#filed under posts that are only for me

[pre-raphaelite-s]

i very sincerely believe that listening to born this way by lady gaga even one (1) time would’ve fixed spock

[lazzarella]

The Next Prince 2025, Ep. 8 // The Princess Bride 1987

[liverpool-enjoyer]

aint no way lil pablito gavi can handle allat,,, give me your man

[lilflowerpot]

Hi! Hope ur well, just wondering how the galra would feel about ivf and surrogate mothers and such things.

Also, would diabazaal have had any other religious groups or did they have one decided belief

I've actually addressed both Imperial surrogacy, and the Empire's major religious groups (along with a follow-up regarding various funerary rites) before!

I know my blog has rather a lot to comb through at this point, but for those of you not in the know, I //am// a meticulous tagger, so you can notably narrow down my posts to just the worldbuilding ones if you take a gander at #galra history & culture!

[kits-ships]

i will never get mad if im playing dps, and a tank or support gets mvp. like youre complaining??? doctor strange gave his LIFE for you and yOURE COMPLAINING??

[doom-the-narrative-back]

this is how wyll joined the party right

[mbat]

i think its really funny that with every other ghost hunting channel ever, a good chunk of the appeal is 'woah are they gonna find real ghosts?' or whatever and they make these really over the top videos about it acting like every single thing is definitively ghosts and cant possibly be any other thing (or they completely faked it themselves) and they dont really shine as people quite as much and theyre probably trying to appeal to kids with this style of video, or just make it exciting so it doesnt feel like its just people in an empty old house blah blah

but then we have shane and ryan who have literally never found proof, they dont really pretend theyve ever found proof (ryan has thought so a few times but he doesnt exactly sit around going 'holy shit remember that piece of proof we found one time that totally proved we found ghosts!' which a lot of channels do in my experience)

no we just all kinda stick around cause we love the dynamic. the shenanigans. if they ever proved ghosts were real it probably would be overshadowed by some funny thing they did they episode aside from that lol

[airenyah]

Thai QL Favorites Tag Game

months ago i was tagged by @telomeke and it was during a time when i was super busy working as an assistant director for a theater production and then when i wanted to sit down and answer this tag game i ended up getting super distracted by the point "most underrated actor". more on that later tho...

anyway, here goes mine. you already know at least half of these answers are gonna be bad buddy related 🤭🤭🤭

Favorite Thai QL:

Bad Buddy, hands down. I have been thinking about this series every single day for two years straight gay now. No other QL has been living in my head rent-free for this long. So the answer has to be Bad Buddy. Ok bye.

Special shout-out also to Theory of Love. If you were following me back in 2021 and regularly read my tags then you'll know this series helped me deal with and get over my very own, personal Khai from my real life, so this series holds a very special place in my heart. It gave me a whole lot of catharsis and helped me reflect on my own situation. To this day it's still my most rewatched QL with me having watched it at least 27x since late 2020. (though BBS is catching up very soon, I'm currently watching it for the 23rd time (at least that I've counted on mydramalist) kkdfkfdfkj)

Favorite Pairing:

Do I have to say it? Do I really have to say it?? You've seen the state of my blog. You've seen my icon. It's PatPran. PatPran is my favorite pairing. Pat and Pran from แค่เพื่อนครับเพื่อน BAD BUDDY SERIES (2021) dir. Aof Noppharnach Chaiyahwimhon. You know this.

Most underrated actor:

Ok. Ok. So. This is one of the major reasons why I took so long to complete this tag game. And I have decided to give more than one answer but to split my answer into different "categories" as I was struggling to pick just one person. And this is what I came up with:

Most underrated actor by GMMTV:

Sing Harit. I think he's really underutilized by GMMTV. The man can do comedic roles (see for example: UMG; The Warp Effect), the man can do drama (see for example: Not Me; Home School). He's got the range. More lead roles for Sing, please!!!! Give him his own drama (and let him kiss Gun Atthaphan in it), please!!!!! It's such a joy to watch him act and I'm sad that he's often put in just a supporting role :(((

Most underrated actor by (tumblr?) fandom:

Joong Archen. We as a fandom don't talk about Joong enough. Please, he's so good and so fun to watch!! He has this really calm, grounded presence that I find very interesting. And I also really like the way he shows his thoughts and emotions with his eyes, his face, his entire body even as seen here. I can't gif it all, but here, here, here and here are some more examples that I happened to find on my blog. And the way he whips his head around in this scene never fails to make me laugh. Oh, and for those obsessed with the term "microexpressions" I've also got something for you: do you see that tiny hint of a smile in the second gif of this post? If you check the corner of his mouth you can see it twitch up just for a split second.

And on a side note I wanna point out something that I noticed while looking for these gifs: I find the difference in the way he shows his thoughts between the one scene in the hallway and the scene with the motorcycle helmets super interesting. In the hallway scene his thoughts flow more continuously, all his movements are connected. Kind of like when you play legato on a musical instrument or a video clip that is running without a cut. But in the scene where they're wearing the helmets everything he does is a lot more jumpy, he jumps from one thought/one movement to the next kind of like playing staccato or a vlog with jump cuts. It's quite exciting when actors play with the tools that they've got at hand and this is exactly one of them (in general Joong has some fun dynamics in his acting imo!!).

Anyway, here are some more examples that give me joy:

(^^^for more context: the girl his character thinks he doesn't have a chance with is sitting at the table with him so he's saying that right in front of/to her)

(^^^trust me you do NOT want the context of this kgkdfg. but just look at the complete disbelief that forms on his face as his eyebrows are slowly rising up)

(^^^pls that eyebrow raise the split second before he sneakily steps closer for a back hug. btw here have a gifset of this scene bc they're just too cute)

Also, can we just talk about the absolute rage in his eyes here?? Look:

Honestly the gif alone doesn't really do it that much justice imo, bc it's even more fascinating in the context of this extremely private, reserved character just suddenly lashing out like that.

And here, please, just look at the utter disappointment on his face when a knock on the door interrupts his character's chance to kiss the bf:

Pls he looks SO distraught, it's so funny:

In German we have this idiom that goes "wie ein begossener Pudel" which literally translates to "like a watered poodle" and that is exactly what Kluen looks like in that moment, I love it.

Actually, speaking of Kluen: one of the things that fascinates me the most about Joong's portrayal of Kluen is the way Kluen is an extremely reserved, quiet character. A man of very few words who doesn't really show the world how he feels about things. And yet you can clearly tell where Kluen is at emotionally and what is going on in his head in a scene. Joong knows exactly what his character is thinking and feeling and I'm having the time of my life watching him.

And staying on the topic of "the way he shows his thoughts and emotions on his face", one of my favourite things that he does when it comes to that is this: he'll turn his head to the side and for just a moment a facial expression passes over his face that provides commentary to the situation or to something another character said:

And oftentimes the expression on his face is amusement, which I find rather endearing:

And the thing is: that commentary isn't for any other characters!! No, it's for Joong's character himself!! It's a reaction to the situation, but in a way where it looks like he's talking to himself and I love that. And it also lets us, the viewers, know exactly what is going on in his character's head. My camera acting teacher always said that in front of the camera we had to speak quietly and think loudly and Joong, my man, is thinking very loudly in front of the camera. I love to see it.

And something else that Joong is really skilled at is something that I really struggle to put into words. It's that thing that actors do when they really focus their whole attention on their scene partners, really sending their whole attention towards them, channeling it. In German I sometimes like to use the word "anspielen" in this context but I just fail to come up with an English word that describes exactly what I'm trying to say and that also sounds right and like "correct" English (the literal translation is "to act at/towards" or "to play at/towards" and it sound weird to me, idk). Sometimes I'll talk about "sending" too. Anyway, Joong is really good at focusing completely on his acting partners, really zooming in on them with his attention. And it doesn't even matter whether he's positioned right in front of his co-stars or if they're some way away, it makes absolutely no difference to Joong.

He can do it with Dunk boys:

(^^^note how it almost even looks like he's falling forward a little because the pull towards his scene partner is this strong)

And he can do it with ladies too:

And here, this sequence just has to be appreciated as a whole for full effect as a single gif just wouldn't do it justice. Just look at him go:

It's not simply just staring at them what he's doing here, there's more to it. Joong stares, but it's so filled. Filled with thoughts and/or emotions. His stares are "gefüllt" (filled) as my mother would say and "gefühlt" (felt) as my fave acting teacher would say. There's this really strong invisible pull towards his co-star, like, you can see just how much his character is drawn to the other person. To the point where it sometimes looks like he's falling towards them a little because that pull is so strong (see for example that one scene with Dunk or also the scene with Fah). And the way Joong does it.. it's just so intense???? It just hits you like whoaa. Amazing.

Oh, and he can do it live on stage too:

He can do it while he's singing:

And he can do it while he's dancing:

Bonus bc I couldn't resist: Here, can you spot the moment where he turns his intense focus on for just a second??

I'm talking about this part here specifically:

Beautiful!!!! And here have more gifs of this intense focus/attention thing that he does.

Also, you've seen Joong cry prettily, now get ready for:

I bet you didn't know my man Joong could cry like this (I sure didn't!!!!). Tbh, I considered posting a video clip of this entire scene too, but I actually want more people to watch Mafia The Series and so I didn't wanna spoil it too much, hence just the still. But I swear to you, the entire scene is just jaw-dropping, especially when you've only seen Joong cry prettily with the tears silently streaming down his face.

I mean he does do the pretty crying really well too lbr. No complaints.

Joong can do drama, but!! I'm telling you Joong can also do comedy:

^^^yes that's a water bottle, yes he's holding it like a weapon, no don't question it

No, I will not post gifs or clips or give any context whatsoever. You're just gonna have to take my word for it that Joong can do comedy and find out for yourself. Yes, I am still trying to convince you, my dear reader, to go watch Mafia The Series if you haven't already.

And that's just the tip of the ice berg of all the things that I enjoy about Joong's performances. For example, I haven't even mentioned dynamics or directions yet.

Anyway, Joong Archen. We should talk about Joong Archen more. I know we don't talk about Joong enough bc if he wasn't so underrated then more people would have watched Mafia The Series and we could have had so many great memes at our disposal, like, that show is SO full of meme material. But alas...

Honorary Mention:

Dunk Natachai. I have my reasons why I like him as a performer and why I think he doesn't deserve all the hate he's been getting, but since he's only done two series (both of which opposite of Joong) plus a few lines in BBS I have decided that I want to keep my eye on him and his future works for a bit longer. I want to see him act alongside actors that aren't Joong first, prove it to me that he can do it with other co-stars as well before I go off about why I like watching him. For now, I'm just gonna leave this here:

And also this:

Story time:

So yeah, as I said my answer to this took me quite a while to figure out. Bc when I first read through all the points I was like "underrated actor?? oof idek". But then I gave it some thought and Sing Harit popped into my mind. But then I saw some other people answering this question with Sing too and I was like "hmm, I guess he isn't even all that underrated in the fandom". So I decided I wanted to say someone else for this, someone who I hadn't seen named yet. And then I thought of Joong. But I had only watched SIMM and a handful of Hidden Agenda episodes that had aired up until that point and so I decided before I could go and publically list him as my most underrated actor I had to go watch his entire filmography to get a better overview of his acting and to confirm my opinion of him. And so I finally sat down to watch The Warp Effect bc Joong was in it and as you all know, Sing also has a role in it. And that was a reminder of how much I adore him too and I was like "hnggggg but I do also wanna say Sing as my answer. Can I just say both?". And well, another thing that happened was that since I was watching through Joong's entire filmography in chronological order from oldest to newest I used this as an excuse to rewatch SIMM. Plus, you know, Hidden Agenda was also in the middle of airing. And so I fell into a JoongDunk rabbit hole. And then I got distracted by Dunk's performance (esp once I went on YouTube and watched a whole bunch of singing performances) and I started to get a real appreciation for Dunk's performance too, especially when I kept seeing comments bashing his acting. So then I was like "ok so what if I changed my answer again and said Dunk for 'most underrated actor'' instead??" I couldn't decide on an answer for quite a while and as you can see in the end I've named all three of them anyway lmao.

Favorite Character:

Pat Napat Jindapat. No, I'm not gonna elaborate.

Favorite Side Character:

Pa. I love her. She's so fun. Also Pat and Pa have one of my fave sibling dynamics ever.

Favorite scene in a QL: 

Can I just say the entirety of Bad Buddy here? No? Oh. Okay. Well, alright then. In that case, I'm gonna go somewhere completely different and say:

The yank-kiss-yeet scene from Hidden Agenda. Definitely one of the funniest kiss scenes I've ever seen. Absolutely iconic. Not to mention how precious and endearing Joke's reaction was afterwards in the hallway 🥺🥺🥺

Favorite line in a QL:

Oh you just know Pat's "........no" still has me insane even two years later.

But to bring some more variety into my answers (I told you I was gonna make most of this about BBS, didn't I!!!!) I'm gonna go with a line from Theory of Love. It's when Third is finally moving out of Khai's place and he's packing his stuff, ignoring Khai's knocks on the door which makes Khai say "Fine, if you don’t answer me today, don’t call me your friend again." And then Third finally gets up to open the door and says:

I absolutely LOVE this line and this moment specifically. I love the double meaning in this. I love how Third is speaking his truth, is pretty much confessing his feelings to Khai ("I haven't wanted to call you a friend for a while [because I have been wanting to call you my boyfriend instead].") but to Khai it's a painful slap in the face bc he hears something completely different ("I haven't wanted to call you a friend for a while [because I want nothing to do with you anymore and in telling me you're dropping our friendship you're actually doing me a favour]."). It's extremely satisfying to me. Watching Khai suffer was extremely cathartic for me bc I could live out all my frustration and my anger about my irl-Khai in a safe space without making my irl-soap opera worse by running back to my own irl-Khai and starting a fight with him. And this scene and specifically this line right here? Was one of my top most satisfying suffering Khai moments.

Also, I want to add that I saw many people say they couldn't warm up to Khai even at the end of the series but... as gleeful as I was when I was watching Khai suffer, the more I rewatched the series the more appreciation I got for his development in the second half of the series. I saw a lot of growth and self-reflection that I never saw from my irl-Khai. In fact, I don't think that to this day my irl-Khai has even understood how his behaviour really hurt me and what specific shitty things he was doing that hurt me. And that is, despite me trying to explain it to him on multiple occasions. And I'm not saying that I would have liked my irl-Khai to have a cliche-romance-story moment where he realized that he was in love with me after all, bc god no. What would have been really nice tho is if he had at least realized and understood that he was being an asshole and how so. But alas, he never did. And that is why fictional Khai is the superior one. And despite me having the time of my life watching ficitonal Khai suffer... let it be known that I WILL be the No. 1 Khai apologist and defender.

Most Anticipated QL (& why):

I have been procrastinating this tag game for so long, at this point I could even answer with GMMTV 2024 QLs lmao.

Anyway, quite a bunch of the GMMTV 2023 QLs that I've been waiting for have already aired (or have started airing), but from the ones that aren't out yet my most anticipated one is definitely 23.5. I have been waiting for a MilkLove GL since BBS aired, it's been two years, where the fuck is it!!!!

Healthiest relationship in a QL:

Easy. PatPran. I want what they have.

No, for real though, they are so in tune with one another, they know each other inside out to the point where they often don't even have to say things out loud. They just know. They know exactly how to get under each other's skin, but also how to help each other and cheer each other up. And in general, they are so good at communicating. And even when they're fighting and arguing, they WILL always choose each other over everything and they WILL compromise and try to find a solution that works for both of them, because they want to stay in each others lives and they also want the other person to be happy. They care about each other and each other's well-being so much. We love to see it.

Most toxic relationship in a QL:

Idk, in general I haven't really watched any QLs that had super toxic relationships? I saw a whole bunch of people saying TharnType for this as well as VegasPete. But I refuse to watch TharnType (since I didn't hear a lot of good about it) and I also dropped out of KinnPorsche right before the VegasPete arc so I don't really know much about it apart from bits and pieces that I've picked up from my dash.

As for toxic relationships from something I've actually seen.... well, I guess the Only Friends gang is probably better off apart as well??

Guilty pleasure series:

It's 2023, cringe is dead. We are unapologetically enjoying things now.

But if I had to choose..... Idk, maybe Why R U????? Or maybe Star in My Mind, bc I know it's not super popular. But I don't really feel guilty about watching those two series and I will post about them on main.

As for Why R U, it's a hot mess but I mean, Saint and Zee?? Hello?? Saint and Zee – that's it, that's my argument.

And as for SIMM, well, I know the plot is super basic and boring but I just have a lot of fun watching JoongDunk. Watching them entertains me and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so I literally do not give a shit about what other people think and I also absolutely do not feel guilty about watching (and rewatching) and actually enjoying SIMM. There, I said it.

Tagging:

No one bc at this point it's been so long that I don't remember who has done this already and who hasn't. But if you see this and you haven't done this and you really wanna do it then let me be your reason to participate!!!! (and tag me!!) (@newyearknwwme have you done this yet? 👀)

Appendix:

Ok, fine, I couldn't help myself, I just HAD to gif Joong doing something comedic too:

He's doing something silly but just look how he's taking it completely seriously!!!!! Just look how serious he is about being silly!!!!! It's so good!!!! (actually the way he just carries on with a completely serious expression as if nothing ever happen in the 2nd gif he actually kinda reminds me just a little bit of buster keaton who would pull the funniest shit and not crack a single smile. have i mentioned i love to see it)

[stonesandswords]

.

[burstfoot]

Going back to launch year posts and seeing all of the skaspec is like when the yellow and black trailers came out and people were already shipping bumbleby

[ghostiicarus]

nothing a diet coke some chex mix and a raspberry zinger cant fix

[frobby]

I've been thinking about if a no home blue exorcist au would rin be haejoon or eunyung cuz they both have pros and cons but I've finally come up with the solution:

Haejoon and eunyung are actually yukishima coded thank you for coming

[ayyponine]

Me reading hanya yanagihara a little life is just going WOOF and needing to stand up and walk aimlessly around the room for a bit repeatedly

[your-dads-filing-cabinet]

I want you all to know that if my life was a movie or perhaps a very niche TV show I would have gotten so many "do I look like him?" by Tyler the Creator edits and they would eat so fucking hard

[alinathinkstoomuch]

A HELLO AND A KISS

pairing: aaron hotchner x lawyer!reader summary: aaron hotchner survives serial killers and endless paperwork—but apparently not you breezing past him without a hello, based on this request. (im so sorry, i got carried away and did not include the part of r meeting the team!!! pls dont hate me) warnings | an: jealous hotch, protective hotch, simp hotch, hotch is just down bad for his girl, one bj joke word count: 2.4k

✧ masterlist

You hadn’t come home last night.

Aaron had simply received a brief text: Don’t wait up. A case fell into my lap last minute. It wasn’t unusual—not in your line of work, and certainly not in his. You’d both sent that message before, more times than either of you could count. It came with the territory.

You and Aaron had always kept your professional lives separate. A clean, white, necessary line in the sand. It helped keep the bloodstained parts from crossing over and kept your dinner conversations from becoming post-mortems or courtroom recaps. After all, it was easier not to talk about the men Aaron arrested when you were the one prosecuting them.

He didn’t put it together right away.

But all five of his senses were attuned to you. Honestly? his sixth sense was you. He didn’t need to see you to know you were there—he could feel you, hear you, even smell you before he ever caught a glimpse.  It didn’t take much. Sometimes, it was just the sound of heels—your heels—that gave you away.

It was that click-clack rhythm that he had grown accustomed to over the months, filtering through early mornings when you forgot your keys, then your case notes, then your coffee. It trailed after you in the hallway, embedded in every corner where you’d left pieces of yourself scattered around his home.

And now, that same sound echoed from behind him, followed by the heavy thud of the courtroom door swinging shut.

“Can’t believe he’s actually trying to weasel out of this,” Prentiss muttered under her breath, just as you swept past their row.

The unsub’s public defender had filed a not-guilty plea days earlier—citing supposed evidence mishandling, mistaken identity, even floating some half-baked theory about a setup. It was desperate. Flimsy. But just credible enough to stall the trial, to buy time he didn’t deserve.

You didn’t look Aaron’s way. Didn’t slow your pace. You gave no reaction at all, just glided by, slipping into the prosecution’s chair like it was your usual seat at the office.

“New face,” Prentiss noted, leaning toward Hotch. “She wasn’t at the prelims was she?”

Hotch finally cleared his throat. “No.”

He meant to say more—something neutral, something about new counsel, something properly professional, something more him—but the words got stuck somewhere behind his ribs. Especially when the most him thing in the world was sitting right there, only meters away from a man he’d gladly kill with his bare hands if he so much as looked at you the wrong way.

Though, truthfully, he knew you’d get to him quicker with words, with strategy, with that cool, calculated tone that could cut deeper than any punch Hotch could throw.

You still hadn’t looked at him. Fully locked into that little world of yours, where the second you stepped into a courtroom, you grew fins and dermal denticles, transforming into a shark in couture and four-inch heels.

It stung. Just a little. But he knew why you were doing it. He just couldn’t begin to imagine what it must feel like to sit in a room and watch you give someone like that—worst of the worst—your full, undivided attention.

He’d only had the pleasure (and slight terror) of watching you in court twice before—neither case connected to the BAU and already, he was starting to sweat. Just a little. Maybe.

Aaron clamped his jaw tight, trying to keep his expression neutral, but the effort must’ve been visible because he caught Rossi huffing a laugh under his breath.

Of course Rossi knew. Rossi was the only one who’d actually met you off-duty. And the last thing Hotch needed was Rossi even hinting at the tiny, minuscule, barely-worth-mentioning fact that you wore Aaron’s old college t-shirt to bed, or that just a few hours ago, he’d been ogling your bare legs as you stumbled out of the shower, mumbling at him to go back to sleep.

Because as soon as Prentiss or Morgan—who already looked half-asleep in his seat—caught wind of it, it wouldn’t be a murder trial they were interested in anymore. No, it would turn into entertainment, something far more exciting than sitting at their desks, pretending to work through paperwork they never submitted on time anyway.

He shifted in his seat. No engagement was the best engagement, he figured.

Instead, he forced his eyes off you and onto the defendant, who was fiddling with his tie like that would suddenly make him more credible. Like anyone in the room would forget what he’d done just because he shaved and tucked in his damn shirt.

But the second you stood, rising slowly from your chair, Aaron’s gaze snapped right back to you, so fast it nearly gave him whiplash. Still, you didn’t look his way. Of course you didn’t. You were here to do a job. And right now, that job was dismantling a man with nothing but your voice.

He swallowed hard.

Yeah. He was definitely sweating now.

By the time the trial hit the halfway mark, he could tell your energy had changed—or was about to—with the unsub being called to the stand.

Hotch sat stiffly, watching you shuffle your notes with little effort. Morgan had finally roused enough to start paying attention, and Prentiss was scribbling away in the margins of her legal pad—none of which, Hotch would bet good money, had anything to do with the actual trial.

You stood once more, brushing that stubborn piece of hair away from your face—the one that always seemed to fall whenever you were reading something from above. He wished he could push it away for you, wished he could pull you out of this courtroom entirely, shield you from every ugly, broken thing the world could throw at you.

But then your voice cut through the room, reminding him that this was your job.

"Alright," you began, voice crisp but bored, like you were already three steps ahead. That’s what anyone else might think. But Aaron knew you were ahead five.

"Let’s go back to March 5th," you said, pausing just for a second. "You said you didn’t know Jessica Harlan."

"I didn’t," Tanner snapped back, so fast it almost made Hotch smile.

That kind of panic was never a good sign—and he knew it was one of your favourite tells. The second someone cracked like that, it was like flipping a switch, like flashing a green light across the battlefield. Go get him.

"Right," you hummed, nodding like you were humouring a stubborn child throwing a tantrum. "Right."

Another pause.

You were good at that—giving the poor soul on the receiving end (victim, really) of your arguing capabilities enough time to think. To second-guess themselves. Hotch had picked up on it early on, and when he’d once asked you about it, you gave him a dry, matter-of-fact answer: it gave people enough time to realise how stupid they sounded.

"And yet, a witness places your car parked across the street from her apartment two nights in a row. Same make, same model, same license plate."

Tanner shifted in the witness chair, but you didn’t rush him. You stood there, cool and composed, giving him just enough rope to hang himself.

“I –”

"Parked there?" you cut in, tilting your head like you were offering him an easy out. The trap was already set.

You reached for the remote, clicking the TV monitor on.

"Okay, that’s completely understandable," you considered with a polite nod toward the jury. "Though I’m not quite sure what your explanation is for getting out of the vehicle on the second night and standing in front of Jessica Harlan’s apartment for—" you glanced down at your watch, "—thirty-seven minutes."

You glanced back up, eyebrows raised just enough to look curious but not confrontational. Just a lawyer looking for answers.

Tanner opened his mouth, closed it, then looked down at his hands like maybe they’d have a better explanation than he did.

Aaron recognised the footage immediately, thanks to Garcia’s handiwork. The screen showed Tanner stepping out of his car, glancing around, and then just…standing there. Across the street from Jessica’s apartment building.

Doing absolutely nothing.

For thirty-seven minutes.

The same number of stab wounds Jessica and every other victim had endured.

You didn’t even glance at the screen. Your focus stayed fixed on Tanner like a blade against his throat.

“Maybe you were just out getting some fresh air. Though I’m not sure stalking is generally recommended for cardio.”

"Objection, Your Honour—" the defence attorney barked, already on his feet.

You raised a hand, before the judge even had time to respond. “Withdrawn.”

"I wasn’t watching her,” Tanner argued, drawing the attention back to himself.

"No?” you echoed, cocking your head to the side. “Then what were you doing, Mr Tanner? Practicing your standing endurance?"

He huffed out a weak laugh with no real humour behind it. It was the kind that people made when they realised they were cornered and didn’t have the tools to dig their way out.

“I just... needed some air,” he repeated, but even he didn’t sound convinced.

"I get it, I do," you agreed in faux sweetness. "We all need fresh air. Though it’s odd, don’t you think?"

“I’m sorry?”

“Jessica Harlan was stabbed thirty-seven times…" You took a step closer to Tanner, and Aaron had to physically stop himself from moving. Remind himself that you knew exactly what you were doing. That this was all part of the strategy. Even if, deep down, he wanted nothing more than to stand between you and every monster you faced.

"Which," you continued, "happens to be the exact number of minutes you spent outside her apartment."

Tanner swallowed, but that didn’t seem to faze you.

"Just like you spent thirty-seven minutes outside Eliza Horne’s place of work," you listed off, each word tightening the noose around Tanner’s neck. "Thirty-seven minutes outside the gym where Marissa Cole trained. Thirty-seven minutes at the café Danielle Ruiz visited every Thursday—”

Aaron felt Prentiss lean in beside him. “She’s good.”

He didn’t look away from you long enough to answer.

Good didn’t even begin to cover it.

You were extraordinary. And somehow—somehow—you were his.

He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve you, what twist of fate had put you in his path, but he would be grateful for it for the rest of his life.

Grateful that you had let him in.

Grateful that he got to see you whole.

Whether it was in a courtroom, where you left your smile and affection at the door to tear the truth out of some of the worst people, or in the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed—the way you teased him for how he pronounced pecan—he had seen it all. And he wouldn’t trade a second of it.

A nudge from Rossi pulled Aaron out of what felt like a permanent trance—the one you had managed to put him in with no effort whatsoever.

“Everything okay?”

He nodded, absently rubbing a hand over his jaw.

"Got you reminiscing about your prosecutor days?"

Aaron let out a breath that almost passed for a laugh. "I think if I’d stayed," he said, glancing back toward you, "she would’ve put me to shame."

"Would’ve been one hell of a show,” Rossi murmured. “Don’t let her get away.”

Aaron’s mouth tipped into the barest hint of a smile. He wasn’t planning on it. Hell would have to freeze over before he let even the smallest possibility of that happen.

His eyes found you again—right where they belonged—just as you finished with Tanner.

The day wound down eventually, and Aaron doubted the trial would drag on much longer, not after what you’d done to Tanner and his defence team. There wasn’t much left of them by the time you were finished.

He lingered just outside the courtroom, waiting. He’d managed to come up with a half-convincing excuse to stay behind, though neither Morgan nor Prentiss seemed to question it. They were too busy arguing over whether they could convince Penelope to hack into your trial schedule just so they could sit in on another one.

Not that Aaron could blame them.

The courthouse entrance doors swung open again, and you finally stepped through, files tucked under your arm, eyes fixed on your phone as you breezed past.

You didn’t even glance his way.

Again.

Aaron blinked. Really?

"So I don't even get a hello?" he asked, stepping lightly into your path with a raised brow. “Twice in one day. Must be losing my edge.”

You looked up, startled for half a second before your entire face lit up at the sight of him.

"I’m so sorry!" you blurted, already smiling. "You know how much I hate it when things fall into my lap last minute. I've been running around all day just trying to catch up—”

"No, no," he interjected, keeping his face painfully neutral, though the corners of his mouth twitched, just a little. "It’s fine. I’m obviously not that memorable."

"And I thought I was the needy one." You shook your head, still laughing under your breath as you tucked your phone away and shifted your files into one arm.

“Come here,” you cooed, hooking two fingers into the front of Aaron’s jacket, tugging him down.

He went willingly—no surprise there.

You pressed a kiss to his cheek first, soft and easy, before leaning in for a slower one on his lips. The kind that made him forget you were still technically in public.

"Better?" you asked, pulling back just enough to see the answer written all over his face.

"Only a little," he murmured, and before you could so much as blink, he reached out and took the files and your briefcase from your arms like it was second nature, like he’d been carrying your things for years.

“You carrying my stuff now, too?”

“Maybe I’m just trying to earn my next hello.”

You laughed, the sound unwinding every knot in Aaron’s chest, loosening him in ways only you ever could.

“Keep this up and you’ll have my mouth doing a lot more than just saying hello.”

Yeah.

He was completely gone.

tags - @fandomscombine @pastelpinkflowerlife @hazzyking @bernelflo @risenqueen1521 @jazzimac1967 @camihotchner @abschaffer2 @ill-be-okay-soon-enough @pacmillo-blog-blog @stilestotherescue @kiwriteswords @anvdala @supersanelyromantic @yourallaround-simp @percysley

[heavenlybodies333]

Professional Conduct My Ass -S.R

Spencer Reid x coworker!reader

You should’ve stopped at the second orgasm.

Maybe the third.

But Spencer had been looking at you like that—rumpled curls, shirt half-buttoned, a smug little smirk on his stupidly handsome face—and you had gone full slut. Now it was 7:12 AM, and you were in your bathroom mirror trying to make concealer do what no government-issued forensic cover-up ever could.

Your throat looked ravaged.

You tilted your head and winced. A neat ring of bruises, Spencer’s fingers like little trophies circling your neck in deep plum and ink-blue. And then the hickeys—dear God, the hickeys. He looked like a vampire victim.

You turned back to the bedroom, horrified. “We cannot go to the office like this.”

He was shirtless, bent over tying his shoes, and it was just—unfair. All lean lines and lanky muscle and a constellation of bruises blooming like wildflowers across his neck and shoulders.

You whistled. “I really went to town on you.”

“You bit me,” he said, straightening and pointing to a crescent mark just below his collarbone. “You left dental evidence.”

You shrugged. “It was a compliment. In the moment.”

He stared at you. “We have to go to work. With Hotch. And Morgan. And JJ. And Garcia. And we have a case briefing,” he said, rubbing his face like it physically pained him to remember.

You were too busy dabbing concealer onto your neck like a madwoman to look back at him. “You’re literally the smartest person in the Bureau and you let this happen.”

“Excuse me?” he shot back, slipping on his button-up with a hiss. “You bit me like I was a chew toy!”

“Only because you said—” You stopped yourself. “Never mind.”

He raised a brow. “‘Only because I said…?’ What?”

You muttered something about having a latex allergy and being turned on by fucking raw and kept blending.

You arrived at Quantico seven minutes late, coffee in hand, silently daring the elevator to move faster as you and Spencer stood like statues inside.

You sit down two chairs away from Spencer. Not next to him. Never next to him. You learned that lesson last week when you accidentally let your knees touch under the table and Morgan nearly imploded from curiosity.

He’s wearing a scarf.

Spencer Reid is wearing a scarf. In July.

JJ arches a brow. Morgan outright snorts. “Pretty boy, what’s with the neckwear? You join a jazz band?”

You immediately shove a too-hot sip of coffee in your mouth to avoid making a noise. Spencer blinks at Morgan like a man choosing violence.

“Had a sore throat this morning,” he says too quickly. “Didn’t want it to get worse.”

Garcia, bless her meddling heart, swivels around in her chair. “Oh no! Are you sick? Do you need tea? I have lemon ginger in my desk—”

“No! No. I’m fine.” Spencer coughs, like he’s trying to make the lie more convincing. “Just… precautionary.”

Emily’s eyes flick from him to you, to the scarf, to your turtleneck, then down to your wrists, where you accidentally forgot to cover one of his bruises with foundation. A ring-shaped imprint from his hand still lingers faintly. Her brow arches. Her mouth twitches.

You pretend not to notice. You focus on the whiteboard.

Hotch walks in, files in hand.

“Morning,” he says. “Briefing’s starting now. Let’s keep it efficient.”

9:12am Post-Brief Coffee

You’re waiting for coffee when Emily walks in, holding a mug and a smug look.

“Nice neck,” she says casually.

You freeze. “Excuse me?”

“You and Reid are really subtle, you know that?”

You nearly spill your drink. “We’re not—”

She holds up her hand. “Relax. I don’t care. Just… maybe cool it with the murdery makeout sessions before team meetings.”

Your face burns. “Noted.”

“And FYI,” she adds, stepping past you, “you’ve got a bite mark on your shoulder. Left side. Might wanna rethink the tank top.” You glance down and swear under your breath.

Walking back to your desk, coffee in hand before you collapse into your chair. Spencer sent you a text from across the bullpen:

SPENCER: We are so bad at being secretive.

YOU: I told you not to leave a fingerprint on my neck.

SPENCER: You told me to choke you.

YOU: I was drunk on your nerd dick. That doesn’t count.

SPENCER: Fair. Still. We need a new plan.

YOU: New plan: no more fucking before briefings.

SPENCER: Counter-offer: we fuck gently next time.

You met his eyes across the room.

That smug little smile was back. You bit your lip.

God help you.

You were going to do it all over again.

a/n: hehehe