#Sterling finally gets a name for one of the kids

[tinycoded360]

Sterling Household-Mushrooms

Agnes couldn't suppress the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth, a mixture of mischief and pride blooming in her chest. Today was the day she'd venture out alone and prove her mettle as a borrower. She was feeling extra bold and would venture out in the daytime. After all, her father always prattled about how oblivious their human was. It should be a piece of cake. She’d gather some goodies from the kitchen and return triumphant. After all, the best stuff would be out now since the human would be cooking his lunch soon. So, she would have to be quick.

With a deep breath, she squeezed through a crack in the wall, her heart drumming a lively beat.

She tiptoed past the colossal form of Sterling, who lounged in the living room like a benign mountain, utterly engrossed in the pages of a thick book. The cat, Whiskers, lay curled on his lap, a soft purring mass that seemed harmless—until one remembered its predatory instincts. Agnes marveled briefly at Sterling’s size; he could, without effort, crush her or ensnare her in his palm, transforming her from a daring adventurer into a helpless pet. A shiver danced down her spine at the thought, but she shook it off, bolstered by her mission.

Agnes's tiny heart thrummed like a bird's wings in her chest as she scaled the sheer cliff of the kitchen counter.

There - on the far counter sat the mushroom basket. Agnes swallowed hard and steeled herself. She raced across the expanse, hyperaware of her vulnerability. The open space seemed to stretch on forever. At last, she reached her prize.

Up close, the mushrooms towered over her, each cap the size of her head. She gave a giddy laugh. This would show them. She reached for a mushroom stem, picturing her family's faces when she -

A thunderous meow shattered the silence. Agnes whirled around. The giant's cat - Whiskers - stared hungrily at her from the floor, mere feet away. Agnes froze. This was not part of the plan. Whiskers crept closer, and Agnes's courage melted away. She dove into the mushroom basket, burrowing deep out of sight.

Whisker’s golden eyes fixated on the diminutive figure amid the mushrooms. A low, playful growl rumbled from the cat's throat as she crouched, her tail swishing back and forth with predatory excitement. To Whiskers, Agnes was nothing more than an enticing morsel—a wriggling snack to be chased, caught, and savored slowly in the warmth of her belly.

"Whatcha hunting there, Whiskers?" Sterling's voice boomed, a gentle rumble that sent waves of dread through Agnus's tiny frame. If he looked too closely if he decided to inspect...

Agnes squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to become invisible and insignificant. Whiskers' tail flicked inches from her sanctuary, and Sterling's footsteps approached like the drumming of an oncoming storm.

"Nothing to see here, just mushrooms," she willed him to think, her fear a tangible thing in the cramped darkness. "Move along, move along..."

"Curious little thing, aren't you?" Sterling murmured, lifting Whiskers into his arms and scratching behind her ears. The cat purred, content under his touch, but her gaze lingered on the container, now still atop the counter.

Sterling tipped the container, and the mushrooms cascaded into the gaping maw of the food processor. Agnes tumbled with them, her panicked mind flashing images of the spinning blades that would surely be her end. She tried to push upwards, to somehow alert this unknowing harbinger of death, but the weight of the mushrooms bore her down relentlessly.

"Stop! Please, stop!" Her voice shrills with panic.

Sterling reached for the power button, his finger hovering so close. But in that split second, something caught his eye—a flash of color that didn't belong among the earthy tones of the mushrooms. His hand halted, and he leaned closer, peering through the clear plastic.

Shock etched into his features as he realized what—or rather, who—he was about to blend. "Oh my god," he gasped, his voice a mixture of horror and disbelief.

 Sterling's hand plunged into the food processor. His fingers, gentle despite their size, curled around Agnes's minute form. He lifted her out, the mushrooms falling away from her trembling body, and set her on the safety of the countertop.

Agnes, still reeling from the near-death experience, lay there quivering, unable to fully grasp the enormity of what had just occurred. Sterling towered above her, his expression of concern and anger at the tiny, mouse-sized girl before him.

Sterling's voice rumbled like distant thunder, breaking the silence that had befallen the kitchen since Agnes's rescue. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" he asked, his words heavy with the weight of unspoken fears.

Agnes, perched on the cold granite countertop, swiveled her head up to meet his gaze, her body trembling slightly as she registered the gravity in his tone. Sterling towered over her, a colossus clad in an apron, his expression etched with lines of genuine concern and frustration.

"Your recklessness could have ended...very badly," he continued, his voice softening but still laced with the urgency of his message. "I almost didn't see you. I almost..."

"Your parents, do they know where you are? What you're doing?" He paused, the gears turning behind his eyes. "I'm very upset by what happened," Sterling said firmly. "I have half a mind to keep you here until I can find your parents and explain what occurred."

At that, Agnes burst into tears. The thought of Sterling telling her parents and potentially exposing their entire family terrified her. They would have to move right away, and it would be all her fault.

"I—I didn't mean to," she stammered between sobs, her tiny voice barely a whisper amidst the kitchen's silence. "I just wanted to help prove I could do it too." The words tumbled out, marred by sniffles and fear.

She couldn't fathom why this giant, this human, would care about what happened to her. In her mind, borrowers were invisible, inconsequential to humans like Sterling.

Agnes shrunk back, wrapping her arms around herself in a protective cocoon.

Sterling's heart sank as he watched the tiny girl shrink away, her tiny shoulders quivering with each sob. The sternness in his voice had been meant to protect, not terrify. Crouching down, he diminished his towering form to meet her at eye level, trying to exude calm.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he whispered, "Let's start over. My name is Sterling, Sterling Silversmith. What's your name?" he asked kindly.

"A-Agnes," she replied between sobs.

"That's a lovely name," Sterling said.

Before more words could be exchanged, Whiskers leaped onto the counter, her tail twitching with interest at the sight of Agnes. A high-pitched scream tore from the borrower's lips as Sterling acted on instinct, scooping her up into the safety of his palm. The cat's curious meows filled the kitchen, pleading for the treat just out of reach.

"Shh, I've got you," Sterling soothed, his thumb brushing gently over her back while keeping her nestled within his curled fingers. "I'm sorry for scaring you again; it wasn't my intention. I just had to keep you safe from Whiskers."

Agnes, trembling, clutched his finger like a lifeline, her gaze locked onto the predator's eager eyes. There, she saw an insatiable hunger, one that understood her as nothing more than prey.

"Shh, it's okay, Agnes," he cooed, cradling her carefully while shielding her from the curious gaze of Whiskers. He ran his thumb, a giant warm pad, over her head, attempting to soothe her fears.

"Sorry, little one," Sterling murmured again, his voice laden with guilt. He held her until her tears subsided, each sob tapering off into shaky breaths.

"See? You're alright now," Sterling reassured, his voice a deep balm against the terror that had gripped her. He carefully packed her small bag with the mushrooms she'd bravely come to borrow. "You can go back to your family. I promise."

Her eyes widened, a glimmer of hope piercing the veil of her fear. He was letting her go? Relief fluttered within her chest, her breaths easing as she absorbed his words.

"Could... could I speak with your parents?" Sterling ventured, his tone gentle yet earnest. "I'd really like to understand more about you all."

"Nono, I can't!" Agnes blurted, her newfound calm dissolving. "They'll be so mad... We might have to move if they find out!"

Sterling frowned at her distress. "I wouldn't want that for you. But it's not my first time noticing your family around here. I saw your dad a few weeks ago and your siblings recently."

Agnes's gaze snapped up, wide-eyed and filled with a mingled sense of surprise and relief. A flush warmed her cheeks as she processed this revelation. "Nobody said anything," she stammered, her heart pounding against her ribcage.

"Perhaps they didn't want to cause any alarm or get into trouble," Sterling suggested with a wink.

Once safely on the floor, Agnes acted on a sudden impulse. She wrapped her arms around Sterling's thumb—a gesture so small yet filled with a magnitude of gratitude. "Thank you," she said, her voice steadying as she stepped back.

Sterling's lips curled into a warm, protective smile. He scooped Whiskers up, ensuring the feline's predatory interest in Agnes was thwarted. "Just think about it, okay?" he entreated. "I’d like to be friends, to talk with your family—not to harm anyone."

With Whiskers now safely cradled in Sterling's other arm, Agnes bolted, her tiny legs pumping furiously.

Agnes scurried back through the walls, her heart still racing from her close call. She couldn't believe the giant human had let her go with just a lecture. She clutched the bag of mushrooms closer.

As she neared the hidden entrance to her family's home, Agnes wondered if she should tell them about meeting the giant. Would they be angry? Proud? Afraid? Her father always said beans could never be trusted. But the giant had been so kind...

[czigonas]

Alright, but on the other end of the spectrum from @mylarena's version regarding this @appleciderp saga: what if it's Soap with the youtube channel?

Soap is documenting his demolitions. His channel is half about his commercial/non-military work, but the other half is his home experiments. Those excite people a lot more and maybe get him in some trouble on the side, but he's got some connections à la mythbusters so it's not terrible. Probably he does some contract work for the Army on the side.

Price can't sleep some night and is trying to find some white noise/asmr video (probably on Gaz's recommendation) to relax to while on base. For whatever reason, Soap has exactly one: an inventory of his usual chemicals and tools, and a rundown of what he packs in his work kit. It sounds just enough like Price's internal monologue when he's gearing up/organising for a mission that he's soothed by it, and he drops off. The next day he decides to check out the rest of this weird Scottish guy's videos and just... something clicks. This feral gremlin would be perfect for Ghost. He can't explain how, but he knows it's true.

So he starts trying to get Ghost interested. Talking about how he wishes the kid had joined the military (and maybe Soap was in for a bit but had to med out or something) and how clearly he's out there enjoying what he's doing. Isn't that cool, Ghost? He's perfect for you! (Gaz would absolutely get in on this and also leave comments on every one of Soap's videos.)

Ghost is not the kind of person to send emails to random people, and especially not for something like this. (He figures Price and Gaz are just taking the piss out of him about not being social since the demo guy is on the exact opposite end of the talkative scale. They'll probably find something new to rib him over soon enough, he just has to endure. [It's nice to know they care though.])

While Ghost is waiting for them to get tired of talking up this youtuber (what kind of name is 'Soap' anyway??)(It's because his demolitions are so clean) they get cycled back home to, like, Sterling Lines for a bit. Completely unknown to any of them, one of Soap's connections is a Lt. Col. on-base, and has offered to let him set off one of his home creations on their demo grounds in exchange for teaching a little class to some recruits. (This is also for the Army's sake, so he doesn't try setting it off in his own backyard and get them called down on the resulting explosion.)

Well of course Price signs all three of them up to this demo as soon as he hears about it. They have to go. The demo goes great! Ghost admits privately to himself that Soap really knows his stuff. Price corners Soap afterwards on the pretence of asking a few questions (read: talking Ghost up), which then evolves into inviting him down to the pub with the lads so they can keep chatting.

Obviously Price and Gaz conspire to seat them together and find excuses to leave them alone. They're not subtle. Finally, near the end of the night when Price and Gaz have left them alone yet again, Soap finishes off his pint and just starts laughing a little under his breath. Ghost looks over at him, just raising an eyebrow or something, and Soap shakes his head. He stands up, gets his coat, and says his goodbyes. He had a lovely time! It's late, though, and while the pub is in Hereford, his room for the night is halfway back to Credenhill. It's a bit of a walk and he ought to get going.

Ghost looks around for Price and Gaz and realises they both left already (the bastards). He can't well let a friend of the Lt. Col.'s walk at this time of night and he didn't drink that much (show his face near a stranger? what the hell was Price thinking?) so he sighs and offers to drive. It's on the way, anyway. Soap gives him a beautiful smile as he accepts, and Ghost is definitely grateful for the mask covering his resulting blush.

The next morning he finds a note in his jacket pocket. It's got a little skull sketched next to a bar of soap and says basically "loved meeting you, hit me up if you want to chat further about anything at all" followed by a phone number (and a p.s. that says that's his private line, please don't just hand it out and to burn the note if he doesn't feel the same).

Ghost of course resolves never to tell Price or Gaz about the note, but he doesn't burn it. Soap had been... tolerable. (Also how the hell had he managed to get the note in his pocket without Ghost noticing?? He has questions and he will get answers.)

[ozanxbulut]

STATS:

Character Name: Ozan Cesur Bulut

Character Age:  37

Neighborhood: Sterling Lake

Occupation: Wolf Mountain Vineyard

Faceclaim: Berk Cankat

Hometown: Istanbul, Turkey

Years of Residence in Covington: 20+

Pinterest Board / WANTED CONNECTIONS

Character Inspiration: lucifer morningstar (lucifer), nolan ross (revenge), gomez addams (addams family), fox mulder (the x-files), winston schmidt (new girl)

BIOGRAPHY: 

TW: child neglect, drugs, alcohol, violence

For the first few years of his life, Ozan never really wondered about his father or why he wasn’t around. Those first few years, he also didn’t wonder why his mother was never around either. As he grew older though, he began to realize how alone he was and other kids asked how he could do anything that he wanted, how he could stay over at other houses and never get into trouble. The answer was easy though, he was alone. Before, his mother would show up everyday, eventually she showed up every couple of days with a new boyfriend or a new job that she promised she would keep, most times though, she'd disappear for days or weeks. He didn't know any better, could not understand that he needed a parent to watch over him, to take care of him,

But he began to wonder why when his bicycle broke, there was no one to fix it, or why there was never anyone waiting at home for him with warm hugs or hot chocolate after running home from school. Ozan sometimes felt so heartbroken that he couldn’t sleep, or sometimes showed up at his best friend’s home with a blanket because his house was too cold and scary, when he became a teenager, he took advantage of it.

Parties became a daily thing, with it, a child that had one found a home in school and homework, eventually became familiar with drugs. To forget it all. To finally stop thinking about coming home and instead running around with his friends, crashing parties and shoplifting or any sort of thing that would make him feel more than the emptiness that he had always felt. His mother eventually found her way back home, but trying to rescue a young man that had never learned to respect her after years of neglect and ignoring his cries for help would never be easy. It wasn’t until he got arrested for stealing whiskey from a gas station that his mother decided to take matters into her own hands. In her words, she did what she should have done from the moment he was born; send him to the United States, to finally meet his father.

His father was a warm man, owned what was back then a small vineyard in Covington and to his benefit he looked genuinely surprised when a bitter Ozan showed up on his doorstep with only a backpack and a letter from his mother, a one night stand that he’d had in Istanbul when he went on vacation with his friends sixteen years prior. Percival never questioned if they were father and child, he did, however tell him that he would have two jobs now: school and everyday he would show up to the farm and spend the rest of the day there. Ozan hated it all and he tried to run away twice. English was impossible to learn, he couldn’t make any friends, he hated school.  Not to mention, the withdrawals were stronger than him and there was no way to get his drugs without knowing anyone, with no money. He did everything to push the man away, but instead his father only pulled him back in.

After a year of arguments and back and forth, and a failed school year, Percival persisted, giving his child structure and discipline where necessary. If he didn’t want to finish school that was fine, but he would work for him and he would earn his money, his food and whatever else he wanted. If you ask him now, Ozan cannot tell you when he and his father became a family, but he assumed that the early mornings taking care of vines, washing barrels and picking grapes slowly turned into conversations, eventually into sharing a cigarette and finally into hugs. It made him realize that, perhaps, feeling at home wasn't a myth.

His routine became erratic; get high, show up to work, go out with friends he eventually made, hooking up with people he barely knew, going home to sleep barely enough to wake up and do the same thing all over again. Again and again. A few years down the line, the vineyard turned into a famous spot for weddings in the region, visited by celebrities, by tourists and weekend crowds curious about their wines and though he didn't have much to do with the success, Ozan felt on top of the world. 

Everything came crashing down when Percival was diagnosed with MS almost five years ago. Suddenly, the only caregiver he had ever had, needed Ozan's help. And Ozan, although loving and now an adult, was so lost in his addiction that he didn't know how to even start but regardless, made it his mission to help his father as much as he could. He took his father's spot at the Vineyards, knowing that it meant the world to his father to see his lifetime work continue to thrive and grow despite his condition, moved back into the family home and turned his entire life around in a span of a year by embracing his now busy life, making so many decisions and cleaning his act up.

It’s been the best five years of his life, but also the worst years of his life. Sobriety is not easy to achieve while surrounded by parties, events and people with means. He was sober for two years, then again for a few months and now it’s been a year of sobriety, but it’s something that he struggles with and Ozan honestly doesn’t know if he will ever be able to fix that part of himself, but he tries. Now more than ever, he tries for himself though. He tries to be the man that he wants to be, wants his father to remember as a good man and not as the lost kid he'd met twenty years ago. 

LIKES

working with his hands

petting animals

green peppers on pizza

silly pranks

being in a good mood

being annoying

smoking

desserts

organized spaces

DISLIKES

driving

wearing coats

the sun

eggs

coffee

sleeping

routines

silence

TRADEMARKS

giving people nicknames, resting bitch face, dirty jokes, dad jokes, wearing several rings, messy hair, airpods, making people laugh, being in a good mood, being loud

[hamausagi]

YES IT IS LIKE THAT AND NOW I WANT ALL OF THEM FOR YOU TOO I AM EYES EMOJING U SO HARD RN

YAYAYAY I AM EYES EMOJING YOU TOO

What is your nickname?

i don't really have one these days, but i suppose jake or august are still two of my favorite names i go by ^^

When is your birthday?

10/21/03 <3

What was your longest relationship?

1 year and 2 months (ended) (thank god)

What is your favorite book?

six of crows - leigh bardugo !

What is something you're insecure about?

the way i speak LMAO i cringe so much hearing my own voice or hearing the things i say. i feel like im so socially awkward and i hate it so bad 😭😭😭

5 Male celebrity crushes

uhhhhhh i dont rlly keep up with celebs like at all anymore but i used to be literally head over heels for chris pine when i was younger HELP

5 Female celebrity crushes

ZENDAYA and maybe saorise ronan ???? (help me i dont rlly care abt celebs)

What is your dream job?

concept/character artist for a game company !!!! (and to make my own games) (which i am currently working on)

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?

finding out about my dream college last september after literally never knowing about it prior (besides a friend making an offhand comment abt it in like. 2017 that i forgot abt), finishing a portfolio in less than 2 months, and getting accepted LMAO

What is a fact about you that nobody would believe?

i used to play indoor and outdoor soccer year round, my indoor team competed in a lot of big brackets for the state (i now play no sports and i can barely go up more than 2 flights of stairs or run more than a few meters without dying) (thank you asthma and anemia 💪)

What were your highs and lows for this last month?

highs: FINSHED MY FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE WAHOOOO passed all my classes 🔥 made some new friends :D (and regained some old)

lows: uhhhhh mental health struggles mostly

Where is somewhere you'd like to visit?

i reeeeeaaalllyyyy really wanna go to japan so bad. im literally japanese and ive never been there, and i have family there ive never met that i want to see

How do you de-stress?

sleeping, drawing, playing some games, bothering the bf, gams with friends (unless its helldivers) (then i am stressed more)

What are your favorite apps besides tumblr?

pinterest my beloved <3

Describe yourself in one sentence.

good intentions, but poor execution

What do you think makes you attractive?

uhhhhh i have big eyes, smallish waist ???? i really try and prioritize other people (help i rlly dont know how to answer this)

What is something you're really good at?

drawing :3

What is something you're really bad at?

cooking LOL (im trying to get better)

A time that you told a lie.

telling the kid in my prj group that it was okay after he apologized for being literally the worst group member i have ever worked with (he literally did NOTHING and almost cost us the project several times)

What's a totally random and useless fact that you know?

bearded dragons can puff their eyes out along with puffing their chins when they get scared or feel threatened (thanks to ron for scaring the absolute shit out of me one day) (i thought he was dying)

Who knows you the best?

either my bf or my irl best friend :3

What is your most prized possession?

a wooden box my dad mae me a really really long time ago. that or this little sterling silver flip flop necklace my grandpa gave me a few years before he died when i was a kid

What is your longest friendship?

with my irl bsf, been friends 13 years now

When did you first feel like an adult?

either when my dad finally started actually swearing when talking to me or when i changed my car's oil myself for the first time

Do you/ Have you played any sports?

played soccer for like 11 years and did archery for 5 :3

How are you feeling right now?

im really tired and my cramps are killing me 👍 but im chillin

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

night owl even tho i rlly wish i was an early bird so bad. no matter when i go to bed or how many hrs of sleep i get its so hard to wake up before 9 am bro

Do you believe in love at first sight?

for ocs? yes. irl? absolutely not

Favorite song lyrics right now?

literally loving all the lyrics in a feeling - whxami but more specifically i am thinking abt waiting room - phoebe bridgers "if you were a teacher, i would fail your class take it over and over til you noticed me if you were a waiting room, i would never see a doctor i would sit there with my first aid kit and bleed"

also saw a robin edit to espresso - sabrina carpenter and now my brain is IM WORKING LAAAAATEEEE CAUSE IM A SINGERRRRRRR

What does self care look like for you?

taking showers and making myself food. i hate actually taking showers but the post shower untainted clean feeling is so unmatched bro its the best

Describe yourself with 3 singers.

RONEN, wave to earth, and two door cinema club

What makes you nervous?

meeting friends of friends (meeting new people is fine but its scarier if someone i know is introducing me), going to people's houses that i don't know very well

What’s a pet peeve you have?

trying to talk to someone but getting dry ass responses or no response at all

What will always make you cry?

bro. those tiktoks that are like. "if you know yourself which one are you picking". oh my god. those destroy me so bad

What kind of first impression do you think you make on people?

i honestly have zero idea bro 😭😭 if im meeting people at school im probably a little overwhelming (im loud asf at school) but if like. im meeting my friends parents or my bfs friends. i am a ghost

[reyphorian-art]

Coming Out

hey so fun fact i'm also getting back into writing so y'all get snippets of what i'm working on now

Turning away quickly, wanting to give him a little bit of privacy, Rey started to pull their shirt up, then hesitated. They hadn't come out to anyone in Pelican Town or East Scarp yet, outside of Lewis who had known about them since they were a child. Granny Evelyn and George were old and Rey wasn't sure if they even remembered them from the few times they'd visited their grandpa with family, or even put it together that Rey was the same child they met. They had no idea how Sterling or Mia or anyone else would react but… neither of them seemed like the kind of people to reject or make fun of him for who he is. Won't know unless I try it. He told himself, taking a deep breath and pulling the shirt off the rest of the way.

After peeling off the rest of his sopping wet clothes and laying them over a branch, he sat down next to Sterling in the sun on a large rock beside the stream. Rey pulled their knees up to their chest and hugged them loosely, lost in feeling anxious and wondering if Sterling would notice the scars or say anything.

"Hey farmer, you doing okay?" Rey looked up at hearing Sterling’s voice, seeing mild concern in his expression.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah. I'm okay," they replied.

"You sure? You’ve been kinda quiet."

"Uh… Just some stuff on my mind I guess." Rey wasn't sure how to say it, telling him outright, 'I'm trans,' felt too strong and straightforward. There was never an easy way to bring it up any of the times they had done so before but at least they could decide when they wanted to come out to someone. This time it was completely unplanned and they were running every possibility through their mind, hoping to find the best way to bring it up.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asked. “It’s okay if you don’t.”

"Well, I uh. I guess I'm feeling a little bit self-conscious right now," They started to say, looking across the creek to avoid eye contact. "Nobody else knows about it but Lewis, and that's because he knew about me as a kid from my grandpa. He figured it out after I got in contact with him about moving here and realized I was the same grandkid he'd been told about all those years ago."

They paused, taking a deep breath, "I dunno if you figured it out already or not but um. I'm trans. I grew up raised as a girl and one day I realized I never really felt like one and that the self-image issues I had weren't just the "normal" ones everyone around me said girls going through puberty get. Not even being a tomboy felt right like they said it would. So I got my name and gender changed, had top surgery, and I take hormones to feel like my body and my identity finally belongs to me."

Things were quiet for a moment before Sterling spoke up, "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. You're being you. Sometimes I wish I could have half the guts you do about some of the things that go on in my own life." He laughed, then continued, "It means a lot to be the first person here that you've told."

"You don't see me any different from before, right?"

"Nah, you're still the cute farmer boy that always brings me the best field snacks in the world whenever he pops by Pierre's. Nothing's gonna change that, and I doubt for a second that Mia's gonna feel any different when she gets back with those dry clothes," He grinned. Rey blushed at the compliment and looked away but felt themself relaxing enough to stretch their legs out and lean back against their hands resting on the rock.

“Hey, Sterling,” Rey paused for a moment, “Please don’t tell anyone else about this and if anyone asks please don’t answer. Part of why I haven’t told anyone is because I wanted to know what it’s like to be in a place where nobody knows who I am or who I used to be, only the me that’s now. I don’t want people to see me for something that I’m not.”

"Hey, no worries, I get it. I promise I won't tell anyone else," Sterling smiled at him.

[crymeariveronceagain]

i had this idea a long while ago but forgot about it until just now,

what if Veka where to get pregnant with twins? or TRIPLETS? just as a karma thing

Stinas getting a redemption Arc but her parents aren’t, i don’t think they’d react like the Songs did. i think they’d love their kids but would need to a full 180 on their view on multiples.

omg that's amazing and i'm completely here for it

.

Vika Heks, in abject horror, watching the ultrasound.

There's no running away from this.

Her husband clutches her hand tight.

She can't feel it.

Three children.

Three.

For a grand total of four.

Three too many.

Three too much.

Three was a number that was worse than two, and two was infinitely worse than one.

And now, here she was, sitting in a chair at the doctor's, listening to the man tell her he was sorry that she was going to have three too many. Like he could control it, like the stars frowned on him like they frowned on her, like he could do anything about it.

There were three people that belonged to her now, three new ones she'd never met.

The world would hate them, would spit in their face, would call them as they were, the multiples of a bad match, destined to ruin the gene pool.

It was all her fault.

There wasn't anything she could do.

Rumors can't be silenced after they've been proven, and if she had triplets, then stars, she could never expect the lies of matchmaking to cover the very reality she lived in.

So what could she do?

What could she change? What could she fix? This didn't belong to her, anymore.

This belonged to her children.

Her three children.

Her responsibility.

She had always prided herself upon being a good mother, and just because the stars had whispered something wrong for her, because they'd been frowning down on her, meant nothing.

This was out of her hands, and she would not stop being a good mother simply because a challenge had been dealt her.

It would take uprooting, changing, declaring, accepting.

The thought was horrifying. Terror piled in her chest, hot and fast, and this was out of her control.

Her heart was pounding in her ears, she couldn't breathe, the doctor's looking at her with disdain, his demeanor completely shifted from what it had been mere moments ago.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. You're carrying triplets."

Vika shut her eyes tight, her hands clenching into fists.

Then she took a deep, steadying breath.

And before she could think about it any more.

She just said.

"Okay."

Her husband's grip loosened on her hand, and he looked at her with a sort of pride that made her soul feel like it could crush the world if it wanted.

The doctor blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"Okay," Vika said. "I'm having triplets. What's your point?"

The doctor raised his eyebrows. "Usually parents are more distressed by the news, and want to see our options for sending kids to Exilium right away--"

"Out of the question," Vika snapped, her voice fierce. "And you should know, sir, that we are not most parents."

The doctor snorted, turning back to the monitor. "You certainly are not."

Vika stepped into the foyer of Sterling Gables later that day and turned to her husband. "Tim," she said, softly, "Are we going to be okay?"

Timkin Heks smiled, gently, looking at his wife. "I think, Love, we have to be."

"They're not going to like this," Vika said, "No one is."

"No one has a choice," Timkin answered, fiercely. "These are our children, and they cannot make us feel ashamed of them."

Vika sighed, softly, and reached for her husband's hand. "What do you think Stina will think?"

"I think she'll be appalled, but she'll get over it."

"Good," Vika answered. "We raised her right, then."

"Well," Timkin said, "Like everybody else, she doesn't have much of a choice."

That night, when Stina had finally went to bed, Vika sat on the couch next to her husband.

"I just realized something," she said, quietly, into the silence, broken only with page-flipping.

"What?"

"We need more than one baby name."

"Oh. Rats."

[thatsmybluefondue]

A New-Old Writeblr Introduction

Sterling Blue here! So... I was around a couple years ago, and now I am deciding to make my comeback! 

Here’s where I’ve (sorta) been the last couple of years.

Twitter: @/mybluefondue

TikTok: @/thatsmybluefondue

And now...

The introduction!

Name/Pen Name: Sterling Blue

Pronouns: They/She

Age: Uh... Old enough.

Some More About Me: I’m in university for Education in English Language Arts, English, and a minor in creative writing. Then I’m gonna get my Master’s in English, and finally a Doctorate in creative writing. (At least, that’s the plan.) 

I play D&D in my free time, and write (duh), and watch TV (mostly anime). 

My dream, of course, is to be a (good) published writer, and I’m aiming traditional or indie at the moment. Teaching others is also a fun dream of mine, and especially teaching something I’m so passionate about.

Currently, I’m really into graphic novels, so I’ve been writing a lot of those (even though I cannot, for the life of me, Art. I just partner with people). I’m also working on an upper YA novel, and sometimes I dabble in a (sort of?) memoir-type thing.

Without further ado...

The WIPs.

Guardian of the Sun: The Weight of a Life

The world is split into the North and South. In the North, Sunchild Cordelia rules with a careless hand. Because Sunchild Cordelia refuses to leave the castle and spread light and energy, the North has long fallen to ruin—and with the decay of trees, clean air has become a commodity that only the wealthy can afford. Guardian of the Sun: The Weight of a Life follows siblings Nash and Nova, orphans that scam their way to survival. Nash’s cough is worsening though, and only clean air through a specialized mask can improve it—something they can’t yet afford. Nova would do anything for her brother and will carry him however far it takes, even if that means piggy-backing him to the Inner Circle to make more money. But the Inner Circle is different from their wide-spread Outer Circle life, and things will change forever because of their trip—especially when Nova accidentally kills someone for a mask. Now they’re on the run, and Nash is only getting worse.

Distant Dreams

Casey, Preston, and Zara are just ordinary kids when narcoleptic Aurora comes bursting into their lives via teleportation. They think this is their chance to escape The Frozen Land and reach freedom in The Sunny Place across The Mountains, but Aurora has yet to master her powers—and with monsters around every corner and random bouts of teleportation taking them to the worst possible locations, it doesn't seem likely that Aurora will have the chance to learn any time soon.

The Sea Witch and Her Curse

After Alcina’s family is murdered in front of her, an old sea witch takes her to be trained into becoming a sea witch herself. With the sea princes in-fighting over who will become the next king, witches are used as the main line of fighting in these battles and war. But there are dark secrets lurking in these waters, and Alcina does not want to figure them out.

Like Clockwork

Kilo never got to practice magic like everyone else growing up, but he has his chance now. With his internship at Magix solidified, Kilo can practice fighting in the Arenal Department to his heart’s desire. But with upper-rank officials dying left and right and the Anti-Magix Rebellion rising, Kilo will have to use whatever skills he has just to survive the summer—before time runs out.

Mentally Stable

Basically a journal of my journey through mental health. It’s totally fun—not really—and funny—if you enjoy dark humor—and absolutely, positively sane.

There are others in planning stages, but these are the ones with actual words on paper.

Like and comment and reblog and all that jazz, and I’ll follow you if you look like a neat-o writeblr!

[kelleah-meah]

Yay for the corrupting of youth! (j/k)

I'm not sure how to title this, so I'll just jump right in.

My 20-year-old cousin (we'll call her Dee) will turn 21 next Monday on June 6th. So I wanted to get her something to mark the milestone, but I didn't want it to be too big or expensive because her sisters and cousins might view it as favoritism.

So I'm going to Venmo her some money on her actual birthday, but I also ordered her a deck of tarot cards that I thought she would like. If I'm not mistaken, it would be her first deck, and from what I've seen from others, it really suits her personality.

I bought her the Modern Witch tarot deck by Lisa Sterle and had it delivered to her home directly. (I live in another state.)

Well, it arrived early and she messaged me on Instagram to tell me how much she liked it.

And let's just say I was so moved by what she said I felt compelled to share it here on my Tumblr.

Here's how the exchange began (along with my long reply, as usual):

And here's her response to my long reply ...

If you can't read the final message from her, it says:

"Yes that meant alot to me thank you for seeing me I wish we were closer in age you are awesome you always have been I love you and thank you again."

I replied with:

"I love you too! And thank you."

---

Seriously folks. That really made my day, week, fortnight, month, you name it.

I'm not close to most of my family. Just my mom really. And Dee had a hard adolescence, a father who only showed up when he wanted to, and a mother who struggled to raise 3 girls on her own. Dee is the youngest of the 3.

I don't have any siblings, but I always thought the kid was pretty silly in a way that reminded me of me at her age. Every now and then, I would take her with me to some place around our hometown where she normally wouldn't consider her "thing" like a coffeeshop in the Arts District or to a play during the Fringe theater festival. (I'm the artsy phartsy one in the family who enjoys stuff like that.)

She always acted like she had an OK time, but I think she was ultimately just humoring me as to not hurt my feelings. Which I kinda appreciated.

But this time feels different. I don't think she's humoring me.

I've always been socially awkward around my family, and as an only child, I never felt as if I fit in with them any more than I did in school. So to see her reply like that really was a gift that I didn't know I needed.

I was just trying to give the kid a little gift on a big milestone birthday, especially considering how this year began. (My mom and I went back home because Dee's mother died suddenly from a stroke in mid-January. Her mother, aka my aunt, was only 45 years old. It really shook our entire family.)

Now Dee lives with her girlfriend, Dee's older sister, and the sister's 3 little kids. Life is going to be hard for her for a while until she figures out what direction she wants to go in. I hope her mistakes are small and few.

But even more so, I hope she knows that I and the rest of the family are here for her. Even if we live far away.

Anyway. I thought I'd share those screenshots because ... well, because life-affirming moments like that deserve to be shared.

And if anyone out there is thinking about "corrupting the youth" with the unholiness of tarot cards, maybe this will help you with your decision.

Thanks for reading!

[kuttanjal123]

TIFFANY

Hey there, I'm Tiffany Simpson. I'm fifteen years old. I was born in April in Atlanta, Georgia, to Simone and Martin Simpson. I have hazel eyes and ear-length, sleek, black hair. I'm the only child, and I'm Black-American. Dad is a stockbroker who works at Charles Schwab. Mom is a school principal at the Keller School in Alpharetta. Grandma loved Nina Simone's voice and named Mom after her. Dad was named after Martin Luther King Jr. I go to Jefferson Public School in Cobb County. Ever since I was a kid, I was pretty athletic and participated in sports like basketball, tennis, and ran track.

I loved school because I had awesome friends and loved biology. I didn't have an ambition for what I wanted to become. I figured I would know with time. Mom personally looked after her students and staff, not just for the money but because she genuinely cared for them. It would've been nice if she could transfer the same feeling to me. Dad's job was really pressurizing.

My friends Samantha Taylor and Mary Stevens rode with me on the bus. They were blondes. Both of them had secret talents. Sam could play the saxophone, and Mary was an incredible pianist without classes. Since they were both busy with their jobs, they didn't have much time for me.

We enjoyed art class and biology, of course, was the best. Art comprised of a lot of sketching. Ms. Fiona Anderson was so passionate about biology. She would show us many videos about plant and animal reproduction and human anatomy, and the labs were terrific.

Viewing specimens beneath the microscope was so intriguing. With time, we were old enough to try out for cheerleading. I really wanted to because I loved the outfit and the routines. The flips, jumps, lifts, and moves gave the football team a great opening before the original game. Plus my crush was on it, Sterling Lane. He was one of the best players on the team. His smile shone across the field. Finally, it was time for try-outs.

"Hey girls," said Kimberly, the head cheerleader, as she proudly walked onto the field.

Kim looked just, Cindy Crawford. She even walked and talked like her. Maybe she was her idol.

"There she comes," murmured Sam. "The girl always in charge of everything—"

"The girl who always gets the boys," cut in Mary.

"You're pretty too," I said, looking at them.

"Yeah, right," said Mary rolling her eyes.

"So to try out, you gotta be ready to let go of other practices because this is real stuff. It needs a lot of time and practice. You ready?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm gonna show you a move, and you gotta repeat it one at a time. Got it?"

Everything was going just fine until Mary tripped and fell. We rushed to help her get up.

"Guys, go ahead. I don't think I can do this," she said as she held her ankle.

"We can't do try-outs on another day because this is the last day," said Kimberly as she walked up to us.

"Sam, Tiff, go ahead," said Mary as she groaned in pain. "We've been waiting for this the whole year," she said.

"NO!" we yelled.

"No! You guys ... this is big! Just take it! No more talking, shush! Let's go!"

She refused to let us back out, and as much as we were so excited for this ... our happiness was overshadowed by Mary's absence.

The practices were exhausting. We had to stay in perfect shape. Our house had burgers, barbecues, fried chicken, and so much more. I didn't cheat quite often. But if I did, it would be too much. I had to run four miles to burn it out. We had a basketball court in the backyard, so I practiced when I felt like with Dad on days he was free.

"I made it on to cheerleading!" I said excitedly.

"That's great, hon," he said, hugging me.

"Mom, did you hear that?" I asked as I came into the house.

"Yes, honey ... I did," she said as she was typing something on the laptop.

Mom and I didn't have a good relationship. I get that she was busy with the school, and her reputation and her friends' circle mattered, but she never had any time for me. Dad did, no matter how busy he was.

At home, we hardly spoke. One thing that did join us was the faith and spirituality Mom and Dad had instilled in me years earlier. When we went to church every weekend, I thanked Jesus because I felt a sense of calmness and peace. I also did pray for Mom and my relationship to get better.

The first football game that we were prepped for was against the Clifton School. Our team was the Jefferson Jaguars, and theirs was Clifton Patriots. Our jersey mirrored the color of the National Flag. Theirs were red and black. It was hard to say who looked better. It was our turn to perform the opening act.

Mom and Dad were in the crowd, and I had flips and jumps to do. I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes. We were up and running in less than two minutes. My final scene was the closing. I was thrown through the air. They caught me after I flipped. The execution was so smooth. The feeling was similar to jumping into the water without splashing.

It felt so good and what felt better was when the Jaguars won. This certainly was time to celebrate. Sam and I hugged each other.

As time progressed, Kimberly graduated, and I was made head cheerleader. I was in charge of arranging try-outs and choreography. This position put me in the limelight, and I got so absorbed with the attention I received that it made me lose sight of my grades and friendship with Mary and Sam. Nothing else mattered. The problem? My attitude and bossiness.

"You were supposed to be here five minutes ago! What took you so long?!" I screamed at Sam.

"I just had to get water, Tiff, calm down," she said as she tied her hair in a pony.

"This may not be a big deal for you, but it is for me. Whether you like it or not, it's my reputation on the line!"

"OK, I'm here! Relax!"

Sam did her routine, and it wasn't perfect.

"You're not doing it right! First, you show up late, then you mess up! Come on!" I said, shaking my head.

"Can I just—"

"Why don't you understand how serious this is!" I snapped. "Everyone's gonna be there to watch us, and if we mess up ... I'll get blamed. Not you! Me!"

"But—"

"No one cares about you guys ... because all they care about is the one in charge. And that's me," I said as I crossed my arms.

Sam stared at me in disgust for a few moments, then put down her pom-poms and walked away.

"Don't you dare leave!" I called out.

"I can, and I am. You're the boss. Get the replacement."

This argument led to things getting out of control one after the other. I did manage to find a replacement, but on the day we had to perform, the new girl was supposed to be one of the three who had to catch me in the performance.

Unfortunately, a cockroach fell on her shoulder, and she freaked out and lost control of her grip on me. The other girls lost balance, and I fell flat on my back, shrieking in pain. It was an utter embarrassment. Mom and Dad hurried down to the court while the coach and others lifted me to get medical attention. I was taken to the hospital and placed in a ward.

It took a long time for the physicals. They had to scan both the inside and outside of my body. There was some good news and some bad news. I had a bump on the back of my head, and luckily there was no internal bleeding, but I had fractured my back. It had swollen really bad, and I was unable to move.

I learned that my vertebral column had been dislocated, and the best way to fix that was surgery. Opting out could lead to serious problems in the future, like not being able to stand or sit and having a terrible posture.

I began crying.

"It's alright, honey, everybody makes mistakes," said Dad holding my hand.

"But not like what happened to me! That was so embarrassing! Everyone was there!" I cried.

"What's important is that you're feeling better, and we can take you home soon," said Mom with her arms crossed.

"When I get back, everyone's gonna laugh at me! Sam, Mary, Jackson ... everyone."

"That's not true. You're gonna be fine," said Dad. "You'll see—"

"Can I have a moment with you guys, please?" asked the doctor as he walked in.

The news just got worse.

"I just wanted to go over what we discussed earlier. I have the results of her physicals, and they look fine, but regarding her back, the X-ray denotes that she will need a year to recover with medication and physiotherapy. There might be a chance that this problem could worsen if she exerts herself with other activities."

"What do you mean, doctor?" asked Mom.

"I mean that kids love running and playing sports at this age, but she's gonna have to cut back on some of that. Also, there's a potential that she could gain some weight with the medicine, so just as I keep her in good spirits, I encourage you to try that as well."

I cried myself to sleep, and no matter how hard they tried to make me feel better or comfort me, it just didn't help. Sam and Mary visited me in the hospital, but I really wish they hadn't come in the first place.

"Hey, Tiff, how're you feeling?" they asked as they sat beside me.

"Terrible obviously," I said, pissed. "Why did you guys come here?"

"What do you mean?" they asked, looking surprised.

"Well, look at me! I'm not OK!" I shouted.

"We came here to check on you and talk to you—"

"It's your fault. If you hadn't walked out on the team, none of this would have happened," I said, looking at Sam.

"It's not my fault that you fell. And I walked out because you were bossy and rude about being the head cheerleader. This mattered to you so much that you didn't give me a chance to explain why I was late for practice," said Sam.

"I was just doing my job. That's what you signed up for."

"Wow," chuckled Sam, shaking her head, disappointed. "I guess you're not the same Tiffany I knew before this whole gig. I don't know what happened ... but I really don't wanna be here right now."

As she headed towards the door, Mary followed.

"So you think it's my fault too?" I asked.

"If you need to blame someone, blame the girl who you found as the replacement. In fact, you're the one to blame. We wanted to come and talk to you as your friends, but you're so full of yourself. It's your arrogance that spoils everything. Why do you gotta be like that?"

"Really?"

"It's not even about whose fault it is. It was beyond anyone's control, and if the insect had fallen on Sam or my shoulder ... I'm sure you would've done the same. 'Cause trust me ... no one likes cockroaches."

"That's a ton of bull—"

"I'm done arguing with you," snapped Mary. "I'm out."

"Fine! Just go!" I yelled and I threw a glass at the door as she walked out.

Back at home, Dad needed to carry me upstairs since I was sore from all the treatment and medication. The next day at school was awful. Instead of receiving support, I was mocked ... and although this wasn't something I'd not anticipated, I wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for it.

"Turn to page 17, and we're gonna talk about the parts of a frog," said Mrs. Anderson, our Biology teacher.

"Guess she's talking about you," sneered someone behind me.

I teared up and left the class for the bathroom. In the mirror, I saw a different version of myself. The medicines had indeed taken a toll on my appearance. When I got back, it was apparent I had cried. All eyes were on me. At recess, I sat alone, and more insults were hurled at me.

"Did you guys know we have a life-sized balloon and crocodile in our class? It talks and moves!" said someone behind me.

It was Joshua, a big bully. Tears streamed down my face, and instead of usually trying to be healthy with what I ate, the jokes, the words ... it all got to me, and I began piling on a lot of junk. I ate to numb my emotions, and food felt like the one friend that would never leave or betray me.

"You know, I don't like the milk today. Don't you think it tastes bad?" I heard Sam ask.

"What do you think we should do? Any suggestions, Josh?" asked Mary.

"Throw it, I guess?" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Good idea," said Sam and poured the milk on him. "I just did."

That felt good and made me smile. But what brought a bigger smile to my face was what they did next.

"Can we sit with you?"

I stared at them for a few moments before I swallowed a big bite of my fried chicken sandwich.

"You guys talking to me?"

"When did we stop?" said Mary as she sat beside me.

"We'll never stop talking to you," said Sam as she put her arm around me.

I was so happy.

Up to a point, I didn't care about my appearance. My two friends stood up to anyone who bullied me. I was fat-shamed all the time and sent hurtful messages on my phone. It was challenging to turn a deaf ear to some of them .... Nobody knew that I was struggling with the side effects of the medication.

Life took a huge turn in 2008. There was a recession. Dad aimed to save up money for my education. He lost his job, and Mom was the only earning member in the family. We couldn't depend on just her to bear the financial burden. It was time to leave Georgia. Dad needed to find a temporary job to make ends meet. And then came the break.

The company he worked for had an opening in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. They transferred him because of the value he brought to the company. He was excellent. Mom decided to stay back since she didn't want to risk losing her position. It surely would be difficult for her to find a job elsewhere with the same pay. She rented a small condo. Frankly, I preferred living with Dad rather than her. She would never make time for me. My friends' parents managed to secure their jobs. Lucky for them. Bidding farewell to everyone was hard.

"Don't worry, you can talk to us over the weekends," said Mary.

"We'll try to come and visit you sometime," said Sam. "And you'll find great friends there too."

"Meh."

I didn't have a farewell at school because I didn't want one. My most treasured possession was my cheerleading outfit. It sounded crazy that I still kept it. Except for the prior experience when I fell, I considered it a significant achievement in my life. It was the same activity that both broke and then revived my relationship with my two best friends.

When we landed at the airport in Louisiana, the ride to our new home was surprisingly short.

"Welcome home, honey!" said Dad.

This was the first time I saw him genuinely happy because the event had affected him deeply. He had hopes to start life again and give me a happy future. We managed to get take-outs for a couple of days until Dad attempted to make beef stew. I helped him cut vegetables. Cooking wasn't really his thing, but I was curious to taste how it turned out. It was pretty bad. But I didn't want him to feel sad and encouraged him to cook more and help him. I tried to make conversation.

"I'm sorry about the current situation. But glad they didn't let you down."

"It's all good."

"Can I ask you something serious that's been bothering me for a long time?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Why doesn't Mom care for me?"

He stopped eating and looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean like ... she's never there for me."

"Of course she is. She showed up for your competition—"

"It's cheerleading."

"Right."

"She never spends time with me. It's always about her school, their picnics, her status. We don't have any girl time or Mom and daughter time together, and anything I do never excites her. I want to get my nails done with her ... just hang out, talk about things. But it never happens. I've tried to, but she doesn't listen to me or finds excuses. It's like she had me, and she doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Nah, that's not true. If she didn't care about you, she wouldn't have stayed back in Georgia to continue making money for you and your future just like me."

"But I want her to be here with me. Here. Right now."

"You don't understand," he said, shaking his head as he stood up.

"I do! Why can't she put her career aside and be there for me?!" I shouted.

"Because I'm sick."

"You're sick?! What are you talking about?! Some old wack ass story again!"

"It's true, Tiffany," said Dad calmly. "I'm sick. I'm diagnosed with stage one cancer."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"What?" I said softly.

"We promised not to tell you anything because we wanted to keep this a secret. You're just a kid, and I tried to give you reasons so you would stop asking but ... " he trailed off, "now you know."

I hugged him, sobbing. I felt terrible. I hadn't contributed in any way, and it felt like a slap in the face. I felt guilty for accusing my mom when all she was doing was protecting our unity and financial stability.

"It's alright, I'll be OK," he said as he rubbed my back in a comforting way. "I just have to go in for chemo, and soon I'll be back to playing basketball with you."

"No! You need to rest and take care of yourself!"

"I will. Jesus knows we love you too much and he's gonna be there for us always."

"Mom wants to save money to pay for my tuition?" I asked as I wiped my tears with a tissue.

"We both wanted to. We wanted to give you the dream we couldn't have. But ever since I fell sick, the money had to be split for both your education and my treatment. We needed loans, too."

"But I don't want to go to a great college. I'm just happy going to a decent school. I can take a loan and study harder."

"Sure, you could ... but we'll see how things work out."

I had a short emotional conversation with Mom, and I was so happy we worked things out.

I was enrolled at Willington Public School, and the first day of class was very awkward. I walked in wearing blue jeans and a colorful top. The class teacher was Ms. Hayley Gordon.

"This is Tiffany Simpson, and she just moved from Georgia a few days ago. Let's welcome her!" she cheered.

Nobody said a word, and I sat in my spot. Off to a great start, right? Or at least I thought so. 

[fandom-of-pulp-dogs]

hi!! can you please make a hc where the reader and mr pink are ordered to work together as crime partners? and perhaps constant debates and sarcastic remarks progressing into constant😏debates😏and😏sarcastic😏remarks😏 you know?:)))

I love this SO MUCH!! I hope I did this idea justice! :) ALSO I'm so sorry this came out so late but I put a lot of effort into this so I hope you enjoy it!

WARNINGS: ummm cussing and smut (public sex, and insinuated crime and violence lmao ummm and unprotected sex,, I think that's it, I'm sorry if it's not!)

Parings: Mr. Pink X Fem! Reader (I'm sorry if you didn't want a fem reader! I intend on making more GN and male smuts with all the dogs)

Word Count: 2,007

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

QUICK A/N: I GAVE MR. PINK A NAME: STERLING HIS NAME IS STERLING FIGHT ME also ik the ask said HC but I'm trying to branch out and get better at my writing so lmk how I did!!

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

Working with Mr. Pink was,,, Interesting to say the least

You usually only worked with him on bigger jobs with the other dogs, but Eddie had informed you that Pink and yourself were gonna go on a smaller job together.

As much as you loved all the dogs and loved working with all of them, you were kinda excited to be alone with pink

I mean come on who wouldn’t be excited??

Pink

Mr. Pink is not excited,,, or is he? He is, He is, But he acts likes he not (we all know a tsundere when we see one)

You and pink got along well, you were both sarcastic, witty, professional, and you always compensated for when he didn’t tip

And all the dogs knew there was something between you two, whether you were both crushing or full-on fucking the dogs didn’t, know, but they knew there was something

That’s why this mission was made in the first place, so the dogs could finally get you two alone together, and let’s be honest, though neither knew, you and pink were both grateful ;)

“Hey honey, whatcha need?”

“Hiya babes, I got a job for you and Mr. Pink”

“,,,Just me and Mr. pink?” You put your nail file down and your brows furrowed. “Yep,” Eddie popped the p and waited for your response.

“Works for me, can you give me some details?”

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

“Alright, you ready to pretend to be some rich assholes kid?”

“I was born ready honey.” You popped the gum you were chewing.

“Wow, You’re almost a damn professional.” Mr. Pink chuckled sarcastically.

“Oh my god, you’re such a dick.” You replied giggling.

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

“HahahaHA Jesus fuckin’ Christ that was GOOD!” Mr. Pink hollered as he got into the car and slammed the door. You giggled along with his remark and got in as well. Lucky no alarms were set off and no one was alerted. Except for the guy you knocked out and locked in the cleaning room, but you don’t think he saw your faces so you guys are good,,,, hopefully.

“That was smooth! Oh my god, that was the best damn run I’ve done EVER!” You exclaimed while looking at the bag of jewels and diamonds you just stole “That’s cuz you’re with me sweetheart, Cuz I’m a-” “Fucking professional ya ya I know.” You rolled your eyes playfully as he did the same. “You ready to head back to meet Eddie?” You looked over at him and he seemed to be in deep thought, looking you up and down.

“How about we grab something to eat?” He looked up at you,,, genuinely. “I thought this was strictly professional?” You used his words against him, smiling as you did so. He huffed, “Not l-like that like we usually do with the- the guys yeah with the guys!” He began to stutter and ramble, causing you to bark a laugh. “I’m just teasing! Common pink I’m kidding okay, I’m sorry okay?” continuing to giggle pink paused his fit and straightened his suit jacket. “Ya ya okay anyways-” “Let’s go eat ya?” He looked at you in disbelief, “Sure.”

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

“Are you fuckin’ serious?”

“Deadass! I almost got arrested for that stunt!”

“Goddamn you are wild”

“I know I am.” You winked at causing him to flush bright pink, how ironic.

“Look You don’t have to tell me your name, but I want to tell you mine. My name is Sterling.”

You stared at him, almost awed that the professional just let you know his name. “I,,, I’m honored that you told me your name. Thank you for your trust. M-my names (Y/N).” Giving him a meek but sincere smile, his face lit up. “I-i um” he cleared his throat and loosened his tie. “I-It’s nice to meet you (Y/N)” He gave a charming smile as he leaned back, seeming to gain some confidence and composure. You leaned forward on your elbows and smiled up at him, “So what should we do know?” He looked to the side, “I have an idea, but I don’t know if you’re up for it.”

Let’s just say you were more than up for it.

Sterling pinned you against the wall of the diner’s bathroom. Soft whines escaped your lips as he practically manhandled you. Sliding his knee between your legs, his lips met yours, causing you to smile and grind against him. “Good God. you’re are so fucking hot” Sterling breathed down your neck as your hands made their way to his trousers, unzipping them.

In due time you both had unbuttoned, unzipped, or has completely taken off all necessary clothes to get what you both wanted. Looking at his cock you licked your lips and practically begged, “Can I please suck you off?” And as much as Sterling would love to have his cock down your throat, He needed to be inside of you immediately.

“I love how much you wanna suck my cock I need to be balls deep in your pussy now” He practically growled. Your underwear was already thrown about (Which is very unsanitary in this most likely unclean public bathroom but don’t think about too hard) and so had been your bottoms. Pink lifted you onto the tiny counter, careful to not just set you in the sink. You spread your legs for him and pulled on his now, slightly unbuttoned shirt, to bring him closer. Both lips met and both set of hands began to move at a synced pace. His hands met your hips and he began to massage his way down to your pussy.

Your hands split up, one rubbing his bicep while the other went to tug on his hair. Groans and moans escaped you both as the makeout got hotter and you got wetter. His fingers quickly slid into your tight pussy. As he began fingering you, “uh fuck! Please just fuck me already!” You whined as your hips involuntarily bucked as his fingers slid in and out of you. “Shh keep it down kitten, were still in public, technically.” His mouth met yours to quiet you, and the rough and sloppy kisses were enough to shut you up for now, but that didn’t stop you from grinding on his hand as he continued on fucking you with his fingers. He began to rub slow, continuous circles around your clit causing your breath to hitch. “Hunh- fuck!” Your eyes rolled as sterling smirked, “shh come on doll cum for me I know your close.” He hummed as he focused on trying to hit that one spot over and over again. At this point, he was most definitely jerking himself off while you whined on his fingers.

Your constant whines are interrupted by your own gasp as he hits that one spot. “Fuck! Oh my god please ah~” Sterling’s face of concentration brighten as soon as your breath quickened. “Come on doll cum for me!” With those words of encouragement, you were gone. As he worked you through your orgasm his other hand left his cock and he rubbed your thighs to soothe you.

Your lips met once again as you rested for a minute. After the moment passed he rubbed both your thighs and got himself comfy, standing between your thighs. “You ready sugar?” “Yes, yes please!” Your hands rested on his cheeks as you both look each other in the eyes. You both smiled and giggled at your possibly embarrassing begging. “Just be patient, I want to take my time with you” He lined himself up and slid through your folds, lubing himself with your glistening arousal.

He finally pushed into your snug cunt and groaned, after your initial gasp you said ‘shh remember we’re still in public” smirking as you used his words against him. “For fucks sake I’m just trying to fuck my girl without getting caught and thrown out!” He huffed and you paused, “Your girl?” He also paused. “I-i mean that is if you want I didn’t mean-” You cut him off with an abrupt kiss, saving him from his own word stumbling. “I’d love to be yours” You wholeheartedly smiled up at him and he quickly kissed you again, “Then you, my love, are now mine~” He snapped his hips into yours causing you to moan and whine as he fucks into you.

Sterling tried to keep his groaning to a minimum but that was kinda hard considering your tight wet cunt was greedily sucking in his cock while you moaned and whined, while your tits bounced. “God you’re so fucking tight baby!” he groaned and his grip on your waist got tighter as he fucked into you harder.

“Nuhhhah!” An incomprehensible moan left your throat as you could feel yourself get tighter around his dick. Hands were in a flurry and you gripped his hair (Which he loves) and clawed at his back. “God come on Princess!” Sterling groaned and pushed you over your climax. “Oh my fucking god!” You whined and arched your back, pressing your chest into him. He felt you grow tighter as he fucked you through your orgasm which in turn caused his. As his hips stuttered he whined and fucked into you with what little strength he had left.

“Oohhh fuck!” He slammed into you one last time, letting ropes of his cum flowed into you. You pulsed around him and nuzzled your head into the crook of his neck, letting your arms draped around his torso. He let his head fall back and took a few breaths, gain composure and strength.

“That was incredible- you are incredible.” He huffed and lifted your chin up to meet his eyes. “You aren’t half bad either.” You smiled. “Goddamnit I’m trying to give you a compliment, I’m trying to be nice and- and here you are acting like a brat!” He teased as you laughed and relaxed in his arms. You both untangled yourselves from each other, causing soft moans and groans to leaves both lover’s lips. Sterling helped clean you up and dress you, causing you to smile at the love he was showing.

“What are you smiling at? Are you still laughing at your little joke earlier?” “No no, I was just thinking about how much I genuinely like you.” You smiled up at him and his face softened. A sincere smile spread across his face and he kissed you softly. Filled with love and passion. That’s when you both knew you were partners in crime. In a diner bathroom right after you both had sex, and Ya know what? That was the perfect way to find love. At least in your eyes, it was.

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

BONUS:

“Why the hell are you guys back so late?” Eddie questioned. You and Mr. Pink frantically looked at each other. “We hide for a bit, just in case we were gonna run into cops or be followed.” You quickly, yet hopefully in a prevaricating manner, responded. “Alright well did you get the jewels?” He asked. “Of course we got ‘em.” Mr. Pink tossed the bag of stolen goods onto a nearby table and began to light a cigarette You smiled at the ground and the other dogs look your way then at each other.

They were in a meeting for an upcoming heist when you and pink made your appearance. As they were talking business they had also been talking about you and Sterling. Making comments on how you were both most definitely fucking while on the job. But they were only joking,,, until you both came in late and were obviously lying about coming in late. They were screaming in their heads but didn’t say a word out loud.

After a few minutes of talking with joe you and sterling left. Snickers filled the room. Then cackles. The knee slaps soon followed. They couldn’t fucking believe it took how many months for you two to get together, but they were happy nonetheless. The next week you guys met up you and sterling undoubtedly left with red hot faces.

[glytchfic]

We started as a spark. PART 1.

David Dastmalchian x Fem!Reader

Hellooo guys! So i’m back for the official Part 1. I’m glad so many of you enjoyed the Prologue, it’s really appreciated. I don’t know at what frequency exactly i’ll be able to upload because i’m in college - you know the drill with college lol fml - and i’ll probably get busier and busier as the week goes by, but i’ll keep you posted as much as i can! As usual, if you have any criticism or anything, just let me know.

Enjoy! 

Rating: 18+

Warnings, i’ll probably add more as i go: slow burn, foul language. 

Inspired by the song False Alarm by Matoma & Becky Hills.

___________________________________________________________

I hear a knock on the door and I open my eyes a little bit. I turn around, hide under my blanket and close my eyes again. I can feel myself dozing off again and I hear another knock, louder this time. After a sign of despair, I get up and stumble to my front door, not entirely awake yet. I open it and see a red-haired man walking right through it. I groan. Here comes the legendary Steve Agee with his early morning attitude. 

‘I’ve been waiting for 15 minutes downstairs.’  

‘How come Richard let you through?’ 

‘The man at the lobby? I told him your darkest deepest secret to prove I knew you and he let me through. Now get dressed, we’re gonna be late.’ Steve commands. 

‘Late for what?’ I ask, apparently confused.  

He frowns at me and tilts his head a bit. After a couple of seconds, it hit me. 

‘Aw fuck the table read!’ I scream as I run to my room.  

‘Nice PJ by the way.’ 

I mutter a ‘Fuck you’ under my breath as I search for something decent to wear to our first table read. I put on something quite simple – black leggings and a white T-shirt – and grab my phone on my bedside table. One text from my mom, eight missed calls from Steve and one text from – oh my god – David.  

‘I reserved a seat for you and Steve right next to me. You’re welcome.’ 

I can’t help but smile. I first met David a month ago when James – James Gunn – decided to organize something at his place so the crew could get to know each other. To my biggest surprise, David and I hit it off immediately. But if I’m being honest with myself, it does not help the huge attraction I have for him.  

‘Are you coming or not?’ Steve yells while jingling his car keys.  

‘Oh my god, I hope you got us coffee before you got here because you’re insufferable right now!’ I yell back. 

_

I take a sip of my coffee as I look out through the window.  

‘Sorry for making us late.’ I say calmer than earlier. 

‘Don’t you have an assistant to help you keep track of all that?’ Steve points out.  

‘Yep. Might fire him.’  

Steve parks the car and I get out of it, coffee in hand. I gaze at the building, and I see the Warner Bros logo at the top of it. I look at my phone and see we’re only ten minutes late, which is not so bad. Chances are we’re not gonna be the only ones late. We enter the building and I follow Steve, who knows this place much better than I do. We arrive in front of door 171 and he opens it for me like the gentlemen that he is. With a loud bang, the door closes behind us and everybody turns around to stare at us. 

‘Hey.’ I say with an apologetic tone.  

‘Have you, at least, brought coffee for everyone?’ James chuckles. 

I mouth a sincere ‘Sorry’ as I look around for my place. I see David in the corner waving at me and Steve. He smiles at me as I sit next to him, and I can feel my face getting a little bit hotter. I really need to calm down. I can’t let him have this much effect on me. 

‘Did you get lost?’ he whispers to me. 

‘Worse than that. I forgot.’ I whisper back and he chuckles a bit.  

He hands me a copy of the script and we finally begin our first table read for The Suicide Squad. James shares with us his thoughts about most parts of the movie, some information we need to know about the underlying messages and all the important dates we need to know about the productions. After a few hours of reading and re-reading some parts, we leave the room and the first I do is lean against the wall in the corridor, holding my rumbling stomach.  

‘Are you pregnant or something?’ Steve said in his mocking tone. 

‘Fuck off, Steve.’ 

He laughs. Being very vocal about not wanting kids, he knows it annoys the shit out of me when he makes those kinds of comments. But since I’ve known him for years and we became good friends, it just became – in a way – a running gag between us. And maybe because most of my attempts at the relationship thing failed because of the baby thing and he knows all about it. He’s an asshole and I love him for that. 

‘All jokes aside, wanna grab a bite? You look like shit.’ 

‘You look like shit.’ I smile at him, and he smiles back, ‘but yeah, we should. Coffee only diet is not good.’ 

‘Wait here. I’ll ask David if he wants to come with us.’ 

Hearing his name makes me a bit weak. I see Steve walking away from me to join another group of the crew a bit farther in the corridor. I lean my head against the wall, and I close my eyes. I’ve only seen David face to face a few times this last month – and never completely alone – so I’m not really used to having him around me yet. Our brand-new friendship mainly developed from the fact that we realized from the get-go we had a lot of things in common and we shared those interests via text messages. You know, Youtube videos and memes as any friends would do. Let’s put the emphasis on the word friends here since, you know, we’re gonna be weeks long together filming and stuff. 

‘Well, hello Clarice.’ 

I smirk at the nickname and open my eyes to see David looking at me with a grin. Since he’s learned that I’m a huge fan of The Silence of the Lambs - and of horror movies in general – he's been calling me Clarice or Miss Sterling from time to time.  

‘Doctor Lecter.’ I say as professionally as possible which makes both of us laugh. 

‘Stop playing around kids, I’m hungry let’s go!’ Steve exclaims. 

_

‘Uh-huh, I can’t agree with that, I’m sorry but -’ I say while chewing on my burger. 

‘Oh my god, really?’ David replies, interrupting me. 

‘Let me explain,’’ I swallow my bite and wave at them to calm down before I continue, ‘look, I do think George Lucas was right to change a few things about his original Star Wars movies since we do have better VFX and CGI for it now. It doesn’t change anything story wise so who cares?’ 

‘Unbelievable.’ David simply said under his breath. 

‘Okay, that’s enough. I don’t care, I’m gonna say it: I’m ashamed to be your friend.’ Steve dead-pan comments. 

‘I have every right to say it and I’m gonna say it goddamn it! George was right!’ I exclaim. 

Both take their faces in their own hands, and I can’t help but chuckle as a sip my milkshake. There’s nothing like creating pure chaos with Star Wars fans. I let them try to explain to me how wrong I was, and I continue eating, amuse. As I am looking at Steve explaining a deep theory about the Star Wars universe, I see from the corner of my eyes that David is glancing at me. I subtly look in his direction and he immediately turn his stare away when our eyes connect. I smirk and turn my attention back to Steve.  

‘So, anyway, that’s why you’re wrong.’ Steve says as a matter of fact. 

‘Sure buddy.’ I laugh.  

Steve rolls his eyes and looks at his phone. He sighs, gets up and puts some cash money on the table. 

‘Gotta go. I have a meeting with some friends for a photography session. You guys have fun.’  

We wave him goodbye and in just a few seconds, he was gone. I turn my attention to David, and it hit me. It’s officially the first time we’re completely alone. Completely, not really, we’re still in a public place but there’s no Steve or no James to keep the conversation going. I’ve never struggled with small talk or any talking really, but somehow, it’s the first time in my entire life where I’m legitimately concerned about me not knowing what to say or what to do.  

‘I didn’t know you were such a drama queen about Star Wars’ I say to David, trying to mock him a bit. 

‘I thought they were called public nuisance now?’  

I let out a sincere laugh, ‘In no way whatsoever you could be a public nuisance.’ 

‘I will take that as a compliment’ he says with a lovely smile. 

Fuck, this friendship is gonna be hard to deal with.  

[kitkatt0430]

Things I'd like to see in the Leverage Redemption, either in the back half of season one or in a later season:

The team working with one - or more - of the Leverage International crews

The return of McSweeten, the sweetest FBI agent - while it'd be good to see him still be in the FBI, I also wouldn't mind finding out he quit and joined Leverage International

The return of Tara Cole - it'd also be interesting to see if she's part of Leverage International now or if she freelances with them on occasion still; I could also see her working with Parker to relocate people hiding from abusive partners

The return of Chaos - while it'd be fun to pit him against Hardison again, it'd also be interesting for him to actually be battling against Breanna and be shocked by the reveal... but also open to having multiple rivals because no doubt Chaos is only happy when he's being somebody's rival

Sterling's gotta show up for another frenemy mine situation. It'd be nice to see him reminisce with Sophie about Nate and if there was a hinting at the three of them having an on again, off again polyamorous relationship then well... all the better, really. But also Sterling walking into their new bar, Sophie cautioning Elliot not to do anything rash, and then Eliot punching Sterling in the face to Harry and Breanna's confusion while Parker appears from the rafters munching popcorn would be both hilarious and a fun call back to the original show.

Maggie - much like with Sterling, having her reminisce with Sophie, maybe hint at a threesome... that'd be lovely. It'd also be fun to watch her mess with Eliot by flirting with him again and I could also see her calling on Leverage teams on when she notices something hinky going on in the art world.

Harry's daughter should show up. He's clearly not married anymore and the age of his daughter is unclear - he's mentioned she likes EDM but that's really all we've heard about her. Are they estranged due to the divorce and Harry's shady dealings as a lawyer? Will finding out he's now a Robin Hood esque thief improve their relationship? Or are they actually on good terms and so learning he's no longer a corporate lawyer and why come as a shock to her when she finally shows up?

Hardison and Breanna's Nana should guest star. She adores Parker and Eliot. Everyone gets cookies. It becomes clear why Nana keeps raising kids who are strongly into social justice and making the world a better place through less than legal means... Nana unofficially adopts Sophie and Harry. (Parker teaches any new foster kids how to pick locks)

A return of a few old enemies. There were a number of bad guys they dealt with in the first season who could have conceivably bounced back in the time since the first show came to an end. It'd be interesting to see the original team have to take a back seat with Breanna and Harry being the only visible faces to the operation. Or having them coordinate with another Leverage team to take down a former nemesis.

The return of the Old Nate painting. Admittedly they probably won't so as not to have even the likeness of the actor who shall not be named seen on the show. But even if they don't show the actual painting, referencing their old good luck charm would be nice.

It'd also be nice to have Sophie's issues with acting addressed.

By the end of the original show, Sophie's time spent finding herself over the course of five seasons as well as running her own theater had helped her become a better actress. But we've since seen a bit of a backward step on that front - she's noted to Hardison and Eliot that she's putting up something of a front for the team and when she performs a dramatic reading of a poem at the not really Magic the Gathering faire, she initially overacts for the con, but when it stops being about the con and starts being about solving the riddle Sophie's dramatic reading becomes authentic and well done... a bit of a reverse of the issues she had with acting in the original show.

It feels like her renewed acting problems, her continuing grief over Nate's death, and her feeling like she's pretending to be someone she isn't anymore are all interconnected. So seeing her acting skills improve again as she learns to deal with her grief for Nate and her confidence as a grifter returns would be a nice bit of character development to see happen with her.

[boognish-worshipper]

Midnight City AU

it took me forever to decide where to go with this chapter and i was literally getting fed up editing it 😭 i’ve been so busy with all the chaos goin on in my life rn too so yeah writing’s been feeling delayed over all but i decided to just finalize this one for rn and uhhh sorry if it seems funky or shortttt

//Chapter 3: Vanished

The next day, Trevor went back to Sterling Lake Park, after spending the night at Wade’s. He agreed to meet up with him there later, walking around the park with his earbuds in. As he threw himself down on his usual bench, he settled on listening to his usual playlist of his favorite songs. He scrolled through nosedivr once again, taking a photo of the lake. It was foggy, and the thick air sat atop the water. He liked when it was like that. A sturdy drumbeat thumped in his ears, making him feel whole. He paused it briefly, just to change it to a different song that was even louder, but with the lack of music he could now hear the crunch of gravel not too far away. He thought he told Wade to come later on? He looked up from his phone, pulling out an earbud. It was the guy from yesterday.

“Hey.”

“Hello.”

“Where’s Amanda?” He asked, glancing around.

“Uhh she’s.. not here today. I kinda came to see if you were here. I wanna get to know more people at this park if I’m gonna hang ‘round here more I guess.”

“But she doesn’t like me?”

“She don’t gotta know.”

“Well aren’t you Boyfriend of the Year.”

“Oh uh, we aren’t dating yet.”

“Thought she was your girl though.”

“She is, she is. But it’s nothing serious. Not yet. And I don’t know what happened between you guys but you don’t seem that bad, so if I wanna talk to you that’s more of a her problem than me.”

“Huh.”

Today Michael wore an eCola shirt, which was obviously made to resemble their old logo, with blue jeans. He had on a pair of red sneakers this time to match the color of the shirt. They looked slightly newer, compared to the pair he wore yesterday. He dressed nice for such a basic style. Trevor on the other hand, threw on an old, frayed Love Fist t-shirt, and messy jeans. He wore a different pair of boots, some kind of knockoff of a popular name brand. A pair of purple lensed circular glasses sat on his head, the nose pieces caught in his hair.

“So.. uh. Mind if I sit there?”

“Not like I own the bench or anything, go right ahead.”

He cautiously sat next to Trevor, hands in his lap. Trevor started one of his other playlists up again, settling on a mix of Paramore and Green Day. He left an earbud out, just so he wouldn’t be completely rude. He mindlessly scrolled, occasionally looking back at the lake or casting a sideways glance at Michael, who was looking at him funny. Sighing, he paused his music, putting his earbuds away.

“What.”

“I.. nothin’ man. I just, I dunno. What is the point of coming here?”

“It’s a public fuckin’ park man.”

“I know, but you said that you don’t even really like the people here, so what’s the point?”

“There is no ‘point’ to it. I just like time to myself is all. These guys don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. They only start trouble when they see fit.”

“Ah… I see? What were you listening to by the way?”

Trevor stifled a groan, not really wanting to talk to the guy when he had time to freely plot his scheme.

“Pop punk shit. Ever heard of it?”

“Uh, no? I thought punk wasn’t supposed to be popular. Or fit in. Or whatever.”

“That’s merely the ideology, which I do follow, dear Michael. I just like the sound I guess. You know Paramore?”

“Not really. I don’t listen to that stuff much.”

“Then what the fuck do you listen to?”

“Not sure if it has a genre per say, but I like that song Radioactive goin’ around? Songs that sound like that I guess.”

“You like Imagine Dragons?”

“That’s what they’re called?”

Trevor could only stare at him. Was this guy living under a rock?

“Uh.. yeah. Y’know what- never mind, what else do you listen to?”

“80s music?”

No wonder this guy was unaware of who’s popular now.

“Amanda’s been trying to get me into groups like the 1975. I actually kinda like them.”

Trevor rolled his eyes.

“Of course she did.”

“They’re not that bad to be honest. She likes that weird alternative shit.”

“Yeah, I know. By the way, there is a name for that genre. Indie rock. Can’t stand the stuff.”

“How come?”

“You know, you ask a lotta fuckin’ questions.”

“I’m just tryna understand this shit here. I ain’t in the loop of all these trends.”

“Well, for your information I just find the style to be too slow and whiny for my taste. I like fast, upbeat, wild stuff.”

“Any recommendations then? I wanna impress Amanda by at least knowing one artist off that nosedivr thing she goes on.”

He raised a brow, not really wanting to share anything else knowing he would just repeat it back to her, but he shrugged and continued.

“Alright. Besides pop punk, I like experimental songs. Underground groups. Crystal Castles are my favorite.”

“Never heard of ‘em.”

“Wouldn’t expect you to.”

“Right.”

“If you want more indie rock shit though, I suggest listening to I don’t know, the Arctic Monkeys? That seems more like her taste.”

“These bands have such weird names.”

“I think bands have always been like that.”

“Hey wait a sec, I thought you didn’t like that stuff? How do you know the name of one of those groups?”

“Ugh… I guess I might as well say it if you’re gonna get with her, but we were friends at some point. She introduced me to those bands, but even then I didn’t really like it. We had a stupid falling out I’d rather not get into.”

“Oh.. sorry.”

“Eh, don’t be. Shit happens. You definitely seem like her type though, no wonder she got with you.”

“What’s her type?”

“Heh. As if I’d tell you.” He scoffed.

“C’mon man, please?”

“Nope.”

Michael frowned, slumping in his seat.

“Fine. Whatever. Not like I need to know.”

“You could at least pretend you don’t care.”

“I don’t.”

“You clearly do, bro.”

He sat arms crossed, turning a smidge away from Trevor. This was his opportunity to listen to his tunes again, but before he could Michael spoke up.

“Can I… can I listen to whatever you’re listening to?”

“Huh?”

“I wanna hear what you’re into.”

Trevor shot him a puzzled look.

“Uh.. okay.”

Wiping off an earbud, he handed one to Michael. He already had one in.

“Pick your poison cowboy.”

“Cowboy?”

“Just a nickname I give people.” He shrugged.

Michael settled on his experimental music, actually nodding along to the sound. They were closer than a minute ago, and it made Trevor uncomfortable for whatever reason. Maybe because he was never in such close proximity to strangers, but the other part of him didn’t care that much. Michael’s eyes were closed, smiling.

“You like it?”

“Yeah! Reminds me of synth stuff from the 80s, just more modern I guess.”

He smiled back at Michael, appreciating the fact there was someone else who liked the music he liked. The two listened to a couple different playlists he had, up until the moment Wade arrived at the park.

“Trevor! Hey!”

“Woah. Who’s your friend?”

“Hm?” He pulled out the single earbud, turning his head around. Wade had clown makeup on, making Trevor jump in his seat.

“Fucks sake. Hey Wade.”

“Ooh who’s this?”

He wasn’t sure if Wade freaked him out or not, seeing as the guy not only had matted locs, but many facial piercings as well. And the clown shit. He stood up to introduce them to one another.

“Wade, this is Michael. Michael, Wade.”

The way Michael looked at him was like a kid seeing a zoo animal for the first time. He looked bewildered, but not disgusted.

“Hi. What’s with the..?” He wavered a hand in Wade’s direction.

“Oh! It’s jus’ clown face. Not tryna scare ya or nothin’!”

“Uh huh… man. How have I never been around these parts? You guys are real different.”

“You got that right, Mike.”

“Seems like I’ve been missin’ out. I hangout with some dudes who would hate this place if I’m being honest.”

“I’ll have to meet ‘em sometime.” Trevor chuckled.

“They’re real cool guys. Didn’t expect our paths to cross, but anything’s possible in this fuckin’ city.”

“Oh yeah. Land of opportunities, for all types of wackjobs.”

“Ain’t that the truth.”

A hand tapped Trevor on the shoulder.

“Uh, excuse me, Trevor, but are we still gonna talk about the Merryweather thingy-”

“Wade! Shut it-”

“What Merryweather thing?”

“Nothing, nothing. Not important.” He said, gritting his teeth, glare strong on Wade.

“Okay..”

“But you said we’d talk about it over icecream!”

“Later, Wade. Not right now.”

“Fiiine. Can we still get icecream though?”

“Sure. Promise. I’ll let you know.”

“Okay! Bye Trevor, bye stranger!”

Michael lifted a hand to haphazardly to wave goodbye.

“What was that about?”

“I told ya man, nothin’. Just going over some plans we’re making.”

“Is it about that special event being held there?”

“How you know about that?”

“Mandy told me.”

“Mandy… yeah. Figures as much.”

“She got an invite, and wants me to go as her plus one. I don’t know if I really wanna go though, I’m still pretty unfamiliar with all this.”

“Trust me, you don’t.”

“Seriously, what is your beef with those guys?”

“I told you, they start shit when they want. Taught ‘em a lesson and that was it. Nearly got me banned from this place, but it was kinda worth the looks on their faces.”

“You are.. quite peculiar y’know. Anyway, you mind showing more of that music? I was honestly gettin’ a kick outta it.”

“Uh, yeah.”

He sat back down next to Michael, handing him the same earbud as before. He clicked on one of his favorite Crystal Castles songs, Vanished. As they were listening, Michael furrowed his eyebrows.

“Hey wait a minute.. I think I’ve heard this before.”

“You have? I thought you didn’t know them.”

“No, I mean yeah I haven’t, but that’s not it. The lyrics. Vocals. I’ve heard them in a different song.”

“Oh.”

“Lemme think, lemme think, ah… I got it! Pass me your phone real quick.”

His fingers typed in the song title fast, pressing play right away. It was an indie rock song, much to Trevor’s dismay. But something stopped him from complaining, seeing how Michael’s face lit up.

“Yeah! This is it, Sex City by Van She. Y’know, I honestly think that’s neat.”

“What is?”

“The fact that a song you like, samples a song I like! Who would’ve guessed?” He said, eyes sparkling. Trevor didn’t notice how bright they were until now. The eye contact, along with the lack of space between them, made him feel stuffy again. He averted his eyes back to his phone, trying to loosen up a bit. As the song played, he savored in the sound, shocking himself a bit. The rock sound was there, but had an 80s sort of feel to it. The song finished before he knew it.

“So.. What’d ya think?”

“You know my thoughts on indie shit. Wasn’t for me, sorry.”

“Oh c’mon, you know you liked it.”

“Nope. Prefer Vanished.”

“Yeah, okay. Keep telling yourself that, but I honestly think they’re both really good. You think that too, I can feel it.”

“Whatever you say bro.”

He switched the song over to that Grimes song he listened to yesterday, the two of them sitting silently. It was a pleasant afternoon they shared. Suddenly Michael’s phone went off, and he yanked the earbud out.

“Ah shit. I gotta take this. Mandy.”

“Gotcha.”

Trevor grabbed the other earbud, putting it back in. He saw Michael wave his free hand around, looking close to hurling his phone right into the lake. Trevor assumed he must’ve been shouting as well, from the way other people were looking at him. Hanging up not much later, he returned to the bench, as Trevor put his earbuds away.

“Fuckin’ Christ.”

“So.. how’d it go?”

“She’s finally not mad at me anymore, but demanded I go take her shopping now. I swear, she’s gonna clear out my bank account or something.”

“How? You guys aren’t even dating.”

“I know, but I just can’t say no to her.”

“Uh huh.”

“Look, I’m sorry to leave so suddenly, but I really gotta go before she goes back to being pissed at me. See ya around?”

“I’ll be here man.”

Michael stood up, storming away. Seemed like he had a short temper, huh? He wondered to himself how long he was gonna stick around, seeing how Amanda’s dating history was… an extensive list. He thought back to last night, when he had seen that post of them, remembering the fact that no guy stayed for longer than a week. It almost made him bummed, seeing as he only had Ron and Wade for friends. Lester too, but that was on rare occasion. Shit. The plans. What time was it?

“Ah, fuck me.” He muttered. How did he let the day go by so quick?

He shot a text to Wade, telling him to grab Ron and meet at some icecream place. He did promise Wade after all.

Ron ended up meeting them there a little bit later, apologizing profusely before Trevor told him to just sit down and shut up. He did just that, almost apologizing once more.

“Now, let’s get down to business. Who do we know that would help us sneak into that club to cause sheer utter mayhem?”

Ron raised his hand excitedly.

“I could get Floyd maybe-”

“Definite fuckin’ no. He would have a heart attack the minute he set foot in there.”

This was getting nowhere. He tossed his head back to look up at the sky. As he did, he saw a couple walking out of the icecream place.

“Oh fucking hell.”

Was this guy following him or something? He snapped his head forward, trying to be a little more hidden.

“What? Trevor what is it?”

“Shh! Keep your fucking voice down Ron!”

He made all three of them lower their heads as the couple walked away, peeking over his shoulder to make sure they were gone. As he did, he could’ve sworn he saw Michael looking back at him. The both of them turned away as quick as possible from the split second of eye contact.

“Trevor?” Ron repeated.

“It was nothing. Just thought I saw someone.”

“Ain’t that the Michael fella I met today?”

“Nope. Don’t think it is.”

“Are ya sure-”

“Pretty fucking positive. Now, back on topic.”

The next hour or so still went nowhere. Wade had gone through two servings of icecream, and Ron started to get restless. Trevor was just bored.

“Ughhh there has to be something we can do!”

“I don’t know what to tell you Trevor. We’ll find someone, soon. There’s enough time isn’t there?”

“Yeah, but I’m not waitin’ til the last possible fuckin’ second to get a guy to help us out here.”

“But we still have time.”

“If you fuckin’ say so Ron.”

The three of them called it a night, as Trevor tossed around the idea of possibly getting Michael involved in his head. On one hand he wanted to out of spite just to make Amanda and the other hipsters mad, and on the other he didn’t want to screw up whatever new friendship he had started with Michael. Ron did say they had time to find someone soon. They weren’t exactly in a rush, but he still wanted to make sure their plan was concrete. They all went back to Wade’s, Trevor deciding to take a walk along the beach. He threw on the same playlist from earlier, watching the sunset. As he walked, he didn’t pay much mind to where he was going, bumping into someone.

“Ah fuck, watch where you’re going-”

“Shit, sorry man-”

As they spun around from the collision, he realized exactly who he had run into.

“Trevor?”

What the fuck?

“What the fuck? Are you following me or something?”

“Huh?”

“This is the third time I’ve seen you today. What are you even doing here?”

“Uh, it’s a public fuckin’ beach man.” He said, mocking the comment Trevor had made earlier.

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“Hey, I’m just tellin’ you how it is. I didn’t purposely search for you, hell I didn’t even know you lived this way.”

“I do. So make like a tree and fuck off.” He said bitterly.

“Woah, chill the fuck out. What’s your deal? I thought we were cool man.”

“I don’t like being followed.”

“I just told you I wasn’t!”

“It doesn’t exactly seem like it. You just so happen to look for me this morning, and just happen to go to the same icecream place I went, and then I find you here? I mean Jesus-”

“I’m telling you, it’s all purely coincidence.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fuckin’ hell man..” He mumbled.

“Y’know, you’re as fuckin’ stubborn as Amanda is. I already told you-”

Trevor balled his fists, before jabbing a finger into Michael’s chest.

“Don’t fucking compare me to her.”

Michael threw his hands up defensively, not realizing he touched a nerve.

“Woah woah, easy dude. I didn’t think it was that bad between you guys.”

He exhaled loudly, unclenching his hands.

“It wasn’t. Isn’t. Just.. don’t compare me to her.”

Michael pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling hard himself.

“Look, I think you’re cool and all but you can’t flip out on me like that. I mean we are just getting to know each other y’know. I can’t have you wanting to bite my head off like that if I just so happen to keep running into you. I really am just trying to navigate the area better, so forgive me if I came off as some sorta fuckin’ stalker. Amanda went home and I had nothing better to do so I chose to walk over this way.”

“Hmph. Fine. Whatever.”

“So we good?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Now, since we’re already here why don’t we just hangout or something?”

Trevor folded his arms, trying to look like he didn’t want to spend another minute with him. It didn’t really work though, because he actually did want to talk to him more.

“If you insist.”

“Alrighty.”

The two of them started to head in the direction of the boardwalk, neither one speaking yet. After finding a bench to sit on as the sun sunk below the horizon, the silence was still there. This sort of thing was bizarre for both of them in different ways. Michael never really frequented these parts of LS, and Trevor never really hit it off with any kind of stranger. Ron and Wade were exceptions if anything, and he had known Lester for a while now. Yet there was something about this guy that didn’t make him feel like he was spending time with a stranger, even though he knew jack shit about him. He might as well try to make small talk.

“So I-”

“So uhh-”

They spoke over each other while trying to start up a conversation, making things feel a little more awkward.

“Shit sorry, you go first.”

“Nah nah you go.”

“Um. Okay. So.. tell me about yourself? We haven’t really talked about much besides music.”

“Yeah.. right. What do ya wanna know?”

“I just asked you to tell me about yourself, so it’s your job to decide what to say.”

Michael gave him a sardonic smile in response to that, partly because he wasn’t sure what to bring up about himself. It seemed like they were gonna be here a while if they wanted to say the most basic shit you say when getting to know someone.

“Well, I ain’t that interesting if you really need to know. I’m guessing you already know about my whole ‘affinity for the 80s’ thing, like the culture n shit that came from it. Real sick stuff.”

“If you say so.”

“Yeah. Anyway, if you really want to know plain shit about me though, I will tell ya that my favorite color’s blue.”

Trevor snickered at that.

“Pfft, seriously? We’re talking favorite colors now?”

“Hey man, you said you wanted to know more about me.”

“Uh yeah, but that’s so fuckin’ silly.”

“Maybe it is, but what about you? You got one?”

“Favorite color? You kiddin’?”

“I’m waiting..”

“Uh huh… I’ll give. Always liked the color red I guess. Like, in variety. Not picky about something as childish as that.”

“What’s childish about that?”

“Cuz only kids exchange that whole ‘oh what’s your favorite color?’ thing. It’s like if I were to ask you what your favorite dinosaur is.”

“Hmm.. I’d probably say a T-Rex.”

“Oh now you’re just pulling my dick. And no, I’m not telling you what mine is just because you did.”

“Hey, I didn’t ask you though. That was all you.”

“Mm… shut it.”

“You got one though?”

“I’m not telling you!”

“Ah ah, I didn’t ask which one, I asked if you had one.”

“Well I don’t, so knock it off.”

“That’s fair. I won’t push.”

They grew silent for the second time that night, before Trevor mumbled something under his breath.

“It’s a pterodactyl..”

“What was that?”

He forced a breath through his nose, acting annoyed.

“It’s a fuckin’ pterodactyl. That’s mine. Okay?”

“Hah, okay. Any reason why?”

“You’re so nosy.”

“You’re the one who started this conversation about getting to know each other man.”

“Ugh, I know that.” He said, lightly shoving his shoulder.

“I think it’s cool that they could fly and shit. I like flying.”

“You like flying?”

“Loved it.”

“Wait, you tellin’ me you fly? Like, planes and shit?”

Trevor winced at the words, regretting what he just said.

“I did.. at some point. Air Force shit. They said I was one of the best they’d seen in a while but I.. left. Sort of.”

“Then why’d you leave?”

“I didn’t exactly leave on my own accord. More or less got kicked out.”

“How come-”

“I don’t like talking about it. I know we’re opening up or whatever the fuck but that.. that’s still too soon for me to want to bring up. Especially to someone I barely know.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He said, even though it really wasn’t. It’s not like Michael knew though, he really wasn’t trying to prod in a bad way.

It was almost pitch black by the time their conversation got to that point, only distant streetlight and the nearby pier lighting up their surroundings. The whole mood had shifted, and both of them decided to just break it off there.

“Hey uh, I’ll probably see you tomorrow man. If I’m with Amanda I think I’ll just send a wave or something your way.”

“Got it. See ya.”

“Bye.”

Trevor stayed put, watching Michael leave as he turned down a random one way street. This guy was tripping him out and he couldn’t pin point why. It was getting late though, and walked off himself back to Wade’s. He’ll save that vexed question for another night.

//ahhhhhh i rlly did not know what i wanted to do with this….,,., sorry if this wasn’t as good as the first two !! i alrdy know i repeated a bunch of stuff in there and i feel like it got kinda sloppy so again, soz (including typos or whtevr)

but uhhhh anyway yeah i cut it off here bc i wanted to continue some of this shit in the next chapter ig lol,, more stuff to come soon god willing

[schrijverr]

He Was Left on the Steps of the FBI in a Basket 5

Chapter 5 out of 7

Maybe not a basket, but sixteen-year-old Dr. Spencer Reid suddenly shows up at FBI headquarters claiming that his mother has been kidnapped. The BAU isn’t certain first, but the case he sets them on proves to be an interesting one, wherein they get to know the young doctor until he’s practically family. In this chapter, they figure out who the unsub is, now they just have to get Diana back, but nothing is ever that easy.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: I'll keep tagging this as ableism, just bc of the vibes

~~~~~~~~~~~

Search Set Up

“I think I know the unsub’s delusion,” Reid says. “It took me a moment because the dates must be personal and the burial ritual is a forensic countermeasure and not part of the mythology, but it finally clicked. He’s making Greek sacrifices. The unsub has cast himself as Odysseus.”

“What?” Prentiss says.

“He’s not correct on most parts,” Reid goes on, “but he has some key elements. The victims aren’t wearing robes, but togas. And back when the Greeks still made human sacrifices, the sacrifices would wear wreaths, hence the sticks and baked barley grains would be strewn as well. The fact that they’re baked helped in preservation. To sacrifice them, they would first be felled down, before their throats were slit. They also preferred willing sacrifices, thinking them to be better. That’s what he’s trying to convince them off.”

“So, why Odysseus?” Rossi asks.

“Well,” Reid answers, “If the unsub has a military background, he can think of himself as Odysseus, making sacrifices to get home. Even if that never happened in the literature. That’s why he left the book on display. It’s his story. The cardinal points, the skipping the West. He’s making sacrifices to Aeolus, the keeper of the winds that gave Odysseus the West wind that brought him home.”

“But he operates East from his home, isn’t that the wrong direction then?” Morgan comments.

“Maybe so, but it was the favorable wind in the myth and if he’s military, he was likely stationed overseas, probably the Near East, maybe even near Greece,” Reid explains. “He probably thinks he never came home from there.”

“We can use this to narrow it down,” Hotch says. “Call Garcia.”

“Hey, baby girl,” Morgan is on the line in seconds.

“Hiya sexy, what can I do you for?” Garcia replies.

“Garcia, I need you to pull up men who used to live in the area, but haven’t in a few years,” Hotch says.

“Alright, that’s quite a lot. Got anything for me to narrow it down?” she asks.

Reid jumps in before anyone else can. “Look for men who have lost their wife and probably a kid too, son most likely. This is either through death or a divorce in which the father lost visitation rights.”

“That helps, still twenty hits,” she replies.

“Okay, uhm, look for anyone without a current home address,” Reid offers.

“Yes, I got two,” Gracia sounded victorious. “One James Sterling and Alexander Seeworth. James worked as a soldier overseas, but turned to drinking when he came home. Wife divorced him and has a retraining order against him as does their son. He left the state and pops up in a few homeless shelters here and there.”

Reid shakes his head and Morgan says: “What about Alexander Seeworth, mama?”

“Alexander Seeworth’s wife and son died right as he was about to come home from duty,” Garcia sounds sad, like she always does when there’s a tragedy in a person’s life. “They were taken by a jealous ex-boyfriend of the wife, then killed when she rejected him again. Alexander was a marine, but never returned to duty due to grief taking over. He lived in the old house for a year before selling and dropping off the map.”

“When were the wife and son killed?” Hotch asks.

“Oh- oh god,” Garcia reacts to what she reads, before answering: “They were killed on the 25thof March, but they were taken21st, sir.”

“It’s him,” Hotch confirms. “Any addresses in the area from him or a family member? Or a vehicle registered in his name?”

“He drives an RV that’s still in his wife’s name and there is a townhouse near the lake belonging to an uncle who-” she sighs, “who was reported missing by a friend on the 22ndten years ago. Never found.”

“That must be the first victim,” Emily says as Hotch asks: “Can you find the RV?”

“It showed up on traffic camera’s a day ago near the city’s edge,” Garcia answers.

“He’s already at the town house,” Rossi says. “Garcia-”

“Address is already send to you,” she interrupts him. “Good luck, my team of crime fighters.”

Hotch hangs up and immediately starts giving orders. Prentiss, Rossi and Morgan leave to get ready for the raid, while Hotch briefs the police that will be coming with them and JJ calls a SWAT team to come help as well.

It’s chaos in the station and Reid suddenly feels very overwhelmed and very alone.

He tucks his knees close to his chest and watches, by peekingover them as the room devolves into motion.

Reid has done his part. He won’t be allowed to go on the raid and they know who did it.

The picture of the man, who took his mother looks up at him. Alexander Seeworth looks absolutely normal and Reid remembers awkwardly nodding to him on the street two days before his mom was taken.

It’s strange how he suddenly feels disconnected from his body. There is so much to be done still, but the moment they knew who it is, he shut down.

Only when the precinct has emptied itself into vehicles with sirens blaring loudly, does JJ take note of the small form that’s still on the table, staring into the distance without seeing anything. She sits down next to him and doesn’t say a word, lifting an arm as invite without forcing him closer.

After a few seconds, Reid leans into her side and murmurs: “Theoretically, I knew that after the tension of not knowing was over, I’d crash, but no book prepared me for this. How do you deal with it every day?”

JJ sighs and looks ahead. “It’s hard and just an awful feeling you have to get used to. If a case ends well, the empty feeling is replaced by relief. If it doesn’t, it gets worse until you snap yourself out of it.”

“And how do I snap myself out of it?” Reid asks softly.

“That depends from person to person,” JJ says. “Derek goes to a bar, for example. Hotch goes home to his wife. Rossi, Rossi drinks fancy wines and makes himself dinner. Emily cuddles with her cat or goes out as well. And Penelope keeps her spirit up by decorating her computer lair in all things colorful and happy.”

“What about you?” Reid finally raises his head from it was buried between his knees. “What do you do to feel better?”

“I watch sports or I go out with Derek, Emily and Penelope,” JJ answers. “But on nights I feel truly bad, I do what Gideon does.”

That piques Reid’s interest: “What does he do? Agent Gideon?”

“He has all these photos of people he saved. He used to have them in his office as well as in this little notebook he carried. They’re his reminders of that it’s worth it. To feel like this. Because it helps people,” JJ says. “Sometimes the reminder of why we do this job is necessary.”

Reid hums thoughtfully. “That seems nice. I don’t have that though,” he replies.

“Not yet, but soon we’ll have your mom here and you’ll have saved her,” JJ tells him, hoping they’ll hear from the other’s soon. “And you have brought 39 people peace about the disappearance of their loved ones. That’s no small feat, Spence.”

He finally lowers his leg, uncurling at the compliment and says: “Thank you, Agent JJ.”

“No problem,” she says. “And just JJ is fine, Spence. You’re my friend, no need for agent.”

“We’re friends?” he asks, and the surprise in the statement cuts through JJ.

“Yeah, we’re friends. I’m pretty sure you’re friends with everyone in the BAU,” she replies, hoping he sees she’s genuine.

“That’s cool,” his eyes crinkle slightly as his smile broadens. “I’ve never had friends before.”

At that point the radio crackles and they hear Hotch: “Okay, everyone in position? We’re about to move in.”

They wait in suspense as the team moves through the building. Since they’re not on the scene all they have is the silence to fill the time and it’s grating on their nerves. It’s quiet at the police station at nearly eight PM and it’s already dark outside.

Reid is tapping his fingers together and kicking his feet. The numbness from before is gone, instead he’s filled with nervous anticipation. All the statistics run through his mind. Will his mother be okay? Will they be able to catch the guy? Will his mom ever recover? He doesn’t want to think about all that can go wrong, but his mind won’t stop zooming.

In an effort to distract himself from the sudden nothingness when his mind is filled, he turns on the television and immediately drops the remote in desperate disbelief.

Over the radio, they can hear Hotch say: “The house is clear. He’s not here, but the RV is parked here. Did anything tip him off?”

JJ also sees the news and reports: “The media did. The story is on the news.”

Indeed on the small precinct screen a report is talking about all the bodies found in the woods and how there are rumors of a serial killer that has been active for the past ten years in their little town, with victims counting in the 30s.

“Then he can be anywhere and has Diana with him,” Hotch says. “We’ll canvas the area, try to see where he might have gone and send out search parties. I don’t know how much we can do in the dark, but we’ll try. JJ, I need you to see who leaked the story and check in with Reid, this will be hard for him.”

“Of course, sir,” JJ says, she can also imagine how difficult this will be on the boy. Just a few seconds ago she was assuring him they’d have his mother here soon, now she is in the wind with a serial killer who can kill her at any moment.

“He got away with her, didn’t he,” Reid’s tone is more resigned than anything else and she hates that he is so used to disappointment that he can’t even bring himself to be it in a situation as dire as this one.

“Yeah, Spence, I’m really sorry,” JJ tells him. “I’m going to try to get to the bottom of this and the other’s are doing everything they can. We’ll find her.”

“Just don’t give up on her?” he says, voice unbearably small.

“Of course not,” JJ puts her hand on his shoulder and squeezes.

Reid sags into the contact and wraps her arms around her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder as he softly whispers: “Thank you, you’re the first who haven’t given up on her, or me. Despite all the us-ness.”

And JJ knows, she’s read the reports. She’s seen how police, the judge, the jury, everyone, is less likely to help the mentally ill, the disabled in general, the prostitutes, the drug addicts, the people of color, but it still hurt to see it in action. To see a kid, who hasn’t been helped just because his mother needs accommodations.

“Your you-ness, cracked this case. We’re on the right path thanks to you,” JJ says forcefully. “Don’t you ever forget that, Spence.”

“I won’t,” he promises.

“Good,” she squeezes one last time, then lets go and does a step back. “I’m going to call ever contact I have until I know who broke the story, alright. You get some rest, okay?”

“Okay, JJ,” he answers, but he sits back on the table and stares at the map, as if it will tell him where his mother is.

In the end, JJ spends two hours on the phone before she has the guy. Peter Miller. He has been run out of the media ever since a false story led to a wrongful arrest as the real perpetrator got away and he’s been trying to claw his way back ever since. Probably thought he could win some credit by breaking the story first.

“Dammit, Peter, we had a deal,” JJ fumes. “Evening news. Tomorrow. Do you know when tomorrow is?”

“Come on, Jennifer,” he says as if it’s no big deal. “You got a few hours. I thought the BAU were the best out there, didn’t catch this guy yet?”

“We did,” she says.

“Then what’s the big deal?” Peter asks.

“The big deal, Peter, is that the guy saw the news and ran,” her voice can kill a man with how steely and sharp it is. “The big deal, is that he has a mother of sixteen-year-old boy with him. The big deal, Peter, is that he’s now in the wind and will kill her, if she becomes a burden. The big deal, is that you are the reason we have a kid here with no mother, while he should have been in her arms hours ago.”

“Wha- I never-” Peter splutters.

“What you didn’t do was think,” JJ spits. “And I will make sure that everyone knows how badly you messed up. Again. You will never find work anywhere, I’ll make sure of that. So gather the last remnants of dignity you have and think about what you’ve done. Goodbye.”

She hangs up before he can reply and has to take a few moment to be furious. They would have had him, they would have caught him, if it weren’t for that lying son of a bitch.

JJ truly hates the vultures she works with on some days.

When she’s calmed down a bit, she goes to check on Reid. He’s sitting in front of the crimes boards – all of them – with a cup of coffee. It doesn’t look like he’ll be going to bed anytime soon.

“You really should be resting,” she breaks the silence and he looks up at her, kind of startled, like he didn’t hear her coming.

“I- I want to wait until Hotch gets back,” he tells her. “Just in case they find her out there.”

“That’s okay, honey,” JJ puts as much compassion into her voice as she can, grateful for the amount of experience she has. “But you shouldn’t be looking at those photos. You don’t want your brain to be running the worst cases with imagery to back it up.”

He smiles sadly and says: “I know that. I know Hotch will probably be mad too. I just can’t help it. I keep imaging how these victims must have felt. If he truly convinced them to go willingly, I wonder if they were scared. If they realized it was a mistake just a moment toolate. I wonder if he already convinced my mom.”

“Spence-” JJ attempts to cut him off, but he doesn’t let her.

“No, just- What would convince these people? What is he telling her? Does she believe him? I’m just scared that she’ll never be herself again. Or that he let’s her go and she wanders around in the forest, alone and confused until the elements take her, never knowing that I was looking for her. I don’t want her to die, thinking I gave up.” Tears appear in his eyes and his voice is shaky at the end as the dam breaks.

“Oh, Spence,” JJ sighs. “She’ll know, I promise.”

“How can you be sure?” he asks, voice desperate to hear confirmation that his biggest fear isn’t real.

“Well, I can’t imagine that someone, who raised such an amazing person as you, wouldn't know how much you love her and how far you’d go for her,” she says. “She knows. She’s probably waiting for herknight to come get her.”

The comment gets a smile out of Reid, who says: “She would lovethat. Epics are her favorite. She isn’t great about the government, doesn’t trust them, you know. But when I told her, she loved the idea of me using my brain to go save the day somewhere. Called me her littleknight back then.”

“That sounds like a good memory,” JJ replies. “Don’t forget those, just because it’s bad now. I’m sure you’re already making her proud.”

“Thank you,” he is sosincere it hurts. “I’ve come crashing into your life and you’ve been nothing but nice to me. It means a lot, so thank you.”

It is technically her job to make sure the families of the victims are doing okay, but Spencer is different. He has such a big heart and brain with an innocence wrapped in hardness that stole the hearts of the BAU with his earnesty.

He feels like family. She feels towards him, like she imagines her older sister felt about her and it feels good to carry on that legacy by caring for Spencer and his well being.

She smiles: “It’s not really a chore to be nice to you, Spence. And I believe that everyone deserves kindness.”

“Yeah, me too,” Reid says and they fall silent for a moment.

“Hey,” JJ breaks the silence. “I know you don’t want to, but you really need to rest. Just take a nap on the couch. I promise, I’ll wake you up when Hotch gets here.”

Reid is obviously reluctant, but gives in after a few moments. He curls up on the couch similarly to how he was on the plane, even pulling out his mother’s cardigan to lie under. He’s out like a light in no time, despite the caffeine. All the stress of the past week, for him already, must be catching up with him. JJ just hopes he’ll be alright someday.

It’s nearly 2 AM when Hotch returns with the others, before JJ has even greeted them she knows they didn’t find her. Hotch confirms by shaking his head. The whole group looks tired and the police who were with them, go home as fast as they can. It will be an early morning.

“I told Spence I would wake him up when you arrive,” she tells Hotch. “He seems upset, but he could have taken it worse.”

“That’s good,” Hotch says.

“Do you think we can find her?” JJ asks the question whose answer she’s been dreading.

“Seeworth knows this area and these woods, they can be anywhere,” Hotch says. “It’s a small chance, but we might be able to lure him out and find him. He’s probably monitoring the news now that he knows we’re onto him. We can try to play into his sympathies of a broken up family.”

“You want Spencer to do a press statement,” JJ concludes.

“Yes.”

“He’ll do it,” she says. “He’s terrified of not doing enough. Of not saving her. If you think it’s our best shot, I’m behind you. He’ll appreciate having a plan when you talk to him. But also tell him that rest is important. The earliest we can release a statement is the morning news, 6 o’clock. He was planning to stay awake looking at the boards. I had to drag him away. Don’t be mad about him looking at the photos.”

“I will talk to him and I’m not mad about the photos, at this point, I understand. We need everything we have on this,” Hotch tells her. “Thank you, JJ. Try to get some rest as well.”

JJ nods: “Yes, sir,” then walks away to give Hotch and Reid some space.

Hotch gently shakes Reid’s shoulder and the kid startles awake, before blinking heavily. His eyes slowly focus until he realizes who’s in front of him. He sits up straight and attentive as he asks: “And did you find her?”

“The trail had already run cold,” Hotch reports, hating that there isn’t better news. “We know the two of them were there, but he got out before we arrived at the scene. I’m sorry.”

Reid sighs in a deeply tired manner, before attempting a smile: “It’s okay. JJ tore the guy who leaked it a new one. I don’t think she meant for me to overhear, though. She was very scary. But, what are we going to do now? JJ said you wouldn't give up, but you don’t know where he went.”

Hotch feels there is more to it than just a cold trail for Reid to ask it, terrified of the answer, but he doesn’t comment on that as he answers: “But we do have the profile. We know why he does, what he does and we’re going to try and lure him out. If that does not work, we’ll profile where he’s most likely to go.”

“How are we going to lure him out?” Reid asks, marginally cheered by the prospect of a plan.

“Tomorrow, you’re going to give a press release, asking Alexander Seeworth directly, to bring your mother back to you. As someone who has lost his own family and took those he deems were also alone, he will be sympathetic to you,” Hotch explains.

“I’m not good a public speaking,” Reid tells him, the cheer disappearing. “He’ll never listen. I’m not good with people.”

“That’s not what I’ve experienced,” Hotch says honestly. “I experienced a smart young man, who is compassionate and caring. Someone who empathizes and is genuine. You don’t have to do anything, but be yourself and ask for your mother’s safe return. You’ve been doing that since I know you and you do it convincingly.”

“T- Thank you, Hotch,” Reid finally manages the smile, albeit a bit wobbly.

“But you can’t do that if you’re not rested,” Hotch’s voice is stern yet kind. “It’s past 2 AM already and we want to get you on the morning news at 6. Get those four hours, okay, kid?”

“Okay,” Reid gives in without a fight, which says a lot about his state. Everyone is exhausted and they’re used to it, he can’t imagine how Reid feels with the horrible news on top of it.

Hotch puts a hand on his shoulder and smiles encouragingly. “Smart choice. Here, I’ll drive you to the hotel. You’re sharing a room with Morgan, I hope that’s alright.”

“Yeah, it’s okay,” Reid doesn’t really look convinced.

“Are you sure?” Hotch asks.

“I mean, I’m not going to spend a lot of time there anyway. And if I avoid the elevator button, doorknob and bathroom, I should be fine,” Reid replies.

“What’s bothering you? It’s okay, Reid. I just want to make sure you’re comfortable,” Hotch says gently.

Reid doesn’t meet his eyes as he answers: “Did you know that a hotel elevator button has 1,447 time more germs than a household toilet doorknob and the average hotel doorknob has 918 times more germs than a household toilet seat?”

“Your not a fan of germs, I take it?” Hotch says, the face when Reid first shook his hand making more sense as well as his avoidance to shake Lance’s hand.

“Not really, no,” Reid confirms. “Like handshakes, I don’t like them. Hands are one of the dirtiest places, it’s actually safer to kiss.” Hotch nods, but Reid quickly adds. “But the hotel is fine. I’m fine for one night, one short night at that. Don’t worry.”

Hotch raises a brow, before turning and calling out: “Dave.”

Rossi looks back confused, but there is relief when he sees Reid is not crying on the floor or something. “Yeah, Hotch?”

“Do you still carry that spread in your go-bag?” Hotch asks.

“I still have that, yes,” Rossi answers. “But it isn’t cold out. Why?”

“Could Reid lend it for the night?” Hotch ignores the start of Reid’s protest as Rossi confirms that of course the kid can have it for the night. Hotch turns back and says: “Now you’ll at least have a barrier. I can’t do more, but Rossi is one of the cleanest people I know. He’s washed it before packing it, I promise.”

Reid looks highly embarrassed, but also incredibly touched as he softly thanks Hotch.

“No problem, kid,” Hotch smiles, before guiding Reid out of the station and into the car. He’s exhausted and can’t wait to collapse on his bed, even if his alarm will go off in a few short hours. It isn’t ideal to go on that little sleep, but with Seeworth aware of their investigation and in the wind, it is a race against the clock and they need every moment they can get.

At the hotel, he gets the spread from Rossi that he gives to Reid, before handing the teen over to Morgan, who leads the two to their room.

Morgan wants to ask how the kid is doing, but he decides against it. They already have little time for sleep and he can’t imagine Reid will want to talk about his feelings after he has already talked with JJ and Hotch. So, he just says: “Rest well, Reid.”

“You too, Morgan,” Reid replies from where he is wrapped in Rossi’s spread, even making sure it’s under his head. Morgan doesn’t know why exactly he’s doing that, but he can’t ponder the question before he’s out like a light as well.

The alarm is blaring in his ear and Morgan feels like he only blinked.

He’s still groaning and questioning his life choices when the thing is turned off. He makes a confused noise and looks up to see Reid, who apologetically says: “I didn’t want to wake anyone in the neighboring rooms. The average alarm clock goes off at 80 decibels, which is the same as freight traffic.”

Morgan smiles at Reid, the kids sure is something, and sits up. He stretches and rubs his eyes as he greets: “Good morning. You get any sleep?”

“More than expected,” Reid answers.

“That’s good,” Morgan nods absentmindedly, before going through his motions robotically. He will never be truly awake before either a run or some coffee and it isn’t a running morning.

When he gets out of the shower, Reid has already changed and folded the spread Rossi lend him carefully as he waits for Morgan to be done. Breakfast isn’t more than grabbing a coffee and donut at the police station, which is too stereotypical for Morgan to think about, though he doesn’t complain.

The tired faces of the others are waiting for them when they enter the room they’ve been given and they all mumble exhausted good mornings.

Reid presents Rossi with the spread and thanks him profusely. Rossi just smiles at him and says he’s glad someone got some use out of it.

Once they sat down, JJ jumps into it. “Most of my sources know there will be a statement in regard to the murders. They’re like sharks around this sort of thing, so the early morning isn’t an issue. I’ve talked with local news and radio stations and they will air the statement throughout the day.”

Wha- What am I meant to say exactly?” Reid asks, obviously intimidated.

“You’re going to introduce yourself, then address Seeworth directly and explain to him that he has your mother and that she’s your only family and that you want her safely returned,” JJ tells him. “You can say that you know what he went through, but you don’t have to. Just say what feels right.”

“And be aware of the profile,” Hotch adds. “This man is stuck in a delusion born out of the desperation to get home. He feels lost and is willing to kill to feels like he belongs again. But he is not a killer, he doesn’t enjoy his acts, they’re just a means to an end. He also doesn’t despise his victims, but cares for them throughout their captivity. Use that to your advantage.”

Reid is nodding along, but looking overwhelmed.

“Look, kid,” Morgan gets his attention. “There is no wrong way to do it, as long as you don’t accuse or get mad. Just don’t do those two things and you’re good. Okay?”

“Okay,” Reid repeats and it sounds like a pep-talk.

“You can absolutely do this,” Morgan tell him.

“We’ll be right there,” Prentiss says, surprising most, but Reid smiles gratefully at her, feeling a little more like he isn’t going to turn into a puddle the moment he gets out there.

~~

A/N:

Slight confession, I never read the Odyssey. I know I made it a plot point and I have opinions on it, but I only read the Wikipedia pages about it lmao (I am planning on reading it at some point in my life though)

Also I’m really proud of the unsub I created and I want y’all to know that. I’ve had this whole profile, background thing written out, it’s about a page long and I’ve been staring at it the entire time to check if everything’s correct, so shout out to me.

[xxxmysticalmelodiesxxx]

headcanon // How did Mello join the mafia?

This is long, ok ya it's really long. But, well thought out and makes a lot of sense for that confusing 4.5 years. Also, it is not absolutely depressing like some other theories about how he got into the mafia!

!!!!!READ BELOW!!!!

CONTEXT: this post mentions Machiavelli, basically he believed that you should do anything it takes to get what you want if you believe your cause is just. He wrote about this in his book The Prince written in 1532.

tw // murder, praying, Catholicism

Well after learning of L’s death, as we know Mello runs away from Wammy's house orphanage in Winchester England to live his own life, and 4 1/2 years later he turns up as a mafia Godfather living in LA. Mello tells you that it’s a complicated story but how he wound up where he is now:

helping in the LA BB murder case he did a lot of fieldwork as instructed by L

he even meets Rod Ross while gathering info from gangs about the bb murders (L and Naomi speculated the murders could be related to gang activity due to them all occurring in active gang territory)

Mello uses infiltration to gain their trust and Mello says that he is an abused child who is as seeking refuge from his household and offers to do some minor jobs for the mafia (all non violent of course most of them being basically being a little bitch for the mafia and just washing their motorcycles and shoes and stuff) and they let him hang around unknowing that Mello was essentially an undercover cop but they suspected nothing because they would never imagine the LAPD putting a little kid in that situation (but let’s be real knowing L if that’s what it took to get info he would do it)

Mello manages to impress Rod with his intelligence, fiery temper, and go-getter attitude especially his intense belief in the phrase “ends always justify means” and rod actually doesn’t mind having him around but Rod doesn’t think much of it once Mello leaves to go back to Wammy's house after the murder case’s conclusion, Rod assumes that Mello had run away from the LA area or maybe died

Mello never forgot the sense of tribe the mafia had a feeling of belong he remembered thinking how unstoppable they could be only if they were to be my all complete goons all they needed was someone with some brains and with their money and resources and manpower they would be invincible

however Mello continues his life at Wammy's house and continues his sights on beating near and surpassing L

however, his plans changed when L died

right after Mello stormed out of rogers office Mello takes as many things as he can fit in his bag and sets off on his own

he realizes that he will live by his favorite philosophy The Prince from now on indefinitely, the ends justify the means, it’s better to be feared than loved, and revenge is the strongest motivator to success

he believes his off the charts intelligence will make him useful to the mafia and he can rise to the top there and finally be the best, he makes it his ride or die goal: get to LA. and he has a plan

Mello goes to an English convent to live as a orphan receiving seminary training where he allows people to call him Mihael

he learns all about faith something that he would come to hold dear to him the rest of his life hence the various catholic motifs he wears and decorates his hideouts with and the nuns instill in him humility in the form of wearing black plain clothes with no embellishments other than a few ecclesiastical motifs similar to that he used to wear at Wammy's house which brought back painful memories but regardless it would form a habit he would continue in for the rest of his life in some way

he continued wearing all black every day even after he left but he learned to appreciate fashion in this time and rebelled against this rule after he left the convent commonly wearing flamboyant clothes like feather jackets, leather, fingerless gloves, and chunky belts they also didn’t allow him flavorful food or sweets which he would rebel against constantly always having a candy bar in hand in an act of permanent rebellion

since he is an older child (14-15) the convent has his him do some chore jobs while also doing seminary school Mello is embarrassed to say that he took advantage of that to steal everything he possibly could he stole silver forks, knives, and spoons from the kitchen, he stole from the offer boxes between mass, he even managed to steal a golden candelabra he stashed the cash and pawned off all the items for money he remembered what machiavelli said “the ends always justify the means” if he could make enough money to make it to LA he could catch Kira and avenge L’s death that was what God wanted him to do and if he had to steal from the convent a bit to do that God would forgive him

he made enough money to support himself a little while on his own and fly to LA by the time he was 15 but he thought that maybe he could atone for some sins by at the very least graduating from seminary. he had done so much damage in the name of “ends justifying means” maybe if he could prove himself to be a true vessel of christ he wouldn’t be damned

he booked his flight and he was leaving that night it was also the day he graduated from seminary school as the star pupil he was awarded golden cufflinks, a platinum ecclesiastical ring, and a handcrafted sterling silver beaded rosary embellished with a few red beads leading down to an engraved cross, it was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever given him

upon receiving his graduation awards he was overwhelmed with regret all he ever wanted was to be loved and accepted and the best and he found it the convent thought he was the best pupil they ever had hence the expensive gifts and wanted nothing more than for him to be their leader their priest and he was going to fly across the world into the unknown hoping a few criminals were still alive and not incarcerated and maybe remembered him well enough to let him into their gang

after becoming beacon of christ brother Mihael did he really want to go back to being lonely orphan Mello? maybe Mello had died after all that time and he should just go on as brother Miahel and become a priest like everyone at the convent expected and invested so much in him to do

Mello fell onto his knees praying to his Virgin Mary tapestry and he felt something telling him “go”

promptly with tears in his eyes he got to his feet and rolled up his tapestry and grabbed the same bag he took from Wammy's house not taking a single article of clothing other than what he was wearing with him

he quietly started the fireplace and burned every belonging he had his sheets, clothes, papers, books, anything that would be a reminder of him ever being there

Mello looked at the bare bed and walls with everyone in the convent asleep he could escape without anyone ever knowing brother Mihael ever existed, well except his graduation gifts ‘i can’t take one more valuable item from this place’ he thought

reluctantly he grabbed his rosary putting it around his neck saying to himself softly “I’ll never forget this place and who I could have become” he thought of L and how L always declared he represented good in the world ‘i will represent righteousness just like L’ he thought

leaving home for the second time Mello watched the image of the convent dissipate into the darkness as he walked away never to see it again

with nothing but the clothes on his back, a tapestry, and the rosary Mello went on to the next phase of his plan

he boarded his flight and made his way across the sea on his way to America, LA, his destiny

Mello touched down in LA and immediately the hot California heat washed over him, it was nothing like the cool and cloudy weather of England

his first step was to go back to the streets of echo park where he remembered rod’s goons frequenting

he was starting to lose hope after 2 nights of walking the streets until dawn scared to fall asleep exposed clutching his rosary be prayed he would find them

after 3 days of sleeplessness and seeking fate smiled upon him, he heard a familiar rev of motorcycle engines and a low growling voice ‘Rod’ he thought

he approached the men on the motorcycles hoping they would remember him only to be met with cackling and they began to move away impulsive and panicked Mello yelled “THE ENDS! THE ENDS ALWAYS JUSTIFY MEANS!!”

Rod stopped in his tracks and turned around looking Mello in his Cerulean blue eyes “Mel-Mello? What the hell you’re alive?”

Mello said finally “I’m here again because i have no where else to go. you were able to make use of me all those years ago. i promise i can be useful again.”

next thing Mello knew he was doing drug runs and lookout for cops during hits on other mobs

then came the thing that changed everything for Mello the mob all sat around the couches of their base screaming about how to get a mob boss that opposed them

“KIRA CAN'T EVEN GET HIM HOW THE HELL ARE WE SUPPOSED TO?!?” the men hollered now was Mello’s chance the moment he had been waiting for

Mello laid out his plan with everyone listening in awe “let’s do it“ rod said at last to Mello’s lack of surprise his plan worked out exactly as he wanted ‘too easy’ he thought

finally, the time came for the gang to promote him from errand boy to member his job was to show his commitment to the gang and execute the man his plan apprehended he saw the man bound to a chair Mello heard the haunting choir of the convent in his ears and the sound of the nuns reading the 10 commandments their voice echoed on “thou shall not commit murder”

suddenly Mello swung his blade silencing the voices in his head and making a gushing noise on impact

shaking and panting Mello turned away from all other mafia members tears filled his eyes at what he had done

suddenly his face hardened to a grimace and his blue eyes turned snakelike as he bent over to grab the decapitated head from the ground by the hair turning around to hold it up facing the other men to which they whooped and hollered in his head Mello thought ‘forgive me father. the ends shall justify the means’

after that initiation when Mello was just older than 16 Mello convinced himself that he was dead inside and was imperious to human empathy his once glowing blue eyes became icy holes and his mouth furrowed to a permanent scowl frequently reaching into his pocket to pull out a candy bar biting off a piece with a chuckle and a loud snap

while he didn’t have to get his hands dirty again after that his plans continued to claim lives establishing him as a Godfather of the mafia

he had his goons, he had resources, he was the best, he was accepted, and he seemed to belong, he had everything he ever wanted right?

he reached into his bag that had brought him from his parents apartment, to Wammy's house, to the convent, to the mafia and pulled out his Virgin Mary poster plastering it against the wall, phase 3 of his plan had begun

clutching his rosary he said “Now all i have to do is catch Kira. I'll avenge L and beat Near by any means necessary, and the ends always justify the means.”

[sgtbradfords]

Could you write chenford, and the rest of the team, attending the annual police dinner/event please? Thank you!

You’re welcome Anon and thank you for the prompt! I hope you’re ready for the fluff fest ;)

Lucy Chen had just finished putting on the final touches of her makeup in the bathroom, the floor length red dress she had bought last paycheck was laid on the bed, her black pumps on the floor as she quickly ran around the room.

She was going to be late, he would be here to pick her up and she would not be ready.

“Lucy!” Jackson West voice carried through the crack in her door as he yelled from his bedroom. “Have you seen my bowtie?”

“Have you checked the shoebox on the top shelf in your closet?” She yelled back, putting her earrings in, moving for her necklace.

A few minutes later Jackson yelled back his thanks, a knock on the front door making her curse as she quickly slipped on the dress, pulling up the side zipper.

She could hear Jackson open the door, greeting the person on the other side.

“Chen let’s go!” another voice yelled. “We’re going to be late!”

She huffed, grabbing her heels, walking out the bedroom door. “When they made you Sergeant they didn’t mean drill sergeant Bradford.”

“Damn girl.” Complimented Jackson. “The picture you sent me did no justice and you’re right, your ass does look amazing.”

Tim cleared his throat. “You two ready?”

“Yes.” Lucy said as they headed for the door. “Wait, no.” she exclaimed frantically running back to her room, returning with a black clutch in her free hand.

The trio made their way to the elevator, the car not moving since Tim had gotten off of it five minutes ago. Lucy shoved the clutch into Tim’s hands before placing a hand on his shoulder to balance herself as she threw her heels on, one foot at a time. Tim looked over at her, arching an eyebrow as she placed both feet back on the floor shrugging. “Don’t lecture me about what may be on the floor. I was rushed.”

The car made it to the floor, the three getting off as they made their way to Tim’s truck.

“Any word on Angela?” asked Lucy as they got in, buckling.

“Wesley texted me on the drive over that she was about to break his hand.”

“Well, as soon as we know something, we are heading over, award be damned.” Muttered Lucy.

Tim rolled his eyes, “I’ll let you tell that to the police commissioner Chen.”

“Fine, we go up there, accept the award and leave.”

Jackson laughed. “Lucy, there’s politics involved, you two have to wine and dine.”

“But I don’t want to.” She whined.

“I’ll tell you what boot, we stay for two hours, we schmooze for Mid-Wilshire, accept the award and then we can go check on Lopez.”

“Hour and a half?”

“You did put a lot of effort into getting dressed for tonight Lucy.” Offered Jackson.

“You two are making it sound like a date.”

“If a date only lasts two hours, then someone is doing something wrong.” Tim pointed out. “It’s not a date.”

“Fine. They can have me for two hours, two and a half at max and that’s it.” She countered as Tim pulled up to a parking garage.

An hour later they were seated at the table assigned for their department, joined by Sergeant Grey and his wife, John Nolan and his date.

“And now, we would like to honor one of our former Training Officers and his Rookie. On August 28th of this year, Sergeant Tim Bradford and Officer Lucy Chen of the Mid-Wilshire division were patrolling in the area of Westchester when they spotted large amounts of smoke coming from a residence. Our two brave officers were able to get on scene, finding the elderly couple still inside. They were able to pull both of them from the burning house, administering lifesaving medicine to Mr. Hilt. Sergeant Bradford and Officer Chen went above and beyond the call of duty which is why on the behalf of the LAPD they are receiving the Distinguished Service award. If we could at this time, Sergeant Bradford, Officer Chen please come forward to receive this award.”

The crowd began clapping as Tim and Lucy stood, moving towards the stage. They approached, smiling and posing for pictures as the Commissioner presented their individual awards before public relations pulled them backstage for more pictures.

“I feel like I’ve been smiling for hours. Is my face permanently frozen?” Lucy asked, turning around as they headed back towards the table. “Because it feels like it is.”

Tim smiled as he rolled his eyes. “No Chen, your face is not permanently frozen.”

The Commissioner continued handing out awards before announcing for everyone to have a safe and pleasant night, a band playing music as the higher ups began making their way to the dance floor.  

“Lucy,” Jackson said to her, standing as he held out his hand. “would you care for a dance?”

Lucy smiled as they walked to the dance floor. “I will apologize in advance for any bruised toes.”

They danced for a few songs before Lucy felt a tap on her shoulder. “May I?”

Jackson let go as he looked at Lucy, an eyebrow raised in question. “I’d love to.”

Lucy placed her left hand on her new dance partner’s shoulder, her right hand into his left.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight, Officer Chen?” he whispered as they swayed.

She blushed. “You have not, but you don’t look half bad either Sergeant Bradford.”

“Only half bad?” he asked, smirking as Lucy lightly slapped his shoulder.

“You’re incorrigible.” She told him as she placed her forehead on his shoulder. “I am remembering why I don’t wear shoes with more than a two-inch heel.”

“Because it’s not a good weapon?”

“No. Though that is a good point. My feet are killing me.”

Tim was about to respond when his phone began buzzing in the pocket of his suit jacket, a joyous smile overtaking his face. “There’s only one person that could be.”

“Angela?”

“It’s baby time.” They walked back over, her hand still in his as he told the table, the table collecting their belongings in a hurry.

They arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later, the group heading for the maternity ward waiting room, finding it empty.

Wesley entered through the double doors thirty minutes later, grinning from ear to ear.

“7 pounds, 2 ounces, 23 and a half inches long.”

Congratulations were made as they each took turns hugging the new dad. “How are they?”

“Good, they just finished up the newborn tests and Angela is feeding her right now. She is insisting you guys get to see her first. Not to brag but she is the cutest baby you’ll ever see.” Wesley said as he took a seat across from the group, taking a moment to let the evening sink in.

Wesley asked about the gala, as they asked about their new family member. Ten minutes later his phone began ringing as he told them about who she looked like more. “That was Ang, they only let a few people back at once, but she has asked for Tim, Lucy and Jackson to come back first.” He grinned, leading the three back.

Wesley knocked as he entered, quietly walking into the room as the other three joined.

“Hey.” Angela said, a tired smile on her face as she looked up from the baby asleep in her arms.

“Congratulations Mama.” Lucy said as she moved closer to the bed.

“Thanks, I’ve already decided I will not be doing that again anytime soon, no matter how cute babies are.” Angela confessed as she ran a finger over the sleeping infants face, the newborn suckling on her lower lip.

“Do you have a name yet?”

“After everything we have been through with De La Cruz, we decided she needed a strong name, fitting for her. We agreed to wait and meet her before settling on a name but once we seen her, the name became fitting. So, we would like you to meet Morgan Amari Evers.” Explained Angela as she adjusted the baby so everyone could see.

“I have to say Wesley, she does have your nose.” Lucy pointed out from the side of the bed as Morgan opened her eyes. “Awwwe, hi baby.”

Angela cleared her throat. “We asked you guys in here for a reason, we’ve done a lot of thinking and we would like you three to be her god parents.”

The room fell silent as Jackson, Lucy and Tim stared down the new parents. “You’re closer than the family we’ve got, and should something ever happen we feel like she would be have the best care of in your capable hands.”

Angela worriedly looked at Wesley as Tim spoke first. “I would be honored.”

“Me too.” Lucy agreed.

Jackson nodded his head, “I’m in.”

“She’s going to kick ass and break hearts when she’s older Wesley, I hope you’re ready.”

They stayed for a few more minutes before leaving, not wanting to overstay, allowing Wade, John and Nyla their own turns to visit the family.

“Sterling’s downstairs Lucy, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Jackson told her, pocketing his phone as he headed towards the elevator, a nurse stepping off the opening car as he stepped on.

Lucy and Tim slowly followed behind, talking about the traits they seemed to have noticed baby Evers had inherited as they waited on the car.

“Did you ever want kids with Isabel?” asked Lucy.

“It was difficult with Isabel, one minute she would say she did and the next she was going undercover on a months long op. I would love to have one or two someday.” He confessed, sticking his hands in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. “What about you?”

“Someday, with the right guy of course. My mother says she’s getting older and that I’m not getting any younger.” She told him rolling her eyes as they stepped on the car. “I would want to be in a good place first.”

Tim couldn’t help but imagine a younger version of Lucy running around, with big brown eyes and her long brown hair in pigtails as a boy with the same brown hair and blue eyes, barely a toddler himself pulled on the long hair. “Someday.” He whispered, a faint smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye at the thought of what the future could hold.