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#Macmillan peak
sonjackcarl · 6 months
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reasonsforhope · 8 months
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"The amount of electricity generated by the UK’s gas and coal power plants fell by 20% last year, with consumption of fossil fuels at its lowest level since 1957.
Not since Harold Macmillan was the UK prime minister and the Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time has the UK used less coal and gas.
The UK’s gas power plants last year generated 31% of the UK’s electricity, or 98 terawatt hours (TWh), according to a report by the industry journal Carbon Brief, while the UK’s last remaining coal plant produced enough electricity to meet just 1% of the UK’s power demand or 4TWh.
Fossil fuels were squeezed out of the electricity system by a surge in renewable energy generation combined with higher electricity imports from France and Norway and a long-term trend of falling demand.
Higher power imports last year were driven by an increase in nuclear power from France and hydropower from Norway in 2023. This marked a reversal from 2022 when a string of nuclear outages in France helped make the UK a net exporter of electricity for the first time.
Carbon Brief found that gas and coal power plants made up just over a third of the UK’s electricity supplies in 2023, while renewable energy provided the single largest source of power to the grid at a record 42%.
It was the third year this decade that renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, hydro and biomass power, outperformed fossil fuels [in the UK], according to the analysis. Renewables and Britain’s nuclear reactors, which generated 13% of electricity supplies last year, helped low-carbon electricity make up 55% of the UK’s electricity in 2023.
[Note: "Third year this decade" refers to the UK specifically, not global; there are several countries that already run on 100% renewable energy, and more above 90% renewable. Also, though, there have only been four years this decade so far! So three out of four is pretty good!]
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Dan McGrail, the chief executive of RenewableUK, said the data shows “the central role that wind, solar and other clean power sources are consistently playing in Britain’s energy transition”.
“We’re working closely with the government to accelerate the pace at which we build new projects and new supply chains in the face of intense global competition, as everyone is trying to replicate our success,” McGrail said.
Electricity from fossil fuels was two-thirds lower in 2023 compared with its peak in 2008, according to Carbon Brief. It found that coal has dropped by 97% and gas by 43% in the last 15 years.
Coal power is expected to fall further in 2024 after the planned shutdown of Britain’s last remaining coal plant in September. The Ratcliffe on Soar coal plant, owned by the German utility Uniper, is scheduled to shut before next winter after generating power for over 55 years.
Renewable energy has increased sixfold since 2008 as the UK has constructed more wind and solar farms, and the large Drax coal plant has converted some of its generating units to burn biomass pellets.
Electricity demand has tumbled by 22% since its peak in 2005, according to the data, as part of a long-term trend driven by more energy efficient homes and appliances as well as a decline in the UK’s manufacturing sector.
Demand for electricity is expected to double as the UK aims to cut emissions to net zero by 2050 because the plan relies heavily on replacing fossil fuel transport and heating with electric alternatives.
In recent weeks [aka at the end of 2023], offshore wind developers have given the green light to another four large windfarms in UK waters, including the world’s largest offshore windfarm at Hornsea 3, which will be built off the North Yorkshire coast by Denmark’s Ørsted."
-via The Guardian, January 2, 2024
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cod-dump · 16 days
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The Guy to Know
pricenik
(also on ao3, word count 15509)
_____
John didn't always thinks things through, he was quick to let his impulses win. His captain said he was a handful, though John found joy in that, making the old man run in circles. He was a pain the ass but he was, undoubtfully, good at what he does. He had a bite to him that helped him survive. That's why he was on Captain MacMillan's team, why he was SAS.
Yes, he would consider himself hotheaded, running in head first without much forethought. It was something his captain would get onto him for, something his teammates rolled their eyes at because ‘That’s just like you’. 
He meets someone promising glory at the end of what should be a brief trip out of country? He can't refuse, but maybe he should've thought about it a little longer, he didn't know this woman. But, he was impulsive. That was John Price's specialty.
“I don’t like going in bare, Kate.” 
He knew Kate for a few months now. She was CIA, young and ambitious. Was sniffing around Liverpool for a week before she sat next to him during a football game. She knew him and John wasn’t fond of her knowing so much about him when he didn’t know an equal amount about her. 
He didn’t trust her but then she brought up his captain by name and he relaxed. Now he was starting to think he jumped into this strange friendship too quickly. He wasn’t sure how she convinced him to fly into Russia, no weapons, fake passports and ID’s, disguised as a couple on vacation. He knew Mac would probably be disappointed he got himself into this situation so quickly after he went on leave. 
“It’s a hassle to smuggle gear in, so we’re picking some up there.” 
“Picking some up? Going shopping?” 
Kate ignored his sarcastic tone, “I know a guy.” 
He scoffed, wondering how well she actually knew him. 
She rented a car and drove them from the airport and out of the city. He could die out here, like an idiot. Mac wouldn’t even know, he’ll come back from leave wondering where his idiot sergeant ran off to. 
They got to a small, small town and stopped by an auto shop. It was busy, full of men yelling in Russian. Quite a few of them had visible tattoos, a lot of them were smoking, and all of them eyed them like meat when they walked in. Kate wasn’t fazed, asking for a man named Nikolai. Those were the magic words because once that name was spoken, the door to the office in the back opened. 
John Price was a bold man. He argues with superiors like it was his job, his opinion was always known. Yet he clammed up the moment he saw the mountain of a man that was Nikolai. Kate told him she knew a guy but this wasn’t who he was expecting. 
Big, recently shaved head and face. He had a fresh, red scar on his shoulder that peaked from his collar. He was cautious yet walked like he couldn’t care less about where he was or who he was with. Kate whispered something to him, something in Russian that John couldn’t translate. He figured it was a passcode or something because the man visibly relaxed even more, grinning. 
“This your guy?” 
John swallowed, Kate eying him when he shifted on his feet. 
“Nikolai. This is the sergeant I was telling you about. John Price.” 
Nikolai stared at him, stared like he was reading his very soul. John felt like a child who knew they were seconds away from being scolded. But Nikolai didn’t scold or say anything that he was expecting. ‘I’m not impressed’ , ‘This is what I have to work with?’, ‘Don’t get in my way’ -- Nothing of the sort. He just nodded, as if satisfied, before he whistled a particular tune. 
Suddenly they were surrounded and John was ready to go on the defensive. But Kate grabbed his arm. 
“Don’t.” 
Two men approached Nikolai, carrying a trunk. They sat it at his feet and Nikolai took out a key that had been hidden in his shirt, hanging from what John had previously presumed to be a simple gold chain. Inside the trunk was weapons, ammo, a bag, and a couple body armor vests. 
“Bag has the intel you need to get in.” 
John blinked, keeping close to Kate as she moved to fetch the items from the trunk. 
“How much is she paying you?” 
Nikolai eyed him and Kate sighed, throwing a vest into his arms as an attempt to change the subject. But Nikolai was interested, smirking as he turned his body to face John. 
“Honestly? She’s not paying the full amount I would be asking. But! I like her.” 
John stares at Kate who honestly looks offended, “I will leave you here in the streets if you say anything.” 
Kate glares and John shuts up, Nikolai laughing gleefully. John shivering at the sound. Deep into enemy territory, dragged into a job by a woman he honestly didn’t know that well convinced him to help her with, and they’re being helped by a guy who’s doing it because he likes Kate. He was smelling disaster ahead of them. He didn’t trust this man, didn’t know what he had in on this and didn’t know much about him other than ‘Chimera’. 
A callsign? Organization? He saw nothing in the auto shop that could give him any clues and Kate wasn’t giving him much to go on besides ‘trust me’. 
“Pick up your gun, Price. We have a job to do.” 
John grabbed the weapon from the trunk, making eye contact with Nikolai. John turned away to focus on Kate and this job he got roped into, choosing to ignore the intense staring that Nikolai was directing solely on him. He was getting out of this country as soon as possible if Kate doesn’t get him killed. 
She had gotten them this far, so he had to trust that she would get them to the end. 
Kate didn’t just get gear from Nikolai, she had a vehicle that had more supplies waiting behind the auto shop. She had originally told him she had this planned for a while and that she just needed some muscle to help make things happen and he was honestly impressed. 
“We’re heading into enemy territory, now, John.” 
“Oh, we’re not in it now?” 
Kate glared at him while John smirked. She was fighting a smile, he could tell. If she gets them killed at least he managed to annoy her.
___
He honestly hadn’t expected that the Russian arms dealer would come in at the last possible moment to practically save the day. They were under heavy fire and John had lost his helmet ages ago. He was sure this was it, his last moments, until an armored van busted through a brick wall. 
The majority of their ops were crushed and the rest was quickly taken care of. And Nikolai, that bastard, opened a door with a grin and a cigarette between his lips. John was honestly frozen in place as Kate quickly ran over and jumped into the van, making sure to secure her intel before she yelled at John to get his ass in the van. 
He had to run and dive in the door that Nikolai had wide open as more ops showed up to the scene. He was clinging to the seat as he laid on the man’s lap, the van’s driver taking off the moment Nikolai grabbed his vest to secure him. John’s heart was pounding as he heard gun fire, Kate laying in the backseat as bullets nail the sides of the van. 
The driver sped along the tiny dirt road, Nikolai’s men shooting out the windows at their pursuers. John managed to get crawled into the seat between Nikolai and the driver, sitting up with a huff. Nikolai was grinning as he grabbed a gun from the glovebox, turning to John as he tried to steel himself. 
“We have ten minutes to get them off our tail so we can disappear smoothly, which is greatly preferred. Think you can manage that, sergeant?” 
John scoffed, grabbing the gun, “I’ll do it in five.” 
With that, he grabbed Nikolai’s cigarette and put it between his teeth, climbing into the backseat with Kate. She had a rifle loaded, ready to stick out the window. 
“Hey, need you to get that drive out of here or all of this was for nothing.” 
“I’m not helpless, John.” 
He uses that opportunity to trade guns, giving her the handheld as he took the rifle, “Didn’t say you were.” 
John climbs into the very back with Nikolai’s men. He was always a good shot and he was hoping that wouldn’t fail him now. 
The language barrier wasn’t enough to keep John from being able to communicate to one of the men of his plan. Maybe he had a vague understanding of English, enough to know to aim for the tires as soon as John swung one of the back doors open. 
“John!” 
Kate didn’t like the plan of him making the inside of the van open and vulnerable.  
“Whatever you’re doing make it quick!” 
John shot at the tires as Kate yelled at him, growling when it wasn’t slowing down their pursuers. He ducked when one of Nikolai’s men grabbed him and shoved him to the floor, roughly shoving a metal crate in front of them for cover. Then, John noticed something in the corner of the van, stuck in a vest. 
Jackpot.
“Grenade going out!” 
Pin out and a well place throw, the grenade launched onto the road and under the front vehicle -- 
BOOM! 
John watched the front vehicle launch into the air, flipping and crashing into the vehicle immediately behind it. He watched as the vehicles ram into one another while others swerved, running off the road and some ramming into trees. John laughed as did the men around him. Two grabbed the back doors and shut them, John slumping against the back set where Kate laid. 
“What’s the time?” 
Kate snorted, “4:55, bastard.” 
He heard Nikolai laugh out and John took that as his success.  
___
The safe house was deep in an old town, half of the buildings were run down and there were very few residents. John wondered if they were even civilians and not more of Nikolai's people. He seemed to have them everywhere. He had resources, a lot of them. John wondered where he had managed to get it all.
”Nikolai isn’t actually your name, is it?”
The man hummed, in disagreement or agreement? John wasn’t exactly sure. John took it as agreement.
”What is your real name?”
”Fae can’t just give their real name out like that, sergeant.”
John blinks and Nikolai snickers to himself. Oh, the man has jokes.
”If you must have a surname, Nikolai Chimera would do just fine.”
”Yea, I’m not doing that.”
Nikolai seemed to have a permanent, smug look on his face. One of near constant amusement.
“I have to know-” 
Nikolai was quick to interrupt with a smirk, “Have to? You seem to be alive and well without knowing.” 
John glared with no heat, “As I was saying...” 
He paused for a moment, waiting for another interruption but Nikolai said nothing, smiling as he sat there silently. John huffed, looking away to hide the smile attempting to take hold. 
“How’d you meet Kate?” 
“Ah, Kate? How did you meet her?” 
“She crawled into the seat behind me while I was watching a home game. Football, but she wasn’t there for sports. Knew my captain by name and reputation, wanted to see if I was willing to work with her when he wasn’t.” 
Nikolai hummed, “Similar story. She found me... enjoying a sport of my own. Brought up a sensitive name and with the promise of helping me and my ambitions. She’s kept her word so far so I’ll keep mine.” 
John wasn’t satisfied, Nikolai’s answer being far too vague. Maybe John was too open, too easy to read. Kate read him far too easily despite their brief relationship, Nikolai was either as sharp as her or John needed to learn to shut his trap. Mac always kept saying he liked to talk a bit too much, liked to be noisy. 
“Kate only knows my business because she dug deep. Want it from me then you’ll have to do the same or buy me dinner.” 
John felt his ears go hot, that had to be a joke. Nikolai has been full of them with a healthy dose of sarcasm. But he didn’t hear any sarcasm and it made him restless, the need to move making him stand quickly. He cleared his throat and stepped away, keeping his back to Nikolai. The Russian snickered, so it was a joke. He got the reaction he wanted and John bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything that would reveal his embarrassment. 
He could hear Nikolai standing, moving past him to grab something. He didn't have to brush shoulders but chose to. John had to restrain a shudder as goosebumps lit up his shoulder and arm.
"One of mine is bringing food. Fresh and hot."
"Food?" John wanted to kick himself for the crack in his voice, clearing his throat as soon as he heard it.
“Да, Kate picked.” 
John nodded, unable to look at Nikolai as the man moved around the room calmly. He was unbothered, even seemed quite pleased with himself. 
"John-"
As soon as John heard Kate's voice he quickly left the room. He heard nothing from Nikolai about his obvious retreat. Kate was sitting in a plush chair that didn't fit the surrounding room. Sitting cross legged with a pad of paper on her lap, she was deciphering something, maybe a code from a contact, he didn't bother asking or taking a closer look as he sat on the couch adjacent from her.
"You came in here quickly..."
"You need- You called so-"
Kate eyed him before she bit her lip to stop a laugh. His face felt like it was on fire and Kate was very happy about it.
"Thought I was picking something up about you."
Price glared, "I'm tired, I'm hungry, this place is cold, and I'll have to have a good long chat with Mac when this shit is over."
Kate hummed, still smirking. He turned from her, not finding her teasing easily digestible with Nikolai's comment from a mere few minutes ago. 
"I'll come back to that on a later date."
John grunts and decides to look back at her, "What's that?"
"Crossword."
John blinked and leaned over before he groaned. He flopped over the length of the sofa, exhausted. Kate snorted as she took her time reading over her puzzle while relaxed, unlike him.
"MacMillan has high praise for you, didn't expect you to be... this when I met you at that game in Liverpool."
"First off; you stalked and cornered me while I was enjoying an excellent hot dog with some chips. Secondly; Wait until I get my harmonica then you'll see exactly who that Scottish cunt has been dealing with."
Kate let's out a laugh, "God, I thought that was a joke."
"I love a good tune and this fucking place hasn't had shit."
"Wow-"
John was almost completely fused with the sofa, allowing himself to close his eyes. He could hear Kate giggling and he found himself finally relaxing. He was still on foreign turf, starving, a slight chill that was becoming irritating, and he was desperate for at least ten minutes of shut eye.
John opens his eyes when he hears what is now the very familiar sound of Nikolai's boots, walking into the room. John turned his head when he noticed the man standing behind the back of the couch, he didn't want to risk making eye contact. Kate saw this and grinned. He was giving her fuel and he had only himself to blame.
"Food has arrived."
John focuses on Kate, trying to keep his sanity in check, "What you order?"
"Pizza."
"Kate..."
"With olives."
"Kate-"
Nikolai chuckles, "There's more than one kind."
"Thank you."
John sat up, he could feel that Nik was standing behind him and it just sent a chill down his spine. Kate unfolded her legs, setting her pad of paper on the arm before she stood.
"I'm eating a whole pie. The rest of you have to share."
John snorts, "You can keep it. It's already been tainted."
"I'm putting olives in your birthday cake."
John gags, "And that's why you're not invited."
Kate walks past, grinning. There was a moment of silence before Nikolai spoke, "You don't like olives?"
It was a simple comment, John looking over his shoulder at the man, "I don't hate them but I could live happily without them."
Nikolai stared at him and John had to fight to not look away. Finally, he steps away back into the other room.
"Noted."
John blinked before the smell of pizza coaxed him into standing and joining the others.
___
John slept easier than expected. He got out with bruises and a sore ankle and honestly that's the best he's ever left with. Kate had her intel and now they were prepping to head back to the UK, there Kate would get a ride back home to the States and John would have a little meeting with Captain MacMillan. He wasn't looking forward to it.
"Maybe if I walk in speaking Russian, he'll be so shocked that he'll be nice."
Kate rolls his eyes, "With what we gained he'll have no choice but to be nice. Intel on the Russian Ultranationalists, plus a new friend... if you choose not to leave that in Russia."
John bristled, Kate watching him. 
"The fuck are you on?"
Kate sighs, "Are you that dense?"
John glares and Kate scoffs, looking away. John wasn't sure what she was on, not fully. He had a feeling he knew but he wasn't willing to speak it into existence. So far the obvious wasn't stated and John could live his life without it. Though Kate didn't seem willing to leave it be.
"I know enough on Nikolai to know he won't be offended. He's a pretty open-minded man."
John stands and Kate tenses for a second. He says nothing, again not wanting it to be said but it was heading there. Kate remained where she sat, keeping her composure. He felt his heart pound, head swimming as he stared at her. This topic was never a easy one to have, especially not with someone he had know for only little over a month. Was it bait? Was she trying to get him to admit something that he won't be able to take back?
”He won’t take offense if he were to learn you had a cr-“
"We're not close enough to have any discussions like that. Clear?"
Kate looks him up and down, a quick thought cross her mind before she nods, "Crystal."
___
"You're goin' off on your own now, huh?"
John was around the same height as the captain, but the man had bulk over him. He was intimidating, especially when annoyed or, god forbid, angry. John took a lot from him, mimicking a lot of things that made Captain MacMillan the cunt he was.
"With the example you set?"
The man lets out a short laugh, not showing much amusement in his expression. John flicks his eyes away, trying to look anywhere but his captain. The man just stared, like he was trying to set him on fire.
"I was working with the CIA, like I told you. It wasn't like I was fucking around for my own amusement."
"Hm... CIA? Don't remember ever giving you clearance..."
"She approached me."
Mac huffs, "Did she?"
This wasn't getting him anywhere so John tried to shift the subject, "I have a contact."
It worked because Mac leaned over his desk, "A contact?"
"Russian arms dealer. His name's Nikolai, runs an outfit called Chimera."
The face Mac made showed that John had an in back to his good side.
"Chimera? They've been opposing the ultranationalists. Intercepting convoys and taking that cargo for themselves. They sell it to clients, too," John hums, trying to keep his composure, "You have contact with that Nikolai?"
John nodded and Mac laughed, "God, I was gone for a month-"
”I can get shit done without your constant hovering, old man.”
Mac snorts, “Got a way to contact him?”
John spoke without thinking, “Yes.”
”Oh? Well, I’d like to have a word with him, seeing as he likes to fuck with the people who make my job literal hell.”
John nods and Mac goes to speak but John interrupts with raising his hand, standing as he does.
”… Jonathan, do you actually-?”
”Yes.”
Mac just watched in confusion as John backed out of the room. Maybe he watched out of amusement, wanting to see how deep of a hole John could dig himself. John didn't look back, trying not to run down the hall. Sikes passed him, stopping when he didn't say a word to him.
"Where are you running off to?"
John doesn't reply and disappears around the corner. He hopes that Mac won't say anything, save him the embarrassment, but he wasn't that nice. John would prefer to be off base by then. Maybe running off again wasn't the smartest thing but while Mac tended to be an ass, he had a soft spot for him, and John planned to take full advantage of that.
If the old man wants to meet Nikolai, then John is going to get him that meeting. He just... needs to make a phone call and apologize to Kate. They didn't leave on a good note and John hasn't stopped thinking about it. She didn't come off as that kind of person, someone who would hold personal information like that over her teammates, but she's CIA and frankly, John isn't sure about her.
Still, he gets to a payphone and dials the number Kate left him with despite the sourness in the air.
"Yes, I would like to speak to an Agent Kate Laswell... Sergeant John Price, SAS."
Those few minutes when he was on hold was excruciatingly long. He counted two and a half but it felt like thirty. The line clicked and he heard Kate take a breath before speaking.
"John?"
"Hey, Kate! Uh... how are you?"
He wanted to bash his head against the wall but he strained himself, didn't need to add another quirk to the growing list.
"I'm well... How'd things go with the cap? Is he mad? I have that intel already submitted, I can have someone give him a call and send him a record to get him off your ass if needed."
She sounded genuine in her offer and it made John feel more like shit.
"You could just send a record in the mail... Hey, okay, I was an ass last time we spoke and I feel like shit for it. Can I buy you a drink as an apology?"
Kate was quiet for a few seconds and John held his breath the entire time, "Yea... a drink would be nice. Not as a date, though... right?"
"What? Of course not! You're too mean."
She laughs and John's heart didn't ache so much with guilt.
___
"Okay okay- Wait, you don't get Nikolai's contact info. For whatever weird reason you have, and then you tell your captain you do... then you run off after he says he wants to meet him?"
John sighs, taking a swig of his beer. Meeting in a pub felt appropriate. They were in Manchester since John didn't want to go back to Liverpool to have a drink with a foreign woman in his home town. He didn't want to hear anything from his family about anything he had going on in his life, work related or not... not that they would know it was work related.
"I am... an impulsive individual."
"Wow, big words there."
John glares and Laswell sips her whisky with a smirk. He did like her, she wasn't afraid to say her mind but also not too much. People were either too nice or too blunt, not enough had the right amount of either.
"Look, maybe I was nervous about being able to contact Mr. Chimera whenever."
"Well, Mr. Chimera doesn't just give out info like that, John. He trusted you to have it."
John nods, staring at the chips he ordered, now a bit cold and hard. He still grabs one and takes a bite, glaring at the tray. He felt like a fool, letting old wounds hurt the way they did.
"I really am sorry for how I acted."
"I was pushing it. You were right, we don't know each other well enough to have personal conversations like that."
"I didn't exactly have a emotionally safe upbringing. That has never been a safe topic, Kate."
"I understand that. I really do."
They drank in silence, John munching on his cold chips. Kate finished her glass, sighing for a moment at the last drop. The silence was a bit awkward but therapeutic in a way, there was an understanding there that was a bit overwhelming but it was needed. John did want to get to know Kate, trust her enough to have a conversation like that. A conversation he's never dared to have with anyone.
"So... you want Nikolai's contact info."
"For my capt'n, really."
"Sure... Look, as far as he knows, you rejected his info. It will stir things up if an unknown individual, or someone claiming to be someone he worked with, contacting him about wanting to meet up."
"Who will trust that?"
"Exactly. So, you're going to have to go to Russia with me and you're going to serenade that man into getting him to help you out."
John snorts, "What, want me to bring a guitar?"
"Learn some Russian, too, it'll convince him to be nice after that rejection."
John snorts, face warm but he couldn't tell if it was from the beer or the implications of their conversation. It easily could sound like they were having a very different conversation. It also made John tense, someone could overhear and make that mistake. He wasn't willing to get into another fight over that.
"Let's get some air."
"Alright, I'll call a taxi to meet us. Does your captain even know where you went?"
"No."
"You really need to tell that man where you're going."
"He'll live. It's not like he's my father."
"No, he's only the man who got you a job, put a roof over your head and food on your table."
"Fine, I'll send him a postcard when we get to St. Petersburg."
Kate snorts before she stands to go make a call. John finishes he beer before he gets up, anxiety tightening his chest, not giving him a moment's rest from the guilt he had before.
___
"They moved shop."
"Of course, they play a dangerous game. Can't stay idle."
John still felt exposed even though they weren't here to steal intel. He was nervous and the chill in the air wasn't helping him keep his composure. They had gotten a hotel room, Kate leaving to drop a letter off. She was informed the first time where Chimera would be, this time they had to wait for Chimera to find them.
He was sitting on one of the beds, tapping his foot. He nabbed a postcard from the hotel's gift shop, deciding to writing a smart remark on it for Mac. He snickered to himself, he could only imagine the look on the man's face when he received this in the mail. Well, there was a chance it'll get to him before John came back. He hoped that was the case.
Kate reentered the room, huffing as she closed the door.
"Winter's coming, you can feel it."
"Lovely."
Kate takes off her jacket and throws it on a chair by the kitchenette before she flops onto the other bed.
"So, thought about what you're going to say to him?" John tenses and Kate rolls her eyes, "No plan? Again?"
"I'm thinking."
"Barely."
John glares and Kate gives him a quick, over exaggerated smile before she buries her face in a pillow. He huffs before laying the postcard on the night stand, laying back onto the bed to stare at the ceiling. What should he say to Nikolai? He didn't think about the benefit of having a man like him as a friend? That his captain wanted his contact? That John lied about already having Nikolai as a contact?
That he panicked when Nikolai offered to keep in touch and backed out without thinking? He was embarrassed, which was a feeling he was becoming rather accustomed to by this point. He was going to feel it even more when - if he got to meet Nikolai again. Looking him in the eye to apologize? He could imagine a thousand ways it could blowup in his face. He could even risk Kate's relationship with the man.
He had to think of a damn good apology or he'll make a fool out of both of them.
"Get some shut eye, John, I can hear you thinking from here. Nikolai's men check drop off points every few hours, we have time for a nap."
John nods even though he knows Kate wasn't looking. He kicks off his shoes and climbs further onto the bed, a nap didn't sound too bad. Maybe his head will be clearer afterwards, allowing him to think of what he was going to say if Nikolai allows them to meet. John somehow allows himself to drift off, hoping for a little rest.
There was a knock that caused John to wake, jumping up to an alert position. Kate was up just as fast, both of them sharing a look before Kate got off her bed and eased over to the door. She peered out of the peephole and after she knocks on the door in a pattern, another pattern is returned. Only when she relaxes does John, getting off his bed to out his shoes back on.
Kate opened the door and a man that John didn't recognize walked in, he was definitely Chimera.
"Agent, good to see you. Sergeant."
He spoke English well enough that John was sure he would've remembered interacting with him before. The man looked at John and back to Kate.
"He's surprised, I will not lie."
"Is he willing to meet?"
"He is. Neutral ground, I will take you."
John licked his lips, "Where is this neutral ground?"
The man looked at him and gave a small smile, "You'll see."
___
John felt underdressed, that wasn't an understatement. Kate felt it, too, judging by the way she adjusted her top. The restaurant was fancy, the atmosphere stirred some memories as they walked through. Their guide, Kamarov, didn't bother to warn them about the dress code. He himself wore a black dress shirt and pants, sleeves rolled up to show he tattooed forearms. John wondered if them not being told was on purpose, either by Nikolai's orders or Kamarov's own amusement.
They climbed some stairs to the second story, overseeing the main dining room. A host stopped them, Kamarov muttering a few words and then they were allowed into what was a private dining area. John saw Nikolai's men around the area, some people that didn't look like his people, maybe clientele or his own contacts. Nikolai, himself, was in a booth. John felt his mouth go dry with how the man was dressed and he was dressed very nicely.
He didn't look like a lowlife thug now, more like a proper business man. A man who's business was weapons. 
He noticed them and smiled, waving his hand to the booth in front of him.
"Kate, please sit. And you-" John stiffened, Nikolai's voice lowering, "-you can sit next to me."
Kate fought to keep her face neutral, sliding into the booth in front Nikolai. John stood there for a second, Nikolai sliding over to allow him space, arm stretched over the seat's back. Kate was biting her cheek, staring at him. Any plan John had put together on the drive over practically fizzled into nothing as he sat beside Nikolai, trying to make himself as small as possible. He could feel the man's body heat and it lit goosebumps up his side. If he made it out of this alive Kate was never going to let this go.
"So, sergeant, I was informed we're here because of you. That you wanted to meet."
The deep rumble of Nikolai's voice was hitting every nerve John had, he couldn't think with this close proximity.
"Yes, he wanted to talk."
Nikolai looked to Kate fondly, "Go order yourself something nice to eat. Or drink! Bar over there has practically anything you can think of. All of it on the house."
John looked at Kate pleadingly but she showed no mercy. John watched her leave eagerly, all but skipping to the bar. He couldn't blame her, free food and liquor? He, too, would be off to take advantage of that if he didn't feel magnetized where he sat. He blamed it on Nikolai's... everything.
"Ah, now. You wanted to talk, да?"
John nodded and Nikolai chuckled, "I don't bite. Ha, I almost don't recognize you. The man who stole my cigarette and threw a grenade onto a busy road to save our tail. Busted into a private government facility and stole valuable data."
He took his time taking out a cigarette as he spoke, John watching out of the corner of his eye. He brought it to his lips and John looked away. He looked around, at the decor, the chandelier of crystal that hung over the main dining room. The food and drinks here were undeniable expensive.
"When you asked me to buy you dinner, you could've picked a cheaper place. My pockets aren't exactly deep."
Nikolai laughed John flushing. He leaned over, smoke on his breath and his cologne, mixing into a scent that John couldn't stop breathing in.
"You're right, when you're buying you're picking. Tonight is my treat."
John wanted to die. The silence was sickening and John knew he had to fess up why he was there.
"I may have rejected your offer too quickly..."
Nikolai looks at him, expression unreadable.
"You wanted my contact?"
"Yes."
"Yet you said no."
He panicked, that was the truth. And he couldn't even think of the man's possible reaction to telling him that. He needed to find a way to regain control, he was making a fool of himself at the moment. John looked to the cigarette trapped between the man's lips and, without further thinking, he plucked it away and placed it between his own.
Nikolai's eyes widened and John felt control weigh in his favor.
"I changed my mind. Think I have use for you."
Nikolai stared at him hard as John took a long drag, he could practically see the gears turning. For once, the man was speechless. And the best part? The man turned away to clear his throat, hiding his face long enough for John to no longer feel out of his element. It wasn't the setting, it was Nikolai. The man made him feel out of the loop, and now he finally felt like he had something over him.
Nikolai finally turns back to him, snickering, "Oh, I can tell that we're going to be good friends."
"If you stay useful, we can be the best of friends."
Nikolai grinned wider and John knew he had it. Victory. Kate won't believe him.
"You said food and drinks were on the house? Well, excuse me while I go eat myself into a coma."
John took the cigarette from his lips and handed it back to Nikolai, the man numbly taking it while watching him as if he was almost hypnotized. John quickly left the booth before he ruined anything and calmly made his way to Kate. She, surprisingly, hadn't been watching them the entire time. Instead she was nursing what had to be a glass a wine worth more than John's flat with a bowl of pasta.
"John, I'm taking a box home."
"Do they even have boxes here?"
"I'll take a pot then."
John snorts and sits next to her.
___
"You're taking him to meet your captain now, right? Already? Wow, that's a big step."
John turned to Kate who immediately busted into laughter, clearly she thought she was hilarious. John glares, pointing his fork at her to show that he was serious.
"I need to rope him in while he's still impressed by me. Plus, I need to cool Mac's engine before he bursts into flames."
"Right, because you lied about-"
"I have it," John hissed, "And now I'm going to use it."
Kate hummed, sipping her fancy wine. She was on her second bowl of pasta and John was thinking of getting another order of lamb. The food, admittedly, was delicious and the portions weren't outrageous, but they certainly weren't enough for the two of them.
"Ya know he's been staring at you, right?"
John didn't need to look to believe her, he could feel Nikolai's gaze upon his back. He had half expected the man to eventually join them but he had remained in his booth, now with his man Kamarov sitting across from them. He was trying to talk business but he wasn't looking like he was, he was watching so intently. John almost wanted to turn around and look right at him, wondering if Nikolai would try to look like he wasn't staring.
Kate turned in her seat, appearing as though she was going to look behind her. And just like that Nikolai looked away. He was staring but he didn't want to be caught. Man had to know he wasn't being subtle.
"John, I think he likes you."
"He does, he told me himself."
She grins, "Really? Then why are you over here and not talking him up?"
John swallowed hard, the way she said that made him pause.
"Can't show too much interest..."
"John..."
"He's intimidating, okay?"
She snorts and John knows she had enough wine for the evening. She leans over and rests her head on his shoulder, making him decide they should wrap this up.
"It's for work, Kate. Get you a takeaway box, we need to call it a night."
Kate whines but makes no further protest, finishing her latest and last glass of wine. John stands and walks over to Nikolai, the man almost sitting up straighter as he approached. John looked to Kamarov who blinked, quietly looking to Nikolai before he dismissed himself and left the booth. John sat across from Nikolai once the man was, the two staring at each other for a moment before speaking.
"Think I need to leave this get together. Got a postcard that needs sent to the UK."
Nikolai leans forward, "Leaving so soon? And we didn't get to have much quality time."
John represses a shudder as Nikolai folds his arms over the table. He felt like Nikolai was trying to regain lead of the situation, and John felt he had to fight to keep it. He leans back against the seat, keeping eye contact with Nikolai as he did.
"Quality time? Have to earn that."
Nikolai grins, he liked John talking back, "By being useful? I can be very useful."
I want to launch into the fucking sun.
"I can give you a tip on how to do that; Meet with my captain. Make friends with him and we can have some more quality time."
Nikolai looked him up and down, he looked mad with glee.
"I'll give you my number. I'll be wherever you want me to be."
"Good, already being useful."
Nikolai offered a card and John took it. He debated on nagging for a cigarette but he didn't want to push his luck. So he left with the card, going to collect Laswell and her box of pasta before they left the private dining area.
"Ya know, John. I don't know how you still feel about me but... that looked like flirting to me."
John felt his face get hot, "You're drunk."
Kate smiled, it was gentle, "Sure."
___
Kate was supposed to head out on another flight but she chose to stick around for a week. Why? She wouldn't directly tell him, just danced around the question with partial truths. John knew she stayed to hear whatever drama was going to happen with Mac. They had purposely delayed returning to the UK, giving enough time for John's express shipped postcard to land on Mac's desk.
She acted like she had nowhere else better to be, which left John wondering if whatever mess he had gotten himself into was really that entertaining.
"I would ask how you know where I live but I'd waste my breath."
"You're always wasting your breath."
They had bonded, he will say that. He liked Kate. She was funny, smart, and seemed to know how he thought like it was her own mind. Maybe he was just being dumb and too easy to read, maybe they were a lot alike. Either way, John was starting to consider an actual friend, someone he could trust. Well, he was hoping he could trust her. It never hurt to have genuine friends in this line of work.
They had went to John's flat after they landed, John planning on giving Mac a call to give the run down of everything (and to hear feedback about the postcard), and Kate decided to join him. She met Mac once, briefly, in an attempt to scope him out, which led to her going to John. Which led to the whole situation with Nikolai. To put it simply; Everything was her fault.
"Wow, that's a lot of records. And tapes."
"I like music."
"Maybe try to like organizing, too?"
"It's organized! I know where everything is and where it goes, unlike your untrained eye."
He had a system, Mac knew it and so did the rest of his team. It was messy in appearance but it worked. When John was able to get less heat from messes he took it. Maybe with age he'll go back to keeping things clean.
John had settled on his couch. It was old, pre-owned when he got it, but it has given him the best damn naps. He flopped down on the pillow he had left there from his last nap and sighed loudly. Kate snorted before she sat on the end that he wasn't occupying, relaxing against the couch and maybe, too, experiencing the magic the old thing possessed deep within its seams.
"When are you-"
"Sh sh- No work talk. Not yet," his voice was muffled by the pillow which made Kate laugh. She agreed silently, allowing him to lay there for several minutes before he decided to move.
Time to call Mac.
"I bet he's left voicemails. He always does."
"Ah, dads. They have such delightful things to say."
John mocked her under his breath, gaining a heatless glare. He climbed off the couch with great effort before he went to his landline. He had three messages, surprisingly. Two from Mac, and one from Sikes. Mac gave him the same talk about him running off, about him playing dangerous games. God, he really did sound like his father. Well, not his actual father, Mac was more caring.
Sikes just left a message about the postcard being a work of art. That's what John was looking forward to. After thoroughly enjoying Sikes' voicemail, John dialed Mac. He called his office phone specifically, for the added flair of his audacity.
"Sergeant Jonathan Price-"
"I come bearing gifts!"
"Like the postcard?"
"Better, even though that was fantastic work on my part."
Mac chuckles, if John didn't have stubborn residency in his soft spot then he would've been dead by now. Mac shifted on the other side, John hearing someone knock and Mac telling them to give him a minute. He better deliver his gift quick.
"Mr. Chimera is willing to meet."
"Mr. Chimera? Nikolai?"
"The very same."
Mac laughs, "You left to get his contact! And you succeeded!"
"I-"
"Don't lie. I know you, lad, better than anyone."
John looks to Kate who was still on his couch, relaxed and combating jetlag, "Keep telling yourself that. Wanna meet him or not?"
"If you can get that myth into the SAS's backyard then you're getting a raise."
"Promise? I have a witness of it!"
"Don't push it."
"Fine fine- When and where? Up to you, old man."
Kate looked over, thoroughly amused. John grinned at her and she snickered.
"Meeting the parents," She said, just loud enough for him to hear. John made a famously rude gesture towards her, earning another laugh.
John felt proud. His second contact, Kate being his first. He could foresee some chaos, enjoyable chaos and grand victories. Hopefully Mac could see it, too.
___
He was watching the clock obsessively, he knew this. Nikolai had sent him a email stating when he would be arriving and at what airport. John had sent a reply confirming he got the email and that was that. Silence.
He didn't like the silence.
"A watched pot won't boil, John."
John waved Kate off at her comment, he had at least an hour before he had to leave. He wanted to meet Nikolai there. Mac had tried to get him to use their airfield but Nikolai refused. John wondered why, wondered if Nikolai had doubts of meeting an SAS captain. He was pushing off the meeting by purposely using a civilian airline.
"He could've been here by now," John muttered under his breath, "I have to drive fucking thirty minutes to the airport and then twenty to the base."
Kate snorts, "That's my Sunday drive."
John glares at her and she just smiles. The last two hours she was waiting with him, wondering. And now all the sudden she's grinning like she knows something. John glared at her for this, hoping she would reveal what she knew to him without him having to ask or beg.
For once, that worked. Or Kate wanted to talk about it judging by how she eagerly pulled the chair out from the front of his desk and sat, leaning over the desk.
"He wants some extra time with you."
John blinked, staring at her before he blurted out "No he doesn't."
She laughs, "Yes he does! Why else would he pick an airport that you have to go out of your way to go to? Why else would he only tell you and not any one else on your team?"
John stared at her before he dropped his head to the desk. He can't keep doing this, racing after his own heart. He heard Kate laugh as he laid there, felt her pat the back of his head. She found his inability to be on the same page as his emotions hilarious. 
"That bastard."
"Guess he's getting his quality time."
John sat up, "Bastard."
She snorts, "You have to keep playing his game to win, John. Can't just play for a moment then revert back to this."
She motions to him, John huffing. She was right, he had to keep playing Nikolai's game and not back out. John stares at Kate and she stops giggling, blinking when his own grin forms.
"Hey, Kate-"
"Nope! Not getting in the middle of whatever this is."
"You have been involved day one. You can't back out."
Kate groans but John could tell she was amused by it all. She was going to help him win this game, make Nikolai squirm and play harder.
"Fine! But I'm taking a personal car."
"... whose car?"
"... Know where your captain keeps his keys?"
Oh this was becoming more fun by the second. Clearly she wanted to see how far he was willing to go for this and John aimed to impress.
"Wait out front."
"Oh you're insane."
Kate turned to leave, and before she reached the door John had an wonderful idea. He dug in a door in his desk, finding exactly what he wanted within seconds.
"Wait! One more thing."
Kate turned and rolled her eyes at the sight, "John no-"
John held out the disposable camera urgently, "This is serious. I need you to take a picture of his face when he realizes that I'm not there."
"John-"
"I'm winning this game, Kate."
Kate grinned and took the camera, "Fine."
Oh he couldn't wait to get the film processed. But that would have to wait, he had car keys to steal and had to prepare to mediate a meeting between an SAS officer and an arms dealer. He was sure the captain would play nice. But Nikolai? He wasn't completely confident on that.
___
Mac was sitting across from him, staring at him with a cross of amusement, exhaustion, and a hint of nervousness. He was bouncing his knee, had been moments after they had settled in their seats. Sikes was just amused, humming as he wrote something down on his notepad. John had been checking the clock regularly, Kate should be back with Nikolai by now. He was sure she would've called if something came up, Mac's car had a phone.
"John."
John looked to Mac who was still staring at him. Has he blinked? John can't remember seeing him blink.
"Yes, sir?"
"Why's my car not in the lot?"
John blinked innocently, looking out the window behind him to the car lot, "What you mean? Didn't you park in the garage today?"
"John."
"Heard it was gonna rain."
"Jonathan-"
"Know you're touchy about that car and the rain."
Sikes was watching them with great joy and amusement. John knows their bickering was the highlight of his job.
Mac's face dropped with shock and anger as his precious car pulled into a spot, his spot, and Kate got out. No Nikolai, which made John anxious. He couldn't even focus on Mac getting pissed over the car, just that he didn't see Nikolai.
Did Nikolai not appreciate him not showing up to get him? Did something came up? No, Kate would've told him if as soon as there was an issue. Where was Nikolai, then?
"Sergeant, your friend's here."
John whips his head around, from window to Sikes' smirking face. The door opened and Nikolai walked in with Sergeant Banks, dressed much more casual than when he last saw him. He looked like a civilian, not an arms dealer, and John could tell Mac was thinking just that. But he couldn't get past the relief he felt when he saw Nikolai. He came, he didn't back out.
"Ah, Sergeant Price!" Nikolai greeted eagerly with a grin, that grin crushing any doubts John had remaining.
John stands as does Mac. He was trying to take in everything that was Nikolai. First impressions were big for him and Nikolai wasn't checking any boxes off just yet. But he will, John knew he would.
"Nikolai, have a good flight?"
John was aiming for generally politeness but Nikolai wasn't willing to behave, "Of course. Shame you weren't the one to get me. I was looking forward to some quality time."
The rumble in his voice made John shudder and Mac and Sikes whipped their heads around to stare at him. Oh, he definitely didn't like him not picking him up. Nikolai smiled, pleased with the reactions he had gotten, only then did he finally turn towards Mac and Sikes.
"Captain MacMillan, and Lieutenant White, is it? A pleasure."
Mac took Nikolai's hand in a firm handshake, staring into almost into his skull as he did, gripping his hand tight. Sikes was less aggressive, didn't feel the need to put Nikolai in his place with a handshake.
"Mr. Chimera, is it?"
Nikolai grins, eyes flickering to John before he nods, "Indeed. I hadn't considered working with SAS, but the sergeant left an impression."
Mac turns to John, "Did he now?"
John swallows, he couldn't read Mac's expression.
That's new.
"Well, we'll talk about the sergeant later. Business, that's what you want, да?"
Mac nodded, "Yea... let's see if you deliver."
Oh Kate was going to get an earful later as he surely was from Mac. If he survives until then. Mac and Nikolai appeared to be sizing each other up, not letting up on their need to be on top. Sikes noticed and John wondered if he would be able to keep Mac playing nice this time.
I should keep notes on what to yell at her later...
___
"All of this is your fault. All of it."
Kate stared at him, "And what exactly is my fault?"
She wanted him to say it, to admit it. But those words won't come out and John was left frustrated. He knows what he was feeling, clearly she knew, too. So why couldn't he say it? Years of conditioning from his father? Seeing the judgement he passed to those who he deemed worth less than dirt, undeserving of basic human kindness. Those years of fear of it being directed at him.
The man wasn't here, he didn't have control anymore. But his claws were still there, and John couldn't admit what he wanted to say. Thankfully, Kate was understanding. She was patient, more than what he deserved. Was it obvious what he was struggling with? How many others knew?
No one, just her. Someone would've said something by now, right? Mac would've, and Sikes... right?
He didn't have the energy for this. There wasn't any rulebook to follow, he didn't know anyone going through this or had been through it. He felt alone... no, there was Kate, he wasn't alone.
"I've been taught that feelings like this are wrong."
Kate nodded, John sitting next to her on the couch. They had commandeered a lounge for themselves when Mac and Nikolai came to an agreement, John and Sikes being asked to leave so they could talk one-on-one. John needed a moment to step away anyway, to complain to Kate, to vent. She was so patient, understanding. Why? She picked something up not long after they met.
"I know. I was, too."
John looked to her and when she met his eye everything finally clicked.
"Oh."
She smiled, gentle teasing because she knew he didn't need any harshness at the moment, "There you go, using your brain."
"I... when did you-?"
"When did I-?"
"When did you know. How did you know?"
Kate shrugs, "Think around high school. There was this girl that sat next to me in math and... she was all I ever cared about in that class. Loved talking to her, we would help each other when we were stuck."
Kate talked with an endearing smile, enjoying every memory she spoke of. It made John's heart beat faster, thinking to Nikolai as she talked. Then, she stopped smiling, a frown replacing it.
"She... didn't feel the same. I worked up the courage to tell her, thought she was safe."
She said nothing more and John leaned over, shoulder pressing against hers. She leaned against him, dwelling in that memory. Finally she shook her head and looked to him.
"I've moved on, found a place for me. It can be hard but it's freeing being honest with yourself. And it feels so good to have people around you who understand."
Maybe she was eager in the beginning, when she had noticed that about John. Wanted a friend in their field of work, someone with the same kind of stress surrounding them. Someone who understood more than work. She moved too quickly, but John was willing now. He saw her perspective now and felt so thankful she was there, someone who knew these things.
"Typically people don't judge too hard when you know how to use a gun," Kate mused and John grinned when he heard it.
"When you have a body count they tend to play nicer."
She grins back, nodding. John could feel it, this was a defining moment. Kate Laswell, a friend for life. For however long that was, John knew they would be friends. Trouble, they were trouble, and he was glad to have met her. It was her fault but he was thankful for it.
___
Kate and John sat quietly next to each other as Mac discussed the routes the ultranationalists were taking. Nikolai was sitting across from John, watching Mac from over his shoulder. John was trying to stay focused but he kept looking to Nikolai, finding himself observing the man. He had soft features, scars cutting through his hair that was slowly growing back. His eyes were dark, a deep brown that held a warmth that you had to search for or otherwise they appeared cold like black ink.
He was fit, pushing his limits. John noticed he didn't eat a lot but smoked whenever and drank more than having decent meals. John wondered what he would look like healthy, not living on cigarettes and meals from the corner store. If he allowed himself to not push himself, allowed himself to cut back and enjoy life. John had witnessed how Nikolai was always looking over his shoulder, he fidgeted quiet a bit like he was never at ease. Why did he come alone if he was uncomfortable?
Nikolai's eyes flickered to him and John forced himself to focus on Mac. He caught a small smile on Nikolai's face from the corner of his eye, it wasn't smug but soft. John focused on Mac, looked at him and his presentation only, but his mind wandered to Nikolai.
___
"This can end so badly," John muttered. His heart was beating so fast that he thought it was just pop. He was wondering how he let her talk him into this.
"You trust me, don't you?"
He was hesitant to agree but he was nodding before he even realized. 
"Mr. Chimera will be heading back to Russia tomorrow. Unless you want to wait out the season or go and endure it, now is your chance."
Tell him. Tell him everything.
Nikolai was heading back, he's done with working with Mac. He got two convoys of barely legal guns and dropped them in Mac's personal hanger. Now he was heading home, and John didn’t know when he'd be able to see him again. So Kate convinced him to talk to him about his feelings. John was thinking about swallowing them whole at the moment.
"Kate..."
"It'll be fine!"
He wasn't sure. John can't remember ever being this nervous over something before. Not when he was on a mission, bullets flying and hope scarce to find. No, this was the moment he felt so anxious that he thought he was going to be sick. They were currently waiting outside, waiting for Mac and Nikolai to walk out and leave for the airport. Kate planned to for to grab Mac's attention so John could talk to Nikolai.
He wasn't sure he could do it, if he could follow through. He couldn't imagine how Nikolai would react, how he would deal with rejection. He's flirted with girls before with little care with they reciprocated. But John cares so much right now, he wanted Nikolai to accept his affections. But Nikolai didn't come off as that type. John didn't want to ruin whatever strange friendship they had with his stupid human emotions.
And what about Mac? He would surely learn about it all if Nikolai reacted poorly. Would he, too, react poorly? Not care for John's interest in men? The thought itself made John's knees weak. He couldn't do this.
"Kate, I can't-"
She noticed the look on his face, he was feeling light-headed.
"Shit- Sit down, you look pale."
John pressed his back against the brick wall they hid behind and slid down to the ground. Kate got on the ground with him, worried. Was he panicking? Was this a panic attack? It's been so long since he had one he couldn't even recognize it. He was so terrified of rejection to the point he was struggling to breathe.
"John- Breathe with me."
"He'd hate me."
"No he wouldn't."
"How do you know? You know him as well as I do."
Kate said nothing else, just squeezed John's hand. It took him several minutes to breathe. Just resting against the wall with his eyes closed, trying to think of anything other than Nikolai.
In the end, John couldn't face Nikolai. He watched from the bushes as him and Mac left for the airport. Kate had a look on her face, guilt. Maybe she wanted John to have a different ending than her. He didn't blame her for pushing him, who could have predicted this?
"I need a drink."
"That doesn't sound bad... if you're paying."
Kate snickers, "Sure. I'll help your poor ass out."
It was easier to just not think about Nikolai, it didn't hurt as much that way.
___
"She's amazing, John. You'd murder for her cooking."
Annie, Annie, Annie - That's the name Kate couldn't stop saying. She called often, for business and personal reasons. Currently she called to talk about the receptionist who she was practically stalking at work. She's denied her crush, John tried to play nice but she was making teasing her way too easy.
"Kate, ya know I'm working, right?"
"Oh, I can call later."
"You sound like you're going to explode if you don't talk now," John muttered, eying Sikes from the corner of his eye as he wrote on the docs before him. The man already smacked him over distracting himself with a paperclip, he may kill him for a phone call if he noticed. Sikes left the room and John sighed, relaxing as he spoke more clearly, "We're on for capture or kill."
"Bringing friends in?"
"Can't say too much... just that I might have to see..."
He hadn't spoken to Nikolai for almost a year. He felt guilt for it because that's the opposite of what he wanted. John wanted to talk to him, wished he could've said something before he left for the airport, but he was a coward. That damn fear spiked up in his chest at the thought of it, so he tried to stop it all together. He tried not to bring up the man, even as Mac worked with Chimera more and more. He was shocked the old man didn't say much considering John introduced them.
Maybe he knew more than what John was giving him credit for, making a conscious decision to leave Nikolai's name out of the conversation. Despite the desire to talk about him, oh did John want to talk. Only Kate knew everything, John wanted to reach out to Mac, to trust him. But that fear was still there, the fear of harsh rejection. He felt weak in the knees every time he thought about opening up to Mac, so he didn't bother.
"I'll call later. I'll have a list."
John snorts, "You do that."
He ended the call and sighed, Sikes reentering the room. He quickly noticed John's lack of work and walked over to him.
"Didn't smack you too hard, huh?"
John grunts, "Been over this shit three separate times, LT."
"There's too many ways this can go wrong, John. We need to be ready. Though Chimera will be with us, so hopefully everything will go in our favor."
Sikes sat across from him with a groan. He was getting old, had more wrinkles around his eyes and grey in his hair than what John remembered.
"Capt'n's got this, LT."
"I hope he does."
Uncertainty, Sikes wasn't known for that.
John stretched in his seat, hanging his arm over the back of his chair, "Where's my harmonica? I think you need a tune."
Sikes glares at him and John grins, "You're lucky the cap doesn't let me throw that thing into the ocean."
"My dear Bess? How could you?"
Sikes laughs and John feels victorious. There was a moment of peaceful silence before Sikes sighs, not directly looking at John.
"Mac's gettin' old... so am I. Not sure how much of this game we got left in us."
John fidgets, "Not that old."
"Feel older than we look, John."
John didn't say anything as he watched Sikes. He didn't like this, the way the man sat there with almost an empty look in his eye. John felt... afraid. Sikes had been there since the beginning, right alongside Mac. The thought of him just retiring or worse made John's heart ache. But retirement was better than the alternatives, there wasn't many better ones than that.
"Don't have Mac's crown in mind?" John attempted to joke despite his tone not caring his words as such.
"No, I think after this I'll go home. My last hurrah."
"Well, I'll bake you a cake."
Sikes smiles slightly, "Wouldn't mind that... not one bit."
"You're basic, right? Chocolate?"
"Tuxedo."
"Oh. Not basic. Not sure if I want to break my back for you."
"Not even for my retirement party?"
"You're not retiring. Cap will drag you back kicking and screaming."
Sikes laughs, "That's how he got me in this mess to begin with!"
John smiles, Sikes wasn't actually going to leave... right? He couldn't just leave, what would Bravo Team be without him? Without their lieutenant or captain? It wasn't happening.
"You make a face when you're thinking, ya know that? That's how I know you're never using your head when it matters."
John glares and Sikes shrugs. They say nothing for a moment, nothing on pending departure or the mission ahead. It didn't feel real.
___
He knew Chimera would be joining them, he just didn't expect them to join this soon. John felt as though he had no time to prepare, stopping in his tracks as he heard voices speaking a foreign language in the hanger. He was a coward, John was in touch with himself enough to know that. He saw Chimera's logo and almost launched himself into another panic attack, diving into a supply closet in the hanger to give himself a moment to breathe.
His heart was racing as he heard Russian outside in the hanger. It was childish, hiding like this. But he's always been a child, running from his emotions rather than facing them. He would've left the closet and ran at the first opportunity if Mac didn't sniff him out. He opened the closet and stared at John with a blank expression, maybe some disapprovement in his eyes.
"John..."
"I-"
"No more excuses, I'm tired of you acting like this," Mac growled as he grabbed John's collar and practically threw him out of the closet.
John stopped himself before he hit a truck, turning to yell at Mac but the man grabbed him and started dragging him through the hanger. John wanted to disappear when several of Nikolai's men turned their heads to stare as Captain MacMillan dragged his very own Sergeant Price by the collar like he was a kitten needing to be held by the scruff. It was humiliating.
Mac pushed him into the office in the back of the hanger, not so gently closing the door behind him as he stepped inside. John tried to get a word out but Mac silenced him with a glare. John chose to sit in the nearest chair as a response, which proved to be the smart move. Mac groaned, pinching his nose before he sits on the desk, staring down at John with an exasperated expression.
"Lad, what are you doing?"
"I was just checking-"
"Not about the closet. Well, not just the closet. Jonathan, you haven't been yourself for months. Skittish, quiet. Who is this?"
Mac motioned to all of John and John huffed, "That's a first. Thought you said I could do to learn how to be quiet."
Mac stares, unamused, "This is about Nikolai."
John chokes, "Nik- No! Of course it's not! He's been great! Look at all we've managed to accomplish-"
"When's the last time you talked to him?"
John avoided looking at Mac, "Been a minute..."
"He told me he hasn't gotten a word out of you for four months. John, he's been trying to talk to you for four months."
Shame and guilt squeezed his heart, John now being able to look in Mac's direction even if he wanted to. He tried to keep Nikolai out of his mind and now he couldn't stop thinking about him. Thinking about how the man felt with he didn't answer his calls, when he went out of his way to avoid running into him. He was childish and cowardly, a pathetic combination.
"Lad, you like him."
"He's pretty cool, I mean- He's self made-"
Mac grunts, "Jonathan. You like him. I know you do."
John felt his heart drop, gripping the edge of the chair to the point his fingers ached. He couldn't look up at Mac, panic setting in as his mind started racing. Of course he knew, why wouldn't he? It was like Mac sensed his panic and got down in front of him, grabbing his knee to get his attention.
"John, there's nothing wrong with how you feel about him. I know you grew up being taught otherwise."
Mac has always been there, a driving force that kept John where he wanted to be. His father had tried everything he could to get him discharged, force him to come back. Mac got in the way, got him into the SAS and far away from his father and family's reach. John wasn't sure why he thought he could put Mac in the same light as them. He wasn't like them, didn't think like them.
John swallowed, "You know?"
"Yea, I do, lad. Knew plenty men like yourself. It doesn't affect your ability to shoot, to hold a gun, or how to run your mouth."
John laughed and Mac firmly patted his thigh before standing, John able to look at him now.
"Ya know, avoiding people isn't a good way to make friends, or for romance."
"Is this your approval?"
Mac laughs, "Approval? Tolerance. You can do better."
John grins, "Thought you liked him."
"I do. On a professional basis. I'd skin him alive and make a lamp."
Mac turns from him as John laughs, opening the office door. Chimera had returned to its normal chatter, uncaring for whatever occurred with Mac and John.
"He's flying in tonight. Has a bird, did you know that?"
"He flies?"
"Behave. I'll rough him up if he's nasty."
"Mac-"
The man doesn't stick around for John to get another word out, walking away from the office with determination. John watched a few Russians visibly step away from him as he marched past, unable to not think about Mac giving Nikolai a piece of his mind.
Nikolai... I need to make things right.
Mac was right, you can't make friends through avoidance. And friendship is where everything starts.
___
An unfamiliar bird over base is a good way to make everyone uneasy. It was a beautiful thing, Russian make, and definitely stolen. Nikolai owned it, and landed it with grace and experience. Watching him get out of the helo, more scruff than when John last saw him, made John almost lose his confidence.
He wasn't going to run away again.
John walked up, heart racing but he wasn't backing down. Nikolai looked genuinely surprised to see him, doing a double take to make sure he actually saw him approaching. He looked John up and down, blinking in surprise. He wasn't as welcoming, as relaxed. If John didn't know any better, he would think the man was nervous.
"Didn't know you knew how to fly," John said in an attempt to break the silence. Nikolai didn't immediately respond, probably wondering where John got the audacity. Well, he's always had it, as Sikes has said before.
"Of course I know how to fly. But you wouldn't know that, now would you?"
John steels himself, "Yea, I wouldn't. That's my mistake."
Nikolai stared at him in uneasy silence. John noticed some of his men approach rather cautious, one he recognized to be Kamarov. He looked between them, lingering on Nikolai like he was waiting for some kind of command of how to proceed. Nikolai just stared at John, face neutral like he was trying to get a rad on him.
Finally, he turned from John to face Kamarov, speaking to him in Russian. Kamarov nodded, John wondering what was said as the man walked away. After a second he realized that Nikolai was giving him a small moment to say something, anything that would make him think that repairing whatever they had was worthwhile.
John hadn't expected to get this far, maybe he did have a chance.
"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner. My treat."
Nikolai softened, "Dinner?"
"Nothing fancy. Wouldn't get your expectations up... if you want to, that is."
Nikolai huffed, "Depends. Where would you be taking me?"
John stared, Nikolai waiting. He shuffled away, looking at his feet.
"I didn't think that far ahead."
Nikolai laughs, John feeling warmth spread throughout his chest.
"Alright."
"Alright?"
"Buy me dinner."
John couldn't stop the grin, Nikolai smiling at him. He stepped away nodding, Nikolai chuckling when he bumps into the helo. Feeling his face heat up, John turned and quickly walked away, hearing Nikolai's laugh follow him.
___
"It's just a dinner. Just a dinner."
"John, you successfully asked that man out after avoiding him for months. The fact he's giving you this means it's not just dinner."
Oh, leave it to Kate to get his heart racing after he just managed to calm down.
"God... I'm fucked."
"If you're lucky."
"Kate," John hissed, hearing the woman laugh in response. At least someone was enjoying this, he was just anxious all around.
It was instinctual to call her, even hours before he was initially supposed to go out and meet Nikolai. He needed to tell someone who already knew the majority of the story. It was amazing knowing Mac supported him but the man was too eager to threaten to jump Nikolai if things didn't go well. At least Kate wasn't out right threatening him.
"A small, locally owned diner. You've been there plenty of times, the food is good and the atmosphere is great. You got this."
"Oh, you're being nice. I'm doomed."
He had get off soon to get ready, he had been watching the clock for the past ten minutes. He was supposed to pick up Nikolai, show him around town. God this felt like a date. A real date. He didn't want to fuck this up, not again. Nikolai didn't deserve that kind of disrespect. John certainly wouldn't survive it.
"I got expectations to meet."
"I'm sure they're low enough for you to manage."
John groaned, "Kate please. Am I supposed to get him in my car? It's shit, you know that!"
"Use Mac's."
"You already got him in it! He knows it's not mine!"
Kate was giggling, "Take Sikes' then."
John blinks as he thinks about it, staring at the clock before he goes to stand, "Kate I gotta go. I'll call you afterwards if I'm still alive."
"Good luck. Hope you're real lucky."
John groaned before hanging up, hearing the tail end of Kate cackling before he put the phone down. He had ten minutes before he had to get Nikolai, ten minutes to either force himself to drive his car to borrow someone else's. Nikolai had money, he felt nothing but shame and nervousness thinking about driving his old, beat up car that has seen a better decade.
He could get Sikes' car, well, SUV. It was nice, nice enough to meet Nikolai's level. Sikes wouldn't be happy but John would happily give him a reminder what he was leaving he when thought about retirement. John grabbed his nicer jacket before he left his quarters, trying to calmly walk down the hall. He went straight to Sikes' office, pleasantly surprised to find it empty and his car keys left unguarded.
Without a second thought, John grabs them before writing a quick and cheeky note for Sikes to find. He wrote a rather confident message, hoping to make Sikes want to desensitize every damn inch of his SUV. A lasting memory, no matter where he goes he will have that SUV. John felt rather hilarious for it.
He walked down the hall, rhythmed breathing to help calm himself. 
Grab the SUV, drive around to the hanger, pick up Nikolai, then drive out to get food. Simple.
Simple, it was simple. But that didn't mean it was easy.
John managed to get to the hanger but he didn't see Nikolai anywhere, not near his bird or with his men. John did arrive earlier than agreed upon, maybe caught Nikolai unexpected.
Or he's not coming. Wanted to give me a taste of my own medicine.
Once that thought entered his mind it would not leave. Mac always did he could get in his own head like no one else, his own worst enemy. Nikolai wouldn’t do that, would he? He seemed genuine when accepting John's invitation to dinner. Was it an act? Has he been played?
John's heart almost escaped through his throat as Kamarov knocks on the window, grinning when he noticed he caught him off guard. John groans and rolls down the window, Kamarov leaning against the SUV's door.
"He's getting pretty. Will be out in a moment."
John made a face, he wasn't sure which one but it made Kamarov laugh. The man walked away and said something to the other Chimera men, most of them joining him in laughter. John sighed as he leaned back against the seat, debating on whether or not he should get out and greet Nikolai when he finally leaves the hanger.
What did he tell his guys this was?
John felt his face flush, did Nikolai refer to this as a date? 
John looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Nikolai.
Pretty indeed.
He moved quickly, uncoordinated, opening the door and trying to get out smoothly but his foot was caught in something, probably the door itself. John had ten seconds of what was the slowest fall of his life before he smacked against the ground, hard. And a chorus of Russian laughter howled in response. There wasn't a moment in existence where John wanted to spontaneously combust more than then.
He laid there, that probably is what made them laugh harder. Then silence as someone grabs his arm to help him up.
"Sergeant! Are you alright?"
Nikolai. Of course he did that where Nikolai could see him. John couldn't face the man as he hauled him off the ground all too easily. He finally had no choice to look at him when the man grabs his face and turns it, keeping an arm around him to keep him upright. Maybe it was the close proximity of Nikolai's face that made John to try to free himself. It would show that Nikolai didn’t have a grasp easily escaped.
"Be still. You're bleeding. Let me clean it up-" his tone had a very light bit of laughter in it, Nikolai showing more concern than amusement.
John kept trying to look away as Nikolai wrestled him to sit back in the car. This was already off to a bad start.
"I'm fine! Had worse."
"Your nose is-"
"Fine! I- Dinner."
Nikolai finally releases him, "It can wait a moment. Please let me clean your face."
John couldn't keep saying no, sighing as Nikolai turned and walked back to the hanger. Not a single one of his men laughed, choosing to go back to their previous work. He felt like he missed something while he was kissing the ground, they weren't daring to look in his direction now.
Nikolai returned with a first aid kit, John groaning. The place he wanted to take him didn't close until late so that wasn't a worry. But John found it impossible to be still and let Nikolai clean his face. The man was so gentle, holding his face with great care. John couldn’t look at him even though his face was so close to his, he just looked away before finally closing his eyes.
"Not so bad, looks like the ground didn't want to damage your beautiful face."
John's face lit on fire, the sergeant jerking his head free from Nikolai's face. He cleared his throat, Nikolai backing up with a small smile. John motioned to the other side of the SUV, staring mostly at the ground as he did.
"Dinner."
Nikolai laughs, "I apologize, I was too forward."
John's face was red, he knew it was. Nikolai showed him mercy by packing the first aid kit back up and tossing it to one of his men before he went around to the passenger side. John forced himself to get back in the driver's seat, face still hot as he thought about Nikolai's words and tenderness.
Oh he wasn't going to survive tonight.
___
“Congratulations, sergeant, you found the one place in this country that has decent food.” 
It was an obvious prod, Nikolai trying to get a reaction. John glared at him and the man grinned, he was waiting for a more verbal response. But John wasn’t going to give it to him, instead he’d prod the man as well. 
“You finally get your quality time and this is what you choose to do with it?” 
Nikolai licked his lips, “Oh, I’d have better things in mind. For proper quality time, mind you. This is-” 
He silently searched for the word, John watching him. He could practically hear it already, it was right there. Nikolai didn’t say it, just sighed. 
“This is quality time. Base level.” 
John snorts, “I can upgrade the level of quality time?” 
“If you play nice... starting by answering my calls.” 
John looked back to his food, shame pricking at his skin. Nikolai didn’t say anything else, poking at his slice of pie. It was an awkward silence, John deserved that.  
He thought back to his relationship with Kate in the beginning. But he got past that moment of sourness. Could he move on with Nikolai? He gave him this chance, this moment to apologize. He deserved an apology, this man that John didn’t know all about but couldn’t stop thinking about for a second. 
“Well, I am a coward. Good at taking people for granted, hurting people who don’t deserve it.” 
“A coward? Not you,” Nikolai disagreed, “I fondly think back to when you first impressed me.” 
A stolen cigarette, that’s what came to John’s mind upon Nikolai’s mention of that car chase.
"Cowards avoid things. Avoid talking to people they actually want to talk to," John muttered, he wasn't as hungry as he was moments ago.
Nikolai reached across the table and grabbed John's free hand, the man jerking up to look at him. There was understanding in Nikolai's eyes, it was like he understood what John was feeling on a deeper level than previously. There wasn't any words in that short moment, just a comfort and relief washing over him. He squeezed Nikolai's hands before letting go, the man sitting back on the other side of the table.
"It's not safe to be open in such a way, sergeant. I grew up in the system, never had a stable home life. I've seen people get killed over petty disagreements, let alone something they cannot help."
This was the first time John heard of this, out of everything he learned from Kate or hearing from Nikolai himself, this was something personal. He was letting him in, letting him get close, even after those months of silence. John knew he could never betray that trust, he'll never let his own fear get the better of him.
"I grew up rich."
Nikolai smiled, "Oh?"
"That first dinner you treated me and Kate to? That place was like going back home," John didn't want to share too much, while Nikolai opened up to him he didn't give too much information. John would do the same, match him.
"Had the finest silk sheets growing up, silver utensils all my life. Never been happier to get away from it."
Nikolai's smile was softer now, "I found people like me, even in our not so welcoming world. I didn't know stepping away from them in the end would be the best decision for me."
Cryptic messages, Nikolai was certainly sharing more than what he was used to. John didn't push for more, finally taking a bite of food (now colder than what he would've liked) and a drink of his watered down fizzy drink. They finished their plates in silence and John went to pay, but Nikolai wasn't going to let that happen in peace.
"Nikolai, put that wallet away."
"From riches to rags, I insist to cover this."
Oh that made John's eye twitch. He turned to the man who barely containing a gleeful grin, he was purposely prodding at him.
"I'm paying, Nik, and you're just going to have to let it happen. My treat, 'member?"
Nikolai grinned and finally allowed him to get out of the booth to pay. The waiter had been watching them this entire time, trying to act like he hadn't. John visited the diner enough to recognize a few of the staff, he didn't recognize this guy. At least the regular staff know not to stare at him.
When John returned to Nikolai so they could leave, the man was still grinning at him. John knew he was waiting for him to say something about it, so now John wasn't going to.
"Alright, let's get out of here."
"Hm? You are done with me already?"
"'Course not, got other things in mind."
Nikolai followed him outside, John was planning to just get in the car and leave, but Nikolai had other things planned.
"Where are you going?"
"A walks sounds lovely, no?"
John huffs out a short laugh as Nikolai walks out of the car park and into town. He had no choice but to follow him, he couldn't allow the man to get lost. There was a whole militia waiting for him to come back in one piece so John better deliver. He jogged to catch up to Nikolai, the man not slowing for a second as he ventured away from the diner.
"It feels lovely tonight."
"It's cold."
Nikolai looks at him, "Would you like to visit my home town?"
John hums, "Little earlier for that, isn't it? How long have we known each other?"
"That didn't stop you."
John glares and Nikolai laughs, sidestepping to avoid a swipe from him. Nikolai stepped back over after John stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"What was that you called me earlier?"
"I've called you many things in my head."
"Out loud. Nik, was it? Rather informal."
John flushes, "I-"
"I like it."
John chews on his lip, walking next to Nikolai in silence. Nikolai chose to be quiet, enjoying the walk, cool breeze, staring up at the sky with a light-hearted smile. You would never know this was an arms dealer, a man who profits off war. He didn't come off as that kind of person, scars and questionable background be damned.
He wanted to say something, as he stared at Nikolai, say anything to add to the moment. But John was afraid he wouldn't be able to do that, so he remained quiet. Staring, and he knew that Nikolai noticed. He was still smiling, he felt warm to stand next to even in the chilly evening.
"Maybe we should move on with your activity list, so you can return that borrowed vehicle."
Nikolai looked to John, smug, and John was horrified. Nikolai laughed as John stuttered, trying to get out a response in his defense.
"I know what your car looks like, sergeant. Maybe pick me up in it sometime."
Nikolai headed back to the car park and John watched him, dumbfounded.
"How do you know what my car looks like!?"
Nikolai didn't reply, just skipped ahead to the SUV.
___
"It was Kate, wasn't it?"
They took a longer route back to base, enjoying the ride with music playing softly from the radio. John couldn't get past the car comment.
"What fun would it be telling you? I need to keep my air of mystery."
John glared, "You're mysterious enough."
Nikolai's laugh would never get old. John could see him smile all night, hear him laugh all night. He wouldn't dare say this out loud, that would be too much.
They pulled back into base, security stopping them.
"Out late, sergeant. Hot date?"
A joke, but John had a hard time taking it as such. It stayed with him as he drove them to the hanger occupied by Chimera, and it apparently stayed with Nikolai, as well. They stopped in front of the hanger, Nikolai's men no where in sight. 
"Well, that's the night."
"That's all?" Nikolai sounded amused yet disappointed. 
"Well, work night and all..."
It was awkward, how was he supposed to end this? Nikolai was watching him expectantly, what was he waiting for? John was out of his element. The diner, walking through town, the park, the night drive-
How does he say good night to Nikolai?
"I may be... rusty."
"Rusty? In what, sergeant?"
John didn't get to speak as Nikolai reaches over and takes his chin in his hand, forcing him to look at him. Everything slowed in that moment, John's heart pounding and his mind screaming. Nikolai pulled him close and he followed without resistance. He couldn't remember the last time he ever kissed someone, let alone someone he was so drawn to. It was sweet but awkward.
When Nikolai parted away, John was staring at him with wide eyes, unable to say a word. He stared long enough to make Nikolai nervous, maybe even make him doubt himself and lose confidence. John didn't let him stew too long, grabbing Nikolai's shirt and forcing him close again, this time kissing with effort. Nikolai melted almost immediately, a hand cupping his jaw as he leaned completely into John.
When they parted again, John was grinning stupidly as was Nikolai. It was a wonderful feeling, like he could finally breathe.
"That's how you end a date, sergeant," Nikolai muttered and John laughed, "I would show you another way but... I want to know you."
"I want to know you, too."
It was all too soft and sweet for men like them. But it was something John needed terribly, he wasn't even aware of how much he needed it until that moment. Nikolai ended the night with another kiss, soft on his cheek before he got out of the SUV and headed into the hanger. John watched him until he was out sight, only then driving back to the car park to return the SUV.
___
"You look... happy," Banks muttered, watching him with great suspicion.
John wasn't surprised, he felt better than he had in years. True, genuine happiness, of course it was noticed.
"I had a good night."
"Right... in LT's car?"
John bites back a laugh as Sikes, who had previously gave him a wide berth the entire morning, whipped his head around to glare at them. Banks snorted and ducked his head, suppressing his laughter into his arm. Mac walked in then, with Nikolai, and Banks was putting all his training towards not cackling at Sikes' expression.
"Gentlemen, business," Mac grunted.
Nikolai chose to sit next to John and John felt giddy. Mac looked between them like he knew something, and he wasn't pleased about what he knew. But he didn't say anything on it, choosing to move on to the task at hand.
John tried to focus, but it was hard when Nikolai insisted on holding his hand under the table.
___
"You kissed him? Kissed him!?"
Apparently being polite and not waking Kate up in the night to tell her was the wrong move. He chose to go with her annoyance.
"Yea, we're having a spring wedding. When's yours?"
Kate was hysterical, in laughter and other reasons. John listened, laughing, as he stared at the postcard that was left on his desk. It was written in Russian, a heart at the end, and John knew his next personal mission. Learn Russian, and hopefully write out everything he felt that he's never been able to say out loud in English.
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mr-bas00nist · 2 years
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Please be proud!
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Sub! Danny Johnson, Desperate and Depraved Danny❤️, Dom Male Reader, Blowjob, Dub-Con, Facefucking, Daddy Issues, Slight Manipulation, Praise, Dry Humping, Daddy Kink and Throatpie 
WARNING‼️ This is a bit dark but it gets better at the end 🙌
The Ghostface was a cold and calculated in the real world. But I’m the entity’s realm his sadistic side showed way more. He didn’t have to clean up anything, he could kill infront of people without the slightest hint of fear. It was amazing, and you could ask any survivor about him and they’ll all say he’s the scariest stealth killer. 
The feeling of being stared at but not knowing we’re it’s coming from until it’s to late, or not even realizing your being stared out is a very common fear for all survivors. Though one thing about Danny that people didn’t realize was how depraved and desperate he was. 
Whether that be sexually or emotionally. No one ever realized that though. But with careful observation you realized it. How desperate he was for a hug or even a touch of human contact. I mean his father certainly didn’t help. He always looked for approval before and after his fathers death. But, he never got it. Only shallow ‘good jobs’ on his newspaper articles.
But your praise was different. Of course he could realize you were kind of using him for things like escapes and less hooking but he couldn’t really blame you. He got a hug and you got the hatch. It was perfect for him. 
You wanted to change it up a bit though. You wanted release. All that sexual frustration wasn’t helping your case. So who else to go to but the man who needs your touch or he’d probably kill himself? The match went by quickly 4 gens remained and all 3 of your teammates were dead. 
You stood at the shack of Macmillan’s estate when you sensed a familiar presence. Danny reveals himself running up to you excitedly. He hugs you and you hug him back but before he can pull away you hold him there. Under his gaping mask he had a quirked eyebrow but you simply had a little smile. 
You held him there, his crotch leveled with yours. You slowly started moving against his crotch and his breath hitches. He expects you to push him away and laugh at him but you don’t. You only continue humping him. “W-what’s the special occasion-?” He rasps out. “Horny.” You spoke
He nods holding onto your own hips tightly. You guys met each others thrusts eagerly especially Danny. He throws his head back with a loud gasp as you kiss his cloaked neck. You pull away stopping your movements. 
He whines at the lost of contact when you start unbuckling your pants. “On your knees.” He nods falling to his knees quickly. You pull your cock out as Danny awaits a command. “Suck.” He nods licking the tip quickly. 
He slowly puts the tip in his mouth sucking gently. “Mhm, good boy.” He moans around your dick. 
He pulls off confusing you but the words that leave his mouth immediately make you forget your confusion. “A-am I doing good?” He asks worried. You rub his head gently. “So good for me. So good.” He clenches his thighs together as His cock twitches. “Thank you daddy.” You growl shoving his mouth back onto your dick.
You begin fucking his throat as he can do nothing but choke and cry. He holds your upper thighs tightly bracing himself while you jackhammer your cock in his throat. He smiles, not that you can see. He’s finally worthy to you, he’s finally worth something to you! To someone!
With a few more thrusts your grunts and moans increase in volume when you finally reach your peak. You shove his head all the way down on your cock as you cum in his throat. You finally let go of his head as he coughs on the floor vigorously. He looks up at you with admiration making you quirk your eyebrow.
You pat his head with a genuine smile walking away to find the hatch. Would this be an ongoing thing? Danny sure fucking hoped so.
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georgefairbrother · 7 months
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At the general election on 23rd February 1950, the incumbent UK Labour government just managed to cling on by their fingernails, with a precarious single-figure majority…
Under Clement Attlee, Labour had won in a landslide in 1945 (145 seat majority), but by 1950 the wheels were, if not actually falling off, at least coming loose. The final result in 1950 was 315 seats for Labour, 298 for the Conservatives and nine for the Liberal Party. Opposition Leader Winston Churchill noted that the parliament would be in an ‘unstable condition’.
As the Attlee Government entered the final full year of its first term, the contentious Iron and Steel (Nationalisation) Bill was presented to parliament. This measure resulted in serious conflict with the Conservative Opposition, which had otherwise been generally supportive of the Government’s Welfare State reforms. The nationalisation programme was a source of disagreement, in particular iron and steel which was seen as profitable and efficient in private hands. (It would later be re-privatised by the Churchill government).
Cost of living pressures were also causing headaches, although the government asserted that food subsidies were saving the average family around 14 shillings per week. The peak inflation rate of 7.7% in 1948 improved to around 3% by 1949-50, but would spike again to around 9% in 1951. (1970s and 80s governments would have looked back at those inflation figures with teeth-grinding envy).
Health (and housing) Minister Aneurin Bevan said that the NHS was costing double what the Government had budgeted for. Other sources suggest that the blowout was as much as three times the initial estimates. Rationing was lifted on clothing, but high prices and low availability appeared to make little difference. Meat and butter rations were increased but the sugar ration was cut. A number of industrial actions disrupted essential services like transport, coal mining and the docks, the latter resulting in a declared State of Emergency.
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The Government was also struggling to uphold a key component of its manifesto, rebuilding war-damaged housing and supporting slum clearances. Production and building targets were difficult to achieve because of the continued shortage of materials and labour. About 9 000 fewer permanent new homes were built in the first part of 1949 as had been constructed during the corresponding period of the year before. (Harold Macmillan would boost housing renewal under the Tories, although he was less hampered by labour and material shortages, and the construction of high rise flats was incentivised.)
Leading up to the 1950 election, the Liberal Party was calling for controls on spending, limits to nationalisations, the application of food subsidies based on need, and the curbing of an expanding bureaucracy and civil service. In their 1950 manifesto, they asserted;
“…Crisis upon crisis comes upon us, because we are living beyond our means. The Liberal Party believes passionately in full employment in a free society, and in maintaining the social services, but unless we practice thrift and get full production, lower rations and mass unemployment are inescapable when the American aid ends…”
Following a period of death, illness and disunity within government’s depleted ranks, the Conservatives returned to power when another general election was called in 1951. Labour would be out of office for 13 years, although many of their initiatives were embraced and even expanded by subsequent Tory governments.
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v1v1andarkbl00m · 2 years
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Sheryl Lee and Lorna MacMillan on the film set of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
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usernoneexistent · 2 years
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Autumn 1895: Colin catches on that Winona seems to be onto him, does he reveal what he knows or will Winona tell him first?
Characters featured: Albert Burke @madelineorionswan.
Characters mentioned: Lysander Mercury @slytherindisaster.
Warnings: mention of social anxiety, carnivorous plants.
"Colin?" Albert Burke Wyevernbush, his best friend, nudged him.
"What?" He whispered back, taking a quick check that professor Binns was too busy occupied by goblin rebellions. Colin heard enough tales about them from fellow Goblins from the recent rebellion in 1890.
"Winona has been staring at you again. Do you think she knows?" Albert proffered. Colin sheepishly glanced over at them from desks that the Gryffindor girl occupied with her friend. The girl quickly turned her head around, caught in the act.
Albert may be very well right. Colin did have the inkling that Winona was onto him, the increasing stares at him. At first, he wants to be sure that he is being paranoid, but Albert may have confirmed his worst fear. Particularly from Winona Rosewood and, last night Lysander, his Hufflepuff dormmate. Colin woke up in the night feeling Lysander's blue gaze right through, exactly like back in second year.
It made Colin wrought with worry and anxiety. Numerous times, his heart palpitated rapidly as he felt them getting closer to the truth, especially from Lysander. No, maybe they already knew the truth after all; everyone knew that the cousins were as thick as thieves.
"I dare hope not, Bertie," Colin muttered under his breath, only loud enough for Albert to hear.
At lunch, he and Albert hid in the Herbology greenhouses. While the fanged geraniums don't make the most pleasant of companies, it is undoubtedly more comfortable than the eyes of the students at the great hall. Professor MacMillan had been kind enough to let them as long as they helped with watering and caring for the plants.
Knocks rapped on the glass door.
"Hello?" A head peaked out.
The curious eyes of the Gryffindor girl wandered around the exotic plants reserved for the more advanced students before meeting his matching eyes.
"Hello, Colin. I was wondering if we could converse on a private matter." Her eyes glanced over to Albert.
"Um...you can say whatever you have to say to me in front of Bertie. I hold no secrets from him."
"Alright then," Winona murmured as she narrowly avoided getting bitten by the carnivorous plant. She sat neatly down on the stool. "So, I don't know how to say this..."
She paused, carefully considering her following words. Bertie edged on his seat with suspense, staring between the two.
"So, I have discovered of recent..." She fiddled with her thumbs. Colin held his breath. Will she say it, or will she not? "That my father had a child out of wedlock."
Her hazel eyes studied Colin's face to see his reaction. He hoped that he was not coming across as unfavourable.
"That child was you, Colin." Her lips seemed to purse tightly. She seemed nervous, not what Colin had expected.
"Aye, I ken." Colin finally showed a small smile.
Winona stared at him in disbelief. "You already knew? Wait, for how long? Why did you never say anything?"
"I knew for the entire time," Colin answered, fiddling with his fingers. "Ma told me about ma father but always told me to keep ma mouth shut. Especially at Hogwarts."
"Well, now that we both know, it's so good to have another brother," Winona spoke with excitement.
"I guess it's nice to have a sister," Colin already warmed up to the idea. He knew he was going against his mother's wishes; however, in his defence, Winona, his sister who he can now call her, was the one to approach him.
"And another brother too." He added, referring to Glenn Rosewood. Though Colin always found the older Gryffindor as an imitating force. Constantly berating and taking points from anyone in line.
The Gryffindor girl's brows furrowed in. "Another brother?"
Colin pointed to Bertie, half excited and half worried for him. "He's not my brother by blood, but I consider him one. This is Albert Burke."
Albert gave a slight wave to Winona.
"Hello," he said quietly.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you," Winona replied warmly. "I don't think I have seen you around before, Albert."
"You can call me Bertie, and no I don't believe we have met properly."
"Well, it's lovely making your acquaintance, Bertie." Colin felt his smile creep up as Bertie blushed brightly when Winona used his nickname. They didn't have many friends, and while Colin was comfortable with his small circle, he knew Bertie wanted to expand his friendship circle a little more.
"Rosewood. Winona, I mean?" Colin clarified. His mouth felt weird, and being on a first-name basis with his sister was strange.
"Yes, Colin?"
"Does your brother...I mean our brother know?"
"No."
"Lysander?"
Winona only nodded her head, laughing a little. "Was my dear cousin that obvious?"
"Yes." Colin sounded a little grumpy. "He better not going and tell everyone about our blood ties."
"Don't worry, he is my best secret keeper. Well, we didn't perform the actual curse however he keeps all my secret as I do for him." Winona corrected herself.
The bell rang, and Colin could hear some students gathering outside.
"You better leave before anyone...you know."
"Right, cause men and women can be left alone." She scoffed but was ready to leave with a smile. "I'll see you both around."
"Yeah...see you around," Colin awkwardly waved.
"Be careful of the-" Bertie warned, yet it was too late.
"Merlin's beard! Get off of me!"
"Fanged geraniums..."
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Bertie faded out. Winona was in a tug-of-war with the carnivorous plant. Colin and Bertie rushed to help and pulled her arm away, but the red plant held a chunk of fabric between their teeth.
Winona looked horrified at the shredded robe before letting out a peal of loud laughter. Colin was hesitant at first, wondering if she was hurt but slowly joined in the absurdity. Bertie followed, laughing at the fanged geraniums, who, in turn, Colin mused, must be looking back at them confused but he didn't care. He had gained a sister that day.
Previous story: Secret Keeper
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movietonight · 2 years
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I hope media from our universe exists in blaseball because I want someone to invite Parker Macmillan over to binge watch Twin Peaks now that he's just some guy™ and he sees the title of the movie and just Screams
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hbcsource · 2 years
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Interview with Helena Bonham Carter and Russell T. Davies for Radio Times | January 2023
INTERVIEWER: Ginny Dougary WHAT A STRIKING entrance they make! Russell T Davies, an imposing 6ft 6in, with Helena Bonham Carter a little over 5ft, by his side, waist-high. He is in his customary uniform of work shirt, jeans and desert boots. She is all vintage vibes, Miss Havishamesque in a dark emerald satin dress, radiating sparkles from several shiny necklaces and a diamanté clip artfully placed to guarantee her dark hair is not kept in place. We are in a green room in the depths of Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre, where the writer and the heroine of his latest television drama have been on a panel to promote the show – Nolly – and to explain why the main character of an almost forgotten soap opera is worthy of this stellar treatment. Nolly is Davies’s tribute to Noele Gordon (the drama took her nickname for its title), the star of Crossroads, the soap set in a motel in the fictional village of King’s Oak, near Birmingham. Known as the “Queen of the Midlands”, Gordon played motel chatelaine Meg Richardson and for those of us who watched it – at its peak it boasted 18 million viewers – she was the beating heart of the show. In its various incarnations, Crossroads ran from 1964 until 1988, but in 1981 fans woke up to the shocking news that its star had been sacked and four years later, Gordon died of cancer at the age of 65. Davies, who once wrote a trial episode for Crossroads in his early 20s, loved the soap and was always intrigued and saddened by Gordon’s removal and subsequent demise. In his skilled hands, what could have been a cheap crack at a soap whose tight budget was revealed when the walls visibly wobbled, has been transformed into something noble. It is an exploration of the apalling way women were treated, discarded seemingly on a whim and how anyone who didn’t fit into the expected mould was misunderstood. It is also the restoration into the limelight of someone who might otherwise have disappeared forever. Davies wants to show us the extent to which Nolly was a trailblazer and part of television history. Gordon was the first woman, for instance, to appear on colour television as well as the first female to interview a prime minister on screen (Harold Macmillan). STILL, HER LIFE is undeniably an odd subject, on the surface of it. As Davies says: “there are many reasons why you wouldn’t commission it. I mean, there’s nobody under the age of 50 who has heard of Noele Gordon. “I’ve been extraordinarily lucky to tell this story and that’s because of It’s a Sin [his critically acclaimed 2021 drama about the 1980s HIV/Aids crisis]. It’s one of those very rare moments in a career where people are saying, ‘What do you want to write?’” Was he concerned that his motivation might be assumed to be poking fun or ironic? “Very much so,” he admits. “Irony is paper thin. Irony only lasts two minutes. We’re proper drama makers and if you approach it to take the mickey, then the drama has no heart or soul. Why even attack a soap opera? You wouldn’t get three hours of drama from it.” Nevertheless, there will be people who are still mystified by the concept. “To be blunt, that’s when you cast Helena Bonham Carter because she lifts your standards and makes people look and say, ‘Well, that’s interesting!’” He turns to his star and adds: “you create an expectation of class and quality. Stop laughing! You know it’s true.” As part of Davies’s research into Gordon’s life, he read her autobiography and loved the constant barbs about how much the actors were paid on rival soap Coronation Street. “I used to work with Granada and they were treated properly there,” says Davies. “It’s got to be said that ATV didn’t treat the cast of Crossroads properly.” Bonham Carter’s accent flattens à la Nolly: “We had to buy our own costumes! We were only given £40.” He also spoke to the original Crossroads cast – Benny, Miss Diane et al – as well as floor managers and chorus boys who had worked with Gordon when she did Gypsy. “I’m not daft, I kept chipping away at the public front, but that’s when I started falling in love with her, because people kept telling me how much they loved her. I spoke to Tony Adams [who played accountant Adam Chance and along with Larry Grayson was one of Gordon’s closest friends. Mark Gatiss plays Larry Grayson in Nolly] and as time went on, I realised that they really adored her. She was strong and I’m not whitewashing her…” Bonham Carter chimes in. “She wasn’t easy but she had a lot of compassion and she treated people right. She was an impressive woman.” Davies is the son of two classics teachers and grew up in Swansea with his two sisters in a house where the TV was always on. When we first met in 2019 for his dystopian drama, Years and Years, he recalled that I, Claudius was the first time he had seen men kissing, which confirmed the way he felt about boys. BONHAM CARTER, who shares a son, 19, and a daughter, 14, with ex-husband, director Tim Burton, was brought up with her two brothers in Hampstead; her mother was a psychotherapist and her father a merchant banker. Much has been written about her illustrious forbears on both sides of the family (a prime minister, Lord Asquith, on the paternal side; Rothschilds and heroic figures who saved Jewish lives on the maternal). Her family also watched I, Claudius as well as Upstairs, Downstairs, The Forsyte Saga, Wings, Dad’s Army (“My dad’s favourite”), The Monkees, Happy Days and The Brady Bunch. As for Noele Gordon, “she was sort of like wallpaper, in the background”. What made her want to do the show? “It was a complete gift of a part,” she says. “With so many good scenes and story, she ended up being a very gallant woman. She has been mistreated but she doesn’t gloss over it, she says exactly what happened to her. There is nothing apologetic about her, I love that.” There is a strong scene when Gordon is talking to younger female cast members in the theatre about why she was sent packing, “Yes, ‘I was sacked because I was sackable’,” Bonham Carter quotes. Davies clarifies that this line, “was just me riffing on the role of women and how they were treated. “And it’s still true that women can be treated disgracefully, isn’t it?” he adds, turning to Bonham Carter. “Oh God, yeah,” she says. “I think when Sue Barker left A Question of Sport she said that she wasn’t given a choice…” Davies concurs with the comment, “and she had power and establishment and status…” “They keep on asking the opinion of people they never see and it’s such a cruel thing to do to your ego. All these likes and dislikes,” she finishes with a sigh. Davies is clearly as passionate about women’s rights. “We had Women’s Lib in the 60s and here girls are in 2023 and they think they ought to be slimmer with bigger busts, and sexy and on Love Island. Women, when are you ever gonna revolt?! Women, when are you ever going to say ‘Enough!’? “I look at my niece’s friends on Instagram and every inch of their faces is covered in make-up, fillers and extensions. Whatever happened to just having a good laugh?!” Davies is almost 60, Bonham Carter is close behind. They’re both sanguine about aging. Davies remembers his youthful concerns. “When you were young, you wouldn’t go out if you had a spot! Wouldn’t worry me now!” “It is liberating to be older,” Bonham Carter adds. “The skin isn’t necessarily as attractive but who cares?!” When Davies and I spoke last, it was six months after his husband, Andrew, had died. During his illness, Davies gave up work to be his carer. He said then that he hoped the loss would get easier – has it? “No and I don’t expect it will,” he says. “It isn’t killing me. I’m quite glad that I’ve gone back to writing Doctor Who because psychologically I’m thinking, ‘He knows what I’m doing now’. It gives me comfort. It’s when you do new things he never experienced that it feels odd and you don’t enjoy it so much.” “You don’t get better, but you get better at it,” interjects Bonham Carter, “that’s what my mum says.” The actor is no stranger to family sadness. When she was five, her mother had a breakdown, which took three years of recovery and led to her becoming a psychotherapist herself. When she was 13, Bonham Carter’s father was diagnosed with a tumour and during the operation to remove it, had a stroke that left him blind and half-paralysed. He died in 2004. Bonham Carter has been reading books about coping with death because she has lost friends and family over the years. She’s most anxious about how to prepare for her mother’s death. “I’m quite haunted by what life will be like without her, she’s been such a sensational mum,” she says. “It isn’t just the death, of course – it’s how much they are a part of you and how do you rearrange your sense of self without them? I’ve had a few friends who’ve gone and I really feel that I carry on with them within me. And when my dad died, I wrote a whole book to him because I had to keep talking to him.” “In some ways, it has got worse,” comments Davies, “because it’s ‘Oh, you’re still not coming back?’ Maybe it’s why Andrew keeps popping up in everything I write. Even in Nolly with the scenes of her cancer, I found myself visiting hospitals. There’s been death in a lot of the stuff I’ve written over the past few years. I don’t mind that. I’m glad. It feels richer.” Bonham Carter nods. “We have to incorporate it into our lives and talk about it. And even with divorce, too – people don’t talk about it. For those of us who are grieving a divorce or someone who has gone… our heads are full of that person. So this thing of ‘Don’t mention it…’” She shakes her head. HER FRIENDS DON’T tend to be actors but go back to her days at school, latterly Westminster. Several of her closest pals work as teachers in the state system. As we draw to a close, Bonham Carter looks down at my notes and reads out the name of her (younger) boyfriend Rye Dag Holmboe, a Norwegian writer, art historian and psychoanalyst. We’ve run out of time but she says she wouldn’t talk about him anyway because of his job. But what are we to make of the fact that both her mother and her partner are shrinks? Could she have been a psychoanalyst herself in another life? “I could still train,” she says. “It’s a possibility. I think I might actually have another life.”
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my-chaos-radio · 1 year
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Release: January 1, 1993
Lyrics:
Got no reason for coming to me
And the rain runnin' down
There's no reason
And the same voice
Comin' to me like it's all slowin' down
And believe me
I was the one who let you know
I was your "sorry ever after"
'74-'75
It's not easy
Nothin' to say 'cause it's already said
It's never easy
When I look on your eyes
Then I find that I'll do fine
When I look on your eyes
Then I'll do better
I was the one who let you know
I was your "sorry ever after"
'74-'75
Giving me more and I'll defy
'Cause you're really only after
'74-'75
Got no reason for comin' to me
And the rain runnin' down
There's no reason
When I look on your eyes
Then I find that I'll do fine
When I look on your eyes
Then I'll do better
I was the one who let you know
I was your "sorry ever after"
'74-'75
Giving me more and I'll defy
'Cause you're really only after
'74-'75
I was the one who let you know
I was your "sorry ever after"
'74-'75
Giving me more and I'll defy
'Cause you're really only after
'74-'75
Songwriter:
Michael Collier Connell / Douglas John Macmillan / George Harris Huntley / Stephen Jacob Potak / William Jr Wimberley / Timothy W Harper / David Dowell Connell
SongFacts:
"'74–'75" is a song by American band the Connells from their fifth studio album, 'Ring' (1993). The acoustic ballad was released as the album's third single in 1993, but it did not chart in the United States. It would later become a European hit for the band in 1995, reaching the top 10 in a total of 11 European countries and peaking at No. 1 in Norway and Sweden. It also charted in the top 20 of the United Kingdom. Since the Connells never had another hit, they are widely seen as a one-hit wonder.
In the song, singer Mike Connell nostalgically reflects on the passing of time and how people he used to know have changed now. The music video, directed by Mark Pellington, features students from Needham B. Broughton High School's Class of 1975 and compares the photographs from their yearbook, with how they look and have aged since then.
The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Mark Pellington. It was shot at Needham B. Broughton High School in the band's hometown Raleigh, North Carolina in 1993, and features members of the Class of 1975, juxtaposing yearbook pictures with footage of the same people as they appeared in 1993. On November 14, 2015, to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1974–1975 class, a remixed video of the song was released, showing the class members as they looked 22 years after the original video was released.
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makotoscoffee · 2 years
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hey bestie, are you okay? I saw you reblogged Sheryl Lee and Lorna MacMillan on the film set of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
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brookstonalmanac · 2 months
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Events 7.13 (after 1940)
1941 – World War II: Montenegrins begin the Trinaestojulski ustanak (Thirteenth of July Uprising), a popular revolt against the Axis powers. 1951 – Vuoristorata, one of the oldest still-operating wooden roller coasters in Europe, is opened at the Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki, Finland. 1956 – The Dartmouth workshop is the first conference on artificial intelligence. 1962 – In an unprecedented action, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan dismisses seven members of his Cabinet, marking the effective end of the National Liberals as a distinct force within British politics. 1973 – Watergate scandal: Alexander Butterfield reveals the existence of a secret Oval Office taping system to investigators for the Senate Watergate Committee. 1977 – Somalia declares war on Ethiopia, starting the Ogaden War. 1977 – New York City: Amidst a period of financial and social turmoil experiences an electrical blackout lasting nearly 24 hours that leads to widespread fires and looting. 1985 – The Live Aid benefit concert takes place in London and Philadelphia, as well as other venues such as Moscow and Sydney. 1985 – Vice President George H. W. Bush becomes the Acting President for the day when President Ronald Reagan undergoes surgery to remove polyps from his colon. 1990 – Lenin Peak disaster: a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan triggers an avalanche on Lenin Peak, killing 43 climbers in the deadliest mountaineering disaster in history. 1995 – Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-70 to deploy the TDRS-7 satellite. 2003 – French DGSE personnel abort an operation to rescue Íngrid Betancourt from FARC rebels in Colombia, causing a political scandal when details are leaked to the press. 2008 – Battle of Wanat begins when Taliban and al-Qaeda guerrillas attack US Army and Afghan National Army troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. deaths were, at that time, the most in a single battle since the beginning of operations in 2001. 2011 – Mumbai is rocked by three bomb blasts during the evening rush hour, killing 26 and injuring 130. 2011 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 1999 is adopted, which admits South Sudan to member status of United Nations. 2013 – Typhoon Soulik kills at least nine people and affects more than 160 million in East China and Taiwan. 2014 – Germany wins the 2014 FIFA World Cup defeating Argentina in the final following a 1-0 win after extra time. 2016 – Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron resigns, and is succeeded by Theresa May. 2020 – After a five-day search, the body of American actress and singer Naya Rivera is recovered from Lake Piru, where she drowned in California.
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ipl24 · 6 months
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#Recent Match Report - AUS Under-19 vs IND Under-19 Final 2023/24 #TATAIPL #IPL24
#IPL24 # Australia 253 for 7 (Harjas 55, Weibgen 48, Peake 46*, Limbani 3-68) beat India 174 (Adarsh 47, Abishek 42, Beardman 3-15, MacMillan 3-43) by 79 runs A fearsome four-pronged pace attack, spearheaded by the thunderous Callum Vidler and Mahli Beardman, who had Anrich Nortje transfixed to the action, led Australia to Under-19 World Cup glory in Benoni. The pace pack snuffed out seven…
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m58 · 7 months
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three from Rupert Loydell
IMPENDING DOOM
Tea or perhaps go buy a kite and stand for weeks until my body eats itself so that I am light enough to be. Need fizz and sugar, alcohol, to supplement my learning, instead eat brown banana, draw anatomical pictures, pretend that I don't wish to be elsewhere. Maybe I will go someplace and start a murderous cult. Is your day sunny and running away from you? My world is ending but I am not surrendering to anyone, just holding the handle of self-control, reading a poem about me I did not know you wrote.
FOUND AND ENABLED
She likes the fact her emails end up in my poems, sense disrupted, words disordered, taken out of context; likes that all the poets she knows take their coffee black, aren't intellectual, but happy to help dissect reality and pay the bill. It's easy to underestimate how comedy and satire remain enmeshed in the controversy of our endlessly awkward lives. Irony was hardly an invention of the postmodern though; most informal investigations are consummately poetical. Because of patient dissection we now know it is as likely that our work will be met with boos as with cheers and wild applause
and that duration alone produces a distinctly physical experience. Even in a clean room full of quiet you cannot escape from yourself.
BLOSSOM HIBBERT IS NOT YOUR FRIEND
Could she be a 21st century Selima Hill? I certainly hope not, one is enough. As invasive as Japanese knotweed, as knotty as a peacekeeping mission she is a bright sounding sustained note. Blossom Hibbert is not your friend but she might be Charlie Baylis, Martin Stannard or Alan at Leafe Press; a fig marmalade of their imagination, each busy in multiple dimensions.
If you swap O’Hara’s coke for a bathtub you end up with a clean stomach. If you seek a puerile thrill in silliness, strange pictures of seagulls, toilets and washing machines, she's your girl. Blossom Hibbert is not your friend. Her profound sense of tenderness, jumbled together with the excitement of being in in the modern world comes with accompanying scribbles. "It is too late for yesterday to begin."
Rupert Loydell is Senior Lecturer in the School of Writing and Journalism at Falmouth University, the editor of Stride magazine, and contributing editor to International Times. He is a widely published poet, and has written for academic journals such as Punk & Post-Punk (which he is on the editorial board of), New Writing, Revenant, The Journal of Visual Art Practice, Text, Axon, Musicology Research, Short Fiction in Theory and Practice, and contributed chapters to Brian Eno. Oblique Music (Bloomsbury, 2016), Critical Essays on Twin Peaks: The Return (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), Listen to the Sounds! (Routledge, 2021) and Bodies, Noise and Power in Industrial Music (Palgrave Macmillan 2022).
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yolacricket · 8 months
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jowensauthor · 8 months
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Peak Fake: A Scam Website Impersonating Macmillan Publishers
https://writerbeware.blog/2024/01/19/peak-fake-a-scam-website-impersonating-macmillan-publishers/
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