#DOES THAT MAKE HANDLER CHIEF!?

[dragons-bones]

FFXIV Write Entry #1: The Constants of Adventure

Prompt: steer || Master Post || On AO3 (coming in October)

A/N: Mild spoilers for Dawntrail up to the beginning of zone four.

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There were three constants no matter the adventure Dancing Heron and her sisters went on: Alakhai would enable any ridiculousness with a straight face, Rereha would find at least four individuals of whatever genders to “rock her world,” and Synnove would make friends with any and all creatures of a particular tonnage and/or threatening mien. Heron said as much to Erenville.

“We’ve been in Shaaloani for only a few bells,” Erenville sighed, with all the weariness of an Ul’dahn chaperone, “and I believe they’re about to set a record for all of those.”

Heron fought down a laugh, amusement warming her bones better than the bright sun above. “And how do you know they didn’t pull that off upon arriving in Tuliyollal?”

“Despite the fact that every other word that leaves her mouth is an innuendo, Rereha actually does possess a sense of propriety,” Erenville said. “Only when it would reflect on someone else, of course. And Synnove was not introduced to the alpacas properly until…what was it, your second day in the city?”

“Third,” Heron said with a grin.

“And here we are,” Erenville said, his voice approaching the flat tone that Heron was beginning to recognize as his version of exasperated fondness (that he would deny), “Rereha has already wandered off to seduce Chief Kemakka, and Synnove has discovered rroneek.”

While the waystation at the trailhead to Tuliyollal had been empty of the rroneek trained for riding, the paddock in Hhusatahwi was currently host to a handful of the town’s rroneek, mostly used for hauling heavy loads of goods between the Shaaloani settlements. Synnove had drifted over, perching on the paddock fence to watch the creatures with the wide-eyed wonder of a little girl and directing polite questions to the handlers when they weren’t busy. Then one of the younger rroneek had noticed the newcomer and wandered over to investigate, and.

Well.

Now Synnove had the whole small herd clustered around her, the rroneek all lowing happily as Heron’s sister did her best to divide her attention amongst them and give them equal pets, to the awed bafflement of the handlers. Even the herd matriarch—“The toughest, orneriest cow south o’ Yyasulani.”—had deigned to leave the sole shaded spot in the paddock, shove the youngsters out of her way, and bask in the affection. Heron, leaning against the fence of the nearby nopales garden, couldn’t even see her sister anymore past the bulk of the rroneek, though her cooing was clearly audible.

“Awww, such a sweet thing you are, yes! Ooooh, that’s an itchy spot for you, yes it is.”

The herd matriarch was visibly leaning into the presumed scratching—somewhere on her head or face, most likely—with her tail swishing happily.

“They’re not any worse than La Noscean buffalo,” Heron said.

Erenville sighed heavily and leaned against the fence next to her. “We’ll need to keep her away from western Yawtanane.”

Heron glanced at him, eyebrow raised, and raised a hand to make a go on motion.

“That area is home to a number of species of scalekin. Including the lunyucaua’pya—creatures very similar in appearance and behavior to the Isle of Val’s tyrannosaurs.” Erenville gave Heron a flat, pointed look.

The story of their adventure on the displaced island home of the Students of Baldesion had been shared over the course of a few nights’ camping in Kozama’uka during the Rite of Reeds, told with relish and only a little embellishment by Rereha, with input about relevant details from Krile. Lamaty’i had been enthralled with the whole tale, but Erenville had been most interested in hearing how the wildlife had adapted, with those questions fielded by Synnove and Krile. Even with that relatively fresh in her memory, it took Heron a few moments to recall tyrannosaurs from the myriad kinds of feral beasts that inhabited the Isle of Val.

She cringed when she did.

“About the same size, just as aggressive, and with just as many teeth,” Erenville drawled.

“That’s not going to stop her if one decides to make friends,” Heron muttered. In all of her years of knowing Synnove, no creature her little sister charmed had ever hurt her or anyone else nearby, but that didn’t mean that instinct would never overcome Synnove’s empathetic thrall.

They weren’t necessarily any less dangerous just because their teeth weren’t sharp, but Heron much preferred creatures like the rroneek.

The air, ever so subtly, shifted.

“Good thing I bought some extra meaty provisions,” Alakhai said. “They’ll make good snacks for the beasties.”

Erenville went completely rigid, a growl pooling low in his throat, and he jerked his head around to glare at Alakhai. The Xaela was perched on the balls of her feet on the fence between him and Heron, radiating smug satisfaction. Heron rolled her eyes and said a prayer to any gods listening that her sister hadn’t reached out to condescendingly pat Erenville on the head as she occasionally did to people on whom she successfully snuck up. Erenville would likely have bitten her.

“I did need to set a record for enabling ridiculousness,” Alakhai said, straight-faced save for the mischief in her eyes.

Heron couldn’t help the snorting laugh that escaped her, even as Erenville’s glare intensified.

[gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan]

No Longer You

Next

Author's note: Alpharius 'Chief' 'Zarius' debut!

Summary: Zarius muses on the nature of things, and how Black Templars are Selfish Pricks.

Warnings: jealousy, spying, let me know if I need to add anything.

Tagged: @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @egrets-not-regrets, @kit-williams

Tagged: @sleepyfan-blog, @whorety-k

He's swimming in one of the oceans on Ancient Terra, arriving here had not been apart of his original goal or mission he'd been assigned by his Captain, and finding ways to link up with the local Alpha legion outpost, Loyalist faction, and not Chaos or Renegade had taken some... careful maneuvering. He's not in his teal and silver ringed octopus true form. But that of an Ultramarine. As an Alpha Legionare he's been trained in a myriad of things, also, as a 'Scout' in the guise of another legion he'd been picked to be an Apothecary, he'd been flattered and honored, because being entrusted with the duties of an Apothecary, and one in training are heavy and many, learning how to heal (and subsequently) more ways to take a person apart, both Astartes and base line human had been handy.

Astartes have to have some level of trust with Apothecaries, he's heard many a confession, and seen all manner of things in his time as an 'Apothecary' it's one of the ways he's been able to help the Alpha Legion hide among the other shoals and pods, when certain Paranoid cousins suspected one of his brothers to be Not One of Them, but A Two-faced Shape-shifting shit head, he'd be called in to test the gene-seed contained within the suspect individual. Depending on his mission, and what the actual truth of the matter was, truth, lies, and what is real and actually are in fact, more fluid.

The Alpha Legion is woven through the fabric of the Imperium, and through every chapter within the Space Marine Legions, to monitor and guide things, an unseen hand guiding and shaping events to the will and whim of their eldest brothers. He's never actually outed a True Brother- but if a certain person needed to be... removed well then, an Apothecary does his best, but you can't save everyone.

He's in the form of an Ultramarine. Most tend to have some level of trust, well perhaps not for Chaos or Renegade, or at least acknowledgement that the 13th legion are Bastards, but are Competent Bastards. He makes sure that he's far enough away from the Ultramarine shoal and sends an encoded message to his local handler, they haven't met in person, yet, after all, the Space Marines that they are hiding as haven't met, and it would be odd as a Chaos and Loyalist, even with The Alliance, seen to be so... cordial without more battle brothers nearby. Especially since Alpharius is in the guise (and the training) of an Apothecary.

Honestly, why do other chapters fuss over their Apothecary brothers so much? As an Alpha legionary, he's taught how to patch himself up, and if things go side ways, and very bad, how to take out their own gene-seed and find a way to safeguard and send a signal to the nearest Alpha Legionary to have it picked up and their body burned. He's been hearing some Concerning things about some of the hard liner shoals, a War Band (although the Black Templars are trying to have it changed to a Crusade) are nearby and are causing no end of Headaches.

It's terribly entertaining, but he has to warn his handler, who's both in a Chaos form, and much to his distaste, also Chaos Aligned. He hopes that his fellow Alpha Legionary is not actually a Chaos Marine, but is truly loyal, but had been ordered to Fall. It's... he sucks in his teeth as he keeps that Ultramarine Expression on his face, he's heard that two of his pod brothers have Fallen, due to orders. It's... hard hearing that. He hopes they regain their equilibrium soon and are better able to serve the plans and plots of the Alpha Legion Captains. Being on Ancient Terra could give them some unprecedented ability to get certain things really rooted.

They are able to keep certain... unsavory things from spreading wildly. Monitoring Ancient Terra's "internet" for certain trigger phrases that had things carefully monitored and wiped. Various organizations and cults that have sprung up in predictable response to the Space Marines and much to their dismay, the very few and rare Custodes arrival are being monitored and ... handled by other brothers. He only knows that much, no one brother knows everything, after all, if you are caught, other space marines try to squeeze as much information out of them as possible.

He knows, if the shoal he swims with ever find out that his colors are untrue that they will turn on him. He's had to deal with the aftermath of brothers being Found Out, back in the 40th millennium and also now. It's very are for it to happen now, there are much fewer of them, and of all the legions. They will turn on him, and their fury and rage will be swift, brutal and cruel, at least they are a Loyalist Shoal, the Renegades and the Chaos Shoals would do far, far worse to him if they find out his scales are teal and silver. Then again, it depends very much on which Loyalist shoal finds out, if they ever do.

He's heard rumblings about Primaris marines from some of the furthest in time brothers and cousins, and he's ever so curious about them. Having heard that a few of them have made a splash in their local communities, he's terribly curious and wants to meet one of them if at all possible. Also, its a part of the standing orders from their Captains, they need to try and find and assess the threat levels of the Primaris Marines to be able to interact and manipulate them accordingly. A challenge is something to be Overcome. He's also heard of Bonds, and how no Alpha Legion has never been able to have a True bond, what their cousins speak of, and that sends a pang of longing, jealousy and hurt stabbing through his hearts.

He's heard of Alpha Legion pods swarming a single individual and protecting that one human, keeping them preciously safe and theirs, but those false bonds work, only so long as their True Bonded doesn't show up and take the human away from the Alpha Legion pods, and they do take them away, every single time, the human choose the Other over them. Such is their burden, such is what he will bear it, and endure they must. As much as he longs for a bond, it also comforts him, the bonds are clearly Warp Fuckery, and the fact that it happens and the way the bonds have different intensities is endlessly fascinating. Also he's having a private laugh at the fact that the stubborn- idiot sons of Dorn, the Black Templars attempt to break the bonds (selfish, bastards, at least they can bond, ungrateful to abandon such a precious things) unless they get hit with an Intense or Strong bond, which means they suffer for it, harshly, and it will kill them, or nearly so, and their brothers drag them back and throw them at the human in angry despair.

So stubborn, and stupid, and selfish and- he takes a deep breath, holds it, and lets it go, so he's been near those annoying Black Templars too much. As an Apothecary, they demand his time, because the idiots get themselves into scraps with the Chaos Shoals, regardless of the difference in strength and numbers, and the fact that there are some treaties in place between some of the larger shoals. Such troublesome cousins, it would be a... shame is the Black Templars heard that some of the local Loyalist pods have a treaty with some of the local Chaos Pods.

For the shouty, charging, stab happy sons of Dorn would Rage and try to stab Everybody. which would ensure that they are chased out of the area, and are further socially isolated and given less in resources from the rest of the loyalists in this area. Which would serve them right, and that would mean that the poor stubborn idiot that he's got the misfortune to attend to in his guise as an Apothecary will be taken by his brothers. The 'poor thing' is suffering from breaking, or at least trying to break his bond.

Something within 'Zarael' reels back and hisses at how ungrateful the Stubborn Idiot is being. He won't breathe a word that he should be grateful to have such an opportunity, and it would fall on deaf ears for the Templars- and have certain other ears prick up in curiosity. Besides, if the idiot is able to break the ‘weak’ bond an Alpha Legionary will slide into place and soothe the poor rejected human and tend to them, and see if they can try to bind the human to himself, and potentially his pod of brothers. Another thing he's curious about is if any of the Primaris Marines are little brothers in disguise. Hearing what he has about the Primaris Marines having chimeric gene-seed, and from what some of the farthest in the future 41st millennium brothers have said, Primaris Marines are blends of Loyalist and Traitor Gene-seed. So it's very likely they have Little Brothers who have a gene-seed that would get them caught out.

[zahri-melitor]

Okay, as I finish the era-defining runs on Robin, Nightwing, Birds of Prey and Batgirl that 2009 closed out, I had a solid think about who I really enjoyed writing these, because that’s like over 580 issues of material, annuals, minis and one shots included.

Reflections on best writers for runs of Tim’s Robin series:

Look we have to acknowledge Chuck Dixon. Nobody was doing it (writing 2/3 of the entire Bat office material simultaneously) like Dixon, for almost a decade. To ignore the impact of Dixon on Tim and Tim’s comics is to miss the foundation almost everything else is built upon. Love him or hate him, he’s all about the supporting casts and environments. Special shout outs to Robin I, Robin III, Robin #33, Robin #34, Robin #49-52 (look it contains Shiva), Brotherhood of the Fist, and Robin #67, among many others.

Adam Beechen. Gonna call it. This was a solid entertaining run. It also contains Bruce parenting Tim, which you know what? We all needed this. We DESERVED this. (Unfortunately the run is marred by Evil!Cass but there isn’t a single perfect run anywhere in Tim’s books). It has Robin #156. It has Robin #163.

Bill Willingham, #132-141. Yes, I am very specifically restricting this to a small chunk of Willingham, but this bit was genuinely interestingly written and contains the best material for Tim in Bludhaven.

I cannot be normal about Robin #183, thanks Fabian Nicieza. It’s just. Beautiful. Read Robin I, Robin #50-52, and Robin #183 back to back to back. I have, and clearly so did FabNic as he wrote it. This is what long form storytelling and callbacks are about. This is how you tie off a series after 18 years of material.

Reflections on best writers for runs of Birds of Prey:

Gail Simone. GAIL SIMONE. Queen. She turned the perfect pair (Babs and Dinah) into a trio (Babs, Dinah and Helena) and she gave the Barbara & Helena relationship the desperately needed work it deserved to progress it from a tangled bilateral deep dislike to allies to best friends. (I also loved them despising each other. Because the reasons on both sides were so meaty. But the progression of moving past that was equally good).

Chuck Dixon. Do you need inadvertently very queer stories about 007!Dinah and her handler, Barbara? Do you need Dick/Babs in your life? Do you want the queerest art anyone has ever drawn for Babs, probably drawn specifically as a fuck you to Chuck Dixon (Birds of Prey #21 my beloved)? You want Chuck Dixon.

They let some other people write this for fills but we all know it wasn’t the same.

Reflections on best writers for runs of Nightwing:

Peter Tomasi. There’s absolutely no question. The run respects Dick as the adult hero with connections across the community. It gives a Dick who has grown up enough to not just instinctively push assistance from Bruce away. It’s full of continuity nods. (I have to SCREAM about Dick catching the falling baby at the end of Freefall. Tomasi taking the falling/missed catches imagery and transforming it by: giving Dick the hobby of skydiving; AND letting Dick make the catch that haunts his nightmares? It’s a beautiful reframe)

Hello again, Chuck. Frequently heavy handed, repetitive in how much Dick wants his independence, but also full of Babs/Dick, teamwork, Dick & Tim moments, a properly rounded out supporting cast, and the origin of Dick’s escrima sticks. He wouldn’t be the same hero today without his now iconic weapons.

If I were going to nominate a third, I GUESS I’d pick out a few parts of Devin Grayson’s run, actually, and I give you #75-#83ish, #100, and #107-111. #75-#83 gives you the most interesting part of the Chief Redhorn downfall story and Blockbuster trying to take Dick’s life apart before everyone starts dying (and contains stand out issues #76 – Amy Rohrbach’s house being blown up – and #81 – Dick in hospital, Cass taking on Slade), #100 just does a lot of interesting retrospective work with Dick (even as it cements in Grayson’s Romani canon, and whether or not that’s good in your opinion is up to you), and I actually quite enjoyed the mob arc of #107-111? It’s silly, but also it’s not the worst way Dick’s ever punished himself.

Reflections on best writers for runs of Batgirl:

Kelley Puckett. Next question?

Oh you want me to elaborate? Puckett created our girl who can take on anyone and win. He made her vulnerable. He gave her her aesthetic. He developed her complex relationship with both David Cain and with Shiva. He gave her speech and friends and the vulnerability to desperately want to protect people and learn. Cass isn’t Cass without Puckett’s work.

Probably Dylan Horrocks? Horrocks is very good with emotional moments for Cass. He wrote the ‘loyalty to the Bat’ scene and ‘Soul’ and also the argument with Babs over reading, which I’m sorry, is still one of those moments in Batgirl that takes my breath away because it’s so in character for both Babs and Cass, even as it hurts.

[majorbaby]

Local 4077

President - Klinger

Isn't initially interested but runs for the position after growing tired of watching the incumbent do jack shit for the membership while collecting a yearly honorarium. Does limited canvassing but wins by a landslide because he's likeable and he's good at his regular job, which he hates and doesn't want, so it stands to reason he should even better at a job he actually cares about.

Vice-President - Kellye

Was Klinger's first-choice as a running-mate and first choice for his eventual successor. Hosts many of their socials, is a force to be reckoned with at joint employer-union consultations. Picket captain extraordinaire when they go on strike - brings her guitar and starts an impromptu band "The Labourettes". They play protest songs on the picket line.

Secretary - Radar

Technically should be in an exempt position because he's an executive assistant to management but I'll let it slide because it's literally Radar he's obviously the secretary.

Treasurer - BJ

Wants to help out where he can, is good with numbers and is generally supportive of Klinger so he accepts a nomination for the position from the floor, but is kind of sus (beholden to 'the rule book'). I like to imagine when the executive is up for re-election, Klinger makes BJ the poster child of the campaign, prints flyers with his likeness on them, and writes "VOTE FOR KLINGER AND TEAM" beneath it. Good guy, supportive of workers, just needs to unpack some shit.

Chief Steward - Hawkeye

Literally useless without a handler, but is daring and showy and very good at escaping formal reprimand, which makes him valuable. Ready to put his ass on the line to protect workers who aren't as privileged as he is. Someone (Trapper) has to throw decoy socials to distract him from attending general meetings where actual work is being done, because he's disruptive and annoying. Is BJ's handler, but no one has told Hawkeye that, they just trust if BJ starts to have a moral crisis, Hawkeye will sound the alarm loud enough to attract someone else's attention.

--

Potter and Henry are in non-unionized positions.

I can't think of a situation where Margaret, Charles or Frank could be convinced to join a union. Not even late seasons Margaret. She's come a long way but I think she still believes in the institution. But it's possible they could also all be in exempt positions, since they're in higher-ranking roles.

[nygmobblepot-trash]

Gordon and Bullock led by Oswald's chief of staff stroll into Oswald's library.

Oswald hearing his peace disturbed looks up at the 3 men and makes a big dramatic show of tossing the book he was reading while rolling his eyes. "Oh boy here comes my favorite game!" He exclaims quite sarcastically.

"Listen. I dream of the day I never see your sorry ass again." Harvey Bullock quips back.

"This isn't a game. Harvey, stop encouraging him." Gordon demands in his usual annoyed tone."

Oswald narrows his eyes. "Oh, but it is a game. You invade my space then have me help fix whatever stupid mess you got yourselves in. Then once you get all the credit for my hard work you come in and arrest me anyways. Haven't you heard you have to give something to get something?"

Gordon taunts Oswald with a smile. "Or I could just arrest you now."

Oswald relaxes back into his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and stretching out his legs. "Be my guest. But know when my lawyers are done with you I'm holding another press conference about the incompetent GCPD."

Harvey bursts out laughing. "Oh no please don't make the general public hate us even more than they already do."

"...you sound proud," Oswald says slowly in utter disbelief.

"Where's Edward Nygma?" Gordon pushes the topic back on track.

Now it's Oswald's turn to laugh, "Christ! This again? I. Don't. Know. And I'm not even saying that to protect him. My days all blend now. I can't remember."

"Please we all know you're practically Ed's handler." Bullock shot back.

Oswald grabs his book and tosses it at Harvey with the might of a pro league baseball pitcher.

"That's it! I'm arresting this jackass!" Harvey screams.

Gordon grabs Harvey's shoulder to prevent him from reaching Oswald.

"Ed doesn't even know where he is half the time!" Oswald shouts.

"Excuses." Harvey presses.

Oswald smirks at Harvey. "Okay what did you have for lunch today?"

Harvey squints his eyes in thought as everyone waits in silence as he thinks.

A full minute passes by.

"Shit." Harvey finally replies in a defeated tone.

Gordon frowns. "We ate 45 mins ago, Harv. You even packed your lunch today."

"Shut up. When you get old you'll understand." Harvey finally shrugs off Gordon's hand.

Suddenly a voice echoes through the library. "THIS IS EXACTLY WHY NOTHING EVER GETS DONE. YOU SPEND ALL YOUR TIME WASTING AIR AND BICKERING WHILE SOMEONE ELSE DOES THE WORK!" Edward Nygma pops put behind a bookshelf carrying an impressive amount of books for someone with arms that are practically just skin and bone.

Oswald nonchalantly jerks his thumb towards Ed. "Found him," he answers in a tired tone then picks up a different book from his table and begins reading.

[steampunkforever]

Ridley Scott is a director that I largely view as washed up right up until he releases another good movie, at which point I wait around for his next run of bad films before I resume my judgement and hold it until he makes another good film, restarting the cycle. And he always seems to do this, following every Exodus: Gods and Kings or Robin Hood with The Martian or Prometheus and resetting my respect for him.

I don't think that "Ridley Scott is sort of washed up" is a controversial statement. At least not at the moment, considering popular reactions to Napoleon. Maybe Gladiator 2 will be good and he'll prove us all wrong. What's more interesting is Scott's tendency to make movies in his run of good films that are undoubtedly solid, but don't reach the acclaim of Blade Runner or Blackhawk Down. Films like All the Money in the World, The Last Duel (or House of Gucci for that matter) are solid but frankly understated for being Ridley Scott pictures, and only really shine when compared to his bad films or the idea of his bad films (re: Gladiator 2). They're certainly not Alien or Thelma and Louise, but Scott clearly uses them to explore interesting concepts and develop his craft in new ways. Body of Lies is one of those films.

The movie itself is by no means revolutionary. A 2008 film made about the war on terror, the biggest thing the plot does is explore the internal agency politics and infighting of the era's spycraft organizations rather realistically. Other than the inclusion of surveillance drones, the movie is a bone stock antiterror spy thriller from the same era, albeit with a fantastic selection of Iraqi cars on display.

Where Scott really works on this film is the interplay between Leo DiCaprio (a young operative with his boots on the ground) and Russell Crowe, his Cold-War-forged handler who calls the shots from Washington DC. Using their relationship to echo the disconnect between Washington and boots on the ground in Iraq, Scott positions spies as much more fallible than the Bush era propaganda machine would have us believe. Most interesting to me is how Crowe's character was handled. While DiCaprio chases informants down dark alleyways and dodges gunfire on dusty desert roads, we almost exclusively see Crowe's spy chief calling the shots from the phone while picking his daughters up from football practice or fixing breakfast for the kids or puttering about in his home office waiting for breakfast to be ready.

The war on terror is a lazy man's war at this point. It's all drone strikes and Crowe's presence halfway around the world overriding DiCaprio's decisions is an elegant way of portraying this, even if the rest of the film is largely boring otherwise.

[hoziernaturalevents]

Meet the New Beta Readers!

We sent out a call at the beginning of July for more Beta Readers, and you guys SHOWED UP and all of the fics were claimed within days!

So, without further to do, meet the newest members of our team!

@hermit-writes

Here’s an example of her work!

Title: Sprawling Chaos (series, 101,032 words) Rating: Works within series are either Mature or Explicit Relationship/s: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester/Original Female Characters Some Tags: Runner!Dean, Hitman!Dean, Technomancer!Sam, Cyberpunk, Dystopia, Shaman!Cas, Bobby Singer Lives, Charlie Bradbury Lives, Charlie Bradbury Lives, Ellen Harvelle Lives Summary (for the first in series): When magic surged back through the world, it fractured the fabric of society. Those who had the means rose, the Mega Corporation chief amongst them. Those who couldn’t fell in the shadows, the cracks where the forgotten refuse to die. Sam and Dean are Runners; mercenaries determined to survive in a merciless, broken society where trust is a luxury and a conscience can get you killed. And they’re good at what they do… until everything falls apart. Their newest handler is a family friend and the fallout out hits even closer to home, a line is drawn. Nothing is ever free in the Sprawl, and the high ground sells at a premium.

@ididitallofitforyou

Title: Early Morning (1,378 words) Rating: Teen & Up Relationship/s: Castiel/Dean Winchester Some Tags: Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Domestic Fluff, Baker!Dean, Bookstore Owner!Castiel, Retired!Destiel, Bisexual Dean Winchester

Summary: When Dean’s alarm goes off, he quickly silences it and groans as he falls back against his pillow. Before he can talk himself out of bed, Cas rolls over and snuggles up against him, head on his shoulder, arm around his waist. Dean leans down to nuzzle Cas’ hair as he slowly rubs his hand across Cas’ back and shoulder. How did he - Dean Winchester, hunter extraordinaire, the guy with nothing but a GED and a give ‘em hell attitude - get so lucky as to end up here? Married to his not-quite-an-angel-anymore, best-friend-turned-love-of-his-life. He’s so goddamned happy he doesn’t know what to do with himself sometimes. Dean huffs an incredulous laugh and shakes his head. He’s got to get moving or he’s going to be late.

@jerzcaligrl

Here's an example of her work!

Title: Lucky Man (532 words) Rating: Teen & Up Relationship/s: Jared Padaleki/Jensen Ackles Some Tags: Supernatural RPF, Established Relationship, Schmoop Summary: Jared discovers that Jensen has watched his part on Gilmore Girls repeatedly.

@munchablemusic

@quizasvivamos

Here's an example of her work!

Title: Dark Brotherhood Klaine (series, 50,887 words) Fandom: Glee Rating: Explicit Relationship/s: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel Some Tags: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, AU, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Medieval, Assassins & Hitmen, Suspense, Action/Adventure, Injury, Murder, Mystery, Inspired by Elder Scrolls, Sadomasochism, Light Bondage, Enemies to Lovers Summary: Set in a medieval era, Kurt & Blaine are assassins from separate brotherhoods. For Blaine, it's just a job, a way to keep from starving, but, for Kurt, it's thrilling and puts extra gold in his pocket. When their secret lives collide, and they unknowingly get caught up in a dangerous game, will their instincts kick in before they make a fatal mistake? *The character death warning does not pertain to Kurt and Blaine.

@imbiowaresbitch

Here's an example of her work!

Title: Pink Panties and a Zorro Mask (21,824 words) Rating: Explicit Relationship/s: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Eileen Leahy/Sam Winchester, Rhonda Hurley/Dean Winchester Some Tags: Canon Divergence, Fix-it, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Pre-Canon, Post-Canon, Trans Female Character, Period Typical Attitudes, transphobic slurs, ignorance, Bisexual Dean Winchester, Bottom Dean Winchester, Homophobic John Winchester, Abusive John Winchester, John Winchester's Journal, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault of a teen, Chuck does not win, no empty deal, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Self-Worth Issues, Case Fic Summary: In 1998, Dean meets a woman who opens his eyes to a bunch of things, about the world, and about himself. Dean isn't ever going to forget Rhonda, but he keeps those details to himself, except the once, when faced with himself. In 2022, Dean and Sam find themselves investigating a possible djinn taking people from none other than a Supernatural convention. With Cas along to help, and use his role as the djinn queen's husband for leverage, they try to figure out what happened. But with so many distractions–namely, a whole new set of books written before Chuck was defeated by Jack and Amara, with details Dean never wanted uncovered–they're separated, and Cas is taken. What will Dean do to get back his best friend? What can he possibly offer that a djinn powerful enough to capture a fully juiced angel can't beat?

@very-offkey-kazoo

Here's an example of their work!

Title: your boots beneath my bed (5,323 words) Rating: General Audiences Relationship/s: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Minor Kaia Nieves/Claire Novak, Minor Donna Hanscum/Jody Mills Some Tags: Deancas Wedding, Sam and Dean have been on FBI most wanted list multiple times and the true crime girlies have not forgotten, Dean Winchester and his extremely complicated relationship with gender, Jack and Claire are siblings, Kid!Jack Kline, Nonbinary!Jack Kline, Everyone's Here and Everyone's Queer, Fluff, Crack Treated Seriously, Tattooed!Dean Winchester Summary: During a trip to the mall to get Jack a new suit for the wedding, Dean gets recognized, but he can hardly focus on anything this chick is saying because the wedding dress she's trying on is just... horrendous. During family dinner that night, Dean finds he has opinions. He would not wear that one, thank you, and that one's a travesty, and good lord what was the designer thinking with that one??? Cas, being the perfect darling he is, asks his fiance what kind of wedding dress he would wear. Dean has an answer.

[xxruinaxxmcu]

Jack Thompson x Reader

Previous Chapters 

What Lies Before US

Chapter 19

A/N: once again thank you @clinicallydepressedreader for the lovely reblog of the last chapter! I do appreciate every like/feedback a great deal. 

The next morning, before the sun had made its way above the horizon, the two of them packed up their things in the office before making their way back to the bunker. It was still locked, so Jack entered the code to gain access.

“Seems like no one broke out”, he commented sarcastically.

They were greeted by silence as they made their way back towards the interrogation chamber. The first person they came across was Sousa, who looked like he hadn’t slept much.

“You look a bit under the weather”, Y/N said with a small smile, “Everything alright?”

The brunet nodded. “Yeah. Peggy’s asleep. So is her brother.”

“Did you get anything?”, Jack asked, pointing towards the interrogation room with his chin.

“Yeah”, he huffed, “seems like you really are our best interrogator, Jack. What a pity you’ll switch agencies.” He paused: “Apparently, he was captured in 1940 and brought to a facility in East Prussia, where he underwent torture for several years. After the war, HYDRA found new allies in the Soviet Union interested in their research, so the base continued in Kaliningrad.”

“So the Soviets know about that entire mind control stuff?”, Thompson asked, crossing his arms with a scowl. This was bad. HYDRA was a rogue organisation without a state to back it, but the Soviet Union had an entire apparatus behind it.

“Yeah”, Daniel confirmed, “he mentioned that they continued to work on their technique, improve the compliance of their subjects.”

“That’s why he’s only the BETA candidate”, Y/N threw in, “There must be an ALPHA, too. Someone who’s been trained better. That’s what they outlined in that booklet, too. Does he have details on that person?”

Daniel shook his head: “They made sure for candidates not to meet.”

“And do we know if he’s stable without a handler? Or is he just going to revert back into mad-mode?”, Jack questioned.

“I give no guarantees”, Daniel scoffed, “but I think without Keller’s orders, it should be fine. We’ll still send him to see a psychiatrist to look into possible de-programming, in case we were to ever run into another HYDRA scientist again.” His head turned to Y/N. “Thank you, Y/N. I know you could’ve shot him to get our mission done with less personal risk.”

She waved her hand: “Daniel. I’ve pulled the trigger too quick too often. I suppose I can try the other way once in a while.” Feeling Jack’s gaze upon her, she knew that he knew what she felt, even if he disagreed with her feeling that sense of guilt.

“We’ll take him back to L.A. with us”, Daniel said, nudging his head in the direction of where Michael was still locked up, “probably we’ll leave in about ten hours. Peggy organised private means of transportation.”

“You mean she called Stark.”

“I mean she called Stark”, Sousa confirmed Jack’s guess. “Are you coming with us?”

The two exchanged a quick glance.

“I think we have to get our affairs sorted in New York. I have to talk to McKinley to make him interim Chief”, Jack pulled a face, “and yes, I vetted him as thoroughly as I could, and though he doesn’t have my charm, he’s sure as hell not gonna turn out a Communist or HYDRA agent.”

Daniel and Y/N scoffed simultaneously.

“I described you in a great many ways, Thompson, but charming?”, Daniel grinned.

“If you need backup”, Y/N said, not having to say more than that to clarify her offer. Sousa nodded.

“We will.”

“I’ll organise our fights back to New York”, Y/N said to Jack before marching off to one of the offices to call the airline.

When she had left, Jack turned to Sousa.

“I need Carter to spend a weekend with Y/N, get her out of New York.”

“What?”, Sousa raised an eyebrow, “Are you double-crossing someone again?” It was a clearly a joke, but Jack still rolled his eyes.

“No, you jackass”, he huffed, “but there’s something I need to do, and I can’t have her knowing just yet. Come on, it’s awful keeping a secret from a spy, so I need a spy to help me!”

Daniel had his suspicions where this was headed, so he nodded without further question.

A few hours later, Y/N and Jack got ready to leave Miami behind.

“Tell Peggy I wish her all the best”, Y/N said to Sousa when they got ready to enter the taxi, “I think she’s quite busy with everything that’s happened.”

“I will”, Sousa said with a smile, “Thank you for the help.”

“Don’t mention it”, she said, “You two have saved our asses more than enough, too.”

Just when they were about to climb into the cab, the door flew open again and Peggy stormed out to hug Y/N. “You didn’t think I would not say goodbye to you, did you?”

“I’m sure you’ve got bigger things on your mind then waving at me”, Y/N laughed, “especially since I’m sure we’ll speak on the phone before you know it.”

“You can count on it!”, Peggy looked over to Jack, nodding at him. “Thank you, Jack. I even relinquish the desire to shoot you.”

Jack snorted. “Yeah? Thanks, Marge.”

“See you around, you two”, Peggy said with a smile as they departed. For once, despite the entire Michael-situation wasn’t yet resolved completely, their case was closed. Keller was dead. The Arena Club dismantled.

Jack Thompson’s and Y/N L/N’s tenue at the SSR was coming to a close.

……………

They decided to remain at the SSR for four more weeks to wrap things up, then take a few days off with the vacation days that they had, in theory, accumulated but had been unable to ever use because the world wouldn’t stop ending before starting at the CIA in March of 1948. That meant that they had a few weeks of mostly filing and other desk duties, which came to Y/N’s advantage as it gave her wound time to heal without feeling like she was missing out on anything that would’ve needed her skillset. A definite downside to that was, however, that it provided time to think. And as good as they were when dealing with criminals, from mobster to mad scientist, they were equally terrible at handling domestic issues.

And there was a rather big one that they had to take care of one way or another. Their own wedding.

‘Why the hell are you worrying about this, Thompson? You’ve seen how it goes at Carter and Sousa’s. Just don’t fall flat on your face and you’ll be fine’, Jack thought to himself, though he knew he was only kidding himself. There were a million things that could go wrong. Family was a blessing, but it was also a can of worms. And his friends from university and from his time in the Marine Corps didn’t know each other, so they might hate each other. And there was the miniscule thing around Y/N’s family. Or, more precisely, her father.

Their wedding would take place in February, which meant that it would most likely be cold as hell, but there wasn’t much they could do about it, it was one of the only moments – perhaps of their entire lives – where they could be fairly sure that they had time for such an event.

Y/N was a bit confused by the no-discussion-allowed tone Peggy had when she called her one day to inform her that they’d spend a weekend together back in Boston where Peggy knew a childhood friend who was selling wedding dresses. Y/N wasn’t that thrilled to return to that city again so soon – but after being threatened to have to fly to L.A. to meet with her instead, she agreed.

“You sure you don’t want to come?”, Y/N asked when packing her suitcase, looking over to her fiancé. “We don’t really do things traditionally, so I don’t mind if you see the dress before day X.”

“You’re right”, he pushed himself off the wall with a grin, “we did everything up until this moment in an unorthodox manner. Let’s do this one thing the old-fashion way. I’m sure my ma would be livid if we didn’t.” He gave her a quick kiss, causing Y/N to laugh.

“Your ma would be livid if she knew half the crap we’ve done together”, Y/N informed him, “And I don’t even mean just our work now, I doubt she’d be happy with all the stuff that happened before the war, either.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, we were practically saints at university”, he said with a wink, making her scoff.

“Yeah. I hope Nick bites his tongue if he’s around on our wedding day. Don’t want your parents’ image of their saintly son to be destroyed.”

………

Y/N was greeted by her friend at the airport. “You really didn’t have to fly all across the country just for this silly thing”, Y/N said after giving her a hug, “I’m sure Jack wouldn’t have walked off the altar just because I was wearing a normal dress. With that temper of his, he can’t afford to be picky.”

Peggy laughed at her jab at her fiancé. “You know, Y/N, I have to agree with you on this one! Doesn’t mean you should not do it, still. Maybe I just want to see that airhead speechless once.”

Y/N grinned. “He does have a tendency to want the last word. That, and he doesn’t have the best of filters. Should’ve seen him when we met again after the war. I wasn’t sure if he was about to jump at me to hug me, or slap me, and he just ended up accidentally insulting me.”

“What?”, Peggy looked offended on Y/N’s behalf when she heard that, and Y/N only waved.

“I’m pretty sure he had a rough night before”, she said with a lopsided smile, “and he’s never been good at personal diplomacy. Trust me, you eventually learn to handle and to interpret his insults. Most of them aren’t meant to be taken literally, or even figuratively, they’re just an expression of Thompson-doesn’t-know-what-to-say.”

As they made their way through the city, Y/N sighed. “Didn’t expect to be back here so soon, I have to say. But I guess I can’t hate every city for what happened in it, otherwise, sooner or later, I won’t be able to live in the US entirely.”

“So you’ve gotten over your hatred for L.A.?”, Peggy asked with raised eyebrows.

“No.”

“No?” The brunette laughed.

“No, but for a whole host of reasons. First”, Y/N raised a finger, “I don’t like the climate. Way to hot. I prefer more moderate weather, and New York’s summers are hot enough. Second, I am deeply weirded out by Hollywood. Feels like throwing a glittering blanket over a pile of dirty laundry.” Peggy laughed at her description of most people’s idolised part of America, but Y/N continued. “Third, I have to be a bit considerate towards Jack. And I doubt he can live in the same city as Howard Stark without accidentally murdering him.”

“Yes, some days, I share that sentiment”, Peggy agreed, “By all his brilliance, he is a nuisance, too.”

Y/N pressed her lips together, wondering if asking about Michael was appropriate. She decided, after having taken a bullet in order to save the man, she had the right to inquire. “How is your brother?”

“I think he is getting better. It is really hard, though, for him to – you know – figure out who he is, again. Who he really is, without mind control, without the programme that they had drilled into him”, Peggy replied, her tone calm and relatively collected. “But I know he’ll get through this. Michael taught me what it means to fight to get what no one thought possible. He survived all they’ve done to him – he’ll get back.”

“We’ll have to look into that programming, though”, Y/N muttered, clenching her jaw, “it doesn’t sound from the notebook that they’re thinking about scaling back their experiments. Chances are, we’ve got several other American or British POWs that underwent similar procedures and are being reintroduced into the country to do their bidding.”

“Yes”, Peggy agreed, frowning at the thought. Then, she shook her head. “But not today. Today, you’re going to find the perfect dress!”

…………

The quaint house stood in the middle of a large plot of land, and if Jack had to ever point to the definition of a house with a white picket fence, it would have been this house. It had everything one would draw on such a picture – trees in the garden, well-maintained flowers. A swing.

A swing? He looked at the wooden contraption. Yes, a swing. But Y/N was an only child – at least, she had been when she left for Europe. Oh well. ‘Here goes nothing’. He fought the urge to abort the mission, to just go home and get married to the girl he wanted to marry without pulling this stunt – he knew she wouldn’t have been mad at him for not doing it. But, once again, his stubborn self could not accept that her father was mad at her decision to leave for Europe. Even if it had taken Jack himself a minute to get around on that decision.

He sighed, and went to ring the doorbell.

First, no one answered the door. Looking through the window next to it, he saw that there was light burning in one of the rooms, so he assumed someone was in there. Then, through the window, he saw a kid walking towards him – maybe fifteen. Dark hair and dark eyes, he looked confused when he opened the door.

“Yes? Can I help you?”, the boy asked.

“I’m looking for Mr. L/N”, Jack replied, “is he here?”

“He’s upstairs”, the boy replied, “who’s asking? I can get him.”

“Jack Thompson”, Jack pulled out his SSR ID, “He might remember me from when he lived in New York. I went to school with his daughter.”

“Dad?”, the boy turned around and yelled upstairs, “someone here to see you! A federal agent!”

Jack heard the footsteps of Y/N’s father descending the stairs. When he saw Jack in the doorframe, his face froze.

“You’re the boy Y/N went to school and university with”, he stated.

“Yes”, Jack nodded, shaking the man’s hand, “Jack Thompson. I’ve worked with your daughter at the SSR after the war, too.”

An aura of darkness, perhaps of sorrow or nostalgia coated the man’s face. “Seems like she couldn’t let it go.”

Jack’s eyebrows twitched upwards. “Sir, her work saved countless lives. During her time in Germany, as well as during her time at the SSR. Most men would be happy settling for half of her record.”

Mr. L/N pressed his lips together. “And you came here to bring me the notice of her passing? Is that it? Your sworn duty as her commanding officer?”

“What?”, Jack frowned, “No. Y/N’s alive and well, sir. I came here to ask you to give your daughter the right to choose. She didn’t have to serve. And yet, she did. And when she came back, she didn’t have to work for an intelligence agency. And yet, she did. Hell, I didn’t task her with half the crap she ended up pursuing at the SSR, and in hindsight, I should thank the Lord that she did. If it hadn’t been for her, I’d be dead.”

Mr. L/N looked over his shoulder, at the boy still standing there. “Give us a moment, Rich.” Then, he stepped outside, alone, to face Jack.

“Mr. Thompson, when Y/N decided to head to England, her mother already knew that she was sick. She just didn’t tell Y/N right away. We didn’t want her to go, because we already knew we’d lose someone within the next years. Before she could tell Y/N, she was on her way to England.” He sounded bitter, angry, because that meant that his only child had left him alone.

“Sir, I get that this must’ve hurt, I do”, Jack clenched his jaw, “but we were all asked to make a sacrifice. We were asked to take up arms and run head first into enemy lines if need be. So yes, your family was ruined by war, even though Y/N came back, and for that, I am sorry. But how many families lost multiple children to the war, how many families were torn apart? She tried to do what was right, and she did a fine job.” He paused. “So I ask, is that resentment really worth ruining the chance of salvaging the relationship you could still have to your daughter? Because she left you in order to serve her country?” For once, he managed not to raise his voice to a hostile level, but he nonetheless stared down Mr. L/N.

“Mr. Thompson”, he said slowly, carefully, “Why did you come here?”

Jack huffed. “I came here to tell you that on February 19th, Y/N L/N will become Misses Y/N Thompson. She was convinced that you would not want to be at her wedding. I came here to ask you myself. And you can say no, but I wanted to give you the chance to not lose your daughter. Yes, she went to war, and yes, she came back different. But she came back. And if you let her, you can have her back, too.”

……………

February 19th was the date Jack had suggested. Y/N knew why that date meant something to him. It was the day he went to hell – February 19th, 1945, had been the day he landed on Iwo Jima. That day would always remain a black mark in his calendar, but this way, he took it back. It would no longer be the worst day of his life, it would be the best day of his life, too. Simply put, it would become the most meaningful day, good and bad, in his life.

Y/N had eventually found a dress – its long sleeves made up by a delicate lace, a deep v-neckline that, nonetheless, was modest, albeit a bit a different cut from the standard dresses. The A-line skirt allowed for easy movement, but did not consist of so much fabric that it would turn into a tripping hazard. Looking in the mirror, she saw Peggy smile at her from behind. Y/N herself didn’t manage to smile. She felt like she was staring at someone else entirely.

“You look stunning, Y/N. Absolutely gorgeous!”, Peggy stated and added with a smile, “What exactly Jack Thompson did to deserve you, I shall never know.”

Y/N couldn’t help but to grin at that remark. She knew that Peggy and Jack had started off – and continued for a long while – on the wrong foot.

“He really was a prick after the war, huh”, Y/N huffed, pulling the fabric around her neckline into place.

“The worst part is – at least he had somewhat of an explanation for it”, Peggy lamented, “But how many others are just as bad as he was and aren’t as marked by the years we spent abroad?”

“Peg, I am sorry to inform you, but if you want to live in a world without being degraded by our wonderful male co-workers”, Y/N said, turning to face the brunette with a cynical smile, “Then you were born at least two hundred years too early.”

“Well, someone has to pave the way, and I suppose, for the time being, that’ll have to be the two of us – and in all fairness, we have come a long way within the SSR”, Peggy replied, and Y/N nodded with one eyebrow raised.

“I suppose we have. Though you’ve had it significantly worse than I did. I was never accused of treason, or kicked out, or blackmailed with another person’s file”, Y/N said dryly.

“Indeed, the accusation of treason mostly came from my now-husband, I was kicked out by Chief Dooley, and blackmailed by Chief Thompson”, she recounted, laughing, “I suppose now I’ve gotten a beating from all the Chiefs, so maybe I am good now.”

“You better be, considering you’ll be heading a new organisation soon”, Y/N winked, “unless you go against yourself – you’ve got only Howard Stark to fear, and I think he has better things to do than to go after you. A suggestion from me – he should invest in a better vault. And security system.”

……………

“Mr. Thompson!”, Jack looked over his shoulder as he was walking back to his car when he saw the kid from before running towards him.

“Can I help you, kid?”, he asked, turning around with an eyebrow raised.

“Dad never mentioned that Y/N was still alive”, the boy said, “He also never said that she was dead, now that I think about it. I guess, I just explained it away, given that she was never here.” He held out his hand: “I’m Rich. I’m Y/N’s stepbrother.”

Stepbrother. That made sense. A son from a previous marriage, whose father either had died, or was so absent that he had started to call Mr. L/N dad.

“Pleasure to meet you, Rich.”

“What is she like?”

Jack knew that he meant it as a completely innocent question, but to him, it was loaded with the memories of about fifteen years that he had, in one way or another, spent with Y/N. He didn’t even know where to begin with. How should he explain to this kid what a person Y/N was?

“Y/N”, he eventually said, elongating her name in the search for words, “She’s, uhm, probably the bravest, kindest, and strongest person I’ve ever met. Words don’t do her justice.”

“Dad hardly ever mentioned her – you said that she served… where did she serve? Dad didn’t seem thrilled about it.”

Jack knew that it wasn’t his story to tell – the spying, the entire tale of Y/N’s time in Germany, but he also wanted to convey to this boy that his ‘dad’ was dead-wrong for having been upset at his daughter, so he decided to rub it right in his face. “She fought against the Nazis. She spent the war in Europe. That’s why she left.”

It had the effect he had wanted – Rich’s mouth fell open as he stared at Jack in disbelief. “What? That’s awesome!”

“Yeah, well”, Jack gave him a lopsided grin and nodded towards the house behind them, “tell that to your dad, will ya, kid?”

“I will, sir!” Jack almost pulled a face at the kid calling him ‘sir’. Only the pencil pushers in the SSR called him that, and even they only rarely did. Most of them just called him ‘Chief’. The last time he was called ‘sir’ right, left and centre was back in the military.

“See you around, Rich.”

…………

When Y/N returned, she wasn’t surprised when Jack was not at either her or his place – though their time at the SSR was coming to an end, he still didn’t like to let go off the wheel entirely just yet. So she headed to the office, where her search was indeed successful.

Entering the office, she felt the eyes of the men inside it on her.

Raising an eyebrow and putting her hands on her hips, she paused. “Is something the matter, gentlemen?”

“We knew about you leaving the SSR together with the Chief, but he only now mentioned that you’ll soon be married”, Goldberg eventually said, causing Y/N to raise her other eyebrow as she laughed.

“Yes, I’m sorry for myself, too.”

“Hey!” She grinned at Jack whose head popped out of the bullpen as he shook his head: “Unbelievable.”

“Congratulations, Y/N. Can’t say I saw that coming when you had your first day here, I thought you’d be more likely his murderer than his wife, but I stand corrected.”

Y/N laughed at Goldberg’s not entirely wrong analysis of hers and Jack’s first meeting post-war.

“What can I say”, she said, “we’ve never done things traditionally. That applies professionally as well as privately, it would seem.”

“I swear, if you now start telling them about our yesteryears, I’ll fire you on the spot”, Jack warned jokingly, “I want to upkeep my reputation for my next job.”

Y/N huffed: “I have no idea what you’re getting at, Jack. Your drinking escapades aside, and your unbelievable ability to make enemies, you were a straight-A student all your life.” And both of these aspects of his personality weren’t all that well-hidden, though, perhaps, his subordinates merely got to see the surface of both.

In fact, that was perhaps one of Jack Thompson’s most proficient traits. He had the capability to adapt to his environment, mould himself into whatever people expected from a person in his situation, put his own personality on the backburner in order to climb the ladder. He had always wanted to be the best – the best at maths, the best at sports, the best at anything he ever did, and he’d do anything to succeed. That didn’t necessarily mean to push others out the way, it certainly meant he fought hard to be better than the next guy, but as harsh as he was to others, he was at least ten times harsher with himself. He was able to build up a wall to reinforce himself to be ready to take on a world that had been incredibly hostile in their lifetime. They had experienced an economic crash and an economic recovery, they had experienced the worst war the world had ever seen. Not only that, but they had fought in it. And then they had come back to a country where they felt like strangers, only to realise that they had to second-guess every person around them. His wall of anger and of sarcasm and rudeness, it was also a wall of hard work, of doubt and of a deep conviction to want to serve this country. It was the wall that only very few got to ever climb, and Y/N was perhaps the one person who knew every brick in the wall.

To understand Jack Thompson was to understand the environment he operated in. That’s how it’s always been – he had been a different person when they were surrounded by other students as he was when he was with his family. He was different when being the SSR Chief, or her fiancé. Essentially, he grew up in a society that valued first and foremost the outcome, rather than the means. And the outcome society valued most was success. That might come across as greedy or selfish, but Y/N knew – at heart, he still did it all with good intentions. He wouldn’t ever back out of a fight in fear over his own life. He was willing to die for his job. And he didn’t trust many others to do a better job than he did himself. Again, this might sound selfish and arrogant to many, but Y/N had seen ‘the others’. Men like Vernon Masters, Calvin Chadwick and so on. They were just as ambitious, but they were cowards. They were willing to sacrifice others for their own success. He was willing to sacrifice himself.

And that, Y/N thought to herself, is why I’m going to marry him – to keep that part of him controlled. Because as much as she admired him for his willingness to give his all for cause and country – she really didn’t want him to become a martyr. She didn’t need for him to become the next Captain America. She was fine with him just being a good man, a man with a long list of flaws and a record of mistakes.

She could not ever imagine being with someone as literally flawless as Steve Rogers – then, she would feel like an absolute imposter. She had just as long a list of flaws and mistakes.

That’s why it worked. They needed each other – and in a sense, they always had.

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[piracytheorist]

Macabre Theme and Variations (10/15)

Fandom: Spy x Family Word count: 6.2k for this chapter | 44k so far | 65k in total Rating: T Warnings: Non-permanent character deaths, graphic violence

Summary: Twilight wakes up. He works on his mission. He dies. He comes back and does it all over again. Each time a little different. (Inspired by the film Happy Death Day)

Warning for this chapter: … F bomb.

AO3 Read from the beginning: Tumblr | AO3

~

Chapter 10: Bocca Chiusa

bocca chiusa = with closed mouth, usually referring to humming

~

Borf!

Twilight opens his eyes and grits his teeth.

That was a huge risk he just took. It was useful to find out that Yuri doesn’t have enough evidence to suspect Loid Forger is Twilight or to tell his chief about it, but he'd lie to himself if he said it wasn't one part pride and one part selfishness that drove him to fishing that information out of him.

He gets up to help Yor not bump on the wall, looking at her with a guilty expression as she smiles at him.

Yor doesn't know about her brother working for the secret police, and Yuri... he has accepted her physical excellence as something normal, but there's no way she isn't hiding something from him.

And Twilight, too. But he has no right to those secrets of hers. As long as they're not something that compromise his position or morals, then he has no reason to doubt her.

But he was selfish. He almost wanted to rub it in Yuri's face that he's lying to his own sister, as if that would somehow make Loid’s lies less atrocious. And now the guilt weighs heavy on his stomach.

How did he reach the point of feeling guilty for using a member of the secret police, of all things?

He takes Bond for a run again, needing the distance from Anya and however big the range of her ability is.

This day he has to confront her about it. If his control keeps slipping like that, one single thought of his suspicions in front of her can bring disaster.

The thing is... how does he confront her about it as a father to his daughter, and not as a spy to a danger he needs to eliminate?

His shoulders tense at the thought of even WISE finding out about her.

How the hell is he going to balance things out? When did he get himself into such a complicated situation... and where is the Twilight that would have already left by now?

He doesn’t miss him, that’s for sure.

Ice cream is added to the Forgers’ breakfast again. This day will be wasted again, and Anya will have the shock of her life, so he might as well indulge them.

This morning he occupies his mind by going through his failed plans, a recap of what he knows about Pollux, as well as how he can further test him tonight.

He could lead him up the stairs and onto the rooftop of the building. He could let the Handler know about the listening devices at the safe houses, so she can be more careful when arranging for the snipers infiltrating the area. Maybe have them hide in the trees that surround the theater hall?

Not Agent Crescent, though.

Twilight's fist clenches around the knife handle as he spreads cream cheese on his bread, nearly driving the blade through the slice. The day that Crescent's misfire took Yor's life has been reset, but it might not be long before an accident like that happens again, with the consequences being inevitable.

He sighs, looking at his almost ruined slice. He makes a mental note to inform the Handler about that agent's less-than-stellar performance and need for evaluation and possibly re-training, once he's out of the loop.

He kisses Yor’s hand again before they leave. Anya gets on the bus, he thinks how it’s going to take five times to start, it leaves, Yor wishes him a good day, and he starts walking towards the hospital, but then takes a turn not too long after.

On this library visit, he picks up books about child psychology. Unfortunately, the only matters covered about how to break upsetting news to children are about the death of a family member or the parents divorcing.

Nothing on how someone can tell their child they know about their supernatural abilities.

He’s only confident in the idea that his words won’t be doubted, since Anya will immediately know he’s telling the truth.

The truth whose full gravity he still hasn’t grasped.

He looks up towards the bookshelves, spotting one of the childrearing books he read the first day of having Anya.

Back then, he thought there would be no point in him ensuring a stable future for her, because he’d immediately dismissed the idea that there would be any future between them in the first place.

Yet here he is now, ready to work and change so that future can be real.

He wants to be a father.

He closes his eyes, resting his forehead on his palms. The start he made with Anya was far from ideal. It’s been a bumpy path all along, but if Anya was willing to endure it, the least he can do is make himself worthy of her efforts for him.

He finishes the book and leaves for his meeting with the Handler, once again in the cafeteria outside.

A cold dread spreads in his chest when he thinks that, had he told the Handler about the time loop while in the WISE safe house, Pollux would have heard it… and would have most likely changed his plan.

It’s pointless to wonder whether such a change would cause the loop to break, and thus solidify Twilight’s death, but apparently the times he’s died and come back haven’t desensitized him to the idea of his actual death.

If anything, considering how many times his family tried to help and save him, he’s reached the point of being thankful he’s alive.

He didn’t exactly have a death wish prior to the loops, but he didn’t really see much point in his life either other than providing his services to WISE on their mission towards peace.

It’s why he didn’t care about his own future. There was nothing to envision for himself other than work, work, work.

Not that his work will lessen at all if his role as father and husband of the Forger family becomes real, but he’s found it’s such a relief when he can be honest.

His neck stiffens when he spots the Handler, in the same disguise as a few repetitions ago, walking towards him.

Another thing to handle once he’s out of the loop; telling her he wants to prolong his stay as Loid Forger. Probably – and hopefully – indefinitely.

They arrange the plan, he warns her about the bugs, specifying that they have to stay where they are for tonight, as Pollux might change plans if he finds out the devices were messed with. He almost rushes out when he realizes how late it’s gotten.

He takes the same path down that park. Yor's absence is almost palpable, bringing him to the point of regretting coming here alone. At the exact same time, he stops in front of the musician, waiting on him to start playing that valse again.

His arms feel empty as the familiar tune fills his ears. He wants her there, he wants to hold her.

This time no audience is gathered. Some passers-by leave tips, but Loid is the only one who stands and listens.

Focusing more on the lyrics makes him feel even more lonely. Yor’s eyes aren’t on him, her lips aren’t caressing his…

Your eyes are my love.

He hadn’t even made that thought himself, not consciously at least. It was Pollux, of all people, who pointed it out for him.

He loves Yor.

The musician is quiet, and Loid realizes he’s looking at him. Loid almost crumbles under the stare.

“Do you know this song, son?” the musician asks, resting his hands on top of his bandoneón. His accent sounds Eastern Ostanian, and it makes the gears in Twilight’s head turn. Of course, he’d be a local. Not a lot of people want to emigrate to this country, fewer try, and even fewer are accepted.

“Not really, no.” It is, after all, only the second time he’s listened to it. “How is it called?”

“Yo no sé qué me han hecho tus ojos. It means ‘I don’t know what your eyes have done to me’.”

Loid didn’t need the translation, but he has the feeling the musician was checking for a reaction from him.

It’s almost uncomfortable to not feel uncomfortable while being scrutinized like that.

Maybe it’s because the emotion he must be showing right now is not an emotion he wishes to hide anymore; more like one he wishes could be recognized… and reciprocated.

“It’s beautiful…” Loid says softly.

Ostania’s government is already strict about what music is allowed to be performed, and considering the history and origins of this music genre, it’s doubtful he’ll be able to find a vinyl record of that song.

The musician gives him a smile that’s too knowing for Twilight’s standards. “There’s a pirate radio station that plays such songs.” He puts his hands back on the sides of his instrument. “I may be able to give them a request to play that one at some point.” He winks at him and without any other word, he starts another song.

Loid gives him a generous tip and takes the path back home.

The song won’t mean anything to him in a world where Yor doesn’t know about it.

He starts preparing the hamburger steak Anya loves, and though Bond watches him patiently, his big eyes betray his wish for just a bite of the food.

Loid looks back at him, finally giving up and throwing a piece of minced meat at him.

It’s not a good idea to give him raw meat, but again, chances are this day is another test that will be reset.

He hates that he’ll have to tell Anya more than once that he knows about her abilities, but at least next time he’ll know how to break it to her more smoothly.

He puts the ready-to-cook steaks in the fridge and heads out before Yor has even arrived. It’s quite the walk to Eden, after all.

If she can really read his mind, he cannot walk up to her thinking about that. She might try to evade the question and pretend she isn't listening in. Or she might panic.

Twilight’s voice feels like bile rising in his throat as it suggests that his best bet is to catch her off-guard and force her to admit her secret.

Some father you want to be.

Well, if Anya has been listening in from the beginning, she knows he's done worse things than that.

All the more reason to give her choice and space, then.

He guesses there’s no need to occupy his mind from too early on, and there’s only so many digits of pi he can really recall from memory. He could be thinking of random numbers, of course, but he’s so used to following a logical pattern or a specific sequence that random choices are actually harder for him.

A few months ago, the sight of children leaving school and filling the place with noises would have made him uneasy. Now he only feels grateful for the privilege of seeing they’re safe and sound.

He spots Anya at the top of the staircase and he takes a deep breath.

Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium...

She's almost running down the steps, Becky Blackbell right next to her.

Boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen...

Both girls stop when they spot him. Anya's eyes widen, but she's the first to step forward to him.

Fluorine, neon, magn— no, sodium, magnesium...

She approaches him with a quizzical look. “Papa? What's wrong?”

He forces a smile on his face. Aluminium, silicon. “Nothing. I just finished my shift earlier today and I thought I could come get you back home.”

Phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine.

“Okay,” Anya says, eyebrows still scrunched in confusion. From the corner of his eye he spots Becky Blackbell's wide smile.

He nods a greeting at her then reaches his hand out for Anya.

Argon.

“Mr. Forger,” the beaming girl says. “We can take you back home with my car!”

Potassium. “Thank you for the offer, but there’s no need. Good luck on the performance tonight.”

He watches as the two girls exchange goodbyes, then he nearly drags Anya off.

Keep it together! Calcium, scandium…

Anya is eerily silent and still at first, but after a minute or so she starts humming a melody and swinging their joined hands back and forth.

… rhodium, palladium, silver.

With a quick look around, he decides this is a good spot as any.

Cadmium, indium, tin.

Without a word, he simply leans down and picks her up in his arms, whispering, “Anya, something has been happening to me.”

“What? Are you okay, Papa?”

“I am. But I think you know. There’s been some time, and I’ve had the chance to notice things, and I’ve noticed how differently you have been acting. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?”

She stills again, but he keeps on walking. He spots the guilty look on her face.

Antimony, tellurium, iodine.

She buries her face in his shoulder and whispers, “I can read your mind.”

I knew it! I KNEW IT!

Her hand grabs a fistful of his jacket, and he feels her shiver against him.

His free hand goes to pat her softly on the back.

You know everything... “Don't worry. You're not in trouble.”

“I'm not?” Her voice is shaking.

Damn it, she’s scared. “It's okay, Anya. I didn't want to worry you.” But if you read my mind this morning, you probably know what I've been going through.

“It was hard to understand...”

“The day keeps repeating, but only I can notice it. Everyone else forgets. The same things happen at the same time each day, unless I do something to change them.”

“And you... you d—d—”

“Yes. But I've come back every time.”

“Are you okay, Papa?” she leans her head back, and he feels a lump in his throat at the sight of her teary eyes.

He takes a moment to answer. “It's been hard. But I'm glad you know. And I'm glad you told me about you.” He smiles a little. “If I don't break the loop today, I can tell you about it tomorrow and clue you in again.”

Her lower lip is trembling slightly, but there's a new glow in her eyes. “I... I can help?”

He shrugs a little. “You can help just by knowing about the time loop. I don't want to involve you in anything else. It can be dangerous.”

Where was I again? Iodine, xenon...

“Papa,” she says, still whispering, but more forcefully this time. “I can help you find out the bad boss' plans!”

“The bad boss?” He blinks in surprise. Desmond?!

She nods, eyebrows raising.

You’ve known about my plan. Is that why you kept trying to be friends with Damian?

She pouts. “Second Son is always mean to me. But you said that if we became friends, you could meet his papa.”

And you’ve been tolerating him because you knew he was an important part of the mission.

She smiles a little.

But how will you find out Desmond’s plans?

“I will read his mind.”

Can you read through all the thoughts a person has had? Or just what they’re thinking in that moment?

“The second.”

“The latter,” he corrects her. “That won't work.” Desmond is not thinking about his war plans all the time.

“But if you go to him and tell him you know about the plans, he will think about them.”

Wait, what?

“If you undo the clock and come back, then the bad boss won't remember what you said to him. You can go to him again and tell him about it, and he'll think about his plans, and I will hear them!”

But, the killer finds me almost immediately after I meet with Desmond. “And how will you tell me his plans?”

She thinks for a moment, then tells him with a wide smile, “I will just shout them at you!”

Seriously? “Right in front of him?”

“Why not? He won't remember it!”

Loid freezes in his tracks.

“Every day you will tell him what I told you before, and he'll think of something new, and I will tell it to you. You will remember, but he won't!”

His mind goes through the plan. It will require multiple days, and multiple deaths on his side, and probably even Anya—no. She’ll have to be somewhere far, maybe use a microphone to tell him what she hears? He will need a failsafe, he'll have to inform WISE first thing every morning of every plan he has acquired knowledge of, in case the loop suddenly ends and he really does end up dead... but it's incredibly, impossibly foolproof. Desmond will have no idea his brain was just picked apart for his war plans, the information will be perfectly accurate – as long as Anya is able to read them and communicate them correctly – and Loid won't have to resort to any behaviour that Desmond might consider suspicious, which would result in him leaving and Operation Strix ending before its time.

His mind clears, and a single thought sticks out.

She's a fucking genius.

Anya widens her eyes at him.

Oops.

“Uh...” He stumbles for words. “That's...” He swallows nervously. “That's a pretty good idea.” He continues walking.

Anya giggles.

But it's going to be dangerous if you're close when the bombs go off. I don't want to risk your life again. Could you read his mind if you're on a different floor?

“I... I think,” she says.

I can give you a small microphone, and I'll wear an earpiece. You'll hear his thoughts and tell me his plans through the microphone.

“Ooooh!” She's practically glowing from excitement.

It's still... Anya. I don't want you to read through such a violent mind as his.

Not that she's seen anything that more pleasant, if she's gone through Twilight's mind.

“I won't remember it,” she says, suddenly pouting. “I won't remember his thoughts, and I won't remember that I helped you.”

He gives her a reassuring nudge on the shoulder. “I'll tell you all about it when it's all done, alright?”

She looks at him, a small, sly smile creeping up her lips. “Will you let me help you again?”

Absolutely not.

“But—But!”

No buts. Our only safety in this plan is that Desmond won't remember. I'm not going to be so lucky in my next mission.

“Papa!” She's almost shouting now.

Keep it down. You must have known I didn’t want you involved in this mission. “But you tricked me, didn’t you? You're not even six, are you? You lied about your age, because you read my mind and knew I was looking for a six-year-old to enroll in Eden. And you tricked me with the crossword puzzle.”

She lowers her gaze, her guilt apparently winning over her spite.

“Why did you do that? Why did you trick me into adopting you?”

“Because I thought you’re cool.”

“Cool?” A nervous chuckle escapes him. “Cool. You thought I was cool. Alright.”

What I can't wrap my mind around is why the HELL you stayed with me. “The day after I adopted you, you broke into my room, right? Because you read my mind and knew the combination lock.”

Her lips form a thin line.

“You toyed with my equipment, and the bad guys found you. I came to rescue you and I gave you the chance to run away.”

It feels weird to say that out loud. There was a silent agreement between them that neither of them would mention that incident again. Yet here he is now, summing it all up for her.

“But you stayed. Why?”

“Because you want peace. I wanted to help.”

No.

Anya nods passionately, her hands now in fists. “Yes! I want peace, just like you!” Thankfully, she’s whispering again.

He sighs, feeling shame and guilt crush down on his shoulders.

You were not supposed to have to deal with this. My entire mission, my reason to be a spy, is so that—

“Children won’t have to cry.”

Stop it.

“No! I want to help!”

“No, Anya,” he says out loud, looking at her. “You have no idea what it’s like. For a child like you—“

“I already helped you. Like with the message in blood.”

Blood?

“The one about the bomb,” she says even more quietly.

Wait… “You mean the ‘No’ written in ketchup?”

“Oh.” Her eyes widen for a moment. “You knew it was ketchup...”

That was you?! He closes his eyes for a moment, then opens them again. How did you even know there would be a bomb, and where? Don’t tell me you followed the terrorist!

“If I hadn’t, you would have died!”

He shakes his head. You don’t know that.

“I do.”

He looks at her. How are you so sure? Do you also see the future?

She looks sideways. “I… I don’t. Bond does.”

He stops in his tracks again.

One.

Two.

He blinks. “He does what now?”

She nods, pursing her lips. “He can see the future. I can read his mind and see it too.”

He’s still like a statue, looking at her in shock. Is this why he knew, two days ago, when the grenade—

He shakes his head and keeps moving. “Is that why you wanted him?”

“Uh… He had a vision of us. And then he saved me.”

He can’t fight a small smile. “I admit that he’s a very good dog.”

“He’s the best!”

They’re not too far from home, and by now Yor will have come back. He doesn’t have enough time for everything.

Wait, she even knew about Yor?

She responds, incorrectly assuming the question was directed at her. “You know that she’s the Throne Princess?”

His blood freezes; his body shakes as if it was struck by electricity.

His gaze turns to her. The… the what?!

Anya’s eyes widen in horror. “Uh… uh… That was a joke!” She gives him a failure of a smile.

She’s the Thorn Princess?! The assassin?!

Anya is silent.

You chose. Ostania’s most elusive assassin. FOR YOUR MOTHER?!

He realizes he’s almost panting. Trying to control his breath, he tightens his grip on Anya – more for his own stability than anything else – and he keeps walking.

What the hell has this operation turned into?

“Papa…”

“Shh,” he says abruptly, but then gives a look at her.

There are tears in her eyes again.

He swallows hard. Oh no, no, don’t cry. I’m sorry. It’s alright. I’m just shocked, that’s all.

“You’re not mad?”

He looks away. Does Yor know anything about me? Or suspect me?

Anya shakes her head.

He bites his lip. Yor had told him to find her, and he’d been determined to tell her about himself…

Well, things are even more complicated now. But he had an unfair advantage over learning about her secret, so she deserves to know about him.

“Mama will forgive you.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do.”

How? Has Bond had a vision about it?

“No.”

Then you cannot be sure. I’ve told her way more lies than she’s told me. She doesn’t even know who I really am—

He stops again. His chest feels heavy suddenly, and he turns to look at her.

“But you do,” he says.

She nods.

You’ve been reading my mind from the moment you met me. You know everything about me. My—my past…

She nods again.

You know what I’ve done? All the bad things I’ve done? All the lies and the killings?

The word itself doesn’t matter. She’s probably already seen too much. Especially if she’s also read Yor’s mind…

How could you choose to stay with me, knowing all that? Weren’t you scared?

Hell, the things I thought about her. Calling her stupid, thinking I could trade her for another kid like she’s some kind of merchandise, thinking I’d abandon her once the mission was over…

It takes her a moment to get the words out. “Because you’re the good guy.”

Her quiet reply catches him off-guard. He stares at her. “Good?” How can you think I’m a good person?

Her tears start falling. “You—you were alone, when you were little.”

No, Twilight. Don’t go back there. That’s over.

She sniffles. “And you didn’t want this to happen again. Because you wanted to help, I wanted to help.”

“I didn’t want that for you…” His voice is small.

“I know. That’s why I kept it a secret.”

His feet carry him backwards. Thankfully, there’s a wall behind him that he leans on, as he finds his knees slowly grow too weak to support his weight. He carefully puts Anya down, but she immediately hugs his leg.

“A perfect 100 points. My Papa and Mama are both so much fun, and I love them very much. I want to be with them forever.”

She’d meant that. All this time he’s been ignoring how much those words could mean, because he thought Anya only knew and loved Loid Forger.

But she’s known, all along. She’s known who he is, what he’s done, what he’s fighting for and why.

And she loves him.

His knees finally give out and he finds himself sliding down to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Anya wraps her arms around his neck.

You love me. You know me, and you love me…

She tightens her hug. “I love you, Papa.”

You don’t deserve that love, Twilight. It was never even meant to mean anything to you.

To Twilight, maybe. But to Loid Forger, that love should mean the world and even more.

He was supposed to keep those two identities separate; what Loid Forger would want and need was not meant to be of any actual importance to Twilight.

He kept acting in the way Loid Forger would act to maintain a happy family life, all to trick everyone into never suspecting him of being a spy.

The one person he never managed to trick was, apparently, Anya; who has seen through all the complex thoughts and justifications he’s made up to convince himself he is not becoming attached, that all of his instinctive reactions have somehow been a conscious effort to keep the mission safe.

She’s seen all that and past what even he could see. She’s seen a kindness he can barely recognize in himself. And she loves him for – or despite – all that.

And it’s only now he realizes how much he’s been tricking himself as well all this time.

I love you too, Anya.

He finally hugs her back. All of his studying and understanding of human psychology and behaviour are not enough to describe what this feeling is.

He feels a weight lift off his shoulders when he realizes that, at the end of the day… he doesn’t care about explaining his own behaviour.

Right now, he only wants to feel.

Sniffling, he picks her up again and stands back up. He resumes the path back home.

“Papa, will you stay?” Anya asks in a such a small voice he can’t stop himself from rubbing soothing circles on her back.

If we abstract all the information we need from Desmond, Operation Strix won’t be necessary any longer. But if we accomplish that without Desmond suspecting me… then there won’t be a need to abort it altogether.

She pulls back a little, showing him her confused face.

Too many foreign words, wasn’t it? “What I meant is that I can stay as Loid Forger. There’s a lot of things I can achieve from my current position.”

“So you’ll stay?” The hope in her smile makes his chest feel full. “You’ll stay, if I help you?”

You'll be an incredible help, Anya. You have already been incredible.

She chuckles and hugs him again, tighter than before.

“And you’re not mad at Mama?”

That makes things a little more complicated. I will need to make things clear with her, but ultimately it will depend on her choice. She might not want to stay with a man who lied to her about so many things, even if we just stay roommates as we are now.

Her silence falls heavy.

“I know she loves you,” he says.

“And you love her too.”

Well, do I? Can I truly call that love, when I’ve been using her from the moment I met her?

But then… didn’t I do the same with Anya? And didn’t I just decide I cannot assign a certain meaning to the word “love”?

He sighs. “I can’t promise anything, Anya. But I’ll do my best to give you a happy place to live in, after this loop is over.”

“I wanna know all about it when you make it out.”

“I’ll tell you everything. I promise. You deserve to know.”

By now they’ve reached home. He can see light coming from Yor’s room.

I’ll need to send her for an errand. I can’t make a plan with Anya while she’s still at home.

He spots Anya’s grin.

“Anya, this isn’t like Spy Wars. Lying to people is not a good thing.”

“But Mama won’t remember it,” Anya whispers.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s still wrong.”

Sighing, he walks inside.

He sees Yor welcome them home with a smile and for a moment he forgets what he was going to tell her.

Thorn Princess. An assassin so deadly, so meticulous and so elusive that some people consider her an urban legend.

My wife.

You ought to hand in your resignation, Twilight. You’ve been living with an actual assassin without getting the slightest of hints about it, and you want to call yourself an intelligence agent?

“Yor, I need a favor,” he says, putting Anya down. “I wanted to make a sauce for the steaks but I forgot to pick up a few ingredients, would you mind—“

“Of course!” Her smile is still twisting his stomach.

Is it real? Is any of it real?

He’s been covering for an assassin all this time. That’s why Yor had asked him to marry her… and while he doesn’t blame her for that, he did the same after all, he can’t help the doubts about her feelings for him.

He looks at Anya. Her narrowed eyes take him aback.

He shakes his head at her. It’s a huge temptation to learn about Yor’s feelings directly through her thoughts, but it would be horrendous of him to use Anya’s power like that.

It’s already horrible, what he’s planning to do.

Once Yor leaves, Loid enters his room. For the first time he leaves the door open behind him, allowing Anya to step inside.

It’s still shocking to think that all along she’s known what he’s been hiding in this room.

First he contacts the Handler to abort their plan with the snipers. There won’t be any testing of Pollux today. He doesn’t wait for the reply that will most definitely come with questions asking why.

He pulls out the bag with the listening devices. He looks at it, then at Anya, and a feeling of uneasiness makes his throat tight.

He's in a huge dilemma; as a spy, he is supposed to report Anya to WISE immediately and abort Operation Strix. As a man who wants to stop war, he's willing to use Anya's abilities to read Desmond's mind. And as a man who loves his daughter, he wants to do neither of those things.

“Anya will be alright, Papa.” She takes a few steps towards him. “The bad boss won’t know it’s me. And he won’t remember it.”

“I took this path in my life so that children wouldn’t have to be taken advantage of like that. This is the exact opposite.”

“But I want to help.”

He smiles mirthlessly. That very innocence of hers is what he’s supposed to protect.

“I also don’t want war,” she adds. “I want to help make peace.”

He kneels down next to her. “How did you get those powers? Do you control them, or do you always read other people’s minds?”

“I don’t know how I got them. I always remember having them.” Her eyes are wide and her jaw is pulled back; he can tell there’s something more she’s not sharing. “Sometimes I can control them. I can control whose mind I’m reading, but if someone thinks too much, I will hear it.”

He sighs. “If we’re to do this, I need to have a sense of privacy. I’ll need to know you’re willing to stop reading my thoughts when I want them to be left alone. Same with Yor… if she stays with us.”

Or if she doesn’t file for a divorce and demands full custody.

Anya nods. “I can try.”

“Good. Now let’s take a look at the plan.”

This day hasn’t been going as he expected it. Anya’s shock over her secret being discovered was immediately replaced by her excitement to be a part of his mission, even though she knows this version of her won’t exist tomorrow. He was almost prepared to try and end the loop today, but with such a plan he can’t foresee an end for at least a week, from his point of view.

Least of all, he hadn’t expected how the truth about Yor would affect him.  He’d supposed she was hiding something from him, but just the sheer force of this revelation has him feeling like he was punched in the gut.

She’s been using this marriage to her advantage as much as he has, yet that doesn’t provide any relief for his guilt. Yor Briar is just… Yor. Loid Forger is a figment of his own creation, and it’s all Yor has ever been allowed to see. When the truth comes out and she realizes that she developed feelings for a man that doesn’t really exist…

Yor seems to pick up on his tense feelings and keeps fairly quiet while they eat, though she keeps her smile on.

That same smile that causes his insides to twist uncomfortably. This time there’s definitely guilt added there.

Loid allows Anya to wear her prince costume before they leave. Things go so smoothly that it’s only at the play’s end that he remembers Pollux will kill him today again.

“Would you mind picking Anya up?” he tells Yor. “I need to catch up with some attendees.”

Any other day he’d wonder about sounding suspicious. Today he’ll boldly cross all lines of suspicion.

Making sure no-one is looking at him, he adjusts his earpiece and looks at his watch.

Five past eight exact.

“Agent Starlight reporting for dooty,” Anya’s gasping voice comes in his ear.

“Where are you taking me?! Stop dragging me!” Damian Desmond’s voice is also heard a little further back.

Twilight smiles. In order to avoid as many consequences as possible, he asked Anya to keep Damian away from the blast, on the floor right above the foyer. Just in case the day ends up not resetting.

He exits into the foyer and spots Donovan. He would normally be able to control his heartbeat, but not when he’s about to do something as bold and risky as this.

“Agent Starlight in posishun. I can hear you.”

Can you hear Desmond?

Short silence.

“… silly play. I can’t believe Demertee-us was right.”

Yes! Keep going, Anya!

He takes a deep breath, clenching his hands into fists.

Here it goes. Operation Strix, pass or fail.

“Mr. Desmond. What a pleasant surprise,” Loid tells him. He doesn’t bother offering his hand.

“Forger. Quite com-foor-table, I see. What next, you invite yourself over to my house?”

“Ah, you know how it is,” is what Desmond says.

“Sure, sure.” His heart feels as if it’s trying to beat its way out of his chest. All his spy instincts are screaming at him to walk away, or at least treat the matter with delicacy. Instead, he forces his words out. “Now tell me, Mr. Desmond, what exactly are your plans for the war?”

“War? What is he saying?”

“Oh, I’ve got my sources. Like, for example…”

“Sources? Peylon, he mean?”

Means! “Peylon, yes. Very talkative fellow, I must admit.”

“He knows about the sum-nit in Bonn… brug. I was right!”

“Regarding the summit in Bonnburg. The one Foreign Minister Windsor will attend, correct?”

“He needs to— No, Papa!”

Focus, Anya. Focus on his thoughts.

Desmond is stiff when he gestures at his bodyguards. Twilight allows himself a quick side glance. Pollux is approaching.

“So what are you going to do? Have infiltrators assassinate him and blame it on the Westalian government?”

“What is he on about? What did Peylon tell him?”

Two bodyguards grab each of Twilight’s arms. “Oh, you won’t. What is it, then?”

“It’s Boo-wantz we’re going for…”

“Oh, Minister Brantz then. Makes sense.”

Desmond’s characteristically frozen face suddenly betrays utter shock. An expression almost imperceptible, except for the trained eye.

“What is this, is he reading my mind?”

“Quite positively I am, sir.” The two men grabbing him start trying to drag him away and he says, “Oh, that won't be necessary.”

Pollux is right there, catching their attention.

Twilight hasn’t taken his eyes off of Desmond.

Flash. Burn. Crack.

BANG!

~

A/N: Reminder that I don't read the manga, so all character dynamics are at around the point the story has paused in the anime. Don't spoil me about later developments please :D

[ausetkmt]

JADARRIUS ROSE being attacked by Police dog in circleville ohio

A Circleville, Ohio, officer who was seen on video deploying a police K-9 that attacked an unarmed Black man while he was surrendering to authorities is on paid administrative leave as the incident is under investigation, the mayor said.

Jadarrius Rose, 23, was bitten by a Circleville police dog on July 4 following a lengthy vehicle pursuit that began as officers attempted to pull over a commercial semi-truck police say failed to stop for an inspection, according to the highway patrol case report and footage released by the agency.

Mayor Don McIlroy on Monday identified the Circleville officer who deployed the dog as Ryan Speakman. He has been placed on paid administrative leave, the mayor told CNN.

The incident is being investigated by a use of force review board, whose findings are expected to be released next week, the mayor and Police Chief G. Shawn Baer said in a joint statement Friday.

The statement confirmed the Circleville Police Department “was involved in a mutual aid request by the Ohio State Highway Patrol” after the driver of a semi-truck refused to stop and the K-9 unit responded to assist.

The police union representing Speakman said it “patiently awaits the outcome” of Circleville’s investigation before it gives a further statement. Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association Senior Counsel Joseph Hegedus is representing the officer, according to a statement by Tom Austin, the union’s executive director.

Mitchell Christian, a certified police and military K-9 instructor who reviewed dashcam and body camera videos from the incident, said Speakman’s decision to deploy the dog onto a surrendering person was “not indicative to what a canine handler should do in that scenario.”

“The handler should be able to look at that guy and know he’s not a threat. You wouldn’t Tase a guy who was sitting there with his hands up,” Christian, who is the owner and head trainer at Christian K-9 Academy in West Jefferson, Ohio, told CNN.

Police dogs are not trained to kill or have “life-altering effects,” Christian said. They are trained to help officers apprehend a suspect safely and their level of force can be compared to that of a Taser, he added.

“I will say it’s probably not a good example for a K-9 handler’s decision-making skills there because I would say most handlers out there would choose not to deploy the dog on a guy who’s clearly trying to give up, at that point,” Christian continued. “Ultimately, it’s always the handler’s decision whether to deploy the dog or not.”

The vehicle pursuit began after a Motor Carrier Enforcement inspector tried to stop the semi-truck, which was traveling west on US 35 in Jackson County, Ohio, due to a missing mud flap, according to the Highway Patrol case report.

But when the inspector turned on the lights on his marked patrol vehicle, the “suspect vehicle continued west on US 35,” the report says, noting the driver made eye contact with the inspector.

When the driver – identified as Rose – failed to stop, the inspector notified dispatch to send a marked patrol unit to assist, the case report says.

During the police chase, Rose told emergency dispatchers that officers were “trying to kill” him and he did “not feel safe” pulling over the truck, according to recordings of Rose’s 911 calls released by the Ross County Sheriff’s Office.

The video shows authorities pursuing the semi-truck, which appeared to initially slow down and stop. As it does, the footage shows an officer getting out of a vehicle, pointing a weapon toward the truck and ordering the driver to get out. The driver does not exit the vehicle, however, and starts driving again. Multiple law enforcement vehicles are shown joining the chase, the footage shows.

The driver eventually stops the semi-truck and gets out of the vehicle surrounded by several police cars and officers, the video shows, before cutting to what appears to be a state trooper getting out of his vehicle and walking toward the driver.

“Come to me,” an officer is heard saying to the driver. Another adds, “get on the ground or you’re going to get bit.”

The driver is shown on the road with his hands up.

“Do not release the dog with his hands up,” a state trooper warns several times from a distance, though it is unclear if the state trooper could be heard by other officers.

The case report says Speakman “exited his patrol car and began giving commands to the suspect” before he deployed the K-9 on Rose after repeated warnings from the state trooper, according to the video footage.

The dog runs toward officers and then turns to Rose and attacks him, pulling him to the ground, the video shows. Rose is seen and heard screaming and crying out for the officers to pull the dog off of him, the video shows.

He continues to cry out as officers call out for a first aid kit. Rose was later shown being treated by the officers.

Christian, the K-9 instructor, told CNN Rose appeared “clearly confused” before the dog was deployed in the video footage because he was getting “two different commands from two different officers.”

“I don’t think the dog is lacking the training,” Christian said. “I think it was just a bad deployment.”

Rose was treated and released from a hospital before being taken to the Ross County Jail, according to a case report from the Ohio State Highway Patrol, which notes he faced a charge of failure to comply with order or signal by a police officer, a fourth-degree felony.

He was released from custody July 7, the Ross County Prosecutor’s Office told CNN, adding the office is still collecting evidence before it determines whether to move forward with the charge against him.

[luckydragon10]

Hello Nemi! *throws heart confetti on the floor*

THE SHIP HAS HAPPENED, WE GOT KISSES HELL YEAH

Oh my god so much happened this chapter I am so well fed ejzjsjdn

So first of all - more jealous Kinn and I indeed snorted it like cocaine

Tay and Kinn affectionately bullying Porsche and Porsche getting all the dirt from Kinn's youth from Tay? *chief kiss*

Oh OH THE BATHROOM SCENE I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE FROM SQUEALING LIKE AHHH

But also the angst was delicious, I love how you give Tay space to still deal with the impact Time left, like just because we are moving onto the romantic arc with Kinn and Porsche now even deeper then ever Tay still is haunted by what Time does and it still dictates a lot of his thoughts and decisions and idk, I just appreciate it

Also I love how you always describe Kinn's and Porsche's love

Porsche and Tay gossiping together is my favorite headcanon and kisses to you for including it

Porsche being sort of Kinn's handler and meditator - very funny and I love it but also my poor bean Kinn

Kinn loving Tay for such a long time - just break my heart why don't you? The line about him regretting that he didn't go to him after that first breakup? Uh straight to the heart, I'm crying clutching the phone in my arms, cradling it like one would a baby (also i saw something abt something from Kinn's perspective?? I cannot wait untill this angst hits me when you decide to post it 👀👀)

Also ahh the description of Kinn's love hitting Tay - so good, reread it like four times already, can't get enough of it and AHHH Porsche's "you're so easy to fall for" chewing on wood, batshit crazy

Kinn hugging Tay and not letting go so Porsche needs to kiss him over Kinn? Idk just a nice image that warms my heart

Ah ah and the deal making! That was so funny and as Porsche said "rich people" i was like "nerds" very affectionately and I would only like to say that you are included for that statement, Nemi you little adorable nerd

Anyway thank you so much for writing the chapter - I loved it! See you on the next one hahaha

Have a good day/night Nemi 💕💞

WE HAVE A SHIP! \o/ Long may it sail!

There can never be too much possessive Kinn, at least not in my books. And as long as he's demonstrating claim and not actually being controlling, I will roll in it like catnip. 😍

And look, there is just gonna be so much loving bullying going on in this ship, it's ridiculous. Outsiders will look at it and ask "how does that even work?" but after watching the dynamic for a few days, they slowly catch on.

But also the angst was delicious, I love how you give Tay space to still deal with the impact Time left, (...)

Look, look, about Tay and the impact that Time left, I just started thinking about it and there were so many potential ramifications that it hurt my heart. What does it mean to love someone like that for so long? To stick with them when they never really quite love you back the way you need? When I explored it, I just thought "oh, that would impact self-esteem in a big way, obviously."

One thing I also wanted to get across is that the relationship between each of them is very, very different. Kinn and Porsche sort of always have this power struggle going on, and it's INTENSE. They burn so brightly. And between Kinn and Tay there's soooo much history and things left unsaid and longing on Kinn's part and longing-mixed-with-self-doubt on Tay's, and again, it's INTENSE, but in a very different flavor, more classic romantic/yearning. Meanwhile, between Porsche and Tay? It's just so deliciously easy, calm and soothing, a friendship-love that's a balm to both their hearts, something that for once in their lives isn't a struggle.

^_^ It makes me haaaapppyyyy.

Kinn hugging Tay and not letting go so Porsche needs to kiss him over Kinn? Idk just a nice image that warms my heart

Kinn being a big, stubborn baby is also one of my favorite things.

So, Dom, are you ready for tomorrow? ARE YOU READY FOR THE LAST CHAPTER?

(Well, last chapter of this fic, but more ficlets to come in the future as part of the series. 😏)

[lethimsoak]

Not to dump character analysis of real life footballguys into your inbox but Zach Wilson does not in fact stand a chance with Bo Nix because eldest daughter syndrome does NOT mix will with whatever weirdass eldest son syndrome Nix has. Not to be weird about disgraced Auburn QB Bo Nix but trying and failing to live up to your father’s legacy (even when you find success elsewhere) does a number on the soul so. Nix/Wilson trauma bonding situationship inbound I fear

are we thinking little brother/big sister!?!?!? jk (unless?)

ok so. i knew bo was a nepo baby but i’ve never actually looked up his college career (or his personal life) but this part in his wiki……hm.

like that’s your dad’s college. it’s daunting cause his father set the standard at auburn and while he got to play for the same college, he was deemed ‘not good enough’ by said standard. idk if i’m making sense but it’s worse than not being able to play for the team that your dad played for.

also the way he had great games against good teams like lsu and ole miss but struggled against “weaker” teams??? and he was benched??? i am reminded of certain someone. i hope the same thing doesn’t happen in the nfl. bo pls ball out vs. the chiefs 🙏🙏🙏

also also this might be unrelated but he only has brothers? interesting. and his youngest brother plays quarterback. extra interesting. i have already made up 100+ hypothetical scenarios from this fact alone. do u know what happens when the eldest brother gets treated like he’s the younger sibling? 😈

oh and anon, have you seen the clip where rookies were asked what job they would work if football wasn’t an option? everyone was giving out cute answers but bo said ‘drake maye handler’ like what a freak 😭😭😭😭😭 i think that was when i first took notice of him pre draft. he’s weird and freaky. just like me 🤩🤩🤩

now i’m remembering that zach was assigned the #10 jersey first when he was traded but he immediately gave it to bo the second he got drafted 😭 big sister vibes. i’m sure bo appreciates being able to play wearing the same number that he and his father wore at auburn. again i hope bo finds success since his father wasn’t drafted (right?) so being successful in the nfl might alleviate guilt and he can even redeem himself. too bad the best quarterback itl is in the same division :/

i joked about zach big sistering/mothering bo on twitter (#the famous art of mothering a guy who could be your classmate) cause he was literally a cougar but idk. they might actually trauma bond over their past/relationship with their father (or the broncos situation 😭 they’re so shit they’re prob not gonna do well). i’m hoping they at least get along well cause bo is giving 2022 season zach or maybe it’s just his face that gives off cocky vibes. correct me if he’s actually Not Like That cause frankly i don’t know his personality that well. and zach rn is just. well. he’s letting his hair grow longer which could only mean one thing.

the big question is: if bo nix has eldest son syndrome and zach wilson has eldest daughter syndrome, would nix/wilson conceptually be incest? i’ll be thinking about this. and i’m encouraging every single one of tumblr users to ponder this as well. and post your thoughts here. me and my oomfs will be so happy that we might put both of them in our basement 😋

oh wow this was long. sorry for that but you’re always welcome to share your thoughts about bo here!!! i really wanna know more about him. do u think him and zach kissed already. or did troy franklin intervene. so many more thoughts to come 😚

[renee00124]

It is just before 11:00 PM, PST and finally the LAPD AA cops have slithered themselves back to the rock they crawled from under. All day, and intensely for over two hours tonight, sitting in the corner house behind, they have irradiated the entire back portion of my head, breast, legs and feet painfully using the beamed weapon system combined with beamed degradation.

The last thing I heard one say "Shut her down" before leaving apparently now playing "Gangsta" cop. To bad this type does not have any other identify, doctor, lawyer or Indian Chief, businessmen, or educator.

I am quite clear. This is war and a battle for my God given life and I make no mistake about it. The fact is, all they have to do is leave me alone but this program does not just walk away. Frankly, I have other interests, however, this program does not want to watch any target succeed and surpass the station they operate in, in life. They are around to destroy men, women and children which they all seem to take great pleasure in. It is NOT animated characters on technology designed to look like paying a video game in real-time but human beings.

As long as this program continues doing what they are doing, after hospitalizing me twice, I will continue exposing them! And, frankly, It is outrageous that those involved in this monstrous human experimentation program think that people being horrifically targeted and tortured, and many lives destroyed with psychophysical technological advancements should sit back and let them walk all over them. This belief is actually clue to their mental illness. They, meaning all of them, want to keep positions that they feel make them feel like important big shots, no matter if this program is monstrously, horrifically wrong!

I owe no allegiance to anyone, race, creed or color destroying lives with this technology, and of whom are being nudged into action by their Handlers who are their supervisory leadership, who now is demanding results from this group specifically. It figures they would use them!

Typically when their shifts ends, military personnel overseen by the Lockheed Martin trainer, who also use the corner house behind pick up where they left off.

They will likely begin with renewed focus of the beam weapon system on my head.

They are indoctrinated into military psychological operations so intensely that the truth of this program, experimenting on and setting people up by subliminal influence, for decades, believing you are stupid, does not matter to them. This again reveals psychosis and mental illnesses and a form of dissociative disorder resulting from shutting out the truth that ultimately divides their minds backed by a herd dynamic. 12:30 AM military now set up saying, "She has got to go" then breast beam focus. You can tell militaries, all over the world ANTHING, and they will kill!

[marjaystuff]

Dead Drop by M.P. Woodward

Dead Drop

Handler Book 2

M. P. Woodward

Berkley Pub

May 23rd, 2023

Dead Drop by M. P. Woodward will remind readers of the spy thrillers of the past. Woodward, a veteran of US Intelligence, brings his knowledge into the plot, making realistic and believable scenarios and characters. This is the second novel in the series featuring Meredith Morris-Dale, a CIA case officer and John Dale, Meredith’s ex-husband, and a retired CIA case officer.

“Meredith is a CIA officer in the National Clandestine office.  At the end of the day, she needs to validate the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) sources that say Iran is developing a nuclear missile. The operation in this story shows how the Israeli Intelligence Agency, Mossad, can make mistakes. Within Mossad Caesarea is the actual operations unit, the equivalent of the clandestine service in the CIA. As the story unfolds there is a conflict between the CIA and Mossad on how to approach the Iranian nuclear problem.  In each of the intelligence services they have dedicated professionals that are competing for information.”

As with the current Biden administration the newly elected President wants to revise the Iranian nuclear deal. Israel is vehemently opposed to the negotiations because they believe the intel of Mossad, a new nuclear-capable missile is being developed by Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon.  Knowing they cannot sit idly by, Werner Davidai, the Chief of Mossad’s Caesarea operations, decides to conduct aggressive and visible operations to eliminate the existential threat. He does not care that this will pit the CIA versus Mossad and does not consider the international blowback and condemnation. It is as if each spy makes intricate chess moves to achieve a successful outcome. 

“Werner is obsessed and sees his duty to maintain the survival of Israel from a nuclear Iran. Now he is afraid Iran could arm Hezbollah, creating basically an existential threat.  He is very aggressive and kills innocents to take out one bad scientist. He tries to manipulate those in the CIA because he is not happy with the information he is getting, risking the alliance between the US and Israel.  There is a famous Talmudic expression, “rise and kill first.” He sees this as a question of prevention. Werner very much represents this point of view, the more militant side.”

But there is a piece on the chess board that makes each move complicated, Lt. Col. Kasem Kahlidi, the former chief arms importer for the Iranian regime and current asset of the CIA, knows more about the program but refuses to talk unless his girlfriend is brought to the US. After a failed attempt by the Mossad team to snatch Kahlidi, he escapes.  Now John, the Iranians, and the Israelis are all trying to find him. Meanwhile Meredith has an intricate plan to fix everything, even though she is putting her life on the line. 

“I try to highlight something that is a real danger and present the various perspectives of it. Most Americans do not wake up and think of the terror force, Hezbollah, but Israelis do. This organization is responsible for all kinds of mayhem including blowing up the US Marines barracks in Lebanon and kidnaping/killing a CIA officer. They are absolute clients of Iran, a state within a state.  They have the largest terrorist army in the world, right on the Northern Israeli border.  The Israeli military is very worried about Hezbollah, which has missile factories in Southern Beirut.”

There are lots of twists and turns within the storyline.  Lines are blurred between each party who sees themselves as the righteous one, while others see their actions as unjustifiable. This is a breath of fresh air among spy thrillers since Woodward has a female operative taking the lead.

[ledenews]

Wheeling Fire Department Introduces First-Ever Canine to the Force

The Wheeling Fire Department announced a new method when investigating fires today by introducing the newest member of its team – Indy, the department’s first accelerant detection canine. Indy is a 3-year-old Belgian Malinois and comes to WFD after spending the last several weeks training with her handler, Fire Investigator Lt. Clint Landis at the Stateline Canine Training Center in Hanover, Pa. “It’s a history-making day here at the WFD. We’ve never had a canine trained to detect accelerants and assist us with our investigations,” said Fire Chief Jim Blazier. “Indy will be a great asset to Wheeling and our firefighting community.” Indy will work side-by-side with Lt. Landis and the department’s Bureau of Fire Investigations anytime a fire occurs in the city and the subsequent investigation that typically follows. Indy’s recent training included scenario-based situations inside buildings, vehicles, and outside areas. On average, the department responds to roughly 100 fire related calls in a year. “When investigating a fire, various samples are taken from the debris to test to see if an accelerant was used. Indy will now be able to help us with her extremely strong sense of smell by alerting to the presence of accelerants,” Lt. Landis said.Landis also noted just because an accelerant may be detected in a fire, it does not necessarily mean the final determination will be considered intentional. Although Indy is the first canine to be considered a departmental employee, on a historical note a few Wheeling firefighters adopted a dog named “Spot” who was displaced during the 1936 Ohio River flood. It’s believed Spot lived at headquarters at a pet until he died in 1940. Read the full article

[mariampetrosyn]

" senior chief petrosyan. "

" commander robinson. "

" report back here tomorrow at 0500. "

" we're in? "

" you're in. master chief dutton wants to meet with you before your first briefing. chief petrosyan? "

" yes, commander? "

" five minutes early is on time, on time is late. "

" yes, sir. "

chief petrosyan checks her watch again. 0505. master chief dutton is officially ten minutes late. she looks over the arm of her chair, into the russet hues of her partner. " 'looks like the master chief forgot that lesson. " athena huffs, annoyed at his tardiness too.

" don't worry, " she sighs, " if he can't come to us, " rising to her feet. " we will go to him. " athena appears at her side. her partner's eyes are forward, locked on the door. she's ready to go to work. " good girl, athena. " mariam praises the canine. hard-set face softening as she gives her a couple of firm pats. grateful for the one teammate she can always count on.

because master chief dutton is not off to a great start.

the handler wishes this came as a surprise. she didn't expect red carpet treatment. ass kissing sets her teeth on edge. but so does this little test of her navigation skills. infront of the door to the weapons cages, athena's ear twitches. a tell tale sign her intuition is right. if he's not in there, somebody who can find him will be.

it's what tells her to slip in quietly, tuck into the alcove. see what could've kept him from their meeting. what she sees makes her blood run cold. stomach turns as mariam takes in the wall of photos. ones that she didn't know existed until this moment.

mariam blinks, and she's in boot camp again. praying the ground would swallow her up having to walk naked back to the barracks. glassy eyes not camouflaged as well as she thought. a piece of mariam died that day. maybe she should be grateful. mariam would've killed for a towel then. even if it was one made out of paper.