#First Flash of Freedom|Brian and Beth

[brooklynislandgirl]

Does your OC believe in true/pure evil?

The Fruit from the Poisoned Tree || Accepting

"I mean, of course I do. Like. You of all people, first with the Army and then with LAPD especially can't tell me that the only way you can explain the things you see day in and day out isn't...pure evil, and it's the same way in the ER. Some of the things--" Beth shakes her head because she doesn't want to ruin the night with the various horror stories she could tell him. And because usually he's seen them just before or just after she has, given the nature of their responsibilities. "I think that evil doesn't have to be some supernatural plot on mankind, either. It can be born from extreme narcissism, irresponsibility, ignorance, or a series of bad choices. And it's draining, being the ones trying to pick up the pieces. And so maybe that's why I have to believe that there's true or pure good, too. Otherwise you kind have to go crazy in order to cope." She takes a sip of her beer and ducks her chin in his direction. "I'm gonna say you have a different opinion, and if so, I'd like to hear your side of the argument. Officer." She likes moral and philosophical debates with Brian. He often has pretty concrete points to make, or they find themselves able to commiserate and comfort each other when they are on the same side of the argument. It isn't like the blood-thirsty way she and Andy can get cutthroat with one another, each adamant that their hill is where their sibling will die. And as if on cue... "Okay, I mean Bean does have a point, but I wanna hear your side, too. If for no other reason that I can point out where you're both full of shit."

[brooklynislandgirl]

It's a good thing that she'd had time to make coffee and sip half a cup when he turns up when the sun is still mostly the idea of a perfect summer day on the horizon. She presses a still steaming cup into his hand and flashes him a radiant smile. "Nevah t'ought you aks me." Yes it's pidgin and she knows Brian isn't a fan most of the time but she's only being playful. She kisses his cheek. "Be right back." The flimsy little dress she wears can hardly be called that. And the flip-flops ~dey slippahs, Bri~ are not meant for bike riding but it's enough. It doesn't take much effort to add one of her short boards to rest besides his and the beach bag she's got has enough wax in it to coat her entire quiver of the ones she had shipped across the Pacific. San Diego sounds perfect. The Admiral is still on the east coast, and Andy tends to avoid anything remotely near Navy or Marine duty stations. She is surprised when they get there that the beach is empty. It makes it feel that much cosier, and she loves all the effort that Brian has put into the birthday surf. It only occurs to her far later that he'd put so much forethought and planning into it, from the sign in the sand that the ocean kisses away, to the light lunch and beers he just happened to have. And maybe by days end, when they eventually have to head back to LA, Beth's only regret is just how mad Andy's going to be for her spending the entire day with Brian. It probably wasn’t any surprise then, as the sun flirted with the horizon that Beth tugged Brian to a stop and stole a small, chaste little kiss as the perfect end to a perfect birthday.

"Happy Birthday, babe." Brian showed up at her house early that morning, his surfboard attached to his bike. "How about we ditch the warden and go check out the waves at San Onofre?"

@brooklynislandgirl

[brooklynislandgirl]

[door] - for my muse to show up at your muses’ house while drunk

To Your Health || -

Beth is momentarily distracted after vaguely leaning on Brian's doorbell by waving at her Uber driver as the poor man flees for his life. The fifty dollar tip was by no means compensation for just how chatty she had been from the marina to the apartment building. He may now know more about Brian and how Beth feels about him than he knows about his own kids ~Gobind, Harshad, Divya. She becomes a willow branch for a moment or two when she turns back around after the last red of the Uber's tail lights vanish in the dark, swaying on her toes. Eyes closed. Still listening to the music in her head. For this moment, everything is soft. Everything is beautiful. Everything is free and flows around her in waves. When the door opens and he appears ~summoned as if by magick~ Beth cannot help but smile dreamily, her eyes half lidded and dark in the half shadows surrounding her. She draws out the single word she speaks into multiple syllables. "Hi."

[brooklynislandgirl]

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

This Softness || Accepting "Okay so, we got a truck coming in to drop off the kegs, but the event coordinator's going to sign off on that, and for the wine and spirits. The ribs are marinating in the fridge along with the jack fruit wings, everyone's bringing a dish to round out the potluck. The food's going to be set up in the dining room, the music and most of the chairs are going to be down on the beach..." She sees him giving her an amused side-eye and tilts her head. "What?" But he doesn't get to say anything, does he? "No, don't even start! This is your seven year anniversary as friends and partners, and you're both still alive! I think that deserves to be celebrated!" The party had been in the work for months now, ever since Andy had made a snarky remark about their partnership having outlived his marriage by four years. Beth of course couldn't leave well enough alone and had invited everyone who seemed to know either man and had been busy making arrangements since. A blow out with booze, barbecue, music, the fire pit...every thing she could possibly think of. Riley tended to be the same way about Thanksgiving and Christmas, Saint Patrick's Day. Beth put her all into anniversaries, Halloween, and New Years. There were other random days she tended to make a big deal about. And when she wasn't busy with that, she was always dropping off snacks or full on meals for the SWAT team, organising charitable events in their name and for the Church she and Andy attended. Gifts were generous and never restricted for birthdays and major holidays, sometimes they would just randomly appeared. The two siblings could run the entire state power grid if only the energy they put into things like this could be harnessed for the overburdened infrastructure. Brian says he gets it, mostly, but asks her why. She looks up from her list and blinks, returning a wide-eyed stare from the other side of her glasses. There's a tightness to her mouth now that has nothing to do with the smile that'd slipped off her face when he voiced the question. She half turns away and fiddles with the Jenga tower on the deck's table. "Growing up, it was mostly just the two of us. What should have been big affairs with friends and family were usually...not. After a while, you either give up or decide to make the best of what you can, when you can, and I guess we... we're just trying to make up for all those years. And then the ones we spent apart." When she turns around, the smile is back on her face but it lacks a little of its previous lustre. "Come on. I need you and those muscles of yours to help me take these coolers down to the beach."

[brooklynislandgirl]

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

This Softness || Accepting

Beth picks up her phone the minute that the text comes in. She'd made him promise that he'd let her know when he got to Reno safely, with undertones of disappointment that she had a double shift to look forward to instead tagging along on a couple day excursion to Tahoe. Brian had teased her, making light of the situation saying it wouldn't be the end of the world if she lost her job, she'd always have her looks to fall back on. And that huge pile of money in the bank didn't hurt either. They both know as tempting as it is, it's the principle of the matter. Just like he wouldn't retire until they forced him out because of departmental rules; like Andy, Brian thrived on the adrenaline of it all. She replies with a kissy-face emoji that he'll ignore or mock, but that conveys her happiness that he's made it safe and sound. She does get a little sappy though as she thinks back over the previous weekends when for hours the only thing in the world is the feel of the sun warm on his leathers or the plaid shirt thrown over a cotton tee-shirt. Her knees flirting subtly with his hips, the taste of the wind carrying the scent of his cologne over her face while her eyes are closed and her arms are wrapped around his chest. She loves those times when he pokes back at her mood, whether it's teasing to her playfulness, tap-dancing on boundaries between appropriate and beyond the pale ~dancing with her despite the daggers Andy shoots at his back, his brow and nose pressed to her so that they could get drunk on the tequila on each other's breath~ and maybe just maybe... That time he got in her face when she was spoiling for a fight, despite there being no chance she could really hurt him. Her fists are a lot weaker in practice than in belief. The phone buzzes in her hand again and draws her out of her slide-show memories of Brian. The sign is hilarious. And she already misses him.

[brooklynislandgirl]

So what does it tell you when a man has a few books and magazines in the oven?

"That he needs to maybe get out a little more, expand his horizons, or have a reason to cook for the person in his life." She makes a little face, knowing he was talking about himself, then she laughs softly, briefly. "But in your case it tells me you don't really have a whole lot of introverted tendencies, that the women you're interested in aren't really the kind you plan on keeping around, and that you don't need to cook because you mostly eat with us nowadays and nobody's as awesome a cook as my brother. I'm surprised you haven't proposed to us already."

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble {{xx}}

She regards him around careful bites. "Happens with Andy, too," she murmurs and nods in the vague direction of the stairs and her brother's very occupied bedroom. "He doesn't like to talk about it, not with me any way but it always puts him in such a mood. I'm gonna assume you don't wanna talk about it either, but if you do I could put on some coffee, or grab you a drink." She hesitates a moment then offers him a tired smile. "Or we could go and watch something mindless on any of a dozen streaming services. Like the worse the better."

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble {xx}

"Oh yeah? I figured I'd have to resort to vegan burgers or something." He grins and gives her a wink. "But we're getting separate pizzas - I'm not eating that cracker crust shit." He pulls his keys out of his pocket, letting them jingle.

"Wow. Don't know if I should be proud or incredibly offended. I do like veggie burgers but I'm not a full vegan. I also feel like PETA is an abomination." She tries to look hurt but can't manage to fake it in the aftermath of the genuine grin. "Okay so double cheese, light sauce, thin crust and...let me guess...all the meats supreme deep dish?" The keys get almost the same reaction out of her as a cat toy does to an army of felines. She pops up right behind him, hands on his hips. "How we gonna get it back here, if we take your bike?"

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble {{xx}}

She can't tell if Brian's kidding or not, about the money at least. It's something Andy has threatened a hundred times in the past if he's done it once, and she knows that he'd at least make the offer to Brian in jest. But there's something to his tone that suggests it isn't as funny as it might seem and that maybe Andy had tried and they had words about it. "Yeah but at least with death, I'd be out of my misery and you'd be free to hook up with a flight attendant of your choice. At least three of them were fawning over you near Reno. The one with a better skin care regime than my brother, while not quite as tall, was pretty cute. Sergei I think was his name." It was Sergei but he wasn't actually hitting on Brian, not that Beth could tell any way. She turns her head to face him. All the better to read his lips. She's satisfied somewhat that she almost makes him laugh. "Yeah but you know he'd call one of his friends and you would be suspiciously unalived if I did that. Plus I'd be stuck on the phone for hours while he yelled at me for not being better organised and if I'd have just followed his itinerary--" Beth cuts herself off, shapes one hand into a gun shape, and pretends to shoot herself in the head. Once he's on his feet, she holds up a lazy hand in his direction so he can pull up her body, and her will to live. "Mmhm. Pizza first and the beer we both know we need…and then a hotel room. I need to soak in a hot bath for at least an hour to get this smell off me. Everything just feels like the bottom of someone's really NASTY gym bag. Then drive in the morning. You could always join me in the tub, you know."

[brooklynislandgirl]

📸

I see your face every time I dream || Accepting

[brooklynislandgirl]

[brooklynislandgirl]

Brian smoothed the black paint under his eyes and pulled on a black hat. “Where are you going?” Jim asked, fighting back a laugh. Brian fixed him with a steady gaze, “Over to Beth’s to steal back my clothes.”

Beth's closet is a catch-all sort of affair, half run-way fashion show ~designer dresses enshrouded in plastic, specifically hung in an order that makes no sense to anyone but her all put as far back in the walk-in as possible. Next is a mix of every day clothes; her skirts and blouses, the incredibly rare pair of jeans, and a collection of tee-shirts and sweat-shirts far too large to be her own. There are pictures all over the house that prove they belong to Andy. On and on it goes. Everything in place; shoes, jewellery, beachwear, undergarments. Not a single trace of Brian's stolen clothing. The search ends at her bed, and the sea bag under it. There, perfectly folded, are all items that had been missing for...months. Before he can leave, victorious, though, she appears. As if the disturbance of the hoard had summon the tiny, inconsequential dragon. "Uh...Bri? Why you in my room?"

[brooklynislandgirl]

On the one hand, they say opposites attract. On the other, at least Drewski will love this. ~*~

“I dunno, ya never complained when I bit ya before.” She gives him a particularly studying look, almost daring him to contradict her. She knows for a fact that there are a few things he didn’t check off that he easily could. She’s seen him go out of his way to do charitable things at her behest or Andy’s. She knows that he’d sooner choke than admit that he gets something out of her hugs, her insistence on draping herself over him. He’s shown no end of patience with her. And if he’s jealous of Eddie Vedder, he didn’t say a word about it, especially when she almost sobbed in Beatles-like hysteria when she saw him at the Surf Foundation dawn patrol. He also kept her from ending up on the police blotter. “And yeah, Andy’s gonna laugh but... aren’t you always telling me I need to start making my own choices?”

[brooklynislandgirl]

😘😘😘😘

A Kiss is Still A... || Accepting

Beth pours herself into Brian's lap as he relaxes on the wooden Adirondack chair by the lakeside. She does wait until after he's spent time idly casting his line into the placid, dark blue waters. Her legs wrap easily around his hips, and she tucks her head onto his shoulder. From a certain point of view anyone would be forgiven for imagining that there's something is incredibly suggestive about all of this. Her in just enough cloth to make the bikini viable, him in his swim trunks and maybe an amount of sunscreen she insisted on, he's too fair to go without. She isn't really trying to interfere with the fishing and his relaxation; the cabin here in Tahoe does so much for his spirit once he gets away from the filthy, loud, crowded, and ultimately dangerous confines of LA. One small hand makes idle designs along the back of his neck, flirting with the ends of his hair, nails occasionally straying up to graze his scalp lightly. The other rests on his shoulder, doing nothing but taking up space. So when she feels his jaw brush her collarbone, she's mildly surprised. And when he places soft, closed-mouth kisses at the base of her throat, along her shoulders, surprise grows into something far warmer. Gentler in its way. She tilts her head just a little to afford him greater landscape to roam if he wants, but she does smile against his skin. Returns the kisses along his shoulder, nips at his bones with lips rather than teeth, though there's always a little hint of them despite her best intentions. Then she sighs and reluctantly pulls herself away. "Want coffee or beer?"

She doesn't want to be greedy. She doesn't want to push his better sensibilities. She also knows where the line between teasing and trouble is when it comes to Brian. And it's so very thin.

[brooklynislandgirl]

“Shhh, it’s alright. It’s okay.”

Bridge Over Troubled Water || Accepting

"Wh-" Her throat is gravel and desert and fire. Try as hard as she might, she cannot hold onto any of a million thoughts exploding like fireworks inside her brain, half questions, fragments of feelings, all fading into nothingness before she can truly grasp them. But unlike fireworks, there's no after-image inside her eye lids. Eyelids that feel so heavy. She feels adrift on a becalmed sea. She is thirsty. And there's Brian. "Hi." A little sloppy grin, though her face won't seem to cooperate her. "What...ar-are you...don't...Mouth is...sticky."

[brooklynislandgirl]

@therealgamble {{ xx }}

Brian's smile is arresting, and she doesn't realise there is a pun in her thoughts, because she's more focused on the way it lacks his typical cynical bite. She can also sense the beer on his tongue and maybe a little part of her is jealous of it, not that she would dream of saying so, especially not when her brother is within felony distance. She watches avidly as he produces the hidden jewellery. The dog tags don't surprise her, Andy's pair now live inside of her stuffed turtle, sewn into it after his accident. It's the medallion that raises her brow, paints genuine surprise on her face. Now just because he keeps the medallion on his person ~Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.~ doesn't automatically mean that Brian is Catholic, or possibly Lutheran. A lot of his brothers and sisters wear them, and Beth can hear Andy saying there's no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole, but still. Fascinating when you think you know someone so well and they manage to surprise you, even now, years later. As often as she's seen him shirtless, on the beach, at the lake, in the ER, she felt like she might have noticed.

"Oh, all the time," she nods her head in agreement. It's the one thing that Andy really doesn't make fun of her about believing, and being adamantly vocal about it, too. "Not just people, either. Places sometimes. Situations, too, I guess. Kind of stuff that's luckily kept me safe while he was on tour, knowing better than to walk down a certain street or get into an elevator alone with someone."

As a small woman who sometimes worked in the worst parts of the city or in countries notorious for crimes against women and children, she had been fortunate to develop a strong intuition. She scoots closer to Brian, on the edge of her seat really, and leans in conspiratorially. She can taste the beer on his breath and it's warm, close, pleasant. But for once, Beth isn't even thinking about kissing Brian. Her voice is edged with nerves and excitement of a different kind. "Tell me."