#I’ve tried my whole life to operate like they want me to but I’ve been able to figure it out and they’re no help

[thatbadadvice]

Dear Advisor,

I tend to be a very reserved and shy person so making friends is super hard. Recently I’ve been wanting to socialize more , but I genuinely don’t know how. Is there any advice that you have that can make me look more approachable and not be scared to talk to people. I’m so stressed about being alone and not having any friends, but I just find it so hard to go up to people and make a conversation. I tried once but it became super awkward. I just really need good advice from someone on how to approach a person and continue a conversation.

Dear Awkward Anonymous,

It would be so easy to get into a whole deep let's-skeetshoot-therapy-on-the-internet session and try to help a total stranger unpack all of the GA-FUCKING-ZILLION ways in which social awkwardness shows up in a person's life. It seems easy, and it even seems meaningful and worthwhile, but to do so I would have to presume a bunch about your life, and make a bunch of assumptions about the ways in which my own experiences maybe/probably track with yours, and it would be a whole big wank-fest, and frankly ... it would be awkward. I'd be like you, standing there at the party, hoping that what I'm saying resonates or lands or even vaguely tracks with anything a stranger has ever known or experienced, presuming (probably rightly!) that it doesn't, and then flailing and blaming myself when I didn't emerge from the interaction with all the world's gold stars.

So here's what: stop talking to other people as a primary social occupation. Going up to people and just talking is fucking terrifying. The Bad Advisor says this as a Certified Extrovert™ who rarely shuts the fuck up.

Instead, find a thing to do with other people that involves some sort of task or goal or activity. Talk about the thing you're doing together, when you're doing it. If it feels okay, maybe introduce one or two of your own relatable-to-the-activity experiences in the process. See who picks up on it. Ask the people who pick up on it genuinely interested questions in response. This is what we awkward people call: engineering a conversation. It is the way, I am told, humans make connections with other humans. I have seen it work in my own life.

Depending on where you live and your ability level and skill set, I bet you have some options! You could seek out an open board game night, pub quiz session, knitting/quilting circle, or mutual aid meetup that's looking for volunteers. Especially look for social activities with strangers that involve a dedicated, pre-prescribed activity (such as a hiking or mall-walking group, stuffing envelopes for a political candidate or cause you care about, planting trees at your local park, or tasting tea/wine/beer/etc.). (Somebody is going to say join a ballroom dancing club or suchlike; I am personally terrified of this, but if you have a higher tolerance for strangers touching you and fewer than two left feet: it's literally an option. Line-dancing, on the other hand ... absofuckinglutely.)

Even if what's available in your area isn't your precise and specific interest, it might be worthwhile to check out something you are decidedly meh about -- you might not be the only meh person there. You can bond over shit that's boring or shitty with other people who find it boring or shitty! Some of my best friends, arguably my very best friends, came out of experiences we mutually loathed or found at least moderately and mutually miserable.

Consider especially finding an activity where you yourself are the manager of operations and/or have a designated task to take care of that is unique to your position! This doesn't have to be complicated or skill-dependent; can you become a voter registrar in your area? Well, bam! You've got paperwork people have to fill out and a good reason to jibber-jabber with folks who have to ask you the questions. Other ideas: join your local neighborhood association board, become a notary public, or see if your local pet rescue is looking for intake line volunteers. Do you have a trustworthy, especially outgoing friend who might agree to play "social glue" for you a couple of times at their activity-centric events? Make it explicit! Ask them if they'll play friendly wing-person for you at their D&D game, fantasy sports league, or some such.

Alternately: Do you have a unique and fun and shareable skillset you can share with others? Are you pretty good at drawing, programming? Simply a font of endless Merlin or NFL or Real Housewives knowledge? You might start a local Discord or other online social group to discuss and share your interests, then move it to the real world in a few weeks once folks get comfortable. You get the idea.

Most of all: Look for stuff that has more-than-just-talking opportunities available outside the designated group jam for you to maintain connections. Perhaps a group chat, a Discord, a Slack, what-have-you, where you can take more time to consider and draft your responses and posts? Connections with humans get made a thousand ways, and talking raw-dog with strangers is but one.

It takes a true social unicorn to be simply good at talking and only talking to other people. There are some of these one-horned wonders out there, to be sure — but let me assure you that the vast majority of folks want to be accepted and seen just as much as you do, and they're staring at the ceiling at night thinking just as much (more, probably) about all the weird, wonky shit they themselves threw at you than they are anything you ever said to them.

[redrose10]

Part 2 of three… Thank you for all the comments and messages!

CEO Yoongi x Female Barista/College Student Reader

Title: Cold Brewed Love

Summary: When you begged the owner of Jin’s Java House to hire more employees you didn’t mean for him to stick you with the cold, rude, arrogant CEO Min Yoongi. Over time something begins to brew between you both and you end up forced to make decisions way above the pay grade of a cafe barista.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, hints of smut(nothing explicit), Yoongi is mean but we all know he’ll turn fluffy later, violence, kidnapping, mention of a gun, drug references, gang activity, murder, overdose

Word Count: 3,824

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

You woke up confused and alone in a room you didn’t recognize. Your throat hurt, but your head hurt worse. You looked around trying to make out your surroundings to get some idea of where you were. The room was empty except for an armchair in the corner with a small side table next to it. The only light in the room came from a small space between the curtains of what you assumed was a window. It seemed like you had been out for quite some time judging by the amount of sunlight.

You tried to stand up, but you felt too weak immediately falling to the ground. You tried once again, but froze when you heard the door handle begin to jiggle. The door swung open and a light was turned on making you squint from the change in brightness.

“Good morning Y/N, good to see you’re finally awake. Can I get you something to eat or maybe a coffee?”, a deep unfamiliar voice spoke.

“Who are you and how the fuck do you know my name?”, you spat not in the mood for pleasantries.

The man walked in and took a seat in the chair across the room. You took noticed of his expensive looking suit that was tailored to fit him perfectly. His hair was slicked back. A strong cologne followed after him. He reminded you a lot of Yoongi.

“Is that anyway to speak to the man that saved your life and took you away from that monster?”, he said while lighting a cigar.

You scoffed, “You saved my life? My life was just fine until you kidnapped me and threw me in this room.”

“Oh dear Y/N. You really are too good and naive for Yoongi.”, the man chuckled.

The mention of Yoongi made your breath hitch.

“How do you know Yoongi?”

“Well Y/N…I am glad you asked. You see me and Yoongi go way back. We met when we were just children. We used to be very good friends, actually like brothers. We ran a little side business together. The largest drug manufacturing and distribution organization since the 80’s, you know… nothing too extreme. Then one day Yoongi’s parents decided to finally give him the reigns to control the business and suddenly he didn’t need me or our organization any more. I agreed to let him walk away because he was my brother and I loved him as such. I wanted him to have a good life either way.”

The man paused to take a long draw of his cigar before continuing, “But it turns out that wasn’t good enough for Yoongi. He was selfish. He wanted to take everything we had worked for while also making sure his past life would never get out to the public. He lied to me. He deceived me because he knew I trusted him. He took all of our assets, every cent. He destroyed any evidence that could be linked to him. And then to top it all off he went to the police to get the whole operation shut down to make sure this could never come back on him. But..unfortunately for him I’ve been able to build back most of what we had even though it’s nowhere near what we once had. It took a lot of time and cost me a lot of money and many of my men all while I’ve had to watch him live the life of luxury in his comfy office, going to galas, being praised and awed by strangers around the world that don’t know how evil he really is behind the facade of expensive suits and sultry looks. I vowed that I would get my revenge against him and make him pay for what he did to me…to us. I was starting to loose hope that I would ever get my chance.”

The man suddenly stood up and took a few long strides to kneel down in front of you. You pushed yourself back against the wall as far as you could while trying to conceal your whimpers.

The man poked his finger against your forehead, “And then I saw the photos of your little date. I could see it in his eyes…just how in love with you he is. I knew this wasn’t some random hookup like the others. And I knew that my time had finally come. Min Yoongi took everything from me and now I will take everything from him.”

“So what are you going to do? Just kill me to get back at him?”, you scoffed.

“Oh no no no Y/N. Not yet at least. I’m going to have some fun first. I want him to suffer for a while. I want him to worry about you until he’s sick to his stomach. For him to know your pain is all his fault. Then I want to kill him.”

You watched as the man walked over to the door before he turned to look back at you, “At the end of the day Yoongi doesn’t care about anyone or anything except himself, his image, and his money. You’re going to learn real soon about the real Min Yoongi.” The man stood up and left you speechless as you watched the door slam shut behind him.

“Fuck fuck fuck”, Yoongi chanted as he drove around trying to figure out his next move. He knew he never should’ve asked you out. He scolded himself for being weak for you.

He thought back to the first time he saw you and how he developed an immediate crush on you. Something he’d never experienced before. He saw you behind the counter of the coffee shop. You were definitely new. You kept eyeing him before quickly turning away every time he’d try and make eye contact with you. He knew you liked him. He wasn’t stupid.

Unfortunately he liked you too. Your cheeks flushed from nervousness and the heat of running around in behind the counter. Your hair wet from sweat and plastered to your forehead. You bit your lip in concentration as you poured the coffee. You looked so cute to him and he wanted to get to know you. To date you and make you his.

Then you shakily handed him his coffee only to knock it down on the counter spilling all over his favorite custom made shoes. Sure he had three other pairs so it really wasn’t a big deal, but he took it as the opportunity to scold you hoping to make you hate him. Selfishly hoping it would keep you away from him so he wouldn’t fall for you even more.

But it didn’t work as he had hoped and he quickly fell more madly in love with you every time he saw you. Then his parents made him get a job at Jin’s Java House. He knew it was a bad idea from the start. He tried to argue with them, pleaded for another option but to no avail. He thought he was strong enough. He started off trying to be rude while working together to make you hate him even more then he already knew you did, but it only made him feel guilty and left him wanting to make it up to you any way he could.

Then he tried distracting himself with other women, sometimes as close even ten minutes before he came down for his shift at the coffee shop with you. But even when his secretary was topless and moaning underneath him as he thrusted into her on his office couch all he could think about was you and your beautiful smile and how he wished it was you below him instead. As he was burrowed deep inside someone else he fantasized about how he would take his time and do everything possible to pleasure you until it was you screaming his name over and over. He knew it was a lost cause at that point because he was a man in love. And now here he was driving around the city while you were God knows where because of him and his weaknesses.

Yoongi regretted his past life. He wasn’t proud of what he did. He had gotten in a little trouble at school so his parents had told him he was a failure and they would sell the company before allowing him to take control. He felt hurt and useless and desperate to prove them wrong.

So as a teenager he turned to crime. Him and his best friend started dealing drugs. It started small with just some weed or pills here and there to other friends and their acquaintances. Then it got bigger and bigger until next the thing he knew they were moving thousands of kilos of various drugs every year worth hundreds of millions of dollars. They had bases in Seoul, LA, New York, Tijuana, London, Rio, Moscow, and Beijing as well as dozens of smaller ones he couldn’t even remember any more. Money was rolling in like he’d never seen even though he already grew up wealthy. He had a new woman every night and said goodbye to them before the morning with no strings attached. He was on top of the world and the best part was he was doing it all with his best friend.

Then he got a call. His dads health was deteriorating. The generational family company was falling apart. His mom was coping by drinking and popping pills, probably from his own supply unbeknownst to her. They were proud of him for becoming so successful in his “pharmaceutical business”, a lie he told when people started questioning his job or where his money came from. His parents had changed their minds and wanted him to take over the company. Become the ceo and bring profitability and success back to the family name and business.

At first Yoongi told them to fuck off. He wasn’t going to give up what he had worked hard for after they tossed him aside like he wasn’t their own flesh and blood.

Then days later he got another call from one of the few people in the world that he respected, his grandmother. She asked Yoongi to take over the company that her and his grandfather had fought so hard to build and turn into an empire. She didn’t want to see it given to someone outside of the family or worse have it shut down completely.

Yoongi tried to politely decline, but then solemnly she begged him. She begged him to take over not only to save the company, but so that he could escape his life of crime before he ended up in prison or worse. She cried reminiscing about how many times she stayed up all night worried about him and what he was doing out in the world. How every phone call made her heart skip a beat fearing the worst. How she saw families being torn apart thanks to him and his business’s product. She begged him, even referring to him as her little dumpling, a nickname she had often used for him growing up that he hadn’t heard in years.

Yoongi didn’t ask how she knew about his secret life. He didn’t want to know to be honest, but he knew he didn’t want to be the reason for her tears any longer. So he called his parents the next day to accept the position.

His friend had been kind and understanding, offering to let Yoongi just walk away from everything and leave him in charge.

At first that was fine. Then one night on his way home he found out that his neighbors daughter overdosed. She was just sixteen. A star student and respected ballerina already being scouted by some of the biggest dance companies from all over the world. Yoongi knew the drugs were from his prior organization. There were no others around at the time.

He watched the girls parents standing in the pouring rain until their knees gave out and they hit the concrete and sobbed as the stretcher carrying their daughter was wheeled into the back of a waiting van. After that night his grandmothers voice started playing over and over in his head often keeping him up along with the screams of the parents he heard that night.

Yoongi decided he wanted to erase that part of his life like it never happened.

Because he was still trusted by his friend he had access to the bank accounts which he wiped clean. He destroyed every document he could find that would tie him to the organization. Anonymously he contacted police in every city he could think of and helped them to track down all of their operations getting them all shut down. Multiple people were arrested and a few even killed. He did his best to convince himself that their blood was not on his hands.

And when the few that were arrested tried to snitch and implicate Yoongi there was no significant evidence and the little the police could find was quickly swept under the rug thanks to a little cash swung their way.

Yoongi was able to walk away without anyone knowing of his past life. His friend left to pick up the pieces of a once great empire. And now here Yoongi was paying the price for something he thought was long behind him and could no longer keep him from happiness.

You walked around the room as you looked for an escape. The window had bars around it. Of course the door was securely locked. There was nowhere to go. You didn’t have your phone any longer. You resigned to taking a seat back on the floor trying to come up with a plan.

You weren’t sure how much time had gone by but at some point later in the day a woman appeared with a tray carrying a bowl of soup and some toast as well as an apple and a bottle of water. You thanked her even though you had no appetite at all.

As you sat under the window staring up at the little bit of the sky you could see you wondered what was happening in the outside world. What happened at the coffee shop when you didn’t show up for work? Did they call looking for you? You were going to fall behind in your classes if that even mattered any more. Was Yoongi even looking for you or was he worried this would get out in the public and ruin his image? It was all becoming too much and you began to cry fearing the future and the unknown.

After a while of crying and dozing off you decided you were getting a little hungry. Remembering the tray from earlier you decided against the soup which was now cold and gelatinous, but the toast still seemed okay so you picked it up taking a bite.

It was slightly stale but passable. As you mindlessly chewed you noticed a small piece of paper on the plate where the bread had been.

With your brows furrowed you unfolded the paper finding a hand written note. The writing was barely legible as it appeared quickly scratched down and was written in some kind of lipstick.

“I’ll come back tonight. When you hear three knocks at the door be prepared to run.”

Your mouth went dry. Your heart began to race. Quickly you chugged down the bottle of water as you contemplated if running was worth the risk. Surely if they caught you then you would be killed. And who is this woman and why is she helping you? What if it was a test?

You had a million different thoughts going through your mind, but they were cut short.

*Knock…Knock…Knock*

Slowly the door creaked open and the same woman from earlier peaked in the room. She motioned for you to follow her. What did you have to loose you thought so you did.

The two of you tiptoed down the hall and some stairs before you heard shouting after you.

“Run!”, the woman shouted so you sprinted not far behind her. You ran down hallways and and stairs. Looking for any exit door.

Just when you saw your hope, a door with a large window facing the outside world just down the hall from you, you were grabbed and harshly thrown down on the ground. You looked up seeing Yoongi’s friend breathing heavily.

“This is what I get huh? I tried to let you stay upstairs in a warm room. I gave you food. Yoongi always said I was the soft one out of the two of us. I guess he was right, but not any more.”, he spat dragging you down the hall by your arm.

Frantically you searched for the woman from earlier who tried to help you. You hoped she got out or was at least safe, but you quickly realized that was not true. A blood curdling scream rang through the air followed by a single gunshot. Your eyes widened in horror.

“Don’t worry sweetheart. I’m not gonna kill you just yet. Not before you’ve gone on a final date with your Yoongi.”

You swallowed down the lump in your throat as the man threw you in a cell, the iron gates loudly clanking shut. It looked like you were in a dungeon. It was cold and there was zero light coming through.

Without speaking the man tossed you an old dirty towel to use as a blanket before heading back upstairs leaving you down there alone.

Days went by. You were barely fed and barely slept. You had accepted your fate at that point. Unsure if it was the delirium setting in or what but you often found yourself chuckling at your situation.

You missed the days of going to college. You missed your friends. You missed the smell of coffee and the warmth it brought. You couldn’t believe how your life had turned around in the matter of hours all thanks to you falling in love with a lier, con artist, the devil? You weren’t really sure how to view Yoongi right now. He was probably leading a meeting right now without a care in the world. He’s probably going out to dinner later with some woman he met on his way to work with the sole intention to get in her pants by the end of the night. A small part of you hoped he was worried about you. Looking for you. Doing anything to help. Because a small part of you still loved him.

You hadn’t heard anyone walk in until you heard the iron gate slide open ending in a loud clank.

“Put this on. And use these wipes to clean yourself up.”, an unfamiliar voice said.

You sat staring at the items in front of you not moving.

“Bosses orders”, the man growled.

Slowly you grabbed the wipes and began wiping down your face and arms. It actually felt kind of nice.

You reached for the other items, a black cocktail dress and hair brush. You took the brush and ran through your hair a few times until the knots were out.

You looked at the dress and then at the man in front of you. He rolled his eyes and sighed before turning around and facing the wall. Quickly you removed your clothes and put the dress on before the man could turn around.

Just as you finished, the familiar smell of cigars entered the air and not long after Yoongi’s friend appeared.

“Wow don’t you look nice. I can see why Yoongi likes you. I think he’ll appreciate that you dressed up just for him.”, he said before blowing a cloud smoke through your cell.

“Now go ahead and stand up against that wall.”, he pointed towards the other side of the cell.

You crossed your arms in defiance refusing to move.

He chuckled, “I like you Y/N. I really do. Too bad I’m only giving you twenty four hours to live.” Your face dropped in realization at his statement.

A bright flash lit up the cell for just a moment before you realized your photo had been taken.

“Thanks sweetheart. I’m sure Yoongi will love it.”, he laughed before leaving you alone once again.

Yoongi was back at his place pacing back and forth. He’d ignored call after call from Hobi. He’s sure he’s wondering where he and/or you are and he doesn’t have the brain power right now to come up with a believable lie.

As he stared out at the river below his apartment he heard a new notification on his phone. A text message from an unknown number came through showing the preview of a photo.

Clicking on the message he instantly dry heaved sure he would’ve fully vomited had he consumed anything today.

A photo of you in a black dress. Your hair frazzled. Immediately Yoongi noticed the bruising on your body. The cut on your lip and welt on your forehead. What killed him the most was the look on your face. The look of fear, of despair. He could see you were holding back tears and it was all thanks to him.

Seconds later another message came through, “Y/N’s a beauty Yoongi. I always did think you had good taste when it came to women and it seems like even after all these years nothing has changed. You have 24 hours to find us. If you involve the police I’ll kill her instantly. If you even care…”

You had changed back into your old clothes giving yourself a little more coverage from the cold. The floor was made of stone but you were so exhausted you were able to drift off to sleep quite quickly.

You fell into dreamland. Dreaming that you were on a beach. The warm sun shone down on you as a breeze rippled through the air. The ocean waves crashed gently against the sand next to you as you walked along the edge. Looking up you saw Yoongi just down the beach waiting for you. He flashed you a gummy smile showing you the two drinks he had in his hands. Just as you began to walk towards him the sky turned dark and a giant wave came crashing down on you dragging you out to sea. You screamed for help unable to get yourself out of the current as the waves kept you down. Running out of fight you felt yourself slowly drifting under water father and rather. The last thing you remembered was hearing Yoongi screaming your name.

You jerked awake sweaty and out of breath with your hand clutching to your chest.

Sitting up you did your best to try and calm yourself down taking deep slow breaths.

Faintly from a distance you swore you heard your name shouted. You brushed it off thinking it was just a residual memory from your dream.

Then you heard it again, a little clearer this time and you were a little more certain.

“Yoongi?”, you whispered to yourself hearing a familiar sound as the door slammed open.

[abrunettefangirlnerd]

The Accident

Request: JJ got hurt when he crashed his motorcycle and he woke up to see the reader sleeping, head resting on her arms, on the edge of the bed. She’s had a crush on him for years, but never told him cause he liked Kiara since kindergarten.

Paring: JJ Maybank x reader

The screeching of metal on concrete vibrates through my mind as the scene plays on repeat. Kie’s sobs, Pope’s shouts for JJ to stop playing around, Topper and Sarah helping load JJ’s body back into the truck. JJ’s head resting on my lap, my fingers running through his blood matted hair, telling myself he is just asleep and we are on John B’s couch.

               The world is submerged underwater and my only focus is on the boy laying in front of me, my best friend. The whole idea behind getting the cross back was absurd, every moment of it. No other moment of my life has come close to the horror that chilled my bones watching the cops chase after JJ once getting Kie to safety in the truck.

               Rustling coming from the door frame snaps me out of my trance to find John B, Sarah, and Kie with hushed whispers. John B wasn’t with us on our failed heist and by the look in his eyes the girls are obviously catching him up to speed. We are supposed to be taking shifts so someone is here with JJ when he wakes up but I refuse to leave. JJ’s cousin checked him out and said he should be fine, but I can’t help but watch each rise and fall of his chest to be sure.

John B’s eyes meet mine and I can see the slightest rise of his eye brows at the scene he is witnessing. I duck my head back to JJ and ignore the heat rising on my cheeks. He is the only one who knows about my crush on JJ ever since a very embarrassing late night drunk conversation after everyone else passed out for the night. But we both know that JJ has been carrying a torch for Kie since kindergarten. JJ was most hurt during her kook year, taking a long while to forgive her, but now acts like it never happened.

JJ paces back and forth with joint in his hand. Pope and John B left with Kie to get provisions for her welcome back party. Only JJ is having a harder time letting go of the last year and I am trying to talk him down. I’m really hoping the weed kicks in soon, JJ is usually more open minded when he gets a nice relaxing dose.

“Y/N how could she just leave us like that and try to come back like nothing happened?!” JJ stops mid pace to look at me, waiting a real answer.

“JJ she explained everything. We were all mad and upset she froze us out. She’s sorry and she’s back. P4L right?”

               Honestly, with Kie’s abandonment I was hoping that JJ would get over his little crush and set his sights somewhere else. Ideally I would want his sights set more on me since I was the only girl in the group. I guess it takes a while to heal a broken heart. Everything went back to normal after that night.

“Y/N,” John B whispers from the doorway. I try to ignore him but he walks till he is standing directly behind me. Placing a hand on my shoulder he tries again. “Y/N, you need to get some rest. Or at least a shower.”

I shake my head as a sob builds in my throat.

“Please, shower at least. You still have his blood on your hands and your legs.” John B squeezes my shoulder, “I’ll stay here with him.”

               Relenting, I nod my head in agreeing with John B. I will my legs to get up and he swiftly takes my place, not letting me change my mind to reclaim my seat. Slowly I make my way out but pause at the door to look back at JJ. Just one more peak at his face before I make my way to the shower.

               On the sink one of the girls laid out some of their extra clothes for me to change into. A swirl of gratitude dances in my chest. It is the lightest I’ve felt since this terrible night started. Operating on autopilot, my hand turns on the water to the shower. I let it run to allow some time for it to warm up. Hot water here is hit or miss, but who can complain about running water.

               Tearing off my clothes one piece at a time my eyes lock on to the red coating my hands and thighs. You still have his blood on your hands and your legs. I run my hands over each other in attempt to rub it off. Not hard or fast enough. My hands move faster, I press harder. I move to my thighs. Small pieces flake off but not enough to make a difference.

               Tears patter against the tile floor breaking me out of my trance. I take deep breathes, 1…2…3… I count in my head. JJ is here, he is alive and he is going to wake up. Finally stepping in the shower the luke warm water cascades down my back and I can feel my muscles loosening. I quickly get to work on cleaning myself up and changing into the new set of clothes.

“He’s still asleep,” John B’s voice greets me without looking up from the ground.

               John B gets up to leave and I quickly reclaim my seat. I feel his presence linger at the door, not quite ready to leave. I can’t blame him, I don’t want to leave him either. JJ is my best friend, and I know John B feels the same.

“Have you thought about telling him yet?” I don’t answer him, which is an answer in itself. “When he wakes up you should.”

               His footstep leave toward the living room with the others. Tell JJ? Just so he can tell me I’m just his friend and that he still has a thing for Kie. To have him act weird around me for the rest of our lives. The thought of that happening is more unbearable than the idea of seeing him and Kie together and losing him in the process. At least I lose him because of her instead of losing him because of myself.

               My eye lids grow heavy as the last bit of adrenaline seeps out of my system. Maybe I should lay down for a bit, just rest my eyes. I’ll wake up before JJ does. Slowly I climb onto the side of the bed that JJ is not on. I loop my fingers in with his as I rest my head against the pillow.

For the rest you can decide how it ends:

Angsty/Sad Happy

[0kayblue]

Need You

Need You 

You and Leon have been a little more than friends with benefits for awhile and he struggles with what he wants it to be. 

Word count: 3k (almost 4) 

Mentions of alcohol, slightly possessive Leon, over protective Leon, angst, fluff (??kinda??), happy ending, not proofread very well if it all.

A/N: HELLO!! How are you all doing? Good I hope. I’ve been gone for more than a hot minute. It took me a lot longer than what I thought it would to get back into the groove of things. With that being said, this is not that great. Kinda boring, but hey, sometimes things are boring. This is just kind of to get me in the groove of uploading and writing again. 

Part three and request are in the works. They are coming!! I just need a little practice before I start actually going at it again. 

With all my heart, I hope you are having a fantastic day!! Enjoy!! 

Time had never moved so slow as Leon anxiously bounced his leg underneath the cheap break room table. His tired eyes glanced to the clock and then back down to the untouched styrofoam cup of coffee. 

Leon hated a lot of things about his job, but at this moment debriefing was his least favorite. He detested having to explain everything that happened on missions before he officially had time to process how they happened to him. Not that he ever truly enjoyed thinking about the things he had to do in order to survive, but he liked to have an understanding on why he did this or that. Why he chose to go left instead of right. 

He had just spent nearly three days fighting his way through the deep Rocky Mountains; B.O.W’s at every turn, and he didn’t even get the information he was expected to return with. The whole thing was a waste of his damn time. He was sent to follow a lead that only set the operation two steps back and whatever up and coming supervillain, or want to be Umbrella Corporation, or extremist cult one leap forward. All while defense was wounded and information scrounged for a thread to pull to loosen the seam on the shit show they were currently trying to clean up. 

He was annoyed and beyond frustrated with everything. On top of the emotional stress he also was not in the best shape physically- it wasn’t anything major all things considered- but, broken ribs, internal bruising and external bruising causing almost his whole torso to be a  deep purple almost gray hue, and the bandaged up gashes on his limbs and slight cuts on his face only kept adding straws to the camel's back. He felt like it was only a matter of time before he snapped, he felt like he could only sit here for a few seconds more before he stormed out the door and out of this damn stale sterile building that was too clean. 

He took a deep breath before adjusting himself to sit up straight in the deep blue plastic chair. As he exhaled he closed his eyes and saw the face he’s seen behind his eyelids since he landed, desperate to see it in person. To touch the soft warm flesh of someone he could never get enough of, regardless of the fact that he tried so hard not to get addicted to. Each hit of you more potent than the last, each high allowing him to forget for a little longer, each graze of his skin against yours permitting him to daydream of a life he has always ached for. Even if you didn’t long for the same things he did, he saw you with everything he had ever wanted. It was cruel and yet he continued to do it to himself. 

He had bought you a burner phone with his number and his alone. You were not to use the phone for anything other than to communicate with him. He had asked you to carry it with you at all times, lying and saying he didn’t bug it. He told you that with his line of work that it would make your meetings more secure, that it would keep you off the radar. In a lapse of poor judgment you took the phone and him up on his proposal to make him an official fuck buddy. Who could blame you? It was a scene  straight out of a movie and boosted your ego. It made you feel special that someone so important took such an interest in someone like you. Someone who lived such an exhaustingly normal life. It kept you on cloud nine for at least a week and a half after receiving it. 

It was a purely physical relationship that didn’t require any emotional attachment regardless of the deep emotions that sunk into the both of you too quickly for comfort. Each rendezvous lasted longer than the previous one. Him staying at your place for days, while you both interacted like domesticated adults. Not quite like a married couple, not as casual as friends, and nowhere near as uptight as roommates; it was such an odd relationship, but it wasn’t  uncomfortable. Oftentimes by the end of his stay he left you with more questions than answers. Your knowledge of his life was barley skin deep and you were left to piece it together from fragments he dropped you. 

He on the other hand knew everything about you. He couldn’t help himself. All your information was at his fingertips; your past, your present, and a vague idea of your future. In hindsight he should have left it alone and maybe if he did he wouldn’t be stuck in this current predicament. Maybe wouldn’t be digging in his pocket for the phone that held only one contact number, a phone number that he had memorized even though he shouldn’t have. He leaned forward in the chair as he typed only two words. 

‘Need you.’

He didn’t think about the impact they could have, he didn’t think of the weight they carried, he just sent the message. Not a part of him even considering the fact that you would think it was the truth. He needed you. Rather you are below him or watching some low brow television show that networks pumped out to dumb down the population. He just needed you within reach, he needed the comfort of your presence to ease the buzzing of the world he lived in. 

He sat the phone on the table as he crossed his arms and sat back, anxiously awaiting a reply. He didn’t get a chance to glance at the clock before the phone buzzed against the table. 

‘Busy.’ 

The message read and he couldn’t help but to scoff as his hand ran through freshly washed damp hair. 

‘With what?’ 

He asked in his reply as he sent it. His jaw tightening in annoyed agitation. What part of need did you not understand? He took a deep breath and reminded himself of the nature of the relationship. As he went to follow up his demanding question with a meeting time and place the break room door opened and he shoved the phone back into his pocket. 

“Mr.Kennedy,” A rather thin man with tired eyes and a disheveled navy blue suit sighed out, “I’m sorry, we know you are exhausted, we just have a few more questions. Can you stay for another thirty minutes? No more, no less.”  

Leon forced a polite smile as he stood, “Lead the way.” 

“Thank you so much, Mr. Kennedy.” 

“Please, call me Leon.” Leon insisted as he took the door from the man and just like that he followed the man down the hall and into an elevator; leaving behind a hot cup of coffee to grow cold on a cheap linoleum covered piece of wood where it would eventually be washed down the drain by night janitorial staff. 

It had been an hour since Leon set foot in that room and not much of anything had come out of his answers. He was out of the building now and almost free as his hand found the handle of his car door, but a buzz in his pants pocket caused him to let go of it immediately. As he unlocked the phone he noticed he was left with a voice memo and not a message, which he found odd but not alarming. He couldn’t help but to smile, ready to hear your voice. He pressed play and heard the hustling of feet and an unrecognizable song in the background. 

“She said she was busy, Le-on. Take a hint.” 

A low masculine voice came out of the speaker as he gripped the phone. He pulled it away from his ear with a snarl as he looked at the phone screen. It took every fiber of his being to not shatter the phone right there; it took every remaining ounce of sanity that he had to not let this red hot anger consume him. This little voice in his head pleaded for him to think rationally. 

He opened the car door and slammed it shut behind him as he got in, it was a miracle the car door window didn’t break from the force. He was quick to pull up your location and an airy laugh left him as he knew the location too well. A dive bar on the outskirts of the city, the same exact bar he had found you in. It was tragically comical. 

He didn’t bother with a seat belt as he backed out of his parking spot and hit the gas and drove off after you. The speed limit was a mere suggestion as city lights passed him just as quickly as they appeared. He was livid as his knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. He was angry. He was angry that you had the audacity to be out with someone at the bar that he met you at. He was furious that you were busy with some asshole who had the nerve to address him by his first name. He was livid that he didn’t just leave work and go to you as soon as he landed. He was heartbroken because even though he was lost in this haze of consuming rage he had no right to feel this way. You weren’t his, but he was yours. 

As Leon quickly pulled into the parking lot he parked his car with no regard to the faded white lines that were supposed to indicate parking spots. He left the car running as he slammed the car door shut, making a bigger scene than the screeching sound his tires made against the asphalt when he parked. He could feel the eyes of smokers burning a hole in his frame as he took quick strides to the front doors of the bar. 

“Nice ride-.” A voice started but was cut off by the beep of Leon locking the car. Normally Leon would nod politely, but he didn’t bother to spare a glance to whoever made the comment. His brows furrowed and a glare that could kill adorning his face as he stepped into the warm bar. 

“Hey!” Zack yelled, the bartender was shouting as Leon watched him scurry from behind the bar and over to a crowded table. Men and some women of varying ages were crowded around the table cheering. “Give that back! How did you even-?” Zack tried to reason as some guy held him back from the table. Leon proceeded with some caution as he approached Zack. 

“Let it go, buddy. He’ll give it right back and pay for the shots as soon as he’s done.” A stranger said as he tried to keep Zack back. “He’ll even pay extra if this chick handles her liquor the way she says she can.”

That got Leon’s attention faster as he pushed his way closer to the front of the table. His eyes locked on your frame laying on the tabletop with your head leaning off the end as another guy poured vodka down your throat. 

“Yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!” The man screamed before putting the bottle to his mouth and taking a shot straight from the bottle.

Your laugh rang through the bar as you began to try and sit up, but the man was quicker than you were as he bent down to meet you, his arm wrapping around your shoulders to keep you in place. His lips graze yours as he spit his shot into your mouth. Your throat burning as you tried to push him off of you. For a second you thought your weak  effort was successful as his lips left yours, but when you gained some composure you heard the shattering of glass and saw people back away quickly from the table. 

“Get the fuck off of her!” A voice yelled, that voice, you knew that voice all too well. You sat up as your eyes found Leon’s frame. His shoulders tense as they fell up and down with his labored breathing. His fist clenched and jaw tightened as he threatened in a deep low growl, “Touch her again and I’ll break your fucking spine.” He was in no condition to fight, he was barely standing. He was utterly exhausted and his limbs ached, but the angry adrenaline that coursed through his veins kept him upright.

“Leon.” You dryly got out as you sat up on the table. You repeated his name but he didn’t even glance in your direction. 

“Leon? Jesus Christ. Look, she already-.” The man spoke and Leon recognized the voice immediately from the voice message. Leon’s eyes darkened with rage as he looked at this pathetic excuse of a man. 

Busy. 

“Where is her phone?” Leon asked as he roughly grabbed the man by his shirt collar, “Where is her damn phone?” 

“Here, here! Take it!” The man shook as he pulled the phone out of his pocket and handed it to Leon. Leon snatched it from his hand before pushing the man roughly to the ground. Leon towered over him as the man shook, Leon’s unbridled rage causing the bar to grow freezing cold. 

“Stay away from her.” Leon turned from the man and his gaze softened only slightly as it landed on you. Your eyes locked with his for only a moment before he avoided your gaze and approached you. His hand found your arm as he helped you off of the table. He wrapped an arm around your waist as the crowd parted like the Red Sea. All eyes were on the both of you as you walked out of the bar. 

“I can take it from here.” You said agitated as you tried to push yourself away from Leon. 

“I don’t care. I’m taking you home.” Leon said as he unlocked his car. That aggression he felt still resting on the tip of his tongue. He opens the passenger door and with a deep sigh you get in his car. After he just opened the door you took a deep breath before running your hand through your hair. A bottomless pit settled in your stomach before you sat back against the seat. 

“Seatbelt.” You heard him say as he got in the car, pulling you out of your thoughts. You compiled as he started to drive out of the parking lot and turned right out of the parking lot. 

You raise an eyebrow before looking at him and confusingly confront him, “You were supposed to turn left.” 

“I said I’m taking you home. I know where I’m going.” Leon glared ahead and for once wished you wouldn’t say a damn word. He was heated. 

“How did you know where I was?” 

“Can you not ask questions right now?” 

“No, because you’re freaking me out. First, you know where to find me and second, you hook a right when you know my place is left. Where are we going?” You stated in a matter of fact tone as you crossed your arms. You could tell he was angry, but you didn’t care because you were angry too. You never disclosed your location to him, he nearly started a fight, and he continued to treat you like you were something more to him regardless of the fact that he made it clear that you would never be anything more. 

“My place. It’s closer and I’m too tired to drive further than what I have too.” He admitted as he sent you a quick glance. 

“Your place?” You rolled your eyes, “You’re telling me that your place is closer and we’ve spent all this time at mine?” 

“Yeah.” Leon sighed with irritation. 

“How is that fair? How is it fair that you know all this shit about me, but I know nothing about you?” You asked flat out and annoyed. Normally after going an extended time without seeing Leon you didn’t ask any questions, you just tended to him until he was ready to talk. He loved that about you, you never pushed him. Leon grunted knowing that it was the alcohol and a mix of unconfronted emotions made you bold. 

“We talked about this-.”

“Yeah, we did, but you tracking my location wasn’t in that conversation.” Leon took his eyes off the road as the car came to a stop at a stoplight and he looked at you. He opened his mouth to speak, to defend himself, but you cut him off. “Cut the shit, I know it’s a bugged phone. I had it looked at and your sudden appearance tonight only proved it.” 

“It’s only bugged for your protection.” Leon got out through gritted teeth. 

“My protection? What the fuck are you even talking about? If anything it’s so you can keep your whores straight and away from your wife.” You spit at him with venom. You knew Leon wasn’t the type of guy to run around town like that, he was a one woman type of guy. You were just angry and confused at why you would be enough to protect but not enough to be his. 

Leon’s face turned up in pained disgust and he went to say something, but the blaring of a car horn called his attention back to the road and a green light. You huffed as you turned away from him and he continued to drive onward to his place. 

The rest of the car ride was silent, giving you time to feel bad about what you said and how you said it. Your face falling and your anger simmering out as your eyes felt heavy with the weight of fresh tears threatening to spill. You refused to cry though as you sniffed and he pulled into his driveway.

A two story house that was too big for just him, but old enough for you to believe that it was a house that was left to him in some family members' will. Or he could’ve bought it himself easily with the way you’ve seen him treat money; like it was something that grew on trees. He was a complete and utter mystery to you and it drove you insane that you could still fall for someone who you knew so little about. At this point you were more mad at yourself than you were at him. You knew of his interests and hobbies, his likes and dislikes, you saw his heart; but you didn’t have a clue about his day to day life. It was like he existed only to you and no one else. No criminal record, no traceable family; he seemed to have nothing. All you had were snippets of an article about Raccoon City that left you with more questions than answers. 

“Don’t worry, the wife’s not home.” Leon muttered through gritted teeth and you winced as he got out of the car. You went and got out of the car alongside him as you followed closely behind him. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” He opened the front door and you followed him in, shutting and locking it behind you. Your body now shaking as his focus remained straight ahead. He was so cold and you knew you deserved it. “I know that’s not you. I just…” you hesitated as you could feel your throat beginning to clog, knowing that your voice was going to waver and your next words were going to come out broken if you didn’t get a grip. 

“I’ve got a guest room, but I haven’t found time to clean it out so there is a bunch of junk and shit in there. You can take my bed and I’ll take the guest room.” Your heart broke, thinking he didn’t even want to be near you and you couldn’t blame him.

“I think we should call this off.” Your voice still broke as you said it and Leon quickly turned to you. His gaze softened immediately as soon as he saw your big glassy doe eyes. He stood frozen as his heart shattered. He was losing you and it wasn’t to some unforeseen force, he did this. His refusal to let you in completely had pushed you away. 

Leon was a fighter, it was his job. He stood up for what was right, he fought for people who couldn’t fight for themselves, he fought so people who weren’t fighters never had too. But did he ever fight for his own selfish desires? At the end of the day was he willing to fight for the first good thing he’s had in his life for a while? At the bar he was ready. He was ready to push his exhaustion aside and fight the object that stood between him and you; but now? Fighting you, the person he desired the most. 

“Look, it’s not anything personal…I just…this isn’t working for me.” You nervously blabbered out, the silence killing you. You took a deep breath as your hands found your hips, “I mean the Pretty Women aspect of it was fun, I had fun. I don’t know, I guess, I mean…” you stumbled over your own words. 

“Alright.” He said and you looked away from him as your arms wrapped around yourself trying to comfort yourself. The floodgates of your tears threatening to spill as your eyes darted around the room. 

“Okay. Good. I’ll sleep on the couch and grab a cab and be gone before the sun comes up.” You voice low as you head to the couch but Leon catches you by your elbow. The sudden connection of your bare skin against the palm of his hand sends a chill up his spine.

“I want to start again. I want to make it right.” He said as he slowly looked at you, his own eyes glassy. You study his face now and how exhausted he looked. “I’ll tell you everything. Let me start over. Let me make it right.” Your brows knitted together as you relaxed slightly and your other hand cupped his cheek. Tears fell from your eyes as you stifled a pained groan. “Please.” He begged and how could you say no?

Your lips found him in a hesitant kiss that he returned with desperation. The moment your lips sparked against his he was ready to fight again. His hand trailed down your arm and before it found your waist. He pulled you close to him as your arms wrapped around his neck. Sweet desperate kisses turned into feverishly hungry ones.

“Need you.” He admitted softly against your lips; hoping that you understood. Hoping that the feeling was returned. Hoping that right now that he said enough, that those two words meant enough. As you melted against him he knew that you understood. 

For the first time in a long time Leon was ready to give his all to something besides work. 

[winniethewife]

Missing pieces find me (Captain Howzer x F!Reader)

Gif by @nobie

for Operation #MoreHowzerFics

Words: 791

Howzer hadn’t slept well in a long time. He wasn’t sure he’d ever gotten a full nights rest since the war ended. In the past it hadn’t seemed to bother him, but now working in the Clone underground. He wondered, if maybe something wasn’t quite right with that. He realized at some point he couldn’t focus on the Data pad in front of him, His vison was hazy and he felt off. He blinks a few times, looks up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Howzer? You alright there?” Rex raised an eyebrow at him from across the room.

“I…I think so…it’s just a headache.” Howzer tried to brush it off. Rex wasn’t at all convinced. He walks over to him and takes the Data pad from his 

“Vod… you need some rest…go.” Howzer can tell by the tone of Rex that he isn’t asking, he’s telling. Howzer sighed dramatically before standing up.

“Whatever you say captain.” Howzer replied with an abundance of sass in his voice. Rex rolled his eyes and waved him off. Howzer made his way to the makeshift Barracks. He passed by the medbay on his way and he stopped for a minute. His immediate reaction is to search the room for her. The medic who had caught his eye the moment they had met the first time. They had formed a close friendship that developed into more but they hadn’t really put a definition on it. He found her talking to one of the other medics over a box of supplies. He waited patiently to be noticed, not wanting to take her attention from the task at hand. He wasn’t waiting long before she noticed him and made her way over to him. She gave him a kind smile.

“Captain, can I help you with something?” She asked.

“Uh, yeah I’ve been…feeling kinda off…Rex sent me off to get some rest…” He rubs the back of his neck as he looked at her. It was hard to stay professional with her.

“and why aren’t you?” she asked with a cheeky smile knowing full well why he stopped by.

“I…I wanted to see you.” He admitted shyly. She smiled knowingly.

“I could probably get away for a short time, if you need some company…” She looked over her shoulder. “I think the others can make it on their own for an hour or so.”

“I’ll take whatever I can get.” Howzer said with a laugh. They both walked to the barracks, fingers grazing each other occasionally as they walked side by side. Howzer felt, increasingly nervous, and incredibly inadequate. Once they finally arrived in the barracks, Howzer started to take off his armor, leaving him in just his blacks. As he does this she sits down on his bunk and watched with a smile on her face. He turns to look at her, his face slightly flushed as he noticed her watching.

“Like what you see?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes…But that’s not why we’re here.” She laughs. She pats the bunk beside her and he gives a shrug and a chuckle as he lays in the bunk. She lays next to him, running her fingers gently though his hair, her touch was comforting. But as much as he tried to sleep, he couldn’t. It was nearly painful. His face contorted with pain, and she gently traced her fingers over his face. “Talk to me Howzer. What’s going on?”

“I can’t sleep, and it hurts…I don’t know…” He hesitated, He definitely wasn’t used to talk about his problems. But she made him feel safe, like he could tell her anything. “I…I feel like I’m missing pieces, of myself. Of normalcy. I don’t know what I’m doing, if I’m doing anything. I’m trying to figure out what my purpose is in all this.” He says quietly. Her gaze softened, and she gently holds his face in her hands.

“It’s okay to feel like that, you have spent your whole life, with one purpose, to fight a war. The war is over, and there’s a learning process. You are, missing pieces, every one of you. You’re finding a way to feel whole again without the republic, without so many of your brothers. It will take time.” She says these things softly and lovingly as she runs her thumbs across his cheeks and gazes into his eyes.  “But I’ll be here, for every step. Alright?”

“I…thank you.” Howzer sighs. Wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her in close, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He felt…for just a moment, that he was whole, she made him feel that way. And finally, for the first time in a long time. He fell asleep.

~

Masterlist

Taglist: @masterjedilenawrites @silvernight-m @queerponcho @boredzillenial

[pedrostylez]

500 Followers Reading Recommendation List

Hi there! Happy Saturday!

I just wanted to say thank you to the 500 people that are following me. I started this account back in March/April to have fun, start writing again (I was in the thick of it with One Direction fanfiction from 2012-2017 and took a massive break from that... Iykyk) and to make friends. I’ve connected with so many of you, and I love seeing us all thirsting on the feed, and just being a community? Idk if that’s cheesy, but there are plenty of things that could be improved with how this fanbase operates but this is my favorite part.

I felt like the best way to celebrate and to have fun is to bring attention to other people’s writing that I enjoy. Frothing at the mouth, or maybe just kicking my feet, whatever. I’ve been stockpiling these since the beginning (mainly so I can keep track because I will forget what I’m reading through and I don’t want to miss anything) and want to just highlight as many people as I can. 

I hope you all can give these guys some love too. If any of these are not your cup of tea and you want to make comments or say something to one of these authors I highly encourage you to read this announcement I made a while ago. I stand by this and encourage others to do the same.

I tried to not repeat an author with a character, but I will say that each of these lovely people writes for multiple characters (not always in the Pedro character universe either) and I have and continue to read from their whole masterlist. 

This is in no way the whole ongoing list that I keep for myself to find something that I enjoy, and I am positive I have missed some amazing people. I encourage everyone to reblog and interact with authors as you find things you like, “popular” or not, so as to keep us all as what I described above-a community.

Most of these recommendations are smut, which is indicated with *. If there is no *, it either has none or it does not at the time of posting this. Proceed with caution. 🙂

(If I get anyone’s name or pronouns wrong, please let me know so I can fix it. I tried to do my due diligence, however, I am prone to mistype so a quick message will get it changed!)

Joel Miller

@softlyspector-Honeyed

Becca’s story Honeyed is everything my fluffy heart desires. It is so soft, and I can feel my heart ache when I read it (I mean this in a good way and idk how else to describe it.) Ellie and Sarah’s dynamic is also so interesting, and I love how she writes the different connections between them all. Becca’s descriptions and ability to immerse you into the story is top notch. 

@jrrmint- Dad’s Best Friend (Series)*

JJ’s series absolutely destroyed me, in the best way possible. The way he expresses his feelings is so very Joel, but also so very “every man I’ve ever interacted with”, and the way he is so protective of reader…oh my lord. Just brilliant. JJ is here to kill it, every fucking time. 

@darkroastjoel- A Safe Haven (series)*

Vee is extremely talented, even when she thinks otherwise. (Vee I love you so much omg). So much effort and care is put into what she writes, and I am always sitting at the edge of my seat. A Safe Haven is angsty, makes my heart flutter, and Joel is portrayed so well. Hiding a relationship while having issues in Peach’s home to help the community? Real-life anxiety. Vee’s Ellie is also one of my favorites and gives comedic relief when necessary (but also a wakeup call to Peach a lot of the time). Love love love.

@hier--soir-Back to Texas

Jessie you probably thought I was going to put your professor joel series here, and while that is so fucking good (screeching into a pillow so my husband doesn’t hear, good), this specific piece you wrote? Emotional damage. Tears, in my eyes, sniffling and trying to keep it together. It really just calls upon my daddy issues to read Joel so distraught and loving and anxious about visiting his home where he last saw Sarah. Ugh. Love you. 

@joelscruff- One Thing I’m Missing (series)*

Cat’s ability to suck you into the world she has created is insane. I highly recommend all of the things she writes, but some sweetness mixed with horniness always makes me want to just pass away. Accidentally falling asleep together? And now you BOTH can’t stop? Bye. So deliciously heart-wrenching. 

@atinylittlepain-Hungry Hearts (Series) *

Dear god this series has me crying, covering my face in embarrassment, drooling, and so much more. Summer love wrapped up with childhood crushes and bouncing back and forth between past and present? Thinking you know what’s best for the person you love and hurting them in the process? The flow of how Ginny writes keeps me on the hook no matter what she’s writing, and this is no different. I am absolutely able to lose myself in her writing and just be fully immersed, and I so so SO appreciate it.

@dev1lm4n-Porn Star Joel (series)*

Ann I swear to you, you’re the reason I am now obsessed with this “porn star” trope, specifically for Joel Miller. Joel having a secretive side job to make sure he keeps his family above water, but suddenly not able to think about anything other than reader, an exchange student living in his house? So fucking good. Sink your teeth in and just indulge. 

Frankie Morales

@pedropascalsx- Relief*

This had my gut in knots reading it. I have such a soft spot for Frankie as a character, and I remember the first time I read through this one-shot I gasped out loud at how mean you had written him. (This is a good thing, trust me). The smut is top shelf, mesmerizing.  Cristina has some of the best writing around with detail that is chef’s kiss. 

@peterhollandkait-Everthing I Know Leads Me Back to You

This is another series that I had first read when I was thinking about restarting my page, and Kait does not disappoint. The angst and heartbreak for sweet baby Frankie who is having issues is out of this world.

@javiscigarette-Just Focus on My Love*

Cami has this way about how she writes that I just consume so quickly and I don’t think I can ever stop. This one-shot called to me and calls me out at the same time for how often I will just play video games for hours. And the idea of Frankie? Coming to try and distract me? Yes please.

Javier Peña

@pascalsbby-Little Bunny*

Man, I just love Javier Peña. Whether he’s snarky and is a slut or is secretly really sweet. This one doesn’t disappoint either, with Kat having the ability to just get Javier to bring you home and on your knees…

@lokischocolatefountain -Salvation*

Married Javi and his struggles is the most insane way to get me hooked on him, but lokischocolatefountain did that. They have a whole “married javi” section of their masterlist that I find myself coming back to often!

@devilmademewriteit-Salvatore (series)*

When I was first reapproaching tumblr as a platform to write on, I came across Em’s writing. I was in the middle of watching Narcos, and it called out to me like a siren song, and I wasn’t able to stop reading it. I love a sassy Javi who is really just basically in love with you and trying to hide it, mixed in with some amazing smut. Absolutely brilliant Em!

@swiftispunk- Let Me and Use Me*

Hannah’s ability to call upon my niche needs at the moment freaks me out sometimes, because giiiirrrlllll. When I first read Let Me and the follow up Use Me, I melted into a puddle and had to be mopped up like snow being kicked off boots next to a wood stove. I will never ever EVER be over Javi P, and this two parter is reread OF-TEN. The idea that a man can read me so well, and just knows what I need? Yes please. 

Din Dijarin

@frannyzooey-Take Me To Church (Series) *

Kelli has an extensive masterlist that I have gone through a couple times (or more, ahem). Her Take Me to Church series is what made me interested in Din as a character, since I had never really watched the Star Wars saga. I have a soft spot for western AU’s that can’t be helped, so that just pushed me along as well. Kelli’s writing is always so fucking satisfying-good soup.  

@whatsnewalycat- Passenger (series) 

Aly has quite a few series that I am reading constantly. Again, never really had been interested in the Star Wars series (sue me, people) but her portrayal of Din as a truck driver and bounty hunter is so heavenly. I am typically under the covers with all the lights off reading her stuff because I get so excited and so honed in that I haven’t realized I’ve basically burrowed into my bed. 

@no-droids- Rough Day (series) *

Originally found on AO3, and I sure do loveeeeeeeee it. The wait is worth it, and the smut is spot on. I love the character growth that is shown in this series, and while I haven’t ever spoken with no-droids, I know they are insanely talented. An amazing read. 

Agent Whiskey/Jack Daniels

@fuckyeahdindjarin-Palomino (series) *

Cee doesn’t need a whole introduction but IMMA GIVE HER ONE. The amount of effort, and time and love she puts into her writing is shown when you’re reading on your phone, eyes barely open at 3 in the morning, telling yourself you’ll go to sleep after this next paragraph. And then of course, you don’t because something juicy is happening or you want to see how Jack is going to look lovingly at Darlin’ and you just stay up until you complete the chapter. Cee has some amazing amazing AMAZING series, and this is just one of them! 

@psychedelic-ink-Move Me, Baby *

Sil, if you don’t already know what you do to me, then here it is. You literally destroy me. This three-part series is as delectable as they come, being angsty and fluffy but also smut city babyyyyy. Sil is extremely talented and often has me questioning if I have a new kink or what exactly my deal is. 

Ezra (Prospect)

@the-ginger-hedge-witch- Adversity Western AU (Series)*

Ren. I stg. The ideas that you have send me into orbit. This is both Frankie and Ezra, but I am putting it under Ezra because the relationship between reader and Ezra is what I tend to focus on when I am reading this. Frankie’s relationship is also fascinating (and Ezra and Frankie together is extremely hot) but Ezra is written in this way that I just know is him exactly. She completely captured what Ezra’s cadence was (in my head at least) and I am infatuated with it.  

@ezrasversion-Heat*

Rue…my dear god. “Don’t stop on my account… unless of course you’d be more acquiescent to the idea of my assistance.” Like really?! I read this after I watched prospect for the first time and just about keeled over. How you captured how Ezra speaks was so spot on with the movie. So so good!

[what-gs-watching]

"I'm just a boy in a neon suit, standing in front of a girl, reminding her that Notting Hill is her favorite movie."

GANG. I went to see The Fall Guy and it was SO. FREAKIN’. GOOD. Like, sooooo good.

I have to admit, I’ve been a bit disillusioned with movies for the past few years. The industry has changed and like, really, do we need so many fucking movies about APES? Apes? For real? I do not understand why they’re making like 90% of the shit they’re making and I used to love to go and see absolutely everything and I haven’t felt that way in a while. 

Y’all,in the summer of 2008, there was Ironman, Dark Knight, and Pineapple Express. That was the height for me. That was the last time I felt really tuned into what was going on at the movies. 

The Fall Guy reminds me a lot of that summer. It would have fit perfectly. I would have seen it at least three times, we would have wandered into showings a few minutes late because there was nothing else going on that day and we wanted to get out of the heat and just have a good time. It feels nostalgic, and I love that. 

Wherein, Ryan Gosling plays Colt, a stunt guy for a popular movie star, in love with Emily Blunt’s camera operator turned director Jody, who's trying to make her first movie, after Colt suffered a terrible injury on the job and basically disappeared.

I’m gonna be Stefan for a second - this movie has EVERYTHING! Car chases, adorable couple moments, a dog that bites people in the junk, karaoke, a dopeeee neon suit, explosions, a dead body, movie quotes, friendship, and, obviously, a shit ton of incredible stunts.

ALSO! Hannah Waddingham. Shout out to that gorgeous amazon woman for being charming as hell and also a ridiculous villain. Girl, you are on fire and I want to see you in literally everything.

But my favorite part? Jody explaining the plot of the movie she’s making while forcing Colt to perform a stunt that sets him on fire, over and over, in front of the entire crew. Obviously, the movie plot has parallels to their brief affair, and she’s calling him out on abandoning her so very publicly, hiding her hurt behind the details of her movie couple, Aliena and Space Cowboy (which, LOL). And he takes it on the chin, and he tries to answer her as honestly as possible in between takes, burning and thrown against a wall. It’s funny and a little bit cathartic and a little bit sad.

Once she finally decides he’s down with the stunt, he climbs into a truck to leave and the radio starts blaring Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well”. He starts singing along and remembering their time together and ya boy starts to cry but is then interrupted by Jody asking “are you crying to Taylor Swift?” and the whole thing was absolute perfection. They had me in the palm of their hands, after that. 

And that’s like, pretty close to the start. The rest of it is madcap and fun and Ryan Gosling really is a fucking powerhouse. He’s Noah from The Notebook, he’s Ken, he’s a fucking mouseketeer and he’s always so, so, so, so good. The man is a national treasure. I will follow wherever he goes because it’s always wonderfully entertaining.

It’s really just two hours of the perfect movie going experience. And the confusing thing is, it seems like the studio didn’t realize what they had? I remember the first time I saw a preview for it, it was supposed to come out in March which is when you dump out tepid movies no one’s really dying for. But then they moved the release to May which made more sense, summer movie season, but man they are not touting this movie the way they should. 

It’s universally appealing! The chemistry between Colt and Jody! The full on absolutely crazy action sequences! The banter! 

It’s an incredible summer movie. And it put me in a great mood. I need more of that in my life, and I bet y’all do too. Maybe I’ll go again, and pretend I’m a youngin’ just looking for something to do for the afternoon, ignoring my terrible adult obligations. That’s what movies are for, and I’m glad The Fall Guy helped me remember that. 

Ryan Gosling, you wonder.

[textfromthelookout]

oh shit, you're right

uh, character things, i guess

idk, I just like seeing your big essays and want to know your thoughts on the funny racism lizard, character wise

Character things about Freeza, huh?

Now, Freeza’s my personal favorite villain in Dragon Ball as a whole, has been for a long time. It’s that he bothers with the professionalism, I think—that veneer of civility that’s almost insulting in how thinly it hides his true nature. But like, what’re you gonna do, tell him off? You can sense that he’s almost daring them to sometimes, just so he has an excuse to kill them. Take that together with his other attributes—charismatic, arrogant, opportunistic (in how he tries to recruit Goku to his side before throwing down with him), to name a few—and you have a great villain on your hands.

I’ve always thought the ‘genocide planets so they can sell them to other species’ mission statement of his whole operation was a little far-fetched. How can that be profitable in any way? How many species really need rehoming? Why would they even need to, aside from imminent planetary destruction or uninhabitability, and how often does that happen? How often do the endangered races even have time to broker a deal for that kind of thing? Or is it like, a money sink for the wealthy, having your own private planet?

I suppose the issue of why he needs money in the first place can be explained by him being royalty and acting like it too—someone with his pedigree doesn’t go anywhere in anything second-rate, and it better always be running in tip-top form. In more than a few ways he’s like Vegeta, actually—the never-before-toppled purebred genius humbled by some hick from nowhere. Unlike Vegeta though, he’s evil without repent—I’m inclined to believe that the real reason for this supposed occupation of his is simply that he enjoys sadism and slaughter for its own sake.

I digress. Like I said, he gets much more interesting to start dissecting after he dies two and a half times, and it becomes clear that there have been changes in him. They’re very subtle, but they’re there! The turning point for him is the Tournament of Power.

You see, Freeza learned to trust there, even if it was against his will. When he demands to know if Goku hasn’t forgotten his promise to bring him back to life, he’s asking ‘Can I trust you? Can I trust you to keep your word on that?’ And Goku flat out tells him ‘I’ll keep my word—you know that better than anyone.’ And Freeza does know that, loathe though he is to admit it. Goku didn’t go through with killing him after beating him on Namek—he fully intended to leave. Maybe, in addition to the humiliation and rage over his defeat, there was some mistrust in that final attack that forces Goku's hand.

It can’t be coincidence, can it? That when Jiren is ruminating on his realization of how powerful trust is, it’s over an image of Freeza and Goku—in the forms they were in during Namek—working together. The fascinating thing about Goku and Freeza’s relationship, to me, is that… well, they’re each the only person that the other seems to truly hate. Goku is never more hostile—even in Super, though I admit it’s a much more masked hostility—than when he’s around Freeza. Freeza, for his part, isn’t typically invested enough in anybody to bother to hate them. People are playthings to him, they’re beneath anything more than mild interest. Does an elephant hate the ant that bites it? Does it even notice it’s there? The only exception to this is Goku. I mean, how are you meant to interpret ‘I spend every tortured hour in this hellscape dreaming of fighting you again’ as anything other than obsessively invested?

You can see, perhaps, some evidence of this change in how he acts during the Broly movie. He’s less hair-trigger. Kikono blanches when Berryblue teases Freeza about his wish to grow taller, which implies that it’s commonly known that talking about his height is a surefire way to get yourself killed, and that he expects something to happen. But rather than immediately atomizing her, or at least threatening to, Freeza just kinda… takes it. Yes, yes, you’re very perceptive, Berryblue. Oh and Kikono, I trust you’re not going to tell anyone about this? Rather than just killing everyone in the room. Yeah, maybe it’s just that he’s short on personnel, but. He justifies it as wanting a way to balance the scales since he has to contend with both Vegeta and Goku, but he wants someone else—Broly, specifically—by his side.

Freeza trusted Goku in the Tournament of Power, and even if they’ll never, ever be on the same side again, Freeza can trust now. That’s going to be fucking terrifying if he finds someone who trusts him too.

[glitterandgoldrush]

hi! This is kind of a weird question but since we don’t know a lot about Kris’s life before he met Cooper, do you think he had any like past relationships? Just curious, love your work btw 🩷🩷

I have Thoughts many Thoughts

*minor minor spoilers for oouib*

now prior to oouib, I had operated under the assumption/headcanon that kris came to the us when he was roughly ~15. At the very least, I assumed he had been there for a few years, since he barely has an accent.

HOWEVER, in oouib, cooper says he hasn’t met ANY of kris’s family except through FaceTime, leading me to think that he actually moved to the us solely for college, because otherwise his parents would live there with him, no?

of course, in maeve’s bonus chapter from oouil, she mentions that “kris is visiting family tonight” which I always took to mean that he had family in the us bc otherwise surely she would say “kris is in germany” but now I’m suspecting that his family was visiting HIM not the other way around and he has in fact been alone the whole time (though again, this means it is possible that he moved over here with his family and then they all left and he stayed, but that seems less likely to me)

all this a very long winded way of answering your question - yes! I do think kris has bfs before. We know he’s been out since junior high, so plenty of time to experience relationships. My headcanon has always been that he had one ex that he was like, very friendly with, and it was a first time, sweet romance that didn’t work out to no one’s fault, and one ex that just absolutely sucked. I’ve talked about it on my blog before so you might be able to find it if you do some digging lol

but knowing that Kris has likely come to the US alone, I love the idea of him having an ex-bf back in Germany who he broke up with when he left, and this ex always being like “nah he’ll come back it’s fine whatever, he’ll always want me” and then kris turning up on the cover of people magazine with his undisputedly hot boyfriend who is a future superstar athlete, clearly madly in love with each other.

and then bringing cooper home and his ex, who is still friends with all of kris’s friends back in Germany, meeting cooper and trying to like be super tough and like “ugh so YOU’RE the boyfriend then” and cooper, who is just a ray of sunshine, doesn’t even pick up on the fact that he’s trying to be rude and instead is like “yeah!!!!! so nice to meet you, man!!! how great is Kris, god I love him so much, so nice to meet his friends!!!!” and the guy is like 😀😀😀 uh. yeah. um. okay.

No matter how hard he tries, he can’t get cooper to crack because cooper keeps assuming the best of him and taking all of his questions at face value. (“so what, you’re gonna be some kind of baseball star, then?” “A STAR?? oh that’s so nice of you, thanks!!! I’m certainly gonna try!!”) and eventually kris has to pull his ex aside and be like “first of all, he’s never gonna take the bait so cut it out and second of all, we’re never ever getting back together (like ever) so leave us alone.”

Cooper doesn’t figure it out until the plane ride home and then he’s like “oh my god…. That’s Stephan Stephan???”

Kris is like “I love u so much never change”

[dieing-lilac]

Hi again IEYTD community. You guys are like. So welcoming? I wanted to post again, but I’m actually working on some stuff like a part comic part uh fic thingy thang. It’ll be here eventually. In other news, here’s John. Below cut is me being a theatre kid in real life, pointing out things I haven’t noticed people talking about?

Also, before read more, I wanna say, if anybody wants to like send a message or anything and talk to me abt IEYTD I’d love to chat :3. I’m a bit cautious so I may seem skidding, but I’d love to make some more friends :D

Ok so. Folds my hands.

First off, I wanna point out in the intro, the line “If the worlds a stage, let’s set it on fire.” is a reference to a monologue in a Shakespearean play (sounds about right), search “All the worlds a stage” if you want to check it out. The line referenced is the very start of the monologue, originally going (putting whole sentence, comma indicates a linebreak) “All the worlds a stage, and all the men and woman merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts; His acts being seven ages.” I can’t find much relation to Juniper’s story with this monologue, but I put it out in the world so maybe somebody can. It may just be there as a well known monologue reference? Unsure!

Next off, the fun part. The first mission, Operation: Stage Freight. The play being shown is The Masque of the Red Death, a real play based off an Edgar Allen Poe book. The shorthand, is it’s about a prince who hosts a lavish party in his castle, while the red death is ravaging the outside world, believing himself untouchable. Eventually, some stranger comes in, I’ve seen this stranger interpreted as Death itself, though also a victim of the red death is a possible interpretation (and may be more fitting here?). The prince goes to confront this person, and ultimately dies. I wanna note that the prince does call for the strangers execution for the “insolence”, and when nobody steps up, tries to grab the person himself.

This wasn’t any sort of coincidence, the choice of play. Both from Juniper’s choice, for where they were planning on killing the whole (? Been a second since I watched the mission at full attention) audience, with the literal mask representing the Red Death. But also? I think our John Juniper, who’s playing the prince? I think that’s some good symbolism. I don’t have the energy to continue this right at this, but like. If you read the book/watch the play, you’ll see it. That was intentional casting and play choice from devs and Johnny boy alike, and I think this has a lot of potential we as a fandom haven’t seemed to tap.

That’s all, thank you for reading :3

[bilbobagginsomebabez]

Hi! I’ve been following your blog for a bit and I’m wondering if you or anyone else could help me with an idea I have. I’m graduating from college in about a month (mid-May 2024) and I was thinking of using the opportunity (large-ish crowd, lots of cameras, important/official school event) to decorate the top of my graduation cap with something in support of ceasefire, peace/liberation, and an end to U.S. support of the Israeli government’s violence. My current/best idea so far is to have simple, black-and-white text reading “CEASEFIRE NOW” and maybe a little dove holding a branch that is green, red, and black. I understand that some people who are also disgusted with this violence (genocide) find problems with the call for “ceasefire now” but I don’t know what else to write—I want to make sure that the design is clear, succinct, and easy to read/see. I’ve thought about adding a small border of text around the edge of the cap, to say something like “END GENOCIDE” and “END U.S.-BACKED VIOLENCE” but I worry that would make the design too busy.

Is this a good design? Good text? Should I take a different approach? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thank you and I hope you have a nice day :)

i'm guessing the ceasefire thing is related to "not a war -- an occupation" rhetoric, but i would not worry about that. very different groups there with very different considerations; effective rhetoric amongst online leftists is not effective rhetoric during an american graduation ceremony. tune your language to your audience and what they'll understand. a ceasefire is the next most immediate step to saving palestinian lives and is commonly understood language. it's fine.

as for the design, i'd pick either "END THE GENOCIDE" or "CEASEFIRE NOW" with a fact or two. kind of like this:

^this is ugly. don't use this. but be bold with what it says. its purpose is to make a strong point fast.

i don't mean for this to be patronizing at all, i just don't know where your experience level is regarding political action online vs in real life, where you live, your comfort with public speaking, etc. i'd like to warn you because sometimes people are surprised by it, but people may approach you about this. they may not choose to talk to their family about it later or post about it on social media or google it. the point of doing this publicly at a large event where it is unavoidable that people see it is to cause a reaction and to control the structure of the conversation that follows. their starting point is the one you chose. if you haven't spoken about or heard others speak about palestine in your community, don't underestimate how contentious this topic may be. someone may argue with you or even attempt to berate you. when making a public statement of your beliefs in this manner, you are inviting public discussion by starting a public discussion. an open-entry public discussion, where not everyone who enters will be well-mannered.

if you are approached, this is a limited contact type of activism; quick and dirty. the goal is to get them curious and questioning and hopefully refer them to stronger and more detailed sources. for this purpose, stronger and more detailed sources can be easy and digestible like a good social media account or youtube video. do NOT get bogged down in the details. do NOT dissect the whole history of the area. it is sufficient to address recent violence, it is not your job to cover the entire issue from start to finish, and you couldn't if you tried anyway.

i would operate on an assumption of good faith but prepare for bad faith attempts to debate. don't necessarily use terminology to determine good faith from bad faith. assume ignorance instead of malice where possible, and be prepared to control your temper if you have one. get your facts straight, and consider keeping a little notecard with talking points or specific numbers like you might for a speech class. a note on your phone. an album of screenshots. some sort of reference that you feel confident using.

though to be honest, the more likely result is a drawn out argument with a conservative family member at dinner. which is also important, if wildly unpleasant.

either way, be ready to talk about it, be ready to explain it, and be ready to challenge people you know directly and staunchly.

good luck!

this may be a useful quick and dirty talking point to sidestep antisemitism accusations: "Ethnostates are bad no matter which ethnicity is in charge. We know this. If you're confused: it's 2023. There are people everywhere. There is nowhere to establish an ethnostate where you will not have to forcibly remove people who already live there, which called ethnic cleansing. which is known under international law as genocide. Ethnostates are always bad."

[stillsaltyaboutmcr]

The Crash: Bradley Bradshaw Part 2

part one

Warnings: Angst, some Fluff, lots of cursing and strong language. Disappointed father vibes. inaccurate geography bc i don’t think we ever find out where the uranium mission takes place.

enemies to lovers: Rooster x f!Mitchell!reader

Standing there in front of you was your Uncle Goose, alive and well.

Yup, you were dead.

“What is going on?” You squeaked out. You were too shocked and still in pain to muster up a big voice.

“Yeah I suppose I have a lot of explaining to do, huh?” He set the cup next to you and sat down by your bed. He helped you sit up and then proceeded to get comfortable.

“We thought you died? Maverick and Rooster have been mourning for years!!”

“I know, I’ve been trying so hard to find them again. I’ll tell you everything, but first tell me how you got out here?”

You proceeded to tell him every detail, about how your father and Goose’s son left you for dead, the whole nine yards.

“You were with Bradley?” His pain and excitement were evident in his voice. He wanted to see his son again, but knowing he was right there pained him. Just out of reach. “As much as I wanna hug my son after all these years, I’m gonna rock his shit for leaving you to die.”

“It’s your turn ole’ man. How did you get out here?” He cracked a smile before leaning back and taking a deep breath.

When him and Mav ejected, Goose survived, but landed nowhere near Mav and the raft so he swam as far as he could. Eventually, he became fatigued and an enemy aircraft carrier picked him, holding him hostage. He managed to escape once reaching their territory and he’s camped out here ever since. He sneaked into their camp once in awhile to grab supplies, which explains the oxygen tank, the medical supplies and the food. “I’ve been trying to find my way out of here, but I have no idea how. They have guards everywhere. I once thought about taking a plane, but the only aircraft they have that I know how to fly is an F-14 and you need two people to safely operate it.”

“Why don’t we take it? The strip should still be bombed from the mission. How long has it been?”

His answer stunned you, causing all of the air to escape suddenly from your lungs. “Sweetheart, you’ve been out for 2 months. I patched you up and been letting you wake yourself up. You were in a coma, really thought I was going to lose you.”

2 months? How we’re you out for that long? You had images it’d been 24 hours, not even. “I’ve gotta get home.”

Goose looked at you with sadness in his eyes. He knew the worry you were feeling, and he knew it would never pass.

Your mind was racing. Did your dad think you were dead? Did he put out a missing persons report? What about Jake? Had he moved on or was he still waiting for you? Rooster had to be just loving life without you around. You’re sure what he did was on purpose.

“Kid, come back to me okay? I know what you’re feeling, and I don’t want you to go there.” Goose put a hand on your leg, bringing you back. “Don’t go anywhere I can’t follow you. It’s my job to protect you now. I need to get you back to your dad. I’m sure Bradley’s missing you too.” Your face fell. How had he not caught on yet that you and Rooster didn’t like each other?

“Goose?” He nodded and looked at you. “Bradley and I hate each other. He’s been at my throat for as long as I could remember. All we do is fight. I guarantee you he left me behind on purpose. He didn’t even yell at me to eject. It’s like he wanted me to go down with the plane.”

Goose’s face was ridden with guilt. You could tell he was struggling with what you just said. Somewhere caught between yelling at you for talking about his son that way and hugging you and telling you he’s going to fix it. “I’m sorry, I had thought you’d grow up together. I’m poorly mistaken.”

“Carol tried Goose, Bradley just wouldn’t have it. One of those days I started returning his behavior.” His face dropped at the name of his wife. He opened his mouth but you beat him to it. “She’s alive. She lives in Northern California. About 3 hours away from Top Gun.” He smiled and his eyes glazed over with memories of her.

“Why don’t I get you cleaned up and a clean set of clothes and we figure out how to get home, huh kid?” You nodded and he got to work.

——

Month 3

Throwing on the flight suit, you had to admit it didn’t fit the best, but it was the closest thing you were going to get. You rolled up the pants and sleeves and called it good enough. You had realized today, is Month 3 of you not being home, not being in Jake’s arms. You had a lot of work to do, and luckily Goose was one step ahead of you.

“Ive got their rotation schedule here. We can try to sneak out tonight and get to the F-14 and try to get outta here and to the nearest land we can find. We gotta get to a city so we can find an airport and fly to the US. Do you know where your dad is?”

“Last time I checked he was in San Diego at Top Gun still. Bradley should be there too since they were making Dagger Squad a permanent installation.”

He looked at you puzzled. “Dagger Squad?”

“Those of us who got called back for the mission.” He made a face of understanding before you both fully sat down to discuss your plan and course of flight.

You knew you were on a boat in the middle of the Indian ocean, and we’re headed for some remote island. You both had figured to fly to Madagascar, and then catch a charter flight from there to the nearest African airport. There, you’ll catch a flight to London, and then from London to Boston and Boston to San Diego. You knew it would be hard, and neither of you really had a lot of money, but you’d make it work.

That night, things came into fruition. Sneaking through the woods, you and Goose came upon a oversight where you could watch the changing of the guard. You quickly jumped at the opportunity and grabbed an F-14. Luckily, you knew all about these from your father, so you climbed in the front, letting Goose revisit his olden days. “You ready Goose?”

“Close the hatch!!” you pulled out and got in the air, but not without two bandits on your tail.

“Shit, what’re we gonna do?”

“What would you normally do if you were flying solo?”

You thought a minute, knowing exactly what you would do everytime Hangman and Mav teamed up on you in training. In an old F-14 though? You weren’t sure how it would work.

“You gotta do some of that pilot shit kid. They’re lining up for a shot.”

“Breathe Y/N. You got it.” You focused to yourself for a moment before speaking up. “Goose? Hang on.”

You heard a holler from behind you as you quickly pulled up, causing both planes to fly right by you. You quickly shot one down from above, the other quickly maneuvering behind you again. “Goose tell me when you see smoke in the air okay?”

He grunted in response. A couple of seconds go by and he signals. You hit the brakes, letting him and the missile come face to face with a mountain. “Not bad kid. Just like your dad.” He patted your shoulder before you got a good cruising altitude and speed, or as much as you could cruise in a fighter jet from the 80’s.

——

Month 4.

You and Goose had made it to Madagascar and were currently working on getting the funds for a charter trip to the Egypt airport. You were doing odd jobs for the pilot and you even upgraded some of his plane parts. You had been there for about a month now and the pilot had been letting you stay with him for the time being. He was very understanding of your situation, but he knew his plane could barely run, so you and Goose tried your best to make it fly.

——

Months 5 and 6

You had reached Egypt. You and Goose were once again trying to earn the funds to book 2 tickets to London. You had gotten a job giving tours through the pyramids and Goose got a job at the airport as landing crew. You knew neither of them paid much, hence the extended stay. You didn’t mind Egypt and the airlines graciously put you both up in a hotel for the time being, since you were active duty and he was a veteran. Everyone was so nice in Egypt and you didn’t mind staying as long as you guys had.

Eventually, between you and Goose’s paychecks, you were able to quit your jobs and get on a flight to London.

——

Month 7

London was the easiest to get money. You and Goose had some leftover from Egypt so you went to a currency transfer. The tickets were still quite a lot more than you both had been anticipating but you both made do. London was much more populated than Egypt and Madagascar. You had found an old guitar in the lost and found station and decided that you and Goose would do this the old fashioned way. You had found some cardboard and wrote “two vets trying to get home to our families, anything helps”.

Apparently London has a soft spot for vets. Lots of foreigners came up to listen and attempted to make conversation with the little English they knew. Lots of Americans stopped to say hello and leave a tip or two.

After 3 weeks or so, you and Goose were almost to the point you needed to be.

——

Months 8 and 9

You and Goose had finally reached Boston, where you once again exchanged currency. Tickets to San Diego were $214 each and combined you had about $150. “Kid, I think we need to upgrade our wardrobe. These dirty flight suits might be giving us a bad rep.”

“Goose, we don’t have enough. We need to get tickets!”

“We can get jobs again okay? This is America, we’re one stop away. I’m in dire need of civilian clothes though.” You sighed in defeat. He was right. You both needed a good shower and new clothes. You both decided to get walking and asked for directions to the nearest Walmart.

Once there, you split the money evenly and tried to spend as little as possible. You ended up grabbing some jeans, a hoodie, sneakers, socks and hair supplies. Goose ended up with a plaid button up and khakis, paired with signature New Balance dad shoes.

You both checked out, with $50 left to your names, and got changed in the Walmart bathrooms. You felt a million times better with your hair out of your face again and in clean clothes. As you exited the bathroom, Goose was waiting for you. “Looking good kiddo! You ready? I thought we could apply here so I grabbed applications if you wanna fill those out with me?”

You both ended up working at that same walmart, and the boss was more than understanding of your situation. You’d both sleep on park benches outside the store, but it was more than enough knowing you’d been in worse, knowing you were so close.

Eventually, you had both made enough to get some luggage, more items to live with and tickets to San Diego.

——

Months 10-12

You and Goose had found a place to set up shop for awhile until you were both ready to face everyone. Knowing you were both dead people walking was a terrifying thing to live with.

After a month you had went to base to state what had happened, and fight off an A-Wall claim. When you were sorted out, you took Goose to the VA to reclaim his veteran status. You both had to get all new cards and ID’s as well which took its own amount of time.

It wasn’t until the day Goose told you that it’s time that it had all become real. It was Fourth of July, and you were both on your way to your fathers house. Since being back, you had caught wind from your Commander that your dad had gotten married. You were pissed that your dad could move on that quickly, just start a new life after leaving his ont daughter for dead.

Goose drove you both, knowing how enraged you were. You had been ranting the whole time getting ready and on the way there.

You both had decided that you’d go in alone, and then he’d come in after you’d gotten all your anger out.

Walking in, of course the first face you come in contact with is Bradley. He drops a bunch of ceramic plates, causing them to shatter all over the floor. Penny and Jake come in quickly, and your heart swells at Jake’s expression. He’s crying, but too scared to move, as if you’d disappear if he did. “Baby? Is that you?” He voice was small, but cut off as Penny shouted.

“What the fuck is going on?! Is this some sort of sick prank??” Your father entered last, hearing the commotion. He froze at the sight of you.

“Hi Dad.” You said, practically seething. “I have a wedding gift for you.”

“What? Honey? What’s going on?” He walked towards you and you stepped away, shoving him off of you.

“Don’t fucking touch me.”

“Y/N? Hey, it’s me. It’s your dad.” He looked hurt, and you knew your actions would hurt him but after what he did, he deserved it.

“Y/N, don’t be an asshole.” Bradley spoke up next as your dad retreated to Penny.

“Don’t speak to me. Either of you. You both fucking left me for dead!!” You we’re crying now and that’s when Jake came up to you and began to hug you but you shrugged him off. “You too Seresin.” You saw the hurt in his eyes. He hasn’t seen you in a year and the first thing you do is tell him to step off?

“Y/N, please calm down and tell us what happened.” Jake out his hands up and stood off to your side. “Please, we just want to understand. We thought you were dead, we held a funeral, buried an empty casket.” His voice was calm, trying to disguise your situation.

Before you could speak, feeling the ease come from him, your dad began to choke on air and Bradley about passed out. You felt a hand on your shoulder and Goose was behind you. “Kid, take it easy on them. This is hard for all parties involved okay?” You took a deep breath as he turned to the rest of the room. “Hey Mav, Hey Bradley. I can explain everything.”

[gojou-violin]

[1] vulnerability

| chapter 1: meeting

| pairing: toji fushiguro x fem!oc

| warnings: 18+ MDNI. cursing. next chapter is the smut, i promise hehe.

| summary: seena and toji meet for the first time.

| wc: 3.6k

| a/n: you'll all learn quickly that i'm not into writing slow burn LMAO. i love answering questions, though, about this story <3 so if you have anything, send me some asks! also, for those who are new here, ineka is my friend's oc who's in the same story as seena.

Ever since Nanami came back home, he’d taken to filling his downtime with teaching me the most random things. How to ignore Satoru Gojou, for example. That was a talent Nanami had unlike any other, so he taught me the expertise by having us sit in the teacher’s lounge at Jujutsu Tech one day, reading quietly on the couches, while Gojou came in to annoy us, and we both ignored him. It got to the point that Gojou genuinely thought he was invisible. Until I cracked… There was only so long I could hold back my laughter while Gojou was clinging to my arm, sobbing that he had so much he wanted to say to me and Nanami while we could still see and hear him. Poor thing was so hysterically mournful that I couldn’t help but smile and bite my lip, all while Nanami was giving me the stink eye as a warning to not blow the whole operation; but it was too late by that point. Gojou was at my feet, crying like a lost puppy, and I started giggling. He immediately perked up and realized what was going on.

After that, Nanami deduced that I could learn… easier things. For example, his favorite thing to brag about with those younger than him was what it felt like to really be an adult, because his favorite sandwich had disappeared from all of the convenience stores recently, even though it used to be wildly popular while he was growing up; and as he told me this story, we walked to a bakery not too far from Jujutsu Tech in Tokyo where I worked and he was lazily spending his days until he figured out what he wanted to do next with his life. He coached me to remember the importance of appreciating things in the moment. Or, at least he tried. Honestly, I blocked most of it out because I was too busy worrying about trying to keep up with his ridiculously long stride when I was so much shorter than him and he wasn’t showing me any mercy.

He took me to his favorite bakery that served his favorite sandwich: a casse-croute. It was the last place he was aware of that still sold a version that was worth the money he earned while he briefly retired from being a sorcerer in order to work a meaningless corporate job like most mundane people did. He hated it, though. The second he realized how boring life was, he came back to us at Jujutsu Tech. The bakery itself was still boring, though. There was nothing special about it, and there was no aesthetic to really catch the eye. It had four simple white walls, a vase here and there with some fake flowers, and a small, glass pastry stand for people to window shop through. Nanami didn’t even let me look. Despite the fact that the croissants and chocolate eclairs looked devine, he told me in his stern Nanami-voice, “No. Being an adult means you must already know what you want, and you can not afford to let yourself go by splurging on desserts. Trust me. You’ll thank me in twenty years.” He said it all as if he wasn’t only just a few years older than me. And as if I wasn’t already an adult myself who knew how to operate fine on my own. Like I wasn’t twenty-two years old. Still, free food was free food.

“You have to have a goal, Seena. A retirement plan of some kind. What you do in between doesn’t matter so much as your endgame, because everyone’s working towards a peaceful elderly life that they can have while coming to terms with the life they wasted and the regrets they collected along the way. I, for one, would like to build a small home somewhere quiet for me to really settle down and finally read the books I’ve been collecting but have been too busy to get around to.” He said this as we sat at one of the few tables inside of the bakery. His coffee was gone within an instant. Mine remained untouched because it was too strong. “What about you?”

I wasn’t really sure what I wanted, honestly. All I could do was shrug my shoulders before telling him that I would think about it and tell him before our next “lesson.” To which, he agreed with a nod. In the back of my mind, however, as he continued to lecture me about what it meant to be an adult, I thought about my life. I knew exactly what I wanted; I was just too scared to admit it to Nanami. He wasn’t like Satoru Gojou who would laugh in my face, but Nanami certainly would have judged me and made it known. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for my dreams to be crushed quite yet, considering our lives as sorcerers were never guaranteed when a curse could overpower us at any second. My silly, wasted dream consisted of a large home in the city, close enough to Jujutsu Tech that I could walk to work every day like I did currently; and I wanted as many kids as I could with a man who could care for all of us without any worries or struggles. It wasn’t anything real. Everyone had issues to deal with all the time, I knew that best of all, yet it was nice to think that there was someone out there who could make our family so happy that we could live safely in our own little bubble. But that was why I was sure Nanami would judge me if he knew the truth. There was no reality where anything could be perfect.

“Next time, we’ll discuss finances,” Nanami said as he dropped me off at my office at the school.

I smiled politely at him while slowly closing the door on his face before I slumped onto the floor when I was sure I was free of him. I loved Nanami… Truly. He was a dear friend who was like an older brother to me, yet I couldn’t help but feel drained around him sometimes. He was just too serious for me. I was bubbly, bounce-off-the-walls energetic, and just as crazy as Gojou, thanks to the fact that he was the only person I connected with when I was still a student at Jujutsu Tech. Nanami was none of that. He was business all of the time. It was a miracle that we were compatible at all.

I later realized that the coffee and casse-croutes at that bakery really were something else. At the time, Nanami didn't let me put sugar or cream in my coffee because he said it was something else that was unnecessary, and if I really wanted to feel the full effect of the coffee, I needed to keep it pure and black. No nonsense, according to him. Because he was babying me, I decided to return to the bakery the following morning on my own for a pastry for breakfast and coffee with enough nonsensical sugar and cream to make it actually taste good.

I continued to go every morning after that.

Eventually, I became a regular face to the point my coffee, random pastry of the day, and casse-croute sandwich for Nanami (if he hadn’t already picked it up himself) were waiting for me at the counter every time. It made life easy to know that when I woke up, a schedule was awaiting me. Breakfast at the bakery, walk to the school because I refused to live on the campus, even though Gojou always begged; then I’d work and meet with students who needed to talk with someone, and then I would go home to rinse and repeat. I liked how secure my life was now. When I was unsure of what to do after leaving Jujutsu Tech as a student, I told Gojou that one of the reasons I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere was because of a lack of security and repetition. I wasn’t built for adventure. People like Satoru Gojou and Ineka Harimachi were made for fighting and exploring, whereas I enjoyed peace and quiet amongst helping others. If I could live a mundane life in the sorcery world, I was happy. If my job meant I never had to face another incident like what happened a year ago, I was sold.

There was one day when Nanami asked to meet up again for breakfast before school. I made my way down to the bakery a bit earlier than usual, only to find that Nanami was already standing at the counter, leaning forward on it a bit, smiling, and… flirting. Nanami, of all people, was flirting! I decided to go into the store and “bump” against him to see if I could feel anything, and, yes, I did— Oh, boy, was there a lot to feel there. His heart was fluttering, his adrenaline was up. Puppy love. Pre-pubescent-boy-type-of-horny. Whatever you wanted to call it, Nanami was it.

Ever since, I had been trying to find an excuse to bring up Nanami and somehow brush hands with the barista, too, to see if she felt the same. It was a total invasion of privacy, I knew it, but it couldn’t be helped. I had to know if there was really someone out there who could possibly stand Nanami enough to like him romantically or otherwise. My curse was a gift sometimes for that reason. Feeling and controlling people’s emotions usually meant nothing, but when it came to Nanami’s crush, I had never been more content with my cursed technique.

Emotion control wasn’t exactly the most useful of techniques because it didn’t benefit anyone in a fight, but it was great for intel and defense. As a result, last year, following a year off after graduating, I had been working at the school as a guidance counselor. I was Jujutsu Tech’s very first— In fact, I was sure that I was sorcery’s first— guidance counselor; but after all that sorcerers had to endure out there while fighting curses, it seemed like a no-brainer to have me on staff. That was Gojou’s excuse to the Elders, anyways. It worked. I liked my job, others seemed to find my position helpful, and at least I was putting my technique to good use finally.

“Thank you,” I told the barista as I grabbed my coffee and the bag of sandwiches that were waiting for me on the counter.

She smiled back at me as she tapped away at her tablet to start up a new order for the next person in line.

I spun around and walked over to the side counter where there were napkins, stirring sticks, bottles of sweetener and creamer, and packets of condiments. I grabbed a few packets for Nanami’s lunch before pulling a handful of napkins to throw in the bag. On my way out, the door opened, and I sidestepped to avoid it, which ultimately led to an untimely collision.

I only got a quick glance at him before we suddenly crashed into one another. He was taller than I was, his width was impressive, and he was cleanly cut both grooming-wise and muscle-wise. By all traditional standards, he was a very attractive man. In the seconds before we collided, I thought to myself that he was incredibly handsome, and as a result of my gawking, I wasn’t watching where he was stepping, and as a result, my coffee cup exploded on his chest.

“Oh, my— I’m so sorry— I— I’m so, so sorry!”

I panicked and started crumbling the napkins in my hands so that I could clean his shirt off. Without thinking about it, I just went at it. I pressed the wadded up napkins against the inevitable stains and started tapping and scrubbing away in the hopes that it wasn’t too hot or that it wouldn’t stain too badly. The good news was, he was wearing all black, so it wouldn’t show up too much… Right? Oh, I was a clumsy fool. At least his shirt was tight enough around his body that it made it easier for me to press against his abs as a hard surface to clean his shirt against for some balance and pressure. But then I froze when I realized what I was doing. Without asking or stopping to consider how rude it was of me to just start touching him while trying to clean up my mess, I had accidentally overstepped a stranger’s boundary.

I looked up at him, blushing, awkwardly smiling, and croaked, “I’m sorry.”

He smiled at me kindly. “It’s really no problem.” He took the napkin out of my hand to finish wiping some of the coffee that remained at the hem of his shirt where his pants started oh-so-low on his hips.

I caught a glimpse of perhaps a little too much skin, making me blush and panic.

I immediately offered to pay for the cost it would take to cover his laundry. Whether it was dry cleaning, a laundromat, or even just the soap it would cost to clean it at home— Anything— I wanted to pay him back for my mistake.

He only smirked in response while crumpling up the used napkin. “It’s no big deal. Really. But… If you insist on finding a way to make it up to me…” He retrieved his phone, a flip phone, I immediately noticed, and he traded it for my coffee. “I’d like your number, if you wouldn’t mind. For the dry cleaning, and all.”

I looked him up and down for a moment before blushing under his stare. He was very, very cute; and he was very, very into me, clearly. Yet part of me was still apprehensive. I could always protect myself if he ended up being an asshole, but the question was… Well, was it really worth it?

Noticing my hesitation, he said, “If it’ll make you feel any better, lemme show you something.”

I watched as he stuck his tongue out, and without any effort, a small, slimy, brown ball of a curse fell onto his hand. I took a step back. The curse was growing. It shaped itself into a worm that slithered its way onto his bicep and shoulder, settling so comfortably it looked like it was at home. No one else in the bakery seemed to notice the curse, thankfully, aside from me, so I played it cool and tried not to bring any more attention to us after my coffee mishap.

He told me then, “We’re the same, you see? I can’t hurt you any more than you can hurt me.”

For a short moment, I continued to stare at the shikigami on his shoulder, debating on whether or not it would attack me the second I let my guard down. The worm was a decrepit little thing, though it certainly wasn’t physically small by any means because it easily constricted its bulbous limbs around the man’s thick arm and still had enough length and strength left over to hold its head up high so that its disgusting black eyes could follow my every move. However, it didn’t seem like any real threat. Sure, it could have hurt me if it wanted, but the man was still smiling at me, and as a result I could have sworn his shikigami was smirking, too. Perhaps I was going insane. Still, he waited for me to put my number into his phone. It couldn’t be helped. A gorgeous sorcerer like him who had taken an interest in me? No one ever cared much for me aside from Nanami and Gojou in their own brotherly kind of ways. Everyone else I had known throughout my life saw me as a weak tumor in the community that they could freely kick around because I wouldn’t defend myself and I would never be so stupid as to tell Gojou because I knew that he’d overreact and rain hell down on anyone who hurt me. All of that aside, this man was different. Did he seem nice? Not exactly. But he sure was interesting and very good at seducing me, so my blush darkened and I put my number in his phone. Could it have possibly been a dumb decision? Yes. But he was too handsome to pass up on— And he knew it, which made me more eager for him, honestly.

As I returned his phone to him, I reached to take back my coffee; however, the man kept it out of my reach.

He smiled again. “I think you’d be better off with another cup before you go. Allow me.”

Before I could protest, the man threw my coffee away and started walking towards the counter where he held up two fingers, indicating exactly what the barista already knew. The man paid with cash silently and quickly. The drinks were ready just as soon. As he carried one cup for each of us, he walked to the stand on the side to shake in sugar and milk for me, nothing for himself.

“Toji,” he said.

“Hm?”

He took my cup, leading me towards one of the empty tables in the bakery, and set it down, enchanting me to sit in the chair he had designated for me by pulling it out and gesturing that he was waiting for me. “My name’s Toji,” he explained as he pushed my chair in gently underneath me.

My eyes followed him as he sat across from me. “Do you happen to be a December baby?”

“Yes.”

The name Toji quite literally meant “Winter Solstice,'' which was the shortest day of the year, making it infamous for being cold and dark. I could tell that his parents took one look at his dark hair and knew that he would be the perfect personification of the shortest day. It was a fitting name, which was why I smirked when he smiled at me for catching the meaning to his name, and I tried my best to not read too much into the rest of him as a result of a simple detail. Dark, yes; but he was anything but cold.

“What about you?” he asked.

“March. Not as special, I suppose.”

He shrugged. “That’s alright when there are other things to make you special.”

I did my best to hide my blush behind my cup of coffee as I pretended to take a long sip until I could calm down. Hopefully he would figure my cheeks were red from the drink and not him. How embarrassing that would be if he knew… How easy I was… How effortlessly I broke at the slightest compliments.

“And what about your name, March?”

“Seena Kiyomi,” I replied.

“Hajimemashte.”

“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”

“I take it you work at Jujutsu Tech.” He was so smooth with how he flowed between topics, guiding me to interact with him more without a second thought. He pointed at my black uniform. “Hopefully you’re a teacher,” he joked.

I giggled and set my drink down. “Yes, I am.”

“Does Satoru Gojou still work there? Haven’t seen him in forever.”

My jaw dropped a bit with shock. He knew Gojou? How? When did this happen? For what reason did they know each other? How did I not know Toji if Gojou knew him? All of the questions whirled in my head while I tried to decide on one to land on; but Toji beat me to it by changing topics again.

“Do you like working there?”

“Yes,” I answered with a smile. “How do you—”

“What do you do there?”

“I’m kind of, like, you know, a therapist…”

“Why do you say it like you’re embarrassed by that?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it’s because it’s not as cool as what Gojou does. How do you know—”

“I think it’s lovely.”

I blushed again. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

Toji smirked at me while he relaxed so casually in his chair. He seemed so confident and suave in comparison to all of the men I’d met before, and I knew that it was on purpose because he was trying to impress me, but I was sure that was why I loved it so much. I enjoyed watching him put on the performance of running his fingers through his black hair so that he could show off his chest and bicep. He knew that he had my full attention, so he did everything he could to maintain it… Until he slipped up and made the mistake of letting the silence linger for too long in the hopes of letting the attraction brew for a bit. I tapped my phone’s screen twice to get it to wake up to show me the time.

I jumped to my feet with a shocked gasp. “Shit!” I started collecting my things while he raised a brow at me. “I’ll be late for work—”

Toji stood smoothly. “I’ll call you,” he said nonchalantly. “Kiyomi-san…” My name rolled off his tongue so easily I felt myself swoon for him again.

He took his leave from the table before me, beating me to the door so that he could hold it open for me as I made my speedy exit out of the cafe. I waved to him while I ran down the road. He watched me, grinning, his hands in his pockets, his pelvis resting forward to accentuate his abs. I nearly tripped over my own feet again.

taglist: @aylitgirl , @thisbicc , @tojis-discord-kitten , @sailewhoremoon , @justanotherpasserby-blog , @lyteatus , @mimic-of-hysy , @fushisslut , @touyyes , @lex-dear , @chubbyhoney , @nomadmilk , @unknownspecies

[angstyandromanticwriting]

Lyutsifer Safin X Fem!Reader Angsty prompt with a cute and fluffy ending

!TW: Swearing, implied swearing (‘cursed’), implied mention of murder, implied murder (not detailed), mild violence, mention of dead body (not detailed), implied suffering from depression, mention of cheating and mention of blood!

“It’s killing me to see you go,” Safin murmured, staring ahead of him as you packed your bag that you’d brought to the base from your house when Safin had allowed you to return to it. “Why are you leaving me again, angel?” Safin inquired, glancing up at you.

“I’m leaving because you scare me, Safin,” you answered truthfully, “that’s why.” Safin would be disappointed, lowering his head slightly to stare down at his hands. “I mean - Can’t you see how fucked up all of this is?” You asked, and Safin expressed confusion, glancing up at you. “Your whole operation is crazy, Safin,” you clarified, and Safin grunted, looking away from you. You stopped packing for a moment, focussing on him. “Why do you want me to stay when I say the things you don’t want to hear?” You questioned, and he frowned, looking back at you.

“I just feel alone, okay?” Safin admitted, embarrassed by his feelings. “I feel like I have no-one, even when I have my workers here with me,” he expressed, and you felt bad for him, reluctantly placing your hand on top of his.

You sighed heavily, deciding that you shouldn’t leave him like this. “Fine,” you replied, “I’ll stay.” Safin expressed relief, before he wrapped his arms around you, and you returned the hug, smiling softly as you rubbed his back to comfort him.

𖧷☭𖤍

“I didn’t think it would end this way,” Safin uttered, staring down at the floor, his eyes glistening.

“I’m sorry, Safin, it’s just,” you began slowly, “life is simpler when you’re gone. Me and Emily aren’t constantly in danger when we aren’t with you.”

Safin nodded gravely; he knew you were right. “Then - In that case,” he murmured, “you and Emily can go, angel.. Just tell me - Did I not mean anything to you, and when did you stop loving me?”

You frowned, shaking your head as you sat beside him. “I never stopped loving you, Safin,” you answered truthfully, “I’m just worried that Emily will get hurt, or taken; or that I will get hurt, or taken away from you.”

“But you know that I can protect you and Emily, angel,” he responded, “I’ve always been protecting you both ever since I brought you both here-”

“I know, Safin,” you interrupted, “and I can see that you’ve been trying your best to protect us, but - we just aren’t safe here - I don’t even trust your workers sometimes because a lot of them express clearly, when you’re not around, that they despise me.” Safin wore a pained expression on his face which was also mixed with anger; he hated that his own workers were still treating you poorly. You intertwined your fingers with his, and he forced himself to look up at you. “I’m sorry, Safin,” you stated, “if everything was normal, I’d gladly stay with you.” You sighed, feeling horrible for what you were doing as you wrapped your arms around him. “Maybe things could have been different in another life,” you mused, and Safin nodded gravely, beginning to wish he hadn’t taken over the operation.

Safin cursed himself for being so pathetic as tears filled his eyes, but he tried to hide them from you, keeping his head low and turned away from you. “I’ll tell the workers to prepare the helicopter for you,” Safin muttered, and you nodded.

“Thank you, Safin,” you responded, extremely grateful as you thought he wouldn’t let you go, at first.

“Anything for you, angel,” he replied dejectedly, and you tried not to feel bad, dragging yourself from the room.

↯

You would be shocked to come back home from work to find Safin waiting for you in your house, and you subconsciously dropped the bag of shopping; you’d made a quick trip to the local shops during your lunch break. “What - What are you doing here?” You asked, your voice barely audible; you were trying to recover from the shock.

Safin stood up, grinning as he slowly approached you. “You aren’t happy to see me, angel?” Safin responded, disappointed by your reaction.

You then remembered that you’d hired a nanny for Emily, and you tried to get into Emily’s room, but Safin stopped you before you could. “What did you do!?” You cried, scared that he’d killed her.

Safin tried to silence you by forcing you close to him, his hand covering your mouth. “Calm down,” he hissed, and you nodded, trying to stay calm as he withdrew his hand.

“What are you doing here, Safin?” You questioned as you turned to face him, keeping a gap between the two of you.

“I have to bring you back with me-”

You groaned, annoyed, especially after you reminded yourself that he’d let you go. “You said we could leave, Safin-”

“Well I changed my mind,” he interrupted, “I need you to come back with me, angel; I can’t live without you. I - I see your face everywhere, Y/n,” he mused, “don’t you get how painful that is for me?” You frowned, but hid your face from him; you didn’t want him to see that you felt bad for leaving him, though he allowed you to, himself.

You reminded yourself of the nanny you’d hired and become friends with, and you panicked. “I need to see that Hannah is okay-”

Safin pulled you back before you could get to Emily’s room, and you struggled against his hold for a moment, beginning to cry when you realised that Hannah must be gone. “She’s dead,” Safin uttered the obvious, “I’m sorry, but she’s dead. I couldn’t risk her telling anyone that she’d seen me here-”

“She doesn’t know who you are!” You cried, and Safin made to cover your mouth again, but you wouldn’t let him as you stepped back quickly a few times. You drew a shaky breath, trying to calm down again. “Look, it - it’s late, so you can stay, but,” you murmured, “I think it’s best if you stay away from me - I don’t want to be around you right now.” You made for the stairs, before you looked back at him. “You better get rid of that body and deal with the shopping, yourself,” you stated, before you pulled yourself up onto the first couple of steps. “And wash your hands before you put the shopping away,” you muttered, before you continued up the stairs laboriously.

𖧷☭𖤍

You would be surprised to come downstairs in the morning to find that Safin had actually done what you’d demanded for him to do, and you tried to keep quiet when you noticed him asleep on the sofa. You hoped he wouldn’t notice you as you advanced further into the room with the intention of picking up your bag; you were supposed to meet your friends for breakfast soon. “What are you doing up so early, angel?” You winced when you heard the sleepy voice, and reluctantly turned around to meet Safin’s concerned gaze.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but - I was going to go and meet with my friends to have breakfast with them in the local café,” you answered, and Safin frowned, disappointed as he sat up.

“I wasn’t ever enough for you,” Safin mused, and you shook your head slightly, stepping closer to him subconsciously, “I think you’ve made that clear. I guess I should have known that you loving me was too good to be true.” You wore a hurt look on your face, shaking your head again. “Be honest with me, angel,” he uttered, “will - he - be with you and your friends?”

You groaned, sitting on the edge of the sofa beside him. “No, Safin, he won’t- because I don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore - not after he-..” You sighed, bowing your head; it hurt you a lot to remember what James had done to you.

Safin inched closer to you; you hadn’t yet told him about what James had done to you, and he wanted to know what he’d done to make you like this. “What did he do to you, angel?” Safin inquired in a soft voice, and you begrudgingly decided to answer his question.

“He was continuously cheating on me behind my back,” you muttered, “before he walked out on me when I found out, and that’s all there is to it.”

Safin grimaced; he couldn’t believe that someone could ever do something like that to you. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, angel,” he responded, and you turned your face away from him when tears began to invade your eyes.

Before he could wrap his arms around you, you stood up, disheartening him as he wore a pained expression on his face. “My friends are waiting for me,” you mumbled, rushing into the hallway and out of the front door.

↯

Safin had tried to wait patiently for you, but he found that he couldn’t stop himself from panicking when you were gone for longer than he thought you would be. When he heard the door being unlocked, he rushed out to it, and you would be startled when he pulled you away from the door, closing it gingerly. Safin held you at arm’s length, his dark greyish blue eyes searching your’s. “You’re late,” he hissed, but his voice faltered when he noticed that you had a small blood stain on the kneecap area of your jeans and in the same area they had ripped quite a bit. Safin released your arms, a pained expression on his face. “What happened to you?” Safin inquired, his voice suddenly softer, and his expression less firm.

“I fell over,” you answered, embarrassed, your voice barely audible.

“You shouldn’t have gone out,” Safin muttered, and you would be surprised when he suddenly picked you up.

“Safin, what are you-” You panicked, hating to not have the support of the ground beneath your feet, and this prompted you to cling to Safin’s shoulders. “Put me down!” You cried, and Safin chuckled, amused as he deliberately slowly carried you over to the sofa. “I - I don’t want to die,” you whined, and Safin shook his head, smirking down at you.

“Are you really afraid to die, angel?” Safin asked, and you nodded quickly, burying your face into his shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he cooed, “I won’t drop you.” Safin then carefully lowered you onto the sofa, and you relaxed, breathing an audible sigh of relief. “I want you to stay on this sofa until your knee heals, angel,” Safin stated, “if you move, I will keep carrying you back to it.”

You lifted an eyebrow, glancing up at him. “How do you expect me to get to the toilet, or upstairs?” You questioned, and Safin sat on the edge of the sofa beside you.

“I will carry you to the toilet and I will carry you upstairs,” he answered, and you grinned, a mischievous glint in your eyes.

“Good, because I think I need to go to the toilet, now,” you responded, and Safin held back a grunt, making to pick you up again.

~~~~~

Hope you enjoyed this prompt! ❤️

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

“I think I can kinda feel something working. It’s stronger now that Ewan’s around. Can you feel it too?”

Theo rocked back on his feet and placed another cupcake in his mouth. Things were going slowly so far-too slowly. At this rate, they would never find out if Ewan was related to Adam and Remy. He’d be at home in bed for the night before any signal got back to his stalkers.

“Your dad makes the best cupcakes. Like seriously, these are amazing.”

After their encounter with Roman in the kitchen, Theo had “accidentally” liberated a plate of cupcakes intended for the dinner. The frosting was intricate, homemade and incredibly addicting. Adam would ask for the recipe if he thought there was an actual chance of him replicating the delicious treats, but only Roman it seemed had the skill to pull them off. Saturnia might learn it in time given her skill set, but for now, Roman was the only way to access the desserts he had become known for. Stealing a whole plate of them was so amazing a find that it almost overshadowed their important work. 

Once they’d found a tea set stocked with expensive tea in the queen’s old rooms, the two boys began to relax. This clandestine operation was on track so far and aside from some slow magic slowing them down, things were going okay.

“So these were the rooms of Queen Celeste? The witch who tried to kill Death along with the Strangetown cult...er, I mean coven? This is an amazing suite! I wonder what else she had stored around here?”

Adam lowered his eyes to the floor, obviously distracted by Theo’s words. Far too late, Theo realized that he was speaking dismissively about the “restructuring” the Strangetown coven had had to undergo. The coven his mother was single-handedly keeping together because of her brother’s actions.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Adam,” Theo said quickly. “I wasn’t thinking. Are you okay being here where one of the leaders of the coven lived? I just assumed that because it was empty, we could-”

“It’s fine, Theo,” Adam reassured his boyfriend. He sipped his tea quietly for a moment. “That all happened before I was born. I never knew any of them, but my mom was devastated when they died. I still catch her crying sometimes when she thinks she’s alone. She probably couldn’t be here in this room, but it doesn’t really bother me. Well, actually no. It makes me sad. Sad and angry that my uncle and her friends could do that to her. The world can be a really horrible place sometimes.”

“You’re telling me,” Theo laughed awkwardly. “I get it. Thank god my grandmother is dead, or whatever did happen to her. At least I don’t have to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder for her in dark, secret corners. Having some closure makes things easier for your mom, I’d imagine.”

“Yeah, that definitely helps.”

After a long pause, Theo asked the question that had been plaguing him for a while.

“So what happens if this guy is your long lost brother? Does anything change?”

“I guess Winterfest plans change,” Adam sighed, picturing having to spend an extended period of time with the annoying Ewan. “We see him on family dinner night maybe? I don’t know. My dad’s not that hard to get a hold of, Theo. If his mom really wanted to let my dad know she was pregnant, then I can’t see why she couldn’t have done that. I mean, even Queen Claudia can be reached reliably through the right channels and my dad isn’t anywhere near as important as she is. This whole thing felts weird.”

“Ewan feels weird,” Theo agreed. “Can you sense some of what I’m feeling when he’s nearby? It’s like he’s empty, magically just nothing. I’ve never met someone like that before.”

“Hmmm, I can maybe feel a little bit of what you’re feeling, yes. It’s not as intense as I thought it would be.”

Theo nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, my parents always acted like blood connections were this horrible, dangerous thing,” Theo confided. “I think probably because their connection was so damaged and warped by the end that it was dangerous for them. If anything, this pact is barely a magical trickle of energy. It’s boring and ineffective. Next time we try a harder spell.”

“There’s going to be a next time?”

Adam chuckled while Theo flushed with embarrassment.

“Yeah, I mean maybe, if you want to...I’m not really expecting- well that is-”

“Relax Theo, I’m teasing you,” Adam laughed, easing Theo’s anxiety. “Maybe there will be a next time, maybe there won’t. I’m okay with either if everything is safe. We make a good team.”

Theo poked at the crystal that they’d brought with them and a suspicious amount of salt he’d taken from the kitchen when his father was distracted by the mystery of his missing cupcakes. Adam was obsessed with crystals, probably more than even a practicing member of the Crystal Cove coven was. He had an anxiety soothing crystal (which Theo thought was a scam for how useful it was at soothing Adam’s worries), a crystal to relieve headaches during exams, a crystal to find missing items in their dorm, a crystal he used to predict pop quizzes (which Theo was also skeptical of) and a crystal for enhancing spells. There were probably many other crystals that Theo had yet to find, along with stones from their many walks in the forest that he insisted were “special”. This crystal was supposedly going to enhance the blood pact and kick it into gear so they could finally get a clear answer about Ewan...if it worked.

“Well, here goes nothing.”

Theo flipped to a certain passage in his text book and read the latin inside, calling for their blood connection to be increased to solve the question their pact was formed to answer.

For a minute, nothing happened and Theo poked once more at the crystal in front of him angrily.

“Do you see anything? I think maybe I do. Is the room getting more blue to you? The walls look blue now.”

Theo paused to consider Adam’s words. The walls maybe did look oddly coloured all of a sudden. He could feel a strong pounding noise echo through his head. Almost like a drumbeat urging him into action.

“I have to go find Ewan,” he exclaimed, standing too quickly and faltering. “This is working, or at least I hope it is. Something is happening. I have to go!”

Adam stared nervously as Theo bolted from the room. His head did feel a little funny, but nothing like Theo was describing. If he were to write a paper on the experience for class, he would have to assume the pact was working as intended. Theo was using the spell on himself while receiving information on the bloodline that Adam was broadcasting, so it was reassuring that Theo was having the stronger reaction. If Adam had been as driven as his boyfriend to go find an answer to their question, he would have to assume that the connection made between them was faulty and that he and Theo had merged incorrectly. Not only did this information make him worry less about their spell work, but he was also incredibly proud of his boyfriend. Very few people could do blood magic and even fewer could do it correctly. Theo was going to be one of the standout students in their age bracket without any doubt.

“Can I have a pink one? I really like the pink kind.”

Victoriana stared at the collection of treats before her, her eyes lighting up at every selection. Roman had outdone himself, likely to impress the ruling monarch of the largest country and her family. Well, Victoriana was very impressed. She had already tried two different pastries and licked the spoons in the frosting mixing bowl clean, clearing a path to the cupcakes. Each one was a work of art with dazzling designs and specially designed toppings and if she’d been left unsupervised in the room, they would have all been eaten long before her mother had joined them.

“You don’t want to ruin your dinner,” Roman chided softly. “I worked hard on that too and I think you’re going to like it.”

“Does it have peas in it? I don’t like peas. I could just skip the peas and eat a cupcake now. I can’t spoil something I’m not going to eat.”

Roman smiled at the preteen, seeing so much of Theo and his girls in the young princess. If he had a dollar for every bargain Theo had tried to make to avoid eating vegetables, he wouldn’t be worrying about supporting his restaurant like he was.

“Sorry princess, but your mom’s the boss and she says no skipping dinner for cupcakes. You can help me start the cake icing if you want though. It should be- oh, goddamn it!”

Roman swore far too loudly for a dignified palace when he stumbled and watched the cupcake in his hands fly through the air, ruining a solid twenty minutes of work.

Theo ran down the stairs, not even hiding the fact that he was running from within the forbidden area of the castle.

“Remy! Remy!”

Remy looked irritably at Theo as he stormed into the room, thankfully sparing her the need to think of something mundane to talk about with their target.

“Theo, thank god. What took you so long? Were you and Adam making out somewhere when you know that you had a prior commitment? I can’t stand this anymore. It’s not even possible that I’m related to this guy, he’s an asshole.”

Ewan didn’t look surprised to hear Remy’s frustrated confession and ordinarily, that would have sent Theo spiraling to think up a new story. But now?

His heartbeat thundered in his temple as he tried to make sense of the scene before him. Remy and Ewan sat on a couch, barely hiding their disdain for each other. He blinked and saw an entirely different scene before him, one he could hardly fathom.

Blood pulsed through their veins and Theo could feel Remy and Ewan’s heartbeats as strongly as his own. Remy’s blood pressure was rising with her anger. She was born in Pleasantview, he could see her ties to the land, where she’d began. Her paternal great-grandmother’s name was Remy and they both had black hair and the same freckles. He could see both Remy’s in his mind as clearly as if they were standing side by side before him. Her maternal great-grandfather Adam Thompson stepped into view as well as her paternal great-grandfather Prince Adam Walter. Their names seeped out of them, ebbing into Theo’s mind. The two Adams joined hands and pointed at Theo’s now glowing hand that had been linked to Adam Darktide and suddenly an image of his own Adam stepped into view. Blood called to blood and names called to names; everything was connected.

He turned his eyes to Ewan, who was still eerily staring at him. His name was Ewan MacLeod and he’d been born in Pleasantview to Lynette MacLeod. Two Remys and three Adams turned to welcome him into Theo’s sight. 

“Ewan.” Theo whispered the word into life and watched several new lights spark into existence like tiny beacons of flames. Prince Ewan and Ewan Jr Goldman appeared, but Theo looked past them. That wasn’t the branch of the Maricourt-Darktide  family tree he was interested in. No, he wanted Ewan G Lind Maricourt, Adam and Remy’s father. 

The Maricourts were a secretive family and several members had just a single G hung in their name, seemingly just to frustrate those who sought out their true names. If Theo concentrated, using his connection to Adam, he could get a sense of the vague shape of the G starting name, but nothing came clearly into vision. It was an interesting tactic for self defense, one that Theo envied. Adam didn’t know the name either, which just raised more questions for the teen. Did the children named with the mysterious G name know what it stood for? Did they learn it before they passed on the name to their children or had the true name been lost to the centuries? Was just “G” accurate enough to provide protection against blood magic if no one knew the actual true name or did “G” become the true name if no one remembered what it stood for? This was a question Theo vowed to raise with his teachers later on. There was so much to see and learn with blood magic and he’d barely scratched the surface of his abilities. Why had he never tried practicing his spells on this scale before? Surely this must be how Life and Death saw the universe, each little spark igniting a chain reaction until the entire universe revealed its secrets.

Theo somehow pulled himself away from the Maricourt naming dilemma to the Maricourt family dilemma. It wasn’t easy. He could stare at the interconnections in his world for centuries and still not learn it all.

He watched as Ewan G Lind Maricourt settled back into view, holding his hand out towards the burning brilliance of Adam and Remy. A spark floated by them echoing Miruna’s name and Theo let it pass. He was getting closer. His own voice called out to him, repeating the name he’d used to create the pact in the first place.

“Ewan, uh, Maricourt?”

It wasn’t exact. Every Ewan in Adam’s family tree rose again to obscure his view. He squeezed his eyes shut, focused as hard as he could and repeated the name. The blood in his veins boiled as the magic rebelled against him. A sharp pain burned its way into his mind, but it was becoming clearer. His target was Ewan MacLeod, child of Pleasantview, child of Lynette and child of Ewan G Lind Maricourt.

Theo gasped at the strength of the connections before him. Ewan MacLeod blazed beside his siblings with the intensity of a star. He had been telling the truth all along; he was Adam’s brother.

His teachers would tell him to stop there now that he had his answer, but Theo was hooked on the revelations before him. Curious, he turned his attention inward. He might never get another chance to see himself like this, or at least not until he was almost graduating school. It was eerie seeing his own existence stretched out before him.

Theodosius Ulysses Bellamy, born in Arkhelios in a small section of land surrounded by dark churning water. Darkness surrounded him. He could feel the weight of the curse he had been born with just as intensely as he remembered it. It tied him to Abraham Helios Sr and the death that awaited him by a demon’s hand, to the curse seared into the flesh of Romanus Bellamy. Death and hatred surrounded Theo, clouding his vision. He felt the slow burning hatred of his ancestors, ancestors who harboured this hatred for Theo as well. They wanted him dead. He was supposed to be dead.

“Theo? Are you okay? You’re kind of creeping me out here.”

Remy’s words of concern faded into the background, irritating the young teen but not penetrating the haze he found himself in. There was something strong pulling to him and he needed to follow it with every molecule in his body, safety be damned. An image of his great-uncle Hunter Bellamy floated towards him, slowing him down. Hunter had been born Theo Helios and Theo himself had been named to honour this fact. He never really saw Hunter Bellamy due to his terrible relationship with Roman, but Theo could still sense his connection to the man. Their true names were both Theo which joined them both in blood and by name. Theo didn’t know the first thing about Hunter or his life, but the connection between them was strong.

He could feel the warmth of his father’s light burning in the castle down the hall, calling to him. Just as Ewan and Adam and Remy circled their father, Theo was called to his. Pain jolted through him as the memory of his curse wrapped around his body, seeking re-entry. This wasn’t right, the curse had been broken years ago, or so he’d believed. This all consuming darkness hadn’t left him. It called to every part of him, longing to be reunited. He had developed as a fetus with the darkness pressing itself into his very being; he could feel the inevitability of its return in his very soul. It had been a part of him that was amputated, but a still a part of him all the same.

Theo removed himself from the room somehow, whether by walking or teleporting or even just magically floating away from the Darktide family, he couldn’t be sure. He could hear laughter calling to him even stronger.

The princess was laughing at his father, who now had cupcake smeared along the edge of his coat and a frustrated expression.

The words Romanus Bellamy called to him, intertwining with the brilliant light standing beside him that spelled Victoriana. Victoriana had many names and many titles, but she was young and unguarded enough for Theo to see past those, far closer to her true name than he should ever be. Through Adam’s connection to his newly discovered half-brother, Theo had learned more about Ewan’s identity. He had a devastating suspicion about why he could see through the titles of the crown princess of Pleasantview. Of why she shone so brilliantly next to his father. He had gone searching for an answer to Adam’s family mystery and revealed a crushing answer of his own by accident. Just when he thought that his respect for his father couldn’t get any lower.

Theo was the half-brother of the future monarch of Pleasantview. His father had been hiding this secret all this time; hiding this shame. When was Theo going to find out about this? Was his father ever planning to tell him? Did his other father know?

He could feel the darkness that surrounded him pull him closer. It brushed against his eyes, swirling in his nostrils as he inhaled the anger and hurt and fear he had been made for. Perhaps this was why his teachers urged him to not actively practice blood magic until he was older. He remembered vividly being overwhelmed as a child when he ran away from home and tried practicing blood magic untrained. He had almost died back then. Maybe the curse he’d spent his entire life running away from would kill him now. It didn’t matter, not really. 

Theo could faintly hear the sound of his father’s voice call to him, but it was too late. He was underwater, drifting away into the comforting embrace of the curse that had been custom made just for him. He couldn’t feel the anger anymore; he couldn’t feel anything really. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the sound of Adam’s voice, calling him desperately back to safety.

[ejzah]

Can you writing something about the other teams finding out Densi are married?

A/N: I’m not super familiar with the current cast of NCIS, aside from Jimmy, Tim, and Vance, and have only seen Hawaii during the crossover. So I hope this is alright. I’ve also approached this in a slightly different way than requested. It is highly implausible.

***

Crazy and We Know It

Sam and Callen lead the trek back into the mission, closely followed by Parker and Jane, with Kensi and Deeks trailing a few feet behind. Deeks felt the first waves of stress induced exhaustion creeping in, making him drag a little as they walked into the bullpen.

“You guys did good work today,” Parker told them, glancing around at the agents gathered throughout the room. Sam shared a vaguely annoyed look with Callen, who gave the briefest roll of his eyes.

“Thanks, Parker,” Sam said, the words underlaid with sarcasm. “

“You’re all a little eccentric,” Jane added. “It works surprisingly well for your team.”

“And you guys didn’t totally suck either,” Deeks joked.

Jane had the good grace to look apologetic. “I just meant we didn’t know a whole lot about you guys. You have to admit you’re pretty secretive.”

“Well, it comes in handy for our undercover work,” Kensi explained, tapping Deeks’ chest with the back of her hand. “You should see some of Deeks’ aliases. He’s one of the best.”

“You mean like Artie?” Callen asked with a smirk.

“Yeah, I don’t think they need to hear about Artie just now.” Deeks shot Callen a brief glare. Artie was the not the kind of guy you rolled out for a first impression.

“We’ve heard a lot about your covert operations and aliases,” Parker said. “I’m impressed your dedication in particular. It takes a lot of effort and skill to maintain a detailed cover for so long.” He gestured to Kensi and Deeks.

“What cover are your talking about? We haven’t had any long term operations for a while,” Kensi said slowly, brows knitted in confusion.

“Your marriage, of course. I’ve seen some of the wedding photos. It’s very believable.”

Deeks’ eyes widened as he suddenly realized what was going on. “You think we’ve been faking our relationship for the job.”

“Oh, if only it was fake,” Sam muttered, sharing a commiserating look with Callen.

“Wait, you two are really together?” Jane checked in apparent disbelief.

“Yep.” Deeks put an arm around Kensi’s waist, as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. Parker gaped at them.

“We’ll celebrate our fourth anniversary this March,” Kensi added with a slightly defiant smile.

“Unbelievable.” Parker shook his head. “Don’t you think that causes a conflict of interest and puts your team at risk?”

“Eh, they’d be more distracted apart,” Sam said. “Believe me.”

“Plus you don’t know what a relief it was when they stopped moping over each other.”

“Ok, we did not mope,” Deeks objected.

“Or the flirting disguised as banter,” Callen continued gleefully. “They spent a lot of time talking about raccoons, knives, and water.”

“It was a frozen lake,” Kensi corrected testily. “And you are totally misrepresent things. They were metaphors.” She turned to address a bemused Jane and Parker. “We’re a lot calmer now.”

“Tell that to someone who attended your wedding. One word: Russians.”

“Hey, that one’s all one Deeks.” Holding up here hands, Kensi absolved herself of any responsibility.

“Wait, what happened with Russians?” Jane asked with mild apprehension.

Deeks spoke up before Callen could interceded. “It was a beautiful day that I will remember for the rest of my life.”

“And almost didn’t happen when a Russian tried to kidnap you.”

“It was a case of misplaced affection. And definitely not creepy at all.”

“You know what, I don’t think I need to know any more,” Jane decided.

“Probably for the best,” Deeks agreed. “So, you want to stop over for a drink and meet our daughter?”

***

A/N: I acknowledge that the comment about the team being secretive is fairly inaccurate at this point since every body and their cat has visited the boat shed. I’m also not sure if other teams would already know about Kensi and Deeks.

Thanks for the prompt!