#and sat with me on the train rides to and from dc

[finnslay]

Just saw my old science teacher for the first time since May

She wasn't there on the last day and I didn't get to say goodbye

Anyways. Crying now.

[countrymusiclover]

18 - The Lehnsherr Family

Part 19

Battle of Heart and Mind

Tag list - ask to be added (in my ask box please) @aintinacage @hiraethrhapsody @mostlymarvelgirl @importantgalaxyrunaway

Five years ago

Shutting the car door Erik went behind me opening the backseat door getting our two kids out. I was wearing a red jacket over a black jacket, some dark blue jeans and some black combat boots. We hadn’t heard anything from Logan from the future in a few years so we had to assume that everything had been changed. “Daddy! Piggy back.”

“I won’t be able to do this if you keep getting bigger, Astraea.” Erik told our daughter who had my bright blonde hair and the same eye color. He scooped her up and carried her on his shoulders.

Shaking my head I felt a hand touch mine meaning it was little Ryder. He looked exactly like a mini version of his father no doubt about it. “Why are we going to see Uncle Charles, mommy?”

“Because you’re father and I have some business to take care of and Charles said he didn’t mind getting a visit from his favorite Lehnsherr twins.” I answered his question by pushing the front door open with our family walking through the entrance.

Charles and I had pushed to get the school back up and running again. Since we had changed the future it felt right to try it for a second time. Some kids ran past us before I paused in the doorway eyeing the professor sitting behind his desk still in his wheelchair. “Uncle Charles!” Our daughter cheered climbing down from her father’s shoulder rushing past us and towards him directly.

“There's my favorite twins. Ohh!” Charles sat the book down in his lap.

Ryder ran past his sister since he was given his father's height jumping up into his lap first. “Dad and mom says we are spending a few days here.”

“Can you give me a ride around on your chair?” Astraea asked, sitting on his other leg showing the same excitement level.

Standing in the doorway I leaned against the wood with Erik coming to stand beside me. He looped his hand through mine looking at his friend. “I have a favor to ask of you, old friend. Can you watch the kids for a few hours. I have a date planned for us tonight?”

“Of course I can watch them. I'll have Hank cancel my classes for the evening.” Charles agreed, entering his friends mind chuckling at what he saw. Even though he would never get a chance to be with Addi now, He still had found a way to appreciate when his friend made her happy.

Bending down on my knees I instructed our kids forward. “Alright you two come give us hugs before we go.”

“And you be good for Uncle Charles.” Erik warned them, wrapping his arms around each of them. I hugged and kissed their heads before we made our way out of the school doors.

Erik and I got back in the car and we just drove in silence until we reached the airport that was closest to us. We had decided to make a trip out to DC and get married there out on my mothers backyard porch. We had both been busy raising the kids and trying to find somewhere where we were comfortable living and we had settled on Portland. Changing into a short white dress that reached past my knees but above my ankles. “Don’t get angry at me for asking this but you aren’t thinking of backing out are you?”

“Charles already gave me a pep talk about our relationship. So I am not backing away from you, Addison. Not anymore.” Erik shrugged his shoulders with his arms down at his sides. He was in a black leather jacket and one of his old dark brown turtlenecks he wore when we first were training with his friend.

Clasping my hands together in front of me I just chuckled back at him knowing Charles was very persuasive. “That is very reassuring, Lehnsherr. Oh here comes my mom.”

“Alright you two I am officially a wedding preacher.” My mother walks up to stand in front of us. She glanced between us knowing we probably wanted to get this thing out with and just say I do. “Do you two have vows prepared or are we skipping that?”

I cleared my throat by unfolding a piece of paper from inside one of my boots. “I have something to say…Erik the day we met wasn't the most romantic and we certainly aren't like one of those couples in the romantic films. But I can't imagine spending my life with anyone except you. I love you and our kids and I am excited to say it's going to be us against the world, always.”

“Addison, I know that I haven't been the easier person to get along with. Especially when you get so frustrated I won't call you Addi like you wished I would. But getting through all that you found out that there are still good parts of me. That I am just looking for love that I now get to have in you until the end of our days.” Erik reached down intertwining our hands together sending me a smile that was rare to see still to this moment in time.

My mother grinned, holding out one ring to me and the other for my soon to be husband. “Now we can get to the super romantic part. Do you Addi take this man to be your husband?”

“I do.” I responded by slipping the ring on his left hand.

She looks at her son in law. “Erik, do you take this woman to be your wife?”

“I do.” He answered her question by putting the ring on my left hand.

My mother Angela clasped her hands together. “By the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss my daughter.” She backed away before he cupped my face in his hands, kissing me deeply. Wrapping my arms around his neck I deepened the kiss feeling like we were now going to remain a family.

I heard Erik's truck pulling up in the driveway where I ran from our bedroom downstairs knowing he'd drop his keys in the kitchen. Peaking around the corner he was standing there for a few minutes before I ran up behind him throwing my arms around his neck from behind. “I was wondering when you were coming home.”

“Addi.” He chuckled, twirling me underneath his arm so that we were now facing one another.

Running my hands up his chest I smiled, kissing him. “How was your day?”

“Better now that's for sure. Where are the twins?” Erik asked me wrapping his arms around my waist, holding me as close as possible.

“Out back. I'll show you.” Gesturing my head towards the backdoor I led him outside by the hand. We had set up a wooden playset outside the back of our house.

Astraea was running around in the grass with her brother chasing after her until she gave him a look before she looked in our direction. “Daddy!” She ran forward jumping up into his arms and he caught her in his arms grunting a little bit since she was getting bigger being ten years old now.

“Mommy, when can we see Uncle Charles again?” Ryder asked me with his messy hair falling in front of his eyes. He had always adored Charles Xavier and the way he was able to run a school.

Putting my hands in the pockets of my jeans. “Maybe sometime soon if your father can take off for a few days.”

“Does my brother have powers like me?” Erik and I shifted our attention to one another hearing our daughter's voice inside of our minds. It was so clear that she had gotten the same ability as our old friend. But the sad truth was that Ryder didn’t seem to have any or had yet to unlock his abilities. We weren't really sure which one was true.

Erik bounced our daughter in his arms changing the conversation. “I’m hungry. Are you kiddos hungry, let’s go eat.” The four of us had gone back inside the house sitting down and having the chicken and potatoes we had from the night before.

Erik and I had been patiently waiting for his powers to come through but it was beginning to look like he was simply born human even though he had two mutant born parents. The sun had finally set on our small house when we went to put the kids to bed. “Where did you learn that song, daddy?” Astraea asked, settling herself down underneath the covers of her bed.

Erik answered by brushing hair out of her eyes. “I learned it from my parents and they learned it from their parents. Then one day you and your brother will sing it to your children too.”

“What happened to them, your parents?” Ryder asked, laying on his side in his bed, seeing me standing in the doorway just silently watching.

Silence fell in the room when my husband’s eyes lowered to the numbers on his arm. “They were taken from me when I was a little boy. But they’re still here inside watching over you both.”

“Is someone going to take you and mom away?” Young Astraea, always so curious just couldn’t stop asking questions even when she needed to go to sleep.

Entering the room I put a hand on Erik’s shoulder before he rose from the bed turning off the light telling them to get some sleep. “Never, my sweet twins. Now get some sleep.”

“So when are we going to have the conversation with them about him not being like us?” I questioned once we had left their room and were in the living room sitting on the couch. Moving one hand over my stomach it wasn’t visible yet that I was certainly pregnant. “I feel like it should be before they start asking about me having a third baby.”

Erik draped his arm over my shoulder tugging me into his embrace. “I think the idea of them having a sibling will be easier to understand.”

“What aren't you telling me, Erik. Is it about Ryder not being a mutant?” I could sense that he was holding something back from me. I knew that he wished his son was a mutant just as much as I did.

He shifted his gaze down to mine reading my facial expression. “Don't think that I hate him for not being like you and me. I can't ever hate my own son.”

“I know that, honey. I just know we need to explain it to them before they get any older. Especially if we feel like our daughter should be taught at Charles school.” Intertwining my hand with his I laid my head on his chest. Erik wrapped his arms around my waist holding me close just enjoying the little family we had created.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Daily Planet Classifieds

Fandom: DC Comics, Superfam, Young Justice 98, Titans

Summary: Laney Hausler is currently attending classes at Metropolis University when he sees a boy with his face in the library. At first, he thinks he's seeing things. Later, he starts to realize something strange is going on.

Conner Kent lives off-campus with his friends, but he sees a boy who eerily resembles him, and he hires a private investigator to look into the life of his doppelganger.

Chapters: 1/?

Characters: Jonathan Lane Kent, Conner Kent, Eddie Bloomberg, Rose Wilson, Bart Allen, Cassie Sandsmark, Cissie King-Jones, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Meloni Thawne, Vic Sage, Slade Wilson

Relationships: Past KonBart

Additional Tags: Father-Son Relationship, Father-Daughter Relationship, No Powers AU, Found Family, Stalking, Family Secrets, No Powers AU, No Capes AU, Complicated Relationships, University AU, Roommates, Private Investigator, Twins, Multiple POV, First Person POV, Obsession, Psychological Drama, Complicated Relationships, Unrequited Love, Platonic Relationships

Chapter One: Move-In Day (Laney's POV)

Orientation and the move-in weekend started on Thursday. I spent my entire childhood in home school, but after weeks of begging, Father agreed to let me go away to college. It was the only time I’d ever been alone, so my departure was not without tears. Father set me straight, and he put me on the train. I waved until I could no longer see him, and my journey began. I slept in my train car for a few hours until the sun peeked through the blinds. I woke up and waited for breakfast. Father gave me a book to read to keep me busy, but I couldn’t focus on the words. I pulled my sketchbook out of my backpack and drew our house. It was a little bluish-grey house that you had to take a boat to get to. Just beyond the front door, our wooden dock and willows surrounded the home, almost swallowing our blue house up. I lived in isolation there with my father until I was old enough to sit quietly in his office and tend to my studies.

Father sat with me and worked on my reading between surgeries and consultations. He told me I required more attention than the public schools would’ve afforded me, and I saw things I wouldn’t have in a public school. I sat in on Father’s surgeries when I wasn’t doing homework or sleeping in his office. At home, I’d work on our land, and on weekends I’d make money selling produce at the farmer’s markets. Sugar cane, garden eggs, corn, carrots, and figs. All sorts of things. The farm and the hospital were all I knew. But I sat on the train, looking out the window at unfamiliar territory. I was far from Kansas. And the marsh. And our little bluish-grey house. And Father.

I ate breakfast in the dining car, watching the trees zoom past, wondering when it’d all stop. Smallville to Metropolis was a forty-hour trip by train, requiring a transfer. I was too nervous to travel by plane. But I always had lovely dreams about trains. My breakfast had too much sugar, but I didn’t mind. It gave me such a rush.

I returned to my car, finishing my sketch before listening to the audio for the book Father gave me. I tried to follow along, but I couldn’t stay awake long. I stopped the tape and lay on my stomach.

The train ride went smoothly, and from there, I lugged my suitcases to the nearest cab. The cabbie helped me load my luggage into the trunk. “Where to?” asked the cabbie.

“Metropolis University,” I answered.

“Long way from home?” he questioned.

“Mhm… All I wanna do is lie down in my dorm and sleep, but I’m thrilled-. I’m rambling,” I muttered.

“That’s alright. Most kids don’t wanna talk at all. These drives go a lot faster when you have someone to talk to,” he replied. So, we talked. Or at least I talked. When I arrived at the campus, I ran into a large crowd of people, and I grabbed a map from one of the tables. I’d never had a cellphone before because I never needed one, so I nearly forgot to text my new roommates to let them know I was on my way.

I sent a short message and received a call immediately. “Where are you? I’ll meet you there,” he said without so much as a greeting.

“Um… I’m at the big statue of the bulldog,” I replied, “And… I have a question. I hope you don’t think I’m rude for forgetting. It’s just that I don’t know how my phone works yet-.”

“You don’t remember my name. Do you?” he laughed. “That’s okay. It’s Eddie. You’ll remember it once you meet me in person.”

“Eddie. Right,” I smiled, “Um, I don’t wanna cause you any trouble. If you’re moving in, I can find-.”

“I see you! I think. You’re the one with the hat, right?” Eddie asked.

I looked around and tipped my hat. “Sure am,” I replied.

He tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned to see Eddie for the first time. I don’t think I ever would’ve expected to see the person I did. He was a ruddy ginger boy with blue eyes and a wide smile. “Rose would’ve come too, but she’s putting together furniture, so she’s not exactly in a pleasant mood… And she doesn’t read Swedish-.”

“I could help. I don’t read Swedish, but I’m a whiz at assembling furniture,” I interrupted without meaning to. Eddie laughed and led me to our dorm suite, which was more like a small house than a room. A girl sat on the floor with a cigarette in her mouth, cursing as she tried to assemble a bookshelf.

“Stupid old man and his stupid Swedish furniture. I hope I see that bitch in the street-.”

“Rose,” Eddie raised his voice. She put the unlit cigarette in its box and extended a hand to me. I shook her hand.

“I’m Laney… Um, you bought Swedish furniture from an old man?” I asked.

“No… My fucking dad ordered it as a character-building exercise. I should take this fucking deformed screwdriver-.”

“Allen wrench… It’s an-. I can put that together for you,” I offered, “I can put it together in less than twenty minutes.”

“Fuck yeah, I’ll order takeout. What do you eat?” Rose asked.

“Tacos,” Eddie whispered, “Say tacos.”

“Sure, I’ve never had tacos before,” I replied. Their jaws dropped and they stared at me in silence. “Well, I-. I um-. I lived in a small swampy town outside Smallville… And we didn’t eat out a lot.”

“Put the Alex wrench down. We’re going to find you the best tacos Metropolis has to offer,” Rose replied as she stood up. Eddie grabbed his car keys, and I followed them out the door.

“Oh, it’s no big deal-.”

“Laney, it’s a big deal for us,” Eddie interrupted.

They took me across town in Eddie’s car while Rose smoked a cigarette and looked at ratings for taco restaurants on her phone. “The best one is by S.T.A.R. Labs,” Rose replied, “Hey, Lane? What’s your major?”

“I’m Pre-Med. I wanna go into pediatric surgery,” I answered, “What about you guys?”

“I’m Women’s Studies, and Eddie’s a film major,” Rose answered.

I couldn’t remember much after that because I fell asleep. When I woke up, Eddie and Rose were in line. Eddie walked over and leaned in the window. “What kind of meat do you like? They’ve got chicken, pork, beef, lamb, fish, shrimp-.”

“I’ll have lamb,” I answered.

“Lamb… Okay,” Eddie replied, “Do you want a Coke?” I shook my head.

“I don’t drink pop… Um, I’ll have tea or fruit juice if they have any… And if they don’t, I’ll have water,” I replied. Eddie nodded and tapped the hood of the car.

Eddie and Rose came back to the car several minutes later with drinks and tacos. “You’re a real straight arrow, you know that?” Rose teased. “Do you have a problem with me smoking around you, because-.”

“No, it’s alright. I don’t mind. A lot of the doctors at my father’s hospital smoked cigarettes,” I replied.

“Your dad’s a doctor?” Eddie asked.

“Mhm, he’s a neurosurgeon,” I replied.

“Oh, shit… Is he pressuring you into Pre-Med? Slade almost blew a gasket when he found out I wanted to major in Women’s Studies,” Rose replied, “He’s military.”

“My dad’s a car salesman, but I don’t think he cares what I do. I’ve lived with my aunt for the past six years,” Eddie replied.

“Oh, my father and I are close… We did everything together,” I explained, "I think he wanted me to go into architecture instead, though."

"How come?" Eddie asked as he dipped his taco in sauce and took a bite.

"Surgery is high-stress, and he wanted me to stay closer to home," I replied. Rose gave me my to-go plate and a styrofoam sauce cup. I set the cup inside the lid of my container before dipping my taco like Eddie and taking a bite. It was spicy and savory with hints of lime. Not to mention the lamb. It was cooked to perfection, and the tortilla crunched wonderfully between my teeth. I made a noise and they fell into a fit of laughter.

"Good, huh?" Rose chuckled.

"It's amazing," I replied before taking another bite. I must’ve eaten ten tacos that night. I assembled the bookcase and unpacked after we got home, and I would’ve slept in my bed, but we all fell asleep on the couch after setting up Eddie’s bookcase.

[pbandjesse]

We are in our next hotel in DC! It's cute! Def not as new and fancy as the one we spent the last two nights in. But it's got charm.

Last night was a little rough for me. I could not turn my brain off and I was struggling. I would be up until 2 and wasn't having a good time.

I was eventually able to sleep but it wasn't good sleep. I was up half the night. But I couldn't even stay asleep in the morning.

James got up and went to run some errands. Deposited the checks we got as gifts. And mailed out marriage license.

I got up and was. Aching. Today was a little tough because I was so sore. And being tired didn't help.

The soda James brought me last night helped me perk up. There was something in my eye though and it hurt a lot and my eye wouldn't stop watering.

So I was moving kind of slow when James got back. I had showered and was mostly dressed. But while I was fixing my hair and starting my makeup I asked when the train was and it was at 855. It was currently 815. If we didn't make that one we wouldn't get into DC until the afternoon. And I didn't want that.

So I focused and did my eyeliner quickly and packed my bag all up. And we were off.

It is about a 20 minute walk to Penn station. And we made it with great time even if my feet hurt.

James went and got us our tickets. It was a beautiful day. And I was excited to take advantage of it. But I was also worried about my energy level. And my pains. I didn't want to be a drag.

But James was lovely. And would make sure I was okay. We did do a lot of walking but there were times I could rest and that let me really hold it together.

We got on our train and we shared my earbuds and listened to the Magnus archives. Which is going to be our new travel podcast. And it was a nice train ride.

We had brought our donuts. And shared my soda. And just enjoyed the fall colors of the changing leaves. I felt very happy.

We got into DC and the first thing we had to do was call the hotel. Can we bring our bags early? Since check in wasn't until 4pm, we didn't want to have to carry them all day or check them at the musuems. But thankfully they were like. Of course you can.

And so we got metro passes and took the subway to get there. And it's a really cool old building. The Ethelhurst building. And the girl at the desk was very nice.

We left our bags with her and sat in the lobby to figure out brunch.

We decided to go to the corner bakery. Which is a chain, and I don't love going to chains on trips, but that is okay. We ended up getting there and basically being the last people to get breakfast before they switched to lunch.

I also got a lemonade and I really liked my veggie scrambled eggs and toast. I did a lot of people watching while James did their basketball fantasy draft. And we made a plan for the day.

We decided to go to the museum of the American Indian. And I ended up loving it way more then I expected. I always love learning about history and this was such a neat place.

We walked there after lunch and shared the lemonade. We ended up walking through a Turkish street fair and I really loved seeing all the stalls and people and food.

Any time we saw a white building we would go "wow. The white house." In an awestruck tone. It was a beautiful day and we are just really happy so it felt easy being silly.

We got to the museum and it was excellent. A beautiful building. Not crowded but there were people. We started on the 4th floor and would work out way down.

The top floor had some amazing stuff with different nations and people and how they place themselves in the universe for each of their own cultures. It was fascinating. I also just loved hearing how their names are pronounced and what different things mean. Also the whole space was just beautifully done.

As we left that floor and went down to the next things were a little heavier. More history and how greed caused the treaties that were made, to fall apart. And how manifest destiny pushed people from lands they owned. It was interesting to learn that there was some actual purchasing of land and agreement to share but that a lot of sales were also done falsely and cruelty. I was already tired and sad and the galleries were dark. But we kept reading. I really appreciated how the musuem labeled wrote out the perspective for each side of each topic. I thought that was a really great way to give things context.

I told James I was really tired. And stoped reading as much. I did read all the signs about the Pocahontas mythos. Did not know she died at 22. Did know she was renamed Rebecca. Didn't realize how much she as a political figured mattered. And how much people clung to her in their lineage even when they shook off the political implications of being nonwhite and passed laws about blood quantum. It was really a great day for learning.

We would go to the giftshop last. I decided I can get one thing from every musuem, within reason. Mostly because the museums are free and I think if you got to go to a museum for free you should support them like that.

So I got a magnet of an alpaca and I would also get a few Christmas gifts. All very reasonably priced.

I thought we were going to go rest. But instead I wanted to stick it out and go to art museum. I wanted to see the recently reinstalled Calder. It's the largest mobile I've ever seen. And I was so excited.

What I didn't know though was that they had a whole Calder exhibit and I was so happy. We would walk around there for a while. And I desperately wanted someone to point out my Calder tattoo but alas, no one did.

That is okay though. Me and James would walk around the contemporary gallery and look at the gift shop. James got to see one of their most favorite paintings, which was a surprise. And I really had a nice time. My body was hurting very bad but I was having a nice day.

We thought we would get lunch there but their cafe was closing for the day. I had read the sign wrong. That is okay. Instead we went through their light up tunnel sculpture and decided we would come back so I can see the John Singer Sargent show and James can walk though the sculpture gallery.

For now it was time to eat.

We walked for what felt like forever, and went to a hip little pizza and waffle place. We sat outside and I really enjoyed my food. And our waiter was very nice.

While we ate I made my next TikTok. For our wedding day. It isn't like the best one ever but I am excited to have these little snapshots of the day. And when that was finished we had a 20 minute walk back to the hotel.

Did I complain the whole time? No. But I did complain a lot. My feet were in so much pain and I felt very bad.

We got back here and got checked in. We are on the 7th floor of a 9 story building. And it's interesting looking. The room is small and a funny shape. There was a very strong laundry soap smell when we got in but it's faded since we came in. The bathroom fan is super loud. So I brought the desk lamp into the bathroom which made James double over laughing.

We laid in bed. I made my next tiktok of our cookout celebration. And I had much more clips for that. I do feel bad that Jess isn't in like. Any of my clips. This is because many of them she filmed. I love her so much for doing that for me but I wish she was in more. I wish I got more pictures with my brother and my mom. But I can only hope that the Google drive James made for people to put their pictures in gets filled and some of those shots will be in there.

I got very cold all of a sudden and me and James got under the covers and I feel asleep hard.

While I was sleeping James took a scooter and went to get us ice cream. So when I woke up dehydrated, in pain, and upset, I was perked up by the ice cream. Love James so much.

After ice cream I took a bath. I washed my hair. I tried the bar conditioner Jess gave me and my hair feels very fluffy. Not great curl shapes but that's okay. The hot water helped my body.

And now we are in bed again. Watching videos. Talking. Feeling good. My feet still hurt but it's not to bad. I hope tomorrow they won't feel so bad.

I also hope tomorrow is just a lot of fun. We are going to the zoo and I don't know what else. There was a chat earlier about maybe going to a hockey game but we will see what happens.

For now. It is time to sleep. I actually took my normal night vitamins and can feel my brain slowing down. This is good, I don't need to be up all night again.

Sleep good everyone. I love you all.

[manleycollins]

I was told by one of my Busuu video conferencing instructors to take a ride on the TGV train. So I did take the ride on the TGV train to Marseille because big voices were saying Bordeaux and Marseille. I chose based on the ranking of largest cities in France. It was beautiful to see the French countryside and the train was moving at a high rate of speed to reach Marseille in three (3) hours and few stops. I sat in premiere (first) class, which was also the quiet car. I fell asleep in the last hour of the ride. We reached Marseille and it was as diverse as Paris. The Marseille-St. Charles station had a good amount of stores, including Starbucks and Hardees Carl Jr's. I rode the metro M2 line to Joliette because the map stated a Fitness Park gym was next to the station. I found the gym and did my workout. The funny part Fitness Park on the Apple map was shown and the mall security stated they moved across the street to Les Docks of Marseille. The Fitness Park gym patrons made me feel welcomed by coming to me and saying hello or riding with me in the Bike Studio doing the video workout. Then, I ventured over to the Apple store across the street. It was located in the prime spot where I wanted to the Mediterranean Sea. The mall terrace was open to get a good view of the sea and take photos. I ate lunch at Vapiano's because I use to deliver meals for the restaurant in Washington, DC. I almost panicked when I discovered my SNCF ticket was purchased wrong to the airport. Thank goodness for Apple Maps and Google Maps to let me know the right train to take to Marseille Airport. Yes, I purchased a ticket with my AirFrance blue miles from Marseille to Paris. The SNCF controller/conductor let me use the purchased ticket to ride in the other direction. I took a bus from the train station to the airport. I got to the airport early and phone battery was low. The information desk stated there was one outlet for charging. I had to wait until the previous person finish. The Marseille airport was under construction and I guess was going through phases of charging outlets. I found and ate at Starbucks and did wireless charging of my phone. The Starbucks chicken and cheese sandwich was really good. I took my medication. I use the restroom outside on the bus island because there was no restrooms in the waiting or check-in area. I checked in and got my seat assigned last minute because AirFrance offers to buy seat assignment when using miles. I went through airport security in which they check the boarding pass and identification along with your stuff. Once going through security, the airport is designed to go through boutiques to shop while going to the airport gate. It was amazing. I got on my flight and it was a two-hour ride with some beginning turbulence because the wind was heavy and hard in Marseille. The plane was light on passengers. I went to Paris other airport ORLY because I wanted to experience a different airport. I took the ORLY train to Ile-de-France RER B train to Line 2 metro subway to finally get home in Pigalle.

[chloemarievaughan]

May 9

Grey and I went to breakfast at the cafe right in front our the air bnb, the Castle Gate cafe. It was a delicious choice, we enjoyed some smoothies and Grey had a full Scottish breakfast, with bacon, beans, toast, mushrooms, and tomatos. I had some avocado toast, not quite as good as the one I had on our first day in Scotland though.

Grey had to take a 20 minute walk and then a 30 minute tram to the airport, and he wanted to be early, so we left after breakfast and I walked with him in that direction. There was a tram coming every 7 minutes, so we said our goodbyes and I tried to quickly walk to the train station for the next train to Stirling. of course I missed it by like a minute- and should have just sat outside the train station in a park to wait for the next one in 30 minutes, but instead just relaxed in the train station for a minute. Grey ended up realizing his flight to DC is 45 minutes delayed and so he was in the airport SUPER early on accident. Better safe than sorry though!

When Grey and I told Dad we were planning to go to Scotland, he offered to buy us a beer if we made it to a Brew Dog Brewery location. There are several Brew Dogs in Columbus, but it originated in Scotland and dad was an early investor when they first came to Columbus. we saw Brew Dog in a museum gift shop once but there aren’t any brew dogs in the cities where we were staying aside from Edinburgh so we weren’t sure if we would make it to one. luckily, Grey found one in the airport to enjoy a brew while waiting for his flight! Cheers Dad! 🍻

As far as me, I do love to travel by myself! Grey is a very chill traveling companion but there is something wonderful about doing whatever I want when I want; I never have to wait for a companion who is taking longer than I am in a museum exhibit, and can decide only on my own needs if I want to sit down on a bench and take a break or when it’s time to eat, etc. I haven’t really traveled by myself since my big college graduation trip in 2015 but maybe I should start back up. I am great company 😂😂

When I was young, Mom and Dad went on a fantastic trip to Scotland- interestingly, we didn’t overlap too many locations, they went to Oban and Glasgow rather than further north where Grey and I went. they brought Sophie and I souvenir kilts and then forever talked about their favorite location on the trip, Stirling. Stirling is one of the locations they would love to spend a few months getting a taste of life there; so naturally I had to make time for a day in Stirling! It’s an hour train ride from Edinburgh, so I bought a convenient anytime return ticket to do a mini day trip today.

I had a ticket for entering the castle at 11:00, and I have to say, Stirling Castle was WAY better than Edinburgh Castle! Probably less than a quarter of the amount of tourists were visiting, and they include a tour with the price of admission. The tour guide was from London and he had a mullet and was wearing some spectacular tartan pants. He gave a lovely ~ hour long discussion of the castle as we walked around the grounds, including two of the famous battles with William Wallace (Braveheart) and Robert the Bruce. The first mention of Stirling Castle is in a letter from the early 1100s so it must have been built even earlier, but it was a constant site of battles due to strategic location on the border of two rivers between the highlands and lowlands, and so the oldest part of the castle still standing dates to the end of the 13th century because things kept being destroyed. The castle was where kings and queens of Scotland lived and were coronated in the 1500s, but more recently (until about 1960!) it was used as an active military garrison and they used the old chapel and great hall as military barracks, ruining the interior.

There were excellent historical preservation and restoration efforts put into place once the army left and they were able to recreate things like the ceiling of the great hall (made of 350 Scottish oak trees held in place with wood pins rather than nails) based on exact architectural surveys completed in the days of old. even more impressively to me is that they spent ~10 years commissioning a new set of castle tapestries to be woven! from 2003-2014! The new tapestries are in the style of a set of old tapestries about the Hunt of a Unicorn but it took a team of weavers years to research, plan, and design the tapestries and then years to actually weave them. They are hanging in the beautiful Queens apartment in the castle. The Queen who lived in the castle was Mary of Guise. Her husband, James V, died just as the castle was completed so he never lived in the rooms intended for him, and they were kept empty at Mary’s request. But her chambers have been recreated, complete with actors sharing information about the past of the rooms. In the outer rooms, a servant girl was embroidering a scene of a black child being presented to the king. While there was limited diversity in Scotland in the 1500s, there is evidence that a woman was paid for a presentation of a non-white “moorish” child to the king, meaning it was noteworthy at the time to see any people in the court with skin colors other than white. In the next room, a lady of the court discussed the history of the tapestries in the room, and in the last room, a man dressed as a guard demonstrated the use of his giant claymore sword/ axe thing. He was fun to listen to, had a seriously strong Scottish accent and even spoke some Gaelic; the first I have heard this trip! He also spoke French to a couple on the tour and still had a Scottish accent while speaking French 😂

the view from the castle was incredible as well, all around, I had a lovely time. I considered walking to the Wallace Monument, but unfortunately it was about 2 miles out and not easy to get to on a bus so I decided not to. Instead i ducked into the Church of the Holy Rude (funny name, church wasn’t worth the 4.50 entrance fee. The most interesting touch about the church was that at one point, one of the pastors split with the others on theological grounds, and their solution was to build a wall in the middle of the church dividing up the parishioners and not having to work together. It was finally out back together hundreds of years later in the early 1900s)

Took a leaf out of Grey’s book and looked up google restaurant reviews and ended up with a lovely late lunch at a restaurant in Stirling called Brea. I had a steak burger and a cider and then realized they had my favorite Oban 14 from the chocolate tasting! So I had to get it again. Loved it just as much! Then I realized that I was immediately next door to Brew Dog Stirling! Which I noticed because I was trying to connect to the WiFi and then Brew Dog’s WiFi popped up 😂They didn’t open until 4 so I had 45 minutes to kill. Was in need of a water so ended up accidentally walking through the Stirling mall. Randomly there is a little touristy museum showing the old walls underneath the mall. I had seen the old town cemetery earlier and thought about walking around, but hadn’t realized that I had made it all the way back down the big hill in Stirling and so had to hike all the way back up. But the creepy vibes of the kirkyard cemetary with graves dating back to the late 1500s in the beautiful but gloomy overcast Scottish day was worth the walk. went back down and enjoyed a Brew Dog on dad I told the bartender that Dad was buying my beer and there was a brewdog where I lived and he knew about Columbus haha! Cheers again Dad! 🍻

The next train to Edinburgh was at 5:00 so I walked back to the train station. The Stirling train station is a lovely blue and white decor that I haven’t seen in other train stations here. Enjoyed another walk through town and made it back to my apartment, and had a reservation for the White Hart Inn, across the street from me, the inn was established in 1516! Crazy history. The food was okay but I appreciated eating in the oldest restaurant I have ever been to (by far 😂) back to my apartment for some tea and an early night!

[trainingtofreedom]

January 7, 2024 - Charlottesville, VA

We rolled into Charlottesville, and I was hungry. This was half the length of Raleigh, and only a bit longer than Raleigh->Charlotte. I was happy to get out, and happy to get food.

I'd never been here, so I spent no shortage of time looking at Google Maps to figure out where we're eating. I had to plan a bit; someone was meeting me here!

(You should know, the advent of GPS and Google on our phones mean I watch Google Maps throughout my travels. I see the major cities as we pass them, I get my relative speed, and I can see the remaining duration, even without internet.)

Greensboro was along this route, back and forth. The last time I went to Greensboro was 2022, for the Junior Olympics. The rail line conveniently rolled within view of the university. I recognized a few buildings as we went by, as well as the graffiti. It was short-form nostalgia, and I found myself longing for that last little bit of peace. Traveling always felt "safe" in my old life. No time for Biscuitville, though, I was going to C-Ville.

Charlottesville is a unique stop on the ride: One rail, the Cardinal, heads out toward Chicago through West Virginia. It has better views and a shorter trip, if that was the direct route. A 16 hour ride wasn't worth the nice views, though, and I had people agreeing to meet me here and in Washington DC.

The other rail in Charlottesville is the Crescent, and it rolls through to Washington DC. That's the train I took out of Charlotte; it's interesting, because the two different sides of the train building go to two different rails.

I had to claim and re-check my bags for this one. I'd bought my Crescent ticket back in December, but I hadn't decided on Washington DC until soon before I left. See where it says "Northeast Regional Service?" That was me, too. I checked my two big bags onto the NERS train and walked out to...

See that bridge in the picture, out the window? In this case, the rail runs under the street. If I was going to get food, I was going to walk upstairs. With my injury, and my bags. The city sits up and away from the train station, which is a common trend: cities don't like being near the train. Why did trains fall out of fashion? Probably because they're noisy.

Lunch was with Daria, a local who I've been chatting with for months on Facebook. This would be our first meeting, and it would break the veil of "online only." That moment is always nervous, for me: Even though I believe I'm even better in person, I have a hard time believing I'll be liked until we meet.

We chatted nicely at the Miami Grill, where I had reserved my budget to spend freely. Was it like food in Miami? Only sort-of; I went to University of Miami, and dated a Cuban woman the whole time, and I can say with confidence that Charlottesville is not Miami. Still, the food was more familiar than not.

Daria was beautiful, and wonderful company. I didn't want to say goodbye when we were done, but I was flustered and feeling rough. I forgot a picture. All I have are memories.

Charlottesville is a college town, but it was still Winter Break there, so the town was especially dead. It was a weekend, too, so nothing was happening otherwise. CVS didn't let me put money onto my Cash App, either - that's important for Washington DC. But with nothing else going for me, I went back to waiting in the train station.

My NERS train was running late, so we sat around nervously. I remember one passenger asking if the Richmond connection was there yet, and I loudly remarked, "That's a loud one, you won't miss it." I thought he meant a train, but I was in luck. The shuttle-bus had a loose belt, and was screeching the whole time it sat in the parking lot. It WAS loud. Still, I heard one of the attendants remark, "It wasn't loud at all," when it pulled up. I haven't been able to forget my mistake.

Finally, the -reason- for the late NERS train went by. A freight train was running behind, and blew through the station thirty minutes after it should have. So an hour late, I was climbing onto my next trip. Only about three hours to DC; I hope it wouldn't be TOO late, I had a hostel room waiting for me. At least I was spending the night; I couldn't miss a connection.

This is how you board. It's out of the building and across the parking lot, and Amtrak announces which location is appropriate for coach. I crawled with my three bags out to this, and over to my coach boarding. They don't check tickets, you just climb on.

Next stop, Washington DC.

[apexart-journal]

Mvelo Mahlangu in NYC, Day 17

I woke up early this morning at about 4:30am for the Megabus to leave NYC for DC at 7am. I had timed myself in such a way that I would arrive at least 25 min before departure time (the Megabus suggests 15 minutes), which was ample time. However, as I got to the subway, I realised my card needed to be filled up again for the week so that I could enter the subway. In that short 1-2 minutes, I ended up missing my N train out, which lead me going into full panic mode. The Mega Bus was only 16 minutes away via car, but 25 minutes via the next train with a couple minutes. This meant that the next train would see that I end up arriving at the Megabus 5 minutes before departure. I couldn’t let that happen, but I had no choice as Uber had a waiting time which I couldn’t risk, another train was on its way and the Lyft app was also not an option because it couldn’t work on both my phone and fellowship phone. I even consulted with an NYPD officer, who must’ve thought I was a little crazy in my panic state. I tried breathing to calm myself down and made the split second decision to just hop onto the next train and sprint as soon as I got to my last stop. Thankfully the train was slightly faster than usual, and as soon as I got to my last stop, I ran so fast. I ran up the escalators at 34 Herald square station and let me say, it was a nightmare because the escalators at that specific station seem endless. As I exited the station a kind stranger, who I think could’ve been homeless, saw that I was running and asked me where I needed to be and then quickly pointed me in the right direction to the bus which I could see in the distance. What a moment I will be so grateful for. I ran down the road, and made it to the bus, and when I got there another delayed passenger and bus manager laughed at how out of breath I was. He asked me  if I had ever missed a flight before, hence the frantic running. Which I laughed and replied that I never have, and plan not to. I sat down into my seat, looked at the time. I made it 8 minutes before departure time. A word of advice, just plan to arrive 30-45 minutes before departure because you never know what could happen, even if it is suggested to arrive 15 minutes before departure. We ended up waiting 10 minutes after the initial departure time. 

The bus ride was slightly long but comfortable as no one was sitting next to me, meaning I could sit with both legs up. It was lovely being able to leave the skyscrapers and watch them melt away into trees. Usually on the highway back home, when you drive away from the city, all you end ups seeing are flat planes of grass and bush which we call “veldt” (pronounced ‘felt’). So seeing forests or rows of trees was interesting. I worked a bit on updating my journal, and then ended up taking a nap for about 2 hours. Casey was already waiting for me once we arrived, and gave a warm and welcoming hug. He told me that I was most probably the 100th fellow he’s met over the years, and that I could’ve been the youngest so far. This surprised me, as it was not something I noticed when looking through the past fellows (mental note to ask on this). Union station was so beautifully built, with a large dome overhead, decorated with gold square panelling. Casey shared a nostalgic memory of randomly meeting and having been greeted by the president George W. Bush at the station. Exiting the station and seeing Washington DC was such a huge contrast to New York. No tall skyscrapers and definitely a whole lot more quiet. And I welcomed it. Casey and I walked around for a bit, him showing some of his old haunts, while looking for a good place to sit and eat. It gave me time to soak up the environment which I must say was quiet, quaint and very suburban energy. We found a place to sit at and chatted away while eating. Amongst other things, we shared backgrounds, spoke on the fellowship, his personal experience of it, and his relationship to apexart & Steven which spans almost 20 years! 

We then headed over to Library of Congress. This was my first time being in the passenger seat of a left hand side driving car and it was such a weird experience, haha! The first mistake I made was instinctively going to the drivers side door, thinking it was the passenger side. The next was internally questioning why Casey would drive into the lane he’s was turning into, only to remember that where I was. Walking into the Library of congress was insane! The architecture immediately transported me out of America and into Europe. It was absolutely ostentatious with sculptures everywhere and beautiful wall murals & mosaics of mythology. Casey explained that this level of ostentation was a compensation for the superiority complex that America against Europe at the time. We made it to the actual library area, and it was quite a sight. Ive never seen something like this in my life and felt like out of a movie. The architectural detailing when looking at the dome in the middle but also the interaction of all the art & carvings was unreal. A lot of the mural writings and references seemed extremely progressive for a structure built in the 1800’s considering the documentation of cultures & religions from across the world. Casey gave me a tour of the whole place and even took me to other parts of the building that tourists did not go to, as he spent almost 20 years of his life frequenting these buildings while working on his PHD, so knew his way around. The wealth of knowledge that I was surrounded by, all in one place, from various era’s & timelines & places, was quite overwhelming. It was a lovely experience nonetheless, however at this point I had quite a headache. We finished our tour of The Library of Congress and headed to the Hotel. Casey waited before leaving to make sure that everything was alright with my check in. I can’t thank him enough for sharing his experiences with me and our conversations, which like Vanessa, made me a little sad knowing it would be the first and last time meeting up, until the future allows another meeting. 

I checked into the hotel, rested, then prepped myself for the last activity of the day: Classical music concert. Unlike NYC, and more like Johannesburg, DC has a simple subway system. The Concert was happening all the way in Mary Land, and I was initially a bit worried about how i’d get to and from. But using the train and bus, I made it. Awkwardly for me, in this instance, I made it 30 minutes before the start of the event. Even more awkward and confusing was that I realised it was happening in someone's private home, in a residential neighbourhood. Awkward then turned into worried because I didn’t know if I should ring the door bell, or just wait outside at a nearby park. But then I got scared because I got worried that someone might call the police on me, seeing me randomly roam the streets at night. I think in that moment for the first time being in the States, I became acutely aware of what I look like, how I could be perceived, and just the stories I’ve seen online. After 5 Minutes of waiting around, I worked up the courage to ring the door bell. The owner looked slightly confused even after I explained why I was there, which didn’t ease my feelings of awkwardness. Once he let me in, I was greeted by the performers, a young lady and young man, and proceeded to sit and wait in the performance room. Placing my feelings aside, I must say, to have a performance room that can accommodate 30 people, with soundproofing and a whole grand piano was unreal. Thats a dream! I still felt quite uneasy and still hyperaware, but people started arriving and filling up the seats. As they greeted each other, I realised that even though this event was posted onto eventbrite, almost everyone in the audience were just neighbours and friends of the homeowner. So in that moment I understood the slight confusion or surprise he must’ve had when seeing me.

Once the performance began, and the music filled my ears, a lot off what I felt melted away. In that moment I remember thinking to myself how music works so well at being a universal language that people from different backgrounds, who don’t even know each other, can just feel so connected through it. The young female performer was the lead, and played the violin. I couldn’t believe that she was just 13 years old. The question of nature vs. nurture comes up. Once the performance was over, I made my way back to the hotel. I was exhausted, hungry and cold. 

[dwaynepride]

just like we were kids

pairing: young!gibbs x reader, young!ducky + reader

summary: 5 times gibbs kisses you and 1 time ducky kisses you.

warnings: reader is kidnapped, mentions of rope burns

words: 4,196

a/n: very loosely based off the 400th episode but not strictly

It’s been a very long day.

Gibbs sat next to a crying baby on the bus riding into DC, the hotel receptionist gave him a hard time when he tried to check in, and he was forced into the trunk of a car with a gun pointed to his head.

“He forced you, Marine?”

Gibbs withheld an annoyed sigh; only because this agent was pretty alright. “There were civilians around. Didn’t want to risk it.”

“Noble,” the agent responds. “But a gamble.”

Yeah. A gamble that only sorta paid off because Gibbs knows you’ll give him an earful just as soon as you get here.

“If it wasn’t for that idiot driving on the wrong side of the road, you might be the one in our morgue.”

God, Gibbs hopes he doesn’t say that when you’re around.

In the distance, he hears the elevator ding. And the agent motions toward it. “Now, you got a chance to say thank you. Looks like he’s back from the hospital to give his statement.”

Gibbs turns, spotting the man in a bowtie with his arm in a sling and talking the ear off of the women who brought him up here. The Scotsman was ranting off about American driving habits, no doubt blaming it all on why he crashed. Hearing it makes Gibbs smirk.

“Mr. Mallard,” the agent greets.

“Actually, Dr. Mallard. Well, former doctor,” he corrects.

Without any hesitation. Jethro likes him already. “Sergeant Gibbs. Former trunk.”

That’s when Dr. Mallard finally looks to him, paying little attention to the scrapes on his face. “Ah,” he replies. Gibbs can’t help to notice he looks just a little amused.

“I owe you a drink,” Jethro says.

“Well, that depends,” Mallard intercedes immediately. “How do you feel about scotch?”

“I’d feel better about bourbon.”

“Sold.”

Smiling, Gibbs reaches forward to shake the other man’s hand. They reflect each other’s expression - Dr. Mallard pleased for a free drink, and Gibbs just happy to be out of that trunk. “It’s the least I could do, considering your car was probably totaled-”

“Jethro!”

Oh no. Gibbs and his rotten luck was about to rub off on you.

He hadn’t even prepared anything to say. Hadn’t thought of a special way to ease your worries because Gibbs has been too caught up with the NIS agent and giving his statement. So when he looks over Mallard’s shoulder, watching as you march up to him with wide eyes, Gibbs visibly winces. “Hey. First of all, I’m okay. Second-”

“How could you possibly be okay?” Your eyes were immediately focused on the red scrape on his forehead - right now, he figures you’re expecting the worst. “This is serious, Jethro. How do you think I would’ve felt if I got a call saying you were dead? I know you like to think you’re big and bad, but-”

“Have you met Dr. Mallard?” Gibbs immediately turns your attention to the Scotsman in the bowtie, who immediately greets you with a tight smile once you face him. “He’s the one who saved me. Kind of.”

“Only by sheer stupidity, believe me.” Mallard reaches out a hand, and after a moment, you take his. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

You let out a tiny sigh, seeming to Gibbs like you were winding down, now that you’re sure he was okay. “Thank you, Doctor. As you can tell,” you snap your eyes to Jethro, “he gets himself into trouble, a lot.”

Gibbs says nothing, now that the eyes of four different people are on him. He shifts his weight awkwardly, reaching out to grip your arm and pull you closer. And to really suck up to you, he leans over to press a kiss against your temple - he hopes that’ll be enough of an ‘I’m sorry’ for now. “Well, the Doctor’s gotta give his statement so I think we outta let him,” Gibbs says, hoping to turn the attention off of himself.

“Yes, of course,” Dr. Mallard agrees. Gibbs is grateful - up until Mallard faces you again with a smile. “Though, you should most definitely join us for a drink. It’ll be on his tab, and you’ll be there to keep him out of trouble.”

For a moment, Gibbs feels almost defensive. He’s about to speak up, but before he can say anything, he sees you nod your head. Even worse, you’re smiling. As if agreeing with Mallard that Jethro needs watching over.

Though, you’re smiling now. Maybe it’s not so bad.

-

It’s late. And the coffee doesn’t seem to be working anymore.

Gibbs had training for staying up all night. There’s been times when he’d gone three days with only a couple hours of sleep. But even that would’ve been preferable to sitting at a table, staring at files and papers, and listening to Dr. Mallard’s mumbling.

“It doesn’t make any sense...we’ve got to be missing something...”

Yeah. No kidding.

Gibbs rubs his eyes with a long sigh. He’s tempted to just call it a night and try again in the morning when he and Mallard are rested up. But Jethro stays - much too stubborn to walk away, even if it’s past midnight.

He has his chin propped up on his hand, fighting the alluring close of his eyes, by the time Jethro hears the front door close and your footsteps against the wood floor. “You guys are still awake?”

“Yeah,” Gibbs mumbles.

“We’re nearly finished,” Dr. Mallard says - he’s slightly more awake, but not by much.

“Right,” you reply. Jethro recognizes the disbelief in your voice. It’s the same tone you use with him a lot. “Well, are you two hungry?”

Coffee is the only sustenance he’s had all night. At the mention of food, Jethro looks over. And a grease-stained paper bag has never looked so amazing. “Is that…”

“Just some burgers from a diner. Not many places are open this late, so it was a bit of a drive.” You approach with the food, and Jethro stands to take the bag from your hands. And you’re smiling at him - looking tired, but still so sweet and soft and it immediately relieves the ache of exhaustion from Gibbs.

You drove all around town to bring him and Mallard some food. He didn’t deserve you.

“You didn’t have to,” Jethro says. Though, he handles the burgers like an injured puppy. “We got stuff here…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, man.” Dr. Mallard stands as well, taking the bag from Jethro and opening it up to retrieve his burger. “It’s not right to downplay the generosity of your partner. Try thanking her.”

Gibbs narrows his eyes at the other man, but his hunger wears down his stubbornness. The burgers smell fucking amazing, and Dr. Mallard is right.

He looks back to you, steps in closer, and leans down to press a kiss to your cheek. Your skin is cold from the night air - Gibbs feels bad that you went through the trouble. “Thanks. We appreciate it,” he says lowly. If Mallard weren’t here, Gibbs might’ve dragged you to bed. Warmed you up and thanked you in his own favorite way.

He notices your flush. Maybe you picked up on his own personal thoughts, somehow.

So Gibbs looks away, reaching out to retrieve his own burger before the doctor notices anything. And you clear your throat, smiling at the both of them while backing up. “Well, enjoy the food. I think I’m gonna go get some sleep. Try not to stay up all night, you two!”

A smirk comes over Jethro’s lips as he falls back down into his chair, and he doesn’t notice Mallard watching him until Gibbs is just about to take a big bite out of his burger. His teeth are on the bun when his eyes flicker up. “Wha’?” He asks hotly.

Dr. Mallard simply shakes his head, taking his seat and moving his files aside to make room for the burger you brought him. “Nothing. It’s just that...she’s a keeper.”

Jethro didn’t need some Scot to tell him that.

-

“Keep looking out here! I’ll check inside!”

Jethro didn’t bother yelling out an acknowledgement. He took off in the other direction, letting Dr. Mallard make his way into the dark, silent building by himself. Maybe if his heart weren’t pounding so fast or if he weren’t so fucking angry and scared and worried, Gibbs would be smart and think about Mallard’s safety.

After all, if these scumbags had the balls to take you, what’s to stop them from killing him?

Jethro doesn’t think about that, right now. His shoes pound against the pavement, swinging his flashlight around wildly. The parking lot is empty and pitch black - the shine of the flashlight barely does anything to cut through the darkness. He tries to stem his breathing and silence his heartbeat; just in case you’re crying out for him.

He hears nothing. The taunting hoot of an owl, but that’s it.

This is his fault, of course. Everything is his fault. Maybe if he just left the case alone and let those agents deal with it, you wouldn’t be missing and he wouldn’t be running around trying to find you. Dr. Mallard tried calming him down and reminding him that they’re trying to get these bastards off the streets for this very reason.

Doesn’t seem worth it, though. Not when it comes to you.

Jethro takes a few more steps, panting hard, still straining his eyes against the blackness. His grip on the flashlight is so tight, his fingers start to hurt. Maybe you’re not even here. Maybe they got it wrong. Maybe they missed something-

There. On the far end of the parking lot. Something reflects the light of his flashlight, and it’s too big to be anything but a vehicle.

Immediately, Gibbs takes off again. His shoes barely hit the concrete with how fast he’s running, and when he finally reaches the car, he shines the light inside. Finding empty seats, Jethro’s stomach drops.

That is, until his eyes find the trunk.

Jethro calls your name as he comes around to the hitch. His breath is stuck in his lungs, and he barely even registers the light tapping from inside the trunk before he yanks it up.

You flinch at the sudden bright light. Hands coming up to shield your face, balling yourself up tighter. Gibbs immediately notices little red lines around your wrists. Notices the little tears and scuffs on your clothes. He shakes with something mixed with rage and relief.

“Hey, hey, you’re okay,” Jethro breathes out. He tucks the flashlight under his arm to reach out for you. His hand on your arm seems to calm you - it lets you know that you’re safe and he’s got you and everything is okay now. You peek out from behind your eyes, cheeks wet from tears but they’re not wet enough to loosen the tape strapped to your mouth.

Jethro reaches out instantly to pull it off. He’s slow, gentle, and as soon as your lips are visible, you suck in a deep breath. “Jethro…”

“I’m here. You’re okay now.”

He tries his best to hide the tremor of his hands as Gibbs takes his knife out and cuts the rope off your wrists and ankles. These bastards really went all the way - taking you and terrorizing you just to get to him and Mallard. He’d make sure they paid.

As soon as you’re freed, your arms are wrapped tight around his shoulders, face pushed against his chest and sniffling. The flashlight is obscured, but Jethro doesn’t need to see the harsh tears staining your cheeks. It’s bad enough to hear your little whimpers of his name, and the most he can do is hug you back and murmur out comforting words.

Eventually, you pull away. Still leaning on him, not even pulling yourself out of the trunk yet, but wanting to see his face. “It happened so fast,” you tell him, voice small. Jethro frowns as he fits his hand against your cheek - there’s a bruise there that concerns him. “And they were saying how you and Dr. Mallard were getting so close, and I was insurance, and I didn’t know if you’d find me, and-”

“Hey, I’ll always find you, okay?” His thumb caresses over your cheek, mindful of the purple bump there. “I’m sorry. This is my fault. You shouldn’t have gotten caught up in this. I should’ve protected you better.”

Your eyes are wide and frightened, but the way your eyebrows quirk together slightly tells him that you probably had something to say. Probably to negate what he’s said because he knows you don’t like when he says things like that. Blaming himself for things he can’t control.

Instead, Jethro leans in to desperately press his lips against yours. The kiss tastes like salty tears and a hint of blood but you hold onto his jacket so tight that he doesn’t even think about if the kiss might hurt.

He was worried. You were scared. He just wants to kiss you.

And even the sound of Dr. Mallard calling his name from across the parking lot isn’t enough to break it.

-

“She’s fine, right? That’s what the doctors said?”

“That’s what I said,” Mallard tells him, voice tight. But there’s an empathetic look that helps calm Gibbs down a bit. “I assure you, I wouldn’t lie about her condition. I checked her over myself - the worst of it is only the rope burns on her wrists.”

Gibbs breathes a little easier. It’s been a wild couple days and it feels like the first deep breath he’s taken since.

“I assume you’d want to see her.”

Jethro nods his head once, brow furrowing together. He’d done enough waiting.

Dr. Mallard smirks before he turns and walks with Gibbs down to your room. He knows it’ll be hard, seeing you laid up in the white hospital sheets. It was hard enough pulling you from the trunk of the car and sitting with you until the ambulance came. Hard enough having to put you on the back burner to finish what he and Mallard started. The guilt was still there, of course. He knows you don’t blame him, but it’s not enough.

Gibbs feels a nudge against his arm, and he looks over to find Dr. Mallard watching him. “You should be happy,” he points out.

“I am.”

“I hope you’ll be a better liar once we get in there.” Gibbs scoffs and looks away, but the doctor isn’t done. “You’re fortunate it wasn’t any worse. With the men we were dealing with-”

“Yeah, I know, doc. They coulda killed her, or worse. And it would’ve been my fault because I wasn’t smart enough to think ahead and protect her.” Jethro turns back to Mallard, and he doesn’t bother to hide his scowl. “Is that what you want to hear?”

“Yes. It is,” he replies boldly. Fucking of course. Gibbs is tempted to walk off before Mallard's gaze turns more sympathetic. “But that’s not what she wants to hear. So better to get it all out right now so you can’t dump all those guilty feelings on someone who’s already been through enough.”

He hadn’t thought of it that way.

Jethro’s eyes drop. Mallard was right, of course. It pissed him off to admit it, but Gibbs probably would’ve gone in there and apologized for something you didn’t really want to relive. Another case of him not thinking.

Dr. Mallard pats him on the shoulder. When Gibbs looks up, he motions to your room with his head. “Well, let’s get a move on. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”

And Jethro will be glad to see you, too.

He wastes no time reaching your door, and he carefully opens it but can’t help poking his head in just as soon as he can. Gibbs doesn’t quite know what to expect, and even with Mallard peeking in from over his shoulder, he feels like he should be walking on his toes.

But the image of you sitting up in bed with a smile proves him wrong.

“Hey! You’re here!”

Jethro doesn’t reply. He just smirks and revels in his relief that you’re actually okay.

“Of course, we are!” Mallard replies, moving past Gibbs to approach your bedside. “We wanted to tell our partner about the outcome of our little investigation, didn’t we, Gibbs?”

Jethro’s eyes move away from your bruised face, glancing to the doctor before nodding once. “Yeah. Bastards got caught trying to leave the state. They got ‘em at the border,” he tells you. Though, he can’t keep his eyes from wandering. Your arms, once so soft, are marred with bandages and bruises. Jethro reminds himself to breathe.

“But obviously, we were also worried about you,” Dr. Mallard adds on. His tone is softer, this time. And as Gibbs moves past him to take the seat by your bed, he continues. “You’ve got nothing to fear. They can’t ever hurt you again.”

Jethro reaches out to take your hand, and you squeeze his right back. Dammit, Mallard was so good with that heart-to-heart stuff. It never really occurred to Gibbs to put your mind at ease, like he had. He’d just been so angry and guilty and worried - well, it goes to show how much more you deserve than him.

“Yeah, I know.” Your voice is light. A little hoarse. The sound of it makes Jethro tighten his grip.

“He’s right,” Gibbs speaks up. And when you turn to look at him, he makes sure his face is hard and determined. Not as shaky as he feels. “I’m never gonna let something like that happen again. I promise.”

“Yeah,” you respond. “I know.”

Your smile grows. Just a little, because of the bruises. But it prompts one on Jethro’s face, and as his chest gets a bit tight, he softly lifts your hand up. The bandages cover up the ugly rope burns around both your wrists - they’ll go away in a few weeks. Still, he places a soft kiss on top the bandage. Just to help you heal a little faster.

-

If it were up to Gibbs, he would’ve taken you right home and let you rest. And personally, after all the bullshit, he really just wanted a quiet night with you and a couple glasses of bourbon. And no Dr. Mallard.

Things never usually go as planned for him. A night at the bar is in order to celebrate.

Though, Jethro can’t complain much. You’re seated on his lap, and he’s free to wrap his arms around your waist and tug you close and glare at anyone giving you a second look. Call him protective, but he’s just being safe.

And he let you and Mallard chat away about the case. Mostly about how the NIS agents took all the credit for bringing them in.

“It’s unfair,” you say crossly, glancing back at Jethro before looking to the doctor again. “Do they know how much danger you guys put yourselves in? Or what I went through? And they get the credit?”

Jethro’s grip on your waist tightens. He smirks when he feels your hand settle on his arm.

“It’s not really about the credit,” Mallard replies, leaning back in his chair with a shrug. “For me, I’m just happy those bastards won’t be out terrorizing any more innocent people. I looked into some of their victims - poor unfortunate souls who wouldn’t have been missed by anybody. No friends. No family. It’s a real shame.”

The table grows quiet, even as the bar ambience around them is still as loud as ever. You end up leaning back against Jethro; likely needing his comfort.

And he readily gives it. Because you so easily could’ve been one of those victims. Not unknown without friends or family, like the others. But still gone. Still ripped from Jethro’s arms.

“Would’ve missed you,” he finds himself mumbling.

Gibbs didn’t intend for you to hear. He was counting on Dr. Mallard keeping your attention. But it seems like the music and the chatter wasn’t enough to keep his mindless words from your ears. Because as soon as he presses a light kiss against the ball of your shoulder, you’re twisting your head around to smile at him.

His eyes immediately dart away, because he knows the kind of smile you’re wearing.

“Have a little too much to drink, Jethro? You’re getting all affectionate.”

“Yes,” Mallard speaks up, happy to change the subject. “I think he’s gone on to his third glass of scotch!”

-

It’s one o’clock in the morning. Gibbs kept checking the time.

He wouldn’t say anything about it, though. Not when you were having fun and relaxing after that whole ordeal.

Still, Jethro couldn’t help a little sigh when he finally stepped out of the bar. He holds the door open for you and Ducky - a nickname you’ve given the Scot that took the hold of liquor to stick.

“Well, that was a jolly time. Been a while since I’ve had a sip with companions I could tolerate a conversation with. I’ve found there’s very few people in America who want to sit down for a drink in a pub…”

“Bar,” Jethro says. He hears your soft snort of laughter from behind.

“Bar,” Ducky repeats with a smile only a drunk man would wear. It brings to mind when the doctor had been teasing Gibbs about drinking too much. And just as he goes to sit down on the curb of the street, you’re right there to help him down. Preventing the intoxicated doctor from falling straight on his ass and patting his shoulder once he’s leaning against a stop sign.

Jethro smirks at the sight, shaking his head lightly as he approaches the street to flag down a taxi. Yeah, it was late. It’s been a trying couple of days. But he can’t admit that he didn’t have a little fun. Ducky attempting to teach you some Scottish drinking songs was surely a highlight.

His hand waves up at an oncoming taxi, and thankfully, it notices him and veers over. “Alright, doc. Time to get you home. You know the address of your hotel?”

Gibbs comes over to help you pull Ducky back up, but the other man just regards him with a huff and a frown. “Of course I do, Marine. I’ve got a very good memory, you know. Like a Bottlenose Dolphin. Do you know it’s theorized that dolphins have an even longer memory than elephants?” Ducky stumbles a little over his own feet, almost falling into the street in front of the taxi. But Jethro catches him before he can fall. “Imagine that: a whole metaphor undone because of a single study…”

“That’s very interesting, Ducky,” you tell him lightly, a giggle edging your voice.

Jethro pulls the door open, intent on helping Mallard in so you don’t strain yourself doing it. But the doctor puts a hand on the roof of the cab, balancing himself so he can turn to face you. He’s reflecting your easy smile, and Jethro can’t help but narrow his eyes as he watches the doctor lean over to take hold of your hand.

Is Mallard some kind of drunken flirt? Gibbs fixes his jaw.

“You’re a very charming person, and I do look forward to working with you again. I pray it’s sooner rather than later,” Ducky says. And with no hesitation, he presses a chaste kiss against your knuckles - still a bit tender, but you don’t look as if it bothers you.

Which is why Jethro is tempted to just shove Mallard into the taxi and send him on his way.

Granted, the kiss was brief. He releases your hand and turns to Gibbs, whom he gives a brief nod to. “Same to you, Marine.” And with that, Dr. Mallard ungraciously climbs into the backseat of the taxi, and Gibbs can tell he’ll be chatting the driver’s ear off the whole way. His voice fades as the car drives off.

“That was fun.”

Immediately, Jethro’s eyes leave the cab to look at you. “The drinking, or that kiss?” He asks maybe a bit too sternly.

Your eyes go wide in surprise, lips slowly quirking upward as you gaze up at him without a word. And Jethro winces inwardly at the can of worms he likely opened without even meaning to. He turns away, intent to find another cab for the two of them. But you’re not ready to drop it. “Well, I don’t know. Which did you enjoy the most?”

“Geez,” he mumbles. “Ya know, we should’ve just stayed home. You’re really in no condition to be out and about.”

You don’t reply. Instead, your arms appear right around his waist, closing tight and leaning up against his back. He’s thankful for the position, at least, so you couldn’t see the smirk on his lips. And when Jethro places his hand on your arm, he’s careful to avoid the bandages. He wants to touch your skin, anyway.

“Y’know, Jethro, if you wanna kiss me, you don’t have to wait until after Ducky does it.”

[angryschnauzer]

Never Stroke A Tigers Stripes

Summary; Tired hands wander, and when sat next to your superior officer aboard a flight back to DC, you get yourself in a bit of a predicament.

(Wholly based on the realisation that there is a stripe of fabric ‘tuxedo style’ running down the leg of Henry/August’s pants legs in Mission Impossible Fallout)

Drabble dedicated to @littlefreya​. I can’t send you flowers, but i can send you a smutty drabble.

Fandom: Henry Cavill, Mission Impossible: Fallout

Pairing: August Walker x Female Reader (no race or body type mentioned)

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Fingering, Thigh Riding.

Wordcount: 721

Not beta’d, only the finest organic free range typo’s for me, allowed to run wild and free.

For fic updates see @angryschnauzerwrites​, for masterlist see AO3

Never Stroke A Tigers Stripes

47 hours; that’s how long you’d been awake. The mission had bounced around half the continent, with helicopter rides, car chases and all manner of fights and infiltrations. But in the end it had all worked out, and now you were sat on the commercial flight home, beyond exhausted but also buzzing from so much adrenaline that you knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep until you were back in your own bed and had eeked at least two if not three orgasms out of your body to give you enough serotonin to finally let your brain relax.

It was a small charter flight, a Boeing 737 or similar, and as your mission had ended in a well known tourist spot, it was just easiest to hop onto a charter flight back to DC. The battery on your phone had died long ago, your seatmate squeezed into the isle seat with his long legs stretched out beside you meaning you were against the window. In the last few rows at the back where you were there were only two seats per row, and with the behemoth of man that August Walker was, you could barely see the rest of the plane beyond your seat. 

He was tapping away on his phone, and you absentmindedly rested your head back against the headrest, your hands slipping to the sides of your thighs, just as your fingers touched a seam of fabric. 

With your gaze still firmly fixed on an indefinite point out of the window you explored the stripe of fabric, presuming it was part of the seat or armrest, a stripe of smooth fabric maybe an inch wide, sewn onto a firm wide expanse of slightly rougher fabric. The fabric was warm to touch, the stitching a stimuli under your work tired fingers, the ridges tactile and pleasing. For maybe fifteen minutes you continued to absentmindedly stroke the fabric, before it suddenly flexed beneath your touch and a bolt of realisation shot through your mind; it wasn’t the seat.

“Shit” you muttered under your breath, squeezing your eyes shut. 

You felt August shift, your co-worker and superior officer, his breath warm on your skin;

“Why did you stop?”

-

The door to your apartment crashed open, the handle making a dent in the drywall behind it but you didn’t care, your arms were wrapped around August’s shoulders and your legs around his waist, his lips on yours as he blindly reached for the door and slammed it shut before finally pulling away;

“Bedroom?”

“First door on the right”

With more bumping into furniture he finally made it to your bedroom, the mattress hitting the back of his knees before he softly settled on the covers, bringing you with him until you were straddling his waist. As the kiss broke he quickly worked on the fly of your pants, before with a grunt he ripped the entire inseam of them. Next casualty of his muscles were your panties, but as he plunged two thick fingers into your soaked canal you cried out at the stretch as he growled at you through gritted teeth;

“The way you kept stroking my leg on the plane, i’ve had a fucking raging hard-on since the first second you touched me…”

“I...I didn’t even realise it was you… i thought it was the seat…”

“Well now you’re gonna get yourself off on my thigh, then maybe i’ll give you what you need, Miss ‘need three orgasms to go to sleep’... yes i heard your delirious muttering too”

He lifted you and placed you to straddle his clothed thigh;

“C’mon pet, ride…”

He flexed his thigh muscle beneath you and you let out a groan, steadying yourself as you gripped the sides of his waist and you started to rock back and forth, relishing the friction of the rough fabric, the smooth stripe against your inner thigh as you moved.

His hands gripped your hips and started to move you faster, pushing you ever closer to your peak before it finally hit you like a freight train and you came with a scream as you soaked his pants leg.

Quickly flipping you over he unfastened himself;

“Well done Pet, thats one of three” and he plunged himself deep into you; “Two more to go”

[spenciegoob]

Who Needs Luck?

A/N: hi! I solely wrote this because of my 3 recent visits to NY (no, I sadly did not meet mgg)... plus i’ve been going there my whole life.. this is becoming the longest authors note, but as i’m writing I just want to say the people who work at food trucks in nyc are the nicest people ever, ask them about their day (AND TIP OMG PLS)

Summary: Reader invites Spencer to go to New York City with her where he finally sees the beauty right in front of him.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader

Category: Fluff!

Content Warnings: reader can’t drive very well (I apologize if this is a callout post), slight road rage, language

Masterlist

Word Count: 2.4K

____

I never considered myself a lucky man. Life had proven time and time again that no matter how many four leaf clovers I set out to search for, how many pennies on the ground faced heads up I stumbled across, luck was never on my side. I’ve learned to live with it, accepted my fate as the world’s smartest punching bag long before I was even in college.

But then I met her, and as cheesy as it sounds, I didn’t need luck that morning.

The second I woke up, the universe seemed to have it out for me specifically. I swung my legs over my bed, and in my half asleep daze stepped on my glasses, successfully breaking them. Unable to see on my short trip to the bathroom, I stubbed my toe… twice. Once I finally finished my morning routine more methodically, I walked out of my apartment only to bump into a stranger, sending the coffee she was holding all the both of us.

I had tried to apologize so many times, cutting my words short when they didn’t feel right. I had gotten through a series of “I’m, uh, oh, I, you,” before her smile interrupted my thought process, leaving me awestruck instead.

“That’s okay, but you owe me a coffee now.” She giggled, actually giggled, even with the scorching liquid causing her shirt to stick to her body. “Maybe… together?”

I didn’t hesitate to agree, taking her up on the offer that weekend and never looking back. Even when a loud crash, followed by a quiet, harsh ‘shit’ woke me up in a startle, there was no regret. Maybe just a little concern for my girlfriend who now that my eyes have adjusted to the darkness, can be seen holding her knee on the floor of our bedroom.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to wake you,” she whispered out, grabbing onto the dresser to stand straight again. Once she was on her feet, she came over to sit on the edge of our bed, immediately running her fingers through my hair. If I wasn’t so worried about her knee, I probably would’ve fell asleep again.

“Are you okay?” She giggled at my scratchy morning voice before nodding her head. It’s then I realized how the sun hasn’t even begun to rise, the room still pitchblack. “What are you doing up?”

“Getting ready to go to the city, sleepyhead,” she said as if it was the most obvious answer, but truthfully, it left me with more questions.

“At... 5 am?” I sat up, glancing at the alarm clock three times just to make sure I was reading it right. She may have always been a little strange, but usually at a reasonable hour.

At this, she stood up to continue getting ready for the very early morning. Now I notice why she fell, the piles of clothes leading to the closet had to have at least half of her outfits compiled together.

“Well, yeah. I want to get there before noon.” Even in my perplexed state, I rose from the bed and carefully tiptoed around haphazardly thrown clothes to reach her.

While wrapping my arms around her waist still hidden under my t-shirt, I questioned. “It’s right outside? You have 7 hours.”

She turned to look at me funny as if I wasn’t the one digging through clothes and waking up before dawn to walk literally 5 minutes to my desired location. My eyebrows must have subconsciously furrowed at one point, because she brought her hand up to stroke her thumb on my forehead. Immediately, I felt the tension melt, no longer caring to correct my confusion. She still did it anyway.

“Not DC, silly. New York!” I wish it were untrue, but my heart dropped at her words. She was leaving, going to a city I wasn’t familiar with beyond reading about, solving cases, and memorizing subway maps. Is this how she feels every time I board that jet?

“W-what? You’re just going to New York City?” I inwardly cringed at how desperate and sad I sounded, but I really didn’t want her to leave.

“Mhm,” she mumbled, turning back around to return digging in her closet.

“For how long?” Please change your mind. Please change your mind. Please change you-

Realizing that I was fully awake, she let out a boisterous laugh, allowing the way it bounced off our four little walls to return back to us. It was a sound most treasured. “I was hoping to get back around 9.”

“What?” I leaned back to look at her like she was absolutely preposterous. I mean, she was!

“Roadtrip!”

That’s how I found myself in the passenger seat of her car, no coffee in my hand because I wasn’t allowed until I have “a real cup of coffee.” Whatever the hell that means better happen soon, because as much as I loved watching the way she concentrates on the road in front of her, my eyes were starting to droop.

“It’s going to be another 4 hours. You can sleep, my love.” How she knew me so well, I will never be able to figure out, but I was out before we even made it across state borders.

That however, didn’t last very long. My girlfriend may be short and sweet, but behind the wheel? That’s a different story. The horn to her car is a very familiar sound when I’m jolted awake by a sudden stop.

“Really, asshole? Go!” She yelled, slamming her hand against the top of the steering wheel before looking over at me. “Hey, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to wake you yet. I forgot how awful drivers are here.”

“Where is here exactly?” I questioned, sitting up from my slouched position to find cars practically on top of each other on a road not wide enough for two lanes.

“New Jersey. We’re 10 minutes away.” Wow, I didn’t realize I slept for that long, and I have to admit I’m a little surprised I wasn’t woken up sooner.

“How are we 10 minutes away? It’s at least another 30 to get to the tunnel.” Looking at our surroundings didn’t help me determine our exact location. To the left of us, there were dozens of graffiti murals on the side of what I assumed was another elevated highway. To the right, sidestreets with local businesses ranging from auto repair shops to fast food joints to gyms.

“Nuh uh, stop analyzing mister. You’ll know when we get there.” She waved a finger in my directions, putting a pin in my scrutinization. I pouted right back, successfully playing along to the theme of her scolding me like a 5 year old.

“I don’t like surprises you know.” It was the truth, but her contagious laughter that filled the car made me slightly less disinclined to stop asking questions.

“Oh I know, but trust me, you’ll like this one.” She went to go reach over to grab my hand from where it was resting in my lap, but stopped short and retracted in favor of slamming the horn. “Oh, come on!”

***

“So you drove to a train station... in New Jersey?” I asked while she was… attempting to park the car.

“Well, yeah. I’ve been taking this route since I was a little girl.” Once she finally figured out how to evenly space a two door convertible in a very spacious parking spot, she unbuckled her seatbelt, and was quick to grab her bag from the backseat. “Well, come on mister, we’re going to miss the train.”

To be quite honest, I have never been so lost in my life. I could probably pinpoint our exact location on a map if I wanted to, granted I was given any sort of information, but part of me didn’t want to. Scratch that, all of me didn’t want to, because my entire life has been planned out in front of me before, but right now, I get to be spontaneous with the most beautiful girl on the planet.

“Don’t let go of my hand,” she told me, lacing our fingers together and pulling me forward. “Don’t stop to look around, you will get pushed.”

We made it inside, and if I thought the DC transit system was bustling with people constantly, this place was so much worse. There were hallways left and right, all packed with people in a rush. It seems everybody had some place to be and zero time to get there.

“Upstairs.” We walked up two flights before reaching a platform, buying our tickets and making it just in time for a train to arrive. “I know they come every 8 minutes, but thank god we made this one,” she said as she sat down.

The cart we were in wasn’t too crowded, and once I finally found a map on the wall across from us, I saw that it was a direct ride to the World Trade Center.

“You said you took this train when you were little?”

“Yeah, I went to the city a lot as a kid. This was the easiest, and the cheapest way there.” A small smile played at her lips, obviously the product of some childhood memory. “I used to hop it.”

“Of course you did,” I laughed back with her, thinking about how an innocent looking child would be the first person to get away with sneaking onto the train.

***

“I said it before, I will say it again. Do not let go of my hand.” This time it was more stern, and if I were being honest, I would say that it got me the slightest bit nervous. She must have noticed, she always does, because she continued. “Don’t worry, it just gets congested and I don’t want to lose you.”

She was right about that, it indeed was very congested, but that was okay because she was holding my hand, and I would follow her just about anywhere if it meant she kept looking over her shoulder and smiling when she saw me. Once we made it across the way, and in front of heavy looking glass doors, she turned to me and started walking backwards.

“You okay? This is definitely not off to a great start.” She was wrong, it was off to a perfect start.

“Yeah, I’m okay, but you might want to watch where you’re going,” I said before her back hit the door.

“Please I can get here with my eyes closed.” And then we were outside, and all 5 of my senses were hit immediately. The sun was shining down on us, and before I could complain about not bringing my sunglasses, she handed them to me. My heart fluttered at the innocent act, taking the sunglasses with such gratitude even though she had already moved on to retrieve hers. “Do you smell that?” She asked.

“There are a lot of answers to that question,” I told her, not knowing if she was talking about the smell of the construction happening at the corner, the permanent garbage smell or something entirely different.

“The hotdogs, silly. Come on, there’s nothing like ‘em.” This time, I laced our fingers together, not because I was scared of losing her, I was, but I just really wanted to be closer to her. She didn’t mind, in fact, she let out a content hum and leaned her head on my arm as we walked to the stand.

“Can I get four hotdogs with sauerkraut and two grape sodas,” she asked the vendor, who politely nodded before moving on to prepare our food.

“You’re going to have a heart attack by 35,” I said as I nudged her with my shoulder. She gave me a small push back before answering.

“Is that a doctor’s diagnosis?” She asked as she took our now ready food into her hands, after paying the man before I even had time to blink. I just grabbed the two cans of soda and followed her where she was making a beeline for a park bench. “Watch out for skaters.”

“Yes, it is indeed a doctor's diagnosis.” I unwrapped one of the hotdogs before taking a bite. I closed my eyes and let out a content hum. “It may be a little worth it.”

“Exactly.” We sat there quietly, enjoying the warm weather and sounds of wheels against pavement. At one point, she rested her head against my shoulder, and I am convinced wherever she went would be Heaven.

***

“Are your eyes closed?” We found ourselves with both our hands interlocked, my eyes closed while she walked backwards. I gave an ‘mhm’ before she continued. “We’re here, just keep them closed, and…” her words trailed off. “Okay open.”

I opened my eyes to her holding her arms out in the middle of the largest bookstore I’ve ever seen. “Surprise!” My eyes were bouncing everywhere. It wasn’t too crowded, the large stairwell across the store catching my eye first. There were bookshelves tens of feet high, all loaded with different genres and authors. To the right of us, tiny knick knacks and pins and socks. It was beautiful.

“Wow,” I whispered out, still stuck in my place admiring our surroundings. She was beaming up at me, a hint of pride at her successfulness to drag me 6 hours away to the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.

“The Strand has always been my favorite place in the city. Come on, let’s go explore.” She grabbed my hands again, pulling me deeper into the store towards a shelf labeled adult fiction.

***

Six books, three pairs of socks and a postcard later, we were back on the busy streets of New York, aimlessly walking and admiring the tall buildings and different attractions. Well she was, I was admiring the way she was looking around like it was her first time here. Maybe I should have been paying more attention to our surroundings, but no amount of skyscrapers or fountains could possibly ever match up to her level of beauty. 

“Have I ever told you how much I love you?” I asked randomly, startling her into jumping a tiny bit before giggling. She stopped us, turning to face me fully before reaching up to grab my face in her hands.

“Once or twice.” The kiss we shared on the New York streets were no different than the ones before, but this time, it felt like a silent promise. A passing between two lovers that no matter where we are, our love is the most beautiful thing there is. “I love you too, dork.”

___

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[imaginesforhotguys]

Imagine…

Promise

Steve Rogers x Reader

Word Count:1139

Thinking of making a part 2 of this so if you guys like this and want more let me know!

Today was just like any other day. Wake up at 5 for job you didn’t really love. Out the door by 5:15 for the 3 mile run you take even though you don’t want to. Then it’s back home to shower, change, and eat breakfast before your out the door at 7 for the metro ride to work. You would have left the house at 7:30 but today was Wednesday and Wednesday meant that you made a stop before work.

You actually take the metro 3 stops past your work every Wednesday so you can walk another half mile up a hill that is covered in small flowers and 7ft tall square marble pillars. Each pillar has the names of those lost during the blip. Many cities across the country have parks and monuments like this dedicated to those who simply vanished in those cities. But this one in DC has every single name.

Every single Wednesday for the past 2 years you climbed this hill before work to stare at the names of your brother and your mom. For the first month after the pillar was built, you came everyday but somehow you convinced yourself that every Wednesday was enough. You would stare at their names and pray to whoever would listen to bring them back. To bring all of them back.

So there you sat on the metro, waiting for the train to pull into your station. “Next stop Remembrance Park.” The voice over the louder speaker chimes. At this you throw your bag over your shoulder and head towards the train doors. The doors chime, “Doors opening. Please stand back to allow people enter.” You quietly slide out of the doors and up the escalator to the outside of the station.

The warm sun greets you at the entrance as you bring the climb up to the top of the hill. The pillar with your brother’s and mother’s name is up the hill to the left. You actually liked where it was located because it was right next to a small pond that had one park bench. You felt as if the bench was a sign from them. That they were here with you. You notice that a man was already sitting on the bench reading a book which you found odd. You were often alone in this section of the park in the morning so a new face was different.

You reach the pillar a small bead of sweat falls down your forehead. Even though it was 7:30 in the morning the DC heat was already starting. You debated on even coming knowing how hot it would be but you never missed a Wednesday, and especially not this one.

You lay your hand on the cool marble pillar. “Happy birthday mom.” Is all you can manage in a small whisper of a voice. You slug back to the bench letting your body fall beside the man sitting.

A tear rolls down your cheek as the sniffles begin. “Ya know they all say that it gets easier,” you say wiping the tear from your face. You don’t even know if the man next to you is listening but for some reason you feel comfortable talking about things you usually only talk about in your weekly group grief meetings.

“But it hasn’t. Nothing about this is easy. How does anyone expect us to just move on?”

The tears really start falling now. You quickly begin to dig through your purse for the small package of tissues you have on hand. Before you can find it you feel a small nudge on your side and a tissue being placed on your lap.

“Here you go.” The man says in a low voice. “And if it makes you feel any better it’s ok not be ok.”

You turn your head to see who this stranger is who is giving you such sympathy at 7:30 in the morning. The identity of the mystery man shocks you.

“Oh my,” you say all of sudden shy. “I didn’t mean to bother you Captain.”

“Please call me Steve. And you certainly are not bothering me.” You can feel his eyes on you so you turn back to meet his gaze. Wow he sure was pretty. You mentally slapped yourself for crying in front of him and most definitely ruining the makeup you applied earlier this morning.

“I usually don’t cry when I come here but it’s actually my mom’s birthday so it’s been a rough one. I lost her and my brother in the blip.”

Steve puts a gentle arm on your shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that miss. I understand how rough that must have been on you and your father.”

“My dad passed away 3 months after the blip. He was perfectly healthy and one night he just passed. Doctors said he died of a broken heart. Losing my mom destroyed him. Now it’s just me” You continue to blot you eyes with tissue Steve gave you. Never in 1 million years did you think you would be venting your problems to Steve Rogers on the bench in Remembrance Park.

“I’m sorry for bothering you with all of this. You probably think I’m crazy. I’m (Y/n) by the way. Now you know the crazy girl’s name.” You say with a slight chuckle as Steve hand you another tissue.

“Hi (Y/n). I’m Steve and no I don’t think you’re crazy. I think your grieving and that’s ok to do. I promise you it will get better.”

“Oh you can promise that?”

Steve holds up one pinky waiting until you ahoy interlock yours with his. “I promise.”

The amount of time you had your pinky interlocked with his was probably to long but when you touched his skin you felt the best you have felt in 2 years. You never wanted this feeling to end but it was disrupted when Steve’s phone rings and he rushes his hand into his pocket to see who it is.

Steve sighs loudly and pushes the phone back into his pocket. “That’s work so I have to get going.”

“Of course,” you say pushing yourself back up off the bench. “I should head out to or I’ll be late for work. It was really nice talking to you Steve.”

“I enjoyed myself too (Y/n). Listen I go to this group thing in Friday nights. It’s just a place where we can all talk about what we are feeling. You should come and maybe after we can get coffee or something? It’s at the International Hotel at 6.”

“You know what? That actually sounds really nice I’ll be there.”

“You promise?”

For the first time in what feels like a long time a genuine smile creeps across your face. “Promise.”

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Bloody Valentines

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Young Justice 98, Titans, GL Corps, Legion of Super Heroes, Flashfam, New Gods, Shadowpact, Superfam

Summary: 90s vampire slasher AU

Chapters: 9/?

Characters: Dick Grayson, Joseph Wilson, Jason Todd, Charley Parker, Zatanna, Eddie Bloomberg, Daniel Cassidy, Chester Williams DC, Guy Gardner, Kyle Rayner, Lilith Clay, Raven Roth, Kole Weathers, Bette Kane, Donna Troy, Roy Harper, Jenni Ognats, Bart Allen, Virgil Hawkins, Richie Foley, Ayla Ranzz, Zoe Saugin, Rol Purtha, Darla Aquista, Lori Zechlin, Hal Jordan, Helen Jordan II, Orion DC, Lightray DC, Jonathan Lane Kent, Conner Kent, Mia Kent, Roxy Leech, Kara Danvers, Chris Kent, Thara Ak-Var, Match DC, Thaddeus Thawne

Relationships: DickJoey, Daniel Cassidy/Zatanna, DonnaRoy, Jenni Ognats/Virgil Hawkins, Raven/Lilith Clay, Lightrion, MatchThad

Additional Tags: POV First Person, Unreliable Narrator(s), Vampires, No Capes AU, 90s Slasher AU, Homoeroticism, Horror, Slasher

Chapter Nine: The First Blood (Laney's POV)

Kara wanted to take us on a family trip like the El family did in the old country. Mom and Dad were out of town with Jon, so it was my sister, my brothers, their partners, and me. My little brother, Chris’s girlfriend from the Kryptonian cultural club at his high school. They’re old-fashioned, cute high school sweethearts. Sugary-sweet and almost nauseatingly innocent. They’ve been friends since they were twelve, and this is their first real trip as more than friends. I was surprised her parents let her go, but our family was famous back home in Krypton. 

Conner didn’t bring a date, but he did bring Roxy. She saved his life when he needed a kidney a few years ago. Now, Roxy’s our honorary sister. She also happens to be a cop. Or a cop in training. They whispered the whole car ride about something, but I couldn’t hear. It seemed like they were arguing. 

Match came with his weird little blonde boyfriend. He came out to Mom and Dad last year, so we couldn’t judge his partners. Between you and me, I don’t think anyone would mind him dating boys if he didn’t pick such strange guys. Oh… His boyfriend’s name is Thad. And I know we call my brother Match or whatever, but his name is Max. Match is just a nickname. His boyfriend’s given name was Thaddeus. I’m not judging the guy, but he could’ve been more friendly when he met us.

Kara, Mia, and I didn’t bring anyone, which was nice. We took turns driving, but Roxy had to take over for good after sunset. She was the only one who could see in the dense darkness and the rain. The rest of us wore glasses. And in Thara and Chris’s case, they were too young to drive. Roxy wasn’t the safest driver, so I sat in the back with the kids, and they fell asleep on either side of me. I nearly nodded off before Roxy hit something with the station wagon. I heard a whine or a screech, and Conner gasped awake. “What happened?” I asked. 

“Conner, I think I hit something—.” 

“I’m Laney,” I answered. Oh, yeah. Match, Conner, and I are identical triplets. I don’t feel like we’re that identical. Conner always kept his hair curly and had earrings. Match is bulkier than both of us. And me… I almost lost complete sight in my left eye after a fight our sophomore year, so it was duller and weaker than my right one. “What’d you hit?” I was almost angry because it scared me awake. 

“I don’t know. I’ll get out and see—.” 

“It’s pitch black out there. I’ll get out and look,” Conner interrupted. I climbed from the backseat and followed Conner out. Conner covered his mouth and turned away. 

“Don’t throw up,” I warned him. Conner was the most sensitive of the three of us. He cried at movies and lived for the sake of romance while being the coolest of us. But he was no help when it came to things like this. “Conner, look at me. Do not—.” Conner gagged. “Stop.” 

“It’s still alive,” Conner whimpered. 

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Go get Match,” I replied. Conner obeyed. I was the oldest of the three of us. It was me, then Conner, and Match. Match was a surprise. Match got out of the car and gave me a pair of gloves. “What are—?” 

Match put his gloves on and pointed toward the injured animal in the road. I followed him. When we approached the animal, a car stopped in the middle of the road and offered to help. “No, thanks! Can you get around?” I asked. He nodded and got in his car. “Come on, Match. We gotta move this dog out of the road—.”

“No… Coyote,” Match whispered. I took my pocket knife out and shut my eyes. I had to do it a few times before when we were kids. I didn’t like to talk about it. “Laney?” 

“I’m okay. Let’s get it out of the road,” I commanded. We carried it to the side of the road, took off our gloves, and got in the car. Conner glanced at us and pressed his palms to his eyelids. “Don’t you dare throw up in this car.” I didn’t like vomit… Okay? 

“Was it quick?” Conner asked. 

“Yeah. Let’s go,” I answered. Roxy nodded and kept on the path to our cabin. Match and Thad got the master bedroom. The girls shared a room, and I shared a room with Conner and Chris. Our room had three beds, so we didn’t have to share one. I went straight to bed, but the thunderstorm woke me up. Actually… Chris woke me up. He shoved me awake. Chris didn’t mean to be rough. He was always unnaturally strong for a little kid. 

“What’s the matter?” I whispered. 

“Well—. Laney, can I—?” Chris jolted when lightning struck, and I nodded. 

“Get in. It’s okay,” I replied, “It’s alright.” He lay his head on my shoulder, and I kissed his forehead. I wasn’t soft with anyone but him. “Hey, it’s okay. One-one-thousand… Two-one-thousand. Three-one-thousand. Four-one-thousand—.” Thunder and lightning. Chris turned toward me. “It’s alright. Lay down. I’ve got you.” 

Chris scrunched down in the bed. It wasn’t until he closed his eyes that I realized… Conner wasn’t in his bed. “Chris? Christopher? Christopher, where’s Conner?” I asked. 

“I don’t know… Conner was leaving when I woke up,” Chris whispered, “I thought he had to go to the bathroom or somethin’.” 

“Alright… Well, I guess Conner will be back in a little while,” I replied, “Go on. Go to sleep.” 

I lay awake, waiting for Conner. It was almost thirty minutes before Conner returned, soaking wet. “Conner? Conner, what the hell are you doing?” I asked. I was careful not to wake Chris.

“I don’t—.” Conner shivered, and I left the bed to look for a towel to wrap around him. “I don’t remember. Laney, don’t tell anyone, please.” 

“I won’t… Go shower and put something warm on,” I commanded. There was a time when Conner was the confident one. I don’t know what happened to him, but I miss the bubbly person he used to be. He was still the same old Conner to everyone else, but they don’t know him like I do. It’s fake. Something changed when we were teenagers. 

Oh! The sleepwalking. That was new. Conner started climbing out of bed in the middle of the night a few weeks before our trip. We lived together, so I knew his comings and goings. He didn’t want anyone to worry about him because the one thing you don’t want to be in a family with six kids is the kid with issues. To be fair, though… We were born with our fair share of problems. 

No one thought we’d make it when we were born. We were misdiagnosed with a terminal illness, poked and prodded for years until a doctor found out what was wrong. It was rare but treatable… Which meant the years of painful tests and hospital stays were pointless. We came out of it okay, but there was permanent damage for all of us. It messed up my central nervous system, and sometimes I shake. I don’t know why, but I do. Conner’s kidneys were fucked… And Match. He died and came back. He had it the worst. When he was dead, he ended up with permanent brain damage. Or at least we think it’s permanent. Match had years of speech therapy before he could form sentences again… And even then, it’s no more than two or three words at a time. Anyway… I waited for Conner to return from his shower. I made him sleep beside me. I didn’t make a fuss because he was upset, but I insisted quietly. Conner wrapped his arms around my right arm. I wouldn’t have slept if he didn’t.

[darwin-xf]

SSSSStakeout

Stakeout. Baltimore. Not an X file. Skinner had assigned them.

He called them in the day before. Immediately, he had Scully’s complete undivided attention. Mulder was predictably peevish. Pouting. God, why was he always like this?

“You have been carefully selected to be part of this team. The human trafficking task force here in DC has been working to get these guys for two years.”

“It’s just that, Sir, we’re the only two agents assigned to the X files. What if a case comes up while we’re on this other thing?”

“Mulder. Last week I found you a mutant in California. Don’t be a pain in the ass. We’re closing in on arrests here. And we need experienced agents. It’s only a couple days. One mistake could make it all go boom.”

Scully was raking him over, pinning him with some serious side eye. Skinner shut up and ducked down to pretend to get something from a bottom desk drawer. Allowing her the space to persuade him with those peepers. God knows they had worked him over once or twice. Maybe three times. Jeepers creepers.

These two. He was something. But she, she, she? She was something else.

Skinner’d gone to high school with a kid named Brett Miller who was a freakishly good athlete. And he played basketball with this guy. Class of 1970 and to this day, he still held a handful of school records. He’d gotten a full ride at Villanova then played a couple of years in the NBA, plus ten more overseas. Their coach was old school, never one for gratuitous praise. He ran their asses off in practice, had them drill on defense ninety percent of the time.

One day they were working on mastering a full court trap press. Nobody was supposed to shoot the ball. An inviolable rule. But Brett, once he quit holding back, he singlehandedly broke the press with ease. Then he skittered out of double coverage with a behind the back dribble and launched a shot from forty feet. When the ball was in the air, everybody gasped. Then it fell through the hoop, nothing but net. Brett fell to his knees and grabbed his head.

“Sorry, Coach. Sorry guys,” he said, and fell down prostrate on the court. “Glad he’s on our team,” their coach quipped. Gruff old guy.

Then had them all run five suicides before sending Brett to the showers and resetting the press. Supposedly it was a punishment, but Skinner knew even then that coach wanted them to practice against normal human boys. They won a state championship six weeks later.

That’s how Skinner felt about Mulder and Scully. They tended to muck things up. But all in all, he was glad they were on his team.

“OK, Sir.” Mulder said, when Skinner was back in his seat and facing them thirty seconds later. He was gripping the arms of his chair.

Scully nodded. She’d won this round. And she’d seemed relieved and pleased, Skinner thought, her pigheaded partner had knuckled under.

Thirty-six hours later, they sat on a squalid block in outside a row of strip clubs. One way street, narrow and dim. Parked in a ‘68 Mustang (special issue motor pool) equidistant from three pertinent businesses demarked by tawdry awnings inked in flagrant fonts: Norma Jean’s, Pussycat, and Club Hustler.

Fifty yards from the front entrance of the Charm City Suites, with a view also of an emergency exit up a narrow alley. Eyes trained on doors, tracking comings and goings. Nothing yet.

Inside, a trio of Albanian bad guys were allegedly holding between ten and twelve women from all corners of the globe against their will. Seduced with promises of opportunity and liberty, then stowed, stashed, and shifted to this small seamy corner of the supposedly free world. They were displaced and disempowered, lacking a common language or a lay of the land. Forced into rough trade.

It was a delicate operation. These guys had reach, and assets, a dozen identities between them and links with organized crime, plenty of cash in offshore accounts. If they were tipped, they’d simply disappear. Never be brought to justice.

Not a X file. But a handful of real assholes who needed to be off the streets. He knew this. Lately, he’d been trying to, you know, grow up. With the new year coming up, hell, a new Millenium in fact, he was considering a resolution. Change is hard.

They had drawn the midnight to 8 am shift. Their cover was, she was a dancer at Norma Jeans, and he was her boyfriend. If the subjects —they had extensive dossiers on all three— took interest or noticed them, she was on a break, visiting with him outside in his car.

She was Scarlett, he was Mulcahey. That was it. They were to improvise from there, as necessary. There were lone agents posted in all three titty bars, plus a pair staying in the hotel, all original members of the task force.

Scully was next to him, an arm’s length away across the bench seat of this seriously sweet ride. Not that he was a car guy, but Gawd.

Two hours in, a silence had settled between them. Not uncomfortable. Scantily clad as per their cover, she hummed as a shiver ran through her. Mulder eyeballed her and turned over the key. The engine roared to life. Soon a weak plume of heat seeped out from the floorboards and pooled around their ankles.

“If we could take her for a spin, I could warm you up properly, Scully.”

She quirked an eyebrow at him.

“What? V eight and all. Kind of irksome, just to have to sit here idling. Makes me feel... impotent.”

Beside him, huddled around her cup of lukewarm coffee procured on the way over, she began to shiver.

“Aw, Scully. Crap.”

He stripped off his black leather jacket and she sat up, allowing him to drape it over her shoulders. He still wore several layers. A long sleeved slub cotton white v neck tee, a chambray dress shirt, slippery and moss green. Stiff jeans dyed dark indigo. Black boots.

She eyed his outfit. Shook her head. Unfair. She wore only a leopard print mini dress. Straight from central casting. Really.

“Thanks,” she said, glad for the warmth. And the masculine creak, the almost alive redolence of hide. She snuffed her nose against the collar, breathed him in. Thought of his sofa.

“Skinner warned us,” he said, imitating him. “This is not a warm body stakeout, Agents.” She smothered a laugh.

This pleased him. He smiled.

Read the rest at Ao3

[tangerineliqu0r]

Kindle

Pairing: Sam Wilson x Hero!Reader

Summary: They haven't seen each other in 6 months, and after meeting on the metro, have a cute dinner.

Warnings: fluff, mutual pining, married couple stuff, cursing, reminiscing

Word Count: 1373

a/n: I've been dying to actually start writing and I love Sam so much and don't see enough love for him so here it is <3

The bumpiness of the metro had never been nice to you. Whether it was smacking your head into the window or throwing you off balance, it had never been something you liked. Unfortunately, it was much faster than driving when you had to be downtown. Not to mention you weren’t much of a driver anyways.

That’s how you got stuck dosing off on the cracked seats on your way back from work. You’d think that working for the government would have its perks, but here you were working until late and riding the damn metro back home. You were exhausted, so much so that your eyelids were half closed where pictures of a warm bed and Chinese takeout danced behind your eyes. To anyone else on the train, you probably looked completely asleep or at least in your own little world. You were almost knocked out until the train pulled up to a stop and a voice yanked you out of your dreams.

“Hey, is that really you? What’re you doing in DC?”

The striking figure of Sam Wilson entered your half-lidded vision. He was getting on the train and grabbing a standing spot directly in front of you. Despite the initial shock of seeing him you were still able to get a stiff answer to come out of your mouth as you tried to wake yourself up.

“Oh, you know, working myself to death, you know the feds don’t want any of us roaming the streets.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. Retiring was never an option for you, it seemed you’d always be paying them back for your ‘enemy of the state’ pardon.

“Yeah, I felt that. Always the next job, right?”

“Exactly. They’ve got me cooped up in an office with a bunch of techs now. Said something about me being unsafe and unpredictable in the field, before assigning me some shitty therapist and slapping me behind a computer.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the thought.

“Shit, I’d kill for a desk job right now. Seems like I fly from mission to mission and get patched up on the plane in between.Dealing with the world post blip isn’t as easy as it seems.”

“I know Sam, the world’s so different and I’m so busy I swear I don’t think I’ve sat down at my kitchen table to eat in 4 months.”

I shifted over so I was fully in my seat and motioned for him to take the seat next to me. I could see the exhaustion on his face as he plopped into the seat. He leaned fully back and stretched out his long jean clad legs.

He blows air out of his mouth and laughs at me, “God damn, I felt that, takeout’s good, but nothing beats a good steak and sprouts.”

Obviously, it hadn’t taken long to fall back into their old ways: complaining about work and talking about food. All we needed to turn back time now would be a quick kiss. You couldn’t help but to reminisce. The two of you used to be like two peas in a pod, where he was you were. Seeing him after all this time made you realize just how much you missed him. You missed being around him all the time. You missed the way he’d laugh at your stupid jokes. You missed cooking for him and staying in to watch some cult classic. You missed going out to Tony’s fancy parties and then driving around for hours with Sam after. You missed the taste of his lips and the feel of his skin against yours. You missed him more than you realized, and the feeling gave you the confidence to speak up.

“Come over to mine then, I still go grocery shopping and I’m sure I can whip up an actual meal for you.”

His brown eyes light up, and you know you’ve got him with the promise of good cooking. “God, it’s been forever since I’ve ate your food, you know I can’t turn that down.”

“Good, I got you just in time then, because my stop is coming up.” You smiled at him.

Suddenly the day had gotten better, even with the torture of work and the monotony of life, Sam Wilson had managed to brighten up your world with just a glance.

Despite your stops coming up in any minute, you felt that they were taking an indefinite amount of time. The excitement to be with Sam for the evening overrode any patience you had managed to develop over your lifetime.

When the stop finally came, the two of you made the quick walk back to your apartment in no time.

“Government assigned?” Sam quirks his eyebrow at you as you pull the front door open.

“Of course, I’m sure they’ve got a million agents in this damn building watching my every move. I swear, you can get pardoned, but they don’t every really pardon you.” You smirk as the two of you enter the elevator.

“Ha!” He barks out a sharp laugh, “You think they’ve got a Sharon Carter in the unit across from you?”

“Oh I’m sure of it, the guy in the unit across from me is definitely an agent,” you snark at him. “He’s doing a real good job at pulling off the frail look thought, especially with the hourly cig breaks and the toothpick arms, I’m sure they think I’d never suspect.” You laugh.

“But really, Sam, most of the people in the building are suits, along with a few agents that I know of.”

“Yeah, I’m sure they keep a close eye on you, being all unpredictable and unsafe like you are.” He jabs you in the side and laughs.

“I’m telling you they’ve got it all wrong!” you laugh. “Alright this is me,” you wiggle your key into the knob and open the door.

“Kick off your shoes and relax wherever, I’m going to see what I’ve got in the kitchen.” You wandered into the kitchen to find something to whip up.

It didn’t take Sam long at all to get comfortable. He quickly cozied into the second-hand brown leather couch situated in the living room parallel to your kitchen. The man was barely awake when you got to him with a plate of food.

The two of you sit next to each other and eat on the old couch. It doesn’t take long until someone suggests that they find something to watch on television, and not long after you all are watching reruns of the Office.

Both of you laugh wholeheartedly through the episodes and somewhere in between the 4th and 5th episode you begin to notice the glances Sam is giving you. They’re somewhere between sad and longing, and you’re beginning to think he’s going to leave until Sam wraps his hand over your shoulders and pulls you in tight against him. Suddenly it’s like the blip never happened, the snap never happened, and it’s just the two of you, doing what you always do.

You were content with that, being close to him, being immersed in him. Hell, you hoped that the familiar warm musky smell of his cologne would stay on the shirt you were wearing. The two of you had nearly watched a half a season when you really began to get tired. Gently, you tapped his arm, so he’d lift it off your shoulders and asked if he minded if laid down over his lap.

Of course, he obliged and there the two you were just like old times, you half-asleep with your head in his lap and him stroking his fingers through your hair and scratching gently against you scalp.

The sad look he had been giving you earlier had transformed. It was a gentle, mellow, content look now. You could guess he was reminiscing too, just by the look on his face. And you knew for sure he had been reminiscing when leaned down and attached his lips to yours.

There it was, that spark in your chest, that you hadn’t felt in a hell of a long time. Sam Wilson had sparked a little flame your heart again, and you just hoped he’d kindle it.

[aestheticvoyage2022]

Day 42: Friday February 11, 2022 - “DC Walkabout”

Every trip that brings me into DC is afforded some time set aside for strolling through the monuments.   Today, with beautiful weather here in the nation’s capital, I took that time for tradition.  Riding the metro train, visiting Chinatown for dinner, Jefferson at night, and even paying a visit to the White House grounds to say hello.  I saw the Washington Monument, with its surrounding flags beaming in the wind, at sunset.  I strolled the length of the new Black Lives Matter Plaza.  I considered the HOPE portrait at the National Portrait Gallery.  Didn’t have a timed entry pass to get into Library of Congress, but said hello, from below, to the founding fathers, all auspiciously looking West.

Its been a couple years since Ive been back over here, though Ive seen the places on the news regularly, and with those happenings; those comings and goings, on my mind, that I sat at the Reflection Pool in front of Grant’s statue, surrounded on four corners by the Lions and battle waging on both sides.  Last time I was here, the Capital was still under renovation.  It was nice to see everything there mostly put back into place.  The important places were all still here.

And a new tradition now - the highlight of the night.  I strolled a couple blocks down from 1600 Pennsylvania to an old cigar lounge called Shelly’s Back Room where I posed up on a real nice comfy leather lounge chair and had a couple smokes with the regular crowd there that was so nice as to welcome me in, and ask when Id be back.  A creature of habit here, making my regular rounds of my favorite places, I’ll have to add this stop to all my future capital-city walk abouts.  At least it gave me a couple hours off my feet!  After walking 12 miles, I was whooped, but with one last important stop Id have to get creative....or get a scooter!   I spent over a half hour zipping down to the Tidal Basin to visit Jefferson - ole guardian of all this beauty.   And while I was in my glory, awkwardly navigating the sidewalks, pretending this could be an olympic sport, I was full heartedly disappointed to find Jefferson, under renovation and completely dark and walled off.  I got as close as I could and got a new angle on it, his lonely silhouette there.   I parked the scooter and decided to call it quits.  Looked through the gems of my 8 photo-hunt around town as I waited for my Uber to come take me back to Virginia.  On a small dark side road I had all to myself.  Just as my Uber said it was arriving, a long black stretch limo pulled up.   I stood as it stopped in front of me.  “This can’t be right” I thought - I dont even know how to get in”   Just as my actual Uber pulled up right behind it, three guys popped out, no doubt some kind of famous.  They stumbled down into the dark of which I came - “I guess word got out about seeing Jefferson at night.....”  - “just stay away from hole in the wall Chinatown place!”  I slept hard and fast tonight - that was quite the hike. And Id be up in 4 hours to catch my flight back home, so I got this sight-seeing in, just in time.

Song:  Bruce Springsteen - Born In The U.S.A.

Quote: “I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it.” ― Thomas Jefferson