing apart families. It’s ruining Christmas,” she added dramatically.

Mulder looked at her, shocked. The egg nog was poured, the fireplace lit, the scent of pine wafted through the air. It was Christmas Eve, dammit, and they were going to watch Die Hard.

“Of course it’s a Christmas movie, Scully! What-- who are you, right now?” Daggoo barked from the couch, in complete and obvious agreement with Mulder. Or at least, maybe. It was tough to know for sure.

“Someone grounded in reality,” she shrugged. Her eyebrow went up, the corner of her lip curling in defiance.

“You don’t say?” He stood back, crossed his arms. Oh, it was on.

“Thinking Die Hard is a Christmas movie is the grown-up version of believing in Santa Claus,” she said.

His mouth fell open. “Scully, why would you want to hurt me like this?”

She laughed. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. It’s not a Christmas movie. It’s a guy movie.”

He set the remote down and sat down next to her on the couch. “Scully, this is very important. Because if we can’t get on the same page about this, I think it’s over between us.”

“Nice knowing you then, Spooky,” she grinned.

He sat back into the couch, still stunned. After twenty five years she still kept him guessing.

“Okay, Matlock,” he challenged, narrowing his eyes. “Show me your evidence.”

“What?”

“Your evidence. Prove to me it’s not a Christmas movie.”

She leveled her eyes at him. “If I’m Matlock in this scenario that makes you the prosecution, and that means you have the burden of proof.” She cocked her head, sat back into the couch, and tossed a piece of (unbuttered) popcorn into her mouth, staring at him expectantly.

“Well played,” he nodded. “Okay. Exhibit A: It takes place at Christmas,” he pointed out.

“So does Eyes Wide Shut,” she countered. “So does Lethal Weapon. Do those put you in the spirit, too?”

“What... kind of spirit?” he asked carefully.

“Shut up, Mulder.”

“I object to your objection. Christmas doesn’t have anything to do with the plots in those movies. It does in Die Hard.”

“Hardly,” she scoffed.

“It’s a redemption story. John McClane learns by the end his family is the most important thing to him.”

“That’s not what the movie is about,” Scully argued. “That’s just a happy accident. And the fact that it happens around Christmas is a happy accident, too.”

“Okay,” he said in his gotcha voice, “Exhibit B: Hans Gruber’s ‘ho ho ho’ line. Now that’s a key plot point in the movie, Scully.”

“Still not nearly enough to categorize it as a Christmas movie. What else have you got?”

“They’re at a Christmas party! On Christmas Eve!” Mulder was raising his voice now, exasperated.

“If you remove all the Christmassy elements, does it change the film in any way?” she asked.

His mouth hung open as he ran through the events of the movie in his mind.

“Is the movie about Christmas? No? Then it isn’t a Christmas movie,” she declared with the finality he’d learned to adore over the years. Even when he knew she was dead wrong.

“You’re wrong,” he said, although he was completely out of steam. “I don’t know why and I can’t prove it but you’re wrong, Scully.”

Scully pulled out her phone and began searching for something. “Aha, see?” she held it up triumphantly. “Amazon.com, genre: Action Adventure.” She typed some more. “IMDB: Action, Thriller.” She smirked. “Not a holiday descriptor in sight.”

Mulder felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. But he wasn’t prepared to give up. “That’s just… two opinions,” he sputtered.

“Look here, even Bruce Willis says it isn’t. Does his opinion matter?”

“Scully--”

“And right here, the producer of the film says he liked the idea of setting it at Christmas because Christmastime syndication is a great way to make some extra cash,” she said, pointing to an article.

“Ha!” Mulder shouted. “He knew it would get played during Christmas. Ergo, Christmas movie.” He made a graceful little bow, as if to say, we’re finished.

“Right. Nothing like a little greed to put you in the Yuletide spirit,” she muttered.

“Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?” he asked.

“Mulder, in all of our years together, you’ve been right a hell of a lot more than I have, and I’ll freely admit that. And if you want to go on calling Die Hard a Christmas movie, you can, and I won’t stop you,” she said. “But the truth is on my side this time.” She propped her feet up on the coffee table and scratched Daggoo behind the ears.

“Well, to quote your favorite Christmas movie, which is worse? A lie that draws a smile, or a truth that draws a tear?” he mock-pouted.

She sat forward and pinned him with a look. “The truth may hurt, but it’s all that matters,” she retorted. “My favorite person told me that once.”

“The truth is, it’s a Christmas movie,” he insisted.

“If I can put an end to this debate, can we pick something else, please?”

He leaned forward, elbows on his thighs. “If you can, sure.”

“Okay,” she said, sitting up straight. “If you happened to be the kind of person who organized your movies by genre, would you put Die Hard in with your action movies, or with your Christmas movies?”

He stopped, thought. She was right. There was no way around it.

“Fine, you win,” he sighed. He’d lost this round and he hated losing.

“Thank you,” she replied smugly.

“How’s that feel?” he smirked. She could have this one.

“Really good, actually. Gonna chase this feeling.” She took his hand and smiled.

He smiled back and exhaled, exhausted. He leaned against her, putting his arm on the back of the couch, softly combing his fingers through her hair. “So. You want to watch a Christmas movie.”

“I want to watch a Christmas movie,” she repeated.

They sat in silence and stared at the blank TV screen in front of them as the fireplace crackled, their modest tree twinkling in the corner.

“How about Fargo?” he suggested.

Her eyes lit up. “Ooh, okay!”

#yippee ki yay motherPhiles #msr #txf fic #die hard #my fic

[diabetes-health-omni]

Diet for Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes

The most common form of diabetes is Type 2 Diabetes. If the body does not recognize insulin or the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, then Type 2 diabetes occurs. Type 2 Diabetes brings a lot of negative effects such as heart disease, vision problems, circulatory complications, stroke and even cognitive deficits. One should know about the proper type 2 Diabetes diet considering food intake directly affects diabetes because of the inability of the body to stabilize proper sugar levels. The right type 2 Diabetes diet can help a diabetic gain good blood sugar control and greatly reduce the risks of complications from underlying illness.

The most important meal for a diabetic is breakfast so that they can prevent any fluctuations of their blood sugar. Preferably, the type 2 diabetic breakfast diet should be ¾ quarters of a cup of cereal that has high quantities of bran. For some taste and flavor, one can add fruits like apple or strawberries. Low fat milk should be consumed together with the cereals and fruits. If one finds cereal boring, then one can eat a peanut butter sandwich, with a banana and a glass of tea.

Lunch takes in a different tact for type 2 diabetes because there should be a mixture of vegetables, carbohydrates and fats that should help the body maintain the proper sugar levels. A vegetable soup starts the type 2 diabetes diet lunch, together with crackers as side dish then for the main course, a turkey sandwich with cottage cheese will do. Accompany this with a piece of fruit. If one prefers other option, a suggestion would be a pita roast beef sandwich, with vegetable sidings and a piece of fruit.

Type 2 Diabetic dinner diets should be filling yet light. Food with high proteins such as fish, meat, or poultry should be the appropriate dinner. Try to broil and baste it with herbs and fresh lemon juice. As a side dish, one can use carrots, brown rice, and small salad and end it with a dessert.

15 grams of carbohydrates with 100 to 200 calories should be allocated for snacks. One can have a variety of food to choose from when it comes to snacks, they are cheese sticks, yogurt, fruits, berries, and even unbuttered popcorn.

It is important to stick to this diet to control the blood sugar, it may be difficult at first but with new medication and discipline, the future may be sweet and rosy for diabetics.

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#diabetes #diabetes diet #health diabetes #health omni #type 2 diabetes

[sigritandtheelves]

Au where mulders a writer of sci fi stories and Scullys a scientist hired by his editor to fact check some of his stories. Bonus points if theres a romantic subplot in his story and they quote lines to each other

A/N: This gets a bit meta for a quick sec. It is also… irredeemable fluff. I’ve had a hard few days and I needed something wholesome. I am 100% sure I will regret it in the morning, lol.

—

1.

He wants this one to be different. He needs the science to feel more real than the speculative world-building he’s done in his last three books. The universe should feel like ours, he thinks—its physics and its materiality should have the same weight. Its atoms the same heft. This is going to be the one, he thinks. The one that puts his name on the charts. It needs to not just be right, but to feel right. He calls his editor, asks about a consultant.

His index finger disappears inside the looping plastic phone cord as he talks—feet on the desk beside his word processor.

“Well, I might know someone,” his editor says.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah… she’s good. Not usually her line of work, but she’s bored with her day job. I think she’d take it on.”

“You think.” Mulder senses hesitation—the pause draws out a moment too long. “Charlie?”

“Yeah, Mulder. The thing is, it’s my sister.”

“Your—huh.”

“I’ll give her a call tonight if you want?”

“Okay.” The chair creaks as he sits up to bring the receiver to it’s cradle, but then at the last minute—“Hey Charlie?”

“Yeah?”

“Is she hot?”

The line goes dead.

2.

She is, though. Hot. Not porno hot, but… something. Dana Scully is short and fresh-faced, spring-stepped and the tiniest bit awkward a suit that seems ill-fitting, a little uncomfortable. She’s a pathologist—usually spends her days in scrubs, he thinks. But she majored in physics and her science is blade sharp, a razor to scrape his work clean.

“So in the novel,” she says, “It’s a conspiracy of men?”

“And aliens,” he says.

Her look is wariness and amusement, eyebrows to the hairline, red lips pinched to hold in a smile.

“See, they’re working together. They’re developing a colonizing agent that will wipe out most of the population.”

“Unless your hero can stop them.”

“Right.”

“And he’s a scientist?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan.”

“He’s working alone?”

“He has kind of a sidekick, a friend who’s a conspiracy nerd, spends all his days in his mom’s basement, connecting dots.”

She purses her lips and he senses her skepticism.

“What?”

“Are there any women in the book?”

“The main character’s mom is in one scene. And there’s a sexy informant. Plus the aliens abduct several women, and I tell their stories too.”

The lip pursing has been joined by a disapproving squint. “Let me read your draft,” she says.

3.

It comes back with notes. So very many notes. At first he balks—digs in his heels and swears at the marked-up manuscript on his desk. He throws a pillow, kicks his trash can. He wanted science notes, not… ugh. Of course, she has given him the science notes… and story notes and character notes and structural notes and even a few on language. He ignores the last page, where she’s placed a yellow sticky-note:

I know this is a lot but it’s only because I really like it. I think it could be great. Call me and we’ll talk about it more?

He frowns. He pouts. He doesn’t touch the book for a week. How dare she? He thinks. But then he thinks of her freckled face, that smile he’d gotten when he described the story, the way she’d gone nose-to-nose with his crazy ideas. After a while, and after he reads everything again, he realizes that she’s right.

He tucks away his pride. He works and works and works, thinking of her raised eyebrows, her little smirk, the whole time. Thinking of her, mostly. It’s three weeks before he’s happy with the draft, but he calls when he’s finished, nervous somehow, to hear her voice again.

“I thought you wouldn’t call,” she says. “I thought maybe… I’d gone a bit overboard with the comments.”

He laughs a little. “Yeah, well… me too, at first. But I think you’re right. About almost everything. Come over?” He’s surprised at how casual his voice sounds, how easy it is to ask her.

“Okay,” she says.

She comes to his apartment bearing coffee and a box of donut holes, stands his doorway looking vulnerable. Apologetic. She’s dressed casually this time—jeans and a maroon sweater. She tilts her chin in an I’m sorry pout as she holds up her offerings.

He smiles. “Come in.”

Wary at first, not sure what to expect, she takes in his apartment: the art on his walls, his leather couch, his fish. She’s surprised at how comfortable the space feels, how she wants to curl up in his cushions, put her feet up, watch a movie with him—though she barely knows this man. A clean, printed manuscript rests on the coffee table. He gestures with his chin. “Take a look.”

She does. Her eyes go wide as she thumbs through the first chapter. “You made the scientist a woman?” She asks.

Mulder nods, chewing his thumbnail. He tries not to hover, sips coffee and chews donut holes instead. She got jelly ones, bless her. When she’s skimmed roughly a third, she sits back and looks up.

“Are they in love?” She asks, cheeks red.

“Maybe,” he says. “I hadn’t thought at first—“

“They should be,” she says, and now his face is red too. “Can I read it all?”

4.

She comes back again. And again. They spend evenings reading, sometimes aloud, her nose wrinkling when something’s not right, talking about the story, and then talking about other things. They watch Plan 9 from Outer Space and he makes her laugh when he recites the lines. He frowns at her unbuttered popcorn. They drink beer and she settles into his cushions. He watches her face while she reads. Watches her lips. She swallows hard when he tells her that there is a love scene.

“So he’s a little roughed up from his escape, and she thought he might have been dead. But then he shows up at her door, and he’s stolen some vials of the vaccine… It’s kind of a reunion, plus they think maybe they’ve won,” he explains.

Her knee is touching his. Denim against denim radiates heat up her leg. Her palms feel hot. “So what does she do?”

Mulder looks at her and there’s a smile in his eyes. He’s chewing his bottom lip. “Well first she yells at him,” he says.

“Hmm. He did do something kind of stupid.”

“He did,” Mulder concedes. “But then… then she kisses him.”

“She does?” Her breath sounds too loud in her ears. His tongue comes out over his lips again.

“Mm hmm.”

The air: so still. Fish tank burbling. Pages between them on the couch. He watches her pupils dilate. She shifts and her knee rubs along his thigh. “Oh,” she says.

And then he’s kissing her, thumbs at her cheeks, taste of coffee on his tongue. Her fingers come around his wrist, feel the pulse point, stroke the fine hairs beneath his watch. She falls. She is falling. She does not land. Somehow she knew. She knew it would be like this with him.

5.

His book does well, so much better than he expected, even gets nominated for a Hugo award.

On Sundays, they lay in bed and read the New York Times Book Review, watching his title climb the list, smelling of sex and tasting of each other. He visits her at work, brings coffee, and vomits into stainless steel basin the first time he watches her use a bone saw. She tries not to smile, rubs his back, brings him a cup of water.

When the paperback edition of the novel comes out, he has a special edition printed just for her. It is Saturday and they are in the park, legs entangled, her head on his shoulder. “I have a surprise,” he says.

He hands her the copy and she frowns because it feels strange, the cover lumpy.

“What?” She asks, but he’s shaking his head.

“Open it.”

She does, giving him that squinty, skeptical eye he’s now so used to. He’s had the dedication page changed. Where it once said, “For Dana who made this book what it is,” it now reads, “For Dana, who makes my life what it is. Will you marry me?” Taped below it is a ring.

She gapes. She almost chokes. She smacks him with the book. “You sap!” She says. But then she is crying and putting on the ring and kissing him.

At their wedding, Charlie is insufferable. He drunkenly tries to take credit for bringing them together, not to mention for the book. They ignore him. They dance.

“Let’s write another one,” Mulder whispers into her hair.

-end-

#a thing i wrote #oh god it's sappy #i regret it already lol #what have i done #msr #au #xf fanfic

[mldrgrl]

These Days

by: mldrgrl Rated: PG-13 Summary: Trying to fill in those gaps and reconcile the new MSR preview with what we know so far.  Basically it’s all about the burgundy shirt.

Special thanks to @kateyes224 for being a great cheerleader.

Mulder has always been about as subtle as a bull in a china shop, especially when it comes to telling Scully exactly what he thinks and feels.  That’s why it came as a surprise to her how much he initially stuttered and stammered once they’d finally crossed the line into physical intimacy.  She’d wondered how he could be so impossibly nervous until she realized it wasn’t nerves at all, it was just a great need on his part to say and do what he thought was the most eloquent or right thing.  It had also surprised her just how much and how often he deferred to her and gave her the reins.  Though he asserted himself as the dominate force in their partnership, he was almost downright submissive in their relationship.

Now here they were, full circle from where they started, working together, but going home separately at the end of the day.  It’s less than ideal for her.  They’d made it through a very rough time together and they should be rewarding themselves for it.  Instead, she walks out the basement door at night, with Mulder by her side, but ends up in her car alone while he takes his commuter bus in the opposite direction.  She keeps offering to drive him home, but he keeps telling her he doesn’t want to trouble her.  She can see it in his eyes though, when he touches the small of her back to tell her goodnight, he doesn’t want her to walk away.  And dammit, she doesn’t want to walk away, but she always does.

He flirts with her more nowadays than he used to.  Back then, it was mild and innocuous, not something she took seriously.  Now though, it comes from a knowing place.  It’s teasing and tantalizing, because he has the experience of knowing how to get her blood flowing.  It’s why he must bring up the D-word so often; something that was almost a little bit of a bone of contention between them at one time, but mostly for her.

Mulder, do you realize we’ve never even gone out on a date?

What are you talking about, Scully, we’ve been on hundreds of dates.

When?

The stakeout on the Modell case when we shared the thermos of hot chocolate.

That was a date?

The ghost hunt on Christmas eve.

That was most certainly not a date.

Unbuttered popcorn and beer at my place.

Mulder, do you even know what a date is?

The popcorn was unbuttered, Scully.  Unbuttered.

He says it freely now, like saying it out loud makes it so, but now that she knows, in hindsight, that foggy cemeteries and abandoned houses were his unique way of wooing her, she can’t really help but fall for it all over again.  The problem is, for all this dating they’re doing, the date is over once the case is closed.  She just can’t take it anymore.

It’s Friday, and Mulder walks her out of the office.  She waits as he snaps off the lights and locks the door.  The walk to the elevator is unhurried.  He’s already loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top button at his throat.

“Big plans for the weekend?” he asks, relaxing against the back wall of the elevator.

“No,” she answers.  “You?”

He shrugs.  The elevator dings and they step out into the parking garage.  They stroll to her car like they’re out for a Sunday walk and not headed anywhere in particular.  Their steps seem to slow as they get closer, as though they can extend the time together before saying goodbye.  He waits while she puts her bag in the back seat and then they face each other, bodies angled towards one another as they lean against the car.

“Well,” Mulder says.  “You have a good weekend.”

“Can I drive you home?”

“It’s out of your way.”

“I’m actually headed your direction anyway, so it wouldn’t be.”

“Really?  Where are you going?”

“Home,” she answers, her gaze unwavering.

Mulder’s lips twitch and purse, like he’s trying to hide a smile from her.  She opens her eyes a little wider and lifts her brows as she tilts her head a fraction, challenging him to take the next move, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Come on, Mulder,” she says, and then pauses to throw his own words back at him.  “It’ll be like a date.”

His lips twitch again and his chest swells with a swift intake of breath.  This time, he can’t stop the grin from spreading wide across his face.  She sees the innuendo in his eyes before he opens his mouth and she stops him by pushing away from the car and turning to the door.

“Get in,” she calls over her shoulder.

They listen to public radio on the hour long drive to the house and they don’t speak.  Scully is lost in her own thoughts most of the time.  She barely concentrates on the road once they’re outside the city and she’s just lucky there are hardly any other cars on the rural roads and that she can make the trek in her sleep.  Her brain is occupied with anticipating all the things she’s missed about being with Mulder, anywhere from the smell of his cologne on the pillows at night to the downright simple fact that she’s missed the sex.

She isn’t willing to admit that the reason there’s an overnight bag in her car and that she finally decided that tonight she would break this lonely habit of going their separate ways is because she misses the sex, but it is a very big part of why she’s making this drive right now.  It is, she’s decided, the only thing that’s lacking in the current incarnation of their relationship and she can’t think of any good reason to go without it any longer.  

When they get to the house, Scully makes no pretense about her intentions.  She pulls her overnight bag from the trunk, and without even asking, heads upstairs to the bedroom to wash her face and change out of work clothes into something more casual.  She’s got her hair pinned back and her blouse off and she stands at the bathroom sink, splashing water on her face, when she hears the creak of the stairs.  She smiles into her hands as she rubs face wash over her cheeks.

As she washes her face, she sneaks glances at him in the mirror and she knows he’s doing the same.  His tie comes off, his shirt, his belt, his undershirt, and then he turns his back to her as she pats her face dry and watches him more openly now that he’s not looking.  It seems he’s wearing boxer-briefs now instead of boxers.  His shoulders seem broader and his arms a bit more muscular.  That’s all she notices before he steps into a pair of jeans and turns around again and she has to go back to surreptitiously checking him out as she dries her neck.  That’s okay, there’ll be time for a thorough inspection later.

One of the things that Mulder used to appreciate, that she still finds endearing, is the pleasure he found in the mundane.  A moment like this, for her to be comfortable enough to stand at the sink in her bra while he changes behind her, she knows does more for him than if she’d greeted him at the door completely naked.  He’d like that too, but he takes more pleasure in the everyday and domestic things than she’d thought he would.

“What should we make for dinner?” she asks, hanging the towel back up on the rack by the sink.

“I think I might have some pork chops,” he answers from inside the sweater he’s pulling over his head.  “Rice, maybe.”

“Wine?”

“That too.”

She nods as she pulls a white tank top and burgundy colored shirt out from her bag.  Mulder goes into the bathroom and shuts the door.  She finishes getting dressed and lets her hair fall loose again just as he returns.  She’s dropping bobby pins into a the pocket of a small make-up bag when he comes back out and without stopping, spins her around at the hips and kisses her.

A part of her is taken by surprise and she makes a tiny ‘mmph,’ noise in the back of her throat before her eyes fall shut.  His lips are warm and soft, just like she remembered.  He also tastes like Listerine, so he obviously planned to kiss her before he left the bathroom.  It isn’t a frantic, have-to-have-you-now-type of kiss, but it is intense enough to pull a whimper from her.  He’s the first to pull away and she holds firm to his shoulders as she presses her forehead to his chest.

“Chicken breasts,” he says, running his hands up her sides to the back of her shoulders and then down again to her hips.

Scully chuckles, her shoulders shaking slightly as she twists her head against his chest.  One might think it absurd that he’d stop kissing her to talk about dinner, but it was very much like Mulder to do just that.  It was part of the way he extended things, by breaking them up into bite-sized moments.  It’s fine with her.  He can take all the time he wants, just as long as she ends up back in their bed before the night is over.

Sure enough, he finds ways to touch her as much as possible in the kitchen.  He puts a hand low on her back as she presses buttons to preheat the oven, ostensibly to reach above her for the bottle of wine in the cabinet above the stove.  He holds her hips as he squeezes by her to the refrigerator, even though there is plenty of space to move around.  He rubs her shoulders as she stirs rice into a pot of boiling water.

She’s just as guilty as he is at this game they’re playing though.  When he hands her a glass of wine, she takes care to toss her hair over her shoulder first and to bring her chin down and her eyes up to his as she sips.  She requests items she knows he needs to cross the kitchen for and presses back against him when he brushes by.  They’re both even worse at dinner.

“Could you pass the pepper,” Scully asks, casually dropping her hand to Mulder’s thigh as she leans towards the table for the shaker that she can definitely reach if she wants to.

Mulder reaches over and runs his thumb across her bottom lip.  “You’ve got…”  He doesn’t finish his sentence and it’s probably nothing anyway.

It’s one of the few times in her life that Scully can recall not caring the slightest about the dishes or putting away the leftovers.  When it’s clear they’re both finished, she stands and tips her head back to finish what little remains of the wine in her glass.

“How about a movie?” she asks.

“I believe the kids these days call it Netflix and chill.”

She takes his hand and pulls him to the front room.  She doesn’t even comment when he turns the TV on to an episode of Ghost Hunters, because it isn’t like they’ll be watching anything for long anyway.  She just sits beside him and waits.

And waits.

And waits.

She’s waiting for Mulder to make his signature move; to feign a yawn and stretch his arm out behind her.  It’s stupid and cliche and absolutely juvenile, but she’s loved it from the first time he’d done it because it was so ridiculous.  He slumps down a little and she tilts her head towards him, still waiting.  After a few more minutes, she slumps as well and leans closer, closing her eyes and feigning sleep.

When still nothing happens, she rolls her eyes open and looks at him.  He’s asleep.  At first she thinks, how?  Second, she thinks, dammit, we shouldn’t have had that wine.  Third...is there someone outside?

The End

#i wrote this #xf fanfic #msr is back #not that it ever went anywhere

[traindoghq-blog]

Best Dog Food for a Chihuahua

et's face it, there is plenty of information out there of what to feed and what not to feed your chi. It can get very frustrating. So in this article we will take a broad approach and will give you easy to follow guidelines on how to pick the right food for your little one.

So why don’t you just walk into a pet store, pick up the first bag of dry food and leave it at that? Why do things need to be complicated?

Well, just like us humans, chis are "what they eat", their nutrition directly affects their health. So, simply put, the best food for a chihuahua is that which doesn't cause allergies and doesn't contribute to the development of any diseases. It's the food that helps your chi stay healthy.

Chihuahua Allergies

Here we are mostly interested in the food allergies, but since the symptoms can easily overlap, let's quickly run over the following:

what is a food allergy and what is food sensitivity,

how to take food allergy apart from other types of allergies,

what causes a food allergy,

what to feed your chi if he or she does have an allergy or intolerance,

how to choose chihuahua dog food that won’t cause allergies.

While a food allergy has an internal cause, meaning that you chi has ingested something, and other types of allergies may have external causes, including environmental allergens or fleas, the  symptoms are often similar, so before jumping to conclusions on whether your chi is allergic to food, check out these easy tips for how to differentiate between the most common types of allergies.

The skin allergies are perhaps the easiest to differentiate and the most common as well. If you notice any redness and inflammation on the skin, or see that you chi gets extremely itchy, particularly at the base of the tail, check for the signs of fleas. If you see any fleas or flea dirt - your chi most likely is allergic to fleabites.

If, on the other hand, you chi is itching ears and paws more, and especially if you notice any diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, its most likely a food allergy.

And if your chi's allergies seem to be seasonal, then its most likely an environmental allergensuch as pollen, dust or mold.

Acute Food Allergy vs Food Sensitivity

Okay, now that we learnt how to figure out what type of allergy your chi might have, lets dive right into the food allergies. There are two main types: an acute food allergy (which is what technically should be called an allergy) and a food sensitivity (which is mistakenly called an allergy). What's the difference?

An acute food allergy involves an immune response, it is usually a severe reaction to an allergen that can lead to an anaphylactic shock - anyone with a bad peanut allergy knows what it's like. This can be fatal, but, thankfully, it is a rather rare response most likely to occur as a reaction to vaccinations, drugs or bee stings. So keep an eye on your chi after exposure to a new drug, vaccine or food.

Food sensitivities, on the other hand, are what most people would commonly refer to as food allergies. A sensitivity is usually a response to a food ingredient, the reaction is more gradual than in the case with an acute allergy and could be accompanied by diarrhea, vomiting or itchiness, inflamed skin or swelling as well.

What To Do if You Notice Food Allergy or Sensitivity Symptoms?

First things first, go to the vet, make sure the symptoms are not part of a more serious condition. Your vet might prescribe an antihistamine to help with the symptoms and order an allergy test.

Usually, the best way to understand what your chi is allergic to when it comes to food is the elimination diet: you feed your chi only one new source of protein and one new source of carbohydratefor at least 6 weeks.

They got to be something your chi has not had before just to eliminate the possibility of your chi having a "leaky gut syndrome", which can occur if you keep feeding your little one the same food for a long period of time. So food rotation is something to consider. No treats and snacks, for at least 6 weeks it should be exclusively a 2 ingredient diet.

The goal here is to find what combo of proteins and carbs is safe for your chi, and use it as a base to later slowly add in all the other ingredients. If you add something new and see the allergic reaction come back - you know what to eliminate completely out of your chi's diet.

The Worst Food for a Chihuahua

So, what foods should you steer clear of to prevent food allergies? According to the AKC:

Steer Clear

Almonds

Macadamia nuts

Garlic  

Onion

Chocolate  

Cinnamon  

Ice cream

In Moderation

Cashews  

Cheese  

Salmon (no tiny bones, no uncooked or under-cooked fish, no more than twice a week)

Peanuts

Popcorn  (unsalted, unbuttered, plain air-popped popcorn)

Beware that, most commonly, allergic reactions are caused by dairy, eggs, yeast, corn, soy, wheat, as well as beef, chicken and pork.

Now, when choosing dog food for your chi its best to follow these practices:

Watch out for any food additives such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), ethoxyquin, propylene glycol, propyl gallate, monosodium glutamate (MSG / E621), artificial dyes and trans fat.

Fillers are next on the no-no list, these are low quality manufactured ingredients that add nothing but empty calories to your little one's diet. The rule of thumb would be - if you see an ingredient you can't pronounce on the list - stay away.

Check for salt content. It's commonly used in commercial food as a preservative, but it promotes water retention and is hard on the kidneys, so in large quantities it can be rough on a tiny chihuahua's body.

Lastly, a common question is whether or not you should feed your chi raw food. It is perfectly fine to cook homemade dog food for your chi, especially is you little one is allergy-prone, but watch out for salmonella when it comes to raw meat. Unfortunately, the Canadian Veterinarian Journal found that 80 percent of diet of dogs who eat raw food contained salmonella. The easiest way to kill the bacteria is still cooking it up…that's something to remember.

Best Food for a Chihuahua

No ingredients you cannot pronounce

100% grain free

No corn, soy, or by-products

Zero chemical preservatives, zero artificial coloring (natural preservatives, such as a vitamin blend; vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or vitamin E (tocopherols), and/or with rosemary oil are okay)

Extra ingredients for good health, including antioxidants to boost the immune system and omega 3 to support good skin health

Made in the USA

If you prefer, go for the organic brands as well

Finally, if your chi is prone to allergies, you can cook homemade food using the same guidelines we mentioned earlier: start with an elimination diet; refrain from foods that commonly cause allergies; include vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids, carb and protein sources that your chi tolerates well. And switch things up once in a while to avoid any leaky gut symptoms.

How Often Should You Feed Your Chi?

Chis are known to have hypoglycemia, or sugar drop. The smaller chis are especially prone to this condition. It can happen if a chi has been over exercised or overstimulated, or left without food for over 6 hours. To prevent that, it is recommended to feed a chi small frequent meals that will keep its blood sugar levels steady (3-4 times/day).

Hopefully, you found these tips handy, and your next visit to the pet store will be a seamless experience now that you have an idea of what to avoid and what to look for. If you are looking for more Chi tips, check out our article on chi house-training. Best of luck!

[buynewsoul]

Human Food for Dogs: What Can Dogs Eat?

I used to call my dog the canine vacuum. He kept my carpets clean, sucking up any food I accidentally dropped (as long as it wasn’t something healthy like fruits or vegetables). In retrospect, I should not have been so cavalier. Many foods humans eat are toxic to dogs. But let’s face it: Most of us enjoy slipping our dogs a bit of what we eat now and then. And that can be OK as long as we know what foods and amounts are safe. So, when it comes to human food for dogs, what can dogs eat and what should dogs definitely avoid? Can dogs eat bread? What about fruits and vegetables? And can dogs eat nuts or fish?

Human food for dogs — the basics

What human food is okay for dogs to eat?. Photography ©PK-Photos | E+ / Getty Images.

“There are some key differences,” says Dr. Deborah Linder, DVM, research assistant professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts.

Dogs and humans digest and metabolize food differently, and a dog’s digestive system cannot break down some of the foods people eat, Dr. Linder warns. And we all know that some of the things we eat are not particularly healthy.

Most commercial dog foods provide a balanced diet with all the nutrients a dog needs. As long as your dog’s essential needs are met through an easily digested quality dog food, he shouldn’t need anything more. But you can feed your dog some other foods as healthy, low-calorie snacks.

“It’s perfectly safe to give up to 10 percent of the total calories from treats without unbalancing the diet,” says Dr. Linder, a veterinary nutrition specialist and diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.

Before sharing your table scraps, be aware that there are concerns about human food for dogs beyond toxicity: allergic reactions, raw vs. cooked, bacterial infections from E. coli and Salmonella, weight gain, elevated salt levels, choking hazards and bones that can break teeth or splinter, causing internal blockages or punctures.

“Anything you give should be fully edible and not cause an obstruction,” Dr. Linder says. The keys to safely feeding your dog are education, moderation and introducing new foods slowly to monitor for adverse effects.

Remember: Each dog is unique. Factors like size, weight, age, breed, medical conditions and activity level affect what foods and amounts you should feed, so always check with your veterinarian before trying to feed any human food to your dog. As Dr. Linder says: “Know your pet.”

Human food for dogs — what’s safe to share … and what’s not?

So which of our favorite people foods can we safely share with our four-legged friends? Here’s our lowdown on what your chow hound can chow down:

Can dogs eat bread?

Check the ingredients on the back of the bread package before giving a small piece to your dog. This portion is way too big! Photography ©jtyler | Getty Images.

Bread is the staff of life, and yes, dogs can eat it. Barley, rye and wheat do contain the protein gluten, but gluten sensitivity is uncommon in dogs (with the exception of a rare genetic disorder in Irish Setters).

While dogs can develop an allergy to any protein source, gluten poses no higher risk than other proteins. Unless your dog has a gluten sensitivity, it’s OK to feed plain white, whole-wheat or whole-grain bread with no spices or raisins (raisins are toxic to dogs).

As with any baked good, check the ingredients list on the package before serving.

On the other hand, raw dough that contains yeast is a no-no. Fermenting yeast cells produce alcohol (alcohol is toxic to dogs), and the dough can expand internally.

Can dogs eat dairy?

Though most dogs love cheese, it is high in both fat and salt. Try a low-fat cheese like mozzarella. Photography ©igorr1 | Getty Images.

Lactose intolerance poses the main concern with dairy products. Lactose, a sugar found in milk and milk products, can be difficult for some dogs (and people) to digest. As long as your dog is not lactose intolerant, milk is OK in small quantities.

Cheese — which many dogs love — also is OK, but due to its high fat and salt content, consider a low-fat cheese, such as mozzarella. Eggs that are thoroughly cooked are an easily digested protein source; never feed raw eggs due to the risk of Salmonella.

Avoid ice cream. Although there can be lactose issues with yogurt, it’s a better option that offers calcium and can aid digestion. Choose plain yogurt without added sugar or xylitol, a sugar substitute that is toxic to dogs.

A great option — some companies actually make ice cream-style treats specifically for dogs. When in doubt, consult your veterinarian.

Can dogs eat fish?

Fish can be a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, which some studies show act as an anti-inflammatory and can help with joint pain.

Salmon should be thoroughly cooked to kill parasites and bacteria; be sure to remove the bones.

Shrimp also is OK if fully cooked and served plain without the shell. Fresh cooked tuna that has been deboned is fine; canned tuna packed in water and served plain is OK, too.

Can dogs eat fruit?

Many fruits can be a healthy, low-calorie snack for dogs. They are water- and nutrient-dense foods rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Feed fresh fruits, as many canned fruits are packed in sugary syrup. Frozen fruits can be OK, too, as long as they are thawed first.

Always wash fresh fruits and remove rinds, skin, peels, shells, cores, pits, stems, leaves and seeds, as they are choking hazards and, in some cases, can be toxic to dogs. With larger fruits, cut them into pieces before serving. Be aware that citric acid can cause stomach upset in some dogs. And never feed your dog wild berries that are not definitively identified and safe.

As long as you follow the above precautions, you can feed your dog several fruits, including apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, coconut, mango, oranges, pineapple, pumpkin, strawberries and watermelon.

Although the meat of cherries is not poisonous to dogs, the fruit’s small pit can cause big problems by becoming lodged in the throat or digestive tract. Best to avoid this bite-sized hazard and its preserved sugary form: maraschino cherries.

These fruits should never be fed to dogs: grapes, lemons, limes and raisins.

Can dogs eat meats?

Despite their name, hot dogs are not good for dogs. Photography ©Barna Tanko | Getty Images.

Like their wild canid ancestors, dogs can eat meat. It’s a good source of protein — with precautions. Fresh, lean meat is preferable, and all meat should be thoroughly cooked to prevent food-borne illnesses from parasites and bacteria (best not to cook in microwave ovens, as they can cook unevenly).

Grind the meat or cut it in bite-sized chunks to help prevent choking, and do not feed bones. Remove fat and skin, and serve plain, as sauces, gravies and seasonings might include ingredients your dog should not have. Beef, chicken (watch out for chicken bones, though) and turkey are fine. Pork and pork products like bacon and ham might best be avoided due to fat, salt and high calorie counts.

Hot diggity dog, what could be better for a dog than a hot dog? Well, lots of things. Hot dogs are a category unto themselves, as easily fitting under “Meats” as “Salty Foods” alongside processed lunch meats (think “bologna”). Dogs can eat hot dogs, but there’s a difference between “can” and “should.”

Despite their name, hot dogs are not good for dogs. They can contain lots of sodium (added both for flavoring and curing), fat, sugar and garlic (garlic is toxic to dogs).

And while hot dogs are considered a ready-to-eat meat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration notes on its website: “Although hot dogs are fully cooked, those at increased risk of foodborne illness should reheat hot dogs … until steaming hot before eating due to the threat of listeriosis.”

What’s more, hot dogs pose a choking hazard. If you feed hot dogs to your dog, check the ingredients list on the package and also look to see that they are uncured; reduced fat; made from grass-fed beef; and free of preservatives, artificial colors and artificial flavors. Cook and cut them before serving.

Can dogs eat nuts?

Nuts are a good source of protein, but they can be high in calories and salt, hard to digest and a choking hazard. Even nuts that are safe for dogs — like shelled cashews and shelled peanuts — should be unsalted and limited in quantity.

Others, such as almonds, pecans, pistachios and walnuts, are best avoided. And definitely say nuts to macadamia nuts — they are toxic to dogs.

Just as peanuts are safe for dogs, so is peanut butter. And it’s a favorite for many dogs (and a people favorite to watch a dog smack off the roof of his mouth). The best peanut butter to feed is plain, unsalted and raw (meaning it’s made with unroasted peanuts). Most importantly, be certain it does not contain the sweetener xylitol, which is toxic to dogs.

Can dogs eat prepared foods?

Here’s the dish on prepared dishes: It might be tempting to feed a dog from your plate, but it’s not a good idea. Many ingredients in prepared meals (whether takeout or delivery, restaurant leftovers, store-bought or even your neighborhood potluck party) can be harmful to dogs, including chives, garlic and garlic powder, leeks and onions and onion powder.

And recognizing garlic and onion poisoning can be tricky because symptoms can take days to develop. Because you don’t know what ingredients might have gone into that soup, sauce, salad dressing, marinade, pizza and toppings, stuffed potato or confection, curb the desire to offer your dog prepared foods.

You can have your cake and eat it, too, but your dog can’t, and that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

Can dogs eat popcorn and other salty foods?

Air-popped, unsalted, and unbuttered is a snack dogs can eat. Photography ©Ljupco | Getty Images.

You don’t want a salty dog. While dogs need some salt, too much salt not only will make your dog thirsty, it also can lead to dehydration, hypertension (high blood pressure), kidney failure, heart disease and sodium poisoning.

Avoid excessively salty foods and snacks (particularly for dogs with a heart condition) like processed lunch meats, pickles, potato chips, pretzels, and, yes, fast foods (including french fries).

Not to ruin all the fun, popcorn is a snack dogs can eat if it’s air-popped, unsalted and unbuttered. Watch for un-popped kernels that can be a choking hazard and get caught in teeth.

Can dogs eat vegetables?

Some veggies can be a healthy and nutritious snack, but only a few pieces — not a bowlful! Photography ©rmarnold | Getty Image.

Like fruits, vegetables that are safe for dogs are healthy, water- and nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Plain, fresh vegetables are preferable, as many canned vegetables contain added salt, but frozen veggies can work as long as they are thawed or cooked.

Always wash fresh vegetables first; most can be served raw or cooked, and steaming is a good cooking method. Grate larger vegetables or cut them in small pieces to avoid choking. The list of safe vegetables is long and includes broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, green beans, green peas, lettuce and zucchini.

Corn also is safe for dogs, but not corn on the cob — the cob is a choking hazard. Dogs can eat red tomatoes as long as they are ripe, but discard the leaves and stem.

Mushrooms cut both ways. Store-bought mushrooms are considered safe for dogs, but never feed wild mushrooms. There are about 10,000 known species of mushrooms, some of which are poisonous, so don’t take a chance with any found fungi. Given this, you might want to avoid mushrooms altogether.

Can dogs eat chocolate?

Chocolate ranked fifth among the ASPCA’s 2017 Top Pet Toxins. Photography ©Fenne | Getty Images.

While people love chocolate (and studies suggest it has human health benefits), sad to say this people favorite is not sweet on dogs. Chocolate (as well as cocoa and coffee) contains compounds called methylxanthines that are toxic to dogs.

The darker the chocolate (bittersweet and semisweet dark chocolate, cocoa powder and unsweetened baking chocolate), the more dangerous, but even milk chocolate and white chocolate should not be given to dogs.

Chocolate ingestion by pets is so common that the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center puts chocolate in its own category separate from other foods. Last year, the total number of calls the center received about chocolate worked out to nearly 50 a day, ranking chocolate fifth among the ASPCA’s 2017 Top Pet Toxins.

Be vigilant, especially with so many occasions popular for giving chocolate: Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas. Think of it this way: Now you can have that chocolate all to yourself.

Still confused on human food for dogs? Dogs should never have these 14 things:

Alcohol and Products Containing Alcohol

Caffeine

Chives

Chocolate

Garlic and Garlic Powder

Grapes

Leeks

Lemons

Limes

Macadamia Nuts

Onions and Onion Powder

Raisins

Xylitol (a sugar substitute)

Yeast dough

What does human food for dogs have to do with canine obesity?

Extra weight impacts a dog’s quality of life. Photography by studio37th / Shutterstock.

It’s not just what you feed your dog, but how much. Let’s chew the fat about the weighty issue of obesity.

Fifty-six percent of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese, according to a 2017 clinical survey by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP).

That record number equals an estimated 50 million dogs, with more than 36 percent of those overweight and nearly 20 percent obese. And it’s a growing problem.“It’s the most common health threat,” says Dr. Ernie Ward, DVM, founder of the Ocean Isle, North Carolina-based APOP, which has been tracking rising pet obesity rates since 2006.

“It’s not just an aesthetic or unsightly condition,” Dr. Ward says. Fat tissue pumps out thousands of potentially harmful chemicals, hormones and compounds that can lead to cancer, high blood pressure, kidney failure, heart disease, reduced life expectancy, orthopedic disease, chronic inflammation, and respiratory and skin disorders, he says. Extra weight also impacts a dog’s quality of life, such as the ability to go for a walk or climb stairs.

Obesity is a complex disorder linked to many factors, including genetics, but overfeeding and under exercising are serious problems.

There is some good news. Dr. Ward says sharing some human foods with dogs, in moderation, might benefit your dog. “Dogs and people co-evolved eating many of the same things,” Dr. Ward says. It comes down to understanding “the nutritional value of the food,” he says, and taking into account your dog’s unique nutritional and caloric needs.

Dr. Ward advocates what he calls “the hybrid menu”: a combination of quality commercial dog food and whole foods (unprocessed, unrefined, without additives and artificial substances).

Because highly processed packaged food undergoes high heat and pressure that can alter fats and proteins, Dr. Ward suggests blending in things like lean protein sources and fresh, crunchy vegetables.

“By adding some of these whole foods, you’re getting all the complex fibers, all the real protein and fats that are contained in the natural state, which is ideal for digestibility,” Dr. Ward says. “Simply adding some broccoli, celery, zucchini to their regular kibble every day can have tremendous health impacts over time. Those little, simple things can make a big difference.”

Thumbnail: Photography ©EuToch | Getty Images.

St. Louis-based freelance writer Martha M. Everett has lived on both coasts covering everything from Washington to Westminster. More interesting, her Keeshond-mix rescue, Trooper, helped set a World Record for the Most Dogs in Costumed Attire.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you!

Read more about what human food for dogs on Dogster.com:

Sardines for Dogs? Can Dogs Eat Sardines?

Olive Oil for Dogs — 8 Reasons to Add It to Your Dog’s Diet

Coconut Oil for Dogs? 10 Reasons to Try It

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