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mrsalwayswrite · 2 months ago

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Be My Shield (Liam Mairi x OC)

Summary: She did not expect to find an ally while waiting to cross the parapet, but she easily accepted his protection…and then offered her own.

This is my submission for @empyreanevents Liam Week- Day 2: Protective. Also this is my first time writing for Fourth Wing and Liam so i hope you like it! I read 'protective' and this is what my brain immediately thought of.

Quick note- in this fic, Liam and Bodhi are the same age and entering the Rider's Quadrant together, which makes Xaden a second year.

Warnings: violence, minor character death (its parapet, y'all)

Words: 5k

The morning dragged by, the burning sun inching across the sky like an archaic form of torture to weed out the weak and unworthy.

Unfortunately, it seemed to be working.

Leyla peeked over the edge of the stone stairs, careful of the lack of railing and the chance of plummeting the two hundred plus steps to the hard ground below. She glanced down at the other foolish recruits standing idly in the long line of those waiting to cross the parapet and hopefully join the Rider's Quadrant. More than once, as the morning transitioned into midday, cries from recruits signaled another potential had fainted as they waited, the unexplainable heatwave taking its toll.

“Can they move any fucking faster? It's fucking hot out here.”

Staring at the stone steps beneath her feet, she allowed the eyeroll at the whining of the man-child standing in front of her. Zinhal was certainly punishing her for her lack of temple worship if he stuck her behind this asshat.

“I bet it's those marked ones. I saw a couple ahead of us.” The one in front of the man-child spoke without heed of his loud volume. “Fucking separtists’ kids.”

Biting the inside of her cheek was the only physical indicator of her annoyance Leyla allowed to manifest. Even after all these years, her mother's training of keeping her emotions to herself still wrapped around her like a muzzle.

“Ha! They're all cowards anyway. I'd bet they see the parapet and freeze, too fucking scared to walk it.” The man-child wiped sweat from his brow and his close-cropped hair.

The line up the stairs moved forward two steps then stopped again.

“Maybe I'll help encourage them along.” He chuckled darkly. “They're not technically cadets until they cross the threshold, right?”

“Nothing stopping them from encouraging you to see Malek then.” She muttered, wondering if her eyes would be permanently stuck in the back of her head from rolling them so much at this idiot's statements.

Could he not see the massive target his haughty statements slapped onto his back? Even if most of the Narravians disliked the marked ones for what their parents did, that did not mean those same marked ones would not protect their own. And in a place like this…where murder was basically encouraged…she doubted he would live long if he kept talking like that.

The sudden snort-laugh behind her made her eyes widen and her stomach drop as she realized someone overheard her snarky comment.

The realization solidified when the man-child turned around to stare down at her, a thick jaw clenched reminding her of her old neighbor's bulldog. “Did you say someth–” His words cut off, anger draining away as he finally acknowledged the person standing behind him. In the span of two heartbeats, his entire demeanor predictably shifted. A sleazy smirk drew up one side of his mouth and his dark eyes scanned her body like it was a treat up for auction at the market.

Leyla wisely kept the eyeroll internal this time, yet stiffened her spine at his unwanted attention. Unfortunately she was stuck, unable to escape as they stood high up on the stone stairs, almost to the crowded, open doorway of the turret. Man-child stood in front of her, looming taller as he stood above her, even though she guessed he was only several inches taller than her own average height, but it was his barrel chest and bulky form that reinforced her prior observation of a bulldog. Behind her stood a tall and very attractive blond, that she had briefly said ‘hi’ to when they first stood in line but she kept her focus on her feet, trying to keep her fears and doubts from strangling her. The only other way to escape man-child was to jump from the stairs and that was the last thing she was willing to do. Some asshole with the intelligence of a cracked walnut was not about to influence her future.

He placed a hand on the stone wall between them, bicep flexing against his short sleeve shirt. “Hey, beautiful.”

She stared over his shoulder, her jade green eyes focused on the turret.

“Are you Loial in the flesh because I think I might be falling in love?”

“The line moved.” She deadpanned, still refusing to look at him.

He peered over his shoulder and sure enough, the line had taken two more steps upward while he was distracted. Of course, once he moved up, he turned back to continue his barrage.

“What's your name, beautiful?”

“No.”

“No?”

Ignoring him, she tucked her shoulder-length black hair behind her ear, allowing a moment to mourn her real hair. It was foolish of her to think cutting and dyeing her hair would repel unwanted attention. Stupid genetics.

“Ohhh…is this one of those ‘you're not worthy to learn my name yet’ things? That's fine. It just makes the victory all the sweeter.” He nudged his companion standing in front of him in line. “Hey, Rus.”

“What is it–Oh fuck.” Rus said once he looked around his companion and noticed her, his blue eyes trailing over her with the subtlety of war horn.

If their attention was not so wholeheartedly predictable and aggravating, she would have laughed. She had been standing behind them for hours and they just now noticed her. She knew those around her were twenty years old but gods, she had hoped for some sense of maturity from those wanting to protect their kingdom.

“She won't tell me her name.” Man-child said, his dark gaze trained back on her.

“Aw, come on, baby. You need allies in a place like this.” The other- Rus- smiled winsomely. “And I promise, Iver and I would be beneficial allies.”

“Yeah, we'd look out for you.” Iver reached out, trying to touch her shoulder. “You know…mutually beneficial.”

Leaning back, she twisted her body before he could make contact, ignoring how it brought her closer to the tall man behind her. “Don't touch me.” She flatly stated, even as annoyance burned away inside her to unearth anger.

Iver blinked before chuckling in a way that was anything but humorous or friendly. “Don't be like that. We're just being friendly. A beautiful girl like you needs someone to protect her, who knows what might happen if she's all alone.”

Leyla tried to suppress the shudder slinking down her spine. How was she already making enemies when she had not even crossed the parapet yet? She was supposed to keep her head down, blend in as much as possible and survive.

“The line moved, asshole.” A deep, soothing voice spoke from directly behind her.

Iver glared at the man behind her before turning and taking the eight steps along with his friend to the top of the stairs, bringing them directly to the turret's open door.

“Are you alright?”

She turned to look at the man behind her. “Yeah.” She replied, selfishly allowing herself a moment to appreciate how handsome he was, especially under the midday sun. His blond hair shone, tousled with longer strands swept over his forehead. Even with her standing two steps above him, he still managed to be taller than her. Broad shoulders, an obviously muscular body that his short sleeve tunic could not fully mask, and toned arms, she wondered if Loial had a hand in creating him, especially with his sharp jaw, plush lips and bright blue eyes that stared at her like her answer was the most important thing in this moment.

“Do you want to switch places with me?” He questioned, his soothing voice a caress to her ears.

She hesitated, the word ‘yes’ on the tip of her tongue before she shoved it back down. How was she going to survive the Rider's Quadrant if she could not even handle a couple of assholes, let alone dragons? No, she needed to be strong…even if she felt anything but strong or prepared for what lay ahead.

“It's fine. Thank you.” She took the first step upward before throwing back over her shoulder. “Unless he starts farting, then I'll definitely switch. He looks like he would smell like death.”

The blond behind her snickered as he followed her up. “Write that on my tombstone. It wasn't the parapet or dragons that killed me. It was a deadly fart.”

Slapping a hand over her mouth, she stifled the laugh that erupted at his blasé comment. She stopped at the top step, one down from the top of the turret, and turned back to the blond. Something fluttered in her belly at the genuine smile and sparkle in his eyes. “I'd never allow your reputation that disgrace. It'd be shameful. I'll come up with something more interesting.”

“What’s more interesting than death by fart?”

“Well, obviously, you wanted to make a reputation for yourself before you even crossed the parapet….it's just a damn shame that you decided to try and cross the parapet by walking on your hands the whole way. I mean, it would be very impressive if you succeeded but alas…” she sighed dramatically and shook her head in faux melancholy, “Malek found you amusing and stole you away. A real tragedy.”

She fully faced him as she spoke, giving herself front row seats as his smile grew, revealing dimples in both cheeks and she had to remind herself not to swoon. Loial definitely had a strong opinion when he was created. She lazily wondered if he was blessed by the goddess of love also or just a recipient of her favor in genetics.

“That's the story we're going with?” He asked, mirroring her pose.

“Unless you can think of something better?”

“No, I think that'll work.”

She opened her mouth to reply when a hand on her shoulder whipped her around roughly, making her almost lose her balance on the slick stairs and tumble off if the blond behind her had not latched his hands onto her waist to steady her.

“Stop fucking ignoring me. You're too pretty to die this soon.” Iver stated, his eyes drifted down to the pair of hands on her body. His eyes widened for a brief moment before they narrowed into slits, directed at the man behind her. “A marked one. Makes fucking sense. You know what, beautiful, I wouldn't touch you since you let those dogs put their hands on you. I bet you fucking moan when they rut into you.”

“Shut the fuck up before I make you.” The blond snarled, his grip tightening on her as if that alone prevented him from lunging at the asshole in front of them.

“Hey! The line moved! Fight on the other side!” Someone from further down the stairs yelled out.

Iver turned around but not before sneering at her like she was shit beneath his boots.

Once he moved forward, Leyla started to take the final step up but the hands still on her waist remained, preventing her from moving. She looked up, above her shoulder to meet his furious gaze.

“We're switching spots.” He demanded quietly.

“Okay.” She breathed out, desperate to mask the tremor in her voice.

Gently and carefully, he moved around her, keeping her body against the stone wall and purposefully putting himself towards the open air and the long fall down to the ground. It was as he switched with her that she finally took note of his rebellion relic. The mark traveled from his wrist and up his arm, the rest hidden by his tunic. The swirls and sharp lines stunning in their design but laced with the despair of what it represented.

She had never met a marked one before, tucked away in the country like she had been. Of course, she had heard the stories surrounding the Rebellion and what had happened to the leaders’ children but…she was the last person to blame children for the sins of their parents.

Leyla might not have a mark on her arm but she felt marked all the same.

“He shouldn’t have said that about you.”

She shrugged, gazing out over the expansive fields surrounding Basgiath. “That’s not the first time someone has tried to insult me. I’m sorry too. About what he implied about marked ones. I don’t think that.”

“I know.”

She turned her face to look up at him upon hearing his smug tone.

Those dimples made a reappearance as he leaned down to whisper. “You wouldn’t have been checking me out earlier if you thought that.”

“Shut up.” She grumbled, heat warming her cheeks to an embarrassing degree.

Luckily the line moved once more and she was momentarily saved from her embarrassment. The turret’s top was open to the air, allowing an unobstructed view of the ravine and river on the other side…and the two hundred foot drop from the stone parapet.

Observations of the turret’s stonework or the three riders standing at the entrance to the parapet suddenly vanished from her mind as she stared at the long stone trail, only eighteen inches in width, that she was expected to cross to join the Rider’s Quadrant, or fall to her death. Success or failure.

Gods, what was she thinking? This was a terrible idea, the absolute worst. Fear bloomed within her chest, tendrils slipping out to prick her with thorns, constricting her heart. A nauseating wave of understanding doused her in its icy chill. She had heard rumors and stories of what the Quadrant entailed, of the death tolls, the violence and terror it caused. It was not until this moment she truly believed it. And now she was going to voluntarily try to join.

How could she do this? If anyone found out…. But what else could she do? This was her best chance to survive…or not. Either way, at least she tried. At least she could say she did not give up.

“Name?” One of the three riders waiting by the entrance, which just looked like a gaping hole in the stonework, asked in a clearly bored tone.

“Liam Mairi.” The blond stated confidently to the roll-keeper.

Anxiety and fear danced a tango in her belly as she watched him move forward to stand at the entrance, waiting for the signal to take his turn and prove he deserved to be a cadet. Two other riders loitered around, barely shifted their posture, but she could tell they were talking to him…to Liam. Staring at them, she belatedly took notice of the winding rebellion relics on their own arms. Two more marked ones, but ones that were riders already. A hint of something, perhaps gratitude, coiled in her belly in knowledge that there were others like Liam already in the Quadrant, he would not be alone.

Unlike her.

But she had to remain so to survive.

“I said ‘name’, girl, or are you deaf?” The roll-keeper snapped.

“Sorry,” she immediately apologized, ducking her head, “it's…ah, Leyla Rivers.”

The rider wrote down her name, barely sparing her a glance as he covered a yawn and gestured her forward. Taking a step, moving behind Liam, she wondered how embarrassing it would be if she vomited right then. Would they make her clean it up? Would they laugh and throw her off the parapet? The rolling of her stomach was about to make a decision for her when a gentle touch startled her. A large, warm hand wrapped around her own shaking one and squeezed.

“Hey.”

Daring to be brave, she looked up and was greeted by those bright, blue eyes again.

“I'll see you on the other side.” He said in that soothing tone, imbued with confidence.

“Okay.” She took a deep breath, a poor attempt to soak in his reassurance and smiled softly, not wanting his last memory of her to be surrounded in panic, not that it really mattered if he remembered her. “No walking on your hands.” She teased.

He chuckled. “I'll try my best.”

“Then neither of us have to worry about meeting Malek today.”

“Liam, stop flirting with the pretty girl and get going.” One of the marked ones by the entrance drolled, but with a familiar undertone to the remark.

Liam winked at her and squeezed her hand once more before releasing it. “Ignore Garrick, he’s always been upset that I'm obviously more handsome than him.”

“For fuck’s sake.” The marked one that was as wide as a barn door and with huge muscles for days groaned, rolling his eyes. “Xaden, if I push him off–”

“You know he’d float with all the hot air in his big head.” The taller marked one with dark onyx eyes lazily said but smiled for a brief moment, turning his dark, broody aura into something warm before killing it once again.

“Hilarious, the both of you.” Liam snarked back. Placing his hands on either side of the entrance, he froze for a moment, meeting intense onyx eyes and sharing a brief nod before stepping out onto the parapet and the open air surrounding it.

Chilling anxiety and crippling nerves gripped her with an iron fist. She watched with bated breath as Liam casually walked across the stone parapet like it was a leisurely stroll, arms by his side and an dauntless swagger to his gait that would have been distracting if she was not terrified for his safety.

Once Liam made it to the quarter mark, the marked one- Garrick- she thought, finally spoke to her. “Step up.”

Wordlessly she followed the order, her gaze only drifting briefly to the massive second year and the one with onyx eyes. She startled at seeing those scrutinizing onyx eyes staring at her, gazing at her in a way that felt assessing, like he was trying to read her secrets. He was truly gorgeous with dark hair, tawny skin and a sharp jawline but something about him unnerved her and she quickly darted her gaze away, focusing on watching Liam continue to cross.

It was when Liam was almost to the halfway mark that Zinhal decided to show his fickle hand.

“Go.” She heard from beside her, shoving down the rising terror and taking that first uneven step onto the parapet.

Yet when she looked back up, her heart leapt into her throat.

Liam was warily taking steps back, dodging powerful swings from Iver who had gone before him but clearly turned back.

As if on their own accord, her feet slowly moved forward, her own terror forgotten on the turret as her gaze refused to abandon the sight of the fight happening. She knew hardly anything about fighting, her training was more focused on being a lady, but she could tell Liam remained defensive, only blocking yet giving ground with each step.

Everything changed in a split second.

Iver overswung, losing his balance on the narrow stone walkway. Liam blocked the swing towards his side. Instinctually, Iver gripped onto Liam’s arm as if that would steady himself, like a drowning man clambering over another to try and stay above the deadly waters.

Gravity, and Zihnal, chose otherwise.

They both started to topple over the side, a petrifying shriek yanked from Iver's throat as he grasped at the taller blond.

WIthout thinking, Leyla raced along the parapet, ignoring the two hundred foot drop on either side of her, outrunning the terror previously eating away at her.

With a pained shout, Liam slammed onto the parapet, arms blindly reaching across to grip onto the narrow stonework as his legs and torso dangled freely over the ravine. Iver clung to Liam’s waist like a parasite, loudly cursing and screaming to be pulled up.

Liam’s head shot up, mouth in a grimace, as his gaze locked on hers when she slid next to him on her knees. “No, it's too–”

“Don't let go!” She demanded, locking her arms around his shoulders, pressing her forehead against his temple, desperately hoping it would keep him from falling.

“Wasn't planning on it.”

“PULL ME UP! FUCKING PULL ME UP!”

Leyla lifted her head just enough to meet Iver's wide, panicked eyes.

“DON'T JUST FUCKING SIT THERE! HELP US THE FUCK UP!”

She dropped her forehead back to Liam's temple, her lips brushing against his ear. “Can you do it? Pull yourself up?”

“Just my weight…fuck!...not his too.” He grunted with eyes closed, the strain of hanging on evident.

Realization settled on her like a boulder dropped onto her back. She knew the Rider's Quadrant was hard, that it was ruthless and death would be the shadow that followed all cadets…she just had not expected to taste its darkness so soon.

“Fuck!” Liam shouted, torso jostling as he quickly readjusted his hold on the uneven stones. “Princess, let go. I can't– you need to let go.”

“No! Hold on…just don't give up yet, sunshine!” She commanded, mind scrambling on how to help. A renewed sense of panic bloomed in her chest but she valiantly tried to ignore it, logic warring with everything she had been taught all her life.

Under the bright afternoon sun, a thin shadow wrapped around her wrist and fiercely tugged. At any other time, she would have gaped and screamed but with the adrenaline and mind-numbing panic coursing through her, her mouth remained sealed shut. Her gaze followed as the shadow guided her hand across Liam's back to his ribs, nudging her as it spread across a hard line. Acting on instinct, her hand wrapped around something hard, but it was not until she tugged it out that she recognized what it was. A slim dagger.

Oh gods.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, BITCH?”

She only allowed herself one heartbeat, one brief second before she changed her world forever. Or maybe once she stepped foot in the line to join the Rider's Quadrant, that alone set things into motion. She gave into the growing horror for the span of a breath then forcibly locked it away in her mind.

Gritting her teeth, she leaned over Liam's back and stabbed one of the parasitic hands wrapped around his waist.

A scream ruptured the air around them but she tried to pretend it was only a bird of prey's cry. Not because of her. Not because of what she was doing.

So, she stabbed again.

Just a bird’s cry. The wetness on her hands was only rain drops. Don’t focus. Just act. Don’t…

Oh gods.

Making sure to avoid Liam, she solely focused on Iver's hands and wrists, stabbing one more time.

With a pain-fueled wail, those bloodied hands released…

…and Iver dropped, screaming all the way to the rushing river below.

“Shit.” She gasped, sitting back on her knees, bile coating the back of her throat. Blood splattered across her hand, still painfully gripping the handle of the dagger.

“Princess?”

“Can you–can you get up?” She sputtered, tremors racking her body at the knowledge of what she had just done.

Liam nodded, back and arms flexing. “I think so…back up.”

She scooted back on her butt a little but refused to move more, terrified she would fall off with how badly she was shaking.

Carefully he pulled himself up until his torso was over the parapet and then turned like one would to get out of a pool. It was not until he was balanced precariously on his knees facing her that she let out the breath clogging her lungs.

“Are you hurt?” Those blue eyes scanned over her, the edge of fear still coloring his tone.

She shook her head, throat tight like the very air was trying to suffocate her.

“Come on, let's go.”

“I can’t…” She whispered, terror and horror breaking through her mental box, freezing her limbs to the stone beneath her. Malek…she killed someone.

“Hey, look at me.” He reached out, cupping her cheek as he forced her gaze to hold his. “I won’t let you fall, okay? We can do this.”

Then he dropped his hand from her cheek and grabbed her clenched fist in front of her. Slowly he opened it, slipping his fingers into the empty space between hers. With a fleeting smile, he squeezed her hand before rising.

Following his actions, she rose too.

Above the horror and terror.

Above the raging river that would claim dozens of bodies this day.

She shoved it all aside and willed herself to survive.

Still holding hands, they began to walk towards the other side, that distant entrance to the Rider’s Quadrant. She could feel her hand shaking in his, which only seemed to make him tighten his grip on her. She kept her eyes on his broad back, refusing to look down. The sun burned down upon her face but she welcomed the sting, anything to dilute the writhing emotions swirling in her body and mind like poisonous snakes.

As they approached and then crossed the threshold to the Quadrant, those poisonous emotions slithered to the back of her mind, leaving her feeling drained and exhausted.

“Well that was fucking dramatic.” The woman standing just on the inside with a scroll and pen stated flatly, making a rider standing next to her laugh. “Names?”

“Liam Mairi.”

The rider nodded and then pointedly eyed her. “And yours?”

“Leyla Rivers.”

“Find a spot to sit until formation. Welcome to the Rider's Quadrant, cadets.”

“You two are off to a good start.” The companion chuckled, nudging the roll-keeper.

Without sparing them a second glance, Leyla silently followed Liam, allowing him to draw her further into the Quadrant. Almost as soon as they passed the roll keeper, Liam was bodily dragged into a fierce hug. He released her hand, slapping his companion happily on the back.

“Took you long enough. I almost came out to get your ass, but they wouldn't let me back onto the parapet.” The dark-haired companion with a matching rebellion relic on his arm said, after smacking Liam one more time on the back. “You don't have to be such a show-off.”

Liam chuckled, taking a step back and returning to Leyla’s side. “I had to make it interesting. You practically skipped across it.”

“Well, Xaden told me if I did something stupid like fall, he'd wring my neck…can't imagine what he's going to do to you.”

“Oh fuck.”

The dark-haired companion chuckled. “Lucky for you, you had a gods-sent savior.” He finally looked at her, a smile growing on his face. “Thank you for saving his ass.”

“I'd say ‘anytime’ but I really don't want to do that again.” She softly murmured.

He laughed, tawny skin catching the sunlight, before jerking his head towards where the crowd of cadets loitered. “Come on, let's find somewhere to wait.”

She paused as the two started to walk away, unsure if she was meant to follow them. When a large, warm hand wrapped around hers, tugging her along, she easily relented.

The three of them secured a spot against one of the outer walls, dropping to sit on the dirt floor. She found herself sandwiched between the two taller men, but instead of fear, comfort skated down her nerves, even though she could sense the bone-deep horror and tremors only a heartbeat away. Right now, she tried to ignore it. To revel in the reality that she made it, she was a cadet! Amongst the sea of strangers and danger ahead, she relaxed into the cove of momentary peace her companions’ surrounding presence offered, soaking it in like parched ground.

“Shit, you've got blood on you.”

Leyla startled as Liam gently grasped her hand, sliding the dagger from her palm. In the mental chaos of crossing the parapet, she had not noticed the dagger still in her grip. “Oh.”

“Are you hurt?” He asked, wiping off the blood on the bottom of his pants before sliding the dagger back into its sheath against his ribs.

“Shouldn't I be asking you that?”

“I'll be fine.”

To her shock, he lifted the hem of his dark tunic and used it to clean the drying splatters of blood off her hand. She caught a glimpse of a firm core and the faint outline of abs before she quickly darted her gaze back up to his face, hoping what brief flash of heat she felt did not transfer to her cheeks. Now was certainly not the time to be ogling him.

Then something hit her. “Wait…did you call me ‘princess’ back there?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” Her heart raced at the potential implications of his answer.

He leaned back against the wall, lips curled upward in a smirk that drew out a dimple in his cheek. “Well, you were quite demanding, telling me to hold on. I figured ‘princess’ fit.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “I'm fairly certain you called me ‘sunshine’ right back.”

What building tension whooshing out of her so quickly, she felt momentarily lightheaded. It was just a silly nickname. He did not mean anything by it.

She ignored his latter comment, not about to reveal how struck she was by him at their initial meeting and how his warmth and their lighthearted humor reminded her of sunshine. “Well, I didn't feel like working on your tombstone today so I told you to hold on and Malek to fuck off.”

That drew a startled laugh from the men on either side of her and a responding, weak smile grew on her lips.

“I think you'll be fun to have around.” The dark-haired man chuckled, then held out a hand in front of her. “Bodhi Durran.”

She took it, giving it a quick shake before wrapping her arms around herself again. “Leyla Rivers.”

“Who else made it across?” Liam asked in a hushed tone.

Leyla zoned out as the two quietly spoke over her. Gods, she hoped she made the right choice. What was this place going to do to her? How was it going to change her? She had not even fully entered into the Quadrant and she had already murdered someone! The reminder made her breath hitch in her throat and horror clawed its way towards her lungs. She could not do this. She had literal blood on her hands. Someone died because of her. The back of her throat tasted of bile once again and she wondered if she had enough time to sprint for somewhere seclusive before vomiting.

Before she could spiral further, a warm hand covered hers, tugging her into a broad chest. Without thinking, she leaned against Liam, absorbing his comfort and warmth. Taking slow breaths, she waited for the swelling nausea to subside, for the faint trembling of her hands to dissipate.

She desperately hoped she had not made a mistake. She had heard it sworn once that those that attempted the Rider's Quadrant either came out on the back of a dragon or dead…but she silently rationalized to herself that either was a better option to the alternative.

At least HE could not find her here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yes, this is feels like the first chapter of a series. My brain can't stop thinking about Liam & Leyla so we'll see if I continue and ignore all my other WIPs.

#mz writes #mz edits #fourth wing #fourth wing fanfic #fourth wing fandom #onyx storm #iron flame #the empyrean #the empyrean series #liamweek2025 #liam mairi x oc #liam mairi imagines #bodhi durran #xaden riorson #garrick tavis #the empyrean fanfic

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tapesfrom1980 · 8 days ago

Note

hi! can i request a walker scobell fic? maybe something along the lines of him talking about his gf in an interview and all of his friends messing with him over it lol! i just think that would be really cute 😚

interviews & exposed secrets , walker scobell x reader

“i’m walker scobell.”

“i’m aryan simhadri.”

“and i’m leah sava jeffries.”

the trio smiled as they looked in the camera, adjusting themselves in their chairs as the director gave them the queue to start.

“thanks for joining us guys! it’s such a pleasure to finally meet you.” the interviewer, a woman in her late 20’s, grinned at the three teenagers.

“thanks for having us.” walker smiled. it was time for their press tour before the release of the new Percy Jackson season. this was one of their last interviews of the day, and the three were starting to feel a little bit tired, despite trying not to show it on camera.

“you guys look great! last time you were here, it was about 3 years ago before the release of your first season. did you think the show was going to blow up as much as it did?”

“it definitely took us by surprise, i remember when people started coming up to us for pictures and screaming and i remember just being like ‘what is going on??” leah laughed as she recalled the time when they started gaining popularity.

“yeah for sure, suddenly i was getting a bunch of new followers on my socials and my agent would tell me how good the show was doing and it was just so surreal. im beyond grateful to be where i am right now.” aryan smiled. “although i’m still not completely used to people coming up to my screaming, i can’t lie.”

the interviewer laughed and shook her head in amusement. “what about you walker?”

“i knew the show was definitely going to be popular in retrospect, because i mean Percy Jackson is a classic, but not to the extent it did.” he ran a hand through his hair. “i had like two roles before Percy and wasn’t really known, and suddenly thousands of people will recognize me in like a 7/11 or at the mall or something. it was definitely a big transition. but i’m very lucky to have gone through it with a tight group of friends.” aryan and leah smiled at him, awwing dramatically. “awww walker you love us.”

“so about the show, what can we expect from this new season? is there any crazy plot twists you think fans will be surprised by, maybe something to do with the new characters?” walker perked up at the mention of new characters. he thought of his girlfriend, y/n l/n, and how she had been recently introduced into the show.

“oh for sure! we have some pretty cool new cast members, daniel diemer, tamara smart, andra day, and of course y/n l/n.” walker gave his signature grin, eyes lighting up at the chance of mentioning his girlfriend. leah and aryan exchanged a knowing look. “i can’t say too much, but their performances are definitely going to shock or even upset some people, they’re amazing.

“y/n, she was actually here just two days ago. very talented girl!” the interviewer smiled.

“oh yeah walker knows alll about that.” aryan stifled a laugh as walker elbowed him.

while the two weren’t necessarily a secret, they had just been more private and didn’t always publicly talk about each other. however, walker felt like this was an exception.

“who am i to deny she’s talented?” he joked. the interviewer raised a brow.

“speaking of…you guys have been seen together quite often these days. anything to mention about that?” she pretended to act like it was a big secret.

“she’s an amazing girl, and the perfect addition to the show. i genuinely doubt this season would’ve been as good without her. she worked so hard for the role and i think she deserves her flowers.” leah awwed and pushed his shoulder back and forth teasingly.

“well she definitely got her flowers. from walker. like every single day after filming.” aryan joked as walker started turning red.

“zeus HIMSELF could not tear those two apart. i know people assume it’s for PR and stuff but what they have is REAL and insanely beautiful.” leah emphasized. walker ran his hands through his hair, loving the positivity about his relationship but also wanting to sink into a hole into the ground.

“their fighting scenes always take the longest because walker cannot stop smiling at her or letting her win because he’s afraid to hurt her. i think at some point they had to use a stunt double for y/n because of that actually.” the two laughed as walker rolled his eyes.

“alright guys we get it.” walker huffed as his friends laughed in their own little bubble.

“to be honest, i think the fans have been waiting for this, it’s definitely been a long time coming.” the interviewer reassured walker.

walker smiled, his mind wandering to what he’s going to do after this interview. go home, shower, go to y’n’s house and get a hundred kisses to make up for none today thus far, debrief about their day, and cuddle till they fall asleep.

he thought about what she would say about the interview and leah and aryan’s big mouths. he envisioned her laughing about it and teasing him for blushing so hard and—

“hello earth to walker?? did we lose you??”

this day cannot end any faster.

#walker scobell #percy jackson #walker scobell x reader #tapesfrom1980

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anoant-haikyuu-dump · 24 days ago

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ANT'S NEKOMA BAND AU

*assume they’re in their early 20s

Kuroo/Yaku: These two are together because they play the same roll, co-lead vocalist/guitarist. Both of them are convinced that it was their idea to start the band and that they’re the leading man; since they can’t come to an agreement they alternate (begrudgingly). Bickering all the time, can’t make it through an interview without shouting over each other, but they share the same passion for music and making this band succeed. They’re also both songwriters— Kuroo handles the slow balad-types whereas Yaku likes faster, more energetic rock. It all started with a shitty cover band they made in high school with Kai, the rest was history.

Kai: Keyboardist and the third member to join, invited by the other two in high school and stuck with them ever since. He played classical piano throughout his childhood so the transition to keyboard was easy. Main composer, he comes up with the initial melodies for most of their songs. Also the only thing keeping this group together, he takes over when Yaku and Kuroo start arguing during interviews. The only one to know who actually started the band (he’ll never tell.)

Tora: Drummer and fourth member to join, invited after the group heard him playing at a bar during a night out. Great drummer but he’s impatient and tends to throw in fills where they don’t belong, it gets on Kuroo’s nerves since he’s the CEO of slow songs and Tora keeps speeding shit up. Despite that he's incredibly dedicated and has a deep respect for his seniors. Practicing 24/7, the type of drummer to obnoxiously tap on everything with pencils or chopsticks.

Fukunaga: Bassist and fifth (and last) member to join. Brought on by Tora, who saw him walking with a bass on his back one day, remembered Kuroo talking about needing a bassist, and dragged him to practice without even hearing him play. Luckily he was good cause Kuroo was pissed. The unsung hero of the band, you barely realize he’s playing until he’s gone (though he sometimes gets moments to shine with slap bass solos). Arranges the rhythm parts of their songs with Tora.

Kenma: The band’s manager, deals with getting them gigs, finances, scheduling, and any other organizational stuff. Originally he was just helping out because he and Kuroo are childhood friends but as the band got more popular they hired him officially. Tech genius, his spreadsheets are no joke. Also very business-savy since he went to college for that before dropping out. Doesn't perform but Kuroo has dragged him on stage several times because they want him to feel less like an overseer and more like a core part of the band.

Shibayama/Inuoka: Roadies— deal with instrument maintenance, sound mixing, moving equipment, etc. They got the job through Yaku, who was Shibayama's senior when they worked together at a convenient store in college. They both do everything but have their specialties. Inuoka is great at moving stuff, he can carry entire speakers by himself and has the stamina of a horse. Shibayama mainly deals with technical stuff since he has experience in sound and light engineering. Despite being roadies they're pretty close to the band, they play cards together on the tour bus and grab lunch outside of work.

Lev: The first social media manager, hired by Yaku as a favor to his sister (which he quickly regretted). Amazing at promotion and social media posts but he tends to get into fights with people in the comments since he replies to negative comments like an idiot. As the band grows he eventually gets promoted to roadie/technician with Inuoka and Shibayama. He's also a skilled guitarist so he fills in for Kuroo/Yaku when needed.

Teshiro: The second social media manager, hired to stop Lev from getting them into controversies. Damage control whiz, he always has the perfect response for anyone's (Lev's) public mistakes. Also helps Kenma with managerial duties, especially anything detail-oriented. He's the guy with the clipboard.

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mortalfaerie · 11 months ago

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hi here's a little series on what i think the gravity falls kids grew up to do since they're 25 now

Pacifica "Paz" Northwest

after weirdmagedden, she became increasingly disenchanted with her parent's and their worldview, which led her to start questioning the structures around her

though they sold the mansion, her parents had a lot of money in real estate and they live in a condo building they own in town

she took a job at greasy's diner initially as an act of rebellion but stuck around throughout high school because it gave her a refreshing taste of the real world

she got really into politics, also initially as an act of rebellion, but did eventually become a really staunch take-no-shit feminist and went to protests in portland

she reconnected with the twins one summer during their teen years once she had "been cured of her rich girl mentality" (-mabel) and she and mabel became pretty close. things remained a little awkward with dipper when they were teens, but they relaxed once he realized she did actually care about mabel and wasn't going to hurt her

she's actually very analytical and level headed, which makes her a good foil to dipper - who continues seeking out mysteries to solve in gravity falls

she continued competitive golf and even won some local and regional titles in the women's junior division, which gets her an offer to go play golf at UCLA (conveniently, also where dipper goes)

she got access to her trust fund when she turned eighteen, and relies a lot less on her parents after that. she continues to try to have a relationship with them but it very aware of the toll they take on her, leading her to go low-contact with them in university.

she joins a sorority (i think kkg, she feels like a kappa) and probably ends up as treasurer or some other leadership position

she majors in political science, makes the dean's list, and gets an honors degree. she considers becoming a lawyer, but decides she's more interested in public policy & decides to go into policy analysis & international relations

she and dipper have a prolonged will-they-won't-they throughout college, finally getting together in the summer before their senior year. this borrowed from rockslide on ao3 but hilariously, she doesn't realize he's trans until she sees his too surgery scars for the first time because 1) she only ever knew him as a guy and 2) she only saw him in the summers growing up.

her parents disapprove of their relationship and generally the pines family, which is the straw that breaks the camel's back for her to go fully no contact. after that point, she's embraced by the pines family as one of their own.

she graduates magnum cum laude and dipper is her biggest supporter. he gets an offer to do his doctorate in archeology at king's college london, which ends up working perfectly because she gets a job at the us embassy in london.

they move to england together and rent a flat in a new building because even though the historic ones are beautiful, she can't deal with more ghosts.

i think by this point they've been there for two and a half years and they've gotten a cat (named tyrone, or ty for short) and dipper's just made the transition from phd student to phd candidate and started his dissertation.

#gravity falls #pacifica northwest #dipper pines #trans dipper pines #mystery twins #mabel pines #dipcifica #dipper x pacifica

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thereweredragonshere · 4 months ago

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Well if I'm free to bombard your inbox with Night Fury drawing questions, I guess I'll go ahead :)))

Tailfins. Just tailfins. I will admit, of the one drawing of a Night Fury I've posted in here, thus was the most immediately frustrating thing. I probably erased 20 different tailfins before finding one that looked simply 'acceptable'. I've figured out a bit about them from study, like how each strut in the tailfin is longer than the one before it, but each attempt still looks wrong even with that knowledge! I filled a whole page with fins, of which 4 or so looked good, the rest seemed a bit too even. At the top of the fin where it comes back and connects to the tail is (the angle at which it comes back) is quite an issue.

Along with the this, the side fins. I honestly nearly blanked those out whilst drawing (and its a favorite feature on Night Furies for me. Couldn't belive I missed it till the drawing was 99% finished).

Heyy! Sorry this one took me a little longer to get to, my memory does not serve at all🙏

The position we most often see Toothless’ fins to be in is at a diagonal angle. Verticle angles are possible, as that would be when he is diving and what not, but fully horizontal, and even extended diagonal just doesn’t work, and ends up looking broken and disjointed.

The angle at which the fin joins back at the tail can vary due to the fins’ mobility, but what I tend to keep in mind is having a general, standard v-shape between the two fins, which helps keep the silhouette.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the bones in the tail fin always follow the same/very similar angles to each other, so bone 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 will all be extended at the same time, or they will all be folded at the same time.

Another thing to keep in mind is how far apart you place each bone on the tail. They are quite close together! I have no real way to describe the appropriate distance between each bone, but it’s a useful thing to keep in mind if you’re struggling to figure out why a tail fin just doesn’t look right.

The bones are also dipped inwards in placement on the tail. They’re close together at the base but are far apart at the ends of the membrane. Think how you can flare your finger out as far as possible, at the base of your fingers where they attach to the hand, they are close together, but at your fingernails they are far apart. That’s where the subtle v-shape in toothless’s tail fin segments comes from.

AND! The order you draw the bones in can play a part. Personally, I always start with bone 2. Then bone 1, then 3, 4 and 5. By starting with the second bone you can control the general flow of the tail, as you have a guide to go by for each consecutive segment you draw.

Think of the hip wings like an extension of the primary wings. They’re meant to fill in the blank space left by the primary wings, and make the body’s transition from membrane to no-membrane smoother.

For example, this is what the wings would look like if there was no separation between primary wings and hip wings.

But do remember that they are separateand move on their own!

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icyg4l · 11 months ago

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PAC: Your Upcoming Semester

hello beautiful people! alright so… i lied about not posting the other night. my bad!!! but i hope this makes up for it. i’ve been getting ready for school and i am so excited about this new transition. soon, i will make readings available for sale again. i also have an announcement to make regarding readings for sale soon as well! i hope you guys enjoy the reading! without further ado, please choose your pile!

top left-to-bottom right: (1-4)

pile one: mentally, you’re not prepared to be back in school. pile one, i’m not going to lie. it will take you a while to adjust to the new semester. this summer was definitely vacation time. you took the time off to just relax and do you, but it’s time to put in that work now. do you have your things together? are you registered? have you signed up for classes? if not, you need to do so! once you get the hang of this, i feel like the semester will fly by. i feel like some of you will get into arguments unfortunately. it could be over something small but don’t let it blow out of proportion. i heard “the future looks very promising”. you have to learn how to look on the bright side sometimes to avoid losing your mind. it’s best that you spend time learning a new language or skill. it’s also best that you get involved with the earth club if that’s something you’re interested. i thought of the everest college commercial lol (if you know, you know). don’t waste your time focusing on the small stuff. look at the bigger picture, pile one.

cards used: 7 of wands. 4 of swords. 10 of wands. 8 of swords. 3 of wands. the star. 8 of wands.

extra messages: petty arguments. solo. snooze button. cotton ball. coraline (2009). prove it. plea.

pile two: it feels like you are redeeming yourself, pile two. it feels like you failed your last semester or had the bare minimum grades to pass the last go around. but you don’t have to do anything to prove to anyone but yourself at the end of the day. there is a chance that you could be in front of the cameras during the semester. if you are interested in journalism, now is your chance to get involved. if you want to switch your major or join the broadcasting team, then go for it! you have to learn school-life balance. you have struggled with this in the past. know when you can handle something & know when to take your L, which brings me to another thing. this semester, you should know when to ask for help. if you need a tutor or extra help, you know where to find resources. use them! you cannot do everything by yourself. i see some type of celebration happening. if your birthday is in the first semester, happy early birthday! but this could also mean that you are celebrating a hard and long semester. take pride in your accomplishments because no one can take them away from you. maximize their importance! maximize your importance!

cards used: ten of swords. the hermit. 6 of discs. the emperor. 5 of swords. knight of swords. 4 of wands.

extra messages: vintage. playing cards. coolio. parlay. late night studying. destined to be. rewards. partial completion credit. i’ll take it. osmosis jones. snacking problem. cheez-its. love island voter. kiss me by sixpence.

pile three: this pile is for my people who desire to be in the healthcare industry. i think that this semester will fly by. you have always been on top of your game when it comes to school. you knew that you would do well before you even clicked on this reading. however, i think you will be putting more of an effort to get yourself out there. the dating scene will be improving for you to get in. someone will ask you out on a date. it feels like you’ve been waiting for this to happen. do not let this turn of events distract you from what really matters which is your educational endeavors. this is very specific, but if there is someone you date that is well-connected, utilize their connections to your benefit. make sure that you can get something out of all of your contacts. don’t just let people take up space in your life. this is definitely for my college babes, maybe high school seniors too. just be open to fun and don’t carry shame for wanting to have fun! you deserve to have a life too!

cards used: the tower, queen of wands, the high priestess, the empress, 9 of cups, prince of wands, the hermit, the emperor.

extra messages: veterinarian. crest toothpaste. toenail jam. worms. marine biologist. dental work. boogeyman. letting your hair down. toes in the sand.

pile four: you have a lot of stuff on the line, pile four. there will be so many things available to you that weren’t before & it would be a shame if you didn’t take advantage of that. however, you do not want to do anything that would take away from your drive, finances, goals or educational career as a whole. there are lots of temptations coming up for you this semester. some of you could just be entering undergrad, perhaps grad school too. you will have a lot more control of your life than you did before. but with great power comes great responsibilities. your energy is similar to pile three in the sense that fun is on the way. but you have the tendency to overdo it. if you’re sexually active, then you need to not engage in sex too much. if you drink, then do not engage in drinking too much. it will become a distraction, and then eventually a problem. distinguish who is supposed to be in your life and who isn’t. you have a bit of naïveté about you. lastly, if you are asked to do something that sounds like it would be risky to your academic career/your life in general, DO NOT DO IT! it is not worth the irreparable damage. bending your morals will not work in your favor.

cards used: 9 of cups, death, the magician, 10 of swords, the moon.

extra messages: call home. out of bounds. melodrama (2017). record scratch. debrief. gaining pounds. life hacks. selenite. prozac. potty mouth.

#tarot #law of assumption #tarotreading #manifesting #pick a card #divination #pick a pile #spirituality #18+ readings #daily tarot #affirmations #love reading #tarot services #pick a reading #tarot readings #free tarot reading #pac reading #Spotify

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visionsofyouandme · 7 months ago

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It's a Wonderful Life, Javier Peña!

𝚜𝚢𝚗𝚘𝚙𝚜𝚒𝚜: Javier does not indulge in the holidays, not caring for the lights, the cheer, and togetherness. But then you come along, and bring a little Christmas spirit in your wake.

𝚠/𝚌: 7.1k

𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜/𝚝𝚊𝚐𝚜: Javi POV. Afab!Reader. Fluff. Talks of Christmas. Banter. Javi trying to suppress feelings. Office romance. Swearing. Several Christmas movie references. Really, a lot of pining (my staple at this point?), fluff, and feels. Not really proofread (sorry not sorry!)

𝙰/𝙽: Merry Christmas and happy holidays! Here is a Xmas gift from me to you. Thank you for reading and joining me on this rather fresh and unorganized blog for my writings. Here's to a good, easy, and fun holiday for those who celebrate, and an easy transition into the New Year for us all ❤️

Read on AO3!

Javier Peña did not celebrate Christmas.

He had felt less and less “in the holiday spirit” over the years of adulthood. With his job and how stressful and time consuming it was all around the clock, it was hard to even think about it when that time of year came around. Sure, the office attempted to be festive with a sad excuse for a foot-tall, skinny Christmas tree with ornaments from the 60s. Maybe some garland around the doorways. But, that was if anyone remembered that year, or any year before or after.

And then, there came you.

You were hired on as a secretary, and when he met you, he knew you would just be another notch in his bedpost. And he tried to be as charming and suave as he did with every other woman who worked for the DEA and every woman after that, but it never seemed to work. You were polite, and annoyingly so, and turned him down every time with a smile that annoyed the hell out of him.

He gave up after a month of trying, moving on to easier prey. And somehow, you still wanted to talk to him. Nothing serious, but asking how things were going, if he needed anything- he’d make a quip like “just you, cariño,” and give you his best smirk. You would only roll your eyes and if he didn’t annoy you entirely you would bring him coffee. Some days, it came with a biscuit.

He didn’t know what kept pulling him into your orbit, but it was around Christmas when he noticed. You put a little more effort into decorating- some lights on the windows, a new, two-foot tall plastic Christmas tree with updated ornaments. The garland was now wrapped in ribbon, and the place just felt… better.

But, Javier Peña did not ever indulge in the season.

He would spend late nights at the office the nearer to Christmas Day, leaving Steve to go home to his family and celebrate with them. It was about 4 days until Christmas, and around 7:30 at night when you approached him, looking like you were ready to leave.

“Agent Peña, you’ve been here since 6am. I think you need a break.” you said, tilting your head to the side. He looked up from the stack of papers on his desk and leaned back, rubbing his face. He sighed,

“No rest for the wicked, as the saying goes.” he said with a frown. You shook your head, and gestured for him to follow.

“Put it to bed for the night, which I know you’re good at,” you said with a glint in your eyes that made him roll his eyes. “And come with me.”

He cocked an eyebrow up at this, and sighed, knowing his eyes were about to fall out of his head from staring at words all day, his hand cramping from the pens and pencils he gripped. Besides, who was he to turn down going with you anywhere?

He followed you to a bodega a few blocks from the office, and he watched as you conversed easily with the shop owner as they prepared some food for you both behind the counter. Some kind of homemade special that Manuel had cooked up just for you before closing.

“You take good care of her now, amigo. She is a good one, si?” the shop owner said with a grin as he handed the bag to you. You rolled your eyes, but he could see the shy way you didn’t meet his eyes. But, he gave the man a nod of acknowledgement and an awkward smile.

“Thank you, Manuel. Buenas Noches.” you said and Javier held the door open for you-

Since when the hell did he do that?

He followed you to your apartment, and he swallowed. Was this really what was going to happen tonight? You had turned him down night after night, and now you had lead him to your place with food? What was he doing?

“Are you… um- are you sure, cariño?” he questioned, the uncertainty in his voice that made you turn your head as you fished out your keys. You cocked an eyebrow at him, and rolled your eyes,

“Unless you wanna eat on the street, come on.” you said, and wrestled the door open. He quickly moved up the steps and held the heavy door open, allowing you to step inside first. He followed you, glancing around as if searching for threats. None were there, of course, except a barking dog in the distance. Other than that, it was quiet. Peaceful.

Your apartment was small, but homey. This didn’t surprise him, as you seemed to leave comfort wherever you roamed. And, your apartment was also sparsely decorated for Christmas- lights hanging on doorways, another small tree (looking suspiciously like the only one-foot one from the office), and it smelled faintly of fresh balsam. Noting the blown out candle on your coffee table, he had deduced the source.

“You stole the tree from the agency?” He questioned with a smirk as he shed his jacket. You set down the food on the small, sad excuse for a kitchen table and looked back at him.

“I replaced it. Upgraded it, even. Thought it would be a fair trade.” you said with a smirk and began to dish out the food.

Javier was a bit surprised, to say the least. You invited him to sit, and you ate, talking over the food which was still hot and absolutely delicious. He scarfed it down, unaware of how hungry he was.

“Jesus, Javier, don’t choke.” you laughed, and he wiped his mouth hastily,

“Sorry. Wait- did you just call me-?”

“We’re off the clock, figured it would be fine. Or do you get a kick out of being called “Agent Peña” all the time?” you said with a smirk. He shrugged,

“You can call me anything you’d like, cariño.” he chuckled, and you shook your head, still working on your food. The conversation was easy, comfortable, nice. He hadn’t sat down with anyone except some other fellow agents and Steve for meals, but never pleasantly like this.

“What are your plans for Christmas Eve?” you questioned, and Javier snorted.

“I don’t do Christmas. Probably pulling an all-nighter at the office.” he said, and you actually frowned at this. He shifted uneasily in his seat, and shrugged it off.“It’s fine. I do it every year-”

“That’s kind of depressing.” you said, and he sighed. He knew it was, but he didn’t exactly have friends or a family to spend it with.

“Well, what about you, Mrs. Claus?” he quipped, steering the conversation away. You shrugged, and picked at your food.

“I plan on getting home and watching some movies. Call some folks back in the states, wish them the best for the holidays.” you said, but he could sense the underlying sadness in your voice. It was his turn to frown. Him having no one to spend the holiday with was usual- but hearing you saying you didn’t have anyone? Now that was unacceptable.

“You don’t have friends?”

You laughed at that, and glanced up at him.

“I do, but they have families, other friends to spend it with. I don’t mind going solo.” you said, picking up your water and taking a sip. Javier shook his head, and sighed,

“Well, I’d like to at least share a drink with you. Maybe get rid of some of that loneliness for the both of us for a second, you know?” he said. He meant it casually, but he meant it real and truly. It would be nice to at least have a Christmas toast with someone for once. And if it meant bringing two lonely hearts together… why not?

A small smirk spread on your lips,

“I’ll bring the spiced eggnog, then.”

He made a face, and you rolled your eyes.

“Fine. Eggnog and bourbon, then. They pair really well, believe it or not.” you said, and he shook his head.

“You won’t find eggnog here,” he said. He hadn’t had that in years, probably since before he left Texas to join the agency. Even then, he must have been a child when he last had it.

“I have my ways.” you said with a wink. He couldn’t help the grin that spread on his face, and he shook his head.

“You are funny, cariño.” he said, and you hid your smile in the rim of your water glass, but cocked an eyebrow.

“Javier Peña giving a compliment? Somebody put that on the record.” you laughed, and he shook his head, but a warmth spread in his chest.

“Anything for you,” he said quietly, but you didn’t look up. Maybe you didn’t hear.

But, he meant it.

“What’s with the face?” Steve questioned one afternoon at the office. 2 days until Christmas, and Javier was typing away furiously at his typewriter with a cigarette dangling from his lips.

“What face?” He questioned without looking up. Steve cocked an eyebrow, leaning back.

“Your “something pissed you off” face. Or it could also be your “trying to hide something” face.” Steve said, and Javier picked the cigarette from between his lips and huffed out smoke.

“Just stressed.”

“You don’t get stressed. Well- you definitely don’t admit it.” Steve said, and Javier sat up from his hunched position. He put the cigarette between his lips momentarily and then exhaled.

“It’s the holidays. Everyone’s gone, which means I have to pick up the slack.” He said.

“Way to be in the Christmas spirit, Agent Peña.” Steve chuckled, and Javier heard an elated cry and turned in his chair to see you carrying a plate of something, handing them out to the staff as you passed down the rows. Javier sat up a bit, and quickly stubbed out his cigarette. When he turned to face Steve, he was looking at him with a shit eating grin.

“What? Free food’s free food.” Javier said, and you smiled as you rounded to Steve and Javier’s cluster of desks.

“Afternoon, boys. Interested in a holiday sweet treat?”

“Oh, absolutely. Haven’t had sugar cookies in a minute.” Steve said, picking one up and Javoer gave you a nod of recognition as he picked his own.

“I was planning on making buñelos, but those were a spectacular fail. So, I went with something safe.” You laughed, and Javier found the cookie was sweet, almost sickeningly so. He looked at you and gave you a half smile and a nod, swallowing the piece dryly.

“Homemade? That’s… good. Nice.” Javier said with a nod, and both you and Steve looked at Javier. You were the first to shrug it off,

“Well, I thought it would be a good Christmas present for everyone to enjoy.” You said with a shrug, glancing at Javier, but not for too long.

“You boys continue the good work. If there’s any left over, I’ll come to you first.” You said with a wink between the two, and walked on to the next set of desks. Steve was watching Javier like a hawk, who set the half-eaten cookie to the side.

“Too sweet for you?” Steve chuckled. Javier didn’t meet his eyes, and continued typing away.

“Yeah. Something like that.”

Three days before Christmas, you continued to bring holiday cheer to the office. You had brought a radio in, and a handful of cassette tapes of Christmas music. Old stuff, easily accessible… Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley. You would play one all way way through and then let the usual local Colombian radio play for an hour. And at the turn of a new hour, you’d start another one.

Javier should find it annoying. Anyone else, he would have said something. But, you just looked so damn happy humming and nodding to the music, that he just couldn’t bring himself to.

He still avoided you outwardly, though. Cold, closed off. You didn’t seem to mind, and still gave him smiles and variations of “how are you today, Agent?” He felt like an ass, but he still felt the need to create distance, even despite your holiday plans.

And that? That scared him. He had never had plans for the actual holiday- usually staying home or working a long night. If home, maybe invite a prostitute over to fill the void for an hour or two.

But to spend time with you? Someone who was quickly taking up space in his mind and thoughts? He wondered what caused your change of heart- was it the holiday and you didn’t want to be alone, either? Or was it… God forbid, was it something deeper?

He remembered all the times you had turned him down. Certainly that wouldn’t be the case, actually having liked him. No one liked Javier beyond a one-night stand. He had never convinced you to come home with him, much less have a drink with him. But, you had given in so easily this time around, that it left him puzzled.

His sleuthing skills were not serving him well, apparently.

“What should I play next? Bing Crosby or Dean Martin?” you questioned, and Javier looked up as you set more files on his desk. He rolled his eyes,

“If I have to hear “Let it Snow” one more time, I might throw that damn radio out the window,” he said, which was true. You only laughed, and it rang in the office like sleigh bells. He noticed you wore a Christmas tree broach, and at least complimented your restraint of personal Christmas accessories.

“I’ll skip over that one for you, then. It does get a little old, doesn’t it?” you questioned, and Javier snorted.

“You’re killing me slowly, cariño.”

“Well, i’m trying to bring some Christmas cheer. Don’t turn into a Scrooge on me, okay? Or a George Bailey. I’d hate for a ghost of Christmas past to visit and foil our plans.” you said, and Javier’s eyes snapped back up to you, files forgotten.

“Oh,” he said, like he had just remembered. He leaned his elbow on the desk, “Right. Your place or mine?” he questioned, and you rolled your eyes.

“Agent, this is not a ploy to get you in my bed. I don’t have that kind of agenda. Figured we could share a drink here before heading home. I don’t care for the busy bars, it makes the loneliness feel even more pronounced.” you said, and Javier nodded, but it clicked in his head right then. Loneliness. The only reason why you wanted to bother him during this holiday- and it was no secret that Javier was alone on any and all holidays. He just didn’t think anyone noticed. But you,... You did.

He wished he could say he was grumpy, angry at the thought of someone taking advantage of him and trying to quell their own loneliness. But, that would make him a hypocrite. Sure, he was at work all the time, but it was mostly for the sake of the job. With you, he couldn’t- wouldn’t, you deserved better than that.

“Here?” he reiterated, and you nodded.

“Right.” you said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He felt his chest deflate, but he nodded with a smile. “Still working on that eggnog, by the way.” you said, patting the files and began to walk away. He chuckled, shaking his head,

“I am expecting the best of the best. Do not disappoint me.” he said, and you threw him a look over your shoulder and winked. He shifted in his chair, pulling up closer to hide his growing hard-on.

Fuck. This was bad.

“You got a date?” Steve questioned from behind Javier as he rounded to his desk. Javier opened one of the files you had set down on his desk, and shook his head.

“Nope. Just coworkers having a drink.”

“Right. I have never heard that one before,” Steve said sarcastically, knowing full well Javier would say that and have the stink eye from the woman he had bedded the night before. Steve wasn’t an idiot, and some girls made it obvious for their distaste for Javier in the workspace. All of them except you, it seemed. Javier’s one failed attempt at getting a female coworker to sleep with him.

Steve wondered if you had finally given in. Or if Javier was changing his tune in time for the holidays.

Either way, he couldn’t wait to see the results.

Two days before Christmas, it was quiet. You still played the music, but not as frequently. Probably to give the office a break from the same 10 songs sung by different artists. But, Javier was watching you smile, converse, and walk around the office. When you left for lunch, he found himself looking out the window in hopes of your return.

He was in the breakroom, smoking a cigarette by the window and holding a new cup of coffee. He huffed, and looked down at the street below, suddenly leaning in close to the glass that his nose nearly touched it.

You were walking up the street back to the building, with a man at your side. You were smiling, nodding, and laughing. That laugh where your face scrunched up and tilted your head back a bit, one he had never had the pleasure of inciting himself.

And you were next to Miguel Garcia, from the internal operations department. He had never interacted with him, except maybe once or twice. He didn’t even work on the same floor as you and Javier. How did he manage to snag a conversation with you?

Unless…

His jaw ticked, and he rubbed it to ease the tension. When you disappeared back inside, he could see Miguel duck first and open the door for you. When you both walked inside, out of view, he took a very heavy drag of the cigarette. He set down his coffee mug and crossed his arms, the other hand still holding the cigarette to his lips. Feeling a tightness in his chest that was typically only reserved for stress on the job, he tried his best to smoke it off.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, but he had stubbed out that cigarette and another, lighting up a third. He really shouldn’t care about this. It was none of his business, and you didn’t belong to him. But, to know you two had plans, and you walked up with someone else, made him feel… some kind of way.

You didn’t belong to him, he reminded himself. And he doesn’t belong to you.

He wouldn’t realize it then, but later (much later) he would come to the fact that he finally understood what those poor women felt when he went from one to the other in the office. Karma kind of stings.

He heard footsteps and didn’t look up, but he heard your voice ring out in greeting. He looked back, and that tightness in his chest coiled up again.

“Cigarettes and coffee for lunch?” you questioned, and walked to the coffee maker. He shrugged,

“Hasn’t killed me yet.”

You laughed, and shook your head, making a fresh pot of coffee, “Yeah. “Yet,” being the word.”

“How was lunch?” he said stiffly, unable to help himself. His eyes were trained on your back as you faced away from him to the coffee pot, but you didn’t flinch or tense up.

“It was good! Ran into Miguel from Ops, he was at the same diner as me. He’s a lot nicer than I expected- always thought he was so serious.” you said, and pressed the button, the coffee began to brew. “Kind of like you. Well- I still think you’re serious. But, you have your moments of… not-seriousness, I guess.”

You turned back to him, and he didn’t realize he was staring holes into your back until you looked at him pointedly.

“If you take a picture, Peña, it’ll last longer.” you laughed, and his eyes moved back to the window. He lowered the cigarette to his waist, his thumb ticking against it lightly.

“Everything alright?” you questioned, and if he wasn’t a seasoned agent, he would have flinched. The fact you noticed… that was dangerous, too.

Too close. Too, too close.

“Yeah. Fine.” he said, and picked up his coffee mug, stamping out his cigarette. The leftover smoke that had accumulated in the room suddenly felt oppressive, and he needed an escape.

“We still on for tomorrow?” you questioned, your body turning as he began to stalk out.

“Maybe. Had something come up- i’ll let you know.” he said, trying his best not to look at you. Because if he did, he knew he would see a look on your face that would make him fold.

“Oh. Okay,” you said, trying and failing to hide your disappointment in your voice. “Yeah, just… let me know.”

Javier sat at his desk, and sighed, rubbing his eyes.

Yeah.

Too close.

Christmas Eve. Javier was tired. He had stayed late the night before, drowning himself in work to combat the growing feeling of loneliness and melancholy over the holiday. He had tried to push you out of mind, and tried to decide how he was going to tell you he wouldn’t be available for that drink.

You weren’t avoiding him that day, but you certainly didn’t go out of your way to talk to him. You wore some dangly, Christmas-themed earrings that made little tinkling noises when you moved your head. He was achingly aware of your every move, every word that was within earshot, and every smile that graced your face.

God. Focus, Peña.

Steve wasn’t there that day, having taken off to spend time with Connie and his kid. Javier was fine with that, meant less snide comments that would be pointed his way. He kept his head down, and didn’t bother interacting with the few people who were there at the office.

Quickly enough, the sun had set and the workday was over, but Javier made no move to leave. Everyone had vacated by now, save for himself, the janitor, and you. He looked up when you approached his desk, and he could see something in your hand. He opened his mouth to speak, but you beat him to it.

“Try not to stay up all night,” you said and set a tall mason jar on his desk filled with something off-white. He frowned, and looked back at you, “Homemade eggnog.” You offered an explanation.

His heart dropped.

Fuuuuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

“Merry Christmas, Javier.” You said with a smile when he just sat there, staring like an idiot. You turned and walked to your desk, picking up your bag. You stole another look his way and nodded, and headed to the door. When it shut, his head swiveled to the jar on his desk.

He pondered for a second. Then another second. Then a minute.

God, he couldn’t be this much of an ass. Not on Christmas Eve, of all nights.

Javier quickly gathered everything up, shutting the lights off since the janitor had left minutes ago. Pulling on his jacket hastily, he grabbed the jar. As he hurried out the door, almost forgetting to lock it before turning back and fumbling with the keys. He pulled it once to make sure it was locked and then flew down the hallway.

He struggled to find a taxi, and took it to your place that he struggled to remember. It got him to the right neighborhood, and he found your building moments later. He jogged up the steps when he got inside and approached your door. He hesitated, and wondered if this was a good idea. He pushed the thought from mind and knocked hastily. He didn’t care what the outcome was, he had to say something. Whatever he was going to say, he didn’t know. Good thing he was quick on his feet-

Javier frowned, and looked down to see an elderly gentleman in a white shirt answer the door, looking tired and sleepy.

“Quién eres?” The man questioned, and Javier gulped. He quickly gave his apologies, and the man grunted and waved his hand, cursing under his breath about drunk men knocking on his door. Javier shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck, and looked at the next door. He could have sworn it was this one, but he must have been mistaken.

He walked to the next one, and knocked. He would have to knock on every door on the right hand side of the hallway if he had to-

You opened the door with a frown on your face, phone pressed to your cheek and dressed in sleep pants and a t-shirt.

“H-hi.” He greeted, and cleared his throat. He said your name, and you cocked an eyebrow, obviously surprised.

“I just- I-“ Javier began, but you turned to the side,

“Mom, let me call you back. No, it’s- It’s carolers! How cool is that-? Yes, I know- Okay, love you, bye!” You said quickly and pressed the button hard to hang up. You looked at him, eyes narrowing.

“Did you come to give me back the eggnog?” You questioned, gesturing to the jar in his hand. He looked down at it, then back at you.

“Well, I- I was hoping we could-“

“Christ, Javier. Get in here, you’re gonna let all the cold air out.” You said, and gestured for him to come in hastily. He stepped inside and you closed the door, you both turned to face each other. You crossed your arms.

“Hoping we could- what? Just because I gave you that does not mean-“

“No! No… I just- I’m sorry. I feel bad.”

“Javier Peña feels bad?” You scoffed, and shook your head, reaching for the doorknob. He stepped forward, hand outstretched,

“Yes, I do! I do. I… Wanted to say thanks...”

“For the eggnog.” You stated, finishing for him. He sighed, and knew this would be a shit show. He had to recover it somehow.

“Not just that. For offering to hang out, for bringing cookies… for making Christmas a little more… Like Christmas, I guess.”

You stared at him. And then you laughed. It started out as a nervous, breathy laugh, and then you crescendoed into a cackle. You wiped your eyes, and shook your head,

“Peña, you are something else.” You said, and reached for the doorknob again. “Now, get ou-“

“At least have that drink with me first.” Javier said quickly, and you looked at him. You seemed to ponder it for a moment, and your eyebrows furrowed with frustration and he thought for sure that you would throw him out by his ear. But, your shoulders relaxed, and you shook your head.

“Fine. Not like I have anything else going on.” You said, resigned to it and locked the door, walking to the kitchen. He followed along quickly, and you reached into a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of bourbon, looking half-drunk already. He wondered how much you indulged in it, and the thought made him smirk slightly.

“I’m just doing this to be nice,” you said pointedly when he set down the jar, and you found two mismatched glasses, dividing up the eggnog and alcohol ratio. “And to keep from being on the phone with my mother.”

Javier nodded, and hesitated to take off his jacket or make any other move to make himself comfortable. He stood there rather awkwardly before you gestured to the living room.

“Go ahead, sit. I’ll meet you there.” you said, and he nodded, feeling some kind of relief to do something other than stand there like an idiot. He walked to the living room and shed his jacket, draping it over the back corner of the couch and looked at the TV, which was playing some black and white movie, the accents dramatic and distinctively old-timey. He heard the name “George Bailey” cross the lips of one of the actresses, but still had no clue what you were watching. He sat on the edge of the couch, and looked up when you came in, carrying two glasses.

“It’s a Wonderful Life,” you said, and handed him the glass, which he took carefully. He looked at you with a cocked up eyebrow, and you rolled your eyes. “The movie, Javier.” you chided, and sat on the other side of the couch, a respectable distance.

He took a sip of the drink, and found it to be sweet, like the cookies. The bourbon gave it a bit of a stronger flavor, and he swallowed.

“It’s good,” he said, and he could see your unconvinced glare and he leaned back slightly, trying to recover some of his confidence. “I’m not lying. It’s good. Reminds me of back home.”

You seemed to relax at this, and nodded, satisfied. You shifted your eyes to the movie, and he could see the fondness in them as you watched the movie.

"What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word, and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down."

“He reminds me of you, you know.” you said quietly, and he kept his eyes trained on you as yours never left the screen.

“A little misguided, unaware of the bigger picture around you. Maybe a bit cynical, too wrapped up in work to remember the finer, more important things in life.” you said, and he chuckled.

“Yeah? That’s your assessment?” he said, and you shrugged, taking a sip of your drink.

“Yeah. I’m just wondering what’s going to kick you in the ass to realize what you’ve been missing. I don’t think it’s going to be an angel, exactly, but… It is Christmas, after all.” you said with a shrug, and he glanced over your face. The slope of your nose, the curve of your lips as they sipped the drink, the way your eyes sparkled in the TV’s light.

What was he doing? Sitting here, on Christmas Eve, drinking eggnog and watching a movie with a woman who had no intention of sleeping with him? Why was he allowing himself to be in a situation like this? Javier didn’t do… whatever this is.

“Yeah, who knows what could happen.” he said into his glass, his eyes finally moving away from you to the screen. He inhaled gently, the smell of balsam and something distinctly you filled his senses. He had experienced it in passing, like when you walk past his desk or he visits you at your desk. Something just has him pulled towards you, and he has no idea why. It scares him, though.

The movie played on quietly between the two of you, and you had pulled your knees up to your chest at one point. The silence should have been weird, awkward. But, it wasn’t. Javier felt comfortable just sitting in your presence, a sense of calm coming over him. Without the stress of having to converse to fuck things up further, he allowed himself to sink back into the couch a bit.

The movie wasn’t what he would exactly pick for casual viewing, but you seemed enamored with it. Every time he glanced at you, your eyes were glued to the screen. Soon, your respective glasses were empty and set on the coffee table.

“Hey, Javier?” you questioned after a silence settled in the movie, nearly startling him. He did his best to recover, and cleared his throat, making a hum of acknowledgement.

“If you could have anything for Christmas, what would it be?” you questioned, and he looked over at you to see your eyes were finally torn from the screen, and were on him. He thought for a moment, leaning his head back and slung an arm across the back of the couch, lips parted in thought.

“I guess… maybe a true day of rest. No stress. No paperwork. No having to deal with Steve, or anyone else at the office-” he said, almost on autopilot, but then wanted to kick himself. He fucked up- shit, shit, shit-

But, you laughed.

“I don’t blame you one bit. Place can be insufferable, sometimes. Especially coworkers.” you said, and he could sense the jab right back at him. He shook his head, a small smirk on his lips as he tilted his head back straight to look at you.

“What about you? What’s on The Best Secretary Ever’s Christmas list?” he questioned, and you rolled your eyes, but smiled, looking down at your nails to busy yourself instead of looking at him.

“Ha, ha. Well… Maybe-” you said, but stopped quickly, and shook your head. “A car. So I can go anywhere I want… explore everywhere, and escape, and-”

“Now, why do I feel like you’re lying?” Javier questioned, raising an eyebrow. He didn’t have to use much sleuthing skills to figure that one out. You looked at him darkly, but then back to your nails.

“Fine, in the spirit of the holiday, I’ll be honest.” you said, and Javier shifted on the couch to angle his body towards yours a little more.

“I just… want someone to- God, this is so stupid. I should not be saying this, especially not you-” you said, the regret already coming out in your voice. But, when you looked at Javier, there seemed to be something on his face that told you to go on. You seemed to relax a bit, and he wondered what exactly you saw on his face. He was just being patient, quiet, listening- something Javier Peña rarely did.

“I want someone to buy groceries with. Get coffee with, even if it’s too hot outside. Someone to talk to on the phone or come home to after a long day.” you said, your voice getting more and more quiet, and your eyes shifted down to your nails again, and he noticed you were picking the cuticles slightly. Nervous habit, he noted. Why were you nervous?

“It’s dumb, I know. I wouldn’t want to sacrifice my independence, my work, or anything, just… Someone to share life with, I guess.” you said, and Javier felt his throat close up gently. When it was apparent you were done, he nodded slowly.

“I see.” he said, and he could see you visibly flinch.

“Like I said, dumb stuff. I guess the holiday puts me in a lonely, longing mood. 5th one in a row without someone.” you said, and Javier frowned at this. How was that possible, no one being worthy enough to spend time with you? He couldn’t understand it. You were smart, kind, incredibly and achingly good looking, and knew exactly what you wanted in life. Better than him in any and all aspects, really.

“It’s not dumb.” he said, and you raised your eyes to his, momentarily stopping your picking. You raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, and he shrugged.

“We’re human, right? We want connection like that. It’s in our nature.”

We, we, our. What was he doing? Roping himself into this whole thing?

“Right.” you said, and nodded, but that skeptical look was still in your eyes. But, you smiled small.

“Never thought Javier Peña would admit any of that.” you said, and he shrugged it off, his eyes moving back to the movie.

“I’m full of surprises.”

You updated him on the movie that you missed while you conversed, and as he watched, he could tell more and more this was a pretty depressing movie. This George guy was on the brink of losing everything, and if he didn’t straighten up, he would be sad, lonely, and probably better off dead.

Javier wanted to scoff. Were you trying to teach him a lesson or something?

He couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for this George guy, though. And maybe that sympathy was extended to himself for a second.

As the movie went on, you stretched your legs out slightly, but not enough to touch Javier’s thigh, though it was dangerously close. If he wanted, he could move his hand from his lap and touch your ankle, your smooth and delicate skin.

But no. Don’t push it. Not on Christmas Eve.

He heard you sniffling at the particularly sad part of the movie, and looked over at you to see you wipe your eyes hastily. You glanced at him out of the corner of your eye, and shrugged.

“What? Old Hollywood makes me emotional, okay?” you laughed lightly, though he could understand where your emotions came from. He let you have this moment, though, and looked away.

But, the movie had a hopeful turn. And a happy ending that only Hollywood could deliver.

“No man is a failure who has friends.”

Javier pursed his lips, and wanted to shake his head. Maybe he couldn’t relate, after all.

“We’re friends, right?” you questioned, and Javier swiveled his head to see you still wiping tears from your eyes, sniffing before you looked at him. His eyes moved over your face, and he nodded without much thought.

“Yeah. I think so.” he said. Whether it was for your benefit or his, he wasn’t sure. But, it felt right to say it. And your light smile you gave him knew it was the right thing to say. Probably the only right thing he had said all night.

You picked up the glasses as the movie ended, and rinsed them out in the kitchen. He stood up, stretching and followed you without much thought. He leaned against the doorway, watching you and then assessing the room, his eyes roaming. Looking above him, he saw a green and red plant and swallowed. He looked back at you just as you turned back to him, and walked towards him. When you stopped in front of him, and you opened your mouth to speak, he gulped.

“Merry Christmas, Javier.” you said with a smile, and he could feel the subtle shift to get him to leave. But, you were under mistletoe, and he couldn’t help himself.

He kissed your cheek gently, pulling away just as quickly and smiled.

“Merry Christmas, cariño.” he said quietly, and you frowned, then glanced up above the two of you and your cheeks reddened.

“Javier, that’s, uh- that’s just holly.” you said, and he froze. Oops.

“Oh, uh- I just-”

“Well, I give you a point for trying to keep the holiday spirit.” you laughed, and he relaxed a bit. He nodded, and gave you a smile as he moved back to collect his jacket.

“You should take a break from the office tomorrow,” you said. He shrugged and pulled his jacket over his arms, then adjusting it on his shoulders.

“Why? May miss the chance to see you.” he said, and you rolled your eyes so hard he thought they were going to fall out of your head. But, a smile quickly followed it, and he smirked.

“I’m taking the day off, like many others.” you said, and he began to back up to the front door as you rounded closer to him to usher him out. He bumped up against the door,

“Well, that’s a shame. I’ll miss my favorite secretary and her holiday cheer.” he said, and you stopped at a healthy distance. He could see you trying to suppress an amused expression, and grinned. “Come on, cariño, it��s true. You are my favorite. No one else would bring Christmas cookies to me unless they were trying to poison me.”

“Who says I wasn’t trying to?” you teased with a smirk, and he shook his head,

“If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it already. Several times over.” You nodded, but shrugged slightly.

“I guess you’re more tolerable than I thought.”

Silence hung in the air as you two gazed at each other. He looked up for just a moment and spotted the clock hanging on the wall. Midnight had just passed, and when he looked back at you, you were stepping closer and closer to him. He looked down at you, having nowhere else to go with his back pressed against the door. You were so close now that he could feel your body heat hovering just above his chest. He inhaled, but as you reached down, the lock clicked to unlock.

“I’ll see you later.” you said, and the tension in his chest melted away almost instantaneously, and he nodded as you moved to open the door. He pushed off of it, and watched as you opened it, but a little slower than he would have thought.

“Merry Christmas.” he said with a smile, and you looked up at him with a nod. He stepped out, and jerked back when he felt you tug on his jacket before he could move away. He turned on his heel, thinking you wanted one more quip, but was shocked (to say the least) when you pulled him down by his collar to kiss him. He stiffened for just a blink but immediately resigned into it and kissed you back gently, eyes falling closed and his hand moving to your waist. When you pulled away he attempted to chase your lips, but his eyes opened for a moment to see you looking up at him. You searched his eyes, like you were trying to weigh the options presented before you.

He felt that familiar tightness in his chest, and when your hands dropped from his jacket, his hand regretfully dropped from your waist.

“Merry Christmas, Javi,” you whispered, and smiled lightly. He smiled small, the proximity between you two still minimal. He wanted to pull you in, kiss your sweet lips again.

But as you backed up into your apartment, his hand twitched at his side from the thought. But, your hand rested on the door, and as your eyes fell, you began to close it. He quickly pushed up a hand to stop the door, and said a bit breathlessly,

“New Year’s Eve. What are you- where will you be?” You looked up at him in surprise, blinked, and then responded,

“The office is having a party at the bar down the street. Figured I’d go, at least for a little…” you said, and he nodded, having forgotten all about it until this point. Now that he thought of it, he had heard Steve and some of the other agents talking about it.

“Perfect.” he said, and nodded. You waited for a moment, and he could see the confused look in your eyes, but you gave him a light smile.

“‘Night, Javi.” you said, and he lowered his hand as the door shut quietly in his face. He stared at the dark wood before him, and gave himself a confident nod.

New Year’s Eve, he thought. Do not fuck this one up, Peña.

divider by @/saradika-graphics!

Comment, like, reblog, anything is appreciated! ❤️

#javier pena fanfiction #javier pena x reader #javier peña #javier pena x you #javer pena x reader #pedro pascal fanfiction #javier pena narcos #javier pena fluff #narcos fanfiction #visionsfics

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theneighbourunderthebed · 16 days ago

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I love shipping two characters that fucking hate each other. Anyways, get 11 pm ramblings from a caffeinated idiot who's supposed to be sleeping

Anyway, the dad and Mark Adams from the Neighbour's. Their asses dated in like, late high school. I don't make the rules y'all, it's canon (lie) that they did.

I'm gonna relapse back into calling the dad Jack because I really like the name Jack. Either that or I'm gonna name him John and Johnny is now John junior. Uh. I'm gonna name him John

Anyways, these two fucks met back when they were on their respective elementaries' football teams, facing off for the interschool competitions because those happen in other countries right. Wutheringham (is that how you'd spell that?) Rangers for John, Raccoon City for Mark. They were canonically 10 when the Rangers beat the Raccoons 7-nil. And they were just. Not friends. John because he wasn't interested in befriending the enemy and Mark because those sons of bitches beat the Raccoons without even letting them score once????? Yeah, this is where Mark develops a deep fucking hatred for the Rangers. And also Abigail is like one of Mark's closest friends because everyone else on the team thinks he's a weirdo and the team also thinks that Abigail is a weirdo. Yeah and he's bad with names so people lowkey don't like him for forgetting who tf he's talking to

Anyway, they'd meet again when they're in high school. Mark goes to sign up for the football team and finds a familiar name on the little sign up paper thingy. John Evans. The little blond cunt that was part of the Rangers. Fuck

Uh, John is actually pretty chill in person when he's not hyperfixating on football. He's nice but he is very serious about football. He will shove his foot up your ass for saying one bad thing about football. Mark likes that because wowie zowie someone else is as hyperfixated on football as he is!!!!

They properly meet not as enemies but as potential friends, yadda yadda I don't know how dating works but they start doing that. Eventually they break up because they're old now and the Rangers and Raccoons are actual big teams that their elem schools took the names of because that's normal right. They join opposite teams, try to bridge the gap, fail, break up, eventually get wives and uh. Yeag. John ends up getting rich from his successful football career as a Ranger, Raccoon City disbands because it was just really shitty in every attempt of competing. Mark goes back to hating John and also finds that Abigail is a Raccoon again too???? Yeah, that's right, friends to lovers is in here too, and now they start dating and I'm gonna say that Abigail is pre-t when they start dating and Mark is fully supportive of his girlboss wife transitioning whilst they're together. Like. She was a hot guy and now she's a really hot girl????? Shit??1!1???1?

Mark obsesses over destroying John's career and life because how come his ex gets to succeed in life while his life is shit all around?????? Yeah, fuck that

Anyways isn't it kind of fucked up that with this idea, that means that Mark fucked his ex's wife. His ex's wife that probably likes pegging especially considering the sex scene in the actual play. Ermermerm. Uh. Huh. Idk y'all I'm eepy but I can't eep

#potato fics #shoot from the hip #sfth #shootimpro #sfth fic #sfthposting #enemies to lovers to enemies........#and also friends to lovers but add in t in there #the neighbour's under the bed #the neighbor's under the bed

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lemonbeemon · 8 months ago

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AOT Ship Prompts; Riding on the same horse:

Feel free to reblog or comment additions of your own. These ideas are also free to use for fanart or fanfic if you so choose.

EreMika

The first time they ride together, Mikasa has her hands clasped like a steel trap around Eren’s stomach. She's not totally confident that he won't get them both thrown off, since he's too impulsive and indecisive with how he steers the horse.

After Mikasa gets more comfortable, and Eren has more experience on horseback, she's comfortable enough to rest her head against his shoulder while they ride. If they're out late or she's hurt, it's not uncommon for her to be asleep by the end of their journey.

When Mikasa’s in charge of the horse, Eren is like a little kid who can't sit still. He doesn't hesitate to hold onto her waist as he eggs on Jean or throws out cocky remarks at titans. Often leading so far over or back that Mikasa has to remind him to sit still before he falls off. Eren always gets off the horse first, to the point where he's likely to trip on the stirrups and take Mikasa down with him.

AruAni

They're both extremely awkward. When Annie's in charge of the horse, Armin refuses to hold onto her. Instead he has a death grip on the saddle in a desperate attempt to not fall off.

Annie likes to push her horse to its fastest speed. Leaping over every rock and fallen tree in her path without hesitation. In the training corps, she was given the hardest gelding to handle because he only listened to her. When it was time to join the MP's she was very sad to leave him behind.

Armin's horse is the complete opposite of Annie’s. She's a sweet mare that likes to chew on his hair/sweaters whenever its his turn to clean out the stables. When Armin's steering, he's always careful to not jostle the horse too much. Annie acts indifferent when she sits behind him, but often ducks down behind his shoulder to hide how pink her cheeks are. Whenever Reiner rides past them, he always slows down long enough to tease her.

JeanMarco

Jean's a natural on horseback. He's never been thrown and recovers quickly when his horse startles. Unfortunately, all that control is lost the minute he's not in the saddle. With his chosen horses always refusing to come back for him in favor of rolling in the grass or taking treats from others. When his horse runs off, Marco is always there to help him get it back.

The two work seamlessly together on horseback, with Marco usually being in charge of calling out potential hurdles or incoming enemies. They've mastered transferring the reins to each other, as well as transitioning from siting in the saddle to flying off on ODM Gear. Marco happily rides in the back most of the time, admitting that he's a better strategist than rider.

Marco always has treats on him for his horse and Jean's. Whenever its their turn to clean out the stables, Marco considers it to be the highlight of his week. Once Marco’s gone, Jean realizes it was the highlight of his too.

ReiBert

Awkward. To the point that it just doesn't work. Bertholdt is too tall and Reiner is already almost too heavy for most of the corps horses. The last time they tried it, Bertholdt fell off and broke his wrist.

Instead, the two decide it's better to ride side by side. Reiner always pulls Bertholdt off on remote trails to the point that they both get back home way later than everybody else. Something he always apologizes for by pulling Bertholdt out of his own saddle for a quick kiss.

When the cadets are forced to ride in pairs, ReiBert are always paired off with YumiHisu. Reiner (especially the soldier) has no problem riding with Historia. Bertholdt however, nearly gets strangled or yanked off his own horse by Ymir everytime. Somehow, neither of them ever notice how the scratches he recieves from her nails are gone by the end of every ride.

YumiHisu

A literal princess and her knight. Even when Ymir has the reins, Historia sits in front of her on their horse. Ymir loves the closeness, but is usually blinded by Historia's hair in the wind until she stubbornly undoes her own hair to pull up Historia's with her tie.

After Ymir's gone, Historia can't stand how cold her back feels whenever she's on a horse. When her daughter's old enough to learn to ride, its the first time since Ymir left that Historia feels happy to be in the saddle.

And that's all I have so far. Might add more in the reblogs later but this is already an old draft, so I figured better to post it now than let it rot in the metaphysical closet.

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opossumxo · 2 months ago

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headcanons and dynamics for my au from last post, very messily put together (i dont think i need to specify but i will anyways, this is all just about the dsmp characters i dont care about the irl people please please please)

Tommy (now Thalia, ty @idiot-mushroom for your amazing hcs always) is trans, realized not long after exile ended but only had the time and energy to commit to transitioning after the final confrontation. She doesn't strictly identify as transfem, it's a lot more complex than that, but settles with the label trans and does whatever the hell she wants. Ranboo helped a lot a lot with the transition

Tubbo and Ranboo are still the only two married; not that they'd be against the other two joining. Thalia's just still figuring herself out and not ready to focus on that part of her life, and Purpled doesn't feel like he's been with them long enough to take the step. Someday though

Thalia and Purpled aren't as close with each other as with others, not very emotionally or affectionately close. They tend to be each others caretakers when in need though

On that note, Purpled has not spoken about his brief alliance with Dream and Punz. At this point, he doesn't plan to.

Ranboo is probably the most affectionate with all of them evenly, they spend more time in everyone else's rooms than their own.

Tubbo is the primary caretaker of Michael, though they all pretty evenly split duties. He just likes to have the kiddo nearby, and Michael acts more and more like him as he gets to being an adolescent.

Less relationship wise and more individual characters :3

Thalia

Sharper features as she's gotten older, her facial structure changed from repeated malnutrition (pogtopia, exile). She doesn't mind though, it kind of reminds her of Niki or Jack. The gooduns

Spends the most time out of the house, still making efforts to try to clean up the server and 'find herself'. Unclear to everybody what exactly that means, but if digging around in the dirt is what she needs then so be it.

Still pretty religious, its a comforting stability after everything. Overall, she's pretty happy.

Tubbo

The messiest of them in most applicable ways. Has a hard time upkeeping hygiene, usually takes reminders to do so. It's a point of shame for him, but its hard to get in the mindset to start perceiving that stuff.

Got a fake eye made by Foolish a long while ago, he can't recall exactly when. He'd like to replace it at some point but is not in a rush- if it works, it works.

A lot a Lot of nerve damage, he doesn't have much feeling in the right side of his body. A couple of fingers are amputated and prosthetic. Tends to injure himself while welding and it freaks Ranboo the fuck out lmao

Ranboo

Memory loss and sleep problems are quite a bit worse, they don't leave the house very much because getting lost is a problem nowadays. The ender state is less of a problem at least, they've learned ways to manage it and the others have gotten better at recognizing it before he wanders off.

Terrible vision, they have glasses but lose them quite a bit. Purpled put one of those straps around the back that make it harder to just slip them off without thinking; this did not help much.

Does most of the interior decoration, they have a certain vibe they enjoy and the others do not care enough one way or another so let them have at it lol

Purpled

The fall off the Needle caused bad permanent damage to his legs, he walks with braces and a cane now. It's a sensitive thing for him, he put a lot of worth into his physical capability. Still coming to terms with it; Puffy helps him with physical therapy.

Very antsy, he has a lot of unfinished projects that he picks up and discards at random. Some are builds, some are skills he's trying to hone, sometimes its just stupid challenges. He tries to make it competitive, Thalia's the only one that really takes that bait.

Possibly greyromantic, he doesn't have any specific labels because he doesn't care, but yeah

#dsmp au #dsmp #ctubbo #ctommy #cpurpled #cranboo #hcs #also theyre all autistic lmao

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blizzardsuplex · 2 months ago

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the roddam timeline, pt. 3 (2017-2022)

[Part 1. Part 2.

Part 3 is probably gonna feel transitional/like mostly setup because of stuff explained in the first paragraph under the cut, LOL. It also has more of my personal insight sprinkled therein, which will only increase in the fourth and final part. Sorry!

Tagging the same people as I did in part 2: @spacegatito, @shes-a-voodoo-child, @ramblingsfromthemoss, @basil-the-scorned, @btybbcedes, @unseenbox, @mobiblackout, @dustinslovehandles, @sadiesm, @shockthesystem, @thehotproperty, @sithwitch13, @trickymxtape, @chrisabins, @stay-safe-pixieboots, @driadorim, @mashaslamovich, @yourdarkdiva, @himbos-hotline, and @fatal-3nvy.]

Full disclosure: as I wasn’t watching AmeriWres at the time and don’t really care to watch this all back, I barely know anything about this time period. Apologies in advance for the spottiness! Their NXT Black & Gold/Undisputed Era days, at the very least, are pretty well documented if you wanna do your own research yourself -- including on this very website.

August 2016 to August 2017

Nothing. As far as I’m aware, Roddy and Adam basically didn’t interact with each other at all…well, that we saw publicly, at least. To be fair, NXT/WWE’s policy about any sort of reference to wrestling outside itself was still pretty stringent at the time, even if NXT was getting real full of veteran indy guys. I don’t know what Roddy did on NXT at this time other than that he was babyface (which, he says later, he didn’t want to be; he owned it eventually with his tell-all vignette series, but initially he wanted to continue being the PWG dickbag insecure jock heel character that got him signed). Adam, meanwhile, went full tilt into Bullet Club until joining NXT in mid-2017. As I wasn’t really watching at the time, I’ll leave it at that.

March 2017

Adam starts dating fellow wrestler and dentist Britt Baker, who he met on the dating app Bumble. By all accounts, he fell in love with her the moment he saw her.

April 2017

Troy, Marina and Roddy’s child, is born healthy and on schedule. Fun fact: when was nine months before April 2017?...yeah. July 2016.

April 2018

Roderick Strong betrays Pete Dunne to become the fourth member of the Undisputed Era (comprising Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish). According to Adam some time later, the UE was pitched/promised to be just the original trio. The moment Roddy’s name was floated as possibly joining them, however, Adam turned to Kyle and Bobby and said something like “guys, there’s no one else I’d rather have with us than Roddy”. The other two were apparently going to say the exact same thing, and so that plan was born. In the same interview he told this story on, Adam also mentioned that Roddy putting on the armband and subsequent crowd reaction was one of his--and Adam’s--favorite nights of their careers.

November 2018

Marina and Roddy get married! <3 The Era are, of course, invited to the wedding, and strike their four-man pose in the middle of the dance floor.

March 2019

Roddy shows up on Edge and Christian’s podcast. One of the things he ends up doing is describing his relationship with the other UE guys: Bobby and he are pretty close/tight because they used to work together in Japan (NOAH, especially) back in the mid-aughts; he and Kyle took a while to get close to each other, as when they first met KOR was hanging a lot with Roddy’s actual mortal enemy Davey Richards; and he and Adam’s relationship is…”special” (is that an upgrade from unique?) He also mentions that, from his end, he knew he wanted to be with Adam and Kyle and Bobby as soon as they landed in NXT -- but he also knew he had to wait for the right time for that to happen.

February 2020

The Undisputed Era show up on Xavier Woods/Austin Creed’s gaming YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown. A classic episode, honestly, and if you like any of these guys and/or any combo of their dynamics you should 100% watch it. Anyway, Roddy/Adam moments include:

Adam tries to tell a story and says “b.s.” instead of “bullshit” because he’s for some reason decided he doesn’t want to swear. Roddy interrupts him soon after by saying “oh, you’re so good”; Adam makes it a few more syllables before giggling and repeating “I’m so good”. When he tries to resume talking, Roddy randomly grabs Kyle’s controller only to drop it really loudly. Everyone laughs at Roddy -- except Adam, who decides to go faux-stern/disappointed instead, poker face and all. “Roddy, you have to treat it delicately,” he says, though he ends up cracking a bit anyway.

While talking about what Roddy is into besides wrestling (it’s music, mostly), one of him or Adam mentions that the two of them have a similar taste in music and that bonding over that is “their thing”.

Adam tells another story, this time about music in video games. Roddy interrupts him again to ask “so…you listen to the noise [when you play games] now?” very genuinely. Adam explains to him with equal sincerity that VGM are like movie soundtracks now and he has whole albums of just those on his Apple Music. Roddy nods and is like “oh, okay”.

Adam and Roddy end up against each other, one on one, in the final round of the final game. It’s pretty intense (LOL), Roddy wins, and when he does he immediately gets up and starts John Handying. Adam puts on an exaggerated face of dismay and calls Roddy over with a sighed “hey”. When he does, Adam says it was a good game gruffly while putting his hand on Roddy’s face (it was a running gag across the entire episode that the Era are “brothers [that] don’t hug, they touch faces”). Roddy giggles and puts his hand on Adam’s face, too. They then both grin and laugh some more; the camera catches Adam smiling so wide his eyes are tiny blue slits.

May 2020

Adam (or, rather, the guy who runs twitch-dot-tv-slash-the Chugs) has Roderick Strong (AKA Roddy McFly, so named because he apparently forgets to zip up the fly of his pants all the time) on as his first ever stream guest to play some of the NES Classics collection. It’s a really fun, relaxing two hours if you can find it! Moments of note include, in rough chronological order:

Chugs introduces his very first on-stream guest as “one of my best friends in the entire world” and mentions that they’re both excited to have him on. Roddy enters stage left. As Chugs tries to make room for Roddy, he’s hugged from the side; their faces press against each other. Chugs is happy they’re both together in shot and beams. When they separate and Roddy says “thanks for having me”, he splays his hand over Chugs’ face; it takes Chugs a bit to remember the “face touch thing” from UUDD and respond by touching Roddy’s face in turn (which the latter closes his eyes and leans into a little), but even before he realizes what’s going on he seems completely comfortable with it.

Chugs, throughout the stream, excitedly explains several aspects of Twitch to Roddy (badges, subscriptions, bits, etc.) Roddy listens and soon asks about stuff himself.

Troy has been to Chugs’ house/game room and really liked his Master Chief helmet. Roddy didn’t allow him to touch it, though.

The chat tells Chugs that there needs to be a name for Roddy’s chair. After taking suggestions, they decide to christen it McWoody. Immediately, chat asks if/when McWoody and Clutch (Chugs’ gaming chair) are going to fight; Chugs immediately says with a fair amount of seriousness that “McWoody and Clutch are partners. They’re not going to fight each other”. Roddy then turns to Chugs, smiling, and asks if Clutch is gonna turn on McWoody. Chugs considers this for a second, then says “he might”.

Chugs apparently tried to get Marina, who like Roddy isn’t much of a gamer, into Animal Crossing (for the record, she liked it and thought it was awesome). He also apparently knows her tastes well enough to suggest later on that she’d like Dr. Mario because it’s “basically Tetris”, which she apparently enjoys.

Roddy mentions that Marina tried to dress him up for the stream, to the point that she picked out an outfit/shirt for him to wear and attempted to convince him to wear it; “but it’s so cute on you,” she apparently said. Chugs turns, considers the shirt Roddy wore instead, and says “[this shirt] is cute on you [too]”.

After Chugs checks in to ask if they’re sitting too close, Roddy starts playfully shoving at his thigh. Chugs, grinning, shoves him right back. They do it back and forth for a bit while Chugs says “hey, you’re cheating!”

Mama Chugs calls in the middle of the stream. As soon as she starts speaking (note that Chugs’ phone was not on speaker), Roddy shouts “mom!” She and Chugs then have a brief conversation. When she says “tell Roddy I said hello,” Roddy says “oh, I can hear ya”; he then gets right next to the back of the phone/Chugs’ ear and says “he-llo!” Chugs is smiling the entire time.

Chugs outright says/proves several times over that he actually doesn’t know anything about football, retroactively revealing that he just went to those football watch parties back in the day to be with Roddy and his other friends.

Chugs checks if he can be seen in the stream camera before turning back to the game they're playing, muttering something about himself being visible. Roddy stares at Chugs in the stream camera himself before quietly saying “oh, they can see you” with a small smile. Chugs glances sideways to meet Roddy’s look in the feed and says, equally quietly, “here I am”. They stay like that for a second before they laugh it off.

A viewer renews their subscription through July. Roddy asks until July when, to which Chugs says “just…the whole month of July”. Roddy says “nice” before suddenly saying “that’s our birthday month” (which it is; Chugs’ is on the 5th and Roddy’s is on the 26th). Adam replies something like “yeah, exactly. July’s the best month!”

Chugs mentions that, for his 30th birthday, he went to the Halo Outpost and bought his Master Chief helmet. He then goes on to say that he and Roddy hung out afterwards at an arcade bar. He doesn’t say anything to indicate that they had any other company.

To close the stream, Roddy said he was super nervous about going on, but overall he loved the experience. He then says it caused him to flashback a lot to his childhood, which was “crazy”, and a lot of the most fun he had (despite no longer remembering much about it) was when he was playing these games. He then self-deprecates by saying that back then, like during this stream, he was consistently a loser; immediately Chugs stops smiling, shakes his head, and tells him “hey, don’t”. He only smiles again when Roddy then says it spurs him to want to win at everything in real life.

February 2021

AKA “that time Adam Cole punched Roddy Strong in the dick very dramatically”.

Roddy tells Adam in the middle of the ring that he [Adam]’s shattered the trust between the Undisputed Era after he betrayed Kyle. He continues by telling Adam that “I need you to look at me and understand this: Kyle is gonna heal. And when he’s gonna heal from this, I don’t know if I can save you from what Kyle’s gonna do to you.” Finn Balor comes out suddenly and attacks Adam, to which Roddy attempts to intervene only to get beaten up instead. Adam saves Roddy with a superkick, and Roddy lariats Adam (not accidentally). Adam looks up at him, visibly scared, and tells him that “I don’t want this anymore” and “I want us to go back to normal”. He makes himself smaller and covers his face with his hair. Roddy yells “what is happening” in frustration, but otherwise immediately folds. He puts his forehead on Adam’s while his hands tangle in Adam’s hair and tells him he loves him, he’s his brother (LOL), etc. He then says “you know I love you”; Adam audibly sobs at this and says “I love you” too while doing the dagger stab motion to Roddy’s back. He follows it up by saying that “I’m so sorry”. Roddy offers Adam his hand to pull him back up to his feet. Instead of taking it, Adam low blows him instead, keeping his hand up until Roddy falls down on him. Adam tells Roddy that he is “stupid, so stupid”, wraps his hand around Roddy’s dog tags (one of the symbols of the Era’s brotherhood), and rips them off Roddy’s neck while saying “you’re dead to me.” He throws the tags aside, superkicks him, and stands over his prone body. Roddy grabs at his pants; Adam swats his hand away.

So far, when I note kayfabe things in this timeline I’ve kind of just let them speak for themselves. I won’t do that starting from here, though, because this moment onward into AEW is (IMO) kind of where they finally have some sense of kayfabe strictly delineated from reality with regards to their relationship. Save PWG, in a storyline that was aborted, ironically enough, when Roddy went to NXT, most of their on-screen connection directly follows from their off-screen connection--in some cases, you could argue that the only reason they had on-screen connection at all was because of their off-screen relationship. Starting from here, though, there is a genuine major event that occurred in the lives of Roderick Strong and Adam Cole that decidedly did not happen between the guys who play them on TV: a major public betrayal. This is far from binding, especially between companies and heel/face alignments in a postmodern and (supposedly) post-kayfabe society, but the fact of the matter still stands that there is now an actual divergence point between the two of them in kayfabe and outside of it.

It’s this new ability of theirs to now pick, choose, and recontextualize whatever parts of reality come into play, rather than everything they are together kind of leaking in by default, that raises interesting questions that will become very important in part 4 of the timeline (2023 to mid-2025): when Adam and Roddy bring up their history on-screen, how should the audience feel about it, taking this betrayal into account? How much should their (hopefully very clearly genuine, if you’re out here reading part 3 of this) affection/attachment/love for each other be seen through the lens of kayfabe--and not?

I won’t get into that here, but here’s one of my thoughts on this specifically: I would love to know exactly why they chose to run this betrayal this way: the vulnerability, the “I love you”s, the physical affection--and, most importantly, the violence of Adam’s words (calling Roddy stupid) and actions (ripping the dog tags right off his neck). Shame they couldn’t finish the story again, what with Adam jumping ship to AEW…guess we’ll have to wait a little longer for attempt #3. ;)

September 2021

Adam, freshly arrived in AEW, shows up on the Oral Sessions podcast with Renee Pacquette. Renee finally asks Adam the question I think everyone wanted answered: what the hell is up with his gamer tag, “The Chugs”? Adam explains after laughing that he wanted a name that was as silly and weird and fun as he firmly believes video games often are, so he went with a pre-existing nickname that was ironically given to him by some friends (because he actually is unable to chug anything, including water). Those friends, he reveals at the end of the story, were Roderick Strong, Eddie Edwards, and Matt Taven--the same people he went to those football parties with/for.

2021 to 2022

Reports begin making rounds in the dirtsheets that Roddy--the only member of UE that remained in NXT, as his contract with the company came up and had been re-signed several months ahead of Adam’s, Kyle’s, and Bobby’s--is becoming increasingly unhappy and is asking for his release. He does this at least a couple of times, to which WWE’s response is a constant “no”. Whenever it comes up in interviews after the fact, Roddy variously mentions/implies his reasons for wanting to leave as: to work with his wife, feeling creatively stifled in WWE (both as a wrestler and someone who could potentially pass on knowledge)…and missing working with his friends.

May 2022

Adam shows up at the Motor City Comic Con with Ethan Page and Ruby Soho to talk about AEW. A person in the crowd asks Adam straight up “when you guys are gonna save Roderick Strong from that company up in Connecticut”. Adam breathes in before giving quite a diplomatic answer: he would “love nothing more” than for Roddy to come to AEW, and though he (apparently) doesn’t know “where his head’s at or what he’s going to do”, Roddy knows he’ll “always have a home with [Adam], Bobby, and Kyle”.

June 2022

Adam Cole suffers two back-to-back concussions that almost end his career. He spends most of his time at home, wondering what he is going to do in the very real circumstance that he would never be able to wrestle again--after all, wrestling is all he’s ever really wanted, all he’s ever really known. One of the places he finds solace in is an otherwise-unnamed friend who was also injured at the time; they used to talk about what they were both processing and that helped. He also mentioned that there were certain people who texted and/or checked on him every day, even though they were in different companies.

August 2022

Roderick Strong suffers a neck injury that almost ends his career. He spends most of his time at home, wondering what he is going to do in the very real circumstance that he would never be able to wrestle again--after all, wrestling is all he’s ever really wanted, all he’s ever really known. One of the places he finds solace in is an otherwise-unnamed friend with a “similar upbringing”, who was a constant source of almost therapy: Roddy would talk about what he was processing to this friend and would get feedback in return.

#mel's writing tag #roddam #roderick strong #adam cole

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